System and method for sending and responding to information requests in a communications network

• US 5,604,869 A
• Filed: 12/20/1995
• Issued: 02/18/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Lynn, Kerry E., Mincher, Richard W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowler, Alyssa H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Application Number:
  US08/579,094
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• Field of Search: 364/919, 395/200.02, 395/200.06, 395/200.1, 395/200.11, 395/200.2, 370/85.2, 370/85.3, 370/95.3, 370/95.1, 370/95.2
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

A system for sending and responding to information requests in a wireless communications network includes a display device, a central processing unit, memory means including random access memory and read-only memory, an input device, and a transmitter/receiver. The random access memory further comprises routines for processing, sending and receiving messages over the wireless network.

The present invention also comprises a method for requesting information and a method for responding to requests for information. The preferred method for handling information requests comprises the steps of: monitoring the communications channel for availability; sending an information request over the channel; receiving the information request at each node within the network; preparing responses to the information request at each node; and sending the response to the information request over the channel if it is available. The method for responding to a request for information advantageously uses the minimum number of request to solicit the minimum number of replies to the information request.

Claims

1. A node system for sending and receiving messages in a wireless network, the node system comprising:

a display device for displaying information to the user, the display device having an input;

an input device for inputting information to the system, the input device having an output;

a memory for storing data and routines, the memory having inputs and outputs, the memory including a means for responding to an information request message with a response message;

said means for responding sensing whether the wireless network is in use and discarding the response message without transmitting the message over the wireless network and without further attempting to transmit the message, if the wireless network is in use;

a transmitter/receiver for receiving and translating radio signals into digital signals and for translating and transmitting digital signals into radio signals in response to digital control signals, the transmitter/receiver coupled to an antenna to receive and transmit radio signals, the transmitter/receiver having an input and an output for processing digital signals; and

a processing unit for receiving signals from the input device, the memory and the transmitter/receiver;

for sending signals to the display device, the memory and the transmitter/receiver;

the processing unit having inputs and outputs;

the inputs of the processing unit coupled to the output of the input device, the outputs of memory and the output of the transmitter/receiver;

the outputs of the processing unit coupled to the inputs of memory, the input of the display device, the inputs of the transmitter/receiver, and the input of the transmitter/receiver;

the processing unit controlling and processing the message sent and received from the wireless network via the transmitter/receiver.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter/receiver further comprises:

a receiver for receiving radio signals and converting them to digital signals, the receiver having an input and an output, the input of the receiver is coupled to the antenna, and the output providing a digital signal;

a transmitter for receiving digital signals and converting them to radio signals, the transmitter having an input and an output, the output of the transmitter is coupled to the antenna; and

a buffer for storing data, the buffer coupled to the receiver and the transmitter for storing digital signals from each, the buffer having inputs and outputs, an output of the buffer coupled to the input of the transmitter, and an input of the buffer coupled to the output of the receiver, the inputs and outputs of the buffer also coupled to the processing unit.

3. A computer implemented method for sending an information request message and responding to the information request message on a communications network for a plurality of node computer systems, the node computer systems being coupled by a media, the method comprising the steps of:

sending an information request message from a first node computer system coupled to the network;

receiving the information request message at a second node computer system coupled to the network;

preparing a response message to the information request message with the second node computer system;

determining whether the media is in use with the second node computer system;

sending the response message over the network with the second node computer system if the media is not in use; and

discarding the response message from the second node computer system without sending the response message and without further attempting to send the response message, if the media is in use.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of monitoring the availability of the media used by the communications network using the first node computer system before the step of sending the information request message.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

receiving the information request message at a third node computer system coupled to the network;

preparing a response message to the information request message with the third node computer system;

determining whether the media is in use with the third node computer system;

sending the response message over the network with the third node computer system if the media is not in use; and

discarding the response message from the third node computer system without sending the response message and without further attempting to send the response message, if the media is in use.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

receiving the information request message at the other node computer systems coupled to the network;

preparing a response message to the information request message at each of the other node computer systems;

determining whether the media is in use with each of the other node computer systems;

sending the response message over the network by each other node computer systems that determines the media is not in use; and

discarding the response message from the node computer systems without sending the response message and without further attempting to send the response message, for each other node computer system that determines the media is in use.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of sending an information request message from a first node computer system further comprises the steps of:

preparing the data and information request into a packet;

transferring the packet from a CPU to a transmitter/receiver of the first node computer system; and

sending the packet over the media using the transmitter/receiver of the first node computer system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of sending an information request message from a first node computer system further comprises the steps of:

setting a maximum number of times to repeat the sending step;

determining whether the media is in use with the first node computer system;

delaying a predetermined amount of time if the media is in use, and then returning to the determining step;

sending the packet over the media using the transmitter/receiver of the first node computer system if the media is not in use; and

repeating the steps of determining, delaying and sending until the information request message has been sent the maximum number of times.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of sending an information request message from a first node computer system further comprises the steps of:

first determining whether the media is in use with the first node computer system;

delaying a predetermined amount of time if the media is in use, and then returning to the determining step;

sending the packet over the media using the transmitter/receiver of the first node computer system if the media is not in use;

monitoring the media for a next message transmitted over the network;

determining whether the next message transmitted over the network is a response to the information request message transmitted by the first computer node system; and

returning to the first determining step if the next message transmitted over the network is not a response to the information request message.

