Patent ID: 6983409

Claim:
A method for repeat transmission of messages in a centrally controlled communication network, in which several terminals (T 1 , T 2 , . . . ) are simultaneously configured to operate, said method comprising: a) transmitting each of said messages once from a central station (ZE) for reception by each of said terminals (T 1 , T 2 , . . . ) of a participating group of said terminals and assigning respective sequence numbers (SN) to corresponding messages for detection of message loss or message error; b) as soon as one of said terminals (T 1 , T 2 , . . . ) has detected an error in or loss of one of the messages, said one of said terminals detecting said error or said loss issues a repeat request for said one of said messages over a communication link between the central station (ZE) and the terminal (T 1 , T 2 , . . . ) detecting said error or said loss, said repeat request including one of said sequence numbers (SN) identifying said one of said messages detected as lost or erroneous; c) said central station (ZE) performs repeat transmissions of said one of said messages with said one of said sequence numbers (SN) in response to the repeat request, but only within a predetermined time interval; d) halting said repeat transmissions of said one of said messages within said predetermined time interval when a predetermined maximum number of repeat transmission of said one of said messages has been reached within said predetermined time interval; and e) halting said repeat transmissions of said one of said messages within said predetermined lime interval when a positive acknowledgement of receipt of said one of said messages is received by said central station during said predetermined time interval from said terminal issuing said repeat request; whereby clogging of said communication network by said repeat transmissions is effectively prevented.