Network communication system with information rerouting capabilities
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A network communication system, comprising:
- a communication network including a plurality of nodes; and
a plurality of access points each coupled to said communication network at a respective one of said nodes, said access points serving as communication links between said communication network and one or more mobile communication units, each of said access points including;
wireless communication means for communicating information between said respective node and any of said one or more mobile communication units which are registered to said access point;
means for receiving an information packet from said communication network, said information packet being addressed to a particular one of said one or more mobile communication units;
means for determining whether said access point is a master among a plurality of said access points according to a predefined criteria independent of whether the particular mobile communication unit has been registered to said access point;
means for transmitting said information packet to said particular mobile communication unit, via said wireless communication means, in the event said particular mobile communication unit is currently registered to said access point; and
means for rerouting said information packet to said particular mobile communication unit via said communication network in the event said particular mobile communication unit is not currently registered to said access point and said access point is determined to be the master.
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Abstract
A network communication system in which access points providing wireless access to the system reroute misrouted information packets in the event the location of a mobile unit has changed. Regardless of whether a host computer or other network device is capable of updating in its position table the changing locations of the mobile units, information packets directed to the mobile units from the host computer or other network device are still properly delivered.
190 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A network communication system, comprising:
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a communication network including a plurality of nodes; and a plurality of access points each coupled to said communication network at a respective one of said nodes, said access points serving as communication links between said communication network and one or more mobile communication units, each of said access points including; wireless communication means for communicating information between said respective node and any of said one or more mobile communication units which are registered to said access point; means for receiving an information packet from said communication network, said information packet being addressed to a particular one of said one or more mobile communication units; means for determining whether said access point is a master among a plurality of said access points according to a predefined criteria independent of whether the particular mobile communication unit has been registered to said access point; means for transmitting said information packet to said particular mobile communication unit, via said wireless communication means, in the event said particular mobile communication unit is currently registered to said access point; and means for rerouting said information packet to said particular mobile communication unit via said communication network in the event said particular mobile communication unit is not currently registered to said access point and said access point is determined to be the master. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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11. In a network communication system comprising a communication network having a plurality of nodes, and a plurality of access points each coupled to said communication network at a respective one of said nodes, said access points serving as respective wireless communication links between said communication network and one or more mobile communication units registered thereto, a method of communicating an information packet including the steps of:
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directing an information packet over said communication network to a particular one of said access points to which a particular one of said one or more mobile communication units is considered to be registered; using said particular access point to transmit said information packet to said particular mobile communication unit via wireless communication in the event the particular mobile communication unit is currently registered therewith; electing one of said plurality of access points to be a master among said plurality of access points according to a predefined criteria independent of whether the particular mobile communication unit has been registered to said access point; and using said access point elected master to reroute said information packet to said particular mobile communication unit via said communication network in the event said particular mobile communication unit is not currently registered to said particular access point. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 30)
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19. An access point for use in a network communication system comprising a communication network having a plurality of nodes, said access point together with a plurality of similar access points each which are coupled to said communication network at a respective one of said nodes, with each of said access points serving as a respective wireless communication link between said communication network and one or more mobile communication units registered thereto, said access point comprising:
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wireless communication means for communicating information between said respective node and any of said one or more mobile communication units which are registered to said access point; means for receiving an information packet from said communication network, said information packet being addressed to a particular one of said one or more mobile communication units; means for determining whether said access point is a master among a plurality of said access points according to a predefined criteria independent of whether the particular mobile communication unit has been registered to said access point; means for transmitting said information packet to said particular mobile communication unit, via said wireless communication means, in the event said particular mobile communication unit is currently registered to said access point; and means for rerouting said information packet to said particular mobile communication unit via said communication network in the event said particular mobile communication unit is not currently registered to said access point and said access point is determined to be the master. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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26. A network communication system comprising:
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(a) a communication network including a plurality of nodes; (b) a plurality of mobile data collection units; and (c) a plurality of access points each coupled to said communication network at a respective one of said nodes, operating to convey routed data packets between the communication network and a destination mobile data collection unit, each access point comprising a transmission system for wirelessly communicating said data packets to the destination mobile data collection unit in the event that the destination mobile data collection unit is within a wireless communication area, and a reroute system for communicating said data packet to the destination mobile data collection unit through the communication network in the event that the mobile data collection unit is not within a wireless communication network and the access point has been elected a master among said plurality of access points according to a predefined criteria independent of whether the destination mobile data collection unit has been registered to said access point. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
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Specification