Patent ID: 7764644

Claim:
A method comprising: sending a user bit map field from a base station to a plurality of mobile stations wherein the bit map field for initiating assignment of users to resources corresponding to bit positions in a resource bit map field, and sending the resource bit map field from the base station to the plurality of mobile stations wherein the resource bit map field is a message indicating which resources are assigned to mobile stations, and sending an indicator bit from the base station to the plurality of mobile stations wherein the indicator bit indicates at least one of a portion of the user bit map field is being used for purposes other than initiating assignment of users to resources corresponding to bit positions in a resource bit map field and a portion of the resource bit map field is being used for purposes other than indicating which resources are assigned to mobile stations when at least one of among a user start bit indicator to the at least one of the mobile stations, a resource assignment retransmission for the at least one of the mobile stations, a control signaling indicating group membership change for the at least one of the mobile stations, a data packet format start indication, a data packet format inclusion indicator, a retransmission including indicator, a new data indicator, modulation coding scheme of a packet, a data packet format start indication, a data packet format inclusion indicator, a retransmission inclusion indicator, a repacking bit, and an indicator as to the inclusion of a subsequent optional field within the resource bit field.