Patent ID: 7400599

Claim:
A method for managing channel training in a reverse direction in a wireless communication network, comprising: when an opportunity to request reverse direction channel training arises during a frame exchange between an initiator device and a responder device, determining, at the responder device, whether reverse direction channel training will produce a performance benefit wherein an initiator device is a device that initiates a wireless frame exchange, a responder device is a device that communicates with the initiator device during the wireless frame exchange, and the reverse direction is the direction from the responder device to the initiator device; sending a reverse direction channel training request from the responder device to the initiator device only when it is determined that training will produce a performance benefit; wherein determining whether reverse direction channel training will produce a performance benefit includes: estimating a first amount of useful data that can be transmitted in the reverse direction during the frame exchange without using reverse direction channel training; estimating a second amount of useful data that can be transmitted in the reverse direction during the frame exchange using reverse direction channel training; and comparing said first amount to said second amount.