Patents by Inventor Wen Zhao

Wen Zhao has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9521699
    Abstract: A method for offloading a video portion of a video call form a cellular network to a WLAN is provided. The method can include a wireless communication device participating in a video call with a remote device over a connection between the wireless communication device and a cellular network. The video call can include a first video stream carried over a first bearer on the cellular network and an audio stream carried over a second bearer on the cellular network. The method can further include the wireless communication device establishing a connection between the wireless communication device and a WLAN; performing a call setup procedure with the remote device to establish a second video stream over the WLAN; terminating the first video stream; and using the second video stream and the audio stream to continue the video call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Samy Khay-Ibbat, Sarma V. Vangala, Paul V. Flynn, Wen Zhao, Sreevalsan Vallath, Navid Damji
  • Publication number: 20160360564
    Abstract: A device and method selects an antenna configuration. The method performed at a user equipment includes determining at least one communication functionality that is being used, each communication functionality configured to utilize at least one antenna in a multi-antenna arrangement of the user equipment. The method includes receiving a first indication of whether a cellular communication functionality is being used, the cellular communication functionality configured to utilize at least one antenna in the multi-antenna arrangement. The method includes receiving a second indication of whether a coexistence condition is present. The method includes determining an antenna configuration for the multi-antenna arrangement to be used by the determined communication functionality based upon the determined communication functionality, the first indication, and the second indication.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2015
    Publication date: December 8, 2016
    Inventors: Hsin-You LIU, Ruben CABALLERO, Mohit NARANG, Peter M. AGBOH, Paul V. FLYNN, Qiong WU, Nicholas M. McDONNELL, Navid DAMJI, Ming HU, Wen ZHAO
  • Patent number: 9497652
    Abstract: Electronic devices may be provided that contain wireless communication circuitry. The wireless communication circuitry may include radio-frequency transceiver circuitry coupled to antennas by switching circuitry. Multiple radio access technologies may be supported. A device may include first and second antennas. Control circuitry can configure the transceiver circuitry and switching circuitry to support operation of the device in active and idle modes for each radio access technology. In some configurations, both antennas may be used to support operations associated with one of the radio access technologies. In other configurations, the first antenna may be used to support operations with a first of the radio access technologies while the second antenna is used to support operations with a second of the radio access technologies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Syed Aon Mujtaba, Wen Zhao, Xiaowen Wang, Vinay Majjigi, Isabel G. Mahe
  • Patent number: 9491674
    Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method for performing handover of a mobile station (MS) between a base station (BS) and an access point (AP) are described. In one embodiment, the MS may receive one or more threshold values for reporting measurements to the BS. The MS may convert the threshold values to device-specific threshold values. The MS may determine one or more network quality values associated with the AP. The MS may compare the network quality values to the device-specific threshold values. In response to the network quality values exceeding the device-specific threshold values, the MS may convert the network quality values to calibrated network quality values. The MS may provide the calibrated network quality values. The MS may perform handover from the BS to the AP based on providing the calibrated network quality values to the BS.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ajoy K. Singh, Krisztian Kiss, Wen Zhao
  • Publication number: 20160315782
    Abstract: A method for receiving feedback on a quality of multicast transmissions in a Wireless Local Access Network (WLAN) including a source electronic device (e.g., an access point) and a plurality of electronic devices is disclosed, according to some embodiments. The method can include (i) transmitting a plurality of multicast packets addressed to a subset of the plurality of electronic devices by the source electronic device; (ii) concurrently polling the subset of the plurality of electronic devices by the source electronic device; and (iii) receiving a plurality of block acknowledgements (BAs) from at least the subset of the plurality of electronic devices by the source electronic device. Each BA may include information on a quality of reception of two or more multicast packets received at an electronic device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2016
    Publication date: October 27, 2016
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Guoqing Li, Joonsuk KIM, Chiu Ngok E. WONG, Yong LIU, Su Khiong YONG, Christiaan A. Hartman, Syed Aon MUJTABA, Ye SUN, Shu DU, Wen ZHAO
  • Patent number: 9472080
    Abstract: A method for determining a status of a user of an electronic device. The method includes a computer processor determining information associated with a first user of an electronic device. The method further includes identifying a plurality of electronic devices that are within a range of wireless communications to the electronic device. The method further includes defining an area monitored by the electronic device. The method further includes monitoring a group of the identified plurality of electronic devices that are within the defined area. The method further includes calculating a first safe-threshold value for the electronic device based on information associated with a first user of an electronic device and monitored information from the group of the identified plurality of electronic devices. The method further includes determining a status for the first user based, at least in part, on the calculated first safe-threshold value for the electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jiaqing Guo, Zhen Qi, Qi Xi, Xiao Feng Yu, Ya Wen Zhao
  • Patent number: 9455929
    Abstract: A device and method transmits a data block over a wireless coexistence interface (WCI) pathway. The method includes generating a data block for transmission between a cellular chip and an Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) chip. The method includes converting the data block into messages, the messages having a format corresponding to the WCI pathway, the WCI pathway directly communicatively connecting the cellular chip and the ISM chip, the format including an indication of a message type. The method includes transmitting the messages over the WCI pathway. The method includes generating the data block based upon a concatenation of the messages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: William Burchill, Paul Flynn, Wen Zhao
