Multi-media protocol for slot-based communication systems
First Claim
1. A method for establishing a link on a shared communications channel divided into a plurality of time slots, the method comprising the steps of:
- establishing a synchronous communications link between a first and second communication unit;
communicating a first data packet on a first one of a set of time slots associated with the synchronous communication link from the first communication unit to the second communication unit by including an address associated with the second communication unit in the first data packet;
establishing an asynchronous communications link between the first communication unit and one or more additional communication units including the second communication unit using one or more remaining ones of the plurality of time slots; and
communicating a second data packet on a first of the one or more of the remaining time slots associated with the asynchronous communications link from the first communication unit to the second communication unit by including another address associated with the second communication unit.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus are described establishing multimedia communications on a shared communications channel. A first and a second communication unit, such as a master and slave unit, establish a synchronous communications link. Additional synchronous communications links may be established. A first data packet associated with the synchronous communication link is communicated to the second communication unit by including an address. Time slots reserved for the synchronous channel by the first unit are separated by a fixed time interval. One or more additional communications units may communicate over an asynchronous link established between the master and additional units using remaining time slots. Data packets may be communicated to additional units by including addresses associated with each additional units The synchronous link may be interrupted with the asynchronous link by communicating an asynchronous data packet on a time slot reserved for the synchronous communications link. The asynchronous link may be a Time-Division duplex link for alternately transmitting and receiving on different ones of the remaining time slots. Asynchronous data packets communicated to additional units on remaining time slots. The master unit may poll each additional units for a response packet to the asynchronous data packet. On a Time-Division duplex link, additional units alternately receive the poll from the first communication unit and transmit the response packet on different ones of the remaining time slots.
49 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method for establishing a link on a shared communications channel divided into a plurality of time slots, the method comprising the steps of:
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establishing a synchronous communications link between a first and second communication unit; communicating a first data packet on a first one of a set of time slots associated with the synchronous communication link from the first communication unit to the second communication unit by including an address associated with the second communication unit in the first data packet; establishing an asynchronous communications link between the first communication unit and one or more additional communication units including the second communication unit using one or more remaining ones of the plurality of time slots; and communicating a second data packet on a first of the one or more of the remaining time slots associated with the asynchronous communications link from the first communication unit to the second communication unit by including another address associated with the second communication unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A communication system for establishing multimedia communications on a shared communications channel comprising:
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a first communication unit; and one or more additional communication units including a second communication unit coupled to the first communication unit by the shared communications channel, wherein the first unit; establishes a synchronous communications link with the second communication unit, said synchronous link having a set of time slots associated therewith; communicates a first data packet on a first of the set of time slots associated with the synchronous communication link to the second communication unit by including an address associated with the second communication unit in the data packet; establishes an asynchronous communications link between the first communication unit and the one or more additional communication units using one or more remaining ones of the plurality of time slots; and communicates a second data packet on a first of the one or more of the remaining time slots associated with the asynchronous communications link from the first communication unit to the one or more additional communication units by including one or more addresses associated with each of the one or more additional communication units. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A master communication unit in a communication system having a shared communications channel divided into a plurality of timeslots, the master communication unit comprising:
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a transceiver for transmitting and receiving data packets over said shared communication channel; and a processor coupled to the transceiver, the processor reserves one or more sets of the plurality of timeslots to establish one or more synchronous communications links thereupon; establishes one or more asynchronous communications links on the remaining ones of the plurality of timeslots; and causes said transceiver to use one or more destination addresses when transmitting data packets over said communications channel on said one or more synchronous communications links and said one or more asynchronous communications links, wherein the processor causes said transceiver to include within the data packets an address associated with a slave communication unit when communicating with the slave communication unit on one of said one or more synchronous communications links, and causes said transceiver to include within the data packets another address associated with the slave communication unit when communicating with the slave communication unit on one of said one or more synchronous communications links. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
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Specification