Patent ID: 7792110

Claim:
A method for updating at a bridge node a virtual local area network (VLAN) status of a first node in a mesh network, the method comprising: processing at the bridge node in the mesh network a first VLAN status message that associates a first VLAN identifier with the first node, wherein the first VLAN status message was generated in response to a first bind request (BREQ) message indicating that the first node is presently associated with a first VLAN; transmitting from the bridge node a second VLAN status message, wherein the second VLAN status message associates the first VLAN identifier with the first node; and processing at the bridge node a third VLAN status message that associates a second VLAN identifier with the first node, wherein the third VLAN status message was generated in response to a second bind request (BREQ) message indicating that the first node is now associated with a second VLAN, and whereby the VLAN status of the first node is updated.