Title of Invention

VIRTUAL DYNAMIC CELLULAR INFRASTRUCTURE BASED ON COORDINATE INFORMATION.

Abstract TITLE: VIRTUAL DYNAMIC CELLULAR INFRASTRUCTURE BASED ON COORDINATE INFORMATION. A wireless communication system, having portable communication devices capable of establishing direct terminal-to- terminal communication and indirect terminal-to-terminal communication through another terminal without having a fixed base station,is disclosed. A portable communication device used as a terminal is capable of functioning as a router for other communication devices in the system while maintaining a separate direct communication with another portable communication device. Upon regiastration (904, figure 9, the registered device begins the process of communication by discovering other devices.
Full Text VIRTUAL DYNAMIC CELLULAR INFRASTRUCTURE
BASED ON COORDINATE INFORMATION
Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to a two-way wireless communication
system and, more specifically, to a two-way wireless communication system capable
of direct terminal-to-terminal communication, and indirect terminal-to-terminal
communication through a terminal.
Background Art
In a common wireless communication system in which a user using a wireless
terminal device is able to communicate with another user or is able to access a service
provider such as e-mail or Internet provider, communication is established through a
fixed base station. For example, in a cellular telephone system, if a first user wishes
to reach a second user, the first user dials a telephone number on his cellular
telephone identifying the second user"s device, then his cellular telephone transmits a
message to a nearby base station (first base station), where the first user"s phone is
currently registered, requesting to establish a call to the second user"s device. The
first base station then directs the call from the first user"s terminal device to the
second user"s device. If the second user"s device is another cellular telephone or
another wireless device, then the first base station directs the call to a second base
station where the second user"s device is currently registered. If the second user was
registered in the same cell as the first user, the first base station may function as a
router and establish a call between the first and second users. However, this routing
of the call through a base station is a requirement regardless of relative positions of
the first and second users. Even if the first and second users are only one block apart
and the nearest base station is ten miles away, the call still must be routed though the
base station before reaching the user.
Another common wireless communication system is a paging system. In a
one-way paging system, a caller typically enters an identification number of a specific
pager by telephone or by internet web page, either directly or through a provider"s
service center, and enters the number or message to be sent to the pager. The call
reaches the provider"s paging system identifying the pager to be paged and the
message to be sent. The provider"s system then activates some or all of its paging
base stations, and transmits the message to the pager. However, the person receiving
the message on the pager still needs another communication system such as a
telephone in order to return a reply message. To overcome this shortcoming, a two-
way paging system, where a pager itself can originate a message and can transmit it to
another pager, has been proposed as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,246.
However, the above mentioned systems are based on an infrastructure, such as
base stations and telephone lines that are fixed in location and are provided by service
providers, and do not allow establishing direct terminal-to-terminal communication.
A terminal device used in a system, such as cellular telephone or paging system, is
capable of transmitting and receiving signals but it is unable to function as a router. If
there were no base station available within the range of the users, the users are unable
to communicate with each other even if they are only separated by a short distance.
Another shortcoming associated with the above-mentioned systems is a lack of
relative and/or absolute location information of the parties or terminal devices.
Normally, the first party, who originates a call or page, does not know the location of
the second party.
A direct portable-to-portable communication capability of a two-way radio
such as a walkie-talkie is also limited that no location information is available and the
range of communication is limited to the range of one walkie-talkie. It does not offer
benefit derived from having an infrastructure.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to be able to provide an infrastructure
capable of establishing direct communication between terminal devices without
requiring a fixed base station. Such infrastructure would be capable of providing a
user"s or terminal device"s location, and capable of using a terminal device as a router
based on its position relative to other terminal devices so that the router aids in
establishing communication between terminal devices that: are separated beyond
direct connection distance. The router would also be able to establish communication
between a terminal and other service access point providing services such as e-mail
and Internet, which may be located beyond direct connection distance.
Brief Description of the Accompanying Drawings.
FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram of a wireless communication system
according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram of a wireless; communication system
according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention showing two
routers in series;
FIG. 3 is an exemplary block diagram of a wireless communication system
according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention showing one
router also functioning as a normal portable;
FIG. 4 is an exemplary block diagram of a wireless communication system
according to a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention complementing
an existing infrastructure;
FIG. 5 is an exemplary block diagram of a wireless communication system
according to a fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention further enhancing
the system by providing transceivers compatible with an existing infrastructure and
compatible with a service provider connected to the infrastructure;
FIG. 6 is an exemplary block diagram of a wireless communication system
according to a sixth preferred embodiment of the present invention illustrating
geographically scattered portable communication devices;
FIG. 7 is an exemplary block diagram of cell 604 and adjacent cell 610 of
FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating how the first portable
communication device attempts to register to the wireless communication system;
FIG. 9 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating how the first portable
communication device attempts to establish communication with the second portable
communication device within the same cell with its location known;
FIG. 10 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating how the first portable
communication device attempts to establish communication with the second portable
communication device within the same cell with its location unknown;
FIG. 11 is an exemplary block diagram of a wireless communication system
according to a seventh preferred embodiment of the present invention illustrating
geographically scattered portable communication devices for communicating between
cells;
FIG. 12 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating an out-of-cell broadcast
process;
FIG. 13 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a general broadcast process;
FIG. 14 is a first exemplary block diagram of the wireless communication
system of FIG. 11 illustrating communication among portable communication devices
for the out-of-cell general broadcasting;
FIG. 15 is a second exemplary block diagram of the wireless communication
system of FIG. 11 illustrating communication among portable communication devices
for the out-of-cell general broadcasting;
FIG. 16 is an exemplary block diagram representation of a first predetermined
non-repeating propagation pattern;
FIG. 17 is an exemplary block diagram representation of a second
predetermined non-repeating propagation pattern;
FIG. 18 is a block diagram representation illustrating a predetermined non-
repeating, most direct, and alternate propagation patterns;
FIG. 19 is a block diagram representation of an exemplary application of the
present invention;
FIG. 20 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating how the message may be
propagated out of the message originating cell;
FIG. 21 is a continuation of the flowchart of FIG. 20; and
FIG. 22 is a continuation of the flowchart of FIG. 20 and FIG. 21.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention provides a system and a method for a wireless
communication system capable of establishing direct terminal-to-terminal
communication and indirect terminal-to-terminal communication through a terminal.
A portable communication device is typically used as a terminal in a communication
system. The present invention can be operated as an independent system or can be
operated to compliment existing systems such as cellular telephone system and paging
system. The wireless communication system of the present invention has cells
defining geographical areas and portable communication devices in cells, provides
location information to portable communication devices in each cell, and has a
specific communication scheme used by portable communication devices for each
cell. Each portable communication device is capable of functioning as a router to
establish communication between other portable communication devices as well as
being capable of establishing communication directly to another portable
communication device. Each cell is defined in multiple sections to allow non-
repeating patterns for out-of-cell communication.
Disclosure of the Invention
The present invention provides a system and a method for a wireless
communication system capable of establishing direct terminal-to-terminal
communication and indirect terminal-to-terminal communication through a terminal.
The present invention can be operated as an independent system or can be operated to
compliment existing systems such as cellular telephone system and paging system.
A block diagram representation of a wireless communication system in
accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in
FIG. 1. A wireless communication system (100) comprises first (102), second (104)
and third (106) portable communication devices operating in synchronization. Each
portable communication device has a transceiver for communication at a particular
frequency band that is compatible with each other and is used for both transmitting
and receiving signals. The first portable communication device (102) is capable of
establishing direct portable-to-portable communication with the second portable
communication device (104), and is also capable of establishing indirect
communication to the second portable device (104), which is beyond the direct
communication range, by configuring the third portable communication device (106)
as a router to extend the communication range. To establish direct communication
with the second portable communication device (104), the first portable
communication device (102) transmits (108) a first message to the second portable
communication device (104). If the second portable communication device (104)
successfully receives the first message, the communication is established and the
second portable communication device (104) transmits (110) an acknowledgement to
the first portable communication device (102). However, if the second portable
communication (104) device does not successfully receive the first message, it does
not send the acknowledgement. The first portable communication device (102) then
acquires the third portable communication device (106), transmits (112) a second
message to the third portable communication device (106), and instructs the third
portable communication device (106) to re-transmit (114) the second message to the
