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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 February 4, 2026 has been entered
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim 1-8, 10, 12, 15-21, 23-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang et al. (Patent No: US20150350290A1), hereinafter, Yang in view of Chen (Patent No: WO2020133433A1), hereinafter, Chen.
Regarding Claim 1, Yang teaches,
A channel switching method -Paragraph [0054] ([0054] recites, “…Similarly, if the primary channel was cellular to WiFi, then the secondary channel may be WiFi to cellular. If one side only has one RAT available (e.g., the remote device), then the primary channel may be switched from WiFi to cellular while the remote device uses the only RAT available.” “FIG. 4 illustrates an example wireless communication system where a mobile device communicates using two different channels associated with different RATs, respectively, according to one embodiment.” Channel switching method is depicted in this disclosure depending on the quality of the link.)
comprising: starting a game application on an electronic device that comprises a primary Wi-Fi channel, a secondary Wi-Fi channel, a primary cellular channel, and a secondary cellular channel, -Fig. 4; Paragraph [0031, 0048] (FIG. 4 illustrates an example wireless communication system where a mobile device communicates using two different channels associated with different RATs, respectively. [0031] recites, “Examples of mobile devices include mobile telephones or smart phones (e.g., iPhone™, Android™-based phones), and tablet computers such as iPad, Samsung Galaxy, etc. Various other types of devices would fall into this category if they include both cellular and WiFi communication capabilities, such as laptop computers (e.g., MacBook), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS™, PlayStation Portable™, Gameboy Advance™, iPhone™)” [0048] recites, “wireless communication system includes a mobile device 106 communicating over a primary communication channel 142. In this example, the primary communication channel is a WiFi network RAT, whereby the mobile device 106 communicates through a WiFi access point as shown. The mobile device 106 may also establish a secondary communication channel 144, e.g., in response to channel conditions of the primary communication channel 142, as discussed in more detail below. In this example, the secondary communication channel is a cellular network RAT, whereby the mobile device 106 communicates through a cellular base station as shown. The mobile device 106 may communicate over one or both of the primary communication channel 142 and the secondary communication channel 144 to communicate with a remote device 154, which is also discussed in more detail below. Additionally, note that the RATs shown in FIG. 4 are exemplary only, and that other combinations are envisioned, such as using multiple different cellular RATs, e.g., instead of or in addition to the WiFi RAT.” The above description says the mobile may support generic WiFi RAT and different cellular RATs. WiFi RAT can support both 2.4G and 5G and in that case it will be primary WiFi channel and Secondary WiFi channel. Similarly, as recited mobile may support multiple cellular RATs, e.g. LTE, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA or even support multiple SIMs. In that case there can be primary cellular channel and secondary cellular channel.)
wherein the game application comprises a first data flow, a second data flow, and a third data flow, and the first data flow, the second data flow, and the third data flow are carried on a first network channel; -Fig. 4; Paragraph [0003] ( The reference relates to any generic application with three data flows, and for illustration purpose used FaceTime™ from Apple with three data flows, like audio (first data flow), video (second data flow), internet data access (third data flow) carried on the first application over a channel (WiFi). The same concept can be applied for gaming application on a portable gaming device with first, second, and third data flow carried on a first network channel (e.g., WiFi).The method relates to application involving real time communications using internet and multimedia content and can have multiple simultaneous data flow. As the reference suggests, for video conferencing application as the first application e.g., FaceTime™ from Apple, there can be three data flows, like audio (first data flow), video (second data flow), internet data access (third data flow) carried on the first application over a channel (WiFi). [0003] recites, “ Further, wireless communication technology has evolved from voice-only communications to also include the transmission of data, such as Internet and multimedia content. Some popular applications include videoconferencing (e.g., such as FaceTime™ from Apple) as well as media streaming. However, in many instances, the transmission of video content over a wireless communication channel such as WiFi suffers from channel degradation issues. Therefore, improvements are desired in wireless communication”. )
wherein the first data flow and the second data flow are game battle flows, the third data flow is a voice flow, and the first network channel is the primary Wi-Fi channel; -Paragraph [0048] ( Yang teaches a generic application with three flows. It can be easily conceivable that for gaming application in a portable gaming device the first and second data flow can be game battle flows and the third flow is a voice flow. [0048] recites, “the exemplary wireless communication system includes a mobile device 106 communicating over a primary communication channel 142. In this example, the primary communication channel is a WiFi network RAT, whereby the mobile device 106 communicates through a WiFi access point as shown…”)
Yang does not explicitly teach
switching the network channel carrying the first data flow and the second data flow to a second network channel in response to detecting that a network quality of the first data flow or the second data flow does not meet a preset condition, wherein the second network channel is one with a best channel quality among the secondary Wi-Fi channel, the primary cellular channel, and the secondary cellular channel;
and continuing to carry the third data flow on the first network channel unchanged .
