Patent ID: 8325620

Claim:
A method of reserving a time slot for communication between a first wireless device and a second wireless device in a communication network, the method comprising: searching information elements in a beacon received from a beaconing device in the communication network to find any existing reservations for the time slot, the information elements identifying wireless devices and associated antenna beams employed in existing reservations; when no existing reservations are found for the time slot, transmitting an information element for reserving the time slot for communication between the first wireless device and the second wireless device; when one or more existing reservations are found for the time slot: searching the information elements in the beacon received from the beaconing device to find any other wireless devices and associated antenna beams communicating in any existing reservations for the time slot, checking a local database of wireless devices and antenna beams to determine whether any antenna beam to be used in a proposed communication between the first wireless device and the second wireless device would interfere with the other wireless devices and associated antenna beams communicating in the one or more existing reservations for the time slot, transmitting the information element for reserving the time slot for communication between the first wireless device and the second wireless device, when any antenna beam to be used in the proposed communication between the first wireless device and the second wireless device would not interfere with any antenna beam used by any other wireless device in any existing reservations for the time slot; receiving at the second wireless device a beacon including the information element for reserving the time slot for communication between the first wireless device and the second communication device; determining, at the second wireless device, whether any antenna beam to be used in the proposed communication within the time slot between the first wireless device and the second wireless device would interfere with any antenna beam used by any first wireless device in any existing reservations for the time slot; and transmitting a second information element confirming the reservation of the time slot for communication between the first wireless device and the second wireless device, when any antenna beam to be used in the proposed communication between the first wireless device and the second wireless device would not interfere with any antenna beam used by any first wireless device in any existing reservations for the time slot.