Radio frequency local area network

US 7,457,646 B2
Filed: 07/31/2003
Issued: 11/25/2008
Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1991
Status: Expired due to Fees

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1. A communication network supporting wireless communication comprising:

at least one roaming wireless terminal node selectively operable in a sleep mode and in an awake mode;

at least one bridging node for relaying messages, the bridging node storing messages for wireless terminal nodes and transmitting at predetermined intervals a first message that indicates the presence of pending messages, the bridging node forwarding a stored message upon request from a wireless terminal node; and

the wireless terminal node, while in a sleep mode, wakes to listen to a first message transmitted from a bridging node to determine whether to request a pending message.

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Abstract

An apparatus and a method for routing data in a radio data communication system having one or more host computers, one or more intermediate base stations, and one or more RF terminals organizes the intermediate base stations into an optimal spanning-tree network to control the routing of data to and from the RF terminals and the host computer efficiently and dynamically. Communication between the host computer and the RF terminals is achieved by using the network of intermediate base stations to transmit the data.

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270 Claims

1. A communication network supporting wireless communication comprising:
- at least one roaming wireless terminal node selectively operable in a sleep mode and in an awake mode;
  
  at least one bridging node for relaying messages, the bridging node storing messages for wireless terminal nodes and transmitting at predetermined intervals a first message that indicates the presence of pending messages, the bridging node forwarding a stored message upon request from a wireless terminal node; and
  
  the wireless terminal node, while in a sleep mode, wakes to listen to a first message transmitted from a bridging node to determine whether to request a pending message.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
- - 2. A communication network as recited in claim 1 wherein the bridging node determines whether a wireless terminal node has been disconnected from the network.
  - 3. A communication network as recited in claim 2 wherein the bridging node considers whether a wireless terminal node is in a sleep mode in making a determination of whether the wireless terminal node has been disconnected.
  - 4. A communication network as recited in claim 1 wherein the terminal node includes a transceiver and when in the sleep mode the terminal node disables the transceiver.

5. A communication network supporting wireless communication comprising:
- at least one terminal node having a wireless transceiver operable in a normal state and in a power saving state;
  
  at least one bridging node having a wireless transceiver to support communication to a terminal node, a bridging node attempting to deliver a message destined for a terminal node operating in a normal state upon receipt of the message by the bridging node and the bridging node attempting to deliver a message destined for a terminal node operating in a power saving state by transmitting at predetermined intervals a first message identifying terminal nodes having a pending message awaiting delivery;
  
  a terminal node operating in the power saving state synchronizing operation of its transceiver to receive the first message from a bridging node and when the terminal node determines from the first message that it has a pending message awaiting, the terminal node directing further operation of its transceiver to receive the pending message.
- View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
- - 6. A communication network as recited in claim 5 wherein the terminal node transmits to a bridging node an indication of whether the terminal node is operating in the power saving state.
  - 7. A communication network as recited in claim 5 wherein a terminal node that directs further operation of its transceiver to receive a pending message does so to receive the pending message in a time period that follows one of the received first messages.
  - 8. A communication network as recited in claim 7 wherein the time period immediately follows the one of the received first messages.
  - 9. A communication network as recited in claim 7 wherein the time period follows the received first messages during an awake time window.
  - 10. A communication network as recited in claim 8 wherein the terminal node requests that the pending message be delivered during the awake time window.
  - 11. A communication network as recited in claim 5 wherein a terminal node requests a pending message when the terminal node determines from the first message that it has a pending message awaiting delivery.
  - 12. A communication network as recited in claim 5 wherein the bridging node stores messages awaiting delivery.
  - 13. A communication network as recited in claim 12 wherein the messages awaiting delivery remain stored until delivery is successful or until a predetermined number of first messages occur where delivery is unsuccessful.

14. A method for operating a bridging node and a roaming wireless terminal node in a communication network comprising:
- storing at a bridging node pending messages;
  
  transmitting from a bridging node at predetermined intervals, a first message indicating the presence of pending messages;
  
  operating the terminal node in a sleep mode;
  
  waking the terminal node to receive a first message;
  
  determining at the terminal node from a received first message whether a bridging node has a stored pending message for the terminal node; and
  
  requesting a pending message if a pending message is determined to be stored at a bridging node for the terminal node.

15. A method for operating a roaming wireless terminal node in a communication network having at least one bridging node that transmits at predetermined intervals a first message indicating the presence of a pending message, the method comprising:
- operating in a sleep mode;
  
  waking to receive a first message;
  
  determining from a received first message whether there is a pending message for the terminal node; and
  
  requesting the pending message if it is determined from the first message that there is a pending message for the terminal node.
- View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 88)
- - 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising, after waking to receive a first message, receiving the first message from a bridging node.
  - 17. The method of claim 16, where the bridging node is an intermediate node in the communication network.
  - 18. The method of claim 16, where the bridging node is a node of a spanning tree.
  - 19. The method of claim 16, where the bridging node is a base station of a communication network.
  - 20. The method of claim 16, where the bridging node is an access point of a communication network.
  - 21. The method of claim 16, where the bridging node relays messages between other nodes.
  - 22. The method of claim 16, where the bridging node routes messages between other nodes.
  - 23. The method of claim 15, where prior to transmitting the first message, the bridging node immediately attempts to communicate the pending message to the roaming wireless terminal node upon receipt of the pending message from another network node.
  - 24. The method of claim 23, where the bridging node immediately attempts to communicate the pending message to the roaming wireless terminal node by, at least in part, queuing the pending message for transmission to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 25. The method of claim 23, where the bridging node immediately attempts to communicate the pending message to the roaming wireless terminal node by, at least in part, attempting to acquire access to a communication medium.
  - 26. The method of claim 15, where the roaming wireless terminal node is operable to receive electrical power from a battery.
  - 27. The method of claim 15, where the roaming wireless terminal node is a hand-held terminal.
  - 28. The method of claim 15, where the roaming wireless terminal node comprises a hand-held computer.
  - 29. The method of claim 15, where the roaming wireless terminal node is operable to communicate utilizing spread spectrum communications.
  - 30. The method of claim 15, where the method is performed at the roaming wireless terminal node by, at least in part, utilizing a processor executing software instructions stored in a memory of the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 31. The method of claim 15, where the roaming wireless terminal node is a terminal that is able to be moved.
  - 32. The method of claim 15, wherein the sleep mode is an energy-saving mode.
  - 33. The method of claim 15, wherein the sleep mode comprises operating receiver circuitry of the roaming wireless terminal node in a powered down state.
  - 34. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining at the roaming wireless terminal node when to wake to receive the first message.
  - 35. The method of claim 34, wherein determining when to wake to receive the first message comprises determining when to wake to receive the first message based, at least in part, on information received from the bridging node.
  - 36. The method of claim 34, wherein determining when to wake to receive the first message comprises determining when to wake to receive the first message based, at least in part, on seed information received from the bridging node.
  - 37. The method of claim 34, wherein determining when to wake to receive the first message comprises determining when to wake to receive the first message based, at least in part, on temporal offset information received from the bridging node.
  - 38. The method of claim 34, wherein determining when to wake to receive the first message comprises determining when to wake to receive the first message based, at least in part, on an expected duration of a communication between another roaming wireless terminal node and the bridging node.
  - 39. The method of claim 15, wherein waking to receive a first message comprises waking to receive the first message at a predetermined interval.
  - 40. The method of claim 15, wherein waking to receive a first message comprises waking to receive the first message at a consistent predetermined interval.
  - 41. The method of claim 15, wherein waking to receive a first message comprises waking to receive the first message at a predetermined interval that comprises a pseudo-random component.
  - 42. The method of claim 15, wherein waking to receive a first message comprises waking to receive the first message at a predetermined interval that is based, at least in part, on a consistent time interval adjusted by a pseudo-random amount.
  - 43. The method of claim 15, further comprising synchronizing waking of the roaming wireless terminal node to receive the first message following operation in the sleep mode.
  - 44. The method of claim 15, wherein waking to receive a first message comprises waking to receive a first message after operating in a sleep mode for a plurality of consecutive predetermined intervals.
  - 45. The method of claim 15, wherein waking to receive a first message comprises waking for up to a maximum listening period, where the maximum listening period is at least a maximum expected time interval between consecutive transmissions of the first message.
  - 46. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining whether to consider a received first message based, at least in part, on signal strength.
  - 47. The method of claim 15, wherein the first message is a beacon message.
  - 48. The method of claim 15, wherein the first message is a HELLO message.
  - 49. The method of claim 15, wherein the first message comprises a plurality of sub-messages of different respective types.
  - 50. The method of claim 15, where the first message is broadcast to a plurality of roaming wireless terminal nodes.
  - 51. The method of claim 15, where the first message is transmitted at a consistent predetermined interval.
  - 52. The method of claim 15, where the first message is transmitted at a predetermined interval comprising a pseudo-random component.
  - 53. The method of claim 15, where the first message is transmitted at an inconsistent predetermined interval.
  - 54. The method of claim 15, further comprising utilizing information communicated with the first message to attach to the communication network.
