Patent ID: 8693461

Claim:
A method in a wireless local area network communication device, the method comprising: assigning frames to access categories of different relative priority, where each access category has a different transmit queue associated therewith; adding frames assigned to a particular access category to the transmit queue associated with the particular access category; and selecting, in a manner that takes into account the relative priority of the access categories, frames from the transmit queues for transmission over a wireless medium, wherein the access categories consist of a first access category of highest priority defined for voice traffic, a second access category of second highest priority defined for video traffic, a third access category of third highest priority defined for best effort traffic, and a fourth access category of lowest priority defined for background traffic, and wherein assigning frames to access categories of different relative priority comprises: assigning voice signaling frames to the first access category; assigning video signaling frames to the first access category; assigning voice content frames to the second access category; assigning video content frames to the third access category; assigning best-effort frames to the fourth access category; and assigning background frames to the fourth access category.