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AppleGranted patentNetworks & wirelessInterest 6/10

Apple patents sharing Wi-Fi channel data to speed up device connections

Apple describes a method where one device scans available wireless channels to check for interference and creates a map of the best options. It then shares this map with nearby devices, allowing them to skip their own time-consuming scans and connect faster.

Why it mattersThis could make it quicker for your phone, watch, or earbuds to reconnect to your computer or home network without noticeable lag.

In the filing’s own words

The present application relates to devices and components including apparatus, systems, and methods to share channel maps between devices for channel selection for connections. A device may perform channel scanning operations for determining channel conditions and generating channel maps, and may provide the channel maps to other devices. The other devices can reduce channel scanning operations based on receiving the channel maps from the device.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, configure the device to: determine that the device is to operate as a primary device based at least in part on a characteristic of the device; perform a channel scanning operation to determine one or more channel conditions associated with one or more channels; determine that a difference between the one or more channel conditions and corresponding previous one or more channel conditions associated with the one or more channels exceeds a threshold, the corresponding previous one or more channel conditions being indicated by a previous channel map; generate a channel map indicating channel information associated with the one or more channels based at least in part on the determination that the difference exceeds the threshold, the channel information determined based at least in part on the channel scanning operation; and send the channel map to a second device proximate to the device, the channel map indicating a channel or a set of channels that can be utilized for connection establishment, data transfer, or reconnection with the device.

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title
Channel selection
Patent number
US12726890B2
Application number
18473156
Filed
Sep 22, 2023
Granted
Sep 1, 2026
Inventors
2
Claims
20

Classified under

H04W 48/16 Electricity & electronicsH04W 48/20 Electricity & electronicsH04W 72/40 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.