Wireless personal local area network

Abstract

A transceiver apparatus for creating a wireless personal local area network between a computer terminal and one or more peripheral devices. A separate transceiver is connected to the computer terminal and to each peripheral device. The transceivers can be connected to the terminal or peripheral device either internally or externally. A low power radio is used to communicate information between the computer terminal and peripheral devices. Different transceivers can be used for modifying the carrier frequency and power of the local area network. The microprocessor is located inside each transceiver and controls the information flow of the transceiver including the communication protocol which allows each device to know if other devices are communicating, which devices are being communicated to, and selectively address the peripheral devices. An Idle Sense communication protocol is used for information transfer between the computer terminal and the peripheral devices, increasing efficiency in power management and compensating for transmission collisions.

1 - 9 . (canceled)  
   
   
       10 . A wireless communication device for operating in a communication system that includes first and second wireless networks, the device comprising: 
 a transceiver configured to communicate with the first and second wireless networks, wherein the transceiver is operable to gain access to the first wireless network using a first access protocol and operable to gain access to the second wireless network using a second access protocol independent of the first access protocol.    
   
   
       11 . The device of  claim 10  wherein the first wireless network has a longer range than the second wireless network.  
   
   
       12 . The device of  claim 10  wherein the transceiver comprises a first radio unit configured to communicate with the first network and a second radio unit configured to communicate with the second network, wherein the first radio unit is operable to gain access to the first wireless network using the first access protocol and the second radio unit is operable to gain access to the second wireless network using the second access protocol.  
   
   
       13 . The device of  claim 10  further comprising a processor operable to control the communications of the transceiver with the first and second networks.  
   
   
       14 . The device of  claim 10  wherein the transceiver is configured to communicate with the first network using a first operating band and to communicate with the second network using a second operating band different than the first operating band.  
   
   
       15 . The device of  claim 10  wherein the device is a mobile device.  
   
   
       16 . The device of  claim 10  wherein the device is a handheld device configured to be operated while being held in a hand of a user.  
   
   
       17 . The device of  claim 10  wherein the device is portable.  
   
   
       18 . The device of  claim 10 , further comprising a keyboard.  
   
   
       19 . The device of  claim 10 , further comprising a graphical display.  
   
   
       20 . The device of  claim 10  wherein the device is an integrated circuit.  
   
   
       21 . The device of  claim 10  wherein the transceiver is configured to communicate with the second wireless network using spread spectrum transmission.  
   
   
       22 . The device of  claim 10  wherein the transceiver is configured to communicate with the first wireless network using spread spectrum transmission utilizing a first spreading code and wherein the transceiver is configured to communicate with the second wireless network using spread spectrum transmission utilizing a second spreading code.  
   
   
       23 . A wireless communication device for operating in a communication system that includes first and second wireless networks, the device comprising: 
 a first transceiver configured to communicate with the first wireless network, the first transceiver being operable to gain access to the first wireless network using a first access protocol; and    a second transceiver configured to communicate with the second wireless network, the second transceiver being operable to gain access to the second wireless using a second access protocol independent of the first access protocol.    
   
   
       24 . The device of  claim 23  wherein the first wireless network has a longer range than the second wireless network.  
   
   
       25 . The device of  claim 23  further comprising a processor operable to control the communications of the first transceiver with the first network and the communications of the second transceiver with the second network.  
   
   
       26 . The device of  claim 23  wherein the first transceiver is configured to communicate with the first network using a first operating band and the second transceiver is configured to communicate with the second network using a second operating band different than the first operating band.  
   
   
       27 . The device of  claim 23  wherein the device is a mobile device.  
   
   
       28 . The device of  claim 23  wherein the device is a handheld device configured to be operated while being held in a hand of a user.  
   
   
       29 . The device of  claim 23  wherein the device is portable.  
   
   
       30 . The device of  claim 23 , further comprising a keyboard.  
   
   
       31 . The device of  claim 23 , further comprising a graphical display.  
   
   
       32 . The device of  claim 23  wherein the device is an integrated circuit.  
   
   
       33 . The device of  claim 23  wherein the second transceiver is configured to communicate with the second wireless network using spread spectrum transmission.  
   
   
       34 . The device of  claim 23  wherein the first transceiver is configured to communicate with the first wireless network using spread spectrum transmission utilizing a first spreading code and wherein the second transceiver is configured to communicate with the second wireless network using spread spectrum transmission utilizing a second spreading code.  
   
   
       35 . A wireless communication device for operating in a communication system that includes first and second wireless networks, the device comprising: 
 transmit circuitry configured to transmit signals on the first wireless network and to transmit signals on the second wireless network; and    receive circuitry configured to receive signals from the first wireless network and to receive signals from the second wireless network according to the second communication protocol;    wherein the wireless communication device is operable to gain access to the first wireless network using a first access protocol and operable to gain access to the second wireless network using a second access protocol independent of the first access protocol.    
   
