Patent ID: 8532079

Claim:
A method for reducing interference between overlapping first and second wireless local area network cells in a medium, each of the first and second wireless local area network cells including a respective plurality of member stations, comprising: coordinating, by a processor of a first access point station in the first wireless local area network cell, a periodic sequence of first contention-free sessions, each of the first contention-free sessions including multiple bursts with other member stations in the first wireless local area network cell, and retaining a control of the medium by the first access point station by using interframe spaces between the multiple bursts such that the multiple bursts appear to contending stations to be a single instance of activity in the medium; transmitting by the processor of the first access point station a preemptive peg packet to maintain a contiguity of a transmission timing position of the first access point station with respect to a timing position of a second contention-free session transmitted by a second access point station; and wherein the preemptive peg packet is for preventing gaps to be left idle for longer than a distributed coordination function interframe space; whereby other stations are prevented from using the distributed coordination function interframe space to seize the medium, until the first and second access point stations have completed one contention-free session per periodic cycle.