WIRELESS VIRAL MESH NETWORK AND PROCESS FOR USING THE SAME

• US 20110228677A1
• Filed: 05/27/2011
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: WEIGAND, Gilbert G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,620,211 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/237
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0058 Allocation criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/021 in wireless networks with changing topologies, e.g. ad-hoc networks self-organizing networks H04W84/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/06 based on characteristics of available antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A sending subscriber system may participate in a wireless network by generating a message to transmit in a wireless network, identifying a local wireless subscriber system with which communications may be established, and determining whether to use the wireless local subscriber system as a relay.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method of redirecting communications in a wireless network, the method comprising:

relaying, by a first wireless device in a wireless network, wireless communications from a second wireless device in the wireless network to a base station in the wireless network;

detecting, at the first wireless device, an occurrence of a condition in response to which the first wireless device is configured to redirect wireless communications in the wireless network; and

in response to detecting the occurrence of the condition, redirecting the second wireless device to utilize a third wireless device in the wireless network as a relay for wireless communications between the second wireless device and a base station.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein detecting an occurrence of a condition includes detecting congestion in the wireless network through the first wireless device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein detecting congestion through the first wireless device includes detecting that the second wireless device is a source of the congestion through the first wireless device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein detecting congestion through the first wireless device includes detecting that a fourth wireless device is a source of the congestion through the first wireless device.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein detecting an occurrence of a condition includes predicting anticipated congestion through the first wireless device.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein detecting an occurrence of a condition includes detecting that a transmission channel is unavailable due to at least one of noise, interference, or lack of channel bandwidth capacity.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein detecting an occurrence of a condition includes receiving, at the first wireless device, a scheduling message instructing the first wireless device to reduce its bandwidth consumption.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein redirecting includes sending an instruction to the second wireless device to utilize the third wireless device as a relay.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein redirecting includes sending, to the second wireless device, configuration information that is useful for configuring the second wireless device to utilize the third wireless device as a relay.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein sending configuration information includes sending, to the second wireless device, antenna orientation information that is useful for orienting an antenna of the second wireless device to utilize the third wireless device as a relay.

12. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

accessing, by the first wireless device, state information that describes a condition of the wireless network; and

determining that the third wireless device is available to serve as a relay for the second wireless device based on the state information.

13. The method of claim 2, further comprising configuring a lobe pool in the wireless network to assist the second wireless device in utilizing the third wireless device as a relay in response to detecting the occurrence of the condition.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein configuring a lobe pool includes activating a lobe pool to assist the second wireless device in utilizing the third wireless device as a relay.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein configuring a lobe pool includes reorienting an existing lobe pool to assist the second wireless device in utilizing the third wireless device as a relay.

16. The method of claim 2, wherein the first wireless device relays wireless communications between the second wireless device and a first base station, and the third wireless device relays wireless communications between the second wireless device and a second base station that is different from the first base station.

17. A first wireless device that is configured to participate in a wireless network, the first wireless device comprising:

a communication device for communicating on the wireless network;

at least one processing element; and

a storage medium that stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processing element, cause the at least one processing element to;

relay, via the communication device, wireless communications between a second wireless device in the wireless network and a base station in the wireless network;

detect an occurrence of a condition in response to which the local wireless device is configured to redirect wireless communications in the wireless network; and

in response to detecting the occurrence of the condition, redirect the second wireless device to utilize a third wireless device in the wireless network as a relay for wireless communications between second wireless device and a base station in the wireless network.

18. A method of communicating in a wireless network, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first wireless device in a wireless network, a request from a second wireless device in the wireless network to use the first wireless device as an intermediary for transmitting wireless communications in the wireless network;

in response to receiving the request from the second wireless device, determining, at the first wireless device, whether the wireless network can support the request from the second wireless device to use the first wireless device as an intermediary; and

based on a determination that the wireless network can support the request from the second wireless device to use the first wireless device as an intermediary, sending a message from the first wireless device to at least one participating wireless device in the wireless network announcing that the wireless network can support the use the first wireless device as an intermediary.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein sending a message from the first wireless device to the at least one participating wireless device in the wireless network includes sending a message to at least one of the second wireless device or a third wireless device in the wireless network, announcing that the wireless network can support the use of the first wireless device as an intermediary.

20. A method of configuring a wireless network, the method comprising:

determining whether a first wireless device in a wireless network is able to exchange wireless communications directly with a base station in the wireless network;

based on a determination that the first wireless device is unable to exchange wireless communications directly with the base station, locating a second wireless device in the wireless network that is available to operate as a relay for wireless communications in the wireless network to and from the first wireless device; and

configuring the first wireless device to utilize the second wireless device as a relay for wireless communications in the wireless network to and from the first wireless device.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising sending a wireless communication from the first wireless device to the second wireless device to be relayed in the wireless network after configuring the first wireless device to utilize the second wireless device as a relay.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving a wireless communication, at the first wireless device, that was relayed to the first wireless device by the second wireless device after configuring the first wireless device to utilize the second wireless device as a relay.