Patent ID: 8040898

Claim:
A wireless terminal for wirelessly communicating with an access point via a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), the wireless terminal comprising: a transmission unit which transmits a wireless signal; a receiving unit which receives a wireless signal; and a communication control unit; wherein, when the receiving unit receives the wireless signal addressed to the terminal itself from the access point, if transmission data is present, in priority to transmission of wireless signals from other wireless terminals connected to the access point, the communication control unit causes the wireless signal including the transmission data to be transmitted from the transmission unit; wherein after the receiving unit receives the wireless signal addressed to the terminal itself from the access point and the communication control unit causes an ACK signal, notifying the access point that the wireless signal was normally received, to be transmitted from the transmission unit, if the wireless signal is not received during the DIFS (Distributed Coordination Function Inter Frame Space) interval and also where transmission data is present, the communication control unit, after the DIFS interval has passed, causes the wireless signal including the transmission data to be transmitted from the transmission unit; and wherein, when the receiving unit receives an ACK signal transmitted by another wireless terminal, if the wireless signal is not received during the (DIFS+random number+α(α>0)) interval and also transmission data is present, the communication control unit, after the (DIFS+random number+α) interval has passed, causes the wireless signal including the transmission data to be transmitted from the transmission unit.