Patent ID: 7885293

Claim:
A method of operating a base station in a communications system to transmit assignment information indicating assignment of uplink communications segments, each segment having a predetermined duration, the method comprising: generating a first segment assignment signal assigning a first communications segment to a wireless terminal, the first segment assignment signal including a first maximum uplink rate option indicator value having a first number of bits and indicating a first maximum uplink rate option corresponding to a plurality of rate options available to the wireless terminal in determining the actual uplink transmission rate to be used when transmitting in the first communications segment; transmitting said first segment assignment signal to the wireless terminal over a first wireless assignment channel; generating a second segment assignment signal assigning a second communications segment to said wireless terminal, the second segment assignment signal including a second maximum uplink rate option indicator value, said second maximum uplink rate option indicator value having a second number of bits which is more than said first number of bits and indicating a second maximum uplink rate option corresponding to a plurality of rate options available to the wireless terminal in determining the actual uplink transmission rate to be used when transmitting in the second communications segment; and transmitting the second segment assignment signal to said wireless terminal over a second wireless assignment channel.