Patent ID: 7768989

Claim:
A wireless communication unit to transmit and receive information within a mobile, ad-hoc wireless communications network, including a plurality of wireless communication units arranged into first and second tiers, and to conduct a conference call with at least two other communication units within said network, wherein said first tier arranges said plurality of communication units into a plurality of groups without communication units being common between said first tier groups, each first tier group being associated with at least one communication unit designated as a base unit and including a communication unit designated as a head unit and one or more additional communication units designated as member units, and said second tier includes said communication units designated as said head units of each of said first tier groups arranged into at least one group, wherein said first tier provides communications between communication units within the same first tier group and said second tier provides communications between said head units of said first tier groups to enable member communication units within different first tier groups to communicate, said communication unit for residing in a first tier group and comprising: a transmitter to transmit outgoing information to at least one other communication unit within said network; a receiver to receive incoming information from at least one other communication unit within said network; and a processor to control transmission and reception of said outgoing and incoming information, wherein said processor includes: a call module to transfer voice information from said communication unit to at least two other communication units within said network, via a broadcast utilizing a time division multiplexing scheme, to conduct a conference call between at least three call participants, wherein the same voice information is transferred to each of said at least two other call participants via said broadcast and said broadcast enables constructive superposition of said voice information to enhance signal strength, and wherein said call module includes: a transfer module to transfer said voice information from said communication unit, when designated as a sole speaker during a portion of said conference call, over said first tier of said network via said broadcast utilizing said time division multiplexing scheme in response to a communication unit of at least one of said call participants residing within said first tier group including said communication unit, and to transfer said same voice information from said communication unit, when designated as said sole speaker during said portion of said conference call, over said second tier of said network via said broadcast utilizing said time division multiplexing scheme in response to a communication unit of at least one of said call participants residing external of said first tier group including said communication unit.