Patent ID: 8358615

Claim:
A method for transmitting data from a portable communication device to a base station via a radio frequency signal, wherein the data are transmitted using a plurality of modulation and coding schemes and using a protocol that has recurring frames, each frame having a plurality of transmission slots, different numbers of which can be used to transmit the data, the method comprising: pre-defining a relationship between possible power levels for the radio frequency signal and a maximum number of the transmission slots in a frame for each of a first antenna and a second antenna that may be used by the portable communication device to transmit the data without the radio frequency signal resulting in a specific absorption rate (SAR) limit being exceeded, the first antenna and the second antenna each having a different SAR limit; when desiring to transmit data, selecting a first power level for the radio frequency signal for the first antenna; in response to selecting the first power level, selecting one of the plurality of modulation and coding schemes as a first selected scheme associated with the first power level; using the first power level and the relationship for the first antenna to select first maximum number of transmission slots; selecting a second power level for the radio frequency signal for the second antenna; in response to selecting the second power level, selecting one of the plurality of modulation and coding schemes as a second selected scheme associated with the second power level; using the second power level and the relationship for the second antenna to select a second maximum number of transmission slots; setting the first power level, the first selected scheme, and the first maximum number of transmission slots as first antenna parameters; setting the second power level, the second selected scheme, and the second maximum number of transmission slots as second antenna parameters; determining a transmission scheme based on the first antenna parameters and the second antenna parameters; and transmitting the data according to the transmission scheme.