Patent ID: 8339948
Filing Date: 2012-12-25
Classification: H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method for increasing wireless network efficiency in a multi-hop wireless network with contention-based access which allows for and uses one or more wireless connections (“hops”) between a user and a gateway access point, the method comprising: providing a plurality of access points to the wireless network, each access point being configurable to perform as a gateway access point or a relay node; assigning a plurality of mobile terminals to access the wireless network on a contention basis through the access points; and in physical and medium access control layers for one of the access points configured to perform as a relay node, transmitting user data originating from or terminating at the mobile terminals to another one of the access points, the relay node using different packet sizes and a different number of independent packet accesses to the network than the packet sizes and the number of independent packet accesses to the network of such user data received from the mobile terminals; and in the relay node, buffering traffic at or above the medium access control layer and releasing traffic at selected times to induce a change in number of packets sent per transmission access grant to the wireless medium.