Patent ID: 8406177

Claim:
A method of providing a reactive ad-hoc network comprising the steps of: (a) providing at least a first node and a second other node of a plurality of nodes, each node comprising at least a processor, a memory, and a transceiver in communication with the processor for receiving data and transmitting data via a wireless communication medium; (b) providing a packet of data comprising message data and header data to the processor of the first node for transmission therefrom, the header data comprising data relating to a source node and a destination node for the packet of data, data relating to a number of hops already completed for the packet of data, data relating to mobility of packets of data within the reactive ad-hoc network transmitted from the source node to the destination node and the destination node to the source node, data relating to a number of hops between the source node and the destination node for a previous packet of data, an optimal path indicator relating to a path between the source node and destination node and being other than data relating any other nodes within the plurality of nodes, and a unique identifier for the packet of data; (c) transmitting the data from the transceiver of the first node in a broadcast fashion; (d) receiving the data at the transceiver of the second other node; (e) extracting the optimal path indicator from the header data; (f) determining an action in dependence upon the optimal path indicator; and (g) performing the determined action, the determined action being at least one of: (i) deleting the packet of data where the optimal path indicator indicates that the first node was on an optimal path between the source node and destination node and the data relating to mobility of packets within the reactive ad-hoc network meets a predetermined criterion; (ii) determining where the optimal path indicator indicates that the first node was not on an optimal path between the source node and destination node if the second other node is on an optimal path, the determination made in dependence upon the data relating to a number of hops between the source node and the destination node for a previous packet of data, the data relating to a number of hops already completed for the packet of data, and data relating to the number of hops between the second other node and the destination node stored within the memory of the second other node; (iii) setting the optimal path indicator to indicate that the second other node is on an optimal path between the source node and destination node; and (iv) transmitting the packet of data from the second other node in a broadcast fashion.