second portable communication device (104). If the second portable communication
device (104) successfully receives the second message, the communication is
established and the second portable communication device (104) transmits an
acknowledgement (116) to the third portable communication device (106), and
instructs the third portable communication device (106) to re-transmit (118) the
acknowledgement to the first portable communication device (102).
However, if the third portable communication device (106) fails to receive an
acknowledgement (116) from the second portable communication device (104), then
the third portable communication device (106) may acquire a fourth portable
communication device (202) having a transceiver for communication at a particular
frequency band that is compatible with the first, second, and third portable
communication device (102,104, and 106, respectively) as illustrated in FIG. 2. The
third portable communication device (106), functioning as a first router, re-transmits
(204) the second message to the fourth portable communication device (202),
functioning as a second router, and instructs the fourth portable communication
device (202) to transmit (206) the second message to the second portable
communication device (104). If the second portable communication device (104)
successfully receives the second message, communication is established and the
second portable communication device (104) transmits an acknowledgement (208) to
the fourth portable communication device (202) which instructs the fourth portable
communication device (202) to re-transmit (210) the acknowledgement to the third
portable communication device (106) which instructs the third portable
communication device (106) to re-transmit (212) the acknowledgement to the first
portable communication device (102). If the second portable communication device
(202) still fails to transmit an acknowledgement, then the process, having the last
router acquire another portable communication device and instruct it to re-transmit the
message, repeats until the second portable communication device (202) transmits an
acknowledgement, or repeats until a predetermined number of routers has been
reached in order to avoid an unending re-transmission.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, while functioning as a router, the third portable
communication device (106) is still capable of establishing a separate direct portable-
to-portable communication (302, 304) with a fourth portable communication device
(306) having a transceiver for communication at a particular frequency band that is
compatible with the first, second, and third portable communication device (102, 104,
and 106, respectively). By employing a multiple-slot modulation scheme such as a
frequency hopping spread spectrum (PHSS), the third portable communication device
(106) is able to function as arouter (112,114, and 116,118) for the first and second
communication devices (102 and 104, respectively) using one slot, and still be able to
establish the separate direct communication (302,304) with the fourth portable
communication device (306) using another slot.
Each of the preferred embodiments of the wireless communication system
according to the present invention so far described has been an independent system
without a fixed base station or a wired infrastructure. However, another aspect of the
wireless communication system according to the present invention is an enhancement
to an existing infrastructure. FIG. 4 illustrates a fourth preferred embodiment of the
wireless communication system (400) according to the present invention
complementing an existing infrastructure. Each of a plurality of portable
communication devices in the wireless communication system (400) functions as a
portable unit of the existing infrastructure. First, second, and third portable
communication devices (402,404, and 406, respectively) of the plurality of portable
communication devices are shown in FIG. 4. A base station (408), being a
component of the existing infrastructure such as a cellular phone system or a paging
system, is connected to a wire communication system such as a landline based
telephone system (410). The base station (408) is capable of communicating with any
of the plurality of portable communication devices that are within the communication
range (412) of the base station (408). As a function of the existing infrastructure, a
caller, by using the telephone system (410), is able to establish communication (414,
416) with the third portable communication device (406) through the base station
(408). An enhancement to the existing infrastructure is provide by enabling the caller
using the telephone system (410) to establish communication (414,416) with the third
portable communication device (406) through the base station (408) while the third
portable communication device (406) is functioning as a router (418,420, and 422,
424) for the first and the second portable communication devices (402 and 404,
respectively). The communication (416) from the base station (408) to the third
portable communication device (406) is accomplished employing the communication
protocol utilized in the existing infrastructure. Depending on the infrastructure, such
as paging or cellular telephone infrastructure, in which the wireless communication
system according to the present invention is deployed, the protocol used in the
existing infrastructure may be paging, time-division-multiple-access (TDMA), code-
division-multiple-access (CDMA), or global-system for mobile (GSM) protocol.
Whereas each portable communication device employs a multiple-slot modulation
scheme such as a frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS), to communicate to
each other.
FIG. 5 illustrates a fifth preferred embodiment of the wireless communication
system (500) according to the present invention, further enhancing the system
described in the fourth preferred embodiment, by providing a transceiver that is
compatible with the transceivers of the portable communication devices with the base
station (502). The base station (502) is connected to a service provider (504) such as
an Internet provider, and is capable of exchanging information with the service
provider (504) by way of an existing network (506) such as a telephone network. A
first portable communication device (508) of a plurality of portable communication
devices in the wireless communication system (500) is capable of establishing
communication with the service provider (504) through the base station (502). In
addition, because each of the plurality of portable communication devices is capable
of functioning as a router as previously described, a second portable communication
device (510) is also able to access the service provider (504) by establishing
communication (512,514) with the first portable communication device (508), and
using the first portable communication device (508) as a router communicating (516,
518) with the base station (502). While functioning as a router, the first portable
communication device (508) is capable of establishing a separate independent
communication (520,522) with a third portable communication device (524).
An exemplary block diagram representation of a wireless communication
system (600) in accordance with a sixth preferred embodiment of the present
invention is illustrated in FIG. 6. The wireless communication system (600)
comprises a positioning system (602) such as Global Positioning System (GPS) and a
plurality of portable communication devices scattered over some area. Each of the
plurality of portable communication devices has a transceiver for communication at a
particular frequency band that is compatible with each other such as a frequency
hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) transceiver, and a positioning system receiver such
as a GPS receiver. Geographical area where the wireless communication system (600)
is deployed is partitioned into multiple cells with each cell defined by its cell
boundary line, and with one cell defined as a reference cell whose coordinate is used
by all other cells as a reference (four cells, 604 having cell boundary line 605, 606
having cell boundary line 607, 608 having boundary cell line 609, and 610 having cell
boundary line 611 are shown in FIG. 6). Each cell has a specific coordinate defining
its geographical area and its position relative to the reference cell. In FIG. 6, cell 604
is shown as the reference cell having a cell coordinate of C(0, 0). Cell 606, having a
cell coordinate C(l, 1), is located relative to the reference cell one cell away in the
positive x-axis direction and one cell away in the positive y axis direction. Similarly,
Cell 608 has a cell coordinate C(0, -1) and Cell 610 has a cell coordinate C(1, -1),
each describing its location relative to the reference cell 604. Each cell has a
predetermined set of communication parameters assigned to it to be used within the
cell by a potable communication device. First, second, third, and fourth portable
communication devices (612, 614, 616, and 618, respectively) of the plurality of
portable communication devices are shown in FIG. 6 within a first cell (604). The
wireless communication system (600) may be a part of an existing wireless network
(628) such as a paging system or cellular telephone network with each of the plurality
of portable communication devices also being capable of operating in the existing
wireless network (628).
FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary division of each cell into three regions, each
region having a specific set of parameters to be used by the portable communication
devices further defining their functions in the region. Each portable communication
device updates its location information via GPS periodically as it may move from one
cell to another, or from one region to another within the same cell, and the role of the
portable communication device in the wireless communication system (600) is
determined based on its location. The GPS may help establish synchronization for
portable communication devices to work properly in the wireless communication
system (600).
A central region (702) is defined by a first boundary line (704), and portable
communication devices that are located within the central region (one shown 616) are
classified as center boundary units (CBUs). The CBUs are responsible for relaying
messages across the cell when a direct communication between two portable
communication devices within the same cell is not established. CBUs are also
capable of generating and receiving their own messages as previously described
portable communication devices in the system. When a portable communication
device enters into the central region (702) and receives GPS information, the portable
communication device identifies itself as a CBU and based on its current GPS
information registers itself to the wireless communication system (600) as a CBU, and
periodically transmits its location, identification, and duration as a CBU. To avoid
depleting a cell of CBUs, a first portable communication device functioning as a CBU
must be replaced by a second portable communication device which has been
registered as a CBU before the first portable communication devices stops functioning
as a CBU unless the first portable unit leaves the center boundary. For example, in
FIG. 7, if the first portable communication device (616) leaves the central region
(702), it may stop functioning as a CBU. However, the first portable communication
device may not stop functioning as a CBU due to the amount of time it has been a
CBU or power requirements unless a replacement has been registered. When a CBU
is connected to a battery, it identifies itself and registers to the wireless
communication system (600) as a reliable static center boundary unit (RSCBU), and
may function as a CBU for a longer period of time.
A second region (706) is defined by the first boundary line (704) and a second
boundary line (708), and portable communication devices that are located within the
second region (one shown 618) are classified as regular portable units (RPUs). A
portable communication device determines its classification based on its location
through GPS. RPUs are capable of generating and receiving their own messages as
