Patents by Inventor Timothy Gordon Godfrey
Timothy Gordon Godfrey has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 8144733Abstract: A novel implementation of a partitioned Medium Access Control (MAC) is disclosed. The illustrative embodiment employs a shared bus that typically is already present in a wireless terminal for communication between an Upper MAC and a Lower MAC. The partitioned MAC implementation therefore does not require any additional communication means between the Upper MAC and Lower MAC, resulting in a lower-cost system. In addition, the Upper MAC and Lower MAC pass native data structures by reference over the shared bus, thereby eliminating the need for drivers to coordinate communication via interrupts, handshaking, etc. The partitioned MAC implementation results in a cost-effective distributed architecture in which the Upper MAC resides in the terminal's host processor and the Lower MAC resides in the terminal's wireless station.Type: GrantFiled: July 14, 2008Date of Patent: March 27, 2012Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLCInventors: Michael Andrew Fischer, Timothy Gordon Godfrey
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Patent number: 8107882Abstract: A technique is disclosed for improving how stations that operate in accordance with different protocols coexist with an access point that operates in accordance with a single protocol. In the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a station provides timing information to an IEEE 802.11 access point. The access point uses the timing information to determine when it may transmit any available frames to the station, so as not to interfere with any ongoing Bluetooth packet transmissions that are made by the station.Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 2004Date of Patent: January 31, 2012Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLCInventors: Michael Andrew Fischer, Timothy Gordon Godfrey
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Patent number: 8081718Abstract: An apparatus for adjusting the transmission bit rate and fragmentation threshold of a wireless station in response to transmission errors is disclosed. In particular, the illustrative embodiment of the present invention is based on a wireless station that employs both an IEEE 802.11 radio and a Bluetooth radio, and determines whether transmission errors of the IEEE 802.11 radio are due to fading, or interference from the Bluetooth radio. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention for protocols other than IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth, as well as stations that employ wireline or non-RF-wireless transceivers.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2008Date of Patent: December 20, 2011Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLCInventor: Timothy Gordon Godfrey
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Patent number: 8036218Abstract: A technique for enabling a secure, point-to-point wireless connection between a secondary computer (e.g., a personal digital assistant, etc.) and a primary computer (e.g., a notebook, a desktop, etc.) is disclosed. The primary computer is associated with an extended infrastructure through an access point. The present invention enables the secondary computer to communicate either with the associated primary computer or with an extended network indirectly through the access point.Type: GrantFiled: July 14, 2008Date of Patent: October 11, 2011Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLCInventors: Timothy Gordon Godfrey, Michael Andrew Fischer
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Patent number: 8036193Abstract: A technique is disclosed that enables both an IEEE 802.11 transceiver and a Bluetooth transceiver to be employed in a single wireless telecommunication station (e.g., a device supporting a wireless telephone, personal digital assistant, etc.) without interfering on each other. In particular, the illustrative embodiment enables standard “off-the-shelf” IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth transceivers to work in a coordinated fashion in a single telecommunications terminal. In the illustrative embodiment, an IEEE 802.11 transceiver that uses a shared-communications channel notifies a Bluetooth transceiver that a transmit opportunity exists and that the Bluetooth transceiver has permission to use the shared-communications channel. The technique disclosed is also applicable to communications protocols other than IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth.Type: GrantFiled: January 21, 2010Date of Patent: October 11, 2011Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLCInventor: Timothy Gordon Godfrey
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Patent number: 7836445Abstract: A technique is disclosed that provides a host computing device user with convenient access to a network. In the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a telecommunications station stores device driver files. The host computing device installs a device driver. Once properly configured, the host computing device controls the station, through the device driver, to transmit data blocks into a shared-communications medium. The host computing device also receives a first portion of network-specific data (e.g., network configuration information, security configuration information, etc.) that enables the host computing device to properly configure itself to communicate via the network of interest.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2003Date of Patent: November 16, 2010Inventors: Robert Derek La Gesse, Timothy Gordon Godfrey
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Patent number: 7792114Abstract: A technique is disclosed for conveying extended functionality control and management information in networks. Enhanced stations encode the control and management information in pre-existing messages. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the enhanced stations perform the encoding without the need to create nonstandard or proprietary frame formats. Unenhanced stations that are present in the same network as enhanced stations react to the encoded information in a benign way.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 2004Date of Patent: September 7, 2010Inventors: Michael Andrew Fischer, Timothy Gordon Godfrey
