US 11974143

Here's a concise summary of US patent 11974143:

Title: Method and apparatus for processing bandwidth intensive data streams using virtual media access control and physical layers

Assignee: Xifi Networks R and D Inc.

Inventor: Sai C. Manapragada

Filing Date: September 20, 2023

Issue Date: April 30, 2024

Abstract: A wireless networking system is described that includes an application layer with applications having wireless bandwidth requirements. It employs first and second wireless transceiver resources, each linked to an actual MAC (Media Access Control) layer and PHY (Physical) layer, with respective bandwidth availabilities. A processing layer evaluates these bandwidth requirements and availabilities. This processing layer contains a bandwidth allocator that assigns portions of the actual bandwidths to virtual MAC and virtual PHY layers to meet the application layer's wireless bandwidth needs.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1 (Method of improving wireless networking device performance): This claim describes a method where a wireless networking device uses a processing interface connected to an application interface and multiple actual MAC and PHY interfaces, each with associated wireless transceivers operating in different frequency bands. The processing interface forms virtual MAC and PHY interfaces, with the virtual PHYs feeding bandwidth availability information back to the virtual MAC. Transparently to layers above it, the processing interface requests or creates associations between a recipient and the actual MAC/PHYs, identifies available bandwidth on a selected transceiver, prepares a data stream for transmission using a specific subset of frequencies within that bandwidth, and transmits it to satisfy an application's bandwidth need. Crucially, this transmission can occur simultaneously with the reception of another data stream by a second selected transceiver, and the utilization of bandwidth by the device does not prevent other devices from using the remaining frequency ranges of those transceivers simultaneously for their own data transmission or reception.

• Claim 20 (Method building on Claim 19, which is itself dependent): This claim, although listed independently in the prompt's formatting, is grammatically dependent on Claim 19 within the patent. Given the instruction to provide a plain-language overview of each independent claim, and acknowledging that Claim 20 is presented as a separate item here, I will treat it as describing an additional independent concept for the purpose of this summary, while noting its dependency within the patent structure.

  • Plain-language summary of the additional concept in Claim 20 (dependent on Claim 19, which covers dynamic bandwidth reallocation): If the identified bandwidth portion of a second selected wireless transceiver (for receiving data) becomes unavailable, or if more bandwidth becomes available, the processing interface will transparently identify a new available bandwidth portion. It will then receive the data stream from the recipient using this new frequency subset, without requiring the recipient to disassociate from any actual MAC/PHY interfaces, thereby continuing to meet the bandwidth requirement for received data.

Litigation Status:
The patent family is involved in litigation. A US case has been filed in the Texas Eastern District Court. Additionally, a PTAB case, IPR2025-01208, has been filed and is currently pending (instituted).