Patent ID: 7869409

Claim:
A communications signal transmitter for wirelessly transmitting more than one type of data packet, comprising: a media access controller for generating a structure of a data packet, for generating a serial data stream of bits representing contents of the data packet, and for generating a frame length start signal that indicates length of a frame of the data packet, wherein the media access controller simultaneously outputs the serial data stream of bits to a first portion of the transmitter and to a second portion of the transmitter, wherein the first portion of the transmitter includes: a pseudorandom (PN) code generator, coupled to the media access controller, for spreading symbols of the serial data stream of bits into PN chips, and an encoding circuit, having an input coupled to the PN code generator, for encoding offset quadrature phase shift keying (O-QPSK) to minimum shift keying (MSK), and for outputting spread spectrum chips that represent the contents of the data packet, wherein the outputting of said spread spectrum chips occurs subsequent to inputting of the serial data stream of bits into the first portion of the transmitter by an amount of time equal to a total group delay without use of a tapped delay line in the first portion of the transmitter, and wherein the second portion of the transmitter includes: a first tapped delay line, coupled to the media access controller, for delaying the serial data stream of bits by an amount equal to the total group delay, and for outputting non-spread spectrum bits that represent the contents of the data packet; a second tapped delay line, coupled to the media access controller, for delaying the frame length start signal by the amount equal to the total group delay; and a multiplexer, coupled to the second tapped delay line, for receiving at one input the spread spectrum chips from the encoding circuit, and at another input the non-spread spectrum bits from the first tapped delay line, an output from the multiplexer being selected by a delayed frame length start signal, a value of the delayed frame length start signal being dependent upon the type of data packet.