However, Chen teaches
switching the network channel carrying the first data flow and the second data flow to a second network channel in response to detecting that a network quality of the first data flow or the second data flow does not meet a preset condition, wherein the second network channel is one with a best channel quality among the secondary Wi-Fi channel, the primary cellular channel, and the secondary cellular channel; -Paragraph [0039][0056-0058] ([0039] recites, “ Among them, the network quality of the Wi-Fi network currently used by the electronic device is less than or equal to the preset network quality, which includes at least one of the following: the signal strength of the Wi-Fi network currently used by the electronic device is less than or equal to the preset signal strength, the network delay of the Wi-Fi network currently used by the electronic device is greater than or equal to the preset network delay, and the average real-time network speed of the Wi-Fi network currently used by the electronic device is less than or equal to the preset average real-time network speed.”[0056-0058] recites, “..If the network quality of the Wi-Fi network is still not good enough, a reminder message is output to remind the user to switch networks, and the user is reminded in time that the network quality is not good,… when it is detected that the network quality of the Wi-Fi network currently used by the electronic device is still less than or equal to the predetermined network quality, turn on the mobile data switch and enable the link aggregation function, under which the electronic device uses the Wi-Fi network and the mobile data network at the same time “ As explained above, it is clear that based on the preset network quality (threshold) requirements for the flows/streams, switch might happen. For example, the first and/or second data flow might not meet the quality as per preset condition in WiFi RAT channels (2.4G or 5G), and switch to the second network channel of cellular RAT, e.g., LTE, WCDMA, or multi-SIM etc. Therefore, the second network channel, i.e., the cellular RAT is of the best channel quality among WiFi channels (2.4G and 5G) and cellular RAT channels (primary and secondary)).
and continuing to carry the third data flow on the first network channel unchanged. -Paragraph[0067] ( [0067] recites, “[0067] recites, “For example, assuming that the wireless network modules used for link aggregation are a wifi module and a data network module, step 203 determines that the diversion weight of the wifi module is 1/3, and the diversion weight of the data network module is 2/3. If the electronic device currently has three data streams established, the electronic device will distribute one data stream to the wifi module and two data streams to the data network module.” [0058] recites, “… when it is detected that the network quality of the Wi-Fi network currently used by the electronic device is still less than or equal to the predetermined network quality, turn on the mobile data switch and enable the link aggregation function, under which the electronic device uses the Wi-Fi network and the mobile data network at the same time “ As explained and understood by ordinary person with knowledge in the art that each flow can have preset requirement threshold (e.g., QoS, SNR, PER/BER) and that can depend on channel characteristics or parameters. Also, as explained in [0058] one data flow (third) can continue on the same network channel (WiFi), while two data flows (first and second) on mobile data network. In-fact this is generalized and can be applied to any distribution of data flows between WiFi and cellular RAT based on channel condition and preset requirements for the flows)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention of Seamless video pipeline transmission between WIFI and Cellular connections for real time applications on mobile devices of Yang to include the concept of “switching the network channel carrying the first data flow and the second data flow to a second network channel in response to detecting that a network quality of the first data flow or the second data flow does not meet a preset condition, wherein the second network channel is one with a best channel quality among the secondary Wi-Fi channel, the primary cellular channel, and the secondary cellular channel; and continuing to carry the third data flow on the first network channel unchanged .” of Chen. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide a network switching method and related devices, which are used to switch networks promptly and intelligently to improve network speed when the network quality of a Wi-Fi network is poor [0004].
