Patent ID: 7725126

Claim:
A method, implemented by operation of a computer, comprising: receiving an outbound or an inbound packet in one of a plurality of network nodes; determining whether an outbound queue in said one node is full and, if so, further determining whether any packets stored in said outbound queue may be discarded and, if so, discarding one of said any packets; discarding said outbound packet if none of said any packets may be discarded; incrementing a sequence number for said outbound packet and storing said outbound packet with said sequence number in said outbound queue when said outbound queue is not full or when said one of said any packets is discarded; determining whether said outbound packet requires high-reliability delivery and, if so, sending said outbound packet from said outbound queue to a low bandwidth link outbound queue within said node; if said outbound packet does not require said high-reliability delivery, determining whether said low bandwidth link outbound queue is too full and, if not, sending a copy of said outbound packet for storage in said low bandwidth link outbound queue; if said outbound packet is stored in said low bandwidth link outbound queue or if said low bandwidth link outbound queue is too full, determining whether a high bandwidth link outbound queue in said node is too full and, if not too full, sending said copy of said outbound packet for storage in said high bandwidth link outbound queue, and transmitting said outbound packet from said low bandwidth link outbound queue via a low bandwidth link transceiver-antenna structure to another node in said network and/or transmitting said outbound packet from said high bandwidth link outbound queue via a high bandwidth link transceiver-antenna structure to said another node.