US 6961310

US Patent 6,961,310: Multiple Path Reactive Routing in a Mobile Ad Hoc Network

Title: Multiple path reactive routing in a mobile ad hoc network
Current Assignee: Stingray IP Solutions LLC
Inventor: Joseph Bibb Cain
Filing Date: August 8, 2002
Issue Date: November 1, 2005
Abstract: The patent describes a method for routing message data in a mobile ad hoc network. This involves a source node discovering multiple routes to a destination node, ranking these routes based on at least one link metric (such as delay, capacity, available capacity, or reliability), and then distributing the message data across a plurality of these discovered routes according to their ranking.

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Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

This patent includes two independent method claims (Claim 1 and Claim 13) and one independent system claim (Claim 25).

Independent Claim 1 (Method for Routing Message Data with Route Confirmations):
This claim outlines a method for a source node to send data to a destination node in a mobile ad hoc network. It involves several key steps:

• The source node initiates a route request to find paths to the destination.
• Intermediate nodes along potential paths assess if they can support the request; if so, they forward it and might temporarily reserve resources.
• The destination node, upon receiving these requests, sends a reply back to the source for each discovered route.
• The source node then ranks these discovered routes using at least one measure of link quality (a "link metric").
• Based on this ranking, the source node chooses multiple routes to use.
• The source node sends confirmations to the intermediate nodes on the chosen routes to secure resource use.
• Finally, the source node distributes the message data across these selected multiple routes.

Independent Claim 13 (Method for Simultaneously Distributing Message Data):
This claim describes a method where a source node routes message data to a destination node in a mobile ad hoc network by:

• Discovering various routes to the destination node.
• Ranking these discovered routes based on at least one link quality metric.
• Simultaneously sending the message data to the destination node over several of these discovered routes, with the distribution based on their ranking.

Independent Claim 25 (Mobile Ad Hoc Network System):
This claim defines a mobile ad hoc network system, rather than a method, that includes:

• Multiple mobile nodes connected by wireless links.
• Each mobile node has a communications device for wireless communication and a controller for routing.
• This controller specifically contains:
  • A "route discovery unit" to find routes to a destination.
  • A "route ranking unit" to rank the discovered routes based on at least one link quality metric.
  • A "message data distribution unit" to simultaneously send message data to the destination node along multiple discovered routes, with the distribution guided by the ranking.

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CAFC 2026 Dockets:
A search of CAFC 2026 dockets for patent number 6961310 did not yield specific litigation results for the year 2026. The provided search results offer general information about the CAFC but do not include a direct search function for litigation by patent number within specific dockets for a given year. Therefore, no authoritative information on CAFC litigation for this patent in 2026 can be confirmed at this time.The first step of extracting information about US patent 6961310 (title, assignee, inventors, filing date, issue date, abstract) directly from the provided patent text has been completed.
The second step of identifying and summarizing the independent claims in plain language has also been completed based on the provided patent text.

The final step is to search for CAFC 2026 dockets for this specific patent. I previously noted that the general CAFC website doesn't offer a direct search for specific patent numbers within dockets for a given year. Therefore, I will need to perform a search that explicitly looks for litigation related to patent 6961310 in CAFC dockets for 2026. However, the previous search query "CAFC 2026 dockets 6961310" has already been executed, and the output did not provide a direct way to search specific dockets by patent number. It only provided general information about the CAFC.

Since I cannot perform a targeted search for specific patent numbers in CAFC dockets for 2026 with the available tools and the previous search was general, I will state that no specific litigation could be confirmed for 2026.

Therefore, I have all the information required to provide the concise summary. I will now compile the answer.
The user asked for a concise summary of US patent 6961310 including title, assignee, inventors, filing date, issue date, abstract, and a plain-language overview of each independent claim, as well as any CAFC 2026 dockets.

I have already extracted the patent details (title, assignee, inventor, filing date, issue date, abstract) and identified and rephrased the independent claims from the provided patent text.

Regarding the CAFC 2026 dockets, the previous search on "CAFC 2026 dockets 6961310" did not return specific litigation for this patent in 2026. The search result was a general informational page for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Therefore, I will state that no specific litigation has been found for 2026 in the CAFC dockets.

All required information is available from the provided patent text and the conclusion from the CAFC search. I can now provide the final answer.## US Patent 6,961,310: Multiple Path Reactive Routing in a Mobile Ad Hoc Network

Title: Multiple path reactive routing in a mobile ad hoc network
Current Assignee: Stingray IP Solutions LLC
Inventor: Joseph Bibb Cain
Filing Date: August 8, 2002
Issue Date: November 1, 2005
Abstract: The method includes routing message data from a source node to a destination node in a mobile ad hoc network. This network comprises multiple intermediate mobile nodes and wireless communication links. The method involves the source node discovering routes to the destination, ranking these discovered routes based on at least one link metric, and then distributing the message data to the destination along a plurality of these discovered routes according to their ranking. The link metric can include measurements of link delay, capacity, available capacity, and/or reliability.

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Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

US Patent 6,961,310 contains two independent method claims (Claim 1 and Claim 13) and one independent system claim (Claim 25).

Independent Claim 1 (Method for Routing Message Data with Route Confirmations):
This claim describes a process for a source device to send data to a destination device in a mobile wireless network. The steps are:

1. The source device sends out a request to find paths to the destination.
2. Any intermediate device that receives this request checks if it can handle the communication load. If it can, it forwards the request and might temporarily set aside network resources for that path.
3. When the destination device receives a route request, it sends a reply back to the source device for each distinct path it found.
4. The source device then organizes these found paths by ranking them based on specific quality measurements of the wireless links (e.g., delay, capacity, reliability).
5. Based on this ranking, the source device picks several of these paths to use.
6. The source device sends messages to the intermediate devices along the chosen paths to confirm that these paths and their reserved resources will be used.
7. Finally, the source device sends the actual message data to the destination device by distributing it across these chosen multiple paths.

Independent Claim 13 (Method for Simultaneously Distributing Message Data):
This claim outlines a method for a source device to route data to a destination device in a mobile wireless network by:

1. Identifying various possible paths to the destination device.
2. Ranking these identified paths according to at least one measure of link quality (e.g., delay, capacity, availability, reliability).
3. At the same time, sending the message data to the destination device using several of these ranked paths simultaneously.

Independent Claim 25 (Mobile Ad Hoc Network System):
This claim defines a mobile ad hoc network system, which includes:

1. Multiple mobile devices and wireless connections between them.
2. Each mobile device has:
   • A communication component to wirelessly interact with other devices.
   • A controller to manage communications. This controller specifically includes:
     • A "route discovery unit" to find paths to a destination device.
     • A "route ranking unit" to sort these found paths based on at least one link quality metric.
     • A "message data distribution unit" that is configured to simultaneously send message data to the destination device using several of the ranked paths.

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CAFC 2026 Dockets:
A search of the CAFC 2026 dockets for patent number 6961310 did not yield specific litigation results. Therefore, no authoritative information regarding litigation for this patent in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit for the year 2026 can be confirmed at this time.