Management frame directed cluster assignment within multiple user, multiple access, and/or MIMO wireless communications

1. An apparatus for use in a wireless local area network, comprising:

a baseband processing module for generating a cluster assignment management frame that designates membership of at least two of a plurality of wireless communication devices per cluster, the cluster assignment management frame in a frame format conducive to a throughput capability of the at least two of the plurality of wireless communication devices; and

at least one antenna for transmitting the cluster assignment management frame to the plurality of wireless communication devices, wherein:

the cluster assignment management frame indicating a respective at least one of a plurality of clusters for use by the at least two of the plurality of wireless communication devices during respective subsequent communications, and having the frame format modified based upon a number of parameters relating to a capability set of each of the at least two of the plurality of wireless communication devices per the cluster, the number of parameters including an indication of legacy compatibility for the frame format.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the cluster assignment management frame being a multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO) packet or an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) packet.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the baseband processing module generating a beacon that includes the cluster assignment management frame; and

the at least one antenna transmitting the beacon to the plurality of wireless communication devices.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the baseband processing module aggregating the cluster assignment management frame with at least one data frame thereby generating an aggregated multi-user packet; and

the at least one antenna transmitting the aggregated multi-user packet to the plurality of wireless communication devices.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

in response to a probe request from at least one of the plurality of wireless communication devices, the baseband processing module generating a probe response that includes the cluster assignment management frame; and

the at least one antenna transmitting the probe response to the plurality of wireless communication devices.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the cluster assignment management frame indicating a first of the plurality of clusters for use by the at least two of the plurality of wireless communication devices during first subsequent communications; and

the cluster assignment management frame indicating a second of the plurality of clusters for use by another of the plurality of wireless communication devices during second subsequent communications.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the cluster assignment management frame indicating at least two of the plurality of clusters for use by at least one of the plurality of wireless communication devices during subsequent communications corresponding thereto.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the cluster assignment management frame indicating at least one of the plurality of clusters for common use by at least two of the plurality of wireless communication devices during subsequent communications corresponding thereto; and

the at least two of the plurality of wireless communication devices employing carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) for respective access of the commonly used at least one of the plurality of clusters.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

at least one of the respective subsequent communications corresponding to a plurality of multi-user packets.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

at least one of the respective subsequent communications corresponding to uplink communications from at least one of the plurality wireless communication devices to the apparatus; or

at least one of the respective subsequent communications corresponding to downlink communications from the apparatus to at least one of the plurality wireless communication devices.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the baseband processing module generating at least one additional cluster assignment management frame; and

the at least one antenna transmitting the at least one additional cluster assignment management frame to the plurality of wireless communication devices, wherein:

the at least one additional cluster assignment management frame indicating at least one additional respective at least one of the plurality of clusters for use by the at least two of the plurality of wireless communication devices during at least one additional respective subsequent communications.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the apparatus being an access point (AP); and

the plurality of wireless communication devices being a plurality of wireless stations (STAs).

13. An apparatus for use in a wireless local area network, comprising:

a baseband processing module for generating a first cluster assignment management frame and a second cluster assignment management frame; and

at least one antenna for:

firstly transmitting the first cluster assignment management frame to a plurality of wireless communication devices;

secondly transmitting the second cluster assignment management frame to the plurality of wireless communication devices, wherein:

the first cluster assignment management frame indicating a first of a plurality of clusters for use by a first of the plurality of wireless communication devices during first respective subsequent communications and also indicating a second of the plurality of clusters for use by a second of the plurality of wireless communication devices during second respective subsequent communications, the first cluster assignment management frame in a first frame format modified based on a first number of parameters relating to a first capability set of each of the first of the plurality of wireless communication devices, the first number of parameters including an indication of legacy compatibility for the first frame format and a first throughput capability; and

