DETAILED ACTION
This application is in response to the RCE filed 18 March 2026. Claims 1 and 3-15 are pending in this application.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 18 March 2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1, 4-7, and 10-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Thill et al. (US 2015/0016409) in view of Lou et al. (US 2020/0053783).
For Claims 1 and 12-15, Thill teaches a resource scheduling system for a wireless communication network comprising a first communication device and a second communication device (see abstract, paragraph 24), a resource scheduling method for a wireless communication network, a wireless communication device, comprising a controller and a data transferer (see abstract, paragraph 1: transceiver, devices known to include processors), a resource scheduling method for a wireless communication device, a tangible, non-volatile computer readable medium (see paragraph 303: storage), comprising:
wherein the first and second communication devices belong to a group of a plurality of communication devices of the network (see abstract, paragraph 24),
wherein each communication device in the group of the plurality of the communication devices is configured to provide a bi-directional radio communication with at least one other of the plurality of the communication devices (see abstract, paragraph 24),
wherein the first communication device is further configured to broadcast a transmission resource assignment to the rest of the plurality of the communication devices (see paragraphs 81, 84).
Thill as applied above is not explicit as to, but Lou teaches a system comprising a tangible, non-volatile computer readable medium comprising a computer program that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out a resource scheduling method for a wireless communication device (see paragraph 330),
wherein the first communication device is configured to send a transmission resource configuration, which comprises transmission resource allocation information that informs an allocation of resources, as a part of a response to an association request of the second communication device, which belongs to the plurality of the communication devices (see paragraphs 214, 216, 199-200: association response includes information informing an allocation of resources; paragraphs 111-113, 126: the resource assignment is for uplink resources to be used by the stations),
the response to the association request comprising a group identifier of the group of the plurality of the communication devices to which the resources are assigned and a resource tag allocated to the second communication device (see paragraphs 199-200: grouping information, resource fields in association response; paragraphs 226 and 265: AID field is an identifier allocated to a communication device), and
wherein the first communication device is further configured to broadcast a transmission resource assignment, which comprises transmission resource assignment information that informs which part of the resources is assigned to the second communication device by the resource tag, separately from the transmission resource configuration to the rest of the plurality of the communication devices (see paragraphs 227, 231: broadcast indicates which resource is assigned to which station; paragraphs 111-113, 126: the resource assignment is for uplink resources to be used by the stations; paragraphs 226 and 265: AID field is an identifier allocated to a communication device, used for identifying which resources are assigned to that device).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to use signaling as in Lou when implementing the method of Thill. The motivation would be to improve throughput by allowing for more complete bandwidth usage and coordination of communications.
For Claim 4, Thill as applied above is not explicit as to, but Lou teaches the system, wherein the first communication device broadcasts the transmission resource configuration to the plurality of the communication devices (see paragraph 227, 231).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to provide a resource configuration as in Lou when establishing communications as in Thill. The motivation would be to reduce delay by early provision of resource information.
For Claim 5, Thill as applied above is not explicit as to, but Lou teaches the system, wherein the transmission resource configuration comprises at least timings of resources and at least one frequency channel of the resources, or the transmission resource configuration comprises at least the timings of the resources, the at least one channel of the resources, and an amount of the resources (see paragraphs 230-231, 226-227).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to provide configuration information as in Lou when providing a resource configuration as in Thill. One of ordinary skill would have been able to do so with the reasonably predictable result of providing information necessary for communications in a known manner.
For Claim 6, Thill as applied above is not explicit as to, but Lou teaches the system, wherein the first communication device broadcasts the transmission resource assignment as a part of a beacon (see paragraph 227, 231).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time the application was filed to use beaconing as in Lou when implementing the system of Thill. One of ordinary skill would have been able to do so with the reasonably predictable result of providing necessary information in a manner compatible with a particular protocol.
For Claim 7, Thill as applied above is not explicit as to, but Lou teaches the system, wherein the transmission resource assignment further comprises direction information which indicates whether an assigned resource part is for a communication in an uplink direction or a downlink direction (see paragraphs 257-258).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to use the scheduling frame as in Lou when providing assignment information as in Thill. One of ordinary skill would have been able to do so with the reasonably predictable result of ensuring complete scheduling information in a known manner.
