Medium access control protocol for wireless network

A communicator for wirelessly transmitting frames to and receiving frames from a least one additional communicator in accordance with a predetermined medium access control protocol, the communicators which transmit and receive the frames constituting a Group, each communicator including a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving the frames respectively, the medium access control protocol controlling each communicator of the Group to effect predetermined functions comprising:

• designating one of the communicators of the Group as a hub and the remaining the communicators of the Group as remotes;
• the hub establishing repeating communication cycles, each of which has intervals during which the hub and the remotes transmit and receive frames;
• the hub transmitting information to the remotes to establish the communication cycle and a plurality of predeterminable intervals during each communication cycle, the intervals being ones when the hub is allowed to transmit frames to the remotes, when the remotes are allowed to transmit frames to the hub, and when each remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their transmitters during times other than those intervals when the remote is allowed to transmit frames to the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their receivers during times other than those intervals when the remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the hub assigning transmission opportunities to the remotes, each transmission opportunity being an interval for a remote to transmit frames to the hub;
• the hub transmitting transmission opportunity allocation information in a frame transmitted by the hub;
• and
• the hub allocating a number of transmission opportunities during at least one communication cycle which is at least one less in number than the number of remotes in the Group.

A communicator for wirelessly transmitting frames to and receiving frames from a least one additional communicator in accordance with a predetermined medium access control protocol, the communicators which transmit and receive the frames constituting a Group, each communicator including a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving the frames respectively, the medium access control protocol controlling each communicator of the Group to effect predetermined functions comprising:

• designating one of the communicators of the Group as a hub and the remaining the communicators of the Group as remotes;
• the hub establishing repeating communication cycles, each of which has intervals during which the hub and the remotes transmit and receive frames;
• the hub transmitting information to the remotes to establish the communication cycle and a plurality of predeterminable intervals during each communication cycle, the intervals being ones when the hub is allowed to transmit frames to the remotes, when the remotes are allowed to transmit frames to the hub, and when each remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their transmitters during times other than those intervals when the remote is allowed to transmit frames to the hub by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their receivers during times other than those intervals when the remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the hub assigning transmission opportunities to the remotes, each transmission opportunity being an interval for a remote to transmit frames to the hub;
• the hub transmitting transmission opportunity allocation information in a frame transmitted by the hub;
• the hub transmitting information to the remotes to establish a transmission opportunity request interval during the communication cycle when the remotes may transmit transmission opportunity request frames to the hub to request transmission opportunity allocations;
• the remotes transmitting transmission opportunity request frames to the hub during the transmission opportunity request intervals;
• and
• the hub transmitting information in a frame which requires a remote having a previously allocated transmission opportunity to relinquish the transmission opportunity.

A communicator for wirelessly transmitting frames to and receiving frames from a least one additional communicator in accordance with a predetermined medium access control protocol, the communicators which transmit and receive the frames constituting a Group, each communicator including a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving the frames respectively, the medium access control protocol controlling each communicator of the Group to effect predetermined functions comprising:

• designating one of the communicators of the Group as a hub and the remaining the communicators of the Group as remotes;
• the hub establishing repeating communication cycles, each of which has intervals during which the hub and the remotes transmit and receive frames;
• the hub transmitting information to the remotes to establish the communication cycle and a plurality of predeterminable intervals during each communication cycle, the intervals being ones when the hub is allowed to transmit frames to the remotes, when the remotes are allowed to transmit frames to the hub, and when each remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their transmitters during times other than those intervals when the remote is allowed to transmit frames to the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their receivers during times other than those intervals when the remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the hub assigning transmission opportunities to the remotes, each transmission opportunity being an interval for a remote to transmit frames to the hub;
• the hub transmitting transmission opportunity allocation information in a frame transmitted by the hub;
• the hub monitoring the frames transmitted by each remote during its transmission opportunity;
• and
• the hub revoking a previous transmission opportunity allocation of a remote which has not transmitted more than a predetermined number of frames during a previous number of communication cycles.

A communicator for wirelessly transmitting frames to and receiving frames from a least one additional communicator in accordance with a predetermined medium access control protocol, the communicators which transmit and receive the frames constituting a Group, each communicator including a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving the frames respectively, the medium access control protocol controlling each communicator of the Group to effect predetermined functions comprising:

