Receiver address field for multi-user transmissions in WLAN systems

1 . A station (STA), comprising:

a processing device; and

a memory unit coupled to the processing device, wherein the memory unit includes instructions that when executed by the processing device cause the processing device to:

receive a downlink (DL) aggregated MAC protocol data unit (A-MPDU) as part of a downlink orthogonal frequency division multiple access (DL OFDMA) physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) frame that comprises multiple quality of service (QoS) data frames,

wherein a QoS data frame indicates an acknowledgement (ACK) policy,

wherein in response to the QoS data frame appears in a PSMP downlink transmission time (PSMP-DTT), the STA transmits an ACK during a later PSMP uplink transmission time (PSMP-UTT), and

wherein an ACK policy of the received DL frame is set to a reserved value of “01” and bit 6 of a frame control field of the DL frame is set to “0”.

2 . The STA of claim 1 , wherein bit 6 of the frame control field is set to “1”.

3 . The STA of claim 1 , wherein one of the QoS data frames included in the A-MPDU includes subchannel assignment information.

4 . The STA of claim 3 , wherein an addressed recipient that receives a frame having the sub-channel assignment information returns a response to the data frame in the form of an Ack/Block Ack frame in response to the DL OFDMA PPDU frame triggers an uplink (UL) OFDMA transmission.

5 . The STA of claim 4 , wherein the Ack/Block Ack frame is returned either individually or as part of an A-MPDU starting a short interframe space (SIFS) after a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) carries the frame, according to the sub-channel assignment information specified in the received frame.

6 . The STA of claim 4 , wherein an addressed recipient that does not receive a frame having the sub-channel assignment information records the state.

7 . The STA of claim 4 , wherein the addressed recipient receives a BlockAckReq frame in the future.

8 . The STA of claim 1 , wherein the QoS data frame that indicates an acknowledgement (ACK) policy may be set to Normal Ack or Implicit Block Ack Request.

9 . The STA of claim 3 , wherein in response to an Ack Policy of a QoS data frame in the A-MPDU is set to No Ack, the subchannel assignment information is not carried in the downlink A-MPDU frame.

10 . A method, comprising:

receiving, by a station (STA), a downlink (DL) aggregated MAC protocol data unit (A-MPDU) as part of a downlink orthogonal frequency division multiple access (DL OFDMA) physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) frame comprising multiple quality of service (QoS) data frames,

wherein a QoS data frame indicates an acknowledgement (ACK) policy,

wherein in response to the QoS data frame appearing in a PSMP downlink transmission time (PSMP-DTT):

transmitting, by the STA, an ACK during a later PSMP uplink transmission time (PSMP-UTT), and

wherein an ACK policy of the received DL frame is set to a reserved value of “01” and bit 6 of a frame control field of the DL frame is set to “0”.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein one of the QoS data frames included in the A-MPDU includes subchannel assignment information.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the STA returns a response to the data frame in the form of an Ack/Block Ack frame in response to the DL OFDMA PPDU triggers an UL OFDMA transmission.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the Ack/Block Ack frame is returned either individually or as part of an A-MPDU starting a short interframe space (SIFS) after a PPDU carries the frame, according to the sub-channel assignment information specified in the received frame.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein an addressed recipient that does not receive a frame having the sub-channel assignment information records the state.

15 . A non-transitory machine-readable medium that stores instructions, which when executed by a processor of a station (STA) in a wireless network, causes the STA to:

receive a downlink (DL) aggregated MAC protocol data unit (A-MPDU) as part of a downlink orthogonal frequency division multiple access (DL OFDMA) physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) frame that comprises multiple quality of service (QoS) data frames, wherein a QoS data frame indicates an acknowledgement (ACK) policy, and

in response to the QoS data frame appears in a PSMP downlink transmission time (PSMP-DTT):

transmit, by the STA, an ACK during a later PSMP uplink transmission time (PSMP-UTT), and

wherein an ACK policy of the received DL frame is set to a reserved value of “01” and bit 6 of a frame control field of the DL frame is set to “0”.

16 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein one of the QoS data frames included in the A-MPDU includes subchannel assignment information.

17 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the STA returns a response to the data frame in the form of an Ack/Block Ack frame in response to the DL OFDMA PPDU triggers an UL OFDMA transmission.

18 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the Ack/Block Ack frame is returned either individually or as part of an A-MPDU starting a short interframe space (SIFS) after a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) carries the frame, according to the sub-channel assignment information specified in the received frame.

19 . The non-statutory machine-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein an addressed recipient that does not receive a frame having the sub-channel assignment information records the state.