Patent ID: RE40032

Claim:
A method of operating a wireless data communication system including a plurality of wireless stations, comprising the steps of: broadcasting synchronizing messages from a selected station of the plurality of stations; identifying which of a number of non-selected stations of the plurality of stations are to receive data messages by transmitting traffic indicator information from the selected station, wherein at least two non-selected stations were identified in the identifying step; operating the non-selected stations in an awake state of relatively high power consumption during the broadcasting step and the identifying step; changing the operating state of non-selected stations that were not identified in the identifying step to a doze state of relatively low power consumption after the broadcasting step and the identifying step is performed; maintaining all non-selected stations that were identified in the identifying step in the awake state for at least a time period beginning immediately after completion of the operating step so that one or more data messages are able to be transmitted to the non-selected stations which were identified in the identifying steps transmitting all data messages exchanged between the non-selected stations via the selection selected station; including in the synchronizing messages destination identifying portions identifying non-selected stations that are to receive data messages; including in the synchronizing messages a count portion identifying the number of data messages to be transmitted to the respective non-selected stations that are to receive data messages; and returning the non-selected stations to the doze state after the respective number of data messages have been received.