  - 55. The method of claim 15, further comprising utilizing information communicated with the first message to modify attachment to the communication network.
  - 56. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining when to wake to receive a second message based, at least in part, on information communicated with the first message.
  - 57. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining when to wake to receive a second message based, at least in part, on seed information communicated with the first message.
  - 58. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining when to wake to receive a second message based, at least in part, on temporal displacement information communicated with the first message.
  - 59. The method of claim 15, wherein the first message comprises a pending message list.
  - 60. The method of claim 15, wherein the first message comprises a list that indicates to the roaming wireless terminal node whether the roaming wireless terminal node has a message pending.
  - 61. The method of claim 15, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that a pending message for the roaming wireless terminal node is stored and awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 62. The method of claim 15, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that at least one pending message is awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node and at least one other pending message is awaiting delivery to another roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 63. The method of claim 15, wherein the first message comprises information identifying the roaming wireless terminal node as a terminal for which a stored pending message is awaiting delivery.
  - 64. The method of claim 15, wherein the first message comprises information identifying the roaming wireless terminal node as a terminal for which a stored pending message is awaiting delivery and information describing at least one characteristic of the stored pending message.
  - 65. The method of claim 15, wherein the first message comprises information identifying the roaming wireless terminal node as a terminal for which a stored pending message is awaiting delivery and information describing a size of the stored pending message.
  - 66. The method of claim 15, wherein the first message comprises information of the roaming wireless terminal node'"'"'s address to indicate that a stored pending message is awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 67. The method of claim 15, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that one or more pending messages are stored in a base station of the communication network and awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 68. The method of claim 15, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that one or more pending messages are stored in a node of the communication network and awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 69. The method of claim 15, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that one or more pending messages are stored in a parent node of the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 70. The method of claim 15, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that one or more pending mail messages are awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 71. The method of claim 15, further comprising communicating information to the bridging node regarding how long a message should be stored for the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 72. The method of claim 15, further comprising communicating information to the bridging node indicating that the roaming wireless terminal node is operable in a sleep mode.
  - 73. The method of claim 15, further comprising communicating information to the bridging node regarding how long the roaming wireless terminal node might operate in a sleep mode.
  - 74. The method of claim 15, wherein the pending message comprises a mail message.
  - 75. The method of claim 15, further comprising forming a transport connection to receive the pending message.
  - 76. The method of claim 75, wherein forming a transport connection comprises forming a TCP connection.
  - 77. The method of claim 75, wherein forming a transport connection comprises forming a VMTP connection.
  - 78. The method of claim 15, further comprising forming a connection-oriented communication link to receive the pending message if the pending message is a first type of message and forming a non-connection-oriented communication link to receive the pending message if the pending message is a second type of message.
  - 79. The method of claim 15, further comprising operating the roaming wireless terminal node in an awake state if a predetermined number of expected signals from the communication network are not received.
  - 80. The method of claim 15, further comprising operating the roaming wireless terminal node in the sleep mode for at least a portion of an expected delay to receive a message in response to a message sent from the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 81. The method of claim 15, further comprising, after transmitting a request for the pending message, operating the roaming wireless terminal node in the sleep mode for at least a portion of an expected delay to receive the requested pending message in response to the transmitted request.
  - 82. The method of claim 15, further comprising utilizing a keyboard of the roaming wireless terminal node to collect information to be communicated to the bridging node.
  - 83. The method of claim 15, wherein requesting the pending message comprises transmitting a message to the bridging node requesting the pending message.
  - 84. The method of claim 15, wherein requesting the pending message comprises transmitting a message to the bridging node requesting at least one pending message.
  - 85. The method of claim 15, further comprising building and storing a list of access points that are in communication range of the roaming wireless terminal.
  - 86. The method of claim 15, further comprising building and storing a list of access points that are in communication range of the roaming wireless terminal based, at least in part, on signal strength of respective signals received from access points.
  - 88. The method for operating a bridging node as recited in claim 16 including storing pending messages until a predetermined number of first messages have been transmitted and delivery is unsuccessful.

