Patent ID: 7835354
Filing Date: 2010-11-16
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method performed by a module of transmitting a transmit packet over a shared channel, the transmit packet including module identifying bits and at least one CHANNEL_FULL bit, the module identifying bits identifying other modules in communication with the shared channel, the CHANNEL_FULL bit indicating whether the shared channel is full, the method comprising: setting module identifying bits corresponding to all of the other modules to a packet receiving value when the transmit packet is to be transmitted in a broadcast communication; setting module identifying bits corresponding to more than one but not all of the other modules to a packet receiving value when the transmit packet is to be transmitted in a multicast communication; setting module identifying bits corresponding to only one of the other modules to a packet receiving value when the transmit packet is to be transmitted in a point-to-point communication; setting the CHANNEL_FULL bit of the transmit packet to a value indicating that the shared channel is full; transmitting the transmit packet over the shared channel; receiving a received packet; and, setting the CHANNEL_FULL bit in the received packet to a value indicating that the shared channel is empty if no other module is to receive the received packet.