Patent ID: 6396814
Filing Date: 2002-05-28
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A method of constructing a communication network, comprising the steps of:grouping communication devices belonging to a communication network into one or a plurality of communication groups; selecting at least one representative device in each communication group formed in said grouping step; and after said selecting step is effected, causing each communication device to communicate directly with other communication devices belonging to the same communication group and to communicate with each communication device belonging to a different group by first transmitting data to said at least one representative device of the same communication group and then causing said at least one said representative device of said same communication group to transfer part or the whole of the data to a representative device of said different group; wherein said each communication device transmits a device message containing the information on the transmitting communication device and a communicable communication device identified by the transmitting communication device, said each communication device identifies a communicable communication device from a received device message, and said each communication device performs said grouping step and said selecting step using the information on the received device message; wherein each communication device notifies the maximum number of the devices of a communication group to other communication devices and said grouping step is performed so that the number of the communication devices of a communication group to which the present communication device belongs does not exceed said maximum number of the devices.