previously described portable communication devices in the system but unlike CBUs,
RPUs are not responsible for relaying messages.
An outer region (710) is defined by the second boundary line (708) and the
cell boundary line (605), and portable communication devices that are located within
the outer region (two shown 612 and 614) are classified as outer boundary units
(OBUs). The cell (604) is further divided into six sectors, S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, and S6
(712,714,716,718,720, and 722, respectively), and a portable communication unit
in the outer region determines its classification and its sector location based on its
location through GPS. Each sector is located adjacent to another sector of an adjacent
cell (sector 716 of cell 604 and sector 724 of cell 610 are shown). OBUs are capable
of generating and receiving their own messages as previously described portable
communication devices in the system. The OBUs are responsible for relaying
messages to the adjacent cell. When a portable communication device enters into the
outer region (710) and receives GPS information, the portable communication device
identify itself as an OBU based on its current GPS information registers itself to the
wireless communication system (600) as an OBU, and periodically transmits its
location and identification an OBU.
FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary flowchart (800) describing how the first
portable communication device (612) may register itself to the wireless
communication system (600) and identify its function appropriately.
In step 802, the first portable communication device (612) is turned on, and
then in step 804, it obtains the time and frequency synchronization information from
the positioning system (602). In step 806, the first portable communication device
(612) also identifies the cell in which it is currently located based on the information
received from the positioning system (602). In step 808, the first portable
communication device (612) further obtains the communication parameters that are
predetermined and are specific to the cell in which it is currently located. In step 810,
the first portable communication device (612) determines whether to function as an
RPU based on which region of the cell in which it is currently located. If the first
portable communication device (612) determines to function as an RPU, then it
collects information from CBUs and OBUs that are located in the same cell as itself
(812) as shown in step 812, and then proceeds to function normally as shown in step
814.
However, if the first portable communication device (612) determines not to
function as an RPU, then it, as in step 816, determines whether to function as a CBU
based on which region of the cell it is currently located. If the first portable
communication device (612) determines to function as a CBU, then it broadcasts and
identifies itself as a CBU in step 818, collects information from OBUs that are located
in the same cell as itself in step 820. In step 822, the first portable communication
device (612) periodically transmits its location based information and collects OBU
information, and then proceeds to function normally in step 814.
However, if the first portable communication device (612) determines not to
function as a CBU, then it functions as an OBU, broadcasts and identifies itself as an
OBU in step 824. The first portable communication device (612) then collects
information from CBUs that are located in the same cell as itself and from CBUs that
are located in the adjacent cells in step 826. The first portable communication device
(612) periodically transmits its location based information and collects CBU
information in step 828, and then proceeds to function normally in step 814.
FIGs. 9 and 10 illustrate exemplary flowcharts (900 and 1000) describing how
the first portable communication device (612) in the first cell (604) attempts to
establish communication with the second portable communication device (614) within
the same cell (604).
FIG. 9 illustrates how the attempt is differentiated based on the knowledge of
the location of the second portable communication device (614) within the same cell
(604), and illustrates an exemplary method when the location of the second portable
communication device (614) within the same cell (604) is known. In step 902, when
the first portable communication device (612) is turned on, the first portable
communication device (612) goes through the registration process in step 904 as
described in FIG. 8. When the user of the first portable communication device (612)
enters a message and identifies the second portable communication device (614) as a
recipient, the first portable communication devices (612) determines in step 906
whether the location of the second portable communication device (614) is known to
be outside of the first cell (604). If the first portable communication devices (612) so
determines, then it begins the out-of-cell broadcast process in step 908. Otherwise,
the first portable communication device (612) determines whether the location of the
second portable communication device (614) within the first cell is known in step
910. If the location of the second portable communication device (614) within the
first cell (604) is not known, the first portable communication device (612) begins the
indefinite location broadcast process in 912. If the location of the second portable
communication device (614) within the first cell (604) is known, then the first
portable communication device (612) transmits the message using the most
appropriate path in step 914. The most appropriate path may be a direct path or a
previously used path that successfully established communication with the second
portable. For example, if the last time the first portable communication device (612)
successfully established communication with the second portable communication
device (614) was by way of devices 612 to 616 to 614, then first portable
communication device transmits the message using this path. In step 916, the first
portable communication device (612) then waits to receive an acknowledgement
(ACK) from the second portable device of the message reception for predetermined
time to avoid waiting for the ACK indefinitely. An ACK may include, in addition to
an actual acknowledgement of the message reception, the time of reception, the
location of the second portable device, the message path, and other desired
information. If the first portable communication device (612) receives an ACK
within the predetermined time, then in step 918, it indicates that the message was
successfully received, and resumes its normal operation in step 920. The user of the
first portable communication device (612) may start preparing a new message, and
repeat the process from step 906. If the first portable communication device (612)
does not receives an ACK within the predetermined time, then in step 922, it checks
whether the message has been transmitted a predetermined number (N1) of times. If
N1 has not been exceeded, then the first portable communication device in step 914
re-transmits the message using the most appropriate path. If N1 has been reached,
then the second portable communication device is treated as out-of-reach in step 924
and the first portable communication device resumes its normal operation in step 920.
The user may start preparing a new message, and repeat the process from step 906.
FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary method when the location of the second
portable communication device (614) within the first cell (604) is not known, and the
first portable communication device (612) begins the indefinite location broadcast
process in step 912. In step 1002, the user of the first portable communication device
(612) chooses a message status between broadcasting the message only within the
first cell (604) or broadcasting to other cells if the second portable communication
device (614) is not reached within the first cell (604), and the message is
appropriately marked to indicate the user"s choice. In step 1004, the first portable
communication device (612) transmits the message directly targeting the second
portable communication device (614), then in step 1006, waits to receive an ACK
from the second portable communication device (614) of the message reception for a
predetermined time. If the first portable communication device (612) receives an
ACK within the predetermined time, then in step 918, it indicates that the message
was successfully received, and resumes its normal operation in step 920. The user
may start preparing a new message, and repeat the process from step 906.
If the first portable communication device (612) does not receive an ACK
within the predetermined time, then it, in step 1008, determines whether it is
functioning as a CBU. If the first portable communication device (612) determines
that it is functioning as a CBU then in step 1010, it checks whether the message has
been transmitted a predetermined number (N2) of times. If N2 has not been
exceeded, then in step 1004, the first portable communication device re-transmits the
message directly targeting the second portable communication device (614). If N2
has been reached, then in step 1012, the first portable communication device (612)
checks the message status. If the message status shows that the broadcasting is
limited within the first cell (604), then the second portable communication device is
treated as out-of-reach in step 924 and the first portable communication device
resumes its normal operation in step 920. The user may start preparing a new
message, and repeat the process from step 906. If the message status shows that the
broadcasting is to continue to other cells if the second portable communication device
(614) is not reached within the first cell (604), then it begins the out-of-cell broadcast
process in step 908.
If the first portable communication device (612) determines that it is not
functioning as a CBU, then it searches for a first CBU to be used as a router in step
1014. If no CBU is available to be used as a router, in step 1010, the first portable
communication device (612) determines whether the message has been transmitted a
predetermined number (N2) of times. If N2 has not been exceeded, then in step 1004,
the first portable communication device re-transmits the message directly targeting
the second portable communication device (614). If N2 has been reached, then the
first portable communication device (612) checks the message status in step 1012. If
the message status shows that the broadcasting is limited within the first cell (604),
then the second portable communication device is treated as out-of-reach in step 924
and the first portable communication device resumes its normal operation in step 920.
The user may start preparing a new message, and repeat the process from step 906. If
the message status shows that the broadcasting is to continue to other cells if the
second portable communication device (614) is not reached within the first cell (604),
then it begins the out-of-cell broadcast process in step 908.
If a first CBU (616) is available to be used as a router, then the first portable
communication device (612) transmits the message to the first CBU (616) in step
1016, and instructs the first CBU (616) to re-transmit the message to the second
portable communication device (614) in step 1018. Then, in step 1020, the first
portable communication device (612) waits to receive an ACK from the second
portable communication device (614) of the message reception through the first CBU
(616) for a predetermined time. If the first portable communication device (612)
receives an ACK within the predetermined time, then it indicates that the message
was successfully received in step 918, and resumes its normal operation in 920. The
user may start preparing a new message, and repeat the process from step 906. If the
first portable communication device (612) does not receive an ACK within the
predetermined time, then, in step 1010, it checks whether the message has been
transmitted a predetermined number (N2) of times. If N2 has not been exceeded, then
the first portable communication device re-transmits the message directly targeting
