Patent ID: 8451771

Claim:
A method comprising: at a wireless access point device configured to operate in a wireless network, transmitting a multi-user request-to-send packet as part of a multi-user reservation sequence prior to a multi-user transmission from the wireless access point device to a plurality of wireless client devices that are the intended recipients for the multi-user transmission, the multi-user request-to-send packet comprising duration information, address information configured to address at least some of the plurality of wireless client devices and information indicating that a designated one of the plurality of wireless client devices is to first transmit a clear-to-send packet after the multi-user request-to-send packet and thereafter the remaining wireless client devices are to transmit their clear-to-send packets at substantially the same time; and receiving clear-to-send packets transmitted from two or more of the plurality of wireless client devices in response to the multi-user request-to-send packet.