Invented by Lee; Wook Bong, Wu; Tianyu, Zhang; Yan, Wu; Kanke, Batra; Anuj

Wireless communication has become a part of our daily lives. This technology allows phones, tablets, laptops, and many other gadgets to connect to the internet and to each other without cords. But as the world relies on wireless networks more and more, new challenges arise, especially when devices are far apart or when some devices are not as powerful as others. The patent application we discuss today addresses these issues by introducing a new way to send data over long distances in wireless local area networks (WLANs). Let’s dig into what this patent covers and why it matters.

Background and Market Context

Imagine living or working in a large building, a farm, or even moving between different rooms in your house. You want your devices to stay connected to the Wi-Fi no matter where you are. Sometimes, though, your device might be too far from the Wi-Fi router, or there could be walls and other obstacles in the way. As a result, your connection weakens or drops altogether. This is a common problem for both people and businesses.

Wireless local area networks, or WLANs, are everywhere. Most of these networks use standards like IEEE 802.11, also known as Wi-Fi. These systems are designed to be fast, but as we ask more from them—connecting more devices, using more data, and reaching further distances—they start to show their limits. Devices like smartphones, tablets, sensors, and even cars and drones depend on stable wireless connections to work well. But not all devices are created equal. Some have strong antennas and lots of power, while others are small and have limited range.

This gap in device performance creates a real problem. For example, a Wi-Fi router (or access point) might have a strong signal and many antennas, while a tiny sensor on the far end of a warehouse might have just one antenna and a weak transmitter. When these devices try to talk to each other, the weak device often struggles to send its messages all the way back to the router. This leads to missed data, slow connections, and frustration.

Businesses notice these troubles too. Factories with automation, farms with sensors, hospitals with wireless equipment, and even smart homes all rely on wireless networks that can reach every device, no matter how far away or how small. If the network can’t do that, work slows down, information is lost, and customers are unhappy. This means there’s a big need for better ways to send data over longer distances and to make sure even the weakest device can still be heard.

Existing solutions try to fix this by boosting power, adding repeaters, or switching to slower but more reliable data rates. These tricks can help, but they come at a cost. They use more energy, take up more space, or slow the network down for everyone. People want a solution that is simple, efficient, and works with the equipment they already have.

The patent we are looking at steps into this gap. It introduces a method that lets devices send data packets in a special format called “Extended Long Range” (ELR). This new format is designed to help even the weakest device reach the router, and it does so by using clever coding techniques, not just brute force. The result? Better coverage, higher reliability, and networks that work better for everyone.

Scientific Rationale and Prior Art

To understand how this invention works, it helps to know a little about how wireless networks send data. In Wi-Fi and similar systems, information is bundled up into packets. Each packet is like a digital envelope that carries your messages, commands, or files from one device to another. But not every packet makes it to its destination. Sometimes the signal gets weak, or there is interference from other devices. When that happens, data is lost, and the network might have to resend the packet, making everything slower.

Engineers have been working on this challenge for a long time. One solution is called forward error correction (FEC). This is a way of adding extra “check” bits to each packet, so the receiver can fix certain errors on its own. Think of it like writing your homework in pencil, but adding a cheat sheet that lets your teacher fix mistakes without asking you to rewrite the whole thing. FEC is powerful, but it can only do so much—especially when the signal gets very weak or the distance is very far.

Another trick is called code block repetition. This means sending the same chunk of information multiple times within the packet. If the receiver hears several copies, it can combine them to get a clearer picture, even if some copies were damaged by noise or interference. This is like getting several blurry photos of the same scene and using all of them to piece together the details. The more copies you have, the better your chances of understanding the message.

Older Wi-Fi standards, like 802.11a/b/g/n, use a mix of these techniques. Newer versions, such as 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) and 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7), have added even more advanced ways to pack and protect data, including smarter FEC and ways to use more channels at once. However, they still struggle when devices are especially far away, weak, or have to work with very little power. Traditional padding (adding extra bits to fill up the packet to a certain size) and error correction often waste space or require more processing power than small devices can handle.

There are also techniques like orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), which splits the signal into many smaller parts and sends them in parallel. This helps in noisy environments, but managing all these parts takes careful planning. If you just repeat everything over and over, you waste bandwidth. If you leave out the repeats, you risk losing the message entirely. Finding the right balance is tricky, and older solutions often make compromises that hurt speed or range.

