Radio frequency local area network
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A multi-hop data communication network having RF capability comprising:
- a plurality of terminal nodes; and
a plurality of bridging nodes which dynamically create and revise communication pathways between any two nodes in the network, each of the bridging nodes independently storing and maintaining local information that specifies how communication traffic should flow through that bridging node, and the plurality of bridging nodes, together, providing a complete specification for the communication pathways in the multi-hop communication network; and
said nodes using HELLO messages with a backward learning technique independently create and maintain locally stored information to specify how communication traffic should flow through that bridging node.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and a method for routing data in a radio data communication system having one or more host computers, one or more intermediate base stations, and one or more RF terminals organizes the intermediate base stations into an optimal spanning-tree network to control the routing of data to and from the RF terminals and the host computer efficiently and dynamically. Communication between the host computer and the RF terminals is achieved by using the network of intermediate base stations to transmit the data.
93 Citations
29 Claims
-
1. A multi-hop data communication network having RF capability comprising:
-
a plurality of terminal nodes; and
a plurality of bridging nodes which dynamically create and revise communication pathways between any two nodes in the network, each of the bridging nodes independently storing and maintaining local information that specifies how communication traffic should flow through that bridging node, and the plurality of bridging nodes, together, providing a complete specification for the communication pathways in the multi-hop communication network; and
said nodes using HELLO messages with a backward learning technique independently create and maintain locally stored information to specify how communication traffic should flow through that bridging node. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A multi-hop data communication system having RF capability comprising:
-
a plurality of terminal nodes;
a plurality of bridging nodes; and
said bridging nodes further comprising, means for maintaining communication pathways between any two nodes in the network by repeatedly broadcasting messages identifying itself, means for determining the timing between the identifying message broadcasts. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. In a multi-hop data communication network having a plurality of bridging nodes and RF communication capability, a plurality of terminal nodes comprising:
-
a RF transceiver;
means for segmenting digitally encoded data to be, transferred into discrete data packets;
means responsive to said segmenting means for individually transmitting each discrete data packet; and
means for reconstructing discrete data packets into digitally encoded data. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A communication network comprising:
-
a plurality of terminal nodes;
a plurality of bridging nodes which, together, form a spanning tree that specifies wireless communication pathways for relaying messages between said plurality of terminal nodes;
one of said plurality of terminal nodes selectively enters or exits a sleep mode through direct, wireless communication with one of said plurality of bridging nodes;
the one of said plurality of bridging nodes attempts to forward messages to the one of said plurality of terminal nodes when the one of said plurality of terminal nodes is not in the sleep mode;
the one of said plurality of bridging nodes stores messages destined for the one of said plurality of terminal nodes when the one of said plurality of terminal nodes is in the sleep mode; and
the one of said plurality of bridging nodes forwards stored messages to the one of said plurality of terminal nodes operating in the sleep mode upon request from the one of said plurality of terminal nodes. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
-
21. A wireless communication network comprising:
-
a plurality of terminal nodes;
a plurality of bridging nodes which, together, form a spanning tree that specifies wireless communication pathways for forwarding messages between said plurality of terminal nodes;
each of said plurality of terminals selectively enters or exits a sleep mode through communication with at least one of said plurality of bridging nodes; and
said plurality of bridging nodes forward messages to those of said plurality of terminal nodes that are in the sleep mode only upon request, and immediately attempt to forward messages to those of said plurality of terminal nodes that are not in the sleep mode. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
-
-
27. A communication network supporting wireless communication throughout an area comprising:
-
a plurality of roaming terminal nodes;
a plurality of bridging nodes which, together, form wireless communication pathways for relaying messages between said roaming terminal nodes;
each of the plurality of bridging nodes transmits at predetermined intervals hello messages that indicated the presence of pending messages; and
each of the plurality of roaming terminal nodes comprising a controller and a wireless receiver, wherein the controller synchronizes use of the wireless receiver at the predetermined intervals to receive the hello messages transmissions. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
-
Specification