Distributed signal field for communications within multiple user, multiple access, and/or MIMO wireless communications

A method for operating a wireless communication device, the method comprising:

• generating a multi-user packet including a distributed signal (SIG) field composed of at least two SIG fields, such that the multi-user packet including a first portion including the first SIG field and a second portion including the second SIG field;
• and
• transmitting the first portion of the multi-user packet omni-directionally to a plurality of wireless communication devices;
• and
• transmitting the second portion of the multi-user packet in accordance with beamforming or precoding to a selected at least one of the plurality of wireless communication devices;
• wherein:
• a first SIG field within the multi-user packet including first information for use by each of the plurality of wireless communication devices for decoding a first at least one field within the multi-user packet;
• a second SIG field within the multi-user packet including second information for use by at least one of the plurality of wireless communication devices for decoding a second at least one field within the multi-user packet corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of wireless communication devices;
• the multi-user packet including a first portion corresponding to a first operational mode followed by a second portion corresponding to a second operational mode;
• the first portion including the first SIG field;
• within the second portion including the second SIG field, the second SIG field being adjacently located to a data field;
• and
• a common format of the multi-user packet being compliant with a plurality of operational modes including:
• a single user (SU) operational mode;
• a resolvable long training field (LTFs) operational mode being a first multi-user (MU) operational mode;
• and
• a non-resolvable LTFs operational mode being a second MU operational mode.

An apparatus, comprising:

• a baseband processing module for generating a multi-user packet including a distributed signal (SIG) field composed of at least two SIG fields;
• and
• at least one antenna for transmitting the multi-user packet to the plurality of wireless communication devices;
• and wherein:
• a first SIG field within the multi-user packet including first information for use by each of the plurality of wireless communication devices for decoding a first at least one field within the multi-user packet;
• and
• a second SIG field within the multi-user packet including second information for use by at least one of the plurality of wireless communication devices for decoding a second at least one field within the multi-user packet corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of wireless communication devices.