Medium access control protocol for a multi-channel communication system

Abstract

A medium access control (MAC) protocol for controlling data communication in a multi-channel communication system (e.g., a wideband code division multiple access system). The protocol provides a procedure for transmitting, via a plurality of data links and control links, data packets between a first station (e.g., a base station) and one or more second stations (e.g., mobile stations). The protocol includes initial transmission of one or more data request packets each having a preamble code and a cyclic redundant code from the second stations to the first station, subsequent transmission of one or more channel assignment commands from the first station to one or more of the second stations based on the data request packets processed by the first station, and final transmission of one or more data packets from the one or more of the second stations to the first station based on the channel assignment commands. The data and request packets, which are respectively transmitted over a forward control link and a plurality of reverse control links, are respectively encoded by a predetermined number of scrambling codes.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.