Appeal No. 2004-1573 Page 2
Application No. 09/494,780
transmitted data. (Id. at 2.) At least two data channels can be assigned to the same
connection, each data channel being distinguished by an individual spread code. (Id.)
In the Global System for Mobile Communications, explain the appellants, data
are transmitted as radio blocks with "midambles" being transmitted within a radio block.
The midambles may be used as training sequences for a receiver. More specifically,
the receiver uses the midambles to estimate the channel impulse responses of different
transmission channels. (Id. at 3.) The appellants explain that the number of channel
impulse responses that can be estimated jointly represents a "capacity-limiting factor."
(Id.) Because the number of symbols in the midamble is finite, and channel impulse
response cannot be infinitely short, the number of channel impulse responses that can
be estimated jointly is limited. In turn, this limits the number of channels that can be
transmitted jointly.
The appellants' invention also assigns at least two data channels to the same
connection, each data channel being distinguished by an individual spread code.
Midambles having known symbols are also transmitted in the data channels, wherein
the number of midambles used for the connection is less than the number of data
channels assigned thereto. (Id. at 4.) Because the number of midambles is not rigidly
linked to the number of data channels, assert the appellants, the capacity-limiting factor
affects the number of connections but not the number of data channels. This allows the
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