A portable encoded information reading (EIR) terminal for incorporation in a data collection system can comprise a terminal module communicatively coupled to a wireless interface module via a wired interface. The terminal module can include a central processing unit (CPU), a memory, and an encoded information reading (EIR) device. The wireless interface module can include a microcontroller, a memory, and at least one wireless communication interface. The wireless interface module can establish one or more wireless links with one or more peer EIR terminals, to join a wireless network which is collectively formed by the peer EIR terminals. The wireless interface module can receive or transmit beacons containing at least an identifier of a path selection protocol which is used for unicast, multicast and broadcast frame transmission within the wireless network.

A communication method of the SMF type for a network of nodes including a multicast group. The method includes the steps, performed by a first node, of: determining a set of respective multipoint relays; determining the nodes for which the first node is a multipoint relay; determining a routing table including identifiers of destination nodes and corresponding identifiers of next-hop nodes; receiving a multicast packet sent from a sending node, where the first node is a multipoint relay; checking if, for each node identifier of the multicast group, the entry in the routing table that includes a destination node identifier corresponding to the node identifier of the multicast group contains a next-hop node identifier that corresponds to the sending node, and if the counter contained in the multicast packet respects a relation with a limit; and determining whether to retransmit the multicast packet, on the basis of the outcome of the checking step.

In one embodiment, a device both communicates with a network operating a distributed proactive routing protocol, and participates in a centralized path computation protocol. The device communicates routing characteristics of the distributed proactive routing protocol for the network from the network to the centralized path computation protocol, and also communicates one or more computed paths from the centralized path computation protocol to the network, where the computed paths from the centralized path computation protocol are based on the routing characteristics of the distributed proactive routing protocol for the network.

In one embodiment, a device both communicates with a network operating a distributed proactive routing protocol, and participates in a centralized path computation protocol. The device communicates routing characteristics of the distributed proactive routing protocol for the network from the network to the centralized path computation protocol, and also communicates one or more computed paths from the centralized path computation protocol to the network, where the computed paths from the centralized path computation protocol are based on the routing characteristics of the distributed proactive routing protocol for the network.

A continual learning process is applied to a class of risk estimate-based algorithms and associated risk thresholds used for deciding when to initiate a handoff between different types of network connections that are available to a mobile device having telephony functionality. The process is implemented as a virtuous loop providing ongoing tuning and adjustment to improve call handoff algorithms and risk thresholds so that handoffs can be performed with the goals of minimizing dropped calls and unacceptable degradation in call quality as well as avoiding premature handoffs. Device characteristics, environmental context, connection measurements, and outcomes of call handoff decisions are crowd-sourced from a population of mobile devices into a cloud-based handoff decision enabling service. The service evaluates potentially usable handoff decision algorithms and risk thresholds against archived crowd-sourced data to determine how they would have performed in real world situations and delivers improved algorithms and risk thresholds to the mobile devices.

A continual learning process is applied to a class of risk estimate-based algorithms and associated risk thresholds used for deciding when to initiate a handoff between different types of network connections that are available to a mobile device having telephony functionality. The process is implemented as a virtuous loop providing ongoing tuning and adjustment to improve call handoff algorithms and risk thresholds so that handoffs can be performed with the goals of minimizing dropped calls and unacceptable degradation in call quality as well as avoiding premature handoffs. Device characteristics, environmental context, connection measurements, and outcomes of call handoff decisions are crowd-sourced from a population of mobile devices into a cloud-based handoff decision enabling service. The service evaluates potentially usable handoff decision algorithms and risk thresholds against archived crowd-sourced data to determine how they would have performed in real world situations and delivers improved algorithms and risk thresholds to the mobile devices.

A wireless communication device that has an intermittent reception mode in which a reception waiting state and a sleep state are repeated at regular intervals includes: a function switching signal generation unit configured to generate a function switching signal for switching between an enabled state and a disabled state of the intermittent reception mode; a transmission unit configured to transmit the generated function switching signal to other wireless communication devices; a reception unit configured to receive, from the other wireless communication devices, one of a response signal for the transmitted function switching signal and the function switching signal; and a function switching unit configured to switch between the enabled state and the disabled state of the intermittent reception mode in accordance with one of the generated function switching signal and the received function switching signal.

In a self-organizing wireless multihop network, each node device selects operation among short-range (SR) and long-range (LR) communication modes, among which the SR mode uses a higher data rate than the LR mode. Each node device advertises connectivity link availability for neighboring node devices, and selectively initiates a link in response to connectivity availability advertised by at least one neighboring node device. The availability advertising is performed in the SR and the LR communication modes, according to a periodicity that is dynamically-variable in response to prevailing circumstances in the local neighborhood. The link initiation is selectively performed in one of either the SR or the LR communication mode based on selection criteria that include data throughput performance associated with different neighboring node devices with which connectivity is available via a certain communication mode.

In a self-organizing wireless multihop network, each node device selects operation among short-range (SR) and long-range (LR) communication modes, among which the SR mode uses a higher data rate than the LR mode. Each node device advertises connectivity link availability for neighboring node devices, and selectively initiates a link in response to connectivity availability advertised by at least one neighboring node device. The availability advertising is performed in the SR and the LR communication modes, according to a periodicity that is dynamically-variable in response to prevailing circumstances in the local neighborhood. The link initiation is selectively performed in one of either the SR or the LR communication mode based on selection criteria that include data throughput performance associated with different neighboring node devices with which connectivity is available via a certain communication mode.

The present invention discloses a service path generation method and apparatus. The method includes: receiving a downlink service path request sent by a classifier, where the downlink service path request carries an identifier of a downlink service chain; obtaining uplink service path information, and obtaining, according to the uplink service path information, identifiers of service devices on the uplink service path; selecting, from the identifiers of service devices on the uplink service path, an identifier of a service device according to the identifier of the downlink service chain; and generating a downlink service path according to the selected identifier of the service device.