Patent ID: 8902872

Claim:
A first mobile station configured to operate, in an ad-hoc network, with a second mobile station, the first mobile station comprising: a transceiver configured to receive a beacon, wherein the beacon indicates a first time slot allocated to the first mobile station, wherein during the first time slot allocated to the first mobile station only the first mobile station is permitted to transmit data, and a second time slot allocated to the second mobile station, wherein during the second time slot allocated to the second mobile station only the second mobile station is permitted to transmit data; and a medium access control (MAC) device configured to transition the first mobile station from a lower power mode to an active mode prior to the transceiver receiving the beacon, maintain the first mobile station in the active mode during both (i) the first time slot allocated to the first mobile station and (ii) the second time slot allocated to the second mobile station regardless of whether the first mobile station is receiving data transmitted by the second mobile station in the second time slot allocated to the second mobile station, and a predetermined time subsequent to a last occurrence of the first time slot and the second time slot, transition the first mobile station from the active mode to the low power mode, wherein the first mobile station and the second mobile station are configured to communicate with each other in the ad-hoc network.