Patent ID: 7822002
Filing Date: 2010-10-26
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A tangible computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions that, when executed on a computing device, perform a method comprising: receiving a network-join request to join a mesh, peer-to-peer, cluster-tree, hierarchical personal area network of network nodes, wherein network addresses are statically allocated to the network nodes; determining whether a parent node has an available network address space that may be assigned to an incoming fresh node to fulfill the join-request, wherein the network address space comprises one or more network addresses; based upon the determining act, fulfilling the network-join request with the #-available network address space if the available network address space is identified in the determining act; sending—after the fulfilling act—via the mesh, peer-to-peer, cluster-tree hierarchical personal area network, an address notification to the incoming fresh node; updating proxy tables of only those network nodes along a path through the hierarchical personal area network taken by the sent address notification, wherein the updated proxy tables indicate that the available network address space is assigned to the incoming fresh node; based upon the determining act, escalating the network-join request to another parent node in the hierarchical personal area network if the available network address space is not identified in the determining act; another determining whether another parent node has an available network address space that may be assigned to the incoming fresh node to fulfill the join-request; if, in the another determining act, the available network address space is identified, again fulfilling the network-join request with the available network address space and updating a proxy table of the another parent node so that the updated proxy table indicates that the available network address space is no longer available and is now assigned to the incoming fresh node; again sending—after the fulfilling act—via the hierarchical personal area network the address notification to the incoming fresh node if, in the another determining act, the available network space is identified; again updating proxy tables of only those nodes along the path through the hierarchical personal area network taken by the sent address notification, if, in the another determining act, the available network space is identified, wherein the updated proxy tables indicate that the available network address space is assigned to the incoming fresh node; if, in the another determining act, an available network address space is not identified, again escalating the network-join request to still another parent node in the hierarchical personal area network; determine through the entire network whether one or more network address spaces are available for allocation to the incoming fresh node; in response to the determining that one or more network address spaces in the network are available, setting an attribute in the potential parent nodes to enable the incoming fresh node to join the hierarchical personal area network, the attribute independent of the available address space of the potential parent node receiving the network-join request, wherein all potential parent nodes have the same attribute setting; in response to the determining that no network address spaces in the current network are available, setting the attributes in the network's parent nodes to prevent admitting any network-join request from the incoming fresh node.