Patent ID: 9699748
Date: 2017-07-04
CPC Classifications: H04B,H04W

Claim:
1. A method, comprising: prompting, at a first communication device, a plurality of second communication devices to transmit, to the first communication device, respective beamforming training packets as part of a procedure for developing respective transmit beamforming matrices for use by the plurality of second communication devices during a subsequent uplink multi-user (UL MU) transmission to the first communication device; receiving, at the first communication device, the respective beamforming training packets as part of the procedure for developing the respective transmit beamforming matrices for use by the plurality of second communication devices during the subsequent UL MU transmission, the respective beamforming training packets having been transmitted by the plurality of second communication devices in response to the prompting; generating, at the first communication device, respective beamforming feedback information based on reception of the respective beamforming training packets; transmitting, from the first communication device, the respective beamforming feedback information as part of the procedure for developing the respective transmit beamforming matrices for use by the plurality of second communication devices during the subsequent UL MU transmission; transmitting, with the first communication device, a synchronization signal to a group of multiple second communication devices from among the plurality of second communication devices, the synchronization signal configured to prompt second communication devices in the group to simultaneously transmit to the first communication device at a particular time as part of the UL MU transmission; and receiving, with the first communication device, simultaneous transmissions from the group responsive to the synchronization signal, the simultaneous transmissions having been beamformed by second communication devices in the group using transmit beamforming matrices developed by the second communication devices in the group as part of the procedure for developing respective transmit beamforming matrices for use by the plurality of second communication devices.