What is claimed is:
1. A network for communicating packets of data, comprising:
a network medium;
a plurality of devices for generating packets of data for transmission on said network medium; and
a plurality of device adapters each including:
a device interface for connecting to one of said devices and for receiving said packets generated thereby;
a network interface for connecting to said network medium; and
a processor connected to said interfaces for transmitting said packets received at said device interface to said network interface;
said plurality of device adapters creating a frame of time, said frame being substantially synchronized in said plurality of device adapters and repeating periodically, said frame of time including a plurality of time phases;
each of said device adapters capable of having at least one of said time phases assigned uniquely thereto and transmitting said packets received at said device interface to said network medium during said assigned time phase.
2. The network of claim 1, wherein each time phase is variable in size.
3. The network of claim 1, wherein the network is wireless.
4. A device adapter for regulating traffic in a broadcast network, the broadcast network including devices for generating packets of data and a network medium for carrying the packets, said device adapter comprising:
a device interface for connecting to one of the devices and for receiving packets of data generated thereby;
a network interface for connecting to the network medium; and
a processor connected to said interfaces for receiving packets from said device interface and for transmitting packets to the network interface;
said device adapter having a time reference which is substantially synchronized with that of other said device adapters connected to the broadcast network, said time reference defining a frame of time, said frame including a plurality of variable time phases, said frame repeating periodically;
said device adapter capable of having one of said time phases being uniquely assigned thereto; and
said processor of said device adapter transmitting packets received at said device interface during said assigned time phase.
5. The device adapter of claim 3, wherein the broadcast network is wireless.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method, comprising:
performing operations in a first wireless network device, the operations comprising:
directionally transmitting, within a first sector, a first transmission including an identifier of the first sector;
directionally transmitting, within a second sector, a second transmission including an identifier of the second sector;
omnidirectionally receiving a response transmission from a second wireless network device, the response including an identifier of a particular one of the first and second sectors, the response further including an identifier of a third sector, the third sector used by the second wireless network device to transmit the response transmission; and
directionally transmitting, within the particular one of the first and second sectors, information to the second wireless network device, the information including an identifier of the third sector.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing one or more operations to achieve finer directionality with the second wireless network device.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein directionally transmitting the first transmission and directionally transmitting the second transmission are included in a sector sweep operation.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second transmissions is a beacon.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless network device is a wireless network controller.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing antenna training with the second wireless network device.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first transmission, the second transmission, and the response transmission are each millimeter wave wireless transmissions.
8. An apparatus, comprising a first wireless network device containing a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, and a processor, the first wireless network device to:
directionally transmit, within a first sector, a first transmission including an identifier of the first sector;
directionally transmit, within a second sector, a second transmission including an identifier of the second sector;
omnidirectionally receive a millimeter wave response transmission from a second wireless network device, the response including an identifier of a particular one of the first and second sectors, the response further including an identifier of a third sector, the third sector used by the second wireless network device to transmit the response transmission; and
directionally transmit, within the particular one of the first and second sectors, information to the second wireless network device, the information including an identifier of the third sector.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first wireless network device is to perform one or more operations to achieve finer directionality with the second wireless network device.
10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first wireless network device is to perform antenna training with the second wireless network device.
11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first transmission and the second transmission are included in a sector sweep operation.
12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein each of the first and second transmissions is a beacon.
13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first wireless network device is a wireless network controller.
14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first wireless network device comprises multiple antennas in a phased array antenna system.
15. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first wireless network device is to receive the response during one of multiple available time slots.
16. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first wireless network device is to receive the response over one of multiple available sub-channels.
17. An article comprising a tangible machine-readable medium that contains instructions, which when executed by one or more processors result in performing operations comprising:
directionally transmitting, within a first sector, a first transmission including an identifier of the first sector;
directionally transmitting, within a second sector, a second transmission including an identifier of the second sector;
omnidirectionally receiving a millimeter wave response transmission from a second wireless network device, the response including an identifier of a particular one of the first and second sectors, the response further including an identifier of a third sector, the third sector used by the second wireless network device to transmit the response transmission; and
directionally transmitting, within the particular one of the first and second sectors, information to the second wireless network device, the information including an identifier of the third sector.
18. The article of claim 17, wherein the operations comprise one or more operations to achieve finer directionality with the second wireless network device.
19. The article of claim 17, wherein directionally transmitting the first transmission and directionally transmitting the second transmission are included in a sector sweep operation.
20. The article of claim 17, wherein each of the first and second transmissions is a beacon.
21. The article of claim 17, wherein the first wireless network device is a wireless network controller.
22. The article of claim 17, wherein the operations comprise performing antenna training with the second wireless network device.
23. The article of claim 17, wherein the first transmission, the second transmission, and the response transmission are each millimeter wave wireless transmissions.
24. An apparatus, comprising a first wireless network device having a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, and a processor, the first wireless network device to:
omnidirectionally receive a first transmission including an identifier of a first sector within which the first transmission was transmitted by a second wireless network device;
directionally transmit to the second wireless network device, within a second sector, a first response including an identifier of the second sector;
directionally transmit to the second wireless network device, within a third sector, a second response including an identifier of the third sector;
omnidirectionally receive, from the second wireless network device, information containing an identifier of a particular one of the second and third sectors; and
directionally transmit additional information to the second wireless network device, within the sector identified by the identifier of the particular one of the second and third sectors.
25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the first wireless network device is to perform one or more operations to achieve finer directionality with the second wireless network device.
26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the first wireless network device is to perform antenna training with the second wireless network device.
27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the first wireless network device comprises multiple antennas in a phased array antenna system.
28. An article comprising a tangible machine-readable medium that contains instructions, which when executed by one or more processors result in performing operations comprising:
omnidirectionally receiving a first transmission including an identifier of a first sector within which the first transmission was transmitted by a second wireless network device;
directionally transmitting to the second wireless network device, within a second sector, a first response including an identifier of the second sector;
directionally transmitting to the second wireless network device, within a third sector, a second response including an identifier of the third sector;
omnidirectionally receiving, from the second wireless network device, information containing an identifier of a particular one of the second and third sectors; and
directionally transmitting additional information to the second wireless network device, within the sector identified by the identifier of the particular one of the second and third sectors.
29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the operations comprise one or more operations to achieve finer directionality with the second wireless network device.
30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the operations comprise performing antenna training with the second wireless network device.