Patent ID: 7385958

Claim:
A method comprising: monitoring a network channel from a wireless data device for at least a time period T to identify ad hoc time slots that are not currently being used by other data devices, said time period T being a duration of a repetitive cycle within said network channel, wherein said ad hoc time slots are time slots that can only be used for non-centrally coordinated communication; selecting at least one time slot from the identified ad hoc time slots for use in transmitting data from said wireless data device; beginning to transmit within said at least one time slot; and ceasing transmission within said at least one time slot when a predetermined condition is detected within said at least one time slot; wherein each cycle of duration T within said network channel includes a first portion for centrally coordinated wireless communication and a second portion for non-centrally coordinated wireless communication, said second portion including a plurality of ad hoc time slots and said first portion including no ad hoc time slots.