  • Patent number: 9445419
    Abstract: A single chip mobile wireless device capable of receiving and transmitting over one wireless network at a time maintains registration on two wireless communication networks that each use different communication protocols in parallel. Periodically, the mobile wireless device tunes one or more receivers from a first wireless network to a second wireless network in order to listen for paging messages addressed to the mobile wireless device from the second wireless network. The first wireless network suspends allocation of radio resources to the mobile wireless device based on receipt of a suspension message from the mobile wireless device, or based on knowledge of a paging cycle for mobile wireless device in the second wireless network, or based on detection of an out of synchronization condition with the mobile wireless device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wen Zhao, Syed A. Mujtaba, Xiaowen Wang, Vinay R. Majjigi, Isabel G. Mahe
  • Publication number: 20160262205
    Abstract: A host device may include a wireless interface for communications, a memory, and a processor coupled to the memory and to the wireless interface. The host device may receive, via the wireless interface, an advertisement message from a client device. The advertisement message may include an identifier associated with the client device and a request for communication of data from a cloud-based service. Responsive to the advertisement, the host may send the identifier to the cloud-based service. The host may receive from the cloud-based service, a proxy indication of available data associated with the client. Responsive to receiving the proxy indication of available data, the host may provide, via the wireless interface, a connection request including a client indication of the available data from the cloud-based service to the client. After receiving the available data from the cloud-based service, the host device may send the available data to the client.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2015
    Publication date: September 8, 2016
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Paul V. Flynn, Ajoy K. Singh, Wen Zhao, Dennis Mathews, Syed Aon Mujtaba, Sriram Hariharan, Matthew L. Semersky
  • Publication number: 20160262082
    Abstract: A host device may include a first wireless communication circuit, a second wireless communication circuit including a proxy router, and a host processor communicatively coupled to the wireless communication circuits. The host device may receive, via the second wireless communication circuit, an advertisement message from a client device. The advertisement message may include a request for communication of data with a network. The host device may determine at least one of a communication policy preference of the host device and a network connection property of the host device. The proxy router may select the first or the second wireless communication circuit for use by the host device to communicate the data with the network. The host device may provide, via the second wireless communication circuit, a connection request to the client device, and then transfer, using the selected wireless communication circuit, the data between the client device and the network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2015
    Publication date: September 8, 2016
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Paul V. Flynn, Wen Zhao, Syed Aon Mujtaba, Sriram Hariharan, Matthew L. Semersky
  • Publication number: 20160262191
    Abstract: A client device and a host device may create a local connection for providing wide area network access, such as Internet access, to the client device. In some embodiments, the client device may have limited network capabilities and may not be able to access the Internet without the host device. The client device may provide its speed and direction in a message to potential host devices. A host device may calculate a suitability metric, based on the speed and direction of the client as well as connection properties of the networks, which indicates an ability for the host device to connect the client device to the Internet. The host device may provide the suitability metric within a connection request to the client device. Based on the suitability metric and/or other factors, the client device and the host device may establish the local connection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2015
    Publication date: September 8, 2016
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Paul V. Flynn, Dennis Mathews, Ajoy K. Singh, Wen Zhao, Yong Liu, Syed Aon Mujtaba, Sriram Hariharan, Matthew L. Semersky
  • Publication number: 20160249399
    Abstract: A method for offloading a video portion of a video call form a cellular network to a WLAN is provided. The method can include a wireless communication device participating in a video call with a remote device over a connection between the wireless communication device and a cellular network. The video call can include a first video stream carried over a first bearer on the cellular network and an audio stream carried over a second bearer on the cellular network. The method can further include the wireless communication device establishing a connection between the wireless communication device and a WLAN; performing a call setup procedure with the remote device to establish a second video stream over the WLAN; terminating the first video stream; and using the second video stream and the audio stream to continue the video call.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2016
    Publication date: August 25, 2016
    Inventors: Samy KHAY-IBBAT, Sarma V. VANGALA, Paul V. FLYNN, Wen ZHAO, Sreevalsan VALLATH, Navid DAMJI
  • Publication number: 20160234749
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed relating to a mobile device that initiates handovers from short-range networks to long-range networks. In various embodiments, a mobile device includes one or more radios that communicate using a plurality of radio access technologies (RATs) including a cellular RAT and a short-range RAT. In such an embodiment, the mobile device stores an indication that the cellular RAT is a preferred RAT for a communication session. The mobile may establish the communication session using the preferred RAT, and in response to determining that a quality of the preferred RAT fails to satisfy a set of quality criteria, may request that the communication session use the short-range RAT. In some embodiments, the mobile device analyzes average packet error rate for the communication session and in response to the average packet error rate satisfying a threshold, requests that the communication session use the cellular RAT.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2015
    Publication date: August 11, 2016