87. A method for operating a bridging node in a communication network for communicating with a plurality of roaming wireless terminal nodes that operate in a sleep mode and that wake to receive messages, the method comprising:
- transmitting at predetermined intervals, a first message indicating the presence of pending messages for one or more roaming wireless terminal nodes;
  
  receiving a request for a pending message from a terminal node that has determined from the first message that a pending message for the terminal node is present; and
  
  transmitting the pending message to the terminal node in response to the received request.
- View Dependent Claims (89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143)
- - 89. The method of claim 87, where the bridging node is an intermediate node in the communication network.
  - 90. The method of claim 87, where the bridging node is a node of a spanning tree.
  - 91. The method of claim 87, where the bridging node is a base station of the communication network.
  - 92. The method of claim 87, where the bridging node is a wireless access point of the communication network.
  - 93. The method of claim 87, where the bridging node relays messages between other nodes.
  - 94. The method of claim 87, wherein the bridging node routes messages between other nodes.
  - 95. The method of claim 87, wherein prior to transmitting the first message indicating the presence of a particular pending message for a particular roaming wireless terminal node, the bridging node immediately attempts to communicate the particular pending message to the particular roaming wireless terminal node upon receipt of the particular pending message from another network node.
  - 96. The method of claim 95, wherein the bridging node immediately attempts to communicate the particular pending message to the roaming wireless terminal node by, at least in part, queuing the particular pending message for transmission to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 97. The method of claim 95, wherein the bridging node immediately attempts to communicate the particular pending message to the roaming wireless terminal node by, at least in part, attempting to acquire access to a communication medium.
  - 98. The method of claim 87, wherein the roaming wireless terminal node is a hand-held terminal.
  - 99. The method of claim 87, where the bridging node is operable to communicate utilizing spread spectrum communications.
  - 100. The method of claim 87, where the method is performed, at least in part, utilizing a processor executing software instructions stored in a memory of the bridging node.
  - 101. The method of claim 87, wherein the roaming wireless terminal node is a wireless terminal node that is able to be moved.
  - 102. The method of claim 87, where the sleep mode is an energy-saving mode.
  - 103. The method of claim 87, further comprising determining at the bridging node when to transmit the first message.
  - 104. The method of claim 103, further comprising communicating information to the roaming wireless terminal node indicative of when the first message will be transmitted.
  - 105. The method of claim 103, wherein determining when to transmit the first message comprises determining when to transmit the first message based, at least in part, on a randomization seed, and further comprising communicating information of the randomization seed to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 106. The method of claim 103, wherein determining when to transmit the first message comprises adjusting a calculated randomized transmission time by a temporal offset to avoid a collision, and further comprising communicating information of the temporal offset to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 107. The method of claim 87, wherein transmitting at predetermined intervals comprises transmitting at a consistent predetermined interval.
  - 108. The method of claim 87, wherein transmitting at predetermined intervals comprises transmitting at inconsistent predetermined intervals.
  - 109. The method of claim 87, wherein transmitting at predetermined intervals comprises transmitting at a predetermined interval that comprises a pseudo-random component.
  - 110. The method of claim 87, wherein transmitting at predetermined intervals comprises transmitting at a predetermined interval that is based, at least in part, on a consistent time interval adjusted by a pseudo-random amount.
  - 111. The method of claim 87, wherein the first message comprises information to assist the roaming wireless terminal node in synchronizing waking of the roaming wireless terminal node from the sleep mode.
  - 112. The method of claim 87, wherein the first message is a beacon message.
  - 113. The method of claim 87, wherein the first message is a HELLO message.
  - 114. The method of claim 87, where transmitting the first message comprises broadcasting the first message to a plurality of roaming wireless terminal nodes.
  - 115. The method of claim 87, wherein the first message comprises information to assist a roaming wireless terminal node in attaching to the communication network.
  - 116. The method of claim 87, wherein the first message comprises information to assist a roaming wireless terminal node in modifying attachment to the communication network.
  - 117. The method of claim 87, wherein the first message comprises information to assist a roaming wireless terminal node in determining when to wake to receive a second message transmitted after the first message.
  - 118. The method of claim 87, wherein the first message comprises a pending message list.
  - 119. The method of claim 87, wherein the first message comprises a list that indicates to the roaming wireless terminal node whether the roaming wireless terminal node has a message pending.
  - 120. The method of claim 87, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that a pending message for the roaming wireless terminal node is stored and awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 121. The method of claim 87, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that at least one pending message is awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node and at least one other pending message is awaiting delivery to another roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 122. The method of claim 87, wherein the first message comprises information identifying the roaming wireless terminal node as a terminal for which a stored pending message is awaiting delivery.
  - 123. The method of claim 87, wherein the first message comprises information identifying the roaming wireless terminal node as a terminal for which a stored pending message is awaiting delivery and information describing at least one characteristic of the stored pending message.
  - 124. The method of claim 87, wherein the first message comprises information identifying the roaming wireless terminal node as a terminal for which a stored pending message is awaiting delivery and information describing a size of the stored pending message.
  - 125. The method of claim 87, wherein the first message comprises information of an address of the roaming wireless terminal node to indicate that a stored pending message is awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 126. The method of claim 87, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that one or more pending messages are stored in a base station of the communication network and awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 127. The method of claim 87, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that one or more pending messages are stored in a node of the communication network and awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 128. The method of claim 87, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that one or more pending messages are stored in a parent node of the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 129. The method of claim 87, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that one or more pending mail messages are awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 130. The method of claim 87, further comprising, prior to transmitting the first message, receiving the pending message from another node of the communication network.
  - 131. The method of claim 130, further comprising, prior to transmitting the first message, attempting to immediately deliver the received pending message to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 132. The method of claim 131, further comprising, prior to transmitting the first message, storing the received pending message in memory for later delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 133. The method of claim 132, further comprising, after transmitting a predetermined number of messages indicating that the stored pending message is awaiting delivery, removing the stored pending message from memory.
  - 134. The method of claim 133, wherein the predetermined number is based, at least in part, on information communicated to the bridging node from the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 135. The method of claim 87, further comprising receiving information from the roaming wireless terminal node regarding how long a message should be stored for the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 136. The method of claim 87, further comprising receiving information from the roaming wireless terminal node indicating that the roaming wireless terminal node is operable in a sleep mode.
  - 137. The method of claim 87, further comprising receiving information from the roaming wireless terminal node indicating how long the roaming wireless terminal node might operate in a sleep mode.
  - 138. The method of claim 87, wherein the pending message comprises a mail message.
  - 139. The method of claim 87, further comprising forming a transport connection to transmit the pending message to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 140. The method of claim 139, wherein forming a transport connection comprises forming a TCP connection.
  - 141. The method of claim 139, wherein forming a transport connection comprises forming a VMTP connection.
  - 142. The method of claim 87, further comprising forming a connection-oriented communication link to transmit the pending message to the roaming wireless terminal node if the pending message is a first type of message and forming a non-connection-oriented conmmnication link to transmit the pending message to the roaming wireless terminal node if the pending message is a second type of message.
  - 143. The method of claim 87, wherein receiving a request for the pending message comprises receiving a message from the roaming wireless terminal node requesting one or more pending messages.

