Patent ID: 7599333

Claim:
A method of transmitting signals in a wireless network comprising a plurality of wireless devices, the method comprising: processing data by an extended wireless device for transmission of the data as a packet, wherein the extended wireless device communicates using a standard protocol understood by each wireless device and an extended protocol not understood by legacy wireless devices; determining if the packet is to be directed at another extended wireless device or a legacy wireless device; when the packet is to be directed at another extended wireless device, transmitting a preamble of the packet that is usable in an extended mode at extended wireless devices and usable at receiving legacy wireless devices to determine that the receiving legacy wireless devices are not the destination of data to follow the preamble, wherein the preamble contains a SIG-N field, the SIG-N field containing a bit indicating that portions of the packet following the SIG-N field are beamformed; and when the packet is to be directed at another extended wireless device, waiting until a time period when the receiving legacy wireless devices are expected to be deferring the network, and then beamforming other portions of the packet.