Scalable WLAN Gateway Bandwidth Aggregation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless broadband modems face challenges in sharing connections among multiple users, as they often require a master terminal to consume resources, are limited by insufficient bandwidth, and rely on wired connections which are inconvenient for mobile devices.
Innovation Solution
A mobile station equipped with WLAN circuitry and a scalable gateway application that establishes and manages a wireless local area network, allowing multiple client terminals to share a single subscription by dynamically routing data packets through multiple mobile stations, increasing bandwidth and reducing the need for wired connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a master terminal is used to share a single wireless broadband connection among several users, then network access can be provided to multiple clients, but the master terminal consumes resources and the system becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the gateway function across multiple mobile stations rather than concentrating it in a single master terminal. Each mobile station can independently provide gateway services to client terminals, distributing the computational and networking resources required for connection sharing across the network infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes mobile stations universal by enabling them to perform multiple functions: they can act as both client terminals and gateway devices simultaneously. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated master terminals, as any mobile station can provide gateway services when needed, reducing overall system complexity.
2Reliability
If wired USB connections are used to connect wireless broadband modems to client terminals, then stable connection is achieved, but mobility is restricted and power supply is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical USB connection system with wireless communication protocols. Client terminals connect to the mobile station gateway wirelessly using standard wireless communication, eliminating the need for physical cables while maintaining connection reliability through protocol-level error correction and handoff mechanisms.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a single mobile station provides gateway services to multiple clients, then connection sharing is enabled, but bandwidth becomes insufficient when several clients share the connection
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway function is segmented across multiple mobile stations, with each station handling a portion of the client load. This distribution of gateway responsibilities across multiple nodes increases the aggregate bandwidth available to clients, as each mobile station contributes its own cellular data connection to the shared pool.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the gateway capabilities of multiple mobile stations into a coordinated distributed system. Clients can be served by any available gateway mobile station, and the system combines the bandwidth resources of multiple mobile stations to provide sufficient capacity for multiple simultaneous users.
Data Source
AI summary
A technique for combining transmission bandwidths of several communication devices, such as mobile stations (MS1, MS2) is disclosed. A master mobile station (MS1) establishes (7-0) a WLAN access point communicating with WLAN client terminals (CT). One or more slave mo-bile stations (MS2) may detect a predefined network identifier and join the WLAN network. The master (MS1) as-signs IP addresses for the client terminals (CT) and slave mobile stations (MS2). The master also resolves DNS queries in cooperation with external DNS servers. Traffic, including internet packets (IP1-IP4), between the client terminals and various internet hosts (HO) is tunneled over multiple simultaneous transmission paths (7-6, 7-8; 7-18, 7-22) between the master (MS1) and a multiplexing/demultiplexing computer (SM). The inventive band-width combination technique is transparent to the client terminals (CT) and the internet hosts (HO).