Methods and apparatus for combining and/or transmitting multiple symbol streams

A communications method comprising:

• interweaving non-zero modulation symbols from a first modulation symbol stream with modulation symbols from a second modulation symbol stream, the first modulation symbol stream including non-zero modulation symbols and zero modulation symbols, at least some of the modulation symbols from the second modulation symbol stream replacing zero modulation symbols of the first modulation symbol stream to generate an interwoven modulation symbol stream;
• and
• transmitting said interwoven modulation symbol stream using a transmitter
• wherein the first modulation symbol stream includes non-zero modulation symbols and zero modulation symbols according to a ratio, said ratio being a ratio of positive integers, NZ/NSS, said ratio being a fractional proportion of:
• i) the number of zero modulation symbols mapped to a portion of a transmission segment, to ii) the total number of minimum transmission units in said portion of said transmission segment.

A communications apparatus, comprising:

• a symbol interweaving module for interweaving non-zero modulation symbols from a first modulation symbol stream with modulation symbols from a second modulation symbol stream, the first modulation symbol stream including non-zero modulation symbols and zero modulation symbols, at least some of the modulation symbols from the second modulation symbol stream replacing zero modulation symbols of the first modulation symbol stream to generate an interwoven modulation symbol stream;
• a transmitter module for transmitting said interwoven modulation symbol stream;
• and
• a modulation selector for selecting at least one of an encoding and modulation method to be used to produce said first symbol stream, said first symbol stream having a selected zero symbol rate,
• wherein said selected zero symbol rate is one of a plurality of predetermined zero symbol rates, said selected zero symbol being a selected predetermined zero symbol rate which was selected to be used for symbols to be transmitted in a traffic channel segment.

A communications apparatus, comprising:

• a symbol interweaving module for interweaving non-zero modulation symbols from a first modulation symbol stream with modulation symbols from a second modulation symbol stream, the first modulation symbol stream including non-zero modulation symbols and zero modulation symbols, at least some of the modulation symbols from the second modulation symbol stream replacing zero modulation symbols of the first modulation symbol stream to generate an interwoven modulation symbol stream;
• and
• a transmitter module for transmitting said interwoven modulation symbol stream wherein said interweaving module includes:
• a zero symbol detector for determining the location of at least some zero modulation symbols in said first modulation symbol stream;
• and
• an interweaver for combining non-zero modulation symbols from the first modulation symbol stream with modulation symbols from the second modulation symbol stream.

A computer readable medium embodying instructions for controlling an apparatus to perform a communications method, the method comprising:

• interweaving non-zero modulation symbols from a first modulation symbol stream with modulation symbols from a second modulation symbol stream, the first modulation symbol stream including non-zero modulation symbols and zero modulation symbols, at least some of the modulation symbols from the second modulation symbol stream replacing zero modulation symbols of the first modulation symbol stream to generate an interwoven modulation symbol stream;
• and
• transmitting said interwoven modulation symbol stream using OFDM tone symbols,
• wherein said first modulation symbol stream has a selected zero symbol rate and said selected zero symbol rate is one of a plurality of predetermined zero symbol rates, said selected predetermined zero symbol rate having been selected to be used for symbols to be transmitted in a traffic channel segment.