144. A method for operating a bridging node and a roaming wireless terminal node in a communication network comprising:
- transmitting from a bridging node at predetermined intervals, a first message indicating the presence of a pending message;
  
  operating the terminal node in a sleep mode;
  
  waking the terminal node to receive a first message;
  
  determining at the terminal node from a received first message the presence of a pending message for the terminal node; and
  
  requesting a pending message if a pending message for the terminal node is determined to be present.

145. A roaming wireless terminal node for use in a communication network having at least one bridging node that transmits at predetermined intervals a first message indicating the presence of a pending message, the roaming wireless terminal comprising:
- at least one module that operates to, at least;
  
  cause the roaming wireless terminal node to operate in a sleep mode;
  
  cause the roaming wireless terminal node to wake from the sleep mode to receive a first message;
  
  determine from a received first message whether there is a pending message for the terminal node; and
  
  cause the roaming wireless terminal to request the pending message if it is determined from the first message that there is a pending message for the terminal node.
- View Dependent Claims (146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215)
- - 146. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module further operates to, after waking the roaming wireless terminal node to receive a first message, receive the first message from the bridging node.
  - 147. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 146, where the bridging node is an intermediate node in the communication network.
  - 148. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 146, where the bridging node is a node of a spanning tree.
  - 149. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 146, where the bridging node is a base station of a communication network.
  - 150. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 146, where the bridging node is an access point of a communication network.
  - 151. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 146, where the bridging node relays messages between other nodes.
  - 152. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 146, where the bridging node routes messages between other nodes.
  - 153. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, where prior to transmitting the first message, the bridging node immediately attempts to communicate the pending message to the roaming wireless terminal node upon receipt of the pending message from another network node.
  - 154. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 153, where the bridging node immediately attempts to communicate the pending message to the roaming wireless terminal node by, at least in part, queuing the pending message for transmission to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 155. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 153, where the bridging node immediately attempts to communicate the pending message to the roaming wireless terminal node by, at least in part, attempting to acquire access to a communication medium.
  - 156. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, further comprising circuitry operable to receive electrical power from a battery.
  - 157. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, where the roaming wireless terminal node is a hand-held terminal.
  - 158. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, further comprising hand-held computer circuitry that operates to execute software instructions.
  - 159. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to communicate utilizing spread spectrum communications.
  - 160. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module comprises software instructions executable by a processor of the roaming wireless terminal.
  - 161. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, where the roaming wireless terminal node is a terminal that is able to be moved.
  - 162. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, where the sleep mode is an energy-saving mode.
  - 163. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to cause the roaming wireless terminal node to operate in a sleep mode by, at least in part, causing the powering down of receiver circuitry of the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 164. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to determine when to wake the roaming wireless terminal node to receive the first message.
  - 165. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 164, wherein the at least one module operates to determine when to wake the roaming wireless terminal node to receive the first message based, at least in part, on information received from the bridging node.
  - 166. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 164, wherein the at least one module operates to determine when to wake the roaming wireless terminal node to receive the first message comprises based, at least in part, on seed information received from the bridging node.
  - 167. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 164, wherein the at least one module operates to determine when to wake the roaming wireless terminal node to receive the first message based, at least in part, on temporal offset information received from the bridging node.
  - 168. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 164, wherein the at least one module operates to determine when to wake the roaming wireless terminal node to receive the first message based, at least in part, on an expected duration of a communication between another roaming wireless terminal node and the bridging node.
  - 169. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to wake the roaming wireless terminal node to receive a first message by, at least in part, operating to wake the roaming wireless terminal node to receive the first message at a predetermined interval.
  - 170. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to wake the roaming wireless terminal node to receive a first message by, at least in part, operating to wake the roaming wireless terminal node to receive the first message at a consistent predetermined interval.
  - 171. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to wake the roaming wireless terminal node to receive a first message by, at least in part, operating to wake the roaming wireless terminal node to receive the first message at a predetermined interval that comprises a pseudo-random component.
  - 172. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to wake the roaming wireless terminal node to receive a first message by, at least in part, operating to wake the roaming wireless terminal node to receive the first message at a predetermined interval that is based, at least in part, on a consistent time interval adjusted by a pseudo-random adjustment.
  - 173. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to synchronize waking of the roaming wireless terminal node to receive the first message following operation in the sleep mode.
  - 174. The electrical circuitroaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to wake the roaming wireless terminal node to receive a first message by, at least in part, operating to wake the roaming wireless terminal node to receive a first message after operating in a sleep mode for a plurality of consecutive predetermined intervals.
  - 175. The electrical circuitroaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to wake the roaming wireless terminal node to receive a first message by, at least in part, operating to wake the roaming wireless terminal node for up to a maximum listening period, where the maximum listening period is at least a maximum expected time interval between consecutive transmissions of the first message.
  - 176. The electrical circuitroaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to determine whether to consider a received first message based, at least in part, on signal strength.
  - 177. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the first message is a beacon message.
  - 178. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the first message is a HELLO message.
  - 179. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, where the first message is broadcast to a plurality of roaming wireless terminal nodes.
