US 11716171B2

US Patent 11716171B2: Concise Summary

Title: Wireless communication terminal and wireless communication method for multi-user concurrent transmission
Assignee: Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc.
Inventors: Woojin AHN, Yongho Kim, Jinsam Kwak, Juhyung Son
Filing Date: January 11, 2021 (Application number US17/145,670)
Issue Date: August 1, 2023

Abstract:
The patent describes a wireless communication terminal and method for efficiently managing simultaneous data transmissions from multiple terminals. It details a base wireless communication terminal that transmits a trigger frame to initiate multi-user uplink transmission, receives uplink data through allocated resources, and then transmits a block ACK (acknowledgment) in response. A key feature is that the transmission of the block ACK in each allocated resource is terminated simultaneously. The patent also covers a corresponding wireless communication method.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Independent Claim 1 (Base Wireless Communication Terminal):
  This claim describes a base wireless communication terminal, such as an Access Point (AP), equipped with a transceiver and a processor. The processor is configured to perform three main actions:

  1. Transmit a "trigger frame" that signals multiple other terminals to begin a multi-user uplink transmission.
  2. Receive the uplink data from these terminals via specific "resources" (channels or sub-channels) that were assigned to them.
  3. Transmit a "block ACK" (acknowledgment) back to the terminals through the same resources, confirming the receipt of their uplink data.
     The crucial aspect of this claim is that the transmission of the block ACK across all these allocated resources concludes at precisely the same time.

• Independent Claim 9 (Wireless Communication Method):
  This claim outlines a method for a base wireless communication terminal, which involves:

  1. Transmitting a "trigger frame" to initiate a multi-user uplink data transmission from multiple terminals.
  2. Receiving the multi-user uplink data through resources assigned to those terminals.
  3. Transmitting a "block ACK" through these resources as a response to the received uplink data.
     Similar to Claim 1, the core of this method is that the transmission of the block ACK in each resource is simultaneously terminated.

Litigation Information:
As of the current date, US patent 11716171B2 is noted to be involved in litigation. Specifically:

• The patent family has worldwide litigation filed.
• A PTAB case, IPR2025-01110, has been filed and is currently pending and instituted.
• Two US district court cases have been filed in the Texas Eastern District Court: case 2:25-cv-00070 and case 2:25-cv-00069.

No information regarding proceedings related to US11716171B2 specifically at the CAFC in 2026 has been found. It is typical for IPRs and District Court cases filed in 2025 to still be in their initial stages and not yet reach appellate courts by April 2026.

Uncertainty:
There is no uncertainty regarding the title, assignee, inventors, filing date, issue date, or abstract, as this information is directly from the patent document itself. The plain-language overview of the claims is based on the "Technical Solution" section, which clearly describes the independent claims. While litigation is confirmed, the exact current status of all listed cases beyond "pending - instituted" for the IPR and "filed" for the district court cases, and whether any have reached the CAFC in 2026, would require live docket searches that are beyond the scope of direct patent document analysis and the provided snippets. However, the provided snippets explicitly list the existence of these cases and their current general status.