Patent ID: 7031742

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a receiver for receiving a plurality of power control channels, each power control channel comprising a sequence of slots, at least one of the plurality of power control channels comprising power control commands transmitted in at least one subset of the sequences of slots, wherein a first power control channel comprises power control commands in each of the sequence of slots; and a transmitter for transmitting signals at a transmit power level; and a processor for adjusting the transmit power level during each slot in response to the plurality of power control channels, and the processor: combines any power control commands received in a slot from the remainder of the plurality of power control channels to form a combined power control command; adjusts the transmit power level for the slot in proportion to a first parameter in accordance with the power control command of the first power control channel when the remainder of the plurality of power control channels do not contain a power control command for the slot; adjusts the transmit power level for the slot in proportion to a second parameter in accordance with the combined power control command when the combined power control command for the slot, if any, is the same as the power control command of the first power control channel; and decreases the transmit power level for the slot in proportion to a third parameter otherwise.