the second portable communication device (614) in step 1004. If N2 has been
reached, then the first portable communication device (612) checks the message status
in step 1012. If the message status shows that the broadcasting is limited within the
first cell (604), then the second portable communication device is treated as out-of-
reach (924) and the first portable communication device resumes its normal operation
in step 920. The user may start preparing a new message, and repeat the process from
step 906. If the message status shows that the broadcasting is to continue to other
cells if the second portable communication device (614) is not reached within the first
cell (604), then it begins the out-of-cell broadcast process in step 908.
FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary block diagram representation of a wireless
communication system (1100) according to a seventh preferred embodiment of the
present invention of a setup for an out-of-cell broadcast in step 908. A first portable
communication device (1102) of a plurality of portable communication devices
located in a first cell (1104) attempts to establish communication with a second
portable communication device (1106) of the plurality of portable communication
devices located in a second cell (1108). As previously illustrated, the wireless
communication system (1100) comprises a positioning system (1110) such as Global
Positioning System (GPS) and the plurality of portable communication devices
scattered over some area. Each of the plurality of portable communication devices
has a transceiver for communication at a particular frequency band that is compatible
with each other such as a frequency hopping spread spectrum (EHSS) transceiver, and
a positioning system receiver such as a GPS receiver. Geographical area where the
wireless communication system (1100) is deployed is partitioned into multiples cells
(two cells, 1104 and 1108 are shown in FIG. 11). Each cell has a central region
(1112,1114) around acenter, a second region (1116,1118) surrounding the central
region (1112,1114) and an outer region surrounding the second region within the
boundary (1120,1122), and the outer region is divided into six sectors, each of which
is adjacent to a different cell. Each portable communication device is classified as a
center boundary unit (CBU), a reliable static center boundary unit (RSCBU), a regular
portable unit (RPU), or an outer boundary unit (OBU) depending on its current
location, and may register itself as such in an existing wireless network.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart describing an exemplary process of the out-of-cell
broadcast of step 908. Once the first portable communication device (1102)
determines that the out-of-cell broadcast is desired, it first determines if the location
of the second portable communication device (1106) is known in step 1202. If it is
known, then in step 1204, the first portable communication device (1102) transmits
the message using the most appropriate path which may be a direct path or a
previously used path that successfully established communication with the second
portable (1106). Then, in step 1206, the first portable communication device (1102)
waits to receive an acknowledgement (ACK) from the second portable device (1106)
of the message reception for predetermined time to avoid waiting for the ACK
indefinitely. An ACK may include, in addition to an actual acknowledgement of the
message reception, the time of reception, the location of the second portable device,
the message path, and other desired information. If the first portable communication
device (1102) receives an ACK within the predetermined time, then it indicates that
the message was successfully received in step 918, and resumes its normal operation
in step 920. The user of the first portable communication device (1102) may start
preparing a new message, and repeat the process from step 906. If the first portable
communication device (1102) does not receive an ACK within the predetermined
time, then it checks whether the message has been transmitted a predetermined
number (N3) of times in step 1208. If N3 has not been exceeded, then the first
portable communication device (1102) re-transmits the message using the most
appropriate path in step 1204. If N3 has been reached, then the second portable
communication device (1106) is treated as out-of-reach in step 924 and the first
portable communication device (1102) resumes its normal operation in step 920. The
user may start preparing a new message, and repeat the process from step 906.
Alternatively, the user may choose to treat the location of the second portable
communication device (1106) as unknown.
If the location of the second portable communication device (1106) is not
known, then the first portable communication device (1102) checks the length of the
message against a predetermined length in step 1210. If the message length is less
than the predetermined length, or the message has less than a predetermined number
of characters, then, in step 1212, the first portable communication device transmits the
message by general broadcast. FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary flowchart of the
general broadcast in step 1212.
When the first portable communication device (1102) begins the general
broadcast in step 1212, it first determines if it is functioning as a CBU in step 1302. If
the first portable communication device (1102) so determines, then it searches for
available OBUs in step 1304.
If the first portable communication device (1102) determines that it is not
functioning as a CBU in step 1302, it then searches for an available CBU in step
1306. If it finds no available CBU, then the first portable communication device
(1102) searches for available OBUs in step 1304. If the first portable communication
device (1102) finds a CBU, it acquires the CBU in step 1308. The first portable
communication device (1102) transmits the message to the CBU and instructs the
CBU to search for available OBUs in step 1310. The CBU then searches for available
OBUs in step 1304.
If there are no available OBUs, then the second portable communication
device (1106) is treated as out-of-reach in step 924 and the first portable
communication device (1102) resumes its normal operation in 920.
If there is at least one OBU available, then the sector coverage is determined
in step 1312. If there is an OBU available and is acquired in each sector, the message
is transmitted to all acquired OBUs with an instruction for the OBUs to re-transmit
the message out of the cell using a predetermined non-repeating out-of-cell
propagation pattern in step 1314. If only some, but not all, of the sectors are covered
by acquired OBUs, then the message is transmitted to all acquired OBUs with an
instructions for the OBUs to re-transmit the message out of the cell in step 1316. The
instruction may additionally instruct the OBUs to modify their predetermined out-of-
cell propagation patterns to cover some of the sectors which have no available OBUs.
The first portable communication device (1102) is notified that the message is
transmitted beyond the cell boundary in step 1318.
Successful delivery of the message to all the acquired OBUs is determined by
receiving acknowledgements (ACK) from the OBUs in step 1320. If ACKs from all
the acquired OBUs are received, the OBUs transmit the message to the adjacent
CBUs, and the message is propagated using an appropriate pattern in step 1322. The
first portable communication device (1102) then waits for an ACK from the second
portable communication device (1106) in step 1324. If the first portable
communication device (1102) receives an ACK within the predetermined time, then it
indicates that the message was successfully received in step 918, and resumes its
normal operation in step 920. If the first portable communication device (1102) does
not receive an ACK from the second portable communication device (1106) within
the predetermined time, then the second portable communication device (1106) is
treated as out-of-reach in step 924 and the first portable communication device (1102)
resumes its normal operation in step 920. Alternatively, the first portable
communication device may acquire a different set of OBUs or may acquire a different
CBU and instruct it to acquire a different set of OBUs, and repeat the general
broadcast process.
If only a subset of the acquired OBUs return an ACK, then the first portable
communication device (1102) determines whether the message has been transmitted a
predetermined number (N4) of times in step 1326. If N4 has not been exceeded, then
the first portable communication device (1102) may partially repeat the general
broadcast process. If N4 has been reached, then the message is re-transmitted only by
the OBUs that have returned an ACK in step 1322. The first portable communication
device (1102) then waits for an ACK from the second portable communication device
(1106) in step 1324. If the first portable communication device (1102) receives an
ACK within the predetermined time, then it indicates that the message was
successfully received in step 918, and resumes its normal operation in step 920. If the
first portable communication device (1102) does not receive an ACK from the second
portable communication device (1106) within the predetermined time, then the second
portable communication device (1106) is treated as out-of-reach in step 924 and the
first portable communication device (1102) resumes its normal operation in step 920.
Alternatively, the first portable communication device may acquire a different set of
OBUs or may acquire a different CBU and instruct it to acquire a different set of
OBUs, and repeat the general broadcast process.
If the message length exceeds the predetermined length, then the first portable
communication device (1102) generates a locator message specifically for locating the
second portable communication device (1106) in step 1214. The locator message is
sent using the same method as the general broadcast of step 1212 to locate the second
portable communication device (1106) in step 1216. Instead of receiving an ACK for
a successful message delivery, if the locator message reaches the second portable
communication device (1106), the first portable communication device (1102)
receives a successful path that the message took to reach the second portable
communication device (1106) which the first portable communication device (1102)
will use to transmit the message. If the locator message does not reach the second
portable communication device (1106), then the second portable communication
device (1106) is treated as out-of-reach in step 924 and the first portable
communication device (1102) resumes its normal operation in step 920.
If the locator message reaches the second portable communication device
(1106), then, in step 1204, the first portable communication device (1102) transmits
the message using the most appropriate path based on the additional knowledge of the
location of the second portable communication device (1106). The first portable
communication device (1102) then waits to receive an ACK from the second portable
device of the message reception for a predetermined time to avoid waiting for the
ACK indefinitely in step 1206. If the first portable communication device (1102)
receives an ACK within the predetermined time, then it indicates that the message
was successfully received in step 918, and resumes its normal operation in step 920.
If the first portable communication device (1102) does not receive an ACK within the
predetermined time, then it determines whether the message has been transmitted a
predetermined number (N3) of times in step 1208. If N3 has not been exceeded, then
the first portable communication device re-transmits the message using the most
appropriate path in step 1204. If N3 has been reached, then the second portable
communication device is treated as out-of-reach in step 924 and the first portable
communication device resumes its normal operation in step 920.
FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of communications among
portable communication devices of FIG. 11 for an out-of-cell general broadcasting
communication.
The first portable communication device (1102) determines that it is not