Regarding Claim 2, Yang and Chen combination teach the limitations of Claim 1.
Yang further teaches,
The method of claim 1, wherein the first data flow and the second data flow are data flows that are sensitive to a same parameter, and the parameter comprises at least one of the following parameters: a delay, a packet loss rate, a rate, or a bandwidth. –Paragraph [0087] ( Describes for real-time applications like video conferencing the different data flows (first (voice) and second (video)) are sensitive to parameters like delay (round trip time, RTT), packet loss ratios etc. [0087] recites, “As discussed above, while the method of FIG. 6 may result from the transition from FIG. 5, other methods of transitioning from single channel transmission mode to dual channel transmission mode may be used, e.g., using different methods for determining channel degradation than those discussed in FIG. 5, such as packet loss ratios, round trip times, quality of service metrics, etc. Similarly, other methods than FIG. 6 may be used to transition from dual channel transmission mode to single channel transition mode, e.g., in combination with the method of FIG. 5, such as using quality of service metrics, packet loss ratios, round trip times, etc. Additionally, these other metrics may also be incorporated into the methods of FIGS. 5 and 6 as desired.”)
Regarding Claim 3, Yang and Chen combination teach the limitations of Claim 2.
Yang further teaches,
The method of claim 2, wherein detecting that network quality of the first data flow does not meet a preset condition comprises detecting, according to the parameter to which the first data flow is sensitive, that the network quality of the first data flow does not meet the preset condition. -Fig. 5, Paragraph [0071] (Fig. 5, shows the flowchart for detecting network (channel) quality based on the sensitivity of the data flow. For example, for real-time traffic like voice, video, delay is a parameter on which the data flow is sensitive. To check the network (channel) quality, delay is calculated and compared against a preset value (a first threshold of time) to determine the quality. [0071] recites, “In 506 the mobile device determines if no packets have been received from the remote device for a first threshold of time. For example, the first threshold of time may be approximately three seconds, although other variations are envisioned. For example, the first threshold of time could be smaller (e.g., 2 seconds, 1 second, 500 milliseconds, 100 milliseconds, etc.) or larger (e.g., 4 seconds, 5 seconds, etc.) as desired. The determination in 506 may be used to determine the downlink channel quality of the mobile device and/or the uplink channel quality of the remote device.”)
Regarding Claim 4, Yang and Chen combination teach the limitations of Claim 3.
Yang further teaches,
The method of claim 3, wherein detecting, according to the parameter to which the first data flow is sensitive, that the network quality of the first data flow does not meet the preset condition comprises: obtaining a packet of the first data flow from packets carried on the first network channel; calculating the parameter to which the first data flow is sensitive according to the obtained packet; and determining that the calculated parameter does not meet the preset condition corresponding to the parameter. -Fig. 6, Paragraph [0083-0085] (Fig. 6, depicts the flowchart from monitoring data flow for a particular type of data, e.g., audio packets (first data flow) and calculate the packet error rate on which the flow is sensitive, and determine the network link quality whether or not the calculated metric meet a specified threshold set by the network. [0083] recites, “In 604, a percentage of used packets for one or both of the primary and secondary channels may be determined. In particular, in 602, the mobile device may transmit and receive duplicates of the same packets (or same content, but transmitted according to a different format) of the real-time application using both the primary and secondary channels. On the receiving end, for a single packet, the mobile device may use whichever of the duplicate packets is successfully received first, from either channel. Thus, if the packet is successfully received over the primary channel before the secondary channel, the packet of the primary channel may be used (e.g., placed in the receiving buffer, e.g., the audio or video buffer) and the packet of the secondary channel may be discarded. When packets are not successfully received (e.g., they are lost due to poor channel quality), then they are clearly not used. Based on this procedure, the mobile device may maintain statistics for the percentage of packets that are used for each channel. For example, the mobile device may determine that 80% of the used packets come from the primary channel versus 20% from the secondary channel, e.g., based on keeping track of the packets on a packet-by-packet basis.)
