Patent ID: 7580394

Claim:
A method, comprising: sending a scheduling request over an access point tree to an access point, wherein the scheduling request comprises an aggregate of time slot requests associated with at least a node and a next hop node; receiving a scheduling decision over the access point tree at the node for the node and the next hop node; assigning a first orthogonal data channel to the access point, wherein a first time slot request in the scheduling decision enables communication over the first orthogonal data channel to a node that is one hop away from the access point; and assigning a second orthogonal data channel to the node that is one hop away from the access point, wherein a second time slot request in the scheduling decision enables communication over the second orthogonal data channel between the node that is one hop away from the access point and another node that is two hops away from the access point, wherein each time slot request in the scheduling decision is reserved for at least the next hop node and the node, and wherein the scheduling decision enables the node to communicate a data packet collision-free over orthogonal data channels associated with the next hop node and the node.