Patent ID: 7027461

Claim:
A method of providing medium access control over an upstream channel in a communication network system serving a plurality of system users, having an upstream channel for carrying upstream messages from at least a subset of the plurality of system users to a communication server and a downstream channel connecting said communication server to said system users of said subset, the method comprising: classifying upstream user messages as a type-one or a type-two message based on a predetermined factor wherein a copy of type-one messages will be distributed from a user of the subset of users to all users in said subset of users; for each type-two message, defining a type-one message, as a reserve request, directed to all other users in the subset of users to reserve upstream channel usage to the sending user for sending a type-two message; said users selectively buffering said messages such that type-one messages are buffered if a reserve message has been received and type-two message are buffered until after its associated type-one message is sent and received by the other users wherein said users buffer said messages for a backoff time; calculating the backoff time, each time said user completes an upstream transmission or receives a reserve request from another user of said subset, where said calculation is based on a plurality of factors including the message round-trip propagation time, the size of last upstream message sent by said user, and the total number of current on-line users of said subset tracked by said communication system, and tracking the total number of current on-line users of said subset wherein tracking said total number of current on-line users of said subset comprises: periodically sending a first special message containing said total number of current on-line users of said subset by the last log-in system user into said subset; monitoring said first special message for a predetermined period of time when a new system user first logs into said subset; said new system user which has received said first special message starting to send periodically a second special message having said total number of current on-line users of said subset incrementing by one; stopping sending said first special message by said last log-in system user once it has received said second special message from said new system user, said new system user becoming said last log-in system user of said subset; sending a third special message into said system by a system user ready to log-out of said subset; said last log-in system user which has received said third special message decrementing said total number of current on-line users of said subset by one; and resetting and recounting said total number of current on-line users of said subset if needed.