Patent ID: 7656849

Claim:
A method for transferring a file from a first user device within a wireless local area network to a second user device within the wireless local area network comprising: providing a primary local wireless interface for the first user device, the primary local wireless interface having a physical layer, a data link layer, a network layer, and a transport layer; providing a secondary local wireless interface for the first user device, the secondary local wireless interface having a physical layer, a data link layer, a network layer, and a transport layer; providing a control system associated with the primary and secondary local wireless interfaces, the control system comprising: a first network agent operatively associated with the primary local wireless interface, the first network agent monitoring at least one of the physical layer, the data link layer, the network layer, and the transport layer of the primary local wireless interface; a second network agent operatively associated with the secondary local wireless interface, the second network agent monitoring at least one of the physical layer, the data link layer, the network layer, and the transport layer of the secondary local wireless interface; and a cross-layer agent obtaining information regarding the primary and secondary local wireless interfaces from the first and second network agents, and determining whether to transfer the file to the second user device via a direct point-to-point wireless communication link or via an access point based on at least a portion of the information regarding the primary and secondary local wireless interfaces; initiating a file transfer of the file from the first user device to the second user device; determining whether to transfer the file to the second user device via the direct point-to-point wireless communication link or via the access point associated with the wireless local area network where the primary local wireless interface communicates with the access point and the secondary local wireless interface communicates with the second user device using the direct point-to-point wireless communication link; and if the file is to be transferred via the direct point-to-point wireless communication link: establishing the direct point-to-point wireless communication link with the second user device; and transferring the file to the second user device via the direct point-to-point wireless communication link, thereby bypassing the access point.