Communication methods and apparatus employing rateless codes

1. A node of a radio access network comprising:

processor circuitry configured to generate a N T persistent grant message which permits the wireless terminal to transmit N T number of rateless codeword segments representing redundancy versions of a transmission of a wireless terminal;

a transmitter configured to transmit the N T persistent grant to the wireless terminal;

wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to generate a new data indicator which indicates that the wireless terminal transmits a new sequence of N T rateless codeword segments corresponding to new message/source bits; and

wherein the processor circuitry is configured to generate the new data indicator before a K number of resources of a previous grant have been completely used.

2. The node of claim 1 , further comprising a receiver configured to receive a schedule request from a wireless terminal, and wherein the N T persistent grant is generated in response to the schedule request.

3. The node of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is configured to autonomously generate the N T persistent grant.

4. The node of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to include the new data indicator in a new N T persistent grant.

5. The node of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to generate the N T persistent grant message to indicate that K number of resources are used for transmission of the N T number of rateless codeword segments.

6. The node of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is configured to determine the N T number in the N T persistent grant based on a pattern of transmissions from the wireless terminal.

7. The node of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is configured to determine the number N T in the persistent grant based on transmit power of the wireless terminal.

8. The node of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is configured to determine the number N T in the persistent grant based on a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) transmission.

9. The node of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is configured to determine the number N T in the persistent grant based on historical transmission success of the wireless terminal.

10. The node of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is configured to dynamically determine the number N T in the persistent grant.

11. The node of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry comprises a decoder which is configured to decode codewords as having been coded using a code with properties of Raptor codes as outer erasure codes and using an LDPC code as pre-code.

12. The node of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is further configured, in lieu of transmitting a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) table comprising both modulation type and coding scheme, to transit to the wireless terminal a modulation type.

13. A wireless terminal comprising:

transmitter circuitry configured to transmit a schedule request to a node of a radio access network;

a receiver configured to receive from the node a N T persistent grant message which permits the wireless terminal to transmit N T number of rateless codeword segments representing redundancy versions of a transmission of the wireless terminal;

a processor configured to generate the N T number of rateless codeword segments;

a transmitter configured to transmit the N T number of rateless codeword segments to the node,

wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to receive from the node a new data indicator which indicates that the wireless terminal may transmit a new sequence of NT rateless codeword segments corresponding to new message/source bits; and

wherein the N T persistent grant message indicates to the wireless terminal that K number of resources are used for transmission of the N T number of rateless codeword segments.

14. The wireless terminal of claim 13 , wherein when the new data indicator is received before the K number of resources of a previous grant have been completely used, the wireless terminal begins transmission of the new sequence of N T rateless codewords corresponding to the new message/source bits, thereby obviating need of a physical HARQ indicator channel.

15. The wireless terminal of claim 13 , wherein the processor circuitry comprises an encoder which is configured use a code with properties of Raptor codes as an outer erasure code and to use an inner coding unit configured to use an LDPC code as pre-code.

16. The wireless terminal of claim 13 , wherein the receiver circuitry is further configured, in lieu of receiving a MCS table comprising both modulation type and coding scheme, to receive from the node modulation type.