Method for Transmitting Frames in a Wireless Local Area Network

Abstract

On the case of receiving data frame from a station, the method of the present invention instructs the repeater to replace the content of the receiver address field by the address of the bridge when receiving the frame transmitted from the station, and then forwards the frames to the bridge. On the case of receiving a data frame transmitted from the bridge, the repeater can replace the content of transmitter address field by the address of the repeater itself, and then forwards the data frame to the station.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A circuit comprising:
 an input adapted to receive a frame transmitted wireless from a station of a wireless local area network wherein the frame comprises a first basic service set identifier in a first field, a first source address in a second field and a first destination address in a third field;   wherein the circuit is configured to replace in the first field of the first frame the first basic service set identifier by a second basic service set identifier of an access point of the wireless local area network while maintaining the first source address and the first destination address; and   an output adapted to transfer the replaced first frame to a wireless transmission entity.   
     
     
         2 . The circuit of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the circuit comprises a further input adapted to receive a second frame transmitted from the access point of the wireless local area network, the second frame comprising the second basic service set identifier in a first field and a second source address in a second field and a second destination address in a third field;   wherein the circuit is configured to replace in the first field of the second frame the second basic service set identifier by the first basic service set identifier while maintaining the second source address and the second destination address; and   a further output adapted to transfer the replaced second frame to the wireless transmission entity.   
     
     
         3 . The circuit of  claim 1 , wherein the first frame further comprises a fourth field and fifth field, wherein the fourth field is set logic one for indicating that the first frame is transmitted to a distribution system, and the fifth field is set to logic zero for indicating that the second frame is not transmitted from a distribution system. 
     
     
         4 . A WLAN system comprising:
 a first access point;   a second access point, wherein the second access point is configured to receive from a first station a first frame comprising a basic service set identifier field, a source address field and a destination address field; and   wherein the second access point is configured to replace in the first frame the content of the basic service set identifier field by an identifier of the first access point while maintaining the content of the source address field and the destination address field; and wherein the second access point is configured to transmit the replaced first frame wireless to the first access point.   
     
     
         5 . The WLAN system according to  claim 4 , wherein the second access point is configured to receive wireless from the first access point a second frame, the second frame comprising a destination address field, a basic set identifier field and a source address field;
 wherein the second access point is configured to replace in the second frame the content of the basic service set identifier field by an identifier of the second access point while maintaining the content of the source address field and the destination address field; and   wherein the second access point is configured to transmit the replaced second frame to the first station.   
     
     
         6 . The WLAN system according to  claim 5 , wherein the second access point conforms to IEEE 802.11. 
     
     
         7 . A repeater device comprising:
 an input adapted to receive a frame transmitted wireless from a station of a wireless local area network, the frame using three address fields; and   wherein the repeater device is configured to modify the frame and to wireless transfer the modified frame to a bridge, the modified frame using no other address fields than the three address fields.   
     
     
         8 . The repeater device of  claim 7 , wherein a first one of the three address fields used in the frame records a basic service set identifier, a second one of the three address fields records a source address and a third one of the three address fields records a destination address. 
     
     
         9 . The repeater device according to  claim 8 , wherein the repeater device is configured to modify the content of the first address field while maintaining the content of the second and third address field. 
     
     
         10 . The repeater device according to  claim 9 , wherein the frame is a data frame conformable to IEEE 802.11. 
     
     
         11 . A WLAN system comprising:
 a bridge access point; and   a repeater access point, wherein the repeater access point is configured to receive from a station a frame and to wirelessly transmit the received frame to the bridge access point, wherein the WLAN system is configured to use only three address fields in the frame when transmitting the received frame from the repeater access point to the bridge access point.   
     
     
         12 . The WLAN system according to  claim 11 , wherein a first one of the three address fields used in the frame records a basic service set identifier, a second one of the three address fields records a source address and a third one of the three address fields records a destination address. 
     
     
         13 . The WLAN system according to  claim 12 , wherein the repeater access point is configured to modify the content of the first address field while maintaining the content of the second and third address field. 
     
     
         14 . The WLAN system according to  claim 11 , wherein the frame is a data frame conformable to IEEE 802.11.