US 10687281

Here is a summary and analysis of U.S. Patent No. 10,687,281.

Patent Information

• Title: Wireless communication method and wireless communication terminal, which use discontinuous channel
• Assignee: Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc.
• Inventors: Juhyung Son, Jinsam Kwak, Geonjung KO, Woojin AHN
• Filing Date: June 22, 2018
• Issue Date: June 16, 2020
• Abstract: The patent describes a method and device for wireless communication using non-contiguous channels. The core of the invention involves a wireless terminal that can receive a wireless packet, identify information about how non-contiguous channels are allocated within that packet, and then use this information to decode the packet. This is designed to improve the efficiency of wireless LAN communication, particularly in dense environments where parts of the wireless spectrum may be busy.

Litigation Status

As of today's date, May 14, 2026, public records indicate recent legal activity concerning this patent:

• District Court: Two cases have been filed in the Texas Eastern District Court: 2:24-cv-00746 and 2:24-cv-00752.
• Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB): An Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceeding, IPR2025-00988, has been filed and instituted, indicating the PTAB will review the patent's validity.

A search of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) dockets for 2026 did not yield specific results at this time. Case records for the CAFC are generally accessible through the PACER system.

Summary of Independent Claims

This patent has four independent claims, which define the core scope of the invention.

• Claim 1: Describes a method for a wireless device. The device receives a wireless packet and obtains "non-contiguous channel allocation information" from the packet's HE-SIG-A and HE-SIG-B fields. This information specifies the total bandwidth being used and identifies which 20 MHz channels within a larger 40 MHz or 80 MHz block are being skipped or "punctured." The device uses this allocation information to decode the rest of the packet.

• Claim 8: Describes the wireless device (terminal) itself. It includes a communication unit to receive wireless packets and a processor. The processor is designed to get "non-contiguous channel allocation information" from two specific parts of the packet's header (the HE-SIG-A and HE-SIG-B fields). This information details the total bandwidth and which channels within that bandwidth are not being used. The processor then uses this data to properly decode the packet.

• Claim 14: Describes a method for a base station (like a Wi-Fi router). The base station first checks multiple channels to see which are free (a process called Clear Channel Assessment or CCA). Based on which channels are free, it transmits a data packet using one or more of these available channels. If the chosen channels are not next to each other (i.e., non-contiguous), the base station includes information in a special part of the packet's header (the non-legacy preamble) to describe which channels are being used and which are being skipped.

• Claim 20: Describes the base station (base wireless communication terminal) itself. It contains a communication unit and a processor. The processor's job is to scan multiple channels to find which are available for a wideband transmission. It then transmits a packet using the available channels. If this transmission uses channels that are not continuous, the processor embeds the specific channel allocation information into the packet's "non-legacy preamble" to inform receiving devices of the transmission structure.