Patent Document ID: 7536472
Application ID: 11179041
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for propagating a network topology model of a binary tree topology network through the binary tree topology network, the binary tree topology network including a plurality of nodes, including a root node and at least one leaf node, operatively networked together to provide a communications path for data, each of the plurality of nodes except the root node being docked downtree of a parent node, each of the parent nodes being one of the plurality of nodes, and each of the plurality of nodes adapted to be docked uptree of a first child node and a second child node, each of the at least one leaf nodes having none of the plurality of nodes docked downtree of and therewith, the method comprising the steps of: each of the at least one leaf nodes providing a propagate network topology model message containing an address of a providing leaf node to the parent node docked uptree of and with the providing leaf node; for each of the plurality of nodes receiving the propagate network topology model message from each of the first and second child nodes docked downtree of and therewith: forming the network topology model representing one or more paths from a node receiving the propagate network topology model message to each one of the plurality of nodes downtree of the node receiving the propagate network topology model message; storing in a memory accessible to the node receiving the propagate network topology model message, the network topology model so formed; providing to the parent node docked uptree of and with the node receiving the propagate network topology model message a propagate network topology model message containing the network topology model so formed, thereby propagating the network topology model through the binary tree topology network; wherein a first node being one of the plurality of nodes, but not a leaf node, receives a register message from a second node that is not part of the network, the method further comprising the steps of: searching the network topology model stored in a memory of the first node for a path to an open node, the open node being one of the plurality of nodes that the network topology model shows as not being docked uptree of and with two child nodes; and sending a path message to the second node containing at least an address of the open node; and wherein the step of searching further comprises the steps of: searching consecutively further down hierarchical levels of a binary tree represented in the network topology model stored in the memory of the first node: first to locate a path representing a node not being docked uptree of and with any child nodes, and if no such path is located, then to locate a path representing a node not being docked uptree of and with two child nodes, and repeating the searching step until one such path is located; and designating the located path as a path to the open node.