The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 22, 1994
Filed:
Jan. 22, 1991
Sheldon L Gilbert, San Diego, CA (US);
Carolyn L Heide, Lincolnshire, IL (US);
Dennis L Director, Wilmette, IL (US);
Spectrix Corporation, Evanston, IL (US);
Abstract
A wireless data communications network having a number of users communicating from individual remote stations to a central station over a single optical-infrared channel utilizing a two-stage noncontention-based multiple-access communications protocol. During the first stage of the reservation-based polling protocol, the central station provides a synchronization signal to the remote stations to define the start of a 'reservation request period,' and allocates fixed time slots during which any remote station having a data message to transmit may request access and reserve a portion of the channel for their data messages. During the second stage or 'polled data transfer period,' the central station polls only those remote stations that have a data message to transmit and have requested access to the channel. In response to the poll, the polled remote stations transmit their data message in their previously-reserved data slots. If desired, the central station may also return an acknowledgement signal to the remote stations upon successful reception of each data message.