DETAILED ACTION
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office Action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 01/28/2026 has been entered and made of record.
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 .
Claim Status
Claims 1 and 15 are amended.
Claims 17-19 are added.
Claims 1-7 and 15-19 are pending for examination.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments (remark pages 6-7), filed on 01/28/2026, with respect to claims 1-7 and 15-19 have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground of rejection below which better address the claimed invention as amended.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-7 and 15-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al. (US 20210045151 A1), hereinafter “Chen”, in view of Chen et al. (US 20210127291 A1), hereinafter “Chen2”.
Per claim 1 and 15:
Regarding claim 1, Chen teaches ‘A communication apparatus’ (Chen: [Abstract]: “devices and systems for wireless communication”); ‘comprising: circuitry’ (Chen: [0095]: “circuitry”); ‘which, in operation, generates a transmission signal’ (Chen: [0098]: “operations related to the generation and transmission of MPDUs”);
‘comprising
a first signal field and a second signal field’ (Chen: [FIG.10]: “U-SIG”, “EHT-SIG”);
‘wherein the first signal field comprises punctured channel information (Chen: [0058]: “The U-SIG may include punctured channel information”);
‘the second signal field comprises a Common field and a User Specific field’ (Chen: [FIG.4]: “EHT-SIG”, “COMMON FIELD”, “USER SPECIFIC FIELDS”);
‘wherein the Common field comprises a first part and a second part’ (Chen: [Table 1]: “Common field: (size depends on bandwidth of the wireless channel)
- Additional info fields overflowed from USIG
- Resource allocation information (which may be omitted for SU)”, first part (Additional info fields overflowed from USIG) and second part (Resource allocation information));
‘wherein the first part has a determined number of data bits and is the same across all content channels in the transmission signal’ (Chen: [Table 1]: “Additional signal fields common to all users ( or SU): (which may carry over into EHT-SIG)
Spatial reuse: 4 bits
GI+L TF size: 2 bits
Number of EHT-LTF symbols and midamble periodicity: ~4 bits
Doppler: 1 bit
LDPC extra symbol segment: 1 bit
STBC (space time block code): 1 bit
Pre-FEC padding factor: 2 bits
PE (packet extension) disambiguity: 1 bit
Beam Change: 1 bit”;
[0150]-0151]: “shows a conceptual diagram of EHT-SIGs in different content channels … there may be one common field per content channel. The encoded block of common field may have 44 information bits plus a 4 bit CRC and a 6 bit tail”; Additional signal fields has the same determined number of data bits across all content channels);
‘wherein the second part has a variable number of data bits depending on bandwidth, and is different between a first content channel and a second content channel in the transmission signal’ (Chen: [Table 1]: “Common field: (size depends on bandwidth of the wireless channel”, “Resource allocation information”; [0080]: “The common field can indicate RU distributions to multiple STAs 104, indicate the RU assignments in the frequency domain, indicate which RUs are allocated for MU-MIMO transmissions and which RUs correspond to MU-OFDMA transmissions, and the number of users in allocations, among other possibilities”; RU assignment information would have a variable number of data depending on bandwidth and could be different between content channels);
‘wherein the second part does not comprise supplemental punctured channel information in case a first compression mode is enabled for the second signal field’ (Chen: [Table 1]; [0115]: “The 4-bit field may indicate spatial reuse for the entire PPDU BW … within an 80 MHz portion of the wireless channel. As indicated above, the EHT-SIG 1018 may not be present”; [FIG.10]; “EHT-SIG”, “OVERFLOW FROM U_SIG”; [0058]: “The U-SIG may include punctured channel information”; [0059]: “The EHT-SIG may include overflow signaling information from the U-SIG”, the second part would not contain punctured channel information in case U_SIG does not overflow). However, the PRO 62957117 of Chen fails to expressly teach in case a first compression mode is enabled for the second signal field;
‘wherein the second part comprises the supplemental punctured channel information in case a second compression mode is enabled for the second signal field’ (Chen: [FIG.13]: “EHT-SIG”, “Common-1A”, “Common-1B”; [TABLE-1]: “EHT-SIG … includes: Common field (size depends on bandwidth of the wireless channel) Additional info fields overflowed from U-SIG”; [0058]: “The U-SIG may include punctured channel information”; the second part comprising supplemental punctured channel information overflow from U-SIG). However, the PRO 62957117 of Chen fails to expressly teach in case a second compression mode is enabled for the second signal field;