   
       36 . The device of  claim 35  wherein the first wireless network has a longer range than the second wireless network.  
   
   
       37 . The device of  claim 35  wherein the transmit circuitry comprises first transmit circuitry configured to transmit signals on the first network and second transmit circuitry configured to transmit signals on the second network, and wherein the receiver circuitry comprises first receive circuitry configured to receive signals from the first radio network and second receive circuitry configured to receive signals from the second.  
   
   
       38 . The device of  claim 35  further comprising a processor operable to control the communications of the transmit circuitry with the first and second networks and to control the communications of the receive circuitry with the first and second networks.  
   
   
       39 . The device of  claim 35  wherein the transmit circuitry is configured to transmit signals on the first wireless network using a first operating band and to transmit signals on the second wireless network using a second operating band different than the first operating band, and wherein the receive circuitry is configured to receive signals in the first operating band from the first wireless network and to receive signals in the second operating band from the second wireless network.  
   
   
       40 . The device of  claim 35  wherein the device is a mobile device.  
   
   
       41 . The device of  claim 35  wherein the device is a handheld device configured to be operated while being held in a hand of a user.  
   
   
       42 . The device of  claim 35  wherein the device is portable.  
   
   
       43 . The device of  claim 35 , further comprising a keyboard.  
   
   
       44 . The device of  claim 35 , further comprising a graphical display.  
   
   
       45 . The device of  claim 35  wherein the device is an integrated circuit.  
   
   
       46 . The device of  claim 35  wherein the device comprises a PCMCIA card containing the transmit circuitry and the receive circuitry.  
   
   
       47 . The device of  claim 35  wherein the transmit circuitry is configured to transmit spread spectrum signals on the second wireless network and the receive circuitry is configured to receive spread spectrum signals from the second wireless network.  
   
   
       48 . The device of  claim 35  wherein the transmit circuitry is configured to transmit spread spectrum signals on the first wireless network utilizing a first spreading code and to transmit spread spectrum signals on the second wireless network utilizing a second spreading code and wherein the receive circuitry is configured to receive spread spectrum signals from the first wireless network utilizing the first spreading code and to receive spread spectrum signals from the second wireless network utilizing a second spreading code.  
   
   
       49 . A wireless communication device for operating in a communication system that includes first and second wireless networks, the device comprising: 
 first transmit circuitry configured to transmit signals on the first wireless network;    second transmit circuitry configured to transmit signals on the second wireless network;    first receive circuitry configured to receive signals from the first wireless network;    second receive circuitry configured to receive signals from the second wireless network according to the second communication protocol;    wherein the wireless communication device is operable to gain access to the first wireless network using a first access protocol and operable to gain access to the second wireless network using a second access protocol independent of the first access protocol.    
   
   
       50 . The device of  claim 49  wherein the first wireless network has a longer range than the second wireless network.  
   
   
       51 . The device of  claim 49  further comprising a processor operable to control the communications of the first and second transmit circuitry with the first and second networks and to control the communications of the first and second receive circuitry with the first and second networks.  
   
   
       52 . The device of  claim 49  wherein the first transmit circuitry is configured to transmit signals on the first wireless network using a first operating band and wherein the second transmit circuitry is configured to transmit signals on the second wireless network using a second operating band different than the first operating band, and wherein the first receive circuitry is configured to receive signals in the first operating band from the first wireless network and wherein the second receive circuitry is configured to receive signals in the second operating band from the second wireless network.  
   
   
       53 . The device of  claim 49  wherein the device is a mobile device.  
   
   
       54 . The device of  claim 49  wherein the device is a handheld device configured to be operated while being held in a hand of a user.  
   
   
       55 . The device of  claim 49  wherein the device is portable.  
   
   
       56 . The device of  claim 49 , further comprising a keyboard.  
   
   
       57 . The device of  claim 49 , further comprising a graphical display.  
   
   
       58 . The device of  claim 49  wherein the device is an integrated circuit.  
   
   
       59 . The device of  claim 49  wherein the device comprises a PCMCIA card containing the transmit circuitry and the receive circuitry.  
   
   
       60 . The device of  claim 49  wherein the second transmit circuitry is configured to transmit spread spectrum signals on the second wireless network and the second receive circuitry is configured to receive spread spectrum signals from the second wireless network.  
   
   
       61 . The device of  claim 49  wherein the first transmit circuitry is configured to transmit spread spectrum signals on the first wireless network utilizing a first spreading code and the second transmit circuitry is configured to transmit spread spectrum signals on the second wireless network utilizing a second spreading code, and wherein the first receive circuitry is configured to receive spread spectrum signals from the first wireless network utilizing the first spreading code and the second receive circuitry is configured to receive spread spectrum signals from the second wireless network utilizing a second spreading code.