Patent ID: 8576817

Claim:
A method of radio communications using a hub radio device that forms part of a communication system, the communication system having a spectrum management system that allocates spectrum to radio devices in the communication system, comprising the following steps carried out by the hub radio device: registering with the spectrum management system and receiving a spectrum allocation for the hub radio device from the spectrum management system, the spectrum allocation for the hub radio device identifying available operating channels for the hub radio device; forming a network on one of the operating channels identified in the spectrum allocation for the hub radio device; broadcasting a beacon over an operating channel that is identified in the spectrum allocation for the hub radio device; joining into the network a spoke radio device from which a join request is received; and acting as a communication pathway for communication between the spoke radio device and the spectrum management system for the spoke radio device to register with the spectrum management system and to receive a spectrum allocation for the spoke radio device from the spectrum management system, the spectrum allocation for the spoke radio device identifying available operating channels for the spoke radio device and being a separate spectrum allocation than the spectrum allocation for the hub radio device; and wherein the beacon contains data regarding the spectrum management system, the data distinguishing the spectrum management system from other spectrum management systems that provide spectrum allocations to radio devices.