• designating one of the communicators of the Group as a hub and the remaining the communicators of the Group as remotes;
• the hub establishing repeating communication cycles, each of which has intervals during which the hub and the remotes transmit and receive frames;
• the hub transmitting information to the remotes to establish the communication cycle and a plurality of predeterminable intervals during each communication cycle, the intervals being ones when the hub is allowed to transmit frames to the remotes, when the remotes are allowed to transmit frames to the hub, and when each remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their transmitters during times other than those intervals when the remote is allowed to transmit frames to the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their receivers during times other than those intervals when the remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the hub assigning transmission opportunities to the remotes, each transmission opportunity being an interval for a remote to transmit frames to the hub;
• the hub transmitting transmission opportunity allocation information in a frame transmitted by the hub;
• the hub allocating a predetermined amount of time for a transmission opportunity in each transmission opportunity, the predetermined amount of time of the transmission opportunity being for a remote to transmit frames to the hub;
• the hub transmitting a frame containing the transmission opportunity allocation information during the communication cycle;
• the hub adjusting the length of at least one transmission opportunity of at least one remote during at least one of a plurality of subsequent communication cycles;
• and
• the hub transmitting a frame containing the information establishing the adjusted length of the transmission opportunity prior to the time of the adjusted transmission opportunity in a communication cycle.

A communicator for wirelessly transmitting frames to and receiving frames from a least one additional communicator in accordance with a predetermined medium access control protocol, the communicators which transmit and receive the frames constituting a Group, each communicator including a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving the frames respectively, the medium access control protocol controlling each communicator of the Group to effect predetermined functions comprising:

• designating one of the communicators of the Group as a hub and the remaining the communicators of the Group as remotes;
• the hub establishing repeating communication cycles, each of which has intervals during which the hub and the remotes transmit and receive frames;
• the hub transmitting information to the remotes to establish the communication cycle and a plurality of predeterminable intervals during each communication cycle, the intervals being ones when the hub is allowed to transmit frames to the remotes, when the remotes are allowed to transmit frames to the hub, and when each remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their transmitters during times other than those intervals when the remote is allowed to transmit frames to the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their receivers during times other than those intervals when the remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the hub establishing the length of each communication cycle;
• and
• the hub transmitting a frame containing information describing the length of the communication cycle prior to the end of the communication cycle whose length is established.

A communicator for wirelessly transmitting frames to and receiving frames from a least one additional communicator in accordance with a predetermined medium access control protocol, the communicators which transmit and receive the frames constituting a Group, each communicator including a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving the frames respectively, the medium access control protocol controlling each communicator of the Group to effect predetermined functions comprising:

• designating one of the communicators Of the Group as a hub and the remaining the communicators of the Group as remotes;
• the hub establishing repeating communication cycles, each of which has intervals during which the hub and the remotes transmit and receive frames;
• the hub transmitting information to the remotes to establish the communication cycle and a plurality of predeterminable intervals during each communication cycle, the intervals being ones when the hub is allowed to transmit frames to the remotes, when the remotes are allowed to transmit frames to the hub, and when each remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their transmitters during times other than those intervals when the remote is allowed to transmit frames to the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their receivers during times other than those intervals when the remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the hub transmitting two frames containing information to establish the plurality of predeterminable intervals during each communication cycle, the second frame containing the information to established the plurality of predeterminable intervals occurring before the intervals in which the remotes are allowed to transmit frames to the hub.

A communicator for wirelessly transmitting frames to and receiving frames from a least one additional communicator in accordance with a predetermined medium access control protocol, wherein the communicators are adapted to be connected to a resource to obtain data from and to supply data to the resource, the communicators which transmit and receive the frames constituting a Group, each communicator including a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving the frames respectively, the medium access control protocol controlling each communicator of the Group to effect predetermined functions comprising:

• designating one of the communicators of the Group as a hub and the remaining the communicators of the Group as remotes;
• the hub establishing repeating communication cycles, each of which has intervals during which the hub and the remotes transmit and receive frames;
• the hub transmitting information to the remotes to establish the communication cycle and a plurality of predeterminable intervals during each communication cycle, the intervals being ones when the hub is allowed to transmit frames to the remotes, when the remotes are allowed to transmit frames to the hub, and when each remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their transmitters during times other than those intervals when the remote is allowed to transmit frames to the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their receivers during times other than those intervals when the remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• a first remote transmitting a first frame containing data to the hub during an interval established in a first communication cycle, the first frame containing data obtained by the one remote from the resource connected to the one remote;
• and
• the hub transmitting a second frame to a second remote during an interval established in a second subsequent communication cycle, the second frame containing the data contained in the first frame.

