Patent ID: 8369797

Claim:
A communication apparatus, comprising: a transmitter that transmits wireless signals; a receiver that receives wireless signals; a first communication functional unit that uses the transmitter and the receiver to operate as a station in a first network operating on a first communication channel; a second communication functional unit that uses the transmitter and the receiver to operate as a station in a second network operating on a second communication channel different from the first communication channel; and a controller that conducts time division data transfer by utilizing inactive time periods of receiver on the first and second channels in order to switch operation from one of the first channel or the second channel to the other channel to receive a signal on the corresponding other network, wherein the first and the second communication functional units are fundamentally operative to respectively originate and transmit beacon signals on the first and second channels each time when a first predetermined beacon period elapses, or alternatively, to respectively receive beacon signals transmitted from neighboring stations on the first and second channels each time when a second predetermined beacon period elapses; and wherein the controller controls the time division data transfer such that, when times to receive the beacon signals on the first and second networks overlap, the controller prioritizes reception of a beacon signal for one of the first or second network whereon signals of greater bandwidth are being transferred.