Patent ID: 7321762

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a receiver for receiving a first message over a first shared-communications channel; and a processor for: processing the first message, wherein processing said first message comprises: a notification that said first shared-communications channel has been reserved, and reserving the first shared-communications channel and a second shared-communications channel, wherein the reserving is defined by one or more values that define in time (a) a first reservation offset time interval upon the conclusion of which a first signal is transmitted over a combination of the first shared-communications channel and the second shared-communications channel, and during which the first and second shared-communications channels are used; and (b) a second reservation duration time interval during which a first shared-communications channel and the second shared-communications channel are reserved, and upon the conclusion of which the transmission of the first signal over the combination of said first shared- communications channel and said second shared-communications channel is ended, wherein said second time interval is after said first time interval.