NETWORK COMMUNICATION SYSTEM WHEREIN MULTIPLE CONTROLLERS COMMUNICATE SO THAT ONE NODE CONTACTING A FIRST CONTROLLER CAN COMMUNICATE WITH ANOTHER NODE CONTACTING A SECOND CONTROLLER AND ACKNOWLEDGE BACK THAT COMMUNICATION IS SUCCESSFUL

• US 20070263536A1
• Filed: 07/16/2007
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GPNE Corp.
• Original Assignee: GPNE Corp.
• Inventors: Wong, Gabriel, Tsui, Po
• Granted Patent: US 7,787,883 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/230.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/06 using polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/02 Hierarchically pre-organised networks, e.g. paging networks, cellular networks, WLAN [Wireless Local Area Network] or WLL [Wireless Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/022 One-way selective calling networks, e.g. wide area paging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/025 with acknowledge back capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/022 Selective call receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/185 Selective call encoders for paging networks, e.g. paging centre devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication system is provided for communication between network nodes and multiple communication controllers. The communication method provides for request timeslot management, assigning request timeslots to individual nodes. In the network, when an individual node has data to transmit, the node transmits a request signal to a communication controller over an assigned timeslot. For a first node in the network area of a first controller communicating with a second node in the network area of a second communication controller, data is relayed between the first and second communication controllers to enable communication between the first and second nodes. Acknowledgement back that communication is successful is made by a node to a controller indicating a grant was successfully received by the node.

Claims

1. A method of operating a data communication system, the data communication system comprising a network which includes a plurality of communication controllers and a plurality of communication nodes, the method comprising:

receiving a network connection request enabling signal transmitted from a first communication controller to a first communication node, said network connection request enabling signal specifying at least one slot of time in which the first communication node may transmit a network connection request signal in order to send at least one message to a second communication node located within the network, said second communication node being able to transmit and receive at least one message with a second communication controller in the network;

transmitting the network connection request signal from the first communication node to the first communication controller when the first communication node has at least one message to send to the second communication node, wherein said network connection request signal is transmitted from the first communication node in response to receiving the network connection request enabling signal from the first communication controller;

receiving a network data grant signal transmitted from the first communication controller to the first communication node, wherein said network data grant signal is transmitted after the first communication controller receives the network connection request signal from the first communication node;

transmitting a network connection acknowledgement signal from the first communication node to the first communication controller in response to the first communication node receiving the network data grant signal from the communication controller, wherein said network connection acknowledgment signal is transmitted prior to the first communication node transmitting said data to the first communication controller; and

transmitting the at least one message from the first communication node to the first communication controller in response to receiving the network data grant signal from the first communication controller, said at least one message being transmitted to the first communication controller to be sent over the network to the second communication controller to transmit to the second communication node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said network data grant signal is transmitted from the first communication controller subsequent to the first communication controller determining from the second communication controller the availability of the second communication node to receive at least one message, and wherein said network data grant signal is transmitted from the first communication controller subsequent to the first communication controller determining the availability of network capacity to serve the network connection request signal from the first communication node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said network data grant signal specifies at least one frequency and at least one slot of time for the first communication node to transmit at least one message to the first communication controller to send over the network to the second communication controller and for the second communication controller to transmit to the second communication node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said network connection request signal transmitted from the first communication node includes a request for an allocation of network capacity to transmit at least one message from the first communication node to the second communication node.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said network connection request enabling signal and said network data grant signal are transmitted from the first communication controller to the first communication node via a first channel;

and

wherein said network connection request signal and said network connection acknowledgement signal are transmitted to the first communication controller from the first communication node via a second channel;

wherein said data is transmitted from the first communication node to the first communication controller via a third channel; and

wherein said data is transmitted from the second communication controller to the second communication node via a fourth channel.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said first channel is carried on at least one slot of time over at least one frequency belonging to a first group of frequencies;

wherein said second channel is carried on at least one slot of time over at least one frequency belonging to a second group of frequencies;

