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Apple patents method to bundle data packets for faster mobile transmission

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

Apple describes a technique for mobile devices to combine multiple small data packets into a single larger packet before sending them to a cell tower. This process, known as concatenation, adds a header that helps the network identify and separate the individual data pieces upon arrival.

Why it mattersThis is a routine optimization for cellular data efficiency that reduces overhead, but it does not introduce new consumer-facing features or hardware.

In the filing’s own words

Apparatuses, systems, and methods are described for packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU) concatenation. A user equipment (UE) may identify multiple PDCP SDUs for transmission to a network node, generate a concatenated PDCP packet data unit (PDU) that includes the multiple PDCP SDUs and a header. The UE may transmit the concatenated PDCP PDU to the network node.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An apparatus for a user equipment (UE), comprising: one or more baseband processors configured to cause the UE to: identify multiple packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data units (SDUs) to be sent to a network node; generate a concatenated PDCP packet data unit (PDU) comprising: the multiple PDCP SDUs; and a header comprising a sequence number (SN) of a first PDCP SDU of the multiple PDCP SDUs and a SN bitmap indicating SNs for additional PDCP SDUs in the concatenated PDCP PDU; and send the concatenated PDCP PDU to a network node.

Facts

Company
Apple (APPLE INC.)
Official title
PACKET DATA CONVERGENCE PROTOCOL SERVICE DATA UNIT CONCATENATION
Publication number
US20260313046A1
Application number
19641005
Filed
Apr 7, 2026
Published
Oct 8, 2026
Inventors
10
Claims
20

Classified under

H04L 69/04 Electricity & electronicsH04L 47/34 Electricity & electronicsH04L 69/22 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.