Regarding Claim 5, Yang and Chen combination teach the limitations of Claim 4.
Chen further teaches,
The method of claim 4, wherein obtaining a packet of the first data flow from packets carried on the first network channel comprises: obtaining the packets carried on the first network channel; -Paragraph [0067-0068] ([0068] recites, “The data stream is a collection of data packets of the same data type. For example, video data packets belong to the same data stream, picture data packets belong to the same data stream, and so on.” [0067] recites, “ If the electronic device currently has three data streams established, the electronic device will distribute one data stream to the wifi module and two data streams to the data network module.”)
determining that identification information of the game application exists in the packets; and determining that the packets comprise a preset matching feature of the first data flow. –Paragraph [0028] [0048] (Application identifications are encapsulated in application layer. Each data flow has a preset quality metric propagated by either network as QoS (Quality of services) or user may set the metric/threshold to determine the quality of the network/channel. The application can be game application. [0028] recites, “As shown in Figure 1A, current electronic devices such as smart phones are generally provided with a program running space, which includes a user space and an operating system space, wherein the user space runs one or more applications, and the one or more applications are third-party applications installed on the electronic device.” [0048] recites, “The first threshold may be preset by the electronic device or may be set by the user, for example, it may be 1G, 5G, 10G or other values, which are not limited here.”)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention of Seamless video pipeline transmission between WIFI and Cellular connections for real time applications on mobile devices of Yang to include the concept of “obtaining the packets carried on the first network channel; determining that identification information of the game application exists in the packets; and determining that the packets comprise a preset matching feature of the first data flow” of Chen. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide a network switching method and related devices, which are used to switch networks promptly and intelligently to improve network speed when the network quality of a Wi-Fi network is poor [0004].
Regarding Claim 6, Yang and Chen combination teach the limitations of Claim 1.
Yang further teaches,
The method of claim 1, wherein before switching the network channel carrying the first data flow and the second data flow to the second network channel, the method further comprises: obtaining network channels in an available state, except the first network channel, in a case of detecting an environment change; -Fig. 6; Paragraph [0087] (Depicts the network channel switching mechanism. For example, the data flows, voice (first data flow) and video (second data flow) are being carried on the second network channel (Cellular for example) which is available (unit 602, 604) determining channel degradation of first network channel (WiFi for example). [0087] recites, “FIG. 6 may result from the transition from FIG. 5, other methods of transitioning from single channel transmission mode to dual channel transmission mode may be used, e.g., using different methods for determining channel degradation…..”
respectively performing quality assessment on the network channels in the available state; selecting the second network channel with the best quality as an alternate network channel according to an assessment result of the quality assessment; and enabling the alternate network channel. -Fig. 6 (Unit 610 does the quality assessment of each network channel based on the predefined metric, unit 612 compare the performance of both network channels and select the best (which in this case is the second network channel if first network channel experience channel degradation) and use this second network channel)
Regarding Claim 7, Yang and Chen combination teach the limitations of Claim 6.
Yang further teaches,
The method of claim 6, wherein switching the network channel carrying the first data flow and the second data flow to the second network channel comprises switching, in a case of determining that there is a second network channel that is enabled and selected as the alternate network channel, the network channel carrying the first data flow and the second data flow to the second network channel. -Fig.6, Paragraph [0063][0084] (When second network channel is available and quality is better compared to first network channel, switching happens and both first and second data flows are carried over second network channel. [0063] recites, “In one embodiment, this algorithm may be expressed as turning off transmission over redundant channel if the primary channel shows good percentage consistently and switching to the secondary (or redundant) channel if the primary channel shows poor percentage consistently.” [0084] recites, “…Similarly, if the threshold is 95% and 98% of the secondary channel packets are used, then the method may transition to only using the secondary channel (which may be upgraded to the primary channel) and may cease using the previous primary channel (which may now be the secondary channel or may be discarded entirely, e.g., if the channel has failed).”)
