US 7,463,890 B2
Method and apparatus for establishing ad hoc communications pathways between source and destination nodes in a communications network
Frederick S. M. Herz, P.O. Box 67, Warrington, Pa. 18976 (US); Jonathan M. Smith, 739 Prospect Ave., Princeton, N.J. 08540 (US); and Bhupinder Madan, 175 Irving Pl., Basking Ridge, N.J. 07920 (US)
Filed on Apr. 26, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/412,600.
Application 11/412600 is a continuation of application No. 10/202732, filed on Jul. 24, 2002, abandoned.
Prior Publication US 2007/0008927 A1, Jan. 11, 2007
Int. Cl. H04Q 7/20 (2006.01); G01R 31/08 (2006.01); G06F 11/00 (2006.01); G08C 15/00 (2006.01); H04J 1/16 (2006.01); H04J 3/14 (2006.01); H04L 1/00 (2006.01); H04L 12/26 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 455—445  [455/41.2; 455/3.01; 455/422.1; 455/421; 455/428; 370/229; 370/235; 370/236; 370/237; 370/238] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of establishing a communication pathway between a source node in an ad hoc communications network and a destination node in said ad hoc communications network for transmission of a predetermined quantity of data, comprising:
establishing a communications link between said source node and an intermediate node, where said source node and/or said intermediate node move into and out of range of each other but stay in wireless communication range of each other in a selected wireless transmission modality long enough to permit transmission of said predetermined quantity of data from said source node to said intermediate node; and
dynamically reconfiguring an ad hoc communications pathway between said intermediate node and said destination node based on dynamically changing transmission conditions and available transmission modalities therebetween as said intermediate node and a next intermediate node or said destination node move into and out of range of each other by dynamically selecting dynamically selectable communications links between said intermediate node and said next intermediate node or said destination node in respective dynamically available transmission modalities whereby each dynamically selectable communications link allows transfer of said predetermined quantity of data to a next dynamically selected communications link in said communications pathway,
wherein respective communications between said source node and said destination node may pass through one or more different dynamically selectable communications links due to different transmission conditions at different times and/or different dynamically available transmission modalities in communications range of said source node and/or said destination node at different communication times as the source node, the destination node and/or any destination nodes move into and out of range of each other.