For Claim 10, Thill further teaches the system, wherein the network is Digital European Cordless Telecommunication 2020-based network, a wireless mesh network, a wireless Bluetooth Low Energy-based radio network, a wireless local area network, Thread network, Zigbee network, Public Land Mobile Network, or cellular network (see abstract: mesh network).
For Claim 11, Thill further teaches the system, wherein, when the network is a wireless mesh network (see abstract), the group of the plurality of communication devices forms a cluster, the first communication device operates as a cluster head of the cluster, which schedules and assigns resources for cluster members of the cluster, and the second communication device is one of the cluster members (see paragraphs 3-8: grouping, master and subordinate).
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Thill et al. (US 2015/0016409) and Lou et al. (US 2020/0053783) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Lee (US 2011/0219367).
For Claim 3, the references as applied above are not explicit as to, but Lee teaches the system, wherein the transmission resource configuration is a part of an association acknowledged response, which completes the association between the first and second communication devices (see paragraphs 49-50).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to use signaling as in Lee when establishing communications as in Thill. The motivation would be to ensure devices have necessary configuration information to acquire a grant.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Thill et al. (US 2015/0016409) and Lou et al. (US2020/0053783) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Schober et al. (US 2021/0212165).
For Claim 8, Thill further teaches the first communication device dividing the group of the plurality of the communication devices, which comprise at least three communication devices, into at least two device groups and broadcasting sequentially the transmission resource assignment of each device group to the plurality of the communication devices (see paragraphs 44-45, 53, abstract: grouping devices; paragraphs 59-60: allocations to each group).
The references as applied above are not explicit as to, but Schober teaches dividing communications into groups in the event of there being a threshold number of devices (see paragraphs 183, 246). Protocol messaging being of a limited size and thus unable to accommodate more than a certain number of devices, it would therefore be necessary to group the devices and provide signaling separately to groups.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to group devices as in Thill in the event of the signaling messaging being able to accommodate fewer than the total number of devices as suggested in Schober. One of ordinary skill would have been able to do so with the reasonably predictable result of using standard messaging to convey the assignment information.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Thill et al. (US 2015/0016409) and Lou et al. (US 2020/0053783) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Stanwood et al. (US 2005/0243745).
For Claim 9, though Thill does indicate that resources are allocated as needed and assigned where they can be used (see abstract, paragraph 34), the references as applied above are not explicit as to, but Stanwood teaches the system, wherein the first communication device observes an amount of messages sent by each communication device in the group of the plurality of the communication devices or the first communication device is able to receive an additional resource request from one communication device, which belongs to the group of the plurality of the communication devices, in order to determine a resource need of the each communication device or at least one unused resource, and changes the transmission resource configuration, if the observation or the received additional resource request indicates such need (see abstract, paragraphs 21, 41: initial allocation, updating parameters once actual bandwidth is determined).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to manage parameters as in Stanwood when managing ongoing network activity as in Thill and Lou. The motivation would be to improve network performance by adapting parameters to reflect actual needs.
Response to Arguments
The amendment filed 18 March 2026 has been entered.
The previous objection to Calm 15 is withdrawn in light of the amendment.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the rejections under 35 USC 103 have been fully considered, but are not persuasive. The claims remain rejected under 35 USC 103.
With regards to Thill, Thill is not relied on for matter found in Lou.
With regards to teachings of Lou, Lou does teach the allocation of an identifier, corresponding to the claimed resource tag, by the access point to an associating station and included in an association response. Lou also teaches including individual resource assignments, associated with the respective identifiers, in a beacon which is broadcast. Other teachings in Lou notwithstanding, Lou does teach the matter for which Lou is relied upon.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Park et al. (US 9258813), Adachi (US 2017/0273039), Xing et al. (US 9794966), and Lin et al. (EP3113526) all teach access points assigning locally unique identifiers for associating stations.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CASSANDRA L DECKER whose telephone number is (571)270-3946. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30 am - 4:00 pm.
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/CASSANDRA L DECKER/Examiner, Art Unit 2466
/FARUK HAMZA/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2466
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