Systems and methods facilitating high throughput control in wireless communications

An apparatus, comprising:

• a first station adapted for communications in a wireless network that operates in compliance with Standards 802.11, promulgated by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE 802.11), the first station configured to use a frame format that includes:
• a first control field of the frame, the first control field defining a subtype using a type field and a subtype field;
• a duration field following the first control field;
• an address1 field following the duration field;
• a second control field following the address1 field comprising a byte count field, a subtype field and a high throughput control (HTC) enabling field that if set to enable will indicate that the HTC field follows the second control field.

A method, comprising:

• operating, by a first station adapted for communications in a wireless network, in the wireless network in compliance with Standards 802.11, promulgated by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE 802.11);
• wherein the IEEE 802.11 standards define a High Throughput Control (HTC) field used for signaling such that the HTC field can be transmitted as part of a control frame and defines that a receiving station shall assert a network allocation vector (NAV) in response to receiving a frame of a type indicative of a management frame, data frame, or a control frame;
• and
• generating, by the first station, a frame with a first subtype, the frame being constructed to deliver an HTC field within a Control Frame (Control Frame+HTC) to receiving stations conforming to an IEEE 802.11 standard to enable a legacy station compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard prior to IEEE 802.11n to be able to assert the network allocation vector (NAV) in a duration field of the frame.