Staggered startup for cyclic prioritized multiple access (CPMA) contention-free sessions

1. A method for reducing interference between overlapping first and second wireless LAN cells in a medium, each cell including a respective plurality of member stations, comprising:

coordinating by a first member station in the first cell a periodic sequence of first contention-free sessions, each said session including multiple bursts with other member stations in the first cell, and retaining control of the medium by said first member station by using interframe spaces sufficiently short between the bursts that the multiple bursts appear to contending stations to be a single instance of activity in the medium during a session until an end of a session;

listening by a second member station in the second cell to said activity in the medium and detecting an end to one of said first contention-free sessions indicated by an interval longer than a PIFS idle interval following an end to said activity in the medium;

setting a post-backoff delay by said second member station to periodically transmit a minimal interval after said first contention-free sessions of said first member station; and

coordinating by said second member station in the second cell a periodic sequence of second contention-free sessions, each said session including multiple bursts with other member stations in the second cell, and retaining control of the medium by said second member station by using interframe spaces sufficiently short between the bursts that the multiple bursts appear to contending stations to be a single instance of activity in the medium during a session until an end of a session.

2. The method of claim 1 , which further comprises:

said post-backoff delay being a minimum arbitration interframe space (AIFS).

3. The method of claim 1 , which further comprises:

initiating a contention-free session when said post-backoff delay is counted down to zero; and

resetting said post-backoff delay to start a new period.

4. The method of claim 1 , which further comprises:

consecutive ones of said contention-free sessions are separated by idle gaps<=PIFS.

5. The method of claim 1 , in which said setting a post-backoff delay further comprises:

detecting an idle period X=PIFS+x, x>0 at time t;

setting said post-backoff delay at time t, to a value of Bkoff−x;

said value of Bkoff being a fixed deterministic backoff delay, which is greater than the number of overlapping cells.

6. A wireless communications system having reduced interference between overlapping first and second wireless LAN cells in a medium, each cell including a respective plurality of member stations, comprising:

a first access point station in the first cell;

said first access point station coordinating in the first cell a periodic sequence of first contention-free sessions, each said session including multiple bursts with other member stations in the first cell, and retaining control of the medium by said first access point by using interframe spaces sufficiently short between the bursts that the multiple bursts appear to contending stations to be a single instance of activity in the medium during a session until an end of a session;

a second access point station in the second cell;

said second access point listening in the second cell to said activity in the medium and detecting an end to one of said first contention-free sessions indicated by an interval longer than a PIFS idle interval following an end to said activity in the medium;

said second access point setting a post-backoff delay by to periodically transmit a minimal interval after said first contention-free sessions of said first access point; and

said second access point coordinating in the second cell a periodic sequence of second contention-free sessions, each said session including multiple bursts with other member stations in the second cell, and retaining control of the medium by said second access point by using interframe spaces sufficiently short between the bursts that the multiple bursts appear to contending stations to be a single instance of activity in the medium during a session until an end of a session.

7. The system of claim 6 , which further comprises:

said post-backoff delay being a minimum arbitration interframe space (AIFS).

8. The system of claim 6 , which further comprises:

said second access point initiating a contention-free session when said post-backoff delay is counted down to zero; and

said second access point resetting said post-backoff delay to start a new period.

9. The system of claim 6 , which further comprises:

consecutive ones of said contention-free sessions being separated by idle gaps<=PIFS.

10. The system of claim 6 , in which said setting a post-backoff delay further comprises:

said second access point detecting an idle period X=PIFS+x, x>0 at time t;

said second access point setting said post-backoff delay at time t, to a value of Bkoff−x;

said value of Bkoff being a fixed deterministic backoff delay, which is greater than the number of overlapping cells.