Patent ID: 7801168

Claim:
A method for scheduling transmission of information in a wireless network, the wireless network comprising a controlling device and a plurality of requesting devices, the method comprising: advertising by the controlling device a service interval granularity period value; receiving by the controlling device one or more traffic specification requests from one or more of the plurality of requesting devices, each traffic specification request comprising an indication of at least one type of information to be exchanged between a requesting device and the controlling device; determining a service start time and determining service interval for one of the one or more traffic specification requests, the service interval being an integer multiple of the service interval granularity period, the multiple depending upon the at least one type of information indicated by the traffic specification request, the service interval comprising: a schedule time interval, the schedule time interval comprising times for: a scheduling frame; downloading for one or more of the plurality of requesting devices; uploading for one or more of the plurality of requesting devices; and a contention period for the plurality of requesting devices to transmit traffic specification requests; transmitting the service start time and the at least one service interval to the one or more requesting devices; downloading to at least one of the one or more requesting devices during a portion of the schedule time interval scheduled for downloading; and receiving uploading from another of the one or more requesting devices during a portion of the schedule time interval scheduled for uploading.