Patent ID: 8244249
Filing Date: 2012-08-14
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. In a communications system wherein a first mesh network (“first network”) comprises a first controller having a first attribute, and also initially comprises a first group of at least one mesh-network node (“node”), the first group not comprising the first controller, and wherein a second mesh network (“second network”) comprises a second controller having a second attribute, and also initially comprises a second group of at least one node, the second group not comprising the second controller, a method comprising: the first controller receiving a first message from a given node in the first group, the first message indicating that the given node in the first group received a first signal from a given node in the second group, the first signal comprising the second attribute, and the first message comprising the second attribute; responsive to receiving the first message, the first controller comparing the first attribute with the second attribute; as a result of comparing the first attribute with the second attribute, the first controller making a first determination that the first controller has a lower priority than the second controller; responsive to making the first determination, the first controller no longer communicating with the first group, resulting in at least one node in the first group joining the second network; wherein a particular node in the first group joining the second group comprises: