Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for improved time division multiple access (TDMA) communication

US6031846A · kind A · utility

29Cited by
8References
4Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 6, 1996
Grant dateFeb 29, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 6, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L7/08
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An improved method for Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) communications particularly applicable to a network comprising transmitters having significantly different transmission paths to a common receiver. The common receiver measures the response time from each transmitter, relative to a common time reference, then instructs each transmitter to delay all subsequent responses by an amount specific to each transmitter, as determined from these measured response times. This imposed delay results in a more time efficient TDMA protocol, improved error detection capability, and improved security capabilities. This invention is particularly applicable to bi-directional communications to and from a provider of Cable TV, Telephony, and Data Services.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.