Enhanced mobility and address resolution in a wireless premises based network

• US 6,614,768 B1
• Filed: 07/28/1998
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gollnick, Charles D., Luse, Ronald E., Wolf, Roger L., Cargin, Keith K. Jr., Meier, Robert C., Mahany, Ronald L., Danielson, Arvin D., Bunte, Alan G., West, Guy J., Hanson, George E., Salvay, Steven H., Miller, Phillip, Koenck, Steven E.
• Primary Examiner(s): TON, DANG T
• Application Number:
  US09/123,875
• Time in Patent Office: 1,862 Days
• Field of Search: 370/331, 370/338, 370/328, 370/329, 370/311, 370/332, 370/333, 370/334, 370/335, 370/336-349, 370/441, 370/442, 370/342, 370/347, 370/461, 370/462, 370/465, 705/1, 705/16, 705/17, 705/21, 705/22, 705/23, 455/422, 455/424, 455/425, 455/426, 455/432, 455/433, 455/436, 455/462, 455/463, 455/465, 455/555, 455/556
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/343 Cards including a counter
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/04 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0032 Without explicit signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1671 the supervisory signal being transmitted together with control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1685 the supervisory signal being transmitted in response to a specific request, e.g. to a polling signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/12 Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/156 with demodulation using temporal properties of the received signal, e.g. detecting pulse width
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 : Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 : Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 : Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile customer service station operating within a wireless multi-hop communication network includes a console on a wheeled chassis. The console carries and houses a number of components which are used in merchandising operations to conclude customer purchase transactions. The items supported externally on the console are a printer for printing purchase receipts, customer credit charge agreements and records of transactions, and a magnetic card reader for reading information from a magnetic stripe of a customer'"'"'s credit card. In one embodiment, the operation of the printer, credit card reader and the cash drawer is controlled by a multi-function control unit located within an enclosure of the console. The control unit is electrically powered by a self-contained power source which is preferably a deep cycle rechargeable battery. The console also houses a transceiver unit which under the control of the control unit is capable of interactive communication with a premises network. In another embodiment, the mobile service station comprises an access device which participates with a variety of peripherals at the station in a lower power communication LAN, while providing higher power communication to other network devices via a premises network with routing via a wireless spanning tree configuration.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system comprising:

first, second and third roaming network devices;

first, second and third radio units operably connected to the first, second and third network devices and providing radio communication links for the first, second and third network devices, respectively;

the first network device together with the first radio unit forming a roaming network entity that, when in proximity to the second and third network devices, operates to establish a multiple direct link localized radio network with the second and third radio units of the second and third network devices wherein the first radio unit has a direct radio communication link with the second network device via the second radio unit, and a direct radio communication link with the third network device via the third radio unit; and

the first, second and third network devices together comprising a roaming workgroup while the multiple direct link localized radio network is established and while the first, second and third network devices remain in proximity with each other.

2. A wireless communication system comprising:

a first network device including a first wireless transceiver and capable of roaming;

a second network device including a second wireless transceiver and capable of roaming;

the first and second network devices being in proximity with respect to each other and having a direct wireless communication link between the first and second wireless transceivers;

a third network device including a third wireless transceiver and capable of roaming; and

the third network device, when having roamed within proximity of the first and second network devices, establishing a multiple link network in which the third network device establishes a direct wireless communication link with the first network device via the first and third wireless transceivers, and establishes a direct wireless communication link with the second network device via the second and third wireless transceivers, the first, second and third network devices comprising a roaming workgroup while the first, second and third network devices remain in proximity with each other.

3. A communication network, comprising:

a first wireless network;

a second wireless network that operates independent from the first wireless network;

a plurality of wireless data devices, each communicatively coupled to the second wireless network and each capable of selectively communicating with any other of the plurality of wireless data devices via the second wireless network;

an intermediate wireless device, sized to operate while being carried by a user, that communicatively couples to both the first and second wireless networks; and

the intermediate wireless device enabling any of the plurality of wireless data devices to communicate with the first wireless network via the intermediate wireless device.

4. The communication network of claim 3, further comprising:

the first wireless network operating according to a first communication characteristic and the second wireless network operating according to a second communication characteristic.

5. The communication network of claim 3, further comprising:

the first wireless network operating at a relatively high power and the second wireless network operating at a relatively low power.

6. The communication network of claim 3, the intermediate device further comprising:

a high power radio transceiver that enables the intermediate device to communicate on the first wireless network; and

a low power radio transceiver that enables the intermediate device to communicate on the second wireless network.

7. The communication network of claim 6, further comprising:

each of the plurality of wireless data devices including a low power radio transceiver to enable communication on the second wireless network.

8. The communication network of claim 3, further comprising:

a host computer; and

a wireless transceiver coupled to the host computer that enables the host computer to participate on the first wireless network.

9. The communication network of claim 8, further comprising:

the host computer storing data collection information;

at least one of the plurality of wireless data devices comprising a data collection device; and

the intermediate device receiving collected data from the data collection device and providing the collected data to the host computer via the first wireless network.

10. The communication network of claim 3, the intermediate device comprising a battery-powered, hand held computing device.

11. A communication network, comprising:

a first wireless network;

a second wireless network that operates independently from the first wireless network;

a first plurality of wireless data devices, each communicatively coupled to the second wireless network and each capable of selectively communicating with any other of the first plurality of wireless data devices via the second wireless network;

a third wireless network that operates independently from the first wireless network;

a second plurality of wireless data devices, each communicatively coupled to the third wireless network and each capable of selectively communicating with any other of the second plurality of wireless data devices via the third wireless network;

a first intermediate wireless device that communicatively couples to both the first and second wireless networks and that enables any of the first plurality of wireless data devices to communicate with the first wireless network via the first intermediate wireless device; and

a second intermediate wireless device that communicatively couples to both the first and third wireless networks and that enables any of the second plurality of wireless data devices to communicate with the first wireless network via the second intermediate wireless device.

12. The communication network of claim 11, further comprising:

the first wireless network operating according to a first communication characteristic and the second and third wireless networks operating according to a second communication characteristic.

13. The communication network of claim 11, further comprising:

the first wireless network operating at a relatively high power and the second and third wireless networks operating at a relatively low power.

14. The communication network of claim 11, the first and second intermediate devices each further comprising:

a high power radio transceiver that enables communication on the first wireless network; and

a low power radio transceiver that enables communication on either of the second and third wireless networks.

15. The communication network of claim 14, further comprising:

each of the first plurality of wireless data devices including a low power radio transceiver to enable communication on the second wireless network; and

each of the second plurality of wireless data devices including a low power radio transceiver to enable communication on the third wireless network.

16. The communication network of claim 11, further comprising:

a host computer; and

a wireless transceiver coupled to the host computer that enables the host computer to participate on the first wireless network.

17. The communication network of claim 11, the intermediate device comprising a battery-powered, hand held computing device.