Patent ID: 7023824

Claim:
A method for exchanging information in a communication system having a plurality of transmission schemes, the method comprising the steps of: selecting a first power level at which slices of information are capable of being exchanged over a communication link at a first slice rate; selecting a first transmission scheme that produces an acceptable link performance when exchanging information over the communication link at the first power level; reducing the first power level to a second power level; selecting a second transmission scheme for exchanging information over the communication link at the second power level that produces at least the acceptable link performance produced when exchanging information over the communication link at the first power level using the first transmission scheme; and exchanging slices of information over the communication link at the second power level and at a second slice rate using the second transmission scheme, wherein the second slice rate is at most equal to the first slice rate multiplied by a ratio of the first power level divided by the second power level, wherein the step of selecting the second transmission scheme comprises the steps of: determining a first sensitivity associated with receiving information transmitted at the first power level using the first transmission scheme; calculating a second sensitivity lower than the first sensitivity by an amount equivalent to the reduction in power between the first power level and the second power level; and selecting the second transmission scheme as that transmission scheme having a sensitivity closest to but not exceeding the second sensitivity.