wherein said third channel is carried on at least one slot of time over at least one frequency belonging to a third group of frequencies; and

wherein said fourth channel is carried on at least one slot of time over at least one frequency belonging to a fourth group of frequencies.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein there is a plurality of communication channels through the network connecting the first communication controller to the second communication controller.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one message sent from the first communication node to the second communication node comprises a sequence of data packets.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the data packets sent from the first communication node to the second communication node can be carried over at least one channel among the plurality of communication channels through the network connecting the first communication controller to the second communication controller.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one message comprises at least one data packet which comprises at least one of a digital text message and a digital voice message.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is a wide area network.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein when the first communication node transmits the network connection request signal and the network data grant signal is not received, the first communication node will retransmit the connection request signal when the first communication node still intends to send the at least one message to the second communication node.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein when the first communication node transmits the network connection request signal with a randomly generated number, and when the network data grant signal is not received by the first communication node with a repeat of the randomly generated number for identification, the first communication node will introduce a random back off routine and retransmit the connection request signal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the retransmitted connection request signal is a random access signal.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said network data grant signal comprises information relating to an allocation of network capacity to transmit at least one message from the first communication node to the second communication node.

16. The method of claim 3, wherein said slot of time specified in said network data grant signal comprises a series of contiguous timeslots.

17. The method of claim 3, wherein said at least one frequency specified in said network data grant signal comprises a frequency range.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the acknowledgement signal comprises at least one of an identification of the first communication node and identification of the first communication controller.

19. A method of operating a data communication system, the data communication system comprising a network which includes a plurality of communication controllers and a plurality of communication nodes, the method comprising:

receiving a network connection request enabling signal transmitted from a first communication controller to a first communication node, said network connection request enabling signal specifying at least one slot of a frame in which the first communication node may transmit a network connection request signal in order to send at least one message to a second communication node located within the network, said second communication node being able to transmit and receive at least one message with a second communication controller in the network;

transmitting the network connection request signal from the first communication node to the first communication controller when the first communication node has at least one message to send to the second communication node, wherein said network connection request signal is transmitted from the first communication node in response to receiving the network connection request enabling signal from the first communication controller, wherein said network connection request signal comprises information relating to a request for an allocation of network capacity to transmit at least one message from the first communication node to the second communication node;

receiving a network data grant signal transmitted from the first communication controller to the first communication node, wherein said network data grant signal is transmitted after the first communication controller receives the network connection request signal from the first communication node, wherein said network data grant signal specifies at least one frequency and at least one slot for the first communication node to transmit at least one message to the first communication controller to send over the network to the second communication controller and for the second communication controller to transmit to the second communication node;

transmitting a network connection acknowledgement signal from the first communication node to the first communication controller in response to the first communication node receiving the network data grant signal from the communication controller, wherein said network connection acknowledgment signal is transmitted prior to the first communication node transmitting said data to the first communication controller; and

transmitting the at least one message from the first communication node to the first communication controller in response to receiving the network data grant signal from the first communication controller, said at least one message being transmitted to the first communication controller to be sent over the network to the second communication controller to transmit to the second communication node.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein when the first communication node transmits the network connection request signal and the network data grant signal is not received, the first communication node will retransmit the connection request signal when the first communication node still intends to send the at least one message to the second communication node.

21. The method of claims 20, wherein when the first communication node transmits the network connection request signal with a randomly generated number, and when the network data grant signal is not received by the first communication node with a repeat of the randomly generated number for identification, the first communication node will introduce a random back off routine and retransmit the connection request signal.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein said network is a wide area network, said wide area network comprising a plurality of communication channels through the network connecting the first communication controller to the second communication controller, wherein the data packets sent from the first communication node to the second communication node can be carried over at least one channel among the plurality of communication channels through the network connecting the first communication controller to the second communication controller.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein said slot of a frame specified in said network data grant signal comprises a series of contiguous timeslots.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein said at least one frequency specified in said network data grant signal comprises a frequency range.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the acknowledgement signal comprises at least one of an identification of the first communication node and identification of the first communication controller.