Patent ID: 7295806
Filing Date: 2007-11-13
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. In a wireless mesh network environment that includes a plurality of infrastructure components, a method for the plurality of infrastructure components adaptively communicating with each other, the method comprising: an act of a first infrastructure component receiving a first portion of data that is to be transferred to a destination portable device, the first portion of data being one a plurality of portions of data of an electronic message that is to be transferred to a destination portable device; an act of the first infrastructure component, which includes an omni-directional antenna and one or more directional antennas, using a first directional antenna beam to transfer the first portion of data through a geographically remote second infrastructure component to the destination portable device, the second infrastructure component being one of a subset of the plurality of infrastructure components forming an available ad hoc data path to the destination portable device at the time the first infrastructure component transferred the first portion of data; an act of the first infrastructure component receiving a second portion of data that is to be transferred to the destination portable device, the second portion of data being another of the plurality of portions of data of the electronic message that is to be transferred to the destination portable device; an act of the first infrastructure component determining that data passed from the first infrastructure component and through the second infrastructure component is not being appropriately transferred to the destination portable device subsequent to receiving the second portion of data and prior to sending the second portion of data; an act of the first infrastructure component determining that the first infrastructure component can alternatively communicate with the destination portable device through a third infrastructure component of the plurality of infrastructure components, in response to the first infrastructure component determining that communication passed from the first infrastructure component and through the second infrastructure component to the destination portable device is not being appropriately transferred, the third infrastructure component being one of a subset of the plurality of infrastructure components forming a second different available ad hoc data path to the destination portable device at the time the first infrastructure component transfers the second portion of data; an act of the first infrastructure component adapting to use a second directional antenna beam to send the second portion of data to the third infrastructure component for transfer along the second different available ad hoc data path to the destination portable device.