# US 12,225,506 B2 · System and method for supporting operating stations on an extreme high throughput link > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,225,506 B2 - Document ID: US12225506B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/491,155 - Filed: 2021-09-30 - Published: 2022-04-28 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2020-10-22 - Assignees: Apple Inc. - Applicants: Apple Inc. - Inventors: Jinjing Jiang; Yong Liu; Tianyu Wu; Qi Wang; Su Khiong Yong; Jarkko L. Kneckt; Lochan Verma - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12225506B2 ## CPC - H04W 72/044: based on the type of the allocated resource - H04W 72/0453: Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA - H04L 5/0005: {Time-frequency} - H04L 5/0094: {Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated} - H04W 74/0808: using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA] - H04L 5/0012: {Hopping in multicarrier systems} - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract Methods and apparatuses are disclosed for high-bandwidth stations in a WiFi environment. In embodiments, a bandwidth of communications supported by the access point is divided into multiple frequency segments. In an embodiment, bandwidths up to 320 MHz are supported, which can be subdivided into four frequency segments of 80 MHz each. Different stations park on different frequency segments, whereas the access point has its primary channel located on the first frequency segment. With this configuration, uplink and downlink channel access can be provided to the different stations using a primary channel hopping pattern, which is provided to the stations from the AP. This pattern provides time windows for each frequency segment, during which the stations in that segment are able to freely communicate. Several other aspects of the disclosure further support this configuration and other high-bandwidth configurations. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An access point, comprising: a transceiver configured to transmit and receive wireless signals in communication with a plurality of stations distributed over a predefined bandwidth; and one or more processors configured to: define a plurality of contiguous frequency segments within the predefined bandwidth, each frequency segment configured to support parking of a subset of the plurality of stations; define a hopping pattern between the contiguous frequency segments that includes a plurality of contiguous time windows within a beacon interval respectively corresponding to the plurality of contiguous frequency segments; transmit, using the transceiver, a message to the plurality of stations indicating the plurality of contiguous time windows; and receive signals from a corresponding subset of the plurality of stations according to the plurality of contiguous time windows and their respective corresponding contiguous frequency segments. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The access point of claim 1, wherein the contiguous frequency segments each have a same bandwidth. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The access point of claim 1, wherein the predefined bandwidth is at least 160MHz and a bandwidth of the contiguous frequency segments is 80 MHz. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The access point of claim 1, wherein the plurality of contiguous time windows includes a same number of contiguous time windows associated with each of the plurality of contiguous frequency segments. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The access point of claim 1, wherein the plurality of contiguous time windows comprises four contiguous time windows, each having a duration of one fourth of the beacon interval. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The access point of claim 1, wherein the plurality of contiguous time windows comprises eight contiguous time windows, each having a duration of one eight of the beacon interval. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The access point of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors causes a primary frequency to cycle from a first contiguous frequency segment to a last contiguous frequency segment through successive contiguous time windows of the plurality of contiguous time windows. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The access point of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to delegate a subchannel within each contiguous frequency segment, the subchannel comprising a subset of a bandwidth of each contiguous frequency segment. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The access point of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to transmit a beacon on each of the delegated subchannels. ### Claim 10 A method for supporting a plurality of high-bandwidth stations in a wireless communication environment, comprising: defining a plurality of contiguous frequency segments within a predefined bandwidth, each contiguous frequency segment configured to support parking of a subset of the plurality of stations; defining a hopping pattern between the contiguous frequency segments that includes a plurality of contiguous time windows with a beacon interval respectively corresponding to the plurality of contiguous frequency segments; transmitting a message to the plurality of stations, the message indicating the plurality of contiguous time windows; receiving signals from a corresponding subset of the plurality of stations according to the plurality of contiguous time windows; and receiving messages from the plurality of stations on a primary communication frequency. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the predefined bandwidth is 320MHz, and each contiguous frequency segment includes a bandwidth of 80MHz. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein each contiguous time window has a same duration. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: receiving a channel access request from a legacy station; determining whether a primary channel of the legacy station and a hopped-to primary channel are idle; and authorizing channel access based on the determining. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: generating a trigger frame associated with each of the plurality of contiguous frequency segments for transmission to the plurality of stations, a first portion of the trigger frames including common data and a second portion of the trigger frames including different data depending on the frequency segment for which the trigger frames are generated. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the first portion includes Trigger Frame Common Information, and wherein the second portion includes a Trigger Frame User Information List. ### Claim 16 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations, the operations comprising: defining a plurality of contiguous frequency segments within a predefined bandwidth, each frequency segment configured to support parking of a subset of a plurality of stations; defining a hopping pattern between the contiguous frequency segments that includes a plurality of contiguous time windows with a beacon interval respectively corresponding to the plurality of contiguous frequency segments; transmitting a message to the plurality of stations, the message indicating the plurality of contiguous time windows; receiving signals from a corresponding subset of the plurality of stations according to the plurality of contiguous time windows; and receiving messages from the plurality of stations on a primary communication frequency. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the predefined bandwidth is 320MHz, and each frequency segment includes a bandwidth of 80MHz. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein each contiguous time window has a same duration. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising: receiving a channel access request from a legacy station; determining whether a primary channel of the legacy station and a hopped-to primary channel are idle; and authorizing channel access based on the determining. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising: generating a trigger frame associated with each of the plurality of contiguous frequency segments for transmission to the plurality of stations, a first portion of the trigger frames including common data and a second portion of the trigger frames including different data depending on the frequency segment for which the trigger frames are generated.