Patent ID: 8554920
Filing Date: 2013-10-08
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method for establishing and maintaining a mobile ad-hoc network between a plurality of moving wireless devices having the same communication capabilities, said method comprising: operating a first device of said plurality of moving wireless devices as a first equivalent cell header (ECH), said first ECH having a radio coverage range, the first ECH being initially an unlinked ECH; establishing a first equivalent cell (EC) for said first ECH, said first EC being formed centralized within an area of a radio coverage range of said first ECH and dimensioned to occupy a portion of said area, said first EC being managed by said first ECH; broadcasting ECH information (ECH_HELLO) message from said first ECH, said ECH_HELLO message announcing that said one device of said plurality of moving wireless devices is the first ECH, said ECH_HELLO message broadcasts occurring at randomly determined fixed intervals; receiving, by said first wireless device, second ECH_HELLO messages broadcast from at least a second moving wireless device operating as at least a second ECH; determining if at least the second ECH is a linked ECH with another ECH based on if two or more received ECH_HELLO messages belong to a unified chain of linked ECHs; becoming a regular node in a linked equivalent cell network formed by at least the second ECH and the another ECH based upon the determining, the regular node being part of said linked equivalent cell network and within the radio coverage range of the linked ECHs and said regular nodes having restricted communication privileges in comparison to an ECH; and creating a linked equivalent cell network between said first and at least the second ECH, if said at least the second ECH is the only other ECH_HELLO message received or if two or more received ECH_HELLO messages belong to unlinked ECHs; and wherein communication is routed and broadcast by and between ECHs forming said linked equivalent cell network, and regular nodes communicate directly and exclusively with an ECH forming an EC in which the regular nodes are located.