Wireless viral mesh network and process for using the same

Abstract

A sending subscriber system may participate in a wireless network by generating a message to transmit in a wireless network, identifying a local wireless subscriber system with which communications may be established, and determining whether to use the wireless local subscriber system as a relay.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . One or more computer readable storage memories comprising processor-executable instructions which, responsive to execution by at least one processor, are configured to enable a first wireless device in a wireless network to:
 relay, using the first wireless device, wireless communications from a second wireless device in the wireless network to a base station in the wireless network;   detect, using the first wireless device, an occurrence of a condition associated with the wireless network;   responsive to detecting the occurrence of the condition, redirect, using the first wireless device, the second wireless device to utilize a third wireless device in the wireless network as a relay for wireless communications from the second wireless device.   
     
     
         2 . The one or more computer-readable storage memories of  claim 1 , wherein the processor-executable instructions to detect an occurrence of the condition are further configured to detect congestion in the wireless network through the first wireless device. 
     
     
         3 . The one or more computer-readable storage memories of  claim 2 , wherein the processor-executable instructions to detect the congestion through the first wireless device are further configured to detect that the second wireless device is a source of the congestion through the first wireless device. 
     
     
         4 . The one or more computer-readable storage memories of  claim 2 , wherein the processor-executable instructions to detect the congestion through the first wireless device include processor-executable instructions to detect that a fourth wireless device is a source of the congestion through the first wireless device. 
     
     
         5 . The one or more computer-readable storage memories of  claim 1 , wherein the processor-executable instructions to detect the occurrence of the condition are further configured to predict anticipated congestion through the first wireless device. 
     
     
         6 . The one or more computer-readable storage memories of  claim 1 , wherein the processor-executable instructions to detect the occurrence of the condition are further configured to detect that a transmission channel is unavailable due to at least one of:
 noise;   interference; or   lack of channel bandwidth capacity.   
     
     
         7 . The one or more computer-readable storage memories of  claim 1 , wherein the processor-executable instructions to detect the occurrence of the condition are further configured to receive, using the first wireless device, a scheduling message instructing the first wireless device to reduce its bandwidth consumption. 
     
     
         8 . The one or more computer-readable storage memories of  claim 1 , wherein the processor-executable instructions to redirect are further configured to send an instruction to the second wireless device to utilize the third wireless device as the relay. 
     
     
         9 . The one or more computer-readable storage memories  claim 1 , wherein the processor-executable instructions to redirect are further configured to send, to the second wireless device, configuration information associated with configuring the second wireless device to utilize the third wireless device as the relay. 
     
     
         10 . The one or more computer-readable storage memories of  claim 9 , wherein the processor-executable instructions to send configuration information are further configured to send antenna orientation information associated with orienting an antenna of the second wireless device to utilize the third wireless device as the relay. 
     
     
         11 . The one or more computer-readable storage memories of  claim 1 , the processor-executable instructions further configured to enable the first wireless device to:
 access state information that describes the condition of the wireless network; and   determine that the third wireless device is available to serve as the relay for the second wireless device based on the state information.   
     
     
         12 . The one or more computer-readable storage memories of  claim 1 , the processor-executable instructions further configured to enable the first wireless device to configure a lobe pool in the wireless network to assist the second wireless device in utilizing the third wireless device as the relay in response to detecting the occurrence of the condition. 
     
     
         13 . The one or more computer-readable storage memories of  claim 12 , wherein the processor-executable instructions to configure the lobe pool are further configured to activate the lobe pool to assist the second wireless device in utilizing the third wireless device as the relay. 
     
     
         14 . The one or more computer-readable storage memories of  claim 13 , wherein the processor-executable instructions to configure the lobe pool are further configured to reorient an existing lobe pool to assist the second wireless device in utilizing the third wireless device as the relay. 
     
     
         15 . One or more computer-readable storage memories comprising processor-executable instructions which, responsive to execution by at least one processor, are configured to enable a first wireless device in a wireless network to:
 receive a request from a second wireless device in the wireless network to use the first wireless device as an intermediary for transmitting wireless communications in the wireless network;   responsive to receiving the request from the second wireless device, determine whether the wireless network can support the request from the second wireless device to use the first wireless device as the intermediary; and   responsive to determining that the wireless network can support the request from the second wireless device to use the first wireless device as the intermediary, send a message to at least one participating wireless device in the wireless network announcing that the wireless network can support the use of the first wireless device as the intermediary.   
     
     
         16 . The one or more computer-readable storage memories of  claim 15 , wherein sending the message from the first wireless device to the at least one participating wireless device in the wireless network includes sending the message to at least one of the second wireless device or a third wireless device in the wireless network, announcing that the wireless network can support the use of the first wireless device as the intermediary. 
     
     
         17 . One or more computer-readable storage memories comprising processor-executable instructions which, responsive to execution by at least one processor, are configured to enable a first wireless device to:
 determine whether the first wireless device in the wireless network is able to exchange wireless communications directly with a base station in the wireless network;   responsive to determining that the first wireless device is unable to exchange wireless communications directly with the base station, locate a second wireless device in the wireless network that is available to operate as a relay for wireless communications in the wireless network to and from the first wireless device; and   configure the first wireless device to utilize the second wireless device as the relay for wireless communications in the wireless network to and from the first wireless device.   
     
     
         18 . The one or more computer-readable storage memories of  claim 17 , the processor-executable instructions further configured to enable the first wireless device to send an outgoing wireless communication to the second wireless device to be relayed in the wireless network after configuring the first wireless device to utilize the second wireless device as the relay. 
     
     
         19 . The one or more computer-readable storage memories of  claim 18 , the processor-executable instructions further configured to enable the first wireless device to receive an incoming wireless communication that was relayed to the first wireless device by the second wireless device after configuring the first wireless device to utilize the second wireless device as the relay. 
     
     
         20 . The one or more computer-readable storage memories of  claim 17 , the processor-executable instructions to configure the first wireless device to utilize the second wireless device as the relay are further configured to reconfigure one or more antenna associated with the first wireless device effective to utilize the second wireless device.