Wireless network system and method for providing same

• US 7,054,271 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2003
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IP Co., LLC (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: IP Co., LLC (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilson, Thomas W., Brownrigg, Edwin B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Huy D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RYMAN, DANIEL J
• Application Number:
  US10/386,159
• Publication Number:
  US 20040062224A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,177 Days
• Field of Search: 370/237, 370/238, 370254-256, 370/310, 370/315, 370/320, 370/327, 370/328, 370/338, 370/351, 370/501, 370/400, 370/465
• US Class Current: 370/238
• 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 45/20 Hop count for routing purposes, e.g. TTL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices

Abstract

A wireless network, which includes a wireless router client operable to broadcast data packets to at least one wireless server and one additional wireless client. Each client and server includes programs for determining optimum routes between them. The client also includes a program for determining if a received data packet is not addressed to it and if the packet has been sent via a new optimal route unknown to the client, and for notifying the respective server of such a new optimal route.

Claims

1. A wireless network system comprising:

a wireless router client operable for broadcast communication with at least one wireless router server and at least one additional client, said server including a digital controller operably coupled to a server wireless interface operable to broadcast and receive data packets in the wireless network;

said server digital controller further including a server program operable for determining an optimal route from the server to the client through at least one additional client if a direct one-hop route is not available;

said client including a client digital controller operably connected to a client wireless interface and operable to a broadcast and receive data packets in the wireless network;

said client digital controller further including a client program comprising instructions for determining an optimal route from the client to the server via an indirect multi-hop route through at least one additional client if a direct one hop route is not available;

instructions for determining if a received data packet is not addressed to the client; and

if so instructions for analyzing a data packet to determine if the data packet has been sent on a new optimal route unknown to the client and for notifying the server through the interfaces and the wireless network of the new optimal route;

said server program and said client program operable together via parallel processing to determine a new optimal route by exchanging in-memory routing tree link information;

said server updating its internal memory routing tree link information with the new optimal route information.

2. The network of claim 1, wherein the client program further comprises instruction operable to analyze the received data packet and control the client to rebroadcast the data packet on behalf of the originating client if the client is on the received data packet'"'"'s optimal route to the server.

3. The network of claim 2, wherein the client program further comprises instructions operable to inhibit said re-broadcast of the data packet if the client has previously re-broadcast this data packet.

4. The network of claim 1, wherein said server program is operable for determining the optimal route via an indirect multi-hop route through the at least one additional client if a direct one-hop route is not available, and the server program and client program are operable together via parallel processing to determine the optimal route by exchanging in-memory routing tree link information.

5. The network of claim 1, wherein the server program and the client program parallel processing is further operable such that the optimal route between the client and the server is computed with possible mediation by other clients by means of converting an extant in-memory tree maintained by the server into a prefix string notation for (a) broadcast through client wireless interfaces of only those clients on the optimal route between the sever and target client, and (b) reception by the target client for conversion from the prefix string notation into said in-memory.

6. The network of claim 1, wherein the server program and the client program parallel processing is further operable to add a header to the data packet that includes the data transmission link information for the data packet and the data type of the data packet when the client initiated broadcasting the data packet.

7. The network of claim 1, wherein the client program further comprises instructions operable to analyze data packets received by the client wireless interface to determine whether there is a new optimal link of fewer hops to the server than said optimal route, and, if so, to update the client'"'"'s in-memory routing tree link information based on the determined new optimal link.

8. The network of claim 1, wherein the client program further comprises instructions operable to analyze said received data packet by;

(i) counting the number of hops between the packet'"'"'s originating client and the server; and

(ii) counting the number of hops between the packet'"'"'s originating client and the client; and

when the sum of said hops is fewer than the number of hops of the extant link between the client and the server, (a) abandoning the extant link and removing it from the client'"'"'s in-memory routing tree link information , (b) refreshing the client'"'"'s in-memory routing tree link information with the new link, and (c) notifying and updating through the wireless interfaces and the wireless network the in-memory routing tree link information of the server.

9. The network of claim 1, wherein the client program further comprises instructions operable to choose said new optimal route to the server from the group consisting essentially of the link to the server through (a) the least possible number of additional clients, (b) the most robust additional clients, (c) client(s) with the least amount packet traffic, and (d) the fastest clients.

10. The network of claim 9, wherein the client program further comprises instruction operable such that reception of a data packet containing a type field having a value of 08 is the means by which the client remains aware of the survival of its optimal route to the server.

11. The network of claim 1, wherein the client program further comprises instructions operable when receiving said data packet to determine whether there is a better link to said server, and if so, to update the client TCP/IP routing table, such that in said routing table, the content of a default gateway of the client is updated to be a TCP/IP address of the next-hop router en route to the server.

12. The network of claim 1, wherein the server program further comprises instructions operable to receive data packets from said client and (a) analyze the data packet, (b) maintain an in-memory tree of the extant links between the server and each and every individual client, and (c) update the server'"'"'s TCP/IP routing tables to as to add a network TCP/IP address of an Ethernet LAN address of each and every client in said wireless network with which the server also maintains a link within its in-memory tree.