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ApplePatent applicationNetworks & wirelessInterest 6/10

Apple patents phone-to-phone relay paths for better network coverage

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

Apple describes a method where a phone can connect to the internet through two different nearby phones acting as relays. The device receives instructions to set up these backup connections and chooses one main path to use for data.

Why it mattersThis could help phones stay connected in areas with weak signal strength by borrowing data from other nearby devices.

In the filing’s own words

A user equipment (UE) configured to receive a radio resource control (RRC) configuration for UE-to-network (U 2 N) relay operations including at least two indirect paths, wherein a first indirect path is configured with a first relay UE via a first sidelink (SL) and a second indirect path is configured with a second relay UE via a second SL and determine a primary path as either the first indirect path or the second indirect path.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a radio resource control (RRC) configuration for UE-to-network (U2N) relay operations including at least two indirect paths, wherein a first indirect path is configured with a first relay UE via a first sidelink (SL) and a second indirect path is configured with a second relay UE via a second SL; and determining a primary path as either the first indirect path or the second indirect path.

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title
Supporting Multiple Indirect Paths in Multi-Path Relaying
Publication number
US20260323746A1
Application number
19484575
Filed
May 18, 2023
Published
Oct 15, 2026
Inventors
9
Claims
15

Classified under

H04W 76/15 Electricity & electronicsH04W 72/40 Electricity & electronicsH04W 76/27 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.