Method, device and router for providing a contention-based reservation mechanism within a mini-slotted dynamic entry polling slot supporting multiple service classes

Patent 5615212 Issued on March 25, 1997. Estimated Expiration Date:

September 11, 2015. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

Reservation-based polling protocol for a wireless data communications network
Patent #: 5297144
Issued on: 03/22/1994
Inventor: Gilbert, et al.

Method and apparatus for global polling having contention-based address identification
Patent #: 5347515
Issued on: 09/13/1994
Inventor: Marino

Sleep mode and contention resolution within a common channel medium access method Patent #: 5440560
Issued on: 08/08/1995
Inventor: Rypinski

Inventors

Application

No. 526517 filed on 09/11/1995

US Classes:

370/433, Only active channels transmitted340/825.52, Addressing370/455Including priority resolution

Examiners

Primary: Hsu, Alpus H.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Stockley; Darleen J.

International Class

H04J 003/16

Abstract

The entry polling (EP) method (900) of the present invention primarily incorporates two types of polling: contention based and standard polling. The present invention provides several advantages over present polling approaches. EP slots allow multi-priority users to compete for access into the standard polling scheme. The reservation channel is efficiently used by dynamically adjusting the frequency of contention slots based on system dynamics and dynamically changing the number of contention minislots for each service category within a contention slot with the case of sending only one minislot per slot. The channel is assigned primarily to active users. Pipeline polling is also incorporated, thus providing full use of the upstream channel. Since the local state information is provided by the user, the central controller may allow multiple variable length packets to be sent.