What Is Claimed Is:
1. An apparatus to improve network throughput in a wireless communications
network, the apparatus comprising:
a communication facilitator to, in response to sensing a first request to send (RTS) from 5 an access point (AP), set a network allocation vector (NAV), the RTS corresponding to a first data transmission from the AP to a first station (STA);
an interface to, while the NAV is set, transmit a second RTS to a second STA; and the communication facilitator to, in response to sensing a second clear to send (CTS) from the second STA, transmit secondary data to the second STA during the first data 10 transmission,
2. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a channel contender to contend for a
wireless medium used by the AP, the interface to transmit the second RTS after the contention
for the wireless medium is won.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a data processor to determine an end
15 of the first data transmission.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the communication facilitator is to transmit the
secondary data for a duration of time ending at a point in time corresponding to an end of the
first data transmission.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface is to transmit the second RTS to
20 the second STA when a first CTS is not received from the first STA.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication facilitator is to sense the second CTS by detecting a preamble of the second CTS and processing the second CTS.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication facilitator is to sense the second CTS based on a change of a signal strength of at least one of the first RTS or the first data
25 transmission from a first and second time.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the communication facilitator determines that the second CTS has been sensed when the change is more than a threshold amount.
9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication facilitator is to sense the second CTS based on at least one of a cross correlation or an auto correlation of a wireless
3fS medium

10. A method to improve network throughput in a wireless communications network,
the method comprising:
in response to sensing a first request to send (RTS) from an access point (AP), setting a network allocation vector (NAV), the RTS corresponding to a first data transmission from the 5 AP to a first station (STA),
while the NAV is set, transmitting a second RTS to a second STA; and in response to sensing a second clear to send (CTS) from the second STA, transmitting secondary data to the second STA during the first data transmission.
11. The method of claim 10, further including contending for a wireless medium used
10 by the AP, the interface to transmit the second RTS after the contention for the wireless medium
is won.
12. The method of claim 10, further including determining an end of the first data
transmission.
13. The method of claim 12, further including transmitting the secondary data for a
15 duration of time ending at a point in time corresponding to an end of the first data transmission.
14. The method of claim 10, further including transmitting the second RTS to the second STA when a first RTS and CTS is not received from the first AP and first STA.
15. The method of claim 10, wherein the sensing the second CTS includes detecting a preamble of the second CTS and processing the second CTS.
20 16. The method of claim 10, wherein the sensing of the second CTS is based on a
change of a signal strength of at least one of the first RTS or the first data transmission from a first and second time.
17. The method of claim 16, further including determining that the second CTS has
been sensed when the change is more than a threshold amount.
25 18. The method of claim 10, wherein the sensing of the second CTS is based on at
least one of a cross correlation or an auto correlation of a wireless medium.
19. A tangible computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:
in response to sensing a first request to send (RTS) from an access point (AP), set a 30 network allocation vector (NAV), the RTS corresponding to a first data transmission from the AP to a first station (STA);

while the NAV is set, transmit a second RTS to a second ST A; and in response to sensing a second clear to send (CTS) from the second STA, transmit secondary data to the second STA during the first data transmission.
20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions
5 cause the machine to contend for a wireless medium used by the AP, the interface to transmit the second RTS after the contention for the wireless medium is won.
21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions cause the machine to determine an end of the first data transmission.
22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the instructions
10 cause the machine to transmit the secondary data for a duration of time ending at a point in time corresponding to an end of the first data transmission.
23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions
cause the machine to transmit the second RTS to the second STA when a first RTS and CTS is
not received from the first AP and the first STA.
15 24. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions
cause the machine to sense the second CTS by detecting a preamble of the second CTS and processing the second CTS.
25. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions cause the machine to sense the second CTS based on a change of a signal strength of at least one
20 of the first RTS or the first data transmission from a first and second time.