Patent ID: 8831532

Claim:
A method of selecting a transmit antenna in a mobile wireless device connected to a wireless network, the method comprising: in the mobile wireless device, while connected to the wireless network through a first antenna and a second antenna: measuring a received signal characteristic of a first signal received through the first antenna and of a second signal received through the second antenna; selecting the first antenna for transmission to the wireless network when the measured received signal characteristic of the first signal exceeds the measured received signal characteristic of the second signal; selecting the second antenna for transmission to the wireless network when the measured received signal characteristic of the second signal exceeds the measured received signal characteristic of the first signal by at least a pre-determined signal characteristic threshold level and when an available power to transmit through the first antenna is insufficient to support a data traffic from the mobile wireless device to the wireless network; and otherwise, selecting a presently used antenna for transmission to the wireless network.