Patent ID: 7215887

Claim:
A transmitter for use in a network carrying a plurality of data bits, said transmitter comprising: a physical layer; a first link layer; means for providing at least a subset of said plurality of data bits; means for making said first link layer match a second link layer in at least one handheld device within a broadcast coverage area of said transmitter; means for making said at least said subset of said plurality of data bits available to said first link layer; means for making said at least said subset of said plurality of data bits available to said first physical layer; means for generating at said first physical layer a signal comprising said at least said subset of said plurality of data bits; and means for transmitting said signal to said at least one handheld device within said broadcast coverage area in a format compliant with and receivable by said second link layer, wherein said means for transmitting said signal includes: an on-interval; an off-interval; said on-interval corresponding to the presence of at least a portion of at least one of said at least said subset of said plurality of data bits; said off-interval corresponding to the absence of any of said at least said subset of said plurality of data bits; and said on and said off intervals further arranged such that a communication interface associated with said handheld device may communicate with another handheld device when said off-interval is present at said communication interface; wherein said matching first and second link layers are infrared data association (IrDA) compliant.