Patent ID: 8125972
Filing Date: 2012-02-28
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of providing a first communications apparatus with a plurality of different channel quality indicators from a second communications apparatus in a wireless communications network comprising the first communications apparatus and a plurality of such second communications apparatuses which communicate with the first communications apparatus, the method comprising; the first communications apparatus transmitting a single standing instruction to the second communications apparatus, the single standing instruction defining at least two interleaving patterns, each interleaving pattern specifying one or more of the channel quality indicators and defining a pattern according to which the second communications apparatus is to interleave the specified channel quality indicators in a single feedback channel allocated to the second communications apparatus, the single standing instruction further defining a selection signal to be transmitted from the first communications apparatus to the second communications apparatus according to which the second communications apparatus is to select one of the interleaving patterns; the second communications apparatus receiving the single standing instruction from the first communications apparatus; and the second communications apparatus transmitting channel quality indicators to the first communications apparatus according to the single standing instruction, wherein the single standing instruction defines first and second interleaving patterns, the first interleaving pattern specifying a said channel quality indicator which is to serve as a master channel quality indicator and one or more further said channel quality indicators which are to serve as slave channel quality indicators, and defining a pattern according to which the second communications apparatus is to interleave the master channel quality indicator and the one or more slave channel quality indicators in the single feedback channel, the second interleaving pattern specifying the same channel quality indicators as the first interleaving arrangement, with one of the further channel quality indicators to serve as a master indicator, and the remaining specified channel quality indicators to serve as slave channel quality indicators, and defining a pattern according to which the second communications apparatus is to interleave the master channel quality indicator and the slave channel quality indicators in the single feedback channel.