Patent ID: 8467357

Claim:
A communication method that flexibly supports both centralized and distributed modes of MAC protocols in a wireless system, said method comprising: deploying a new recurring MAC superframe structure (m−1, m, m+1) including using a beacon period (BP), the device mandatorily transmits a beacon in the beacon period if the device operates as a master device, which coordinates a centralized subnet, and if the device operates as a peer device in a distributed subnet, and wherein a device refrains from transmitting a beacon if the device operates as a slave device; using a data/sense/sleep period (DSSP) for data selective communication, sleep, and channel sensing for detecting primary users in cognitive systems; deploying a signaling window (SW) that is separate from the beacon period and used for exchanging control management information via network entry messages and channel reservation requests, wherein the signaling window is usable by any device, irrespective of whether the device operates as a master device, a slave device, or a peer device.