functioning as a CBU in step 1302, searches for an available CBU in step 1306, and
acquires the CBU (1124) from the plurality of portable communication devices
located within the first central region (1112) of the first cell (1104) to be used as a
router in step 1308. In step 1310, the first portable communication device (1102) then
transmits to the CBU (1124) the message and instruction to search for available OBUs
located in the first outer region (1120) of the first cell (1104) as indicated by an arrow
1402. As shown in FIG. 14, there is an OBU available and is acquired in each sector
as in step 1312, and the CBU (1124) transmits the message to all acquired OBUs
(1126,1128,1130,1138,1140, and 1142) with an instruction for the OBUs to re-
transmit the message out of the cell using a predetermined non-repeating out-of-cell
propagation pattern as in step 1314. The OBUs return, as in step 1320, ACKs to the
CBU (1124). The communications between the CBU (1124) and OBUs are illustrated
by arrows 1404,1406, 1408,1410,1412, and 1414. The transmissions of the message
by the OBUs out of the cell are illustrated by arrows 1416,1418,1420,1422,1424,
and 1426. The first portable communication device (1102) is notified that the
message is transmitted (1318) beyond the cell boundary, and waits for an ACK from
the second portable communication device (1106) as in step 1324.
Acquiring of OBUs may be shared between the CBU (1124) and the first
portable communication device (1102) as illustrated in FIG. 15.
The first portable communication device (1102) first acquires a CBU (1124)
from the plurality of portable communication devices located within a first central
region (1112) of the first cell (1104) to be used as a router, then instructs the CBU
(1124) to acquire a first set of up to three OBUs (1126,1128, and 1130) from the
plurality of portable communication devices located in the first outer region (1120) of
the first cell (1104). The communication between the CBU (1124) and the first
portable communication device (1102) is shown as an arrow, 1502, and the
communications between the CBU (1124) and the first set of OBUs (1126,1128, and
1130) are shown as arrows, 1504,1506, and 1508. Each of the first set of OBU is
located in a different sector (1132,1134, and 1136, respectively) of the first outer
region (1120) of the first cell (1104).
The first portable communication device (1102) also acquires a second set of
up to three OBUs (1138,1140, and 1142) from the plurality of portable
communication devices located in the first outer region (1120) of the first cell (1104).
The communications between the first portable communication device (1102) and the
second set of OBUs (1138,1140, and 1142) are shown as arrows, 1510,1512, and
1514. Each of the second set of OBUs is located in a different sector of the first outer
region (1120) of the first cell (1104) from each other and from the first set (1144,
1146, and 1148, respectively).
The first portable communication device (1102) then transmits a message
targeted for the second portable device (1106) along with an out-of-cell broadcast
request to the CBU (1124) and to the second set of up to three OBUs (1138,1140, and
1142).
Upon receiving the message, the CBU (1124) is then instructed to re-transmit
the first message along with an out-of-cell broadcast request to the first set of up to
three OBUs (1126,1128, and 1130). The first and second sets of OBUs (1126,1128,
1130,1138,1140, and 1142), upon receiving the message along with an out-of-cell
broadcast request, are instructed to transmit the first message to cells adjacent to each
of the first and second sets of OBUs (1126,1128, 1130,1138,1140, and 1142). The
transmissions of the message by the OBUs are shown by arrows 1516,1518, 1520,
1522,1524, and 1526.
Then the first portable communication device (1102) waits to receive an ACK
from the second portable communication device (1106) of the message reception
through one of the first and second sets of OBUs (1126,1128,1130,1138,1140, and
1142), and determines whether the second portable communication device has
successfully received the first message. An ACK may include, in addition to an
actual acknowledgement of the message reception, the time of reception, the location
of the second portable device, the message path, and other desired information. If the
first portable communication device (1102) receives an ACK within a predetermined
time, then it indicates that the message was successfully received, and resume the
normal operation. The user of the first portable communication device (1102) may
start preparing a new message, and repeat the process. If the first portable
communication device (1102) does not receive an ACK within the predetermined
time, then the above described steps may be repeated for a predetermined number of
times to avoid an infinite loop. This process loop may require to search for a different
CBU from the CBU previously used and different sets of OBUs from the previous
sets of OBUs already used.
For establishing communication between two portable communication devices
located in different cells, each OBU functions as a message originating portable
communication device upon receiving an out-of-cell broadcast request. However, to
avoid transmitting the same message to any one cell more than once, a predetermined,
non-repeating pattern of message propagation is preferably used. FIG. 16 illustrates
an example of such non-repeating pattern (1600). A transmission from a CBU to an
OBU within a cell is shown with a solid-line arrow, and a transmission from an OBU
to a CBU in an adjacent cell is shown with a dashed-line arrow. The message
originating portable communication device is located in the reference cell designated
C(0,0).
FIG. 17 illustrates another example of a non-repeating pattern of propagation
based upon cell locations. If the message originates from a first portable
communication device (1702) in the reference cell (1704), then the message
propagates along the first path (1706) reaching all the cells. If the message originates
from a second portable communication device (1708) from a cell (1710) that is not the
reference cell (1704), the message propagate along a second path (1712) which is the
same path in the same direction as the first path for the cells ahead of the originating
cell (1710) and a third path (1714) which the same path but: in the opposite direction
as the first path for the cells behind the originating cell (1710). However, if the
destination cell is known (1718), then the message may propagate from the
originating cell (1716) using the most direct path (1720).
As illustrated in FIG. 18, if the location of the second portable communication
device (1802) is known, then the first portable communication device (1804) which
originates a message, need not use the predetermined non-repeating pattern as
previously illustrated. Instead, the first portable communication device (1804) may
use an appropriate path (1806 shown with solid-line arrows) which may be more
direct compared to the path specified (1808 shown as dashed-line arrows) by the
predetermined non-repeating pattern. However, if a CBU or an OBU is unavailable in
a cell that helps form the most direct path, then an appropriate path may not be the
most direct path. An example of an appropriate path that is not most direct (1810 as
double-line arrows) is also illustrated in FIG. 18.
FIG. 19 illustrates an exemplary application of the present invention. The
communication system (1900) in this example comprises two zones (1902 and 1904)
that are physically separated from each other: the first zone, Zone 1 (1902), may cover
the EPCOT center region of Walt Disney World, and the second zone, Zone 2 (1904),
may cover the Magic Kingdom region. Each zone comprises local cells (12 cells
shown in each zone) and a zone translator (first and second zone translators, 1906 and
1908, respectively). The zone translators (1906 and 1908) function as reliable static
center boundary units (RSCBUs), but are fixed in place (1906 in cell 1910 and 1908
in cell 1912), and compared to a normal portable device, have more power to cover
the distance between zones and have more processing capability to handle multiple
communication requirement between zones. This example describes how a first user
with a first portable communication device (1914) located in a first cell (1916) of the
first zone (1902) may establish communication with a second user with a second
portable communication device (1918) in a second cell (1920) of the second zone
(1904). As described in the registration process illustrated in FIG. 8, all portable
communication devices involved in the communication system (1900) have all
relevant information associated with cells and locations.
The first user identifies and selects the desired destination for his message
which is the second portable communication device (1918) in the Magic Kingdom
(1904). A portable communication device used in this system may provide the
desired destination designation as a part of its menu. Instead of displaying "Zone 2,"
it would display "Magic Kingdom" and automatically associate "Magic Kingdom"
with a system area designation of Zone 2 (1904), thereby making it easier for the user
to identify and differentiate designated areas. It may also provide a user definable
identification for portable communication devices such that user names can be used to
identify portable communication devices.
The first user then enters a message into the first portable communication
device (1914) and transmits the message to the second portable communication
device (1918) by selecting, for example, the "SEND" command. The first portable
communication device attaches header information to the message to control the
propagation of the message comprising; the identifications of the origination and
destination zones, allowed propagation zones, portable communication devices, and
cells; acknowledgement (ACK) request; time stamp; and termination requirement by
time or number of hops to prevent an infinite propagation. As the message propagates
through different portables functioning as CBUs or OBUs in different cells, each of
these portables may attach additional header information to the message such as its
identification, the message propagation path up to that point, elapsed time, and
number hops so far.
In this example, because the user has chosen the Magic Kingdom as the
message destination which is the Zone 2 (1904), the message is sent along an
appropriate path directed to the first zone translator (1906) to be transmitted to the
second zone translator (1908) in the Zone 2 (1904). If the destination of the message
is unknown, the message follows a predetermined non-repeating propagation pattern
such as the pattern previously describe in FIG. 12. To prevent multiple portable
communication devices in the Zone 1 (1902) from attempting to communicate to
other portable that are outside of the Zone 1 (1902) such as those in the Zone 2
(1904), the forwarding of the message is terminated in the Zone 1 (1902) except for
the message reaching the first Zone translator (1906). The first zone translator (1906)
then transmits the message to other zone translators in the system. If the header
indicates that the message is only allowed to be sent within a single zone, for
example, the destination zone is the same as the origination zone, the zone translator
will not transmit the message to another zone translator.
When the second zone translator (1912) receives the message, it extracts the
header information, and updates the allowed propagation zone to the Zone 2 (1904).
Only zone translators are allowed to change the allowed propagation zone header.
Then the second zone translator (1912) initiates transmission of the message
following a predetermined non-repeating propagation pattern such as the pattern
previously describe in FIG. 12. If portable communication devices in Zone 2 (1904)
receive the message from the first zone translator (1906), they will not transmit the
message because the header information reveals that the allowed propagation zone for
this message is the Zone 1 (1902) and not the Zone 2 (1904).
If the message does not reach the second portable communication device
(1918), then the message, having the allowed propagation zone to be the Zone 2
