Patent ID: 8509130

Claim:
A method comprising: generating, at a first device, training data for a first training session between the first device and a second device, the training data including a first data unit to be transmitted during the first training session, wherein generating the first data unit includes generating a field of the first data unit that specifies a first number of beamforming training data units that can be communicated during a second training session to occur after the first training session, wherein the field of the first data unit that specifies the first number of beamforming training data units corresponds to a request for the second device to participate in the second training session; causing training data including the first data unit to be transmitted from the first device to the second device during the first training session; processing a second data unit received, at the first device, wherein the second data unit includes a response, by the second device, to the request, in the first data unit, for the second device to participate in the second training session, wherein processing the second data unit includes: determining whether the request for the second device to participate in the second training session was accepted by the second device based on a first field of the second data unit, wherein the first field of the second data unit is a single bit, wherein a first value of the first field indicates that the request for the second training session is accepted by the second device, and wherein a second value of the first field indicates that the request for the second training session is rejected by the second device; and determining a second number of beamforming training data units to be transmitted by the second device during a third training session based on a second field of the second data unit; and wherein the method further comprises: in response to determining that the request to participate in the second training session was accepted by the second device, causing the first number of beamforming training data units to be transmitted by the first device during the second training session.