Method and apparatus for multi-user transmission

Claim 1

A method of transmitting data signals from at least two transmitting terminals, with each having at least one transmitting means, to at least one receiving terminal having a spatial diversity receiving means, the method comprising: transmitting from the transmitting terminals transformed data signals, being transformed versions of respective data signals, wherein spectra of the transformed data signals are at least partly overlapping; receiving on the spatial diversity means received data signals, wherein the received data signals are each a function of one of the transformed data signals; subband processing of the received data signals in the receiving terminal; and determining estimates of the respective data signals, on a subband by subband basis, from the subband processed received data signals in the receiving terminal, wherein said determining includes, for at least one data signal: selecting from the data signals a selected data signal; determining an estimate of the selected data signal from the subband processed received data signals; modifying the subband processed received data signals based on the estimate of the selected data signal; and determining estimates of the remaining data signals from the modified subband processed received data signals.

Claim 2

A method of transmitting data signals from at least two transmitting terminals, with each having at least one transmitting means, to at least one receiving terminal having a spatial diversity receiving means, the method comprising: transmitting from the transmitting terminals transformed data signals, being transformed versions of respective data signals, wherein spectra of the transformed data signals are at least partly overlapping; receiving on the spatial diversity means received data signals, wherein the received data signals are each a function of one of the transformed data signals; subband processing of the received data signals in the receiving terminal; and determining estimates of the respective data signals, on a subband by subband basis, from the subband processed received data signals in the receiving terminal, wherein said determining includes, for at least one data signal: selecting from the data signals a selected data signal; determining an estimate of the selected data signal from the subband processed received data signals; modifying the subband processed received data signals based on the estimate of the selected data signal; and determining estimates of the remaining data signals from the modified subband processed received data signals.

Claim 14

A method of transmitting data signals from a transmitting terminal having a spatially diverse transmitting means comprising at least two transmitting means to at least two receiving terminals, the method comprising: providing at least two data signals at the transmitting terminal; determining at least two combined data signals in the transmitting terminal, the combined data signals each being transformed versions of the data signals, wherein the combined data signals are adapted for facilitating estimation of the data signals by the receiving terminals; inverse subband processing each of the combined data signals; transmitting one of the inverse subband processed combined data signals from each of the at least two transmitting means, wherein said inverse subband processed combined data signals form a different composite data signal at each of said at least two receiving terminals; receiving at each receiving terminal one of a plurality of composite data signals; and determining at each receiving terminal an estimate of the data signal intended for the respective receiving terminal from the respective received composite data signal.

Claim 15

A method of transmitting data signals from a transmitting terminal having a spatially diverse transmitting means comprising at least two transmitting means to at least two receiving terminals, the method comprising: providing at least two data signals at the transmitting terminal; determining at least two combined data signals in the transmitting terminal, the combined data signals each being transformed versions of the data signals, wherein the combined data signals are adapted for facilitating estimation of the data signals by the receiving terminals; inverse subband processing each of the combined data signals; transmitting one of the inverse subband processed combined data signals from each of the at least two transmitting means, wherein said inverse subband processed combined data signals form a different composite data signal at each of said at least two receiving terminals; receiving at each receiving terminal one of a plurality of composite data signals; and determining at each receiving terminal an estimate of the data signal intended for the respective receiving terminal from the respective received composite data signal.

Claim 21

The method of claims 17 , wherein the subband processing is orthogonal frequency division demultiplexing.

Claim 26

An apparatus for determining estimates of data signals, the apparatus comprising: at least one spatial diversity receiving means comprising at least two receiving means; circuitry for receiving a data signal on each of the at least two receiving means, wherein the data signals received on the at least two receiving means are each a function of a transmitted signal and characteristics of the data signals define a spatial signature of the data signals; circuitry for subband processing, on a subband by subband basis, the data signals received on each of the at least two receiving means; and circuitry for determining estimates of the data signals from the subband processed received data signals.

Claim 27

An apparatus for determining estimates of data signals, the apparatus comprising: at least one spatial diversity receiving means comprising at least two receiving means; circuitry for receiving a data signal on each of the at least two receiving means, wherein the data signals received on the at least two receiving means are each a function of a transmitted signal and characteristics of the data signals define a spatial signature of the data signals; circuitry for subband processing, on a subband by subband basis, the data signals received on each of the at least two receiving means; and circuitry for determining estimates of the data signals from the subband processed received data signals.

Claim 31

An apparatus for transmitting a plurality of data signals to a plurality of terminals, the apparatus comprising: circuitry for combining a plurality of data signals to create two combined data signals, wherein the combined data signals are adapted for facilitating estimation of the plurality of data signals respectively intended for each of a plurality receiving terminals; circuitry for inverse subband processing the combined data signals; and at least two spatial diverse transmitting means configured to transmit respective inverse subband processed combined data signals to at least two receiving terminals, wherein said inverse subband processed combined data signals form a composite data signal at each of said plurality of terminals.

