US 8,570,987 B2 · Stand alone WiMAX system and method

Abstract

A WiMAX based system having a base station which communicates to a plurality of consumer premises equipment (CPE) is disclosed. The base station obtains and stores information corresponding to the MAC addresses of each CPE. Messages from one CPE can be sent to the base station and then sent to another CPE using the MAC address stored in the base station. Each CPE may originate an uplink multicast message for transmission to more than one CPE. When the base station receives the uplink multicast message, it broadcasts the multicast message to all of the CPEs identified in the multicast message including the originating CPE. When the originating CPE recognizes the multicast message as a message it originated, the originating CPE drops the multicast message. The CPEs may be grouped into virtual local area networks (VLANs) using group identifiers which permit multicast messages to be transmitted to specific groups of CPEs.

Claims27

Dependent claims

A wireless communication system comprising:

a plurality of consumer premises equipments (CPEs) for sending and receiving wireless signals in a first communication standard using time division multiplexing (TDM), each CPE having a unique MAC address;
a base station having a wireless port for sending and receiving wireless signals to each of the plurality of CPEs in the first communication standard and using TDM, said base station having stored therein a look-up table containing the MAC addresses of the plurality of CPEs,
the base station being configured to monitor messages received by the base station for forwarding by the base station, and to populate the look-up table with a MAC address identifying a CPE, the MAC address comprising either a destination MAC address or a source MAC address of a message received by the base station for forwarding to the destination MAC address;
wherein any one of the plurality of CPEs can uplink a multicast message to the base station to be sent to the CPEs;
and
wherein in response to receiving the uplink multicast message, the base station sends a downlink multicast message to the CPEs having their MAC addresses stored in the look-up table and identified in the uplink multicast message.

3 more elements

A method of wirelessly communicating multicast messages between a plurality of consumer premises equipment (CPEs) in a first communication standard using Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), each of said CPEs having a unique MAC address, said method comprising:

monitoring, by a base station, messages received by the base station for forwarding by the base station, the base station having stored therein a look-up table containing the MAC addresses of the plurality of CPEs, the base station having a wireless port for sending and receiving wireless signals to each of the plurality of CPEs in the first communication standard and using TDM:
populating, by the base station, the look-up table with a MAC address identifying a CPE, the MAC address comprising either a destination MAC address or source MAC address of a message received by the base station for forwarding to the destination MAC address;
sending, from an originating CPE of the plurality of CPEs, an uplink multicast message to the base station;
receiving, at the base station, the uplink multicast message;
converting, at the base station, the uplink multicast message to a downlink multicast transmit message using the look-up table stored at the base station;
and
transmitting, by the base station, the downlink multicast message to the CPEs having their MAC addresses stored in the look-up table and identified in the uplink multicast message.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Stand alone WiMAX system and method

Life of this patent

Stand alone WiMAX system and method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims27