/Patent Tracker
ApplePatent applicationNetworks & wirelessInterest 3/10

Apple patents method to keep phone connected during base station sleep cycles

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

Apple describes a way for phones to stay connected to cell towers even when the tower is in a low-power sleep mode. The phone starts a timer after receiving a specific message, which prompts it to check for signals during the tower's usual inactive periods.

Why it mattersThis could help reduce delays in data transmission by ensuring phones don't miss important signals when cell towers are conserving energy.

In the filing’s own words

A user equipment (UE) is configured to receive a cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration for a base station, wherein the cell DTX configuration comprises a cell DTX cycle comprising an active duration where the UE monitors for downlink (DL) signals from the base station and an inactive duration where the UE does not monitor for DL signals from the base station, receive a message from the base station, start a timer based on the message, wherein the timer runs for a predetermined duration and during the predetermined duration, monitor for DL signals from the base station, wherein at least a portion of the monitoring is performed during the inactive duration.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration for a base station, wherein the cell DTX configuration comprises a cell DTX cycle comprising an active duration where the UE monitors for downlink (DL) signals from the base station and an inactive duration where the UE does not monitor for DL signals from the base station; receiving a message from the base station; starting a timer based on the message, wherein the timer runs for a predetermined duration; and during the predetermined duration, monitoring for DL signals from the base station, wherein at least a portion of the monitoring is performed during the inactive duration.

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title
Extending an Active Time of Cell DTX for Low Latency Traffic
Publication number
US20260323594A1
Application number
19483071
Filed
May 10, 2023
Published
Oct 15, 2026
Inventors
4
Claims
22

Classified under

H04W 68/02 Electricity & electronicsH04L 1/1812 Electricity & electronicsH04W 76/28 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.