Patent ID: 7782809

Claim:
A method for communicating information between first and second communications devices, each of said first and second communications devices having a limited range communication capability via a limited range communications protocol stack, the method comprising: receiving a communications packet, sent from the first communications device via a limited range communications protocol for initiating communication with said second communications device, at a first repeater station having a protocol stack containing a protocol for establishing connection with a second repeater station and only a portion of the limited range communications protocol stack; and forwarding the communications packet from the first repeater station across an extended range communications channel to the second repeater station having a protocol for communicating with the first repeater station and only a portion of the limited range communications protocol stack to enable transmission of the communications packet by the second repeater station to the second communications device via the limited range communications protocol, wherein physical layer communication across the extended range communications channel is preserved in originating form, and wherein communication is established between the first and second communications devices over a range greater than the limited range communication capability.