Patent ID: 8072928

Claim:
A method of allocating time slots to a terminal j in a cell i of a network, wherein the network is overlaid with a cellular structure including the cell i, the method comprising: a) receiving a first message from the terminal j; b) in the event the first message is received in an unused time slot of the cell i, allocating the unused time slot to the terminal j and transmitting a second message announcing allocation of the unused time slot to the terminal j; c) in the event the first message is not received in an unused time slot of the cell i, reclaiming at least one time slot from a terminal that has left the cell i and allocating the reclaimed time slot to the terminal j; and, d) in the event the first message is not received in an unused time slot of the cell i, and in the event a time slot cannot be reclaimed as a result of c, computing a new time slot demand for cell i and transmitting a request for a reassignment of time slots based on the new demand for cell i.