Patent ID: 9584179
Date: 2017-02-28
CPC Classifications: H04B,H04W

Claim:
1. A method for forwarding a packet of data within a wireless network from a source node to a destination node via an intermediate node, the method comprising: receiving from a first source node that requests availability information for the intermediate node a first poll message via a first channel within a channel group; transmitting to the first source node a first acknowledgement message that includes the availability information for the intermediate node via a second channel in the channel group; receiving from the first source node via a third channel in the channel group a first data message that includes a first set of payload data to be forwarded to a first destination node; transmitting to the first source node a first data-acknowledge message that indicates successful receipt of the first data message via a fourth channel in the channel group; forwarding the first set of payload data to the first destination node; and concurrently transmitting data to a second source node on any available channel in the channel group while forwarding the first set of payload data to the first destination node, or concurrently receiving data from the second source node on any available channel in the channel group while forwarding the first set of payload data to the first destination node, wherein the channel group comprises four or more channels within a plurality of allocated channels, and wherein the available channel in the channel group comprises one of the first channel, the second channel, the third channel, and the fourth channel.