Patent ID: 9629128
Date: 2017-04-18
CPC Classifications: H04B,H04L,H04W

Claim:
1. A method, comprising: receiving, at an access point device, a plurality of beamsteering feedback frames from a plurality of client devices in connection with a procedure for generating respective steering matrices for performing multiple user communications with the plurality of client devices, including receiving a first beamsteering feedback frame from a first client device, the first beamsteering feedback frame including i) first compressed beamsteering information corresponding to a first communication channel between the access point device and the first client device and ii) an indication of a preferred number of streams to be used when the access point performs single user beamformed communications with the first client device; generating, at the access point device, the respective steering matrices using compressed beamforming information included in the plurality of beamsteering feedback frames, including using the first compressed beamsteering information to generate a first steering matrix for transmitting to the first client device as part of a multiple user beamformed transmission to the plurality of client devices; generating, at the access point device, a second steering matrix for transmitting to the first client device as part of a single user beamformed transmission using the first compressed beamsteering information; and using, at the access point device, the indication of the preferred number of streams in the first beamsteering feedback frame to determine how many streams to utilize when transmitting to the first client device as part of a single user beamformed transmission.