Method and apparatus for route discovery within a communication system

A method comprising the steps of:

• receiving, by a first node, from an overlay communication system, a message instructing the first node to broadcast a route discovery message, wherein the first node exists within an underlay communication system, and wherein the first node is a node to which a route is trying to be discovered;
• determining that the first node's identification is contained within the message;
• and
• broadcasting the route discovery message within the underlay communication system.

A method for operating a node within an underlay communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving a message instructing nodes within an ad-hoc communication system to listen for a route discovery message from a first node and a route discovery message from a second node;
• receiving the route-discovery message from a first node, wherein the first node is part of an underlay communication system;
• receiving the route-discovery message from a second node, wherein the second node is part of the underlay communication system;
• determining identifications of senders of the route-discovery messages;
• determining if the identifications are contained within the message instructing the nodes to listen for the route discovery message;
• determining route information based on the route-discovery messages;
• and
• transmitting the route information through an overlay communication system to the first node.

A method comprising the steps of:

• receiving at a base station in an overlay communication system, a message from a first node in an underlay communication system, the message indicating a need to discover a route to a second node;
• broadcasting by the base station, a message to nodes within the underlay communication system, the message instructing the nodes to monitor for flood messages from the first and the second nodes;
• receiving by the base station a message from a third node in an underlay communication system, the message comprising route information;
• transmitting by the base station, a message to stop flood messages;
• and
• transmitting by the base station, the route information to the first node.

An apparatus comprising:

• means for determining that a first node needs to communicate with a second node, wherein the first and the second nodes are part of an underlay communication system;
• means for sending, by the first node, a message to an overlay communication system notifying the overlay communication system of the need to communicate with the second node;
• means for receiving by the first node, from the overlay communication system, instructions to broadcast a route-discovery message;
• means for broadcasting by the first node, the route discovery message;
• means for receiving by the first node, a message instructing nodes within the ad-hoc communication system to stop flooding route discovery messages;
• and
• means for receiving by the first node route information from the overlay communication system.

An apparatus comprising:

• means for receiving, by a first node, from an overlay communication system, a message instructing the first node to broadcast a route discovery message, wherein the first node exists within an underlay communication system and wherein the first node is a node to which a route is trying to be discovered;
• means for determining that the first node's identification is contained within the message:
• and
• means for broadcasting the route discovery message within the underlay communication system.

An apparatus comprising:

• means for receiving a message instructing nodes within an ad-hoc communication system to listen for a route discovery message from a first node and a route discovery message from a second node;
• means for receiving the route-discovery message from a first node, wherein the first node is part of an underlay communication system;
• means for receiving the route-discovery message from a second node, wherein the second node is part of the underlay communication system;
• means for determining identifications of senders of the route-discovery messages;
• means for determining if the identifications are contained within the message instructing the nodes to listen for the route discovery message;
• means for determining route information based on the route-discovery messages;
• and
• means for transmitting the route information through an overlay communication system to the first and the second nodes.

An apparatus comprising:

• means for receiving at a base station in an overlay communication system, a message from a first node in an underlay communication system, the message indicating a need to discover a route to a second node;
• means for broadcasting by the base station, a message to nodes within the underlay communication system, the message instructing the nodes to monitor for flood messages from the first and the second nodes;
• means for receiving by the base station a message from a third node in an underlay communication system, the message comprising route information;
• means for transmitting by the base station, a message to stop flood messages;
• and
• means for transmitting by the base station the route information to the first node.