Patent ID: 8078221

Claim:
In a multi-tiered wireless communication system including a first wireless gateway having a first broadcasting range within a first tier of the multi-tiered wireless communication system, a second wireless gateway having a second broadcasting range within a second tier of the multi-tiered wireless communication system, the first and second tiers being at least partially overlapped geographically, the second broadcasting range being significantly greater than the first broadcasting range, a multi-modal access device operable to communicate with both the first and second wireless gateways, wherein the multi-modal access device communicates with the first wireless gateway using a first protocol and communicates with the second wireless gateway using a second protocol that is different than the first protocol and a system traffic controller for establishing a communication link between the multi-modal access device and one of the first and second wireless gateways to be switched to a communication link between the multi-modal access device and the other wireless gateway when system control commands are issued by the system traffic controller to the first and second wireless gateways, a method comprising the steps of: (a) detecting that the multi-modal access device requires transition of a communication link from the wireless gateway within one tier to the wireless gateway in the other tier; and (b) coordinating the transition of the communication link by issuing system control commands to the first and second wireless gateways to achieve more nearly optimal utilization of the communication system.