Methods for wireless mesh multicasting
First Claim
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1. A method of adding a first node to a mesh of nodes in a network, comprising:
- receiving a mesh join request at a second node transmitted by the first node, the mesh join request indicating a multicast group and a source node from which the first node requests to receive messages;
determining by the second node whether the second node belongs to a mesh that transmits multicast packets originating from the source node to the multicast group identified in the mesh join request; and
in response to determining that the second node belongs to such a mesh, adding the first node, by the second node, to a list of downstream nodes to which the second node transmits multicast packets directed to the identified multicast group originating from the identified source node.
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Abstract
The invention relates generally to systems, methods and/or devices for joining, generating, maintaining, and/or multicasting information via a multicast mesh.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method of adding a first node to a mesh of nodes in a network, comprising:
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receiving a mesh join request at a second node transmitted by the first node, the mesh join request indicating a multicast group and a source node from which the first node requests to receive messages;
determining by the second node whether the second node belongs to a mesh that transmits multicast packets originating from the source node to the multicast group identified in the mesh join request; and
in response to determining that the second node belongs to such a mesh, adding the first node, by the second node, to a list of downstream nodes to which the second node transmits multicast packets directed to the identified multicast group originating from the identified source node. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of receiving multicast packets by a first node directed to a multicast group from a known source node in a wireless network comprising:
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transmitting by the first node a mesh join request identifying the multicast group and the known source node;
awaiting, by the first node an acknowledgement message indicating that a second node has added the first nod to a mesh of nodes which transmits multicast packets originating from the identified source node directed to the identified multicast group;
adding the second node by the first node to a list of upstream nodes responsible for forwarding multicast packets originating from the identified source node to the identified multicast group; and
receiving by the first node multicast packets which are directed to the identified multicast group, transmitted by the second node, and originated from the identified source node. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of maintaining a multicast mesh comprising:
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determining by the first wireless node whether a predetermined minimum number of neighboring nodes in the multicast mesh remain upstream with respect to the first wireless node in relation to the source node remain available for transmitting multicast messages to the first wireless node; and
in response to determining that an insufficient number of such neighboring nodes remain, broadcasting, by the first wireless node, a mesh join request to locate another node to serve as an upstream neighbor with respect to the first wireless node in relation to the source node. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of maintaining a multicast mesh comprising:
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selecting by a first wireless node a multicast mesh that the node supports;
determining, by the first wireless node, for the multicast mesh, whether the first wireless node is responsible for forwarding multicast packets to members of a multicast group originating from a specific source node; and
in response to determining that the first wireless node is not responsible for forwarding multicast packets to the multicast group originating from the specific source node, transmitting a mesh leave message to inform nodes upstream to the first wireless node that the first wireless node no longer needs to receive such packets. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of multicasting comprising:
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receiving, by a first node having a radio layer and a network layer, a multicast packet at the radio layer, the multicast packet identifying a target multicast address and a source node from which the multicast packet originated;
determining, by the first wireless node, a group-source pairing corresponding to the multicast packet based on the identified multicast group address and the identified source node;
determining by the first wireless node whether the first wireless node provides any functionality in relation to the group-source pairing;
in response to the first wireless node determining that it provides a receiving function, passing the multicast packet to the network layer; and
in response to the first wireless node determining that it provides a transit function, forwarding the multicast packet to a second node. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification