Patent ID: 7075902

Claim:
An apparatus for selective directional wireless communication comprising a computer system including a processor, a memory coupled with the processor, a directional communication module, connected with the processor, for receiving communication signals and for transmitting communication signals in any of a plurality of directions which may be blocked or unblocked, and wherein the computer system further comprises means, residing in its processor and memory, for: storing information including identities of and directions to each neighbor node, and an identity of the apparatus; transmitting in all unblocked directions, via the directional communication module, a request-to-send signal including a source node identity and a destination node identity, with the source node identity consisting of the identity of the apparatus, the request-to-send signal indicating a start of a transmission; receiving, via the directional communication module, a clear-to-send signal corresponding to a transmitted request-to-send signal indicating whether to start a data transmission; transmitting, when indicated to do so by the clear-to-send signal, a data transmission corresponding to the transmitted request-to-send signal, in the direction corresponding to the destination node identity; receiving, an acknowledgement signal upon completion of the data transmission; receiving, via the directional communication module, a request-to-send signal including a source node identity and a destination node identity, and determining whether the apparatus is the destination node; determining after receipt of a request-to-send signal, and when the apparatus is not the destination node, whether the source node or the destination node are within a communication range of the apparatus, and when the source node is within the communication range of the apparatus, blocking communication signals in the direction of the source node for a predetermined period of time; and when the destination node is within the communication range of the apparatus, blocking communication signals in the direction of the destination node for a predetermined period of time; transmitting in all unblocked directions, when the apparatus is the destination node, a clear to send signal corresponding to a transmitted request-to-send signal indicating whether to transmit a data transmission; receiving, when a data transmission was permitted by the transmitted clear-to-send signal, a data transmission corresponding to the received request-to-send signal; and transmitting in all unblocked directions, an acknowledgement signal either upon completion of the data transmission or after sending a clear-to-send signal indicating not to send a data transmission.