Patent ID: 7792137
Filing Date: 2010-09-07
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method of operating a station in a network comprising a plurality of stations, each station being capable of transmitting and receiving, the method comprising: (a) obtaining an Authorization To Transmit Sequence (ATTS) which specifies the order in which the stations may transmit, the ATTS listing a first station, at least one intermediate station, and a last station; (b) defining a reverse ATTS based upon the ATTS, the order in which the stations may transmit being reverse to the order of the ATTS defined in step (a); (c) receiving messages; (d) inspecting each message to determine if it was from a predecessor station in the ATTS or in the reverse ATTS; and (e) if the message was from a predecessor station then, once that message is complete, transmitting a message.