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Publication number: 20100118853Abstract: A technique is disclosed that enables both an IEEE 802.11 transceiver and a Bluetooth transceiver to be employed in a single wireless telecommunication station (e.g., a device supporting a wireless telephone, personal digital assistant, etc.) without interfering on each other. In particular, the illustrative embodiment enables standard “off-the-shelf” IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth transceivers to work in a coordinated fashion in a single telecommunications terminal. In the illustrative embodiment, an IEEE 802.11 transceiver that uses a shared-communications channel notifies a Bluetooth transceiver that a transmit opportunity exists and that the Bluetooth transceiver has permission to use the shared-communications channel. The technique disclosed is also applicable to communications protocols other than IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 21, 2010Publication date: May 13, 2010Inventor: Timothy Gordon Godfrey
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Patent number: 7715434Abstract: A technique is disclosed involves a station (e.g., an IEEE 802.11 station, etc.) requesting that one or more frames be transmitted from an access point to the station. The station might have been in power save mode during Bluetooth operation for the purpose of causing the access point to queue frames that are intended for the station. The station making the request is collocated with the Bluetooth station or is, in fact, a single station that supports two protocols (i.e., has two parts), and is able to determine the regular timing of the Bluetooth synchronous connected oriented (SCO) packet transmissions. The requests to the access point for IEEE 802.11 frames are timed to cause the access point response frames to fall between the Bluetooth messages, thus managing potential interference.Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 2004Date of Patent: May 11, 2010Inventors: Michael Andrew Fischer, Timothy Gordon Godfrey
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Patent number: 7653031Abstract: A technique is disclosed that enables both an IEEE 802.11 transceiver and a Bluetooth transceiver to be employed in a single wireless telecommunication station (e.g., a device supporting a wireless telephone, personal digital assistant, etc.) without interfering on each other. In particular, the illustrative embodiment enables standard “off-the-shelf” IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth transceivers to work in a coordinated fashion in a single telecommunications terminal. In the illustrative embodiment, an IEEE 802.11 transceiver that uses a shared-communications channel notifies a Bluetooth transceiver that a transmit opportunity exists and that the Bluetooth transceiver has permission to use the shared-communications channel. The technique disclosed is also applicable to communications protocols other than IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth.Type: GrantFiled: October 8, 2003Date of Patent: January 26, 2010Inventor: Timothy Gordon Godfrey
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Patent number: 7647165Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for improving vehicle tracking and remote control. A wireless telecommunications system infrastructure receives a unique vehicle identifier via a shared-communications channel from a vehicle being tracked, as well as location information for that vehicle. The location information is derived from Global Positioning System signals or from the address of the local infrastructure currently in contact with the vehicle, or both. The same shared-communications channel is used to convey control messages to the vehicle, wherein the messages are mapped into control signals that can disable the vehicle's engine or control some other system that is part of the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 2004Date of Patent: January 12, 2010Inventors: Timothy Gordon Godfrey, James Gerard Zyren
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Publication number: 20100002717Abstract: A novel implementation of a partitioned Medium Access Control (MAC) is disclosed. The illustrative embodiment employs a shared bus that typically is already present in a wireless terminal for communication between an Upper MAC and a Lower MAC. The partitioned MAC implementation therefore does not require any additional communication means between the Upper MAC and Lower MAC, resulting in a lower-cost system. In addition, the Upper MAC and Lower MAC pass native data structures by reference over the shared bus, thereby eliminating the need for drivers to coordinate communication via interrupts, handshaking, etc. The partitioned MAC implementation results in a cost-effective distributed architecture in which the Upper MAC resides in the terminal's host processor and the Lower MAC resides in the terminal's wireless station.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 14, 2008Publication date: January 7, 2010Applicant: CONEXANT, INC.Inventors: Michael Andrew Fischer, Timothy Gordon Godfrey
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Publication number: 20090141693Abstract: A technique for enabling a secure, point-to-point wireless connection between a secondary computer (e.g., a personal digital assistant, etc.) and a primary computer (e.g., a notebook, a desktop, etc.) is disclosed. The primary computer is associated with an extended infrastructure through an access point. The present invention enables the secondary computer to communicate either with the associated primary computer or with an extended network indirectly through the access point.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 14, 2008Publication date: June 4, 2009Applicant: CONEXANT, INC.Inventors: Timothy Gordon Godfrey, Michael Andrew Fischer
