Dynamic Multiple Access Protocol for Use in an Audience Response System

A wireless handset for use in an audience response system, the audience response system including a wireless aggregation point and a plurality of handsets configured to communicatively couple to the wireless aggregation point, the wireless handset comprising:

• a user interface configured to receive an input from a user;
• a communication interface configured to:
• receive a beacon data unit via the wireless aggregation point, the beacon data unit specifying a plurality of time slots during which any one of the plurality of handsets can transmit data to the wireless aggregation point, the beacon data unit not assigning any particular one of the plurality of time slots to any one of the plurality of handsets;
• and
• transmit data related to the input received from the user to the wireless aggregation point during a selected one of the plurality of time slots;
• and
• a time slot selector configured to select the one of the plurality of time slots.

An audience response system comprising:

• a wireless aggregation point;
• and
• a plurality of handsets communicatively coupled to the wireless aggregation point, wherein at least one of the plurality of handsets comprises:
• a user interface configured to receive an input from a user;
• a communication interface configured to:
• receive a beacon data unit via the wireless aggregation point, the beacon data unit specifying a plurality of time slots during which any one of the plurality of handsets can transmit data to the wireless aggregation point, the beacon data unit not assigning any particular one of the plurality of time slots to any one of the plurality of handsets;
• and
• transmit data related to the input received from the user to the wireless aggregation point during a selected one of the plurality of time slots;
• and
• a time slot selector configured to select the one of the plurality of time slots.

A method for use in a computing system configured to operate with an audience response system, the audience response system including a wireless aggregation point and a plurality of handsets configured to communicatively couple to the wireless aggregation point via the wireless communication channel, the computing system having a processor and a memory coupled the processor, the memory storing computer-readable instructions executable on the processor, the method comprising:

• generating a first beacon data unit, the first beacon data unit specifying a first plurality of time slots during which any one of the plurality of handsets can transmit data to the wireless aggregation point, the first beacon data unit not assigning any particular one of the first plurality of time slots to any one of the plurality of handsets;
• transmitting the first beacon data unit to the plurality of handsets;
• receiving data from a first one of the plurality of handsets during one of the first plurality of time slots;
• transmitting an acknowledgement to the first one of the plurality of handsets;
• generating a second beacon data unit, the second beacon data unit specifying a second plurality of time slots during which any one of the plurality of handsets can transmit data to the wireless aggregation point, the second beacon data unit not assigning any particular one of the second plurality of time slots to any one of the plurality of handsets;
• transmitting the second beacon data unit to the plurality of handsets;
• receiving data from a second one of the plurality of handsets during one of the second plurality of time slots;
• and
• transmitting an acknowledgement to the second one of the plurality of handsets;
• wherein the first plurality of time slots has different parameters than the second plurality of time slots.

A computer program product for use with an audience response system, the audience response system including a wireless aggregation point and a plurality of handsets configured to communicatively couple to the wireless aggregation point via the wireless communication channel, the computer program product having a processor and a memory coupled the processor, the memory storing computer-readable instructions executable on the processor to perform the steps of:

• generating a first beacon data unit, the first beacon data unit specifying a first plurality of time slots during which any one of the plurality of handsets can transmit data to the wireless aggregation point, the first beacon data unit not assigning any particular one of the first plurality of time slots to any one of the plurality of handsets;
• transmitting the first beacon data unit to the plurality of handsets;
• receiving data from a first one of the plurality of handsets during one of the first plurality of time slots;
• transmitting an acknowledgement to the first one of the plurality of handsets;
• generating a second beacon data unit, the second beacon data unit specifying a second plurality of time slots during which any one of the plurality of handsets can transmit data to the wireless aggregation point, the second beacon data unit not assigning any particular one of the second plurality of time slots to any one of the plurality of handsets;
• transmitting the second beacon data unit to the plurality of handsets;
• receiving data from a second one of the plurality of handsets during one of the second plurality of time slots;
• and
• transmitting an acknowledgement to the second one of the plurality of handsets;
• wherein the first plurality of time slots has different parameters than the second plurality of time slots.