Coded communication system with shared symbols

Claim 1

A communication system, comprising: at least two stations including respective RF transmitter/receiver pairs; said stations respectively including encoding and decoding circuits connected and programmed to perform encoding and decoding in accordance with a protocol which includes multiple symbols of different respective durations, wherein at least some of said symbols are decoded by said decoding circuits to commands including a read command and at least two write commands; said commands provided by said decoding circuits in at least one of said stations being connected to control access to a respective memory; and wherein said decoding circuit decodes overhead bits to determine a direction of data flow; and wherein said read command is encoded by a shared symbol, which also encodes one of said write commands; and wherein said decoding circuit decodes said shared symbol in accordance with said direction of data flow.

Claim 9

A method for data communication, in a system which includes one or more base stations each including a wireless transmitter and receiver, and one or more remote modules each including a wireless transmitter and receiver, comprising the steps of: (a) from one of said base stations: broadcasting a query signal; (b) in one of said micropowered portable modules which is within range of said query signal: receiving said query signal, and transmitting a beacon in response thereto; (c) in said base station: receiving said beacon, and transmitting a command to said module to read out data, and thereafter transmitting a series of read-data symbols; (d) in said module: transmitting in synchrony with said series of read-data symbols, a series of signals which each indicate the value of one bit of data; (e) in said base station, if a write transaction is desired: transmitting a command to said module to write in data, and thereafter transmitting a series of write-data symbols of first and second types; (f) in said module, if a write transaction is desired: receiving and decoding said series of write-data symbols, to define a sequence of bits, and storing said sequence of bits; wherein said read-data symbol is substantially the same as one of said write-data symbols.

Claim 10

A method for data communication, in a system which includes one or more base stations each including a wireless transmitter and receiver, and one or more remote modules each including a wireless transmitter and receiver, comprising the steps of: (a) from one of said base stations: broadcasting a query signal; (b) in one of said micropowered portable modules which is within range of said query signal: receiving said query signal, and transmitting a beacon in response thereto; (c) in said base station: receiving said beacon, and transmitting a command to said module to read out data, and thereafter transmitting a series of read-data symbols; (d) in said module: transmitting in synchrony with said series of read-data symbols, a series of signals which each indicate the value of one bit of data; (e) in said base station, if a write transaction is desired: transmitting a command to said module to write in data, and thereafter transmitting a series of write-data symbols of first and second types; (f) in said module, if a write transaction is desired: receiving and decoding said series of write-data symbols, to define a sequence of bits, and storing said sequence of bits; wherein said read-data symbol is substantially the same as one of said write-data symbols.