    Inventors: Ajoy K. Singh, Wen Zhao
  • Publication number: 20160219474
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a user equipment device (UE) implements techniques for avoiding conflicts between UE-initiated and network-initiated handovers. In one embodiment, one or more first radios are configured to perform cellular communication using different first and second cellular radio access technologies (RATs) and a second radio is configured to perform wireless communication using a short-range RAT. In one embodiment, the mobile device is configured to, while communicating using the first cellular RAT, in response to determining that an inter-RAT handover to the short-range RAT is likely to be initiated or has been initiated by the at least one processor, delay sending a measurement report to the cellular base station. This delay may avoid conflict between handovers initiated by the network in response to the measurement report (e.g., from the first cellular RAT to the second cellular RAT) and the inter-RAT handover.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2015
    Publication date: July 28, 2016
    Inventors: Ajoy K. Singh, Wen Zhao
  • Publication number: 20160174280
    Abstract: A user equipment (UE) device may be configured to effectively manage coexistence of multiple radio access technologies (RATs) on the device. Respective controllers responsible for at least partially managing wireless communications according to corresponding respective RATs may communicate to each other expected data transfer patterns that take place over their respective communications links, including application-specific data transfer patterns and data-transfer-mechanism-specific data transfer patterns. The RAT controllers may manage their respective data transfers according to the expected data-transfer pattern information associated with the other RATs received from each in order to prevent data transmission by the device over one RAT link interfering with data transmission of the device over another RAT link.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2015
    Publication date: June 16, 2016
    Inventors: Ajoy K. Singh, Paul V. Flynn, Wen Zhao, Sami M. Almalfouh, Sanil H. Fulani, William S. Burchill
  • Publication number: 20160174191
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to apparatus, systems, and methods for reception of calls on a mobile device that includes Wi-Fi and cellular radios. The mobile device may be configured to establish communication on a Wi-Fi network with a cellular carrier. The mobile device may further be configured to register a first IP address with an IMS server for the Wi-Fi network communication and register a second IP address with the IMS server for the cellular network communication (or register different ports of a single IP address with Wi-Fi and cellular). Upon occurrence of a mobile terminating call from the cellular carrier, the mobile device may receive an incoming call notification on one or both of the Wi-Fi network using the first IP address and the cellular network using the second IP address.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Publication date: June 16, 2016
    Inventors: Ajoy K. Singh, Paul V. Flynn, Syed Aon Mujtaba, Vinay R. Majjigi, Wen Zhao, Xiaowen Wang
  • Patent number: 9319952
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for synchronizing operational state during hybrid network operation. In one embodiment, the various access technologies that makeup the hybrid network not fully synchronized. Thus, a wireless device operating in a mixed mode must be capable of managing synchronization across multiple access technologies. The wireless device is configured to estimate an expected “tune-away” period when disengaging with a one access technology to address events (for example, link maintenance, calls, data, and the like) or perform monitoring on a second access technology. The estimate is then used by the device to adjust its operational parameters on the technology from which it is tuning away. This ensures smooth switching away from and back to the various network technologies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wen Zhao, Xiaowen Wang, Vinay Majjigi, Paul Flynn, Kee-Bong Song, Tarik Tabet, Youngjae Kim, Syed Aon Mujtaba, Christian Mucke
  • Publication number: 20160100131
    Abstract: In video conferencing over a radio network, the radio equipment is a major power consumer especially in cellular networks such as LTE. In order to reduce the radio power consumption in video conferencing, it is important to introduce an enough radio inactive time. Several types of data buffering and bundling can be employed within a reasonable range of latency that doesn't significantly disrupt the real-time nature of video conferencing. In addition, the data transmission can be synchronized to the data reception in a controlled manner, which can result in an even longer radio inactive time and thus take advantage of radio power saving modes such as LTE C-DRX.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Inventors: Chris Y. Chung, Wen Zhao, Luciano M. Verger, Hyeonkuk Jeong, Gang Lu, Srinivasan Vasudevan, Xiaosong Zhou, Hsi-Jung Wu, James O. Normile
  • Patent number: 9294409
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system that processes network packets. Upon receiving a first Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) header for a first TCP segment from a network link, the system immediately provides a portion of the first TCP header to a transport layer prior to receiving all payload data for the first TCP segment. Next, the system uses the transport layer to transmit a first acknowledgment of the first TCP segment to the network link, wherein the first acknowledgment reduces a round-trip time (RTT) associated with the first TCP segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wen Zhao, Wenping Lou
  • Publication number: 20160073317
    Abstract: A method for transitioning a video call is provided. The method can include a wireless communication device participating in a video call with a remote communication device via a first video call session established over a connection between the wireless communication device and a first cellular network. The video call can include a packet switched video stream carried over a first bearer and an audio stream carried over a second bearer. The method can further include the wireless communication device determining a degradation in a connection quality for the first cellular network; transitioning to a legacy cellular network having a circuit switched domain in response to the degradation in connection quality for the first cellular network; establishing a second video call session on the legacy cellular network; and using the second video call session to continue the video call on the legacy cellular network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2015
    Publication date: March 10, 2016
    Inventors: Samy KHAY-IBBAT, Sarma V. VANGALA, Paul V. FLYNN, Wen ZHAO, Sreevalsan VALLATH, Navid DAMJI