US 12169756

US patent 12169756, titled "Method and apparatus for processing bandwidth intensive data streams using virtual media access control and physical layers", was invented by Sai C. Manapragada and is currently assigned to Xifi Networks R and D Inc. The patent has a filing date of July 29, 2024, and was granted/issued on December 17, 2024.

Abstract:
A wireless networking system is disclosed. It includes an application layer with one or more applications having a wireless bandwidth requirement. The system uses first and second wireless transceiver resources, each associated with an actual MAC layer and PHY layer, and having first and second bandwidth availabilities, respectively, up to first and second actual bandwidths. A processing layer evaluates the wireless bandwidth requirement and the bandwidth availabilities of the transceiver resources. This processing layer includes a bandwidth allocator configured to allocate portions of the first and second actual bandwidths to virtual MAC and virtual PHY layers to satisfy the application layer's wireless bandwidth requirement.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1: This claim describes a wireless networking device. It features a control system (processing interface) that handles data from applications, each with specific wireless bandwidth needs. This control system is connected to two separate sets of standard networking hardware (actual MAC and PHY interfaces), which in turn connect to two different wireless transceivers. These transceivers work in different frequency bands suitable for Wi-Fi and each have a specific amount of bandwidth available. Within the control system, there's a virtual MAC interface and a resource monitoring interface. The resource monitoring interface keeps the virtual MAC interface updated on the available bandwidth from the physical transceivers. The virtual MAC interface, without the application's knowledge, can then set up connections for a user using both sets of physical hardware. It uses the bandwidth information to decide how to allocate portions of the available bandwidth from the two transceivers to meet the application's data stream demands.

CAFC 2026 Dockets:
A search of CAFC dockets for 2026 for patent 12169756 did not yield any direct results indicating active litigation in the CAFC for the year 2026. However, the provided patent data indicates that the patent family has litigation filed and a PTAB case PGR2025-00068 filed (Pending - Instituted). The US case was filed in the Texas Eastern District Court. This information is derived from the patent's own metadata on Google Patents, which cites Darts-ip and Unified Patents data. No specific CAFC dockets for 2026 were found in a direct search for the patent number.
Note: The legal status section of the provided patent text mentions "Critical Family has litigation filed" and "US case filed in Texas Eastern District Court" and "PTAB case PGR2025-00068 filed (Pending - Instituted)". While these indicate litigation related to the patent family, they do not specifically mention CAFC dockets for 2026 in the search results.US patent 12169756, titled "Method and apparatus for processing bandwidth intensive data streams using virtual media access control and physical layers", was invented by Sai C. Manapragada and is currently assigned to Xifi Networks R and D Inc. The patent has a filing date of July 29, 2024, and was granted/issued on December 17, 2024.

Abstract:
A wireless networking system is disclosed. It includes an application layer associated with one or more applications having a wireless bandwidth requirement. A first wireless transceiver resource associated with an actual MAC layer and PHY layer is employed. The first wireless transceiver resource has a first bandwidth availability up to a first actual bandwidth. A second wireless transceiver resource associated with the actual MAC layer and the PHY layer is employed. The second wireless transceiver resource has a second bandwidth availability up to a second actual bandwidth. A processing layer evaluates the wireless bandwidth requirement and the first and second bandwidth availabilities of the wireless transceiver resources. The processing layer includes a bandwidth allocator to allocate at least a portion of each of the first and second actual bandwidths to virtual MAC and virtual PHY layers, and to satisfy the application layer wireless bandwidth requirement.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1: This claim describes a wireless networking device that includes a processing interface designed to interact with an application providing a data stream with a specific wireless bandwidth requirement. The device incorporates first and second actual MAC and PHY interfaces, each connected to a respective wireless transceiver. These transceivers are suitable for use in a wireless local area network, operate in different frequency bands (e.g., as specified by IEEE 802.11 standards), and have distinct bandwidth availabilities. The processing interface itself contains at least one virtual MAC interface and a resource monitoring interface. During operation, the resource monitoring interface provides the virtual MAC interface with information about the available bandwidths of the first and second transceivers. The virtual MAC interface is then configured to, transparently to any higher-level application, request or create associations between a recipient and the actual MAC and PHY interfaces, and use the bandwidth availability information to make allocation decisions. These decisions allocate portions of the first and second available bandwidths to at least partially satisfy the application's data stream bandwidth requirement.

CAFC 2026 Dockets:
A search of the CAFC 2026 dockets for the specific patent number 12169756 did not return any direct case listings. However, the patent's metadata indicates that the patent family is involved in litigation, with a US case filed in the Texas Eastern District Court and a PTAB case (PGR2025-00068) currently pending and instituted. These are not direct CAFC 2026 docket entries for the patent number itself.