Patent ID: 7697493

Claim:
A method of communicating data between airborne stations in a time division multiple access system, where the data is transmitted in time slots which are organized in frames of a repeating frame structure, a link address for transmission of data is associated with at least one time slot in each frame, the stations selecting link addresses for transmission of data according to a self-organizing transmission algorithm, the method comprising: broadcasting from each station a data message of a first type at a first repetition rate, receiving in each station data messages of the first type from other stations, wherein a service involving at least two stations being accomplished via an exchange of data messages of a second type that are transmitted at a second repetition rate which is higher than the first repetition rate, determining in each station, based on any received data messages of the first type or the second type, whether a service activation criterion is fulfilled with respect to at least one other station, and if so determining whether a free link address exists for transmission of data messages of the second type, and if so transmitting the data messages of the second type in time slots associated with one of said free link addresses, wherein the data message of the second type comprising a current link address field and a previous link address field of the transmitting station, and provided that a station transmits data messages of the second type at a current link address the method for this station comprising: listening for data messages of the second type at all link addresses allocated for transmission of data messages of the second type different from the current link address, and provided that the station has transmitted the data messages of the second type at the current link address during at least a minimum time period, interrupting the transmission of data messages of the second type at randomly selected time slots, and during each such time slot listening for any data messages of the second type transmitted from other stations at the current link address, and if such a transmission is found, releasing the current link address, otherwise continuing to transmit data messages of the second type at the current link address until a service deactivation criterion is found be fulfilled.