Patent attributes
A communication device for use in an ad hoc network is disclosed. The device is adapted to concurrently (a) communicate directly with other network nodes, (b) communicate indirectly with other network nodes via intermediate network nodes, and (c) serve as an intermediate network node with respect to other network nodes indirectly communicating with one another. When implementing unicast communications, the communication device employs a CSMA protocol with which to identify and reserve available communication slots defined in accordance with a TDMA protocol without the use of a beacon signal. When implementing multicast communications, the communication device employs a stochastic re-transmission scheme that ensures widespread dissemination of messages with minimal flooding.
