Patent ID: 8098608

Claim:
In a communications network having a plurality of nodes, a method of suppressing re-transmission of a message by a receiving node, the method comprising: the receiving node receiving the message from each of a plurality of transmitting nodes, each of the receiving node and the transmitting nodes having a coverage area bounded by a perimeter; for each of the plurality of transmitting nodes, determining which portion of the perimeter of the coverage area of the receiving node is within the coverage area of the respective transmitting node; and suppressing re-transmission of the message by the receiving node when the perimeter of the coverage area of the receiving node is completely within a combined coverage area formed by the coverage areas of the plurality of transmitting nodes; suppressing re-transmission of the message by the receiving node when the perimeter of the coverage area of the receiving node is completely within the combined coverage area within a predetermined time from when the receiving node first receives the message from one of the plurality of transmitting nodes; the receiving node re-transmitting the message when the perimeter of the coverage area of the receiving node is not determined to be completely within the combined coverage area within a predetermined time from when the receiving node first receives the message from one of the plurality of transmitting nodes.