Patent ID: 8014408

Claim:
A network comprising: several subnetworks, each connectable by bridge terminals and including at least one other terminal, wherein at least one of said at least one other terminal provided in at least one of the subnetworks is set up as a proxy terminal during a planned absence of one of said at least one of the bridge terminals from said one of the subnetworks, wherein the proxy terminal accepts designation as a proxy server by said absent bridge terminal; accepts data directed to said absent bridge terminal or to be forwarded by said absent bridge terminal to said one of the subnetworks, temporarily stores the data, and forwards said data to said absent bridge terminal when said absent bridge terminal is present again in said one of the subnetworks, wherein said planned absence of said one of said at least one bridge terminals from said one of the subnetworks is for a predetermined time; wherein one or more of the subnetworks includes a central monitoring station, wherein for each subnetwork having a central monitoring station, the central monitoring station is selected as the proxy terminal for said bridge terminal during the planned absence of said bridge terminal.