US 8144717

US Patent 8144717, titled "Initialization of a wireless communication network," was filed on January 2, 2007, and issued on March 27, 2012. The inventors are Marinus Johannes Blange and Miodrag Djurica. The original assignee was Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek TNO, and the current assignee is K Mizra LLC.

Abstract:
The patent describes a wireless communication network featuring an association unit and multiple stations. Stations initially exist in a "not-associated" state and send association request messages. Upon receiving an association grant in response to its request, a station transitions to an "associated" state. This grant establishes an operating route for the station to exchange messages with the association unit. This operating route includes the source of the association grant. If the grant comes from an intermediate station (not the association unit), the route incorporates the path between that intermediate station and the association unit that was previously established for the intermediate station. The association unit can issue these grants, and other stations can only do so after they themselves have achieved an associated state through a grant from the association unit or another already-associated station.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1 (Wireless Communication Network): This claim covers a wireless network comprising a central "association unit" and many "stations." Each station starts un-associated and tries to join the network by sending requests. If a station receives an approval (an "association grant"), it becomes "associated." This approval also sets up a specific path (an "operating route") for that station to communicate with the central association unit. The important part is that only the central unit can initiate these approvals. Other stations can also give approvals, but only if they have already been approved themselves (directly or indirectly by the central unit). This ensures a hierarchical setup where routes are established progressively from the central unit outwards.

• Claim 11 (Station for Wireless Communication Network): This claim describes a specific type of device ("station") used in such a wireless network. The station has a transmitter, receiver, and a processor. The processor is designed to initially be in an un-associated state and send out requests to join the network. When it receives an approval, it transitions to an associated state and learns its communication path to the central unit. Crucially, this station is also capable of giving approvals to other un-associated stations, but it can only do so once it has become an associated station itself.

• Claim 14 (Method of Operating a Wireless Communication Network): This claim outlines the steps involved in running such a wireless network. It includes setting up stations in an un-associated state, where they send out requests for association. In response, association grants are transmitted, causing stations to become associated. A communication route is then stored for each associated station, detailing its path to the central association unit. The key method step is that grants can only originate from the central association unit, or from an intermediate station only after that intermediate station has already been granted association itself, either directly by the central unit or indirectly through another already-associated station.

Litigation Status:
As of the current date, US Patent 8144717 is involved in litigation. A PTAB case, IPR2026-00254, has been filed and is currently pending. Additionally, district court cases related to this patent have been filed in the Texas Western District Court (cases 1:26-cv-00754 and 1:26-cv-00316) and the California Northern District Court (case 3:25-cv-08107). No specific dockets for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) for 2026 related to this patent were identified in the search results.