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ApplePatent applicationNetworks & wirelessInterest 2/10

Apple patents method for phones to report signal strength from multiple towers

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

Apple describes a way for a phone to measure and report signal quality from two different cell towers at the same time. The system allows the phone to send a single report that includes data from both the main tower it is connected to and a secondary tower with a different network ID.

Why it mattersThis is a technical improvement to how 5G networks manage connections, likely helping phones switch between towers more smoothly without noticeable delays.

In the filing’s own words

A base station configured to transmit configuration information to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE is configured to receive a first beam from a first transmission and reception point (TRP) and a second beam from a second TRP, and wherein the first TRP is a serving cell and the second TRP is a cell with a different physical cell identifier (PCI) than the serving cell, the configuration information comprising enablement information configured to enable the UE to perform group-based beam reporting for both the serving cell and the cell with the different PCI and receive a group-based beam report from the UE, wherein the group-based beam report comprises measurement information for the cell with the different PCI.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method for wireless communications, the method comprising: at a base station: transmitting configuration information to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE is configured to receive a first beam from a first transmission and reception point (TRP) and a second beam from a second TRP, and wherein the first TRP is a serving cell and the second TRP is a cell with a different physical cell identifier (PCI) than the serving cell, the configuration information comprising enablement information configured to enable the UE to perform group-based beam reporting for both the serving cell and the cell with the different PCI; and receiving a group-based beam report from the UE, wherein the group-based beam report comprises measurement information for the cell with the different PCI.

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title
Enhancements to Group-Based Reporting for Multiple Receive Chain Reception
Publication number
US20260323353A1
Application number
19482931
Filed
May 10, 2023
Published
Oct 15, 2026
Inventors
6
Claims
20

Classified under

H04W 24/10 Electricity & electronicsH04B 7/0626 Electricity & electronicsH04B 17/328 Electricity & electronicsH04B 17/346 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.