Patent ID: 7756077
Filing Date: 2010-07-13
Classification: H04B,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method for conducting communications over a shared communication medium involving a plurality of nodes, the method comprising: (a) sending a request to a scheduler from a first node in the plurality of nodes, the shared communication medium organized to include a request signal space having at least one frame and a scheduled transmission signal space, the request signal space including a plurality of request segments each having a different location defined within the at least one frame within the request signal space, the scheduled transmission signal space including a plurality of scheduled transmission segments each having a different location within the scheduled transmission signal space, the request sent in a request segment that is one of the plurality of request segments; (b) at the first node, obtaining an assignment from the scheduler associating the request with a scheduled transmission segment selected from the plurality of scheduled transmission segments, the assignment taking into account location of the request within the request signal space; (c) from the first node, sending a data transmission in the scheduled transmission segment associated with the request in accordance with the assignment; and (d) wherein the plurality of scheduled transmission segments include multiple categories of scheduled transmission segments associated with different service types, and wherein the request is for transmission in a particular category of scheduled transmission segments associated with a particular service type.