Apparatus and method for dynamically updating and communicating within flexible networks

• US 7,515,560 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2006
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: F4W Incorporated
• Original Assignee: F4W Incorporated
• Inventors: DuMas, Phillip James, Williamson, Larry Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Danh C
• Application Number:
  US11/383,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20070053308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/338, 370/260, 455/416, 455/518, 709/226
• US Class Current: 370/328
• 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 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A software-based application dynamically updates user lists and enables communication between various network communication devices within a wireless network. The software-based application automatically builds and maintains a list of available users associated with the network communication devices in real-time, without reliance on a centralized server for authentication. Various types of communication, between network communication devices of the wireless network including text-based messaging, audio and video communication and file transfer are performed.

Claims

1. A method for establishing and maintaining a wireless network comprising:

providing a plurality of network communication devices corresponding to a plurality of users, the network communication devices continuously broadcasting network participation packets to other network communication devices within a first predetermined interval, with each network participation packet comprising a unique user identifier corresponding to each user;

establishing the wireless network through receipt and processing of the network participation packets by the network communication devices;

establishing a database within the network communication devices, the database comprising the unique user identifiers for the users within the wireless network;

providing a plurality of remote user status variables, each variable associated with one of the unique user identifiers;

determining whether the network participation packets, associated with each user listed within the database, are being received within a second predetermined interval;

adjusting the remote user status variable according to whether the network participation packets are being received within the second predetermined interval; and

sending at least one status request to the network communication device of each user whose remote status variable has reached a predetermined threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network communication devices are adapted to communicate text, voice and video data with each other in the absence of a centralized server responsible for authenticating and coordinating the network communication devices entering the wireless network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the network communication devices are selected from the group consisting of computers, hand-held devices and wireless telephones.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each network communication device comprises audio or video capabilities.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising continuously sending a current status of audio and video capabilities for each user throughout the wireless network to be updated at each network communication device upon receipt thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote user status variable is an integer and the integer increases by one each time the network participation packet is not received within the second predetermined interval.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the remote user status variable further comprises resetting the remote user status variable upon receipt of network participation packets from each network communication device within the second predetermined interval.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing unique user identifiers from the database if the at least one status request is not acknowledged.

9. A method for establishing and maintaining a wireless network comprising:

providing a plurality of network communication devices, individual ones of the network communication devices corresponding to a user;

providing a database within the network communication devices, the database of a network communication device comprising a plurality of unique user identifiers, each unique user identifier associated with one of the users;

providing a plurality of remote user status variables, each remote user status variable associated with one of the unique user identifiers; and

sending at least one status request to the network communication device of each user whose remote user status variable has reached a predetermined threshold.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the wireless network provides text, voice and video communication between the network communication devices independent of a centralized software platform.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising removing unique user identifiers from the database if the at least one status request is not acknowledged.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising communicating with network communication devices of the wireless network after the wireless network is established.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein communicating with the network communication devices is selected from the group consisting of audio communication, video communication, text-based messaging and combinations thereof.

14. A network communication device for establishing and maintaining wireless communication in a local area network comprising:

a central processing unit;

an input and a display screen; and

a memory component comprising a network participation software module adapted to enable participation in a wireless network between a plurality of network communication devices in the absence of a centralized server, the memory component further comprising a text transfer module adapted to transfer a plurality of text-based messages throughout the network, wherein the display screen is adapted to display the plurality of text-based messages, an audio transfer module adapted to transfer audio from the network communication device to at least one other network communication device within the local area network and a video transfer module adapted to transfer video from the network communication device to the at least one other network communication device within the network.

15. The network communication device of claim 14, wherein the network participation software module is further adapted to broadcast packets to the other network communication devices within the wireless network at a predetermined interval, wherein the packets comprise a unique user identifier and user capabilities information.

16. The network communication device of claim 14, wherein the memory component further comprises a file transfer module for transferring files between the plurality of network communication devices.

17. The network communication device of claim 14, wherein the memory component further comprises a panic alert module for sending a panic alert message to be displayed on a single display screen or all the display screens associated with network communication devices within the wireless network.

18. The network communication device of claim 14, wherein the memory component further comprises a log of all text-based messages, audio and video communications, and file transfers between network communication devices within the wireless network.

19. The network communication device of claim 14, wherein the text transfer module is adapted to send and receive private text-based messages between three or more users at network communication devices.

20. The network communication device of claim 14, wherein communication between the network communication devices in the wireless network is maintained while the network communication devices are in transit to different locations within the network.