Patent ID: 7885214
Filing Date: 2011-02-08
Classification: H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: processing a super-frame structure including a sequence of super frames, wherein each super frame of the super frames includes a sequence of a first predefined integer number of frames for communication in a wireless communications network according to a reference system standard, wherein each frame of the sequence of frames includes a second predefined integer number of sub-frames, wherein each sub-frame includes a third predefined integer number of orthogonal-frequency-division-multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, wherein the super frame includes at least one legacy zone allocated for communication with at least a legacy terminal according to the reference system standard and at least one non-legacy zone for communication with a non-legacy terminal, wherein a beginning of each zone of the legacy and non-legacy zones is aligned with a beginning of a respective one of the sub-frames; during the legacy zone, transmitting one of the plurality of sub-frames including a legacy preamble for communicating with the legacy terminal, wherein the legacy preamble is transmitted once during the transmission of each of the frames; and during the non-legacy zone, transmitting one of the plurality of sub-frames including a non-legacy preamble for communicating with the non-legacy terminal and one or more of the plurality of sub-frames including data to be received by the non-legacy terminal, wherein the non-legacy preamble is transmitted substantially once within each super-frame, wherein a legacy transmission time interval of the communication with the legacy terminal corresponds to a length of a frame within the super frame, and wherein a non-legacy transmission time interval of the communication with the non-legacy terminal corresponds to a length of a sub-frame within the frame.