Apple patents method for splitting tasks across nearby devices based on speed
Apple describes a system where a main device checks how busy and connected nearby devices are before sharing a heavy task with them. It calculates the time it takes to send data, process it, and send results back to decide which devices get the most work.
In the filing’s own words
A primary device may run a software application requiring a compute task. The primary device may receive statistics from a set of secondary devices over wireless communication links. The primary device may process the statistics to determine whether the compute task will be offloaded to the secondary devices or performed locally. The primary device may generate a distribution scheme for the secondary devices based on the statistics. This may involve modeling first delays associated with transmission of signals from the primary device to the secondary devices, second delays associated with transmission of compute results from the secondary devices to the primary device, and third delays associated with processing resources of the secondary devices. The optimized distribution scheme may minimize overall runtime of the compute task given the modeled delays, scheduling grants for the secondary devices, and a radio resource allocation for the secondary devices.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A wireless communication device comprising: one or more antennas configured to receive signals from a set of electronic devices that are remote from the wireless communication device; and one or more processors configured to use the one or more antennas to distribute respective shares of a compute task between the electronic devices in the set of electronic devices according to a distribution scheme, wherein the distribution scheme is based on wireless delays and compute delays identified by the signals received from the set of electronic devices, the distribution scheme assigns a first share of the compute task to a first electronic device from the set and a second share of the compute task that is less than the first share to a second electronic device from the set, the first electronic device has a first combined delay that includes a first compute delay, a first transmission delay, and a first bandwidth identified by the signals, and the second electronic device has a second combined delay that is greater than the first combined delay and that includes a second compute delay, a second transmission delay, and a second bandwidth identified by the signals.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- Electronic devices with delay-based distributed computing
- Patent number
- US12739841B2
- Application number
- 17896879
- Filed
- Aug 26, 2022
- Granted
- Sep 15, 2026
- Inventors
- 6
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
H04W 72/23 Electricity & electronicsG06F 9/4881 Physics & computingG06F 9/5027 Physics & computingH04W 12/06 Electricity & electronicsH04W 24/08 Electricity & electronicsH04W 28/26 Electricity & electronicsMore from Apple in AI & software
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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.