(1904), terminates within the Zone 2 (1904), and will not be further transmitted. If
the second portable communication device (1918) receives the message, then it
transmits an ACK to the first portable communication device (1914) through an
appropriate path which may be a reverse of the path taken by the message to reach the
second portable communication device (1918).
FIGs. 20,21 and 22 illustrate an exemplary flowchart describing how the
message may be propagated out of the message originating cell utilizing a dynamic
cell coordinate based propagation pattern referenced to the message originating cell.
These steps may be considered to be components of the step 1212 in FIG. 12 for short
message broadcast and of the step 1214 in FIG. 12 for generating locator message,
having acquired all information previously described. In this example, the cell, in
which the first portable communication device initiating the message is located, is
considered to be the message reference cell having the cell coordinate of C(0,0).
Other cells have corresponding cell coordinates referenced to the message reference
cell as shown in FIG. 16. As a result of the first portable communication device
failing to receive an ACK from the second portable communication device after
transmitting the message within the cell C(0,0), the first portable communication
device begins the general broadcast procedure. This procedure is initiated by the a
message being delivered to an OBU in all sectors of cell C(0,0) with an out of cell
propagation request. These OBUs propagate the message to the CBUs with adjacent
sectors. For example, the OBUs in sector 1,2,3,4,5,6 propagate the message to the
CBUs in the adjacent propagating cells with the adjacent sectors 4,5,6,1,2,3
respectively. The CBUs of the adjacent propagating cells will try to find the second
portable communication device unit within its cell before performing any further out
of cell propagations. If the second unit can not be located then further out of cell
propagation is performed.
Referring to FIG. 20, in step 2004, the coordinate values, relative to the
message reference cell, of the propagating cell, X and Y, are compared to a set of
coordinates where X being zero and Y being a positive odd number. If the
propagating cell has the coordinates of Cprop(0, +odd), then, in step 2006, the CBU in
this cell sends a message to an OBU in S1 of the cell and the OBU sends a message
to a CBU in cell C(0, Y+1) location, If the propagation cell coordinates do not match
this set of coordinates, then the next set of coordinates is used.
In step 2008, the coordinate values of the propagation cell, relative to the
message reference cell, X and Y, are compared to a set of coordinates where X being
zero and Y being a negative odd number. If the propagation cell has the coordinates
of Cprop(0, -odd), then, in step 2010, the CBU in C(0, -odd) sends a message to an
OBU in S4 of the cell and the OBU sends a message to a CBU in a cell C(0, Y-l)
location. If the propagation cell coordinate does not match this set of coordinates,
then the next set of coordinates is used.
In step 2012, the coordinate values of the propagation cell relative to the
message cell, X and Y, are compared to a set of coordinates where X being a negative
odd number and Y being a positive even number or a negative odd number. If the
propagation cell has the coordinates of Cprop(-odd, +even or -odd), then, in step 2014,
the CBU in Cprop(-odd, +even or -odd), sends a message to an OBU in S6 of the cell
CProp(-odd, +even or -odd), and the OBU sends a message to a CBU in a cell which
has S3 adjacent to S6 of the cell Cprop(-odd, +even or -odd). If the propagation cell
coordinates do not match this set of coordinates, then the next set of coordinates is
used.
In step 2016, the coordinate values of the propagation cell relative to the
message cell, X and Y, are compared to a set of coordinates where X being a positive
odd number and Y being a positive even number or a negative odd number. If the
propagation cell has the coordinates of Cptop(+odd, +even or -odd), then, in step 2018,
the CBU in Cprop(+odd, +even or -odd), sends a message to an OBU in S2 of the cell
Cprop(+odd, +even or -odd), and the OBU sends a message to a CBU in a cell which
has S5 adjacent to S2 of the cell Cprop(+odd, +even or -odd).If the propagation cell
coordinates do not match this set of coordinates, then the next set of coordinates is
used.
In step 2020, the coordinate values of the propagation cell relative to the
message cell, X and Y, are compared to a set of coordinates where 1) X being a non-
zero even number and Y being an odd number, or 2) X being an odd number and Y
being a positive odd number or a negative even number. If the propagation cell has
the coordinates of Cprop(even ? 0, odd) or Cprop(odd, odd or -even), then, in step 2022,
the CBU in Cprop(even # 0, odd) or Cprop(odd, odd or-even), transmits the message
only within the cell Cprop(even ? 0, odd) or Cprop(odd, odd or -even).If the propagation
cell coordinates do not match this set of coordinates, then the next set of coordinates
is used.
Referring to FIG. 21, in step 2102, the coordinate values of the propagation
cell relative to the message cell, X and Y, are compared to a set of coordinates where
X being zero and Y being a non-zero positive even number. If the propagation cell
has the coordinates of Cprop(0, +feven ? 0), then, in step 2104, the CBU in Cprop(0,
+even ? 0), sends a message to OBUs in S1, S2, S3, S5 and S6 of the cell Cprop(0,
+even ? 0), and the OBUs send a message to the CBUs in cells having S4, S5, S6,
S2, and S3 adjacent to S1, S2, S3, S5 and S6 of the cell Cprop(0, +even ? 0),
respectively. If the propagation cell coordinates do not match this set of coordinates,
then the next set of coordinates is used.
In step 2106, the coordinate values of the propagation cell relative to the
message cell, X and Y, are compared to a set of coordinates where X being zero and
Y being a non-zero negative even number. If the propagation cell has the coordinates
of Cprop(0, -even + 0), then, in step 2108, the CBU in Cprop(0, -even ? 0), sends a
message to OBUs in S2, S3, S4, S5 and S6 of the cell Cprop(0, -even ? 0), and the
OBUs page CBUs in cells having S5, S6, S1, S2, and S3 adjacent to S2, S3, S4, S5
and S6 of the cell Cprop(0, -even ? 0), respectively. If the propagation cell coordinates
do not match this set of coordinates, then the next set of coordinates is used.
In step 2110, the coordinate values of the propagation cell relative to the
message cell, X and Y, are compared to a set of coordinates where X being a positive
even number and Y being zero. If the propagation cell has the coordinates of
Cprop(+even, 0), then, in step 2112, the CBU in Cprop(+even, 0), sends a message to
OBUs in S1, S2, S3, and S4 of the cell Cprop(+even, 0), and. the OBUs sends a
message to CBUs in cells having S4, S5, S6, and S1 adjacent to S1, S2, S3, and S4 of
the cell Cprop(+even, 0), respectively. If the propagation cell coordinate does not
match this set of coordinates, then the next set of coordinates is used.
In step 2114, the coordinate values of the propagation cell relative to the
message cell, X and Y, are compared to a set of coordinates where X being a negative
even number and Y being zero. If the propagation cell has the coordinates of Cprop(-
even, 0), then, in step 2116, the CBU in Cprop(-even, 0), sends a message to OBUs in
SI, S4, S5, and S6 of the cell Cprop(-even, 0), and the OBUs page CBUs in cells
having SI, S4, S5, and S6 adjacent to S1, S4, S5, and S6 of the cell Cprop(-even, 0),
respectively. If the propagation cell coordinates do not match this set of coordinates,
then the next set of coordinates is used.
In step 2118, the coordinate values of the propagation cell relative to the
message cell, X and Y, are compared to a set of coordinates where X being a positive
even number greater than zero and Y being a positive even number greater than zero.
If the propagation cell has the coordinates of Cprop(+even > 0, +even > 0), then, in step
2120, the CBU in Cprop(+even > 0, +even > 0), sends a message to OBUs in S1, S2,
and S3 of the cell Cprop(+even > 0, +even > 0), and the OBUs page CBUs in cells
having S4, S5, and S6 adjacent to S1, S2, and S3 of the cell Cprop(+even > 0, +even >
0), respectively. If the propagation cell coordinate does not match this set of
coordinates, then the next set of coordinates is used.
In step 2122, the coordinate values of the propagation cell relative to the
message cell, X and Y, are compared to a set of coordinates where X being a positive
even number greater than zero and Y being a negative even number. If the
propagation cell has the coordinates of Cprop(+even > 0, -even), then, in step 2124, the
CBU in Cprop(+even > 0, -even), sends a message to OBUs in S2, S3, and S4 of the
cell Cprop(+even > 0, -even), and the OBUs sends a message to CBUs in cells having
S5, S6, and S1 adjacent to S2, S3, and S4 of the cell Cprop(+even > 0, -even),
respectively. If the propagation cell coordinates do not match this set of coordinates,
then the next set of coordinates is used.
Referring to FIG. 22, in step 2202, the coordinate values of the propagation
cell relative to the message cell, X and Y, are compared to a set of coordinates where
X being a negative even number and Y being a positive even number. If the
propagation cell has the coordinates of Cprop(-even, +even), then, in step 2204, the
CBU in Cprop(-even, +even), sends a message to OBUs in S1, S5, and S6 of the cell
Cprop(-even, +even), and the OBUs send a message to CBUs in cells having S4, S2,
and S3 adjacent to S1, S5, and S6 of the cell Cprop(-even, +even), respectively. If the
propagation cell does not have the coordinates of Cprop(-even, +even), then, in step
2206, the CBU in Cprop(-even, +even), sends a message to OBUs in S4, S5, and S6 of
the cell Cprop(-even, +even), and the OBUs send a message to CBUs in cells having
S1, S2, and S3 adjacent to S4, S5, and S6 of the cell Cprop(-even, +even), respectively.
After completing step 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2104, 2108, 2112, 2116,
2120,2124,2204, or 2206, the role of the CBU is checked in step 2208. If the CBU
is not a zone translator, the process is completed in step 2210. If the CBU is a zone
translator, then the status of the current zone is checked in step 2212. If the current
zone is the intended zone, the process is completed in step 2210. If the current zone is
not the intended zone, the message is forwarded to the intended zone translator in step
2214, and the process is completed in step 2210.
In the above examples, the information regarding the restricted, where the
message is not to be forwarded, and the allowed sectors, where the message may be
forwarded, may be included in the header part of the message. The information may
be in a form of directional flags indicating the status of each of the sectors.
While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and
described, it is to be understood that the invention is not so limited. Numerous
modifications, changes, variations, substitutions and equivalents will occur to those
skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention
as defined by the appended claims.
WE CLAIM :
1. A method for a first portable communication device of a plurality of
portable communication devices located at a first location in a wireless
communication system to establish communication with a second portable
communication device of the plurality of portable communication devices
located at a second location, each of the plurality of portable communication
devices having a positioning system receiver receiving current location
information from a positioning system and having a transceiver for
communication at a particular frequency band, the method comprising steps
of:
transmitting a first message to the second portable communication
device;
if the second portable communication device has received the first
message, receiving a first acknowledgment from the second portable
communication device;
otherwise, searching for a third portable communication device of the
plurality of portable communication devices;
if the third portable communication device is unavailable, indicating
the second portable communication device is unreachable;