  - 180. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, where the first message is transmitted at a consistent predetermined interval.
  - 181. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, where the first message is transmitted at a predetermined interval comprising a pseudo-random component.
  - 182. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, where the first message is transmitted at an inconsistent predetermined interval.
  - 183. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to utilize information communicated with the first message to cause the roaming wireless terminal node to attach to the communication network.
  - 184. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to utilize information communicated with the first message to cause the roaming wireless terminal node to modify attachment to the communication network.
  - 185. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to determine when to wake the roaming wireless terminal node to receive a second message based, at least in part, on information communicated with the first message.
  - 186. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to determine when to wake the roaming wireless terminal node to receive a second message based, at least in part, on seed information communicated with the first message.
  - 187. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to determine when to wake the roaming wireless terminal node to receive a second message based, at least in part, on temporal displacement information communicated with the first message.
  - 188. The roaming wireless tenninal of claim 145, wherein the first message comprises a pending message list.
  - 189. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the first message comprises a list that indicates to the roaming wireless terminal node whether the roaming wireless terminal node has a message pending.
  - 190. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that a pending message for the roaming wireless terminal node is stored and awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 191. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that at least one pending message is awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node and at least one other pending message is awaiting delivery to another roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 192. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the first message comprises information identifying the roaming wireless terminal node as a terminal for which a stored pending message is awaiting delivery.
  - 193. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the first message comprises information identifying the roaming wireless terminal node as a terminal for which a stored pending message is awaiting delivery and information describing at least one characteristic of the stored pending message.
  - 194. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the first message comprises information identifying the roaming wireless terminal node as a terminal for which a stored pending message is awaiting delivery and information describing a size of the stored pending message.
  - 195. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the first message comprises information of the roaming wireless terminal node'"'"'s address to indicate that a stored pending message is awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 196. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that one or more pending messages are stored in a base station of the communication network and awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 197. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that one or more pending messages are stored in a node of the communication network and awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 198. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that one or more pending messages are stored in a parent node of the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 199. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that one or more pending mail messages are awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 200. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to cause the roaming wireless terminal node to communicate information to a network node regarding how long a message should be stored for the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 201. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to cause the roaming wireless terminal node to communicate information to a network node indicating that the roaming wireless terminal node is operable in a sleep mode.
  - 202. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to cause the roaming wireless terminal node to communicate information to a network node regarding how long the roaming wireless terminal node might operate in a sleep mode.
  - 203. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the pending message comprises a mail message.
  - 204. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to cause the roaming wireless terminal node to form a transport connection to receive the pending message.
  - 205. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 204, wherein the transport connection comprises a TCP connection.
  - 206. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 204, wherein the transport connection comprises a VMTP connection.
  - 207. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to cause the roaming wireless terminal node to form a connection-oriented communication link to receive the pending message if the pending message is a first type of message and cause the roaming wireless terminal node to form a non-connection-oriented communication link to receive the pending message if the pending message is a second type of message.
  - 208. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to cause the roaming wireless terminal node to operate in an awake state if a predetermined number of expected signals from the communication network are not received.
  - 209. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to cause the roaming wireless terminal node to operate in the sleep mode for at least a portion of an expected delay to receive a message in response to a message sent from the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 210. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to, after a request for the pending message is transmitted, cause the roaming wireless terminal node to operate in the sleep mode for at least a portion of an expected delay to receive the requested pending message in response to the transmitted request.
  - 211. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, further comprising circuitry that operates to utilize a keyboard of the roaming wireless terminal node to collect information to be communicated to the network node.
  - 212. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to request the pending message by, at least in part, causing the transmission of a message to the network node requesting the pending message.
  - 213. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to request the pending message by, at least in part, causing the transmission of a message to the network node requesting at least one pending message.
  - 214. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to build and store a list of access points that are in communication range of the roaming wireless terminal.
  - 215. The roaming wireless terminal of claim 145, wherein the at least one module operates to build and store a list of access points that are in communication range of the roaming wireless terminal based, at least in part, on signal strength of respective signals received from access points.

216. A bridging node in a communication network for communicating with a plurality of roaming wireless terminal nodes that operate in a sleep mode and that wake to receive messages, the bridging node comprising:
- at least one module that operates to, at least;
  
  cause the bridging node to transmit at predetermined intervals, a first message indicating the presence of pending messages for one or more roaming wireless terminal nodes;
  
  receive a request for a pending message from a roaming wireless terminal node that has determined from the first message that a pending message for the roaming wireless terminal node is present; and
  
