Patent ID: 8594008

Claim:
A method of operating a sectorized communications device, the method comprising: transmitting to a first relay station from a first sector of said sectorized communications device during a first time interval, said sectorized communications device including N sectors, each sector of said sectorized communications device being oriented in a different direction, said first sector being oriented in a first direction, said sectorized communications device further including a second sector and a third sector, the third sector being oriented in a different direction from said first sector, said different direction being a direction which is offset from said first direction and which is not directly opposite said first direction; controlling the sectorized communications device to refrain from transmitting from the second sector of said sectorized communications device during said first time interval, said second sector being oriented in a second direction which is different from said first direction; transmitting to a second relay station from the second sector of said sectorized communications device during a second time interval, said first and second time intervals being recurring time periods in a recurring sequence of N time periods and being non-overlapping time intervals, said second time interval being a time interval during which said first relay station transmits to access terminals; and controlling said first and third sectors according to a first schedule, the same first schedule being used to control transmissions from both said first and third sector, controlling said first and third sectors according to the first schedule including controlling said first and third sectors to transmit during the same time intervals in accordance with said first schedule and to refrain from transmitting during said second time interval in accordance with said first schedule, said first schedule being used to control transmission from at least two adjacent sectors of said sectorized communications device.