A communicator for wirelessly transmitting frames to and receiving frames from a least one additional communicator in accordance with a predetermined medium access control protocol, the communicators which transmit and receive the frames constituting a Group, each communicator including a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving the frames respectively, the medium access control protocol controlling each communicator of the Group to effect predetermined functions comprising:

• designating one of the communicators of the Group as a hub and the remaining the communicators of the Group as remotes;
• the hub establishing repeating communication cycles, each of which has intervals during which the hub and the remotes transmit and receive frames;
• the hub transmitting information to the remotes to establish the communication cycle and a plurality of predeterminable intervals during each communication cycle, the intervals being ones when the hub is allowed to transmit frames to the remotes, when the remotes are allowed to transmit frames to the hub, and when each remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their transmitters during times other than those intervals when the remote is allowed to transmit frames to the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their receivers during times other than those intervals when the remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the hub transmitting information to the remotes to establish a first interval in the communication cycle during which a frame containing the information establishing the communication cycle and the plurality of predeterminable intervals is transmitted and a second interval during which the hub is allowed to transmit other frames to the remotes;
• and
• each remote determines whether to power off its receiver during the second interval based on the information transmitted during the first interval.

A communicator for wirelessly transmitting frames to and receiving frames from a least one additional communicator in accordance with a predetermined medium access control protocol, the communicators which transmit and receive the frames constituting a Group, each communicator including a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving the frames respectively, the medium access control protocol controlling each communicator of the Group to effect predetermined functions comprising:

• designating one of the communicators of the Group as a hub and the remaining the communicators of the Group as remotes;
• the hub establishing repeating communication cycles, each of which has intervals during which the hub and the remotes transmit and receive frames;
• the hub transmitting information to the remotes to establish the communication cycle and a plurality of predeterminable intervals during each communication cycle, the intervals being ones when the hub is allowed to transmit frames to the remotes, when the remotes are allowed to transmit frames to the hub, and when each remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their transmitters during times other than those intervals when the remote is allowed to transmit frames to the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their receivers during times other than those intervals when the remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the hub transmitting a frame containing information to establish a first interval in the communication cycle during which the information establishing the communication cycle and the plurality of predeterminable intervals is transmitted, and a second interval during which the hub is allowed to transmit broadcast frames to the remotes, and a third interval in the communication cycle during which the hub is allowed to transmit directed frames to the remotes;
• each remote powers its transmitter during the second interval;
• and
• each remote determines whether to power off its receiver during the third interval based on the information conveyed during the first interval.

A communicator for wirelessly transmitting frames to and receiving frames from a least one additional communicator in accordance with a predetermined medium access control protocol, the communicators which transmit and receive the frames constituting a Group, each communicator including a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving the frames respectively, the medium access control protocol controlling each communicator of the Group to effect predetermined function comprising:

• designating one of the communicators of the Group as a hub and the remaining the communicators of the Group as remotes;
• the hub establishing repeating communication cycles, each of which has intervals during which the hub and the remotes transmit and receive frames;
• the hub transmitting information to the remotes to establish the communication cycle and a plurality of predeterminable intervals during each communication cycle, the intervals being ones when the hub is allowed to transmit frames to the remotes, when the remotes are allowed to transmit frames to the hub, and when each remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their transmitters during times other than those intervals when the remote is allowed to transmit frames to the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their receivers during times other than those intervals when the remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the hub transmitting information to the remotes during a first communication cycle to establish the length of the first communication cycle and to establish the time for the beginning of the next subsequent second communication cycle;
• and
• the remotes powering on their receivers at approximately the anticipated beginning of the second communication cycle after having powered their receivers off during the first communication cycle, by using the information transmitted from the hub during the first communication cycle.

A communicator for wirelessly transmitting frames to and receiving frames from a least one additional communicator in accordance with a predetermined medium access control protocol, the communicators which transmit and receive the frames constituting a Group, each communicator including a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving the frames respectively, the medium access control protocol controlling each communicator of the Group to effect predetermined functions comprising:

• designating one of the communicators of the Group as a hub and the remaining the communicators of the Group as remotes;
• the hub establishing repeating communication cycles, each of which has intervals during which the hub and the remotes transmit and receive frames;
• the hub transmitting information to the remotes to establish the communication cycle and a plurality of predeterminable intervals during each communication cycle, the intervals being ones when the hub is allowed to transmit frames to the remotes, when the remotes are allowed to transmit frames to the hub, and when each remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their transmitters during times other than those intervals when the remote is allowed to transmit frames to the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their receivers during times other than those intervals when the remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the hub transmitting information to the remotes to establish a predeterminable hub beacon interval during one of a predetermined plurality of sequential communication cycles;
• and
• the hub transmitting a hub beacon frame during the hub beacon interval, the hub beacon frame containing information indicating that the hub is functioning as a hub for the Group and describing predetermined operational characteristics of the hub, the hub beacon frame being transmitted to another second hub of another second Group.