10. A computer implemented method for sending an information request message on a wireless communications network for a plurality of node computer systems, the node computer systems being coupled by a media, the method comprising the steps of:

determining at a first node whether messages sent in response to the information request message are to be sent persistently or non-persistently, the determination based on information at the first node;

preparing a packet including data indicating whether messages sent in response to the information request message are to be sent persistently or non-persistently and including the information request message;

transferring the packet from a CPU to a transmitter/receiver of the first node computer system; and

sending the packet over the media using the transmitter/receiver of the first node computer system.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

setting a maximum number of times to repeat the sending step; and

repeating the step of sending until the information request message has been sent the maximum number of times.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

setting a maximum number of times to repeat the sending step;

determining whether the media is in use with the first node computer system;

delaying a predetermined amount of time if the media is in use, and then returning to the determining step;

sending the packet over the media using the transmitter/receiver of the first node computer system if the media is not in use; and

repeating the steps of determining, delaying and sending until the information request message has been sent the maximum number of times.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of sending an information request message from a first node computer system further comprises the steps of:

monitoring the media for a response message using the first node computer system;

determining whether a response was sent on the media and received by the first node computer system; and

wherein the step of repeating is only performed if a response was not received.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of monitoring the media for a response message also includes the step of waiting a predetermined amount of time before the step of determining whether a response was sent.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the predetermined amount of time for the waiting step is two times greater than the time required to transmit a maximum sized message over the wireless communications network.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

monitoring the media for the next message transmitted over the network;

determining whether the next message transmitted over the network is a response to the information request message transmitted by the first computer node system; and

returning to the sending step if the next message transmitted over the network is not a response to the information request message.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the media is in use with the first node computer system;

delaying a predetermined amount of time if the media is in use, and then returning to the step of determining whether the media is in use; and

wherein the step of returning continues with the step of determining whether the media is in use instead of the sending step.

18. A computer implemented method for responding to an information request message on a communications network for a plurality of node computer systems, the node computer systems being coupled by a media, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring the media for an information request message at a node computer system coupled to the network;

determining whether the media is in use with the node computer system;

sending a response message over the network with the node computer system if the media is not in use; and

discarding the information request message without sending a response message over the network and without further attempting to send the response message, if the media is in use.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

receiving and processing the information request message with the node computer system; and

preparing a response message to the information request message with the node computer system.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of preparing a response message comprises the steps of:

preparing the data and information request into a packet;

transferring the packet from a CPU to a transmitter/receiver of the first node computer system; and

sending the packet over the media using the transmitter/receiver of the first node computer system.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the response message is to be sent persistently;

before the disregarding step, repeating the steps of monitoring, determining and sending until the response message is sent over the network at least once, if the message is to be sent persistently.

21. A computer implemented method for responding to an information request message on a communications network for a plurality of node computer systems, the node computer systems being coupled by a media, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an information request message at the plurality of node computer systems coupled to the network;

preparing a response message to the information request message at each of the plurality of node computer systems;

determining whether the media is in use with each of the plurality of node computer systems;

sending the response message over the network with each the plurality of node computer systems that determines the media is not in use; and

discarding the response message from the node computer system without sending the response messages and without further attempting to send the response message, for each of the plurality of node computer systems that determines the media is in use.

23. A means for responding to an information request message on a network comprising a first node and a second node coupled by a media, the means comprising:

a means for receiving the information request message at the second node;

a means for preparing a response message to the information request message with the second node;

a means for determining whether the media is in use with the second node;

a means for sending the response message by the second node if the media is not in use; and

a means for discarding the response message from the second node computer system without sending the response message and without further attempting to send the response message, if the media is in use.

24. The means of claim 23, further comprising:

a means for monitoring the availability of the media by the first node;

a means for sending the information request message from the first node when the media is available.

25. The means of claim 23, further comprising:

a means for receiving the information request message at a third node coupled to the first node and second node by the media;

a means for preparing the response message to the information request message with the third node;

a means for determining whether the media is in use with the third node computer system;

a means for sending the response message with the third node if the media is not in use; and

a means for discarding the response message from the third node without sending the response message and without further attempting to sound the response message, if the media is in use.

26. The means of claim 23, further comprising:

a means for receiving the information request message at a plurality of other nodes, each of the other nodes coupled to the first node and the second node by the media;

a means for preparing a response message to the information request message at each of the other nodes;

a means for determining whether the media is in use with each of the other nodes;

a means for sending the response message by each other nodes that determine that the media is not in use; and

a means for discarding the response message, without sending the response message and without further attempting to send the response message, by each of the other nodes that determine that the media is in use.