‘wherein when the transmission signal is used for punctured single-user (SU) or multi-user (MU) multiple input multiple output (MIMO) transmission’ (Chen: [0060]: “the preamble design options may enable MU MIMO”, the punctured is on a MU-MIMO system);
‘the punctured channel information is able to indicate a channel puncturing pattern’ (Chen: [Table 1]; [0115]: “The 4-bit field may indicate spatial reuse for the entire PPDU BW … within an 80 MHz portion of the wireless channel. As indicated above, the EHT-SIG 1018 may not be present”, for PPDU with bandwidth within 80 MHz, U-SIG may carry all channel puncturing patterns);
‘the second signal field is still present in the transmission signal and comprises the Common field and the User Specific field but the Common field does not comprise the second part’ (Chen: [FIG.4]: “EHT-SIG”, “COMMON FIELD”, “USER SPECIFIC FIELDS”; [TABLE 1]: “EHT-SIG … includes:
Common field: (size depends on bandwidth of the wireless channel)
Additional info fields overflowed from U-SIG
Resource allocation information (which may be omitted for SU)
User Specific fields: One or more user block fields with per-STA and per-RU information”; [0080]: “The common field can indicate RU distributions to multiple STAs”, may omit second part (Resource allocation information) if RU distribution to only one STA; [0150]-0151]: “shows a conceptual diagram of EHT-SIGs in different content channels … there may be one common field per content channel. The encoded block of common field may have 44 information bits plus a 4 bit CRC and a 6 bit tail”); if U-SIG can indicate the channel puncturing pattern (signal field common to all users does not overflow) and there is no RU assignment information, EHT-SIG could still presence to carry User Specific fields and the Common fields could still presence to carry the CRC bits and Tail bits);
‘a transmitter, which, in operation, transmits the transmission signal’ (Chen: [0097]: “transmitter”; [0104]: “the U-SIG 1016 and EHT-SIG 1018 may be duplicated and transmitted).
However, Chen2 in the same field of endeavor teaches the second part of Common Field of EHT-SIG would contain punctured channel information when Compression Mode 2 is implemented and EHT-SIG would omit punctured channel information when Compress Mode 1 is implemented (Chen2: [PRO 62954260]: [Table 1]: “Compression Mode 1”, “Compressed Mode 2”; [FIG.11D]: “EHT-SIG” -> “Common Field” -> “U-SIG-Overflow”, “Punctured Channel Table”, “RU Allocation”; [Page 25-26]: “When the first compression mode is implemented, the unified PPDU 1130 may be configured for full-bandwidth SU or MU-MIMO communications, and the common field 1140 may include U-SIG overflow 1142 while omitting RU allocation information 1146. When the second compression mode is implemented, the unified PPDU 1130 may be configured for punctured SU or MU-MIMO communications, and the common field 1140 may include a punctured channel table 1144 (in lieu of RU allocation information 1146). The punctured channel table 1144 may include a number of bits ( ~8) indicating the punctured channels of the unified PPDU … The EHT-SIG compression field 1139 may be used to indicate the mode or configuration of the unified PPDU 1130. In some implementations, the EHT-SIG compression field 1139 may include 2 bits that can be used to indicate any of the 3 different configurations (such as the first compression mode, the second compression mode, or no compression)”; [Page 24]: “As shown in Table 1, a first compression mode (compression mode 1) may be used for full-bandwidth SU or MU-MIMO communications, a second compression mode (compression mode 2) may be used for punctured SU or MU-MIMO communications and no compression may be used for OFDMA (full-bandwidth or punctured) communications”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Chen2’s teaching with that of Chen for the second part to not comprise supplemental punctured channel information in case a first compression mode is enabled for the second signal field and for the second part to comprise the supplemental punctured channel information in case a second compression mode is enabled for the second signal field in order to support different compression modes based on different types of communications (see reference quotes in element above).
Regarding claim 15, claim 15 recites the method implemented by the apparatus of claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above).
Regarding claim 2, combination of Chen and Chen2 teaches the apparats of claim 1 (discussed above).
Chen teaches ‘wherein the punctured channel information is able to indicate all channel puncturing patterns that are allowed for up to a determined bandwidth’ (Chen: [Table 1]; [0115]: “The 4-bit field may indicate spatial reuse for the entire PPDU BW … within an 80 MHz portion of the wireless channel. As indicated above, the EHT-SIG 1018 may not be present”, for PPDU with bandwidth within 80 MHz, U-SIG may carry all channel puncturing patterns).
