Patent ID: 8571010

Claim:
A method for use in a communication network, the method comprising: generating, at a first device, a synchronization data unit to be transmitted to a plurality of second devices, wherein the synchronization data unit (i) includes information for scheduling subsequent simultaneous transmission of a plurality of data units by the plurality of second devices, and (ii) specifies a space-time mapping parameter to be utilized subsequently by the plurality of second devices when transmitting the plurality of data units to the first communication device; assigning a unique index to each of the plurality of second devices, so that each of the plurality of second devices maps at least a portion of a respective one of the plurality of data units to a set of space-time streams in accordance with the respective unique index; and subsequently receiving, at the first device, the plurality of data units via a plurality of antennas, wherein the plurality of data units are transmitted simultaneously from respective ones of the plurality of second devices in accordance with the space-time mapping parameter.