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AppleGranted patentBatteries & energyInterest 4/10

Apple patents battery-saving trick for sending data in batches

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

Apple describes a method for mobile devices to save battery power by grouping data packets together before sending them. The system calculates the best timing to bundle these packets based on the device's remaining battery level and when it is allowed to wake up to transmit.

Why it mattersThis filing details a specific technical adjustment to how phones manage their radio connections, which can help extend battery life during periods of low activity.

In the filing’s own words

Techniques for low power voice communications include determining a time between an arrival of data for uplink transmission by a device and a scheduling request (SR) occasion, the SR occasion occurring after the arrival of the data and within an on duration of a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle, and delaying transmission of a SR by the device during a time period that begins at the arrival of the data for uplink transmission and continues for the determined time.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method, comprising: identifying a first bundling point for bundling at least two uplink data packets according to a first bundling pattern; identifying a second bundling point for bundling the at least two uplink data packets according to a second bundling pattern that is different from the first bundling pattern; determining a first time duration between the first bundling point and a scheduling request (SR) occasion, the SR occasion occurring within an on duration of a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle; determining a second time duration between the second bundling point and the SR occasion; selecting the first bundling pattern or the second bundling pattern for bundling the at least two uplink data packets based on whichever is shorter between the first time duration and the second time duration, wherein a number of the at least two uplink data packets bundled together is determined based on a battery power level remaining on a device that transmits the at least two uplink data packets; and transmitting the at least two uplink data packets based on the selected bundling pattern.

Facts

Company
Apple (APPLE INC.)
Official title
Low power data communications
Patent number
US12764825B2
Application number
17919466
Filed
Oct 19, 2021
Granted
Oct 13, 2026
Inventors
6
Claims
18

Classified under

H04W 76/28 Electricity & electronicsH04W 72/1268 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.