Regarding claim 3, combination of Chen and Chen2 teaches the apparats of claim 1 (discussed above).
Chen teaches ‘wherein the punctured channel information is able to indicate all channel puncturing patterns that are allowed for up to a determined bandwidth’ (discussed in claim 2 above);
‘a part of channel puncturing patterns for bandwidths which are larger than the determined bandwidth’ (Chen: [0128]: “the PPDU BW and punctured channel information … 160 MHz (or 160/80+80 MHz), 320 MHz”, channel puncturing patterns for bandwidth 160 MHz and 320 MHz which are larger than 80 MHz).
Regarding claim 4, combination of Chen and Chen2 teaches the apparats of claim 1 (discussed above).
Chen teaches ‘wherein when the transmission signal is used for punctured SU or MU-MIMO transmission’ (Chen: [0060]: “the preamble design options may enable MU MIMO”, the punctured is on a MU-MIMO system);
‘the punctured channel information is not able to indicate a channel puncturing pattern that is applied to the transmission signal, the second signal field comprises the supplemental punctured channel information that, together with the punctured channel information, indicates a channel puncturing pattern that is applied to the transmission signal’ (Chen: [FIG.10]; “EHT-SIG”, “OVERFLOW FROM U_SIG”; [0058]: “The U-SIG may include punctured channel information”; [0059]: “The EHT-SIG may include overflow signaling information from the U-SIG as well as additional signaling regarding the data portion of the PPDU. For example, the EHT-SIG may include RU allocation information”, EHT-SIG may include supplemental punctured channel information such as RU allocations which could not be carried by U-SIG).
Regarding claim 5, combination of Chen and Chen2 teaches the apparats of claim 1 (discussed above).
Chen teaches ‘wherein the punctured channel information and bandwidth information are indicated in a single signalling field of the first signal field’ (Chen: [0058]: “the U-SIG may be used to indicate a bandwidth, punctured channels”; [Table 1]: “U-SIG”, “PPDU BW and punctured channel information”, “Optiona 1: 1 subfield to include both PPDU BW and punctured channel information”, one single signaling field of U-SIG to carry both punctured channel information and bandwidth information).
Regarding claim 6, combination of Chen and Chen2 teaches the apparats of claim 1 (discussed above).
Chen teaches ‘wherein the punctured channel information and bandwidth information are indicated in two signalling fields of the first signal field, respectively’ (Chen: [0058]: “the U-SIG may be used to indicate a bandwidth, punctured channels”; [Table 1]: “U-SIG”, “PPDU BW and punctured channel information”, “Option 2: 2 subfields as following: - PPDU BW: 3 bits – Punctured channel information: >= 4 bits”, two signaling fields of U-SIG to carry punctured channel information and bandwidth information, respectively).
Regarding claim 7, combination of Chen and Chen2 teaches the apparats of claim 1 (discussed above).
Chen teaches ‘wherein when the transmission signal is used for punctured Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) transmission’ (Chen: [0060]: “The preamble design options in this disclosure may support flexible RU allocations for OFDMA communication”, the punctured is on an OFDMA transmission system);
‘the punctured channel information is not able to indicate a channel puncturing pattern that is applied to the transmission signal, the second signal field comprises the supplemental punctured channel information that, together with the punctured channel information, indicates a channel puncturing pattern that is applied to the transmission signal’ (Chen: [FIG.10]; “EHT-SIG”, “OVERFLOW FROM U_SIG”; [0058]: “The U-SIG may include punctured channel information”; [0059]: “The EHT-SIG may include overflow signaling information from the U-SIG as well as additional signaling regarding the data portion of the PPDU. For example, the EHT-SIG may include RU allocation information”; [0061]: “the content of the EHT-SIG may be modified to support OFDMA RU allocations”; EHT-SIG may include supplemental punctured channel information such as OFDMA RU allocations which could not be carried by U-SIG).
Regarding claim 16, combination of Chen and Chen2 teaches the apparats of claim 1 (discussed above).
Chen teaches ‘wherein the Common field comprises another subfield comprising Resource Unit allocation information’ (Chen: [FIG.13]: “EHT-SIG”, “Common-1A”, “Common-1B”; [TABLE 1]: “EHT-SIG … includes: Common field: (size depends on bandwidth of the wireless channel)
Additional info fields overflowed from U-SIG
Resource allocation information (which may be omitted for SU)”, Common field could comprise another subfield comprising Resource Unit allocation information).