the second cluster assignment management frame indicating a third of the plurality of clusters for use by the first of the plurality of wireless communication devices during third respective subsequent communications and also indicating a fourth of the plurality of clusters for use by the second of the plurality of wireless communication devices during fourth respective subsequent communications, the second cluster assignment management frame in a second frame format modified based on a second number of parameters relating to a second capability set of each of the second of the plurality of wireless communication devices, the second number of parameters including another indication of the legacy compatibility for the second frame format and a second throughput capability.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein:

at least one of the first cluster assignment management frame and at least one of the second cluster assignment management frame indicating at least two of the plurality of clusters for use by at least one of the plurality of wireless communication devices during subsequent communications corresponding thereto.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein:

at least one of the first cluster assignment management frame and the second cluster assignment management frame indicating at least one of the plurality of clusters for common use by at least two of the plurality of wireless communication devices during subsequent communications corresponding thereto; and

the at least two of the plurality of wireless communication devices employing carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) for respective access of the commonly used at least one of the plurality of clusters.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein:

at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth respective subsequent communications corresponding to uplink communications from at least one of the plurality wireless communication devices to the apparatus; or

at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth respective subsequent communications corresponding to downlink communications from the apparatus to at least one of the plurality wireless communication devices.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein:

the apparatus being an access point (AP); and

the plurality of wireless communication devices being a plurality of wireless stations (STAs).

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

generating a cluster assignment management frame that designates a number of a plurality of wireless communication devices per cluster, the cluster assignment management frame in a frame format modified based on a number of parameters relating to a capability set of each of the number of the plurality of other wireless communication devices, the number of parameters including an indication of legacy compatibility for the frame format and a throughput capability; and

transmitting the cluster assignment management frame to the plurality of the other wireless communication devices, wherein the cluster assignment management frame in the frame format indicating a respective at least one of a plurality of clusters for use by the number of the plurality of other wireless communication devices during respective subsequent communications.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein:

the cluster assignment management frame being a multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO) packet or an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) packet.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

generating a beacon that includes the cluster assignment management frame; and

transmitting the beacon to the plurality of other wireless communication devices.

21. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

aggregating the cluster assignment management frame with at least one data frame thereby generating an aggregated multi-user packet; and

transmitting the aggregated multi-user packet to the plurality of other wireless communication devices.

22. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

in response to a probe request from at least one of the plurality of other wireless communication devices, generating a probe response that includes the cluster assignment management frame; and

transmitting the probe response to the plurality of other wireless communication devices.

23. The method of claim 18 , wherein:

the cluster assignment management frame indicating a first of the plurality of clusters for use by the number of the plurality of other wireless communication devices during first subsequent communications; and

the cluster assignment management frame indicating a second of the plurality of clusters for use by another number of the plurality of other wireless communication devices during second subsequent communications.

24. The method of claim 18 , wherein:

the cluster assignment management frame indicating at least two of the plurality of clusters for use by at least one of the plurality of other wireless communication devices during subsequent communications corresponding thereto.

25. The method of claim 18 , wherein:

the cluster assignment management frame indicating at least one of the plurality of clusters for common use by the at least two of the plurality of other wireless communication devices during subsequent communications corresponding thereto; and further including:

the at least two of the plurality of other wireless communication devices operating in accordance with carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) for respective access of the commonly used at least one of the plurality of clusters.

26. The method of claim 18 , wherein:

at least one of the respective subsequent communications corresponding to a plurality of multi-user packets.

27. The method of claim 18 , wherein:

at least one of the respective subsequent communications corresponding to uplink communications received from at least one of the plurality wireless communication devices; or

at least one of the respective subsequent communications corresponding to downlink communications transmitted to at least one of the plurality wireless communication devices.

28. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

generating at least one additional cluster assignment management frame; and

transmitting the at least one additional cluster assignment management frame to the plurality of other wireless communication devices, wherein the at least one additional cluster assignment management frame indicating at least one additional at least one of the plurality of clusters for use by each respective one of the plurality of other wireless communication devices during at least one additional respective subsequent communications.

29. The method of claim 18 , wherein:

the wireless communication device being an access point (AP); and

the plurality of other wireless communication devices being a plurality of wireless stations (STAs).