Regarding Claim 8, Yang and Chen combination teach the limitations of Claim 1.
Yang further teaches,
The method of claim 1, wherein switching the network channel carrying the first data flow and the second data flow to the second network channel further comprises: obtaining network channels in an available state, except the first network channel, in a case of determining that there is no enabled alternate network channel; respectively performing quality assessment on the network channels in the available state; selecting the second network channel with the best quality as an alternate network channel according to an assessment result of the quality assessment; enabling the second network channel selected as the alternate network channel; and switching the network channel carrying the first data flow and the second data flow to the second network channel. -Fig. 6, Paragraph [0083-0086] (Fig. 6 shows the flowchart of the switching mechanism from one network channel to other. The process includes, communicate and receive packets from available primary (e.g., WiFi) and secondary (e.g., Cellular) channels (602) for both first and second data flows, determine the channel quality by calculating preset metric (610) (e.g., packet loss rate) and based on the quality assessment (612), switch to the second network channel (608))
Regarding Claim 10, Yang and Chen combination teach the limitations of Claim 1.
Yang further teaches,
The method of claim 1, wherein the first network channel is a Wi-Fi channel or a cellular channel, and the second network channel is a Wi-Fi channel or a cellular channel. -Paragraph [0001] ( The disclosure addresses seamless video pipeline transition between WiFi and Cellular as described in the title. [0001] recites, “The present application claims benefit of priority to provisional patent application No. 62/005,263, entitled “Seamless Video Pipeline Transition Between WiFi and Cellular Connections for Real-Time Applications on Mobile Devices”. Therefore, first network channel can be a Wi-Fi channel or a cellular channel, and the second network channel can be a Wi-Fi channel or a cellular channel)
Claim 12 is the apparatus claim corresponding to the method claim 1 that has been rejected above. Applicant attention is directed to the rejection of claim 1. Claim 12 is rejected under the same rational as claim 1.
Yang further teaches,
An electronic device, comprising: one or more processors; and a memory coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the memory is configured to store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to be configured to-Fig. 3 Paragraph [0042-0043](Fig. 3 depicts the block diagram of an electronic device (mobile device in this case including processor (402) and memory (406). [0042] recites, “illustrates an example simplified block diagram of a mobile device 106. As shown, the mobile device 106 may include a system on chip (SOC) 400, which may include portions for various purposes. The SOC 400 may be coupled to various other circuits of the mobile device 106. For example, the mobile device 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash 410), a connector interface 420 (e.g., for coupling to a computer system, dock, charging station, etc.), the display 460, cellular communication circuitry 430 such as for LTE, GSM, etc., and short range wireless communication circuitry 429 (e.g., Bluetooth™ and WiFi circuitry). The mobile device 106 may further comprise one or more smart cards 310 that comprise SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC(s) (Universal Integrated Circuit Card(s)) cards 310. The cellular communication circuitry 430 may couple to one or more antennas, preferably two antennas 435 and 436 as shown. The short range wireless communication circuitry 429 may also couple to one or both of the antennas 435 and 436 (this connectivity is not shown for ease of illustration).” [0043] recites, “ As shown, the SOC 400 may include processor(s) 402 which may execute program instructions for the UE 106 and display circuitry 404 which may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to the display 460. The processor(s) 402 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 440, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor(s) 402 and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 406, read only memory (ROM) 450, NAND flash memory 410) and/or to other circuits or devices, such as the display circuitry 404, cellular communication circuitry 430, short range wireless communication circuitry 429, connector I/F 420, and/or display 460. The MMU 440 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or set up. In some embodiments, the MMU 440 may be included as a portion of the processor(s) 402.”)
Claim 15 is the apparatus claim corresponding to the method claim 2 that has been rejected above. Applicant attention is directed to the rejection of claim 2. Claim 15 is rejected under the same rational as claim 2.
