# US 12,120,738 B2 · Multi-user-RTS and CTS frames for a sub-channel selective transmission station > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,120,738 B2 - Document ID: US12120738B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/461,630 - Filed: 2021-08-30 - Published: 2022-03-17 - Granted: 2024-10-15 - Earliest claimed: 2020-09-11 - Assignees: Apple Inc. - Applicants: Apple Inc. - Inventors: Jarkko L. Kneckt; Yong Liu; Jinjing Jiang; Tianyu Wu; Qi Wang; Su Khiong Yong - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12120738B2 ## CPC - H04W 74/0816: with collision avoidance - H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract During operation, an electronic device (e.g., an access point) may provide a multi-user (MU)-request-to-send (RTS) frame that communicates an RTS in a channel associated with the second electronic device and a second RTS in a second channel associated with a third electronic device. For example, the channel may include a primary channel and the second channel may include a secondary channel. Note that the third electronic device may include a SST station and the second electronic device may include a non-SST station. Then, the electronic device may receive an MU-clear-to-send (CTS) frame that includes a CTS in a third channel associated with the third electronic device. Moreover, the third channel may be equal to or a subset of the second channel, and/or the third channel may include a CTS reception channel associated with the electronic device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic device, comprising: an antenna node configured to communicatively couple to an antenna; and an interface circuit, communicatively coupled to the antenna node, configured to communicate with a second electronic device and a third electronic device, wherein the electronic device is configured to: provide, from the interface circuit, a multi-user (MU)-request-to-send (RTS) frame that communicates an RTS in a channel associated with the second electronic device and communicates a second RTS in a second channel associated with the third electronic device, wherein the third electronic device comprises a sub-channel selective transmission (SST) station and the second electronic device comprises a non-SST station; and wherein the MU-RTS comprises one or more user-information fields specific to the third electronic device and excludes the one or more user-information fields for the second electronic device; and receive, at the interface circuit, an MU-clear-to-send (CTS) frame comprising a CTS in a third channel associated with the third electronic device, wherein the MU-RTS frame specifies a format type of the CTS frame and the format type comprises a reserved field with station-specific information, and the MU-CTS frame indicates one or more channels used to communicate the MU-CTS frame. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the channel comprises a primary channel and the second channel comprises a secondary channel; and the secondary channel has a bandwidth of 80 MHz. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the third channel is equal to, or a subset of, the second channel. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the third channel is different from, and does not overlap, the channel. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second channel comprises a packet detection channel associated with the third electronic device, and the third channel comprises a CTS reception channel associated with the electronic device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the format type comprises an extended-CTS (E-CTS). ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured to provide, from the interface circuit, a beacon frame with information specifying a broadcast targeted wake-up time (TWT) with services periods (SPs) associated with at least the third electronic device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the information specifies when RTS-CTS signaling is to be used prior to an uplink transmission associated with the third electronic device, or that specifies when the uplink transmission is triggered by the electronic device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the MU-CTS frame comprises a channel indicator that indicates the one or more channels. ### Claim 10 A method for providing a multi-user (MU)-request-to-send (RTS) frame, comprising: by an electronic device: providing the MU-RTS frame, communicating an RTS in a channel associated with a second electronic device and communicating a second RTS in a second channel associated with a third electronic device, wherein the third electronic device comprises a sub-channel selective transmission (SST) station and the second electronic device comprises a non-SST station; and wherein the MU-RTS comprises one or more user-information fields specific to the third electronic device and excludes the one or more user-information fields for the second electronic device; and receiving an MU-clear-to-send (CTS) frame comprising a CTS in a third channel associated with the third electronic device, wherein the MU-RTS frame specifies a format type of the CTS frame and the format type comprises a reserved field with station-specific information, and the MU-CTS frame indicates one or more channels used to communicate the MU-CTS frame. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the channel comprises a primary channel and the second channel comprises a secondary channel; and the secondary channel has a bandwidth of 80 MHZ. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the information specifies when RTS-CTS signaling is to be used prior to an uplink transmission associated with the third electronic device, or that specifies when the uplink transmission is triggered by the electronic device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the third channel is different from, and does not overlap, the channel. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the second channel comprises a packet detection channel associated with the third electronic device, and the third channel comprises a CTS reception channel associated with the electronic device. ### Claim 15 An electronic device, comprising: an interface circuit, communicatively coupled to an antenna node, configured to allow the electronic device to communicate with a second electronic device, wherein the electronic device is configured to: receive, at the interface circuit in a channel associated with the electronic device, a request-to-send (RTS) in a multi-user (MU)-request-to-send (RTS) frame, wherein the MU-RTS frame is associated with the second electronic device and communicates a second RTS in a second channel associated with a third electronic device, and wherein the electronic device comprises a sub-channel selective transmission (SST) station and the third electronic device comprises a non-SST station; and wherein the MU-RTS comprises one or more user-information fields specific to the third electronic device and excludes the one or more user-information fields for the second electronic device; and provide, from the interface circuit, a clear-to-send (CTS) in an MU-CTS frame in a third channel associated with the electronic device, wherein the MU-RTS frame specifies a format type of the CTS frame and the format type comprises a reserved field with station-specific information, and the MU-CTS frame indicates one or more channels used to communicate the MU-CTS frame. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the second channel comprises a primary channel and the channel comprises a secondary channel; and the secondary channel has a bandwidth of 80 MHZ. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the third channel is equal to, or a subset of, the channel. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the third channel is different from, and does not overlap, the second channel. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the third channel comprises a CTS reception channel associated with the electronic device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the electronic device is configured to receive, at the interface circuit, a beacon frame associated with the second electronic device that comprises information specifying a broadcast targeted wake-up time (TWT) with services periods (SPs) associated with the electronic device. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the information specifies when RTS-CTS signaling is to be used prior to an uplink transmission by the electronic device, or that specifies when the uplink transmission is triggered by the second electronic device.