/Patent Tracker
ApplePatent applicationNetworks & wirelessInterest 3/10

Apple patents method for timing radio frequency switches in phones

Apple describes a method for a phone to determine exactly when to switch its radio transmission from one frequency band to another. The device calculates the timing based on the available gap between signals and its own hardware capabilities to ensure a smooth transition without dropping the connection.

Why it mattersThis helps ensure stable data connections when a phone jumps between different cellular frequencies, which is a routine improvement for network reliability.

In the filing’s own words

The location of the switching period for UL TX switching of a user equipment device, UE, may be configured and identified for cases when a scheduling gap between current frequency bands used by the UE before the UL TX switching and target frequency bands used by the UE after the UL TX switching is long enough to contain the switching gap used by the UE for the UL TX switching. The UE may identify the switching gap location according to reporting of downlink communication interruption on at least one of the frequency bands involved in the UL TX switching, reporting of the switching gap, and reporting of a capability of the device to use a configured switching gap location specified in the standards. The location of the switching gap may also depend on the priority level of the frequency bands involved in the UL TX switching and/or one or more related parameters, and may be left up to implementation of the UE under certain conditions.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method for switching uplink (UL) transmission of a device from at least a first frequency band (FB) to at least a second FB, the method comprising: identifying, by the device, a location of a switching gap, when a duration of a scheduling gap between the first FB and the second FB is longer than a duration of the switching gap; and performing, by the device, the switching during the switching gap according to the identified location of the switching gap.

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title
System and Method for Determining Switching Period Location for Uplink Transmit Switching
Publication number
US20260291671A1
Application number
19472558
Filed
Apr 4, 2023
Published
Sep 24, 2026
Inventors
6
Claims
24

Classified under

H04L 5/0044 Electricity & electronicsH04L 5/0098 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

More from Apple in Networks & wireless

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.