A communicator for wirelessly transmitting frames to and receiving frames from a least one additional communicator in accordance with a predetermined medium access control protocol, the communicators which transmit and receive the frames constituting a Group, each communicator including a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving the frames respectively, the medium access control protocol controlling each communicator of the Group to effect predetermined functions comprising:

• designating one of the communicators of the Group as a hub and the remaining the communicators of the Group as remotes;
• the hub establishing repeating communication cycles, each of which has intervals during which the hub and the remotes transmit and receive frames;
• the hub transmitting information to the remotes to establish the communication cycle and a plurality of predeterminable intervals during each communication cycle, the intervals being ones when the hub is allowed to transmit frames to the remotes, when the remotes are allowed to transmit frames to the hub, and when each remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their transmitters during times other than those intervals when the remote is allowed to transmit frames to the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their receivers during times other than those intervals when the remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the hub assigning transmission opportunities to the remotes, each transmission opportunity being an interval for a remote to transmit frames to the hub;
• the hub transmitting transmission opportunity allocation information in a frame transmitted by the hub;
• the hub transmitting information to the remotes to establish a transmission opportunity request interval during the communication cycle when the remotes are allowed to transmit transmission opportunity request frames to the hub to request transmission opportunity allocations;
• the remotes transmitting transmission opportunity request frames to the hub during the transmission opportunity request intervals to request transmission opportunities, the transmission opportunity request frames containing information describing predetermined operational characteristics of the remote transmitting the transmission opportunity request frame;
• the hub responding to the information in the transmission opportunity request frame and determining if the remote is better suited to act as the hub based on a comparison of the operational characteristic information of the hub and the remote transmitting the transmission opportunity request frame;
• the hub transmitting a hub handoff frame to the remote transmitting the transmission opportunity request frame if the hub has determined that the remote is better suited to act as the hub;
• the remote responding to the hub handoff frame by transmitting a handoff acknowledgement frame and commencing to act as the hub after transmitting the handoff acknowledgment frame;
• and
• the hub receiving the hub acknowledgement frame commencing to function as a remote after receiving the hub acknowledgement frame.

A communicator for wirelessly transmitting frames to and receiving frames from a least one additional communicator in accordance with a predetermined medium access control protocol, the communicators which transmit and receive the frames constituting a Group, each communicator including a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving the frames respectively, the medium access control protocol controlling each communicator of the Group to effect predetermined functions comprising:

• designating one of the communicators of the Group as a hub and the remaining the communicators of the Group as remotes;
• the hub establishing repeating communication cycles, each of which has intervals during which the hub and the remotes transmit and receive frames;
• the hub transmitting information to the remotes to establish the communication cycle and a plurality of predeterminable intervals during each communication cycle, the intervals being ones when the hub is allowed to transmit frames to the remotes, when the remotes are allowed to transmit frames to the hub, and when each remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their transmitters during times other than those intervals when the remote is allowed to transmit frames to the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their receivers during times other than those intervals when the remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the communicators transmitting a transfer unit from one communicator to another which contains a plurality of frames;
• the remotes transmitting a transfer unit having a header having at least one field containing information describing at least one frame of a previous transmission unit which was not successfully received by the hub;
• and
• the hub responding to the field information describing the frame which was successfully received by transmitting in another subsequent transfer unit those remaining frames of the previous transfer unit which were not successfully received.

A communicator for wirelessly transmitting frames to and receiving frames from a least one additional communicator in accordance with a predetermined medium access control protocol, the communicators which transmit and receive the frames constituting a Group, each communicator including a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving the frames respectively, the medium access control protocol controlling each communicator of the Group to effect predetermined functions comprising:

• designating one of the communicators of the Group as a hub and the remaining the communicators of the Group as remotes;
• the hub establishing repeating communication cycles, each of which has intervals during which the hub and the remotes transmit and receive frames;
• the hub transmitting information to the remotes to establish the communication cycle and a plurality of predeterminable intervals during each communication cycle, the intervals being ones when the hub is allowed to transmit frames to the remotes, when the remotes are allowed to transmit frames to the hub, and when each remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their transmitters during times other than those intervals when the remote is allowed to transmit frames to the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the remotes powering off their receivers during times other than those intervals when the remote is expected to receive a frame from the hub, by using the information transmitted from the hub;
• the remotes transmitting frames to the hub during the communication cycle which contain predetermined operational characteristic information of the remote transmitting the frame;
• the hub responding to the operational characteristic information in the frame transmitted from each remote and determining if the remote is better suited to act as the hub based on a comparison of the operational characteristic information of the hub and the remote transmitting the frame;
• the communicator functioning as the hub transferring the hub functionality to the remote having operational characteristics better suited to act as the hub;
• and
• the remote receiving the hub functionality thereafter becoming the hub for the Group and the communicator previously functioning as the hub commencing to function as a remote.