Claim 16 is the apparatus claim corresponding to the method claim 3 that has been rejected above. Applicant attention is directed to the rejection of claim 3. Claim 16 is rejected under the same rational as claim 3.
Claim 17 is the apparatus claim corresponding to the method claim 4 that has been rejected above. Applicant attention is directed to the rejection of claim 4. Claim 17 is rejected under the same rational as claim 4.
Claim 18 is the apparatus claim corresponding to the method claim 5 that has been rejected above. Applicant attention is directed to the rejection of claim 5. Claim 18 is rejected under the same rational as claim 5.
Claim 19 is the apparatus claim corresponding to the method claim 6 that has been rejected above. Applicant attention is directed to the rejection of claim 6. Claim 19 is rejected under the same rational as claim 6.
Claim 20 is the apparatus claim corresponding to the method claim 7 that has been rejected above. Applicant attention is directed to the rejection of claim 7. Claim 20 is rejected under the same rational as claim 7
Claim 21 is the apparatus claim corresponding to the method claim 10 that has been rejected above. Applicant attention is directed to the rejection of claim 10. Claim 21 is rejected under the same rational as claim 10
Regarding Claim 23, Yang and Chen combination teach the limitations of Claim 1.
Yang does not explicitly teach,
The method of claim 1, wherein before switching the network channel carrying the first data flow and the second data flow to the second network channel, the method further comprises: detecting a change in a physical or system environment of the electronic device; and enabling, in response to the detected change, one or more of the secondary Wi-Fi channel, the primary cellular channel, and the secondary cellular channel.
However, Chen teaches,
The method of claim 1, wherein before switching the network channel carrying the first data flow and the second data flow to the second network channel, the method further comprises: detecting a change in a physical or system environment of the electronic device; -Paragraph [0056, 0058] ([0056] recites, “the network quality of the Wi-Fi network continues to be detected. If the network quality of the Wi-Fi network is still not good enough, a reminder message is output to remind the user to switch networks,….”)
and enabling, in response to the detected change, one or more of the secondary Wi-Fi channel, the primary cellular channel, and the secondary cellular channel. -Paragraph [0058] ([0058] recites, “when it is detected that the network quality of the Wi-Fi network currently used by the electronic device is still less than or equal to the predetermined network
quality, turn on the mobile data switch and enable the link aggregation function” link aggregation function adds one or more links, i.e., may enable secondary WiFi channel, the primary and secondary cellular channel.)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention of Seamless video pipeline transmission between WIFI and Cellular connections for real time applications on mobile devices of Yang to include the concept of “detecting a change in a physical or system environment of the electronic device; and enabling, in response to the detected change, one or more of the secondary Wi-Fi channel, the primary cellular channel, and the secondary cellular channel.” of Chen. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide a network switching method and related devices, which are used to switch networks promptly and intelligently to improve network speed when the network quality of a Wi-Fi network is poor [0004].
Claim 24 is the apparatus claim corresponding to the method claim 23 that has been rejected above. Applicant attention is directed to the rejection of claim 23. Claim 24 is rejected under the same rational as claim 23.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang in view of Chen and further in view of XIAHOU et al. (Patent No: US20220368552A1), hereinafter, XIAHOU.
Regarding Claim 9, Yang and Chen combination teach the limitations of Claim 1.
Yang and Chen do not explicitly teach,
The method of claim 1, wherein before detecting that network quality of the first data flow does not meet a preset condition, the method further comprises determining that the game application is an application in a preset whitelist.
However, XIAHOU teaches,
The method of claim 1, wherein before detecting that network quality of the first data flow does not meet a preset condition, the method further comprises determining that the first application is an application in a preset whitelist. -Paragraph [0391] ([0391] recites, “ In some application scenarios, a whitelist may be preset…”)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention of Seamless video pipeline transmission between WIFI and Cellular connections for real time applications on mobile devices of Yang to include the concept of “ using application from a preset whitelist” proposed by XIAHOU. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide access to user matching the identification information of the sharing user with the preset whitelist; and determining based on the matching result whether the sharing user has the permission to view the live data [0391]
Response to Argument(s)
Applicant's argument(s) filed on February 4, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Therefore, the Examiner regretfully maintains the rejection.
