Patent ID: 7249200

Claim:
A process for determining a plurality of communication identifiers (CI 1 -CI 4 ) for uniquely identifying respective ones of a plurality of communication devices (K 1 -K 4 ) connected over a network (NET), each one of the plurality of communication devices having respective ones of a plurality of start identifiers (SI 1 -SI 3 ) assigned to them, wherein each communication device (K 1 -K 4 ) performs the following steps synchronized with the respective other communication devices (K 1 -K 4 ): (a) determine a first own decision value (V 0 , V 1 ; V 0 -V 3 ) on the basis of the respective start identifier (SI 1 -SI 3 ) that is assigned to the communication device (K 1 -K 4 ) in each case; (b) send the own decision value (V 0 , V 1 ; V 0 -V 3 ) over the network (NET); (c) compare the own decision value (V 0 , V 1 ; V 0 -V 3 ) to received decision values (V 0 , V 1 ; V 0 -V 3 ); (d) claim at least one communication identifier of the plurality of communication identifiers (CI 1 -CI 4 ) and transmit said at least one communication identifier over the network (NET), if no received decision value (V 0 , V 1 ; V 0 -V 3 ) is available in step (c), or if it was determined in step (c) that only one decision value (V 0 , V 1 ; V 0 -V 3 ) was received and that the respective own decision value (V 0 , V 1 ; V 0 -V 3 ) is of a higher order than that of said received decision value (V 0 , V 1 ; V 0 -V 3 ); and (e) determine at least one second own decision value (V 0 , V 1 ; V 0 -V 3 ) on the basis of the start identifier (SI 1 -SI 3 ) that is assigned to the communication device (K 1 -K 4 ) in each case, and repeat the steps (b) and(c) on the basis of said at least one second own decision value (V 0 , V 1 ; V 0 -V 3 ) if it is determined in step (c) that the respective own decision value (V 0 , V 1 ; V 0 -V 3 ) is equal to at least one received decision value (V 0 , V 1 ; V 0 -V 3 ) and that no received decision value (V 0 , V 1 ; V 0 -V 3 ) is of a higher order than the own decision value (V 0 , V 1 ; V 0 -V 3 ).