Patent ID: RE40078

Claim:
In a method of data communications between a transmitter and a receiver, utilizing modulated radio frequency carriers having a modulation format including a symbol rate, and further utilizing a fixed bandwidth communication channel having a channel capacity, the said data communications occurring at a transmit data rate for data received by the transmitter as input data messages at an average source data rate, a method of dynamically adjusting the channel capacity, comprising the steps of: changing the transmit data rate corresponding to the channel capacity in response to indicated changes in the average source data rate so as keep the transmit data rate marginally above the average source data rate with a margin that is substantially constant for all values of average source data rate; and changing the channel capacity in response to any change in the transmit data rate to maintain a ratio of signal energy per bit to a noise power spectral density at the receiver at a level at which a bit error rate at the receiver is maintained substantially at but below a threshold value, and wherein changes to the channel capacity are made through adjustments to the transmit power, symbol rate and modulation format.