Patent ID: 7710876
Filing Date: 2010-05-04
Classification: H04B,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method for conducting communications over a shared communication medium involving a plurality of nodes, the method comprising: (a) transmitting an initial request from a first node in the plurality of nodes, the shared communication medium organized to include a request signal space and a scheduled transmission signal space, the request signal space including a plurality of request segments each having a different location 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 initial request sent in an initial request segment that is one of the plurality of request segments; (b) obtaining a follow-up request assignment specifying at least one follow-up request segment, the follow-up request assignment taking into account location of the initial request within the request signal space; (c) from the first node, transmitting a follow-up request in the at least one follow-up request segment; (d) obtaining a scheduled transmission assignment specifying a scheduled transmission segment selected from the plurality of scheduled transmission segments, the scheduled transmission assignment taking into account location of the follow-up request within the request signal space; and (e) from the first node, transmitting a data transmission in the scheduled transmission segment.