This month's granted patents in Networking & Multiplayer include 1 patent from Microsoft.
Microsoft describes technology for ultra-fast channel hopping in wireless game controllers, achieving switching times of 8-16 milliseconds to maintain connection reliability during interference. The patent addresses the challenge of preventing dropped controller inputs when wireless signals encounter congestion or interference, focusing on the millisecond-level responsiveness that gaming applications require.
Microsoft received 1 patent for a wireless controller system that switches between communication channels every 8-16 milliseconds to avoid interference before it causes problems. Rather than waiting to detect interference and then reacting, which takes hundreds of milliseconds in existing Wi-Fi systems, the controller and console follow a pre-synchronized hopping sequence that eliminates reaction delay entirely. The approach specifically targets short-term fading events that typically last around 80 milliseconds, hopping to a new channel fast enough that the interference never affects the connection.
All data sourced from USPTO patent filings. Google Patents may take several weeks to index recent publications. If a link is unavailable, search for the patent number at USPTO Patent Public Search.