Patent ID: 8203464
Filing Date: 2012-06-19
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method for operating a meter reading wireless mesh network comprising a plurality of wireless meter reading nodes including already-registered nodes already registered for communication with an access point and not-yet-registered nodes not yet registered for communication with the access point, the method comprising: transmitting, from a new wireless meter reading node, a request to register message; receiving, at neighboring already-registered nodes, the request to register message and transmitting responses to the new wireless meter reading node; receiving, at neighboring not-yet-registered nodes, the request to register message and not transmitting responses to the new wireless meter reading node and not transmitting responses thereto; receiving, at the new wireless meter reading node, responses from the neighboring already-registered nodes, and determining based upon the responses at least one selected already-registered node to use for upstream communication with the access point; and communicating from the new wireless meter reading node to the access point via the at least one selected already-registered node to thereby add the new wireless meter reading node to the already-registered nodes.