  cause the bridging node to transmit the pending message to the roaming wireless terminal node in response to the received request.
- View Dependent Claims (217, 218, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 228, 229, 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, 245, 246, 247, 248, 249, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254, 255, 256, 257, 258, 259, 260, 261, 262, 263, 264, 265, 266, 267, 268, 269, 270)
- - 217. The bridging node of claim 216, where the bridging node is an intermediate node in the communication network.
  - 218. The bridging node of claim 216, where the bridging node is a node of a spanning tree.
  - 219. The bridging node of claim 216, where the bridging node is a base station of the communication network.
  - 220. The bridging node of claim 216, where the bridging node is a wireless access point of the communication network.
  - 221. The bridging node of claim 216, where the bridging node relays messages between other nodes.
  - 222. The bridging node of claim 216, where the bridging node routes messages between other nodes.
  - 223. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein prior to causing the bridging node to transmit the first message indicating the presence of a particular pending message for a particular roaming wireless terminal node, the at least one module operates to cause the bridging node to immediately attempt to communicate the particular pending message to the particular roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 224. The bridging node of claim 223, wherein the at least one module operates to cause the bridging node to immediately attempt to communicate the particular pending message to the roaming wireless terminal node by, at least in part, operating to cause the bridging node to queue the particular pending message for transmission to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 225. The bridging node of claim 223, wherein the at least one module operates to cause the bridging node to immediately attempt to communicate the particular pending message to the roaming wireless terminal node by, at least in part, operating to cause the bridging node to attempt to acquire access to a communication medium.
  - 226. The bridging node of claim 216, where the roaming wireless terminal node is a hand-held terminal.
  - 227. The bridging node of claim 216, where the bridging node is operable to communicate utilizing spread spectrum communications.
  - 228. The bridging node of claim 216, where the roaming wireless terminal node is a wireless terminal node that is able to be moved.
  - 229. The bridging node of claim 216, where the sleep mode is an energy-saving mode.
  - 230. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the at least one module operates to determine when to transmit the first message.
  - 231. The bridging node of claim 230, wherein the at least one module operates to cause the bridging node to communicate information to the roaming wireless terminal node indicative of when the first message will be transmitted.
  - 232. The bridging node of claim 230, wherein the at least one module operates to determine when to transmit the first message based, at least in part, on a randomization seed, and further operates to cause the bridging node to communicate information of the randomization seed to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 233. The bridging node of claim 230, wherein the at least one module operates to determine when to transmit the first message by, at least in part, operating to adjust a calculated randomized transmission time by a temporal offset to avoid a collision, and further operates to cause the bridging node to communicate information of the temporal offset to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 234. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the at least one module operates to cause the bridging node to transmit the first message at predetermined intervals by, at least in part, operating to cause the bridging node to transmit the first message at a consistent predetermined interval.
  - 235. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the at least one module operates to cause the bridging node to transmit the first message at predetermined intervals by, at least in part, operating to cause the bridging node to transmit the first message at inconsistent predetermined intervals.
  - 236. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the at least one module operates to cause the bridging node to transmit the first message at predetermined intervals by, at least in part, operating to cause the bridging node to transmit the first message at a predetermined interval that comprises a pseudo-random component.
  - 237. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the at least one module operates to cause the bridging node to transmit the first message at predetermined intervals by, at least in part, operating to cause the bridging node to transmit the first message at a predetermined interval that is based, at least in part, on a consistent time interval adjusted by a pseudo-random amount.
  - 238. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the first message comprises information to assist the roaming wireless terminal node in synchronizing waking of the roaming wireless terminal node from the sleep mode.
  - 239. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the first message is a beacon message.
  - 240. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the first message is a HELLO message.
  - 241. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the at least one module operates to cause the bridging node to transmit the first message by, at least in part, causing the bridging node to broadcast the first message to a plurality of roaming wireless terminal nodes.
  - 242. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the first message comprises information to assist a roaming wireless terminal node in attaching to the communication network.
  - 243. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the first message comprises information to assist a roaming wireless terminal node in modifying attachment to the communication network.
  - 244. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the first message comprises information to assist a roaming wireless terminal node in determining when to wake to receive a second message transmitted after the first message.
  - 245. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the first message comprises a pending message list.
  - 246. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the first message comprises a list that indicates to the roaming wireless terminal node whether the roaming wireless terminal node has a message pending.
  - 247. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that a pending message for the roaming wireless terminal node is stored and awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 248. The bridaina node of claim 216, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that at least one pending message is awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node and at least one other pending message is awaiting delivery to another roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 249. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the first message comprises information identifying the roaming wireless terminal node as a terminal for which a stored pending message is awaiting delivery.
  - 250. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the first message comprises information identifying the roaming wireless terminal node as a terminal for which a stored pending message is awaiting delivery and information describing at least one characteristic of the stored pending message.
  - 251. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the first message comprises information identifying the roaming wireless terminal node as a terminal for which a stored pending message is awaiting delivery and information describing a size of the stored pending message.
  - 252. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the first message comprises information of an address of the roaming wireless terminal node to indicate that a stored pending message is awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 253. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that one or more pending messages are stored in a base station of the communication network and awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 254. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that one or more pending messages are stored in a node of the communication network and awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 255. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that one or more pending messages are stored in a parent node of the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 256. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the first message comprises information indicating that one or more pending mail messages are awaiting delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 257. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the at least one module, prior to operating to cause the bridging node to transmit the first message, operates to cause the bridging node to receive the pending message from another node of the communication network.
  - 258. The bridging node of claim 257, wherein the at least one module, prior to operating to cause the bridging node to transmit the first message, operates to cause the bridging node to attempt to immediately deliver the received pending message to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 259. The bridging node of claim 258, wherein the at least one module, prior to operating to cause the bridging node to transmit the first message, operates to cause the bridging node to store the received pending message in memory for later delivery to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 260. The bridging node of claim 259, wherein the at least one module, after operating to cause the bridging node to transmit a predetermined number of messages indicating that the stored pending message is awaiting delivery, operates to cause the bridging node to remove the stored pending message from memory.
  - 261. The bridging node of claim 260, wherein the predetermined number is based, at least in part, on information communicated to the bridging node from the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 262. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the at least one module operates to receive information from the roaming wireless terminal node regarding how long a message should be stored for the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 263. The bridaing node of claim 216, wherein the at least one module operates to receive information from the roaming wireless terminal node indicating that the roaming wireless terminal node is operable in a sleep mode.
  - 264. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the at least one module operates to receive information from the roaming wireless terminal node indicating how long the roaming wireless terminal node might operate in a sleep mode.
  - 265. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the pending message comprises a mail message.
  - 266. The bridaing node of claim 216, wherein the at least one module operates to cause the bridging node to form a transport connection to transmit the pending message to the roaming wireless terminal node.
  - 267. The bridging node of claim 266, wherein the transport connection comprises a TCP connection.
  - 268. The bridging node of claim 266, wherein the transport connection comprises a VMTP connection.
  - 269. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the at least one module operates to cause the bridging node to form a connection-oriented communication link to transmit the pending message to the roaming wireless terminal node if the pending message is a first type of message and form a non-connection-oriented communication link to transmit the pending message to the roaming wireless terminal node if the pending message is a second type of message.
  - 270. The bridging node of claim 216, wherein the at least one module operates to receive a request for a pending message by, at least in part, operating to receive a message from the roaming wireless terminal node requesting one or more pending messages.

