Systems and methods for seamless data stream transfer during band switch between wireless stations

Abstract

One innovation includes an apparatus, for wirelessly communicating with a communication system via a first wireless channel and a second wireless channel, including a memory unit that is configured to store a first data packet and a second data packet, the first data packet and the second data packet have consecutive sequence numbers. The apparatus further includes a processor configured to retrieve the first data packet and the second data packet from the memory unit, a transceiver that is configured to transmit the first data packet to the communication system via the first channel, to receive a first acknowledgement from the communication system and to transmit the second data packet to the communication system via the second channel after the processor detects that the first acknowledgement comprises a positive acknowledgement of the first reception information.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for wirelessly communicating with a communication system, the apparatus comprising:
 a memory unit configured to store information associated with a first channel and a second channel;   a processor operationally coupled to the memory unit, the processor configured to retrieve the information from the memory unit; and   a transceiver operationally coupled to the processor, the transceiver including a wireless first channel and a wireless second channel to communicate data, the apparatus being configured to receive a first data packet from the communication system via the first channel, to transmit via the first channel a first acknowledgement comprising reception information associated with the first data packet, and to receive a second packet from the communication system via the second channel, the first packet and the second packet having consecutive sequence numbers.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is further configured to:
 receive the first data packet from the communication system via the first channel, the first channel operating at a first frequency;   transmit the first acknowledgement to the communication system via the first channel; and   receive the second packet via the second channel, the second channel operating at a second frequency.   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus simultaneously monitors the first channel and the second channel. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is further configured to generate the first acknowledgement to indicate that a failed reception of the first packet when the apparatus fails to receive the first data packet, and wherein the apparatus is further configured to receive the first packet from the communication system via the first channel. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is configured to generate the first acknowledgement to indicate a successful reception of the first packet when the apparatus successfully receives the first packet. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is further configured to:
 receive the one first packet and a third packet from the communication system via the first channel; and   transmit a second acknowledgement to the communication system via the first channel, the second acknowledgement including reception information that indicates reception status of at least one of the first packet or the third packet.   
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the apparatus is configured to generate the second acknowledgement to indicate information associated with a failed reception of the first packet when the apparatus fails to receive the first packet, and wherein the apparatus is further configured to receive the first packet from the communication system via the first channel. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein when the apparatus successfully receives the first packet and the third packet, the second acknowledgement comprises information associated with successful reception of the first packet and successful reception of the third packet. 
     
     
         9 . A method of wirelessly communicating with a communication system via a wireless first channel and a wireless second channel, the method comprising:
 receiving a first data packet from the communication system via the first channel,   transmitting a first acknowledgement to the communication system via the first channel, the first acknowledgement including first reception information associated with the received first data packet, and   receiving a second packet from the communication system via the second channel, the first packet and the second packet having consecutive sequence numbers.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein receiving the first data packet comprises receiving the first data packet from the communication system via the first channel at a first frequency, wherein transmitting the first acknowledgement comprises transmitting the first acknowledgement to the communication system via the first channel, and wherein receiving the second packet comprises receiving the second packet via the second channel at a second frequency. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises monitoring the wireless first channel and the wireless second channel. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises:
 setting the first acknowledgement to indicate that the first data packet was not received; and   receiving a re-transmission of the first packet from the communication system via at least one of the first channel or the second channel when the first data packet was not received.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises setting the first acknowledgement to indicate that the first packet was successfully received. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises:
 receiving the one first packet and a third packet from the communication system via the first channel; and   transmitting a second acknowledgement to the communication system via the first channel, the second acknowledgement including reception information associated with at least one of the first packet or the third packet.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the method further comprises:
 setting the second acknowledgement to indicate that the first packet was not received; and   receiving the first packet from the communication system via the first channel when the first packet was not received via the first channel.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the method further comprises setting the second acknowledgement to indicate a successful reception of the first packet and a successful reception of the third packet when the first packet and the third packet are successfully received. 
     
