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Apple patents way for phones to fix broken direct links

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

This filing describes how two devices talking directly to each other can notice when their connection drops. If a device doesn't get a reply, it tries sending the message again and counts how many times this happens to decide if the link is broken.

Why it mattersIt helps devices maintain stable direct connections, which is useful for features like sharing files or connecting accessories without Wi-Fi or cellular data.

In the filing’s own words

Methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer programs method for beam failure detection (BFD) is disclosed. In one aspect, the method can include triggering, by a first UE, a beam failure detection procedure based on a determination that a NACK or no feedback is received from a second UE responsive to a transmission of a packet from the first UE to the second UE using a transmission serving beam serving the second UE, re-transmitting, by the first UE, the packet to the second UE using the transmission serving beam, maintaining, by the first UE, a beam failure instance counter, wherein the beam failure instance counter provides an indication as to a number of occurrences of a NACK or no feedback is received from the second UE, and determining, by the first UE, whether a beam failure has been detected based on the beam failure instance counter.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1 - 18. (canceled)

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title
TRANSMISSION USER EQUIPMENT SIDELINK BEAM DETECTION AND RECOVERY
Publication number
US20260332234A1
Application number
19110601
Filed
Sep 15, 2023
Published
Oct 22, 2026
Inventors
7
Claims
21

Classified under

H04B 7/06964 Electricity & electronicsH04W 72/25 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.