Another problem is that in busy environments with lots of networks, devices need a way to quickly figure out if a packet is meant for them. This helps them ignore noise and save battery. Some systems use identifiers or “colors” for each network, but these can take time to check, and devices might waste energy listening to packets that aren’t for them.

So, the prior art gives us error correction codes, code block repetition, OFDM, and some forms of early packet identification. But none of these on their own fully solve the problems of long-range coverage, efficient use of bandwidth, easy decoding, and early packet rejection for unwanted messages—at least, not in a way that works well for all device types and distances.

This is where the new patent stands out. It blends and improves these existing methods by creating a special kind of packet—the ELR PPDU—that is faster to classify, easier to decode, and can be tuned to save space or increase reliability as needed. The patent also gives options for how and when to add padding and how to signal the important details, so devices can use the best approach for their situation.

Invention Description and Key Innovations

The patent introduces a method for making and using Extended Long Range (ELR) packets in wireless networks. It covers the steps for creating these packets, how devices should send and receive them, and what makes them better than regular packets. Let’s walk through the main ideas in simple terms.

First, the ELR packet is a special kind of data bundle that includes one or more repeated code blocks. This means the important part of the message—the code block—is copied more than once within the same packet. When the receiver gets the packet, it uses all these repeats to combine and correct any errors. This makes it much more likely that the message will come through, even if the signal is weak or there’s a lot of noise.

But the invention doesn’t stop there. It also introduces a smart way to signal information about these repeats. The sender adds a small piece of information—code block repetition signaling info—inside the packet. This tells the receiver how many repeats to expect and how to put them back together. The way this info is added can change based on what’s best for the network: it can use units of bytes, symbols, or special factors for padding.

The patent gives several choices for how to handle padding. Padding is just extra bits added to fill up the packet to the right size. Sometimes you do this before error correction (pre-FEC padding), sometimes after (post-FEC padding), and sometimes you skip most of it to save space. The invention lets devices choose when to add the padding, or even skip it, depending on what will give the best efficiency and reliability. If padding is skipped, the sender just adds enough to make the code blocks fit into neat byte-sized chunks, which is easy for devices to work with.

Another important piece is the early packet classification field. This is a small part near the start of each ELR packet that acts like a quick ID tag. It uses simple sequences to tell which network the packet is for—sort of like a color code. Devices not part of that network can see this field right away and stop listening, saving power and reducing interference. This makes the network more efficient and helps avoid unnecessary work for devices.

The invention also defines where and how to put all these pieces inside the packet. The code block repetition signaling info can go in a special ELR-SIG field. This field can be placed before or after certain training fields that help with timing and signal quality. The format of the packet, including where the ID tags and signaling info go, is carefully planned to match what existing devices can handle while still adding the new features.

From a hardware view, the patent covers both how devices should make these packets and how they should decode them. A processor with memory and the right circuits is set up to build the ELR packets, add the repeats, put in the signaling info, and handle the padding as needed. On the receiving end, the device reads the signaling info, gathers all the repeats, and uses them to fix errors. If the early packet classification field says the packet is not for this device, it can stop listening right away. All of this can be done in software, hardware, or a mix, making it flexible for different products.

What makes this approach unique is the way it adapts to the needs of each network and device. If you want the best efficiency, you can skip most of the padding and just signal the number of code bits in byte units. If you need maximum reliability, you can add more repeats or adjust the padding to line up exactly with the network’s timing. The design is modular, so it can be used in many types of devices, from powerful access points to tiny sensors or drones.

To sum up, the key innovations are:

– Making packets with repeated code blocks for extra reliability
– Smart signaling that tells receivers how to combine the repeats
– Flexible padding options to balance efficiency and reliability
– An early packet classification field for quick network identification
– Clear packet formats that fit into existing wireless standards
– Hardware and software methods for both sending and receiving these packets

This approach helps wireless networks cover more ground, connect more devices, and keep working even when conditions are tough. It lets small, weak devices talk to the network just as well as bigger, stronger ones, and it makes sure that everyone’s messages get through.

Conclusion

Wireless networks are everywhere, and the world needs them to work better and reach further. The patent discussed here steps up to that challenge with a new method for creating and using extended long range packets. By repeating the important parts of each message, signaling the right info to receivers, and letting devices quickly see if a message is meant for them, this invention makes wireless communication more reliable and more efficient. Whether you’re connecting a smart sensor in a far corner of a warehouse, a drone flying overhead, or just trying to keep your phone online at the edge of your yard, these improvements matter. The patent’s flexible, clever design means it can fit into many different products and networks, helping everyone stay connected wherever they are.

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