Patent ID: 8737405

Claim:
A method implemented in a communication device, the method comprising: determining an available bandwidth for transmitting one or more data frames, wherein the available bandwidth corresponds to a first composite communication channel comprising a plurality of communication channels; generating a control frame to indicate a request to transmit via the first composite communication channel, wherein the control frame includes a header, and wherein a portion of the header includes information indicating the bandwidth of the first composite channel; causing the control frame to be transmitted via the first composite communication channel, wherein at least the portion of the header is duplicated in a plurality of bandwidth portions of the first composite communication channel; receiving a response frame, the response frame having been transmitted in response to the control frame; decoding at least a portion of a header of the response frame in a bandwidth portion of the response frame; and extracting information from the portion of header of the response frame that indicates a bandwidth of a second composite communication channel via which the response frame was transmitted, wherein the first composite communication channel and the second composite communication channel are different composite communication channels.