US 10924188

Here is a concise summary of US Patent 10,924,188.

Summary of US Patent 10,924,188

Title: Optical transmitter, optical communication system, and optical communication method

Assignee: Radiant Patents LLC

Inventors: Junichi Abe, Tatsuya Nakamura

Filing Date: May 12, 2020

Issue Date: February 16, 2021

Abstract:
To address the issue of increased power consumption and control complexity when modulation schemes in an optical communication system are switchable based on transmission conditions, this patent proposes an optical transmitter with a unique design. The transmitter includes an encoding unit that encodes digital signals using one of several encoding methods, depending on the transmission conditions. An encoding control unit selects the appropriate encoding method. A mapping unit then maps the encoded signals to modulation symbols, and an optical modulation unit modulates an optical carrier wave based on these symbols.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims

US Patent 10,924,188 has two independent claims:

Claim 1: This claim describes an optical transceiver (a device that can both transmit and receive optical signals). The key feature is its ability to adapt to different "optical transmission attributes," such as the required data capacity, transmission distance, error rate, or signal-to-noise ratio. It achieves this by having an encoder that can use multiple different encoding methods. A controller within the transceiver identifies the best encoding method for the current conditions and sets up the device to use it. The encoded signals are then mapped to symbols and used to modulate an optical carrier wave for transmission.

Claim 9: This claim outlines an optical communication method that mirrors the functionality of the transceiver described in Claim 1. The method involves several steps:

• Encoding input digital signals using one of a plurality of available encoding methods.
• Identifying the appropriate encoding method based on the optical transmission attributes of the optical carrier wave.
• Setting the drive signals to modulate the optical carrier wave.
• Mapping the encoded digital signals to symbol signals.
• Modulating the optical carrier wave with these mapped signals for transmission.

Litigation

US Patent 10,924,188 is the subject of litigation. The current assignee, Radiant Patents LLC, has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The case is identified as Radiant Patents LLC v. Nokia Corporation et al., with the docket number 2:26-cv-00074, filed on January 26, 2026. This indicates that Radiant Patents LLC is actively enforcing this patent. At present, I do not have information regarding any proceedings before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) for 2026 related to this specific patent.