Apple patents method for organizing data streams between connected devices
Apple has filed a patent application describing a way to combine multiple data streams into a single flow for transmission between devices. The system sends a list, or manifest, that tells the receiving device how to split the combined data back into separate streams for different uses.
In the filing’s own words
Techniques are disclosed relating to communicating multiplexed sub-streams between sender and recipient devices. In some embodiments, a sender device receives, from one or more producers at the sender device, a plurality of traffic sub-streams destined from one or more consumers at the recipient device. The sender device determines an ordering in which the plurality of traffic sub-streams are to be multiplexed within a traffic stream supported by the interface controller. The sender device sends, via the interface controller and to the recipient device, a manifest identifying the determined ordering and sends, via the interface controller and to the recipient device, the traffic stream including the multiplexed traffic sub-streams in the identified ordering. In response to receiving the manifest and traffic stream, the recipient device separates, based on the received manifest, the multiplexed traffic sub-streams for distribution to a plurality of consumers at the recipient device.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A recipient device, comprising: one or more processors; an interface controller configured to connect to a sender device; and memory having program instructions stored therein that are executable by the one or more processors to cause the recipient device to perform operations including: receiving, from the sender device and via the interface controller, a manifest identifying an ordering in which a plurality of traffic sub-streams are to be multiplexed within a traffic stream supported by the interface controller; receiving, via the interface controller, the traffic stream including the multiplexed traffic sub-streams; and separating, based on the received manifest, the multiplexed traffic sub-streams for distribution to a plurality of consumers at the recipient device.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- Sub-stream Multiplexing for Connected Computing Devices
- Publication number
- US20260332283A1
- Application number
- 19431752
- Filed
- Dec 23, 2025
- Published
- Oct 22, 2026
- Inventors
- 4
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
H04J 3/16 Electricity & electronicsG06F 13/4282 Physics & computingG06F 2213/0042 Physics & computingMore from Apple in Networks & wireless
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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.