Radio frequency local area network

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for routing data in a radio data communication system having one or more host computers, one or more intermediate base stations, and one or more RF terminals organizes the intermediate base stations into an optimal spanning-tree network to control the routing of data to and from the RF terminals and the host computer efficiently and dynamically. Communication between the host computer and the RF terminals is achieved by using the network of intermediate base stations to transmit the data.

1 - 20 . (canceled)  
   
   
       21 . A communication network, comprising: 
 a gateway node adapted to provide wireless communication and wired communication;    a plurality of wireless access points; and    a plurality of wireless devices coupled to the wireless access points and comprising a first wireless device and a second wireless device, the first wireless device communicating with the second wireless device along a selected communication signal path through the gateway node and at least two wireless access points,    wherein the selected communication signal path can be dynamically adapted according to communication signal path conditions.    
   
   
       22 . The communication network according to  claim 21 , wherein the communication network comprises a multi-hop communication network.  
   
   
       23 . The communication network according to  claim 21 , wherein the plurality of wireless access points comprise a plurality of bridges.  
   
   
       24 . The communication network according to  claim 21 , wherein the gateway node comprises a root node.  
   
   
       25 . The communication network according to  claim 21 , wherein the gateway node comprises a switch node.  
   
   
       26 . The communication network according to claim  2 I, wherein some wireless access points provide wired communication.  
   
   
       27 . The communication network according to  claim 21 , wherein the first wireless device communicates with the second wireless device along the selected communication signal path through the gateway node and at least three wireless access points.  
   
   
       28 . The communication network according to  claim 21 , wherein the communication signal path conditions comprise bandwidth conditions.  
   
   
       29 . The communication network according to  claim 21 , wherein the communication signal path conditions comprise information rate conditions.  
   
   
       30 . The communication network according to  claim 21 , wherein the communication signal path conditions comprise interference conditions.  
   
   
       31 . The communication network according to  claim 21 , wherein the communication signal path conditions comprise data interference conditions.  
   
   
       32 . The communication network according to  claim 21 , wherein the communication signal path conditions comprise a defined level of performance.  
   
   
       33 . The communication network according to  claim 21 , wherein the gateway node, the plurality of wireless access points and the plurality of wireless devices form a hierarchical communication architecture.  
   
   
       34 . The communication network according to  claim 33 , wherein the gateway node selects the communication signal path between the first wireless device and the second wireless device according to the communication signal path conditions.  
   
   
       35 . The communication network according to  claim 33 , 
 wherein the plurality of wireless access points comprises a first wireless access point and a second wireless access point, and    wherein the gateway node monitors the communication signal path conditions between the first wireless access point and the second wireless access point.    
   
   
       36 . The communication network according to  claim 33 , 
 wherein the plurality of wireless access points comprises a first wireless access point and a second wireless access point, and    wherein the gateway node monitors the communication signal path conditions between at least one of the first wireless access point and the second wireless access point and at least one of the first wireless device and the second wireless device.    
   
   
       37 . The communication network according to  claim 33 , wherein the selected communication signal path is part of a set of possible communication paths.  
   
   
       38 . The communication network according to  claim 37 , wherein the gateway node selects a particular communication signal path from the set of possible communication signal paths according to the communication signal path conditions of the particular communication signal path.  
   
   
       39 . The communication network according to  claim 21 , wherein the plurality of wireless access points and the plurality of wireless devices form an ad hoc communication architecture.  
   
   
       40 . The communication network according to  claim 39 , wherein each wireless device or each wireless access point along the selected communication signal path provides the best peer-to-peer communication signal path conditions between nodes.  
   
   
       41 . The communication network according to  claim 40 , wherein the selected communication signal path is determined on a peer-to-peer basis based on respective peer-to-peer communication signal path conditions.  
   
   
       42 . The communication network according to  claim 39 , wherein at least some wireless device independently create and maintain locally stored information to specify how communication traffic should flow through that bridge.  
   
   
       43 . The communication network according to  claim 21 , wherein some wireless access points or some wireless devices dynamically create and revise communication pathways according to communication signal path conditions.  
   
   
       44 . The communication network according to  claim 21 , wherein some wireless access points or some wireless devices independently store and maintain local information that specifies how communication traffic should flow through a local access point or a local wireless device.  
   
   
       45 . The communication network according to  claim 21 , further comprising: 
 a central switch coupled to the gateway node.    
   
   
       46 . The communication network according to  claim 45 , wherein the central switch is adapted to provide a higher level access node than the gateway node.  
   
   
       47 . The communication network according to  claim 21 , wherein the plurality of wireless devices comprises means for automatically connecting to the gateway node through a plurality of hops.  
   
   
       48 . The communication network according to  claim 21 , wherein the plurality of wireless device comprises means for connecting to the gateway node using a HELLO packet protocol.  
   
   
       49 . The communication network according to  claim 21 , wherein at least some wireless access points or at least some wireless devices use spread spectrum communication techniques.  
   
   
       50 . The communication network according to  claim 21 , wherein the plurality of wireless devices comprises a plurality of terminals.  
   
   
       51 . A method for communicating in a communication network, comprising: 
 (a) creating a hierarchical communication structure comprising a gateway node, a plurality of wireless access points and a plurality of wireless devices;    (b) determining communication signal path conditions of a first communication signal path and a second communication signal path, the first communication signal path and the second communication signal path providing a communication signal path between a first wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices and a second wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices, the first communication path and the second communication path each passing through at least two wireless access points of the plurality of wireless access points; and    (c) selecting a particular communication signal path from the first communication signal path and the second communication signal path based on the determined communication signal path conditions of the first communication signal path and the second communication signal path.    
   
   
       52 . The method according to  claim 51 , wherein the gateway node performs (c).  
   
   
       53 . The method according to  claim 51 , further comprising: 
 storing local node-to-node communication signal path conditions in local nodes.    
   
   
       54 . The method according to  claim 51 , further comprising: 
 storing local node-to-node communication signal path conditions in the gateway node.    
   
   
       55 . The method according to  claim 51 , wherein the hierarchical communication structure comprises a spanning tree.  
   
   
       56 . The method according to  claim 51 , further comprising: 
 monitoring the determined communication signal path conditions of the first communication signal path and the second communication signal path to determine whether the selected communication signal path should be changed.    
   
   
       57 . A method for communicating between a first wireless device and a second wireless device in a communication network, comprising: 
 (a) creating an ad hoc communication structure comprising a gateway node, a plurality of wireless access points and a plurality of wireless devices, the plurality of wireless device comprising the first wireless device and the second wireless device;    (b) creating a communication signal path between the first wireless device and the second wireless device through at least two wireless access points of the plurality of wireless access points, the communication signal path comprising a plurality of node-to-node signal paths;    (c) selecting a particular node-to-node signal path according to node-to-node communication signal path conditions;    (d) based on dynamically changing node-to-node communication signal path conditions, modifying the communication signal path between the first wireless device and the second wireless device through at least two wireless access points of the plurality of wireless access points.    
   
   
       58 . The method according to  claim 57 , further comprising: 
 storing node-to-node communication signal path conditions between a first node and a second node in at least one of the first node and the second node.