Patent ID: 8718176

Claim:
A method, comprising: selecting a first number of spatial streams to utilize when transmitting information from a first communication device to a second communication device, wherein the first number of spatial streams is less than or equal to a maximum number of spatial streams N ss max that can be utilized by the first communication device when communicating with the second communication device; selecting, based on the first number of spatial streams, a first transmit steering matrix from a second transmit steering matrix, wherein the first transmit steering matrix corresponds to the first number of spatial streams, and wherein the second transmit steering matrix corresponds to the maximum number of spatial streams N ss max ; applying the first transmit steering matrix to signals to be transmitted by the first communication device via a plurality of transmit antennas; after applying the first transmit steering matrix, selecting a second number of spatial streams to utilize when transmitting information from the first communication device to the second communication device, wherein the second number of spatial streams is (i) less than the maximum number of spatial streams N ss max and (ii) different than the first number of spatial streams; after selecting the second number of spatial streams, selecting, based on the second number of spatial streams, a third transmit steering matrix from the second transmit steering matrix, wherein the third transmit steering matrix (i) corresponds to the second number of spatial streams, (ii) is a subset of the second transmit steering matrix, and (iii) is different than the first transmit steering matrix; and after selecting the third transmit steering matrix, applying the third transmit steering matrix to signals to be transmitted by the first communication device via the plurality of transmit antennas.