Patent ID: 7020484

Claim:
A method of operating a wireless device within an aggregate transmit power limit, the wireless device including N wireless modems having their respective transmit outputs combined to produce an aggregate transmit output, comprising: (a) scheduling a plurality, M, of active ones of the N modems to transmit payload data, where M is less than or equal to N; (b) monitoring status reports from at least the active modems; (c) determining, based on the status reports, whether to modify the number of active modems in order to maximize an aggregate transmit data rate of the N modems while maintaining an aggregate transmit power of the N modems at or below the aggregate transmit power limit; and (d) modifying the number of active modems when it is determined in step (c) that the number of active modems should be modified to maintain the aggregate transmit power level of the N modems at or below the aggregate transmit power level.