Patent ID: 7668084
Filing Date: 2010-02-23
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A network comprising: a plurality of nodes that are communicatively coupled to one another using bi-directional, half-duplex links, wherein the network has a logical first channel over which data is propagated along the network in a first direction and a logical second channel over which data is propagated along the network in a second direction; wherein for a given period of time, at least one of the plurality of nodes is scheduled to be a transmitting node that transmits data on both the first channel and the second channel; wherein a first subset of the nodes not scheduled to transmit during the period are scheduled to relay data received from the first channel along the first channel; wherein a second subset of the nodes not scheduled to transmit during the period are scheduled to relay data received from the second channel along the second channel; wherein at least one of the nodes not scheduled to transmit during the period is a nadir node that does not relay any data along the first channel and the second channel if data was validly received at the at least one nadir node from both the first channel and the second channel; and wherein the at least one nadir node relays data received from the first channel along the first channel if data was not validly received at the at least one nadir node from the second channel and the at least one nadir node relays data received from the second channel along the second channel if data was not validly received at the at least one nadir node from the first channel.