Patent ID: 7106819

Claim:
A telecommunication system using wireless transmissions, the system comprising: a primary station communicating with a first plurality of stations, the primary station including a radio having a receiver and a transmitter wherein: (i) said transmitter transmits primary station synchronization information including an assignment of n transmission fixed periodic time slots to a plurality of subscriber units of the first plurality of stations, where n is an integer greater than 1, and n reception fixed periodic time slots on a selected frequency, said assignment of time slots resulting in each of said plurality of subscriber units assigned a separable slot; (ii) said radio transceives a duplex telephonic communication with the first plurality of subscriber units on the selected frequency wherein: (a) said transmitter transmits first speech information in a respective one of the n transmission time slots on the selected frequency; and (b) said receiver receives second speech information from each of the first plurality of subscriber units in one of the n reception time slots on the selected frequency and receiving base station synchronization information from a base station, wherein a transmit and receive timing of the primary station is synchronized to the base station using the base station synchronization information; and the first plurality of stations including: the base station communicating with a second plurality of stations, the base station receiving from the primary station the first speech information originated from one of the first plurality of stations in said respective transmission time slot and transmitting the second speech information in said respective reception time slot, the base station transmitting the base station synchronization information; and each of the subscriber units having: (i) a radio receiver which receives the primary station synchronization information from the primary station and identifies the assignment of time slots and which receives from the primary station the first speech information originating from the base station in said respective transmission time slot, wherein a transmit and receive timing of the secondary station is synchronized to the primary station using the primary station synchronization information; and (ii) a radio transmitter which transmits the second speech information in said respective reception time slot; and (iii) each of said plurality of subscriber units finds the transmissions and slots assigned to that subscriber unit; wherein using the primary station for transmissions between the base station and subscriber units is transparent to the base station and subscriber units, and the primary station and the subscriber units themselves detect a frame timing from received signals and aligns its transmitting frame timing accordingly.