Patent ID: 7899053

Claim:
An optimal path setting method for transmitting data from a source node to a destination node, the optimal path setting method comprising: transmitting a shortcut request (SCRQ) message from the source node to a topology server; determining shortcut information at the topology server based on the SCRQ message; transmitting a shortcut notification (SCNF) message containing the shortcut information from the topology server only to the destination node; transmitting a shortcut response (SCRP) message from the destination node to a neighboring node on a shortcut path, in a state that no information has been transmitted from the neighboring node to the destination node, the SCRP message generated based on the shortcut information contained in the SCNF message; transmitting the SCRP message from the neighboring node on the shortcut path to another neighboring node on the shortcut path in a state that no information has been transmitted from the another neighboring node to the neighboring node; repeating transmission of the SCRP message until the another neighboring node becomes the source node; and setting an optimal path between the source node via the neighboring node on the shortcut path and the destination node in accordance with the SCRP message, wherein the optimal path is not set until after the source node receives the SCRP message, the SCRP message comprises a media access control (MAC) header, a network header and a network payload, and the MAC header of the SCRP message comprises a receiver MAC address and a sender MAC address, the network header of the SCRP message comprises a source network address and a destination network address, and the network payload of the SCRP message comprises a plurality of relay network addresses.