Patent ID: 7548552

Claim:
A method of a master device allocating a channel time in a transmission channel, comprising: sending a polling frame over the transmission channel from the master device to a current destination slave device and a current polled slave device, the polling frame including a current destination slave device address of the destination slave device, a current polled slave device address of the polled slave device, and a current payload for the current destination slave device; receiving a poll acknowledgement frame over the transmission channel if the current polled slave device does not wish to transmit data; waiting for a set duration if no poll acknowledgement frame is received, the set duration being at least as long as a data frame duration; setting the current destination device address to be equal to a new destination device address identifying a new destination device; setting the current polled device address to be equal to a new polled slave device address identifying a new polled device; and setting the current payload to be equal to a new payload; repeating sending a polling frame, receiving a poll acknowledgement frame, waiting for a set duration, setting the current destination device address, and setting the current polled slave device address.