Regarding claim 17, combination of Chen and Chen2 teaches the apparats of claim 1 (discussed above).
Chen teaches ‘wherein the punctured channel information indicates whether at least one channel of first one or more channels is punctured’ (Chen: [FIG.10]: “U-SIG” -> “PPDU BW AND PUNCTURED CHANNEL INFO”; [0127]: “U-SIG may further include a punctured channel … he punctured channel bitmap may be a per 20 MHz bitmap in which each bit indicates puncturing (or not) of a 20 MHz subchannel”; [FIG.7]: “CH2”, “CHANNEL PUNCTURE”);
‘the supplemental punctured channel information indicates whether at least one channel of second one or more channels is punctured’ (Chen: [FIG.14]: “EHT-SIG in Ch#3”, “EHT-SIG in Ch#4”; [0059]: “The EHT-SIG may include overflow signaling information from the U-SIG”, EHT-SIG would contain overflow punctured channel information for at least one of other channel).
Regarding claim 18, combination of Chen and Chen2 teaches the apparats of claim 1 (discussed above).
Chen teaches ‘wherein the punctured channel information is indicated by a fixed number of bits included in the first signal field’ (Chen: [FIG.10]: “U-SIG” -> block 1052: “PPDU BW AND PUNCTURED CHANNEL INFO”; [0127]: “the PPDU BW and punctured channel information field 1052 may be a 4-bit value that includes a value selected from a lookup table”);
‘the supplemental punctured channel information is indicated by a number of bits determined based on a bandwidth’ (Chen: [FIG.12A]-[FIG.12B]; [FIG.14]: “EHT-SIG in Ch#1”, “EHT-SIG in Ch#3”; [Table 1]: “Common field: (size depends on bandwidth of the wireless channel”, “Resource allocation information”; [0080]: “The common field can indicate RU distributions to multiple STAs 104, indicate the RU assignments in the frequency domain, indicate which RUs are allocated for MU-MIMO transmissions and which RUs correspond to MU-OFDMA transmissions, and the number of users in allocations, among other possibilities”; supplemental punctured channel information would have a variable number of data depending on bandwidth and could be different between content channels).
Regarding claim 19, combination of Chen and Chen2 teaches the apparats of claim 1 (discussed above).
Chen does not expressly teach, but Chen2 teaches ‘wherein the punctured channel information is included in the first signal field in both of the first compression mode and the second compression mode’ (Chen2: [PRO 62954260]: [FIG.11D]: ”U-SIG” -> block 1137: “Bandwidth and Punctured Info”; [Table 1]: “Compression Mode 1”, “Compressed Mode 2”; U-SIG includes punctured channel information for both “Compression Mode 1” and “Compressed Mode 2”);
‘the supplemental punctured channel information is not included in the common field of the second signal field in the first compression mode, and the supplemental punctured channel information is included in the common field of the second signal field in the second compression mode’ (Chen2: [PRO 62954260]: [FIG.11D]: “EHT-SIG” -> “Common Field” -> optional block 1144: “Punctured Channel Table”; [Page 25-26]: “When the first compression mode is implemented, the unified PPDU 1130 may be configured for full-bandwidth SU or MU-MIMO communications, and the common field 1140 may include U-SIG overflow 1142 while omitting RU allocation information 1146. When the second compression mode is implemented, the unified PPDU 1130 may be configured for punctured SU or MU-MIMO communications, and the common field 1140 may include a punctured channel table 1144 (in lieu of RU allocation information 1146). The punctured channel table 1144 may include a number of bits ( ~8) indicating the punctured channels of the unified PPDU … The EHT-SIG compression field 1139 may be used to indicate the mode or configuration of the unified PPDU 1130. In some implementations, the EHT-SIG compression field 1139 may include 2 bits that can be used to indicate any of the 3 different configurations (such as the first compression mode, the second compression mode, or no compression)”; [Page 24]: “As shown in Table 1, a first compression mode (compression mode 1) may be used for full-bandwidth SU or MU-MIMO communications, a second compression mode (compression mode 2) may be used for punctured SU or MU-MIMO communications and no compression may be used for OFDMA (full-bandwidth or punctured) communications”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Chen2’s teaching of compression mode with that of Chen in order to support different compression modes based on different types of communications (see reference quotes in element above).
Conclusion
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/G.F./Examiner, Art Unit 2462
/YEMANE MESFIN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2462