MESH NETWORK BRIDGE ROUTING

• US 20100332605A1
• Filed: 10/22/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digi International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Digi International Inc.
• Inventors: Popp, Christopher Glen, Hutchison, David J., Dirstine, Adam D., Wright, Pamela A., Halter, Steven L., Ryan, Jeffrey M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,732,338 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/28 for reactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

A wireless mesh network server is operable to receive a message to one or more mesh network nodes from a client external to the mesh network, the message comprising an alias identifying the one or more mesh network nodes. The server is further operable to identify the one or more receiving mesh network nodes by the received message alias via an alias table, and forward the received message to the one or more mesh network nodes identified by the alias.

Claims

1. A wireless mesh network server operable to:

receive a message to one or more mesh network nodes from a client external to the mesh network, the message comprising an alias identifying the one or more mesh network nodes;

identify the one or more receiving mesh network nodes by the received message alias via an alias table; and

forward the received message to the one or more mesh network nodes identified by the alias.

2. The wireless mesh network server of claim 1, wherein the mesh network comprises a ZigBee network.

3. The wireless mesh network server of claim 1, wherein forwarding the received message to the one or more mesh network nodes identified by the alias comprises forwarding the message to gateway nodes of the one or more mesh networks including the one or more mesh network nodes.

4. The wireless mesh network server of claim 1, the server further operable to forward one or more reply messages from the one or more mesh network nodes to the client external to the mesh network.

5. The wireless mesh network server of claim 4, the server further operable to aggregate at least two of the one or more reply messages before sending an aggregated reply message to the client.

6. The wireless mesh network server of claim 1, wherein the client message comprises one or more of a TCP/IP message, an SMS message, and an HTTP message.

7. The wireless mesh network server of claim 1, wherein forwarding the received message further comprises forwarding a received mesh network message to one or more mesh network nodes in a passthrough mode.

12. The method of operating a wireless mesh network server of claim 4, further comprising aggregating at least two of the one or more reply messages before sending an aggregated reply message to the client.

8. A method of operating a wireless mesh network server, comprising:

receiving a message to one or more mesh network nodes from a client external to the mesh network, the message comprising an alias identifying the one or more mesh network nodes;

identifying the one or more receiving mesh network nodes by the received message alias via an alias table; and

forwarding the received message to the one or more mesh network nodes identified by the alias.

9. The method of operating a wireless mesh network server of claim 8, wherein the mesh network comprises a ZigBee network.

10. The method of operating a wireless mesh network server of claim 8, wherein forwarding the received message to the one or more mesh network nodes identified by the alias comprises forwarding the message to gateway nodes of the one or more mesh networks including the one or more mesh network nodes.

11. The method of operating a wireless mesh network server of claim 8, further comprising forwarding one or more reply messages from the one or more mesh network nodes to the client external to the mesh network.

13. The method of operating a wireless mesh network server of claim 8, wherein the client message comprises one or more of a TCP/IP message, an SMS message, and an HTTP message.

14. A machine-readable medium with instructions stored thereon, the instructions when executed operable to cause a computerized system to:

receive a message to one or more mesh network nodes from a client external to the mesh network, the message comprising an alias identifying the one or more mesh network nodes;

identify the one or more receiving mesh network nodes by the received message alias via an alias table; and

forward the received message to the one or more mesh network nodes identified by the alias.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the mesh network comprises a ZigBee network.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein forwarding the received message to the one or more mesh network nodes identified by the alias comprises forwarding the message to gateway nodes of the one or more mesh networks including the one or more mesh network nodes.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, the instructions when executed further operable to forward one or more reply messages from the one or more mesh network nodes to the client external to the mesh network.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, the instructions when executed further operable to aggregate at least two of the one or more reply messages before sending an aggregated reply message to the client.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the client message comprises one or more of a TCP/IP message, an SMS message, and an HTTP message.

20. A mesh network system, comprising:

one or more wireless mesh networks, each comprising a plurality of mesh network nodes;

a network operable to link the one or more wireless mesh networks to one or more client devices external to the mesh network; and

a wireless mesh network server comprising a part of the network and operable to;

receive a message to one or more mesh network nodes from a client external to the mesh network, the message comprising an alias identifying the one or more mesh network nodes;

identify the one or more receiving mesh network nodes by the received message alias via an alias table; and

forward the received message to the one or more mesh network nodes identified by the alias.