Claim 32

An apparatus for transmitting a plurality of data signals to a plurality of terminals, the apparatus comprising: circuitry for combining a plurality of data signals to create two combined data signals, wherein the combined data signals are adapted for facilitating estimation of the plurality of data signals respectively intended for each of a plurality receiving terminals; circuitry for inverse subband processing the combined data signals; and at least two spatial diverse transmitting means configured to transmit respective inverse subband processed combined data signals to at least two receiving terminals, wherein said inverse subband processed combined data signals form a composite data signal at each of said plurality of terminals.

Claim 38

A method of transmitting data signals from at least two transmitting terminals with each at least one transmitting means to at least one receiving terminal with a spatial diversity receiving means comprising: transmitting from the transmitting terminals transformed data signals, being transformed versions of the data signals, wherein spectra of the transformed data signals are at least partly overlapping; receiving on the spatial diversity means received data signals being at least function of at least two of the transformed data signals; subband processing of at least two of the received data signals in the receiving terminal; and determining estimates of the data signals, on a subband by subband basis, from subband processed received data signals in the receiving terminal, wherein determining the estimates of the data signals comprises: selecting from the data signals a selected data signal; determining a plurality of estimates of the selected data signal from the subband processed received data signals; determining a plurality of modified subband processed received data signals, each of the modified subband processed received data signals being based on one of the estimates of the selected data signal; determining a plurality of estimates of at least one of the remaining data signals from the plurality of modified subband processed received data signals; and thereafter selecting one of the estimates of the selected data signal.

Claim 39

A method of transmitting data signals from at least two transmitting terminals with each at least one transmitting means to at least one receiving terminal with a spatial diversity receiving means comprising: transmitting from the transmitting terminals transformed data signals, being transformed versions of the data signals, wherein spectra of the transformed data signals are at least partly overlapping; receiving on the spatial diversity means received data signals being at least function of at least two of the transformed data signals; subband processing of at least two of the received data signals in the receiving terminal; and determining estimates of the data signals, on a subband by subband basis, from subband processed received data signals in the receiving terminal, wherein determining the estimates of the data signals comprises: selecting from the data signals a selected data signal; determining a plurality of estimates of the selected data signal from the subband processed received data signals; determining a plurality of modified subband processed received data signals, each of the modified subband processed received data signals being based on one of the estimates of the selected data signal; determining a plurality of estimates of at least one of the remaining data signals from the plurality of modified subband processed received data signals; and thereafter selecting one of the estimates of the selected data signal.

Claim 43

A method of transmitting data signals from at least two transmitting terminals with each at least one transmitting means to at least one receiving terminal with a spatial diversity receiving means comprising: transmitting from the transmitting terminals at least two transformed data signals, the transformed data signals being transformed versions of the data signals; receiving on the spatial diversity means received data signals being at least function of at least two of the transformed data signals; subband processing of at least two of the received data signals in the receiving terminal; determining intermediate estimates of the data signals from the subband processed received data signals in the receiving terminal; and obtaining estimates of the data signals by inverse subband processing the intermediate estimates.

Claim 44

A method of transmitting data signals from at least two transmitting terminals with each at least one transmitting means to at least one receiving terminal with a spatial diversity receiving means comprising: transmitting from the transmitting terminals at least two transformed data signals, the transformed data signals being transformed versions of the data signals; receiving on the spatial diversity means received data signals being at least function of at least two of the transformed data signals; subband processing of at least two of the received data signals in the receiving terminal; determining intermediate estimates of the data signals from the subband processed received data signals in the receiving terminal; and obtaining estimates of the data signals by inverse subband processing the intermediate estimates.

Claim 47

A system for transmitting data signals from at least one transmitting terminal having a spatial diversity transmitting means to at least two receiving terminals each having at least one receiving means comprising: means for determining intermediate combined data signals by subband processing the data signals; means for determining the combined data signals from the intermediate combined data signals, the combined data signals being transformed versions of the data signals, wherein the combined data signals are adapted for facilitating estimation of the data signals by said receiving terminals; means for inverse subband processing the combined data signals; means for transmitting with the spatial diversity transmitting means said inverse subband processed combined data signal; means for receiving on at least one of the receiving means of at least one of the receiving terminals an inverse subband processed received data signals, being at least function of the inverse subband processed combined data signals; and means for determining at said at least one of the receiving means estimates of the data signals intended for said at least one of the receiving means from the inverse subband processed received data signals.

Claim 48

A system for transmitting data signals from at least one transmitting terminal having a spatial diversity transmitting means to at least two receiving terminals each having at least one receiving means comprising: means for determining intermediate combined data signals by subband processing the data signals; means for determining the combined data signals from the intermediate combined data signals, the combined data signals being transformed versions of the data signals, wherein the combined data signals are adapted for facilitating estimation of the data signals by said receiving terminals; means for inverse subband processing the combined data signals; means for transmitting with the spatial diversity transmitting means said inverse subband processed combined data signal; means for receiving on at least one of the receiving means of at least one of the receiving terminals an inverse subband processed received data signals, being at least function of the inverse subband processed combined data signals; and means for determining at said at least one of the receiving means estimates of the data signals intended for said at least one of the receiving means from the inverse subband processed received data signals.