Patent ID: 7099296

Claim:
A protocol for use in an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio system comprising a series of terminals where each said terminal is capable of making at least one of an outgoing call or receiving an incoming call, and where each said terminal comprising computer means, memory means for storing program software means therein, and where each said terminal is capable of being hop of a routing path connecting a call from a source to a destination, comprising: software means for said memory means of each said terminal, said software means comprising means for generating communications-information for transmission based on time-division messaging; said communications-information comprising a series of time frames (TM) each divided into a series of time slots (TS); said communications-information comprising at least one time slot in which control-channel (CC) messaging information is transmitted, and other time slots in which is transmitted channel data (CD) messaging information; each said time frame (TF) comprising a last time slot; said software means further comprising means for generating initial control communications-information in a respective said last time slot (LTS) of a respective said time frame (TF) indicating initial presence of a respective said terminal in order to start communicating with other said terminals.