Patent ID: 7701920

Claim:
A communication system for carrying out data communication among a plurality of communication stations, comprising: a first communication station configured to transmit a request to send signal to at least one other communication station, the request to send signal indicating a request to initiate data transmission; and a second communication station configured to receive the request to send signal transmitted from said first communication station, and to transmit a clear to send signal to at least one of the plurality of communication stations in reply to the request to send signal, wherein said first communication station receives the clear to send signal transmitted from said second communication station, the request to send signal received by said second communication station includes an addresses of said second communication station, and the clear to send signal includes at least a first section and a second section, the first section including information used to indicate an interval of time during which a third communication station having an address that is not included in the second section must stop its communication operation, and the second section including the address of said first communication station.