     
         17 . An apparatus for wirelessly communicating with a communication system via a wireless first channel and a wireless second channel, the apparatus comprising:
 means for receiving a first data packet from the communication system via the first channel;   means for transmitting a first acknowledgement to the communication system via the first channel, the first acknowledgement comprising first reception information associated with the first data; and   means for receiving a second packet from the communication system via the second channel, the first packet and the second packet having consecutive sequence numbers.   
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the means for receiving the first data packet comprises a receiver, wherein the means for transmitting the first acknowledgement comprises a transmitter, and wherein the means for receiving the second packet comprises the receiver. 
     
     
         19 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable code for wireless communication, comprising code to:
 receive a first data packet from the communication system via a first channel;   transmit a first acknowledgement to the communication system via the first channel, the first acknowledgement comprising reception information associated with the first data packet; and   receive a second packet from the communication system via a second channel, the first packet and the second packet having consecutive sequence numbers.   
     
     
         20 . An apparatus for wirelessly communicating with a communication system via a wireless first channel and a second channel, comprising:
 a first buffer configured to store data packets from the first channel;   a second buffer configured to store data packets from the second channel;   a memory unit configured to store information comprising:
 a first start sequence number of the first buffer, 
 a first window size of the first buffer, 
 a second start sequence number of the second buffer, and 
 a second window size of the second buffer; and 
   a processor operationally coupled to the first buffer, the second buffer and the memory unit, the processor configured to copy the first start sequence number to the second start sequence number, and to copy the first window size to the second window size.   
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the first channel and the second channel are wireless channels. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the first channel is a logic channel connected to the communication system, and wherein the second channel is another logic channel connected to another communication system. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the memory unit is further configured to store information related to a next expected sequence number. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 retrieve the next expected sequence number;   receive a first data packet from the first channel, the first data packet including a first sequence number;   insert the first data packet into the first buffer when the first sequence number is less than the next expected sequence number;   receive a block acknowledgement request frame from the first channel, the block acknowledgement request frame comprising a third start sequence number; and   set the next expected sequence number to be the third start sequence number.   
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 receive a second data packet from the second channel, the second data packet comprising a second sequence number; and   insert the second data packet into the second buffer when the second sequence number is less than the next expected sequence number.   
     
     
         26 . A method of wirelessly communicating with a communication system via a first channel and a second channel, the method comprising:
 copying a first start sequence number of a first buffer to a second start sequence number of a second buffer; and   copying a first window size of the first buffer to a second window size of the second buffer, the first buffer configured to store data packets from the first channel, and the second buffer configured to store data packets from the second channel.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the first channel and the second channel are two wireless channels. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the first channel is a logic channel connected to the communication system; and wherein the second channel is another logic channel connected to another communication system. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the method further comprises:
 retrieving a next expected sequence number;   receiving a first data packet from the first channel, the first data packet comprising a first sequence number;   inserting the first data packet into the first buffer when the first sequence number is less than the next expected sequence number;   receiving a block acknowledgement request frame from the first channel, the block acknowledgement request frame comprising a third start sequence number; and   setting the next expected sequence number to be the third start sequence number.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the method further comprises:
 receiving a second data packet from the second channel, the second data packet comprising a second sequence number; and   inserting the second data packet into the second buffer when the second sequence number is less than the next expected sequence number.   
     
     
         31 . An apparatus for wirelessly communicating with a communication system via a first channel and a second channel, the apparatus comprising:
 means for copying a first start sequence number of a first buffer to a second start sequence number of a second buffer; and   means for copying a first window size of the first buffer to a second window size of the second buffer, the first buffer configured to store data packets from the first channel, and the second buffer configured to store data packets from the second channel.   
     
     
         32 . The apparatus of  claim 31 , wherein the means for copying the first start sequence number of the first buffer comprises a processor and a memory unit, and wherein the means for copying the first window size of the first buffer comprises at least a processor and a memory unit. 
     
     
         33 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable code for wireless communication, comprising code to:
 copy a first start sequence number of a first buffer to a second start sequence number of a second buffer; and   copy a first window size of the first buffer to a second window size of the second buffer, the first buffer configured to store data packets from a first channel, and the second buffer configured to store data packets from a second channel.