System and a method for continuously adjustable, splitting group, multi-contention resolution in multi-access computer communication systems

摘要

The present invention relates to a communication system where tree-search or stack contention-resolution algorithms in hybrid MAC protocols are used by CaTV stations to resolve message transmission collisions. The stations, which are computer communicating devices, communicate by message transmissions over a communications channel where message contents of some of these transmissions are destroyed by collision of those messages sent from different stations. To resolve message transmission collisions, non-overlapping transmission time intervals of variable durations are generated and grouped into clusters of varying number of time intervals and varying time distances between them. Sequences of clusters are formed in which any station transmitting in a particular cluster will learn of the status of its message transmissions before commencement of the next cluster. Collision resolution is performed collectively on all message transmissions in a cluster and along the successive clusters of the same sequence.