otherwise, instructing the third portable communication device to
function as a first router;
transmitting the first message to the third portable communication
device;
instructing the third portable communication device re-transmit the
first message as a first repeat message to the second portable communication
device; and
determining if the second portable communication device has received
the first repeat message.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining if
the second portable communication device has received the first message
further comprises a step of receiving an acknowledgement of the message
reception from the second portable communication device.
The method according to claim 2, wherein the acknowledgement
comprises a time of reception, a location of the second portable
communication device, and a message path.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting the
first message to the second portable communication device further comprises a
step of using a first appropriate path if the second location is known by the
first portable communication device.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication
system has a plurality of cells assigned geographically, each of the plurality of
cells having a predetermined geographical area and a predetermined set of
communication parameters.
The method according to claim 5 further comprising steps of:
determining a first cell in which the first portable electronic
communication device based upon the first location wherein the first cell has a
first geographical area and a first set of communication parameters; and
configuring a first transceiver of the first portable communication
device compatible with the first set of communication parameters.
The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of transmitting the
first message to the second portable communication device further comprises a
step of transmitting the first message having an identification of the second
portable communication device using the first set of communication
parameters.
The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of searching for the
third portable communication device is limited within the first cell.
The method according to claim 8, wherein the step of determining if
the second portable communication device has received the first repeat
message further comprises steps of:
if the second portable communication device has received the first
repeat message, receiving a second acknowledgement from the second
portable communication device through the third portable communication
device; and
otherwise, instructing the third portable communication device to
search for a fourth portable communication device of the plurality of portable
communication devices located in a second cell adjacent to the first cell.
The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of instructing the
third portable communication device to search for the fourth portable
communication device further comprises steps of:
determining if the fourth portable communication device is available;
if the fourth portable communication device is unavailable, indicating
the second portable communication device is unreachable;
otherwise, configuring the fourth portable communication device as a
second router;
instructing the fourth portable communication device re-transmit the
first repeat message as a second repeat message to the second portable
communication device; and
determining if the second portable communication device has received
the second repeat message.
The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of determining if
the second portable communication device has received the second repeat
message further comprises steps of:
if the second portable communication device has received the second
repeat message, receiving a third acknowledgement from the second portable
communication device through the fourth portable communication device then
through the third portable communication; and
otherwise, indicating the second portable communication device is
unreachable.
A method for a first portable communication device of a plurality of
portable communication devices located at a first location in a first cell of a
plurality of cells to establish communication with a second portable
communication device of the plurality of portable communication devices
located at a second location in a second cell wherein each of the plurality of
portable communication devices having a positioning system receiver
receiving location information from a positioning system and having a
transceiver for communication at a particular frequency band, wherein each of
the plurality of cells is assigned to a predetermined geographical area, has a
boundary defining the geographical area, has a central region around a center,
a second region surrounding the center region and an outer region surrounding
the second region within the boundary, and is divided into six sectors wherein
each sector is adjacent to a different cell, the method comprising steps of:
acquiring a third portable communication device of the plurality of
portable communication devices located within a first central region of the
first cell;
instructing the third portable communication device to acquire a first
set of up to three portable communication devices of the plurality of portable
communication devices wherein each of the first set of up to three portable
communication devices is located in a different sector of the first cell from
each other;
acquiring a second set of up to three portable communication devices
of the plurality of portable communication devices located in a first outer
region of the first cell wherein each of the second set of up to three portable
communication devices is located in a different sector of the first cell from
each other and from the first set of up to three portable communication
devices;
transmitting a first message targeted for the second portable
communication device along with an out-of-cell broadcast request to the third
portable communication device and to the second set of up to three portable
communication devices located in the first outer region;
instructing the third portable communication device to re-transmit the
first message targeted for the second portable communication device along
with the out-of-cell broadcast request to the first set of up to three portable
communication devices located in the first outer region;
instructing the first and second sets of up to three portable
communication devices upon reception of the out-of-cell broadcast request to
re-transmit the first message to cells adjacent to each of the first and second
sets of up to three portable communication devices; and
determining if the second portable communication device has received
the first message.
The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of instructing the
first and second sets of up to three portable communication devices to re-
transmit the first message further comprises a step of using a predetermined
non-repeating propagation pattern.
The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of instructing the
first and second sets of up to three portable communication devices to re-
transmit the first message further comprises using an appropriate propagation
pattern if the location of the second portable communication device is known.
The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of determining if
the second portable communication device has received the first message
further comprises a step of receiving a first acknowledgement sent by the
second portable device through one of portable communication devices of the
first and second sets of portable communication devices if the second portable
communication device has received the first message.
The method according to claim 15, wherein the first acknowledgement
comprises a time of reception, a location of the second portable
communication device, and a message path.
A method in a first portable communication device of a plurality of
portable communication devices located at a first location in a first cell of a
plurality of cells for establishing communication with a second portable
communication device of the plurality of portable communication devices
located at a second location in a second cell, the method comprising steps of:
determining whether a message originated by the first portable
communication device exceeds a predetermined length;
if the message exceed the predetermined length, determining whether
the second portable communication device is reachable before sending the
message to the second portable communication device;
if the second portable communication device is determined to be
reachable, transmitting the message using an appropriate propagation path by:
acquiring a third portable communication device of the
plurality of portable communication devices located within a
first central region of the first cell;
instructing the third portable communication device to
acquire a first set of six portable communication devices of the
plurality of portable communication devices wherein each of
the six portable communication devices is located in a different
sector of the outer region of the first cell from each other; and
instructing the first set of six portable communication
devices to transmit the message to a second set of six portable
communication device of the plurality of portable
communication devices, each of the second set of six portable
communication devices located in a central region of a different
cell adjacent to the first cell;
indicating the message is leaving the first cell; and
determining if the second portable communication device has received
the message.
The method according to claim 17, wherein the step of determining
whether the second portable communication device is reachable further
comprises a step of transmitting a locator message using a predetermined non-
repeating propagation pattern.
The method according to claim 17, wherein the step of determining
whether the second portable communication device is reachable further
comprises a step of transmitting a locator message using a dynamic cell
coordinate based propagation pattern referenced to the first cell.
The method according to claim 17, wherein:
each of the plurality of portable communication devices has a
positioning system receiver receiving location information from a positioning
system and has a transceiver for communication at a particular frequency
band, and
each of the plurality of cells is assigned to a predetermined
geographical area, has a boundary defining the geographical area, a central
region around a center, a second region surrounding the center region, and an
outer region surrounding the second region within the boundary, and is
divided into six sectors wherein each sector is adjacent to a different cell.
The method according to claim 20, wherein the step of instructing the
third portable communication device to acquire the first set of six portable
communication devices further comprises steps of:
if less than six portable communication devices are available located
in a different sector of the first cell, acquiring the available portable
communication devices; and
instructing the available portable communication devices to modify
propagation patterns to cover all cells adjacent to the first cell.
The method according to claim 21, wherein the step of instructing the
available portable communication devices to modify propagation patterns
further comprises step of restricting the propagation patterns.
The method according to claim 22, wherein the step of restricting the
propagation patterns further comprises a step of specifying allowed sectors for
the message to propagate.
A wireless communication system, having portable communication devices
capable of establishing direct terminal-to-terminal communication and indirect
terminal-to-terminal communication through another terminal without having a fixed
base station, is disclosed. A portable communication device used as a terminal is
capab"le of functioning as a router for other communication devices in the system
while maintaining a separate direct communication with another portable
communication device. Upon registration (904, Figure 9), the registered device
begins the process of communication by discovering other devices (906).

