Patent ID: 8265691

Claim:
A method for short-range wireless communication by an apparatus, the method comprising: transmitting, by a transceiver in the apparatus, a message to an object over a time slotted channel of a wireless network, wherein the object is within a short-range wireless communication area of the apparatus and the apparatus is operating in a short-range messaging state; transmitting, by the transceiver, an inquiry message to two or more other objects from the apparatus to determine whether it is within the short-range wireless communication area of the apparatus, wherein the inquiry message is communicated via another time slotted channel of the wireless network within the short-range wireless communication area of the apparatus and the apparatus stays in communication with the object; and receiving, by the transceiver in the apparatus, a response message from at least one of the two or more other objects to the inquiry message via the another time slotted channel of the wireless network if the at least one of the two or more other objects is set to respond.