Patent ID: 7864742

Claim:
A wireless network in a communication infrastructure having a packet switched backbone network, the wireless network comprising: an access point, communicatively coupled to the packet switched backbone network, having access point processing circuitry and access point wireless transceiver circuitry; a first client device having first client processing circuitry and first client wireless transceiver circuitry; a second client device having second client processing circuitry and second client wireless transceiver circuitry; the access point processing circuitry, using the access point wireless transceiver circuitry and an associated set of communication parameters, manages communications both between the first client wireless transceiver circuitry and the packet switched backbone network, and between the second client wireless transceiver circuitry and the packet switched backbone network; and the first client processing circuitry, using the first client device wireless transceiver circuitry: listens to wireless transmissions between the second client device and the access point; characterizes the wireless transmissions between the second client device and the access point; transmits, to the access point, the characterization of the wireless transmissions sent between the second client device and the access point, receives, at a first time, a direction from the access point to initiate wireless transmission relaying operations and, in response thereto, begins relaying wireless transmissions between the access point and the second client device; and receives, at a second time, a direction from the access point circuitry to cease the wireless transmission relaying operations and, in response thereto, stops relaying wireless transmissions between the access point and the second client device.