Documents:

221-KOLNP-2005-(12-04-2012)-ASSIGNMENT.pdf

221-KOLNP-2005-(12-04-2012)-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

221-KOLNP-2005-(12-04-2012)-FORM-16.pdf

221-KOLNP-2005-(12-04-2012)-PA-CERTIFIED COPIES.pdf

221-KOLNP-2005-CORRESPONDENCE-1.1.pdf

221-KOLNP-2005-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

221-KOLNP-2005-FORM 27.pdf

221-KOLNP-2005-FORM-27.pdf

221-kolnp-2005-granted-abstract.pdf

221-kolnp-2005-granted-assignment.pdf

221-kolnp-2005-granted-claims.pdf

221-kolnp-2005-granted-correspondence.pdf

221-kolnp-2005-granted-description (complete).pdf

221-kolnp-2005-granted-drawings.pdf

221-kolnp-2005-granted-examination report.pdf

221-kolnp-2005-granted-form 1.pdf

221-kolnp-2005-granted-form 18.pdf

221-kolnp-2005-granted-form 3.pdf

221-kolnp-2005-granted-form 5.pdf

221-kolnp-2005-granted-letter patent.pdf

221-kolnp-2005-granted-pa.pdf

221-kolnp-2005-granted-reply to examination report.pdf

221-kolnp-2005-granted-specification.pdf

221-KOLNP-2005-PA-1.1.pdf

221-KOLNP-2005-PA.pdf


Patent Number 215006
Indian Patent Application Number 221/KOLNP/2005
PG Journal Number 08/2008
Publication Date 22-Feb-2008
Grant Date 20-Feb-2008
Date of Filing 18-Feb-2005
Name of Patentee MOTOROLA INC.
Applicant Address 1303 EAST ALGONQUIN ROAD, SCHAUMBURG, IL 60196 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. A CORPORATION OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE.
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 SIBECAS SALVADOR 7181 LOCKWOOD ROAD, LAKE WORTH FL 33467, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
2 NAPOLES ADRIAN STRADA DI FENESTRELLE 123, I-10132 TORINO, ITALY.
3 EATON ERIC THOMAS 3198 MEDINAH CIRCLE EAST, LAKE WORTH FL 33467, USA.
PCT International Classification Number H04B 7/185
PCT International Application Number PCT/US2003/021252
PCT International Filing date 2003-07-08
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 10/200,846 2002-07-22 U.S.A.