Patent ID: 7106779

Claim:
An access terminal in a spread spectrum communications system comprising: a controller configured to receive and process data, the controller being configured to implement a set of layers and protocols used to support data transmission, wherein the controller is adapted to negotiate and configure one or more layers and one or more protocols, or a combination thereof prior to the data transmission, and wherein the configuration is responsive to an attribute negotiated between the access terminal and a radio network, wherein the controller negotiates by causing the access terminal (1) to send a first message to the radio network, the first message comprising a plurality of values of the attribute acceptable to the access terminal, (2) to receive a second message from the radio network, the second message comprising at least a subset of the plurality of values of the attribute, the subset comprising values of the attribute acceptable to the access terminal and to the radio network, and (3) to assign to the attribute a value acceptable to the access terminal and to the radio network, the assigned value being selected from the subset; an encoder coupled to the controller and configured to encode the processed data from the controller; a modulator coupled to the encoder and configured to modulate the encoded data from the encoder; and a transmitter coupled to the modulator and configured to convert the modulated data from the modulator into an analog signal suitable for transmission over a transmission medium.