Patent ID: 7194010

Claim:
A system for wirelessly exchanging communications with at least one mobile unit, the system comprising: more than two base station units coupled to a network, wherein each base station unit includes an internal clock, and a processor and at least one radio configured to communicate wirelessly with the mobile unit under a Bluetooth protocol, wherein the Bluetooth protocol is a short-range, frequency hopping protocol for transmitting and receiving information during time division duplex pairs of transmit and receive slots; wherein each base station unit is further configured to: (a) enter into a synchronization mode, (b) receive a sync signal from a neighboring base station unit, (c) determine if the neighboring base station unit is synchronized based on the received sync signal, (d) if the neighboring base station unit is synchronized, then synchronize the internal clock based on the received sync signal, wherein the synchronizing is performed without assistance from a system controller, (e) select one transmit slot from the pairs of slots, (f) lock the other base station units from transmitting on the one selected transmit slot, (g) wirelessly transmit synchronization information during the one selected transmit slot, (h) permit the other base station units to unlock, and (i) exit the synchronization mode.