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Publication number: 20080310488Abstract: An apparatus for adjusting the transmission bit rate and fragmentation threshold of a wireless station in response to transmission errors is disclosed. In particular, the illustrative embodiment of the present invention is based on a wireless station that employs both an IEEE 802.11 radio and a Bluetooth radio, and determines whether transmission errors of the IEEE 802.11 radio are due to fading, or interference from the Bluetooth radio. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention for protocols other than IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth, as well as stations that employ wireline or non-RF-wireless transceivers.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 16, 2008Publication date: December 18, 2008Applicant: CONEXANT, INC.Inventor: Timothy Gordon Godfrey
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Patent number: 7400640Abstract: A novel implementation of a partitioned medium access control (MAC) is disclosed. The illustrative embodiment employs a shared bus that typically is already present in a wireless terminal for communication between an upper MAC and a lower MAC. The partitioned MAC implementation therefore does not require any additional communication means between the upper MAC and lower MAC, resulting in a lower-cost system. In addition, the upper MAC and lower MAC pass native data structures by reference over the shared bus, thereby eliminating the need for drivers to coordinate communication via interrupts, handshaking, etc. The partitioned MAC implementation results in a cost-effective distributed architecture in which the upper MAC resides in the terminal's host processor, and the lower MAC resides in the terminal's wireless station.Type: GrantFiled: November 4, 2003Date of Patent: July 15, 2008Assignee: Conexant, Inc.Inventors: Michael Andrew Fischer, Timothy Gordon Godfrey
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Patent number: 7400621Abstract: A technique for enabling a secure, point-to-point wireless connection between a secondary computer (e.g., a personal digital assistant, etc.) and a primary computer (e.g., a notebook, a desktop, etc.) is disclosed. The primary computer is associated with an extended infrastructure through an access point. The present invention enables the secondary computer to communicate either with the associated primary computer or with an extended network indirectly through the access point.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 2003Date of Patent: July 15, 2008Assignee: Conexant, Inc.Inventors: Timothy Gordon Godfrey, Michael Andrew Fischer
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Patent number: 7388903Abstract: An apparatus for adjusting the transmission bit rate and fragmentation threshold of a wireless station in response to transmission errors is disclosed. In particular, the illustrative embodiment of the present invention is based on a wireless station that employs both an IEEE 802.11 radio and a Bluetooth radio, and determines whether transmission errors of the IEEE 802.11 radio are due to fading, or interference from the Bluetooth radio. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention for protocols other than IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth, as well as stations that employ wireline or non-RF-wireless transceivers.Type: GrantFiled: May 29, 2003Date of Patent: June 17, 2008Assignee: Conexant, Inc.Inventor: Timothy Gordon Godfrey
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Patent number: 7373172Abstract: An interface between radios supporting different air interfaces is disclosed that avoids some of the costs and disadvantages associated with inter-radio interfaces in the prior art. The present invention enables the needed coordination across multiple wireless protocols, such as 802.11 and Bluetooth, by providing a communication link spanning different integrated circuits when each radio is on a separate integrated circuit. This low cost, low complexity link can be added to standard integrated circuits produced by individual companies without adding appreciably to the overall cost of the integrated circuits.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 2006Date of Patent: May 13, 2008Assignee: Conexant, Inc.Inventor: Timothy Gordon Godfrey
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Patent number: RE42721Abstract: A technique is disclosed that enables both an IEEE 802.11 transceiver and a Bluetooth transceiver to be employed in a single wireless telecommunication station (e.g., a device supporting a wireless telephone, personal digital assistant, etc.) without interfering on each other. In particular, the illustrative embodiment enables standard “off-the-shelf” IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth transceivers to work in a coordinated fashion in a single telecommunications terminal. In the illustrative embodiment, a Bluetooth transceiver gains access to a shared-communications channel from an IEEE 802.11 transceiver by requesting access, even if the access is not immediate. The technique disclosed is also applicable to communications protocols other than IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2008Date of Patent: September 20, 2011Assignee: Xocyst Transfer AG L.L.C.Inventor: Timothy Gordon Godfrey
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Patent number: RE42722Abstract: An interface between radios supporting different air interfaces is disclosed that avoids some of the costs and disadvantages associated with inter-radio interfaces in the prior art. The present invention enables the needed coordination across multiple wireless protocols, such as 802.11 and Bluetooth, by providing a communication link spanning different integrated circuits when each radio is on a separate integrated circuit. This low cost, low complexity link can be added to standard integrated circuits produced by individual companies without adding appreciably to the overall cost of the integrated circuits.Type: GrantFiled: May 11, 2010Date of Patent: September 20, 2011Assignee: Xocyst Transfer AG L.L.C.Inventor: Timothy Gordon Godfrey