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Apple patents method for phones to wake up sleeping cell towers

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

This filing describes a way for a phone to send a specific signal to a cell tower when the tower is in a low-power sleep mode. The phone sends this signal if it has data to send or needs to connect, using a reserved code to prompt the tower to wake up.

Why it mattersIt helps reduce battery drain on cell towers by keeping them asleep until a phone actually needs them, which is a standard part of improving network efficiency.

In the filing’s own words

A user equipment (UE) configured to receive a configuration from a network cell for an uplink (UL) wakeup signal (WUS) resource, determine to transmit a UL WUS when a condition is triggered, the condition comprising either one of UL data arrival or a triggering of a random access (RACH) procedure when the network cell is in a sleep state or is anticipated to enter the sleep state in an upcoming duration, select a sequence for transmitting the UL WUS, the sequence comprising a physical RACH (PRACH) preamble reserved for UL WUS or a sequence introduced for UL WUS, transmit the UL WUS and monitor for signaling indicating whether the network cell wakes up or enters a different sleep state.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a configuration from a network cell for an uplink (UL) wakeup signal (WUS) resource; determining to transmit a UL WUS when a condition is triggered, the condition comprising either one of UL data arrival or a triggering of a random access (RACH) procedure when the network cell is in a sleep state or is anticipated to enter the sleep state in an upcoming duration; selecting a sequence for transmitting the UL WUS, the sequence comprising a physical RACH (PRACH) preamble reserved for UL WUS or a sequence introduced for UL WUS; transmitting the UL WUS; and monitoring for signaling indicating whether the network cell wakes up or enters a different sleep state.

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title
Upper Layer Aspects of UL Wakeup Signal for Cell Wakeup in IDLE/INACTIVE State
Publication number
US20260333223A1
Application number
19116650
Filed
Sep 29, 2022
Published
Oct 22, 2026
Inventors
4
Claims
20

Classified under

H04W 52/0235 Electricity & electronicsH04W 74/0833 Electricity & electronicsH04W 76/28 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.