WIRELESS NETWORK PROTOCOL SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20160373998A1
• Filed: 09/06/2016
• Published: 12/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SIPCO LLC (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SIPCO LLC (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Inventors: Petite, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,860,820 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/36 Repeater circuits H04B3/58 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/14 based on stability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices

Abstract

A system and method for providing wireless network communications between a plurality of remote devices and a site controller are provided. Each network and the site controller communicates using a communications protocol adapted to allow remote devices and the site controller to independently control the communication path for transmissions sent by each device. In some embodiments, remote devices can collect and store information about other remote devices and available communication paths for optimum data transmission. Also, in some embodiments, remote devices can quickly join a preexisting network by communicating with a site controller and/or other remote devices. Other embodiments are also claimed and described.

Claims

1. In a wireless communication network having a site controller wirelessly coupled to a plurality of wireless remote devices, a system comprising:

a first remote device of said plurality of wireless remote devices wirelessly coupled to the site controller, the first remote device being adapted to determine a communication path between the first remote device and the site controller.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication path is adapted to wirelessly couple the first remote device directly to the site controller.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication path is adapted to wirelessly couple the first remote device to a second remote device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the communication path is further adapted to wirelessly couple the second remote device to the site controller.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first remote device is further adapted to maintain a connection list identifying one or more of said plurality of remote devices and a success data score representative of successful and unsuccessful transmissions to remote devices.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the first remote device determines the communication path by selecting a second remote device from the connection list based at least partially on the success data score.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the second remote device is selected because it is associated with a favorable transmission successes score.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the first remote device is adapted to select a second communication path when a transmission to the second remote device is unsuccessful.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one of the first remote device and the second remote device selects a third remote device from the connection list based at least partially on an associated success data score maintained by the at least one of the first remote device and the second remote device.

10. In a wireless network having a site controller and a plurality of remote devices, the plurality of remote devices each having remote device logic, a method comprising:

selecting a wireless communication path between a first remote device to the site controller; and

using a first remote device logic of the first remote device to select the wireless communication path.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting a wireless communication path from the first remote device of the plurality of remote devices to the site controller wirelessly couples the first remote device directly to the site controller.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting a wireless communication path from a first remote device of the plurality of remote devices to the site controller using a first remote device logic of the first remote device comprises:

selecting a communication path from the first remote device of the plurality of remote devices to a second remote device of the plurality of remote devices; and

selecting a communication path from the second remote device of the plurality of remote devices to the site controller.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

maintaining a connection list identifying one or more of said plurality of remote devices and a success data score representative of successful and unsuccessful transmissions to remote devices.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein selecting a wireless communication path from a first remote device of the plurality of remote devices to the site controller using a first remote device logic of the first remote device comprises:

selecting a second remote device from the connection list.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second remote device is selected because it is associated with a favorable transmission success record.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining that a transmission to the second remote device was unsuccessful; and

selecting a third remote device from the connection list.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising selecting a communication path from the third remote device to the site controller.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of selecting a communication path from the second remote device to the site controller.

19. A computer program for determining a communication path between plurality of remote devices and a site controller, each of the plurality of remote devices being adapted to store and run the computer program, the computer program comprising:

a first logic to select a wireless communication path from a first remote device of the plurality of remote devices to the site controller.

20. The computer program of claim 19, further comprising a second logic, the second logic selecting a second remote device of the plurality of remote devices as part of the communication path from the first remote device to the site controller.