Patent ID: 7545792

Claim:
A wireless communication method, comprising: providing a first wireless communication apparatus and a second wireless communication apparatus each operable to carry out wireless communication over a network using predetermined frame periods set by network broadcast information; periodically transmitting, from the second wireless communication apparatus, the network broadcast information over the network; transmitting a respective channel allocation request from the first wireless communication apparatus to the second wireless communication apparatus using a portion of one of the predetermined frame periods; allocating, at the second wireless communication apparatus, a particular channel to the first wireless communication apparatus for respective parts of each one of a plurality of consecutive frame periods in response to receiving the respective channel allocation request from the first wireless communication apparatus; determining, at the second wireless communication apparatus, whether the first wireless communication apparatus has detached from the network after having transmitted the respective channel allocation request; releasing the allocated channel if the second wireless communication apparatus determines that the first wireless communication apparatus is detached from the network; including at the second wireless communication apparatus, channel allocation information within a subsequent one of the periodically transmitted network broadcast information if the second wireless communication apparatus determines that the first wireless communication apparatus is not detached from the network, the channel allocation information indicating that the particular channel is allocated to the first wireless communication apparatus for the respective parts of the plurality of consecutive frame periods; and carrying out wireless communication, using the first wireless communication apparatus over the allocated channel, in response to receiving the channel allocation information.