Specification

Resources

Litigation Campaign Assessment

Litigation Data

Current Assignee
Innovatio IP Ventures LLC
Original Assignee
Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
Inventors
Mahany, Ronald L., Meier, Robert C., Luse, Ronald E.
Primary Examiner(s)
Trost, William
Assistant Examiner(s)
SANTIAGO CORDERO, MARIVELISSE

Application Number

US10/631,071
Publication Number

US 20040023617A1
Time in Patent Office

1,944 Days
Field of Search

455/574, 455/412.1, 370/311
US Class Current

455/574
CPC Class Codes

G06F 1/1626   with a single-body enclosur...

G06F 15/0225   User interface arrangements...

G06K 7/1098   the scanning arrangement ha...

G08C 17/02   using a radio link

H01Q 1/007   specially adapted for indoo...

H01Q 1/241   used in mobile communicatio...

H01Q 21/24   Combinations of antenna uni...

H04B 1/1615   Switching on; Switching off...

H04B 1/3833   Hand-held transceivers

H04B 1/69   Spread spectrum techniques

H04B 17/0085   using test signal generators

H04B 17/318   Received signal strength

H04L 1/0003   by switching between differ...

H04L 1/0007   by modifying the frame length

H04L 1/0014   by adapting the source coding

H04L 1/0025   Transmission of mode-switch...

H04L 1/0071   Use of interleaving interle...

H04L 1/08   by repeating transmission, ...

H04L 12/12   Arrangements for remote con...

H04L 2001/0097   Relays

H04L 45/00 : Routing or path finding of ...

H04L 45/04 : Interdomain routing, e.g. h...

H04L 45/44 : Distributed routing

H04L 45/48 : Routing tree calculation

H04L 45/488 : using root node determination

H04L 47/6225 : Fixed service order, e.g. R...

H04L 49/90 : Buffering arrangements

H04L 49/9057 : Arrangements for supporting...

H04L 69/14 : Multichannel or multilink p...

H04L 69/32 : Architecture of open system...

H04L 69/324 : in the data link layer [OSI...

H04L 69/325 : in the network layer [OSI l...

H04L 69/326 : in the transport layer [OSI...

H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols

H04W 40/02 : Communication route or path...

H04W 40/08 : based on transmission power

H04W 40/10 : based on available power or...

H04W 40/246 : Connectivity information di...

H04W 40/248 : Connectivity information up...

H04W 40/26 : for hybrid routing by combi...

H04W 40/30 : for proactive routing

H04W 40/36 : due to handover

H04W 52/0225 : using monitoring of externa...

H04W 52/029 : reducing the clock frequenc...

H04W 68/00 : User notification, e.g. ale...

H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area N...

H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices

H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in mu...

H04W 88/08 : Access point devices

H04W 88/14 : Backbone network devices

Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication n...

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Radio frequency local area network

First Claim

1 Assignment

Litigations

0 Petitions

Accused Products

Abstract

257 Citations

270 Claims

Specification

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Radio frequency local area network

First Claim

1 Assignment

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Subscription Required

Litigations

0 Petitions

Subscription Required

Accused Products

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Abstract

257 Citations

270 Claims

Specification

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Solutions

Use Cases

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