The Applicant amended independent claim and added justification at length that the new limitations are supported by the applicant’s specification as published. Also, emphasized part of the independent claim the applicant thinks not addressed by the prior-art. (Page 11-12)
In response, the Examiner updated the claim 1 above with more recitation and explanation and thinks the limitations including the newly added ones are clearly addressed by the prior-art. The applicant is directed to Claim 1 above.
The Applicant argues,
Claim 1 also requires that first and second game battle flows of a game application be carried on the primary Wi-Fi channel, along with a voice flow. When a network quality of the first or second game battle flows does not meet a preset condition, claim 1 switches the first and second game battle flows to a second network channel (i.e., one of the secondary Wi-Fi channel, the primary cellular channel, and the secondary cellular channel), while the voice flow continues to be carried on the primary Wi-Fi channel unchanged… First, even when considered in combination, Yang, Chen, and Rune do not start a game application including first and second game battle flows (i.e., game application-specific flows) and a voice flow. (Page 12)
In response the Examiner argues back,
Yang teaches a generic application with three flows. It can be easily conceivable that for gaming application in a portable gaming device [0031] the first and second data flow can be game battle flows and the third flow is a voice flow. [0048] recites, “the exemplary wireless communication system includes a mobile device 106 communicating over a primary communication channel 142. In this example, the primary communication channel is a WiFi network RAT, whereby the mobile device 106 communicates through a WiFi access point as shown…” As recited in [0031] portable gaming device can be the mobile device.
Also, Chen teaches [0039, 0056, 0058, 0067] ([0039] recites, “the network quality of the Wi-Fi network currently used by the electronic device is less than or equal to the preset network quality, which includes at least one of the following: the signal strength of the Wi-Fi network currently used by the electronic device is less than or equal to the preset signal strength, the network delay of the Wi-Fi network currently used by the electronic device is greater than or equal to the preset network delay, and the average real-time network speed of the Wi-Fi network currently used by the electronic device is less than or equal to the preset average real-time network speed.”[0056, 0058] recites, “..If the network quality of the Wi-Fi network is still not good enough, a reminder message is output to remind the user to switch networks, and the user is reminded in time that the network quality is not good,… when it is detected that the network quality of the Wi-Fi network currently used by the electronic device is still less than or equal to the predetermined network quality, turn on the mobile data switch and enable the link aggregation function, under which the electronic device uses the Wi-Fi network and the mobile data network at the same time “ As explained above, it is clear that based on the preset network quality (threshold) requirements for the flows/streams, switch might happen. For example, the first and/or second data flow might not meet the quality as per preset condition in WiFi RAT channels (2.4G or 5G), and switch to the second network channel of cellular RAT, e.g., LTE, WCDMA, or multi-SIM etc. Therefore, the second network channel, i.e., the cellular RAT is of the best channel quality among WiFi channels (2.4G and 5G) and cellular RAT channels (primary and secondary)). Also [0067] recites, “For example, assuming that the wireless network modules used for link aggregation are a wifi module and a data network module, step 203 determines that the diversion weight of the wifi module is 1/3, and the diversion weight of the data network module is 2/3. If the electronic device currently has three data streams established, the electronic device will distribute one data stream to the wifi module and two data streams to the data network module.” [0058] recites, “… when it is detected that the network quality of the Wi-Fi network currently used by the electronic device is still less than or equal to the predetermined network quality, turn on the mobile data switch and enable the link aggregation function, under which the electronic device uses the Wi-Fi network and the mobile data network at the same time “ As explained and understood by ordinary person with knowledge in the art that each flow can have preset requirement threshold (e.g., QoS, SNR, PER/BER) and that can depend on channel characteristics or parameters. Also, as explained in [0058] one data flow (third) can continue on the same network channel (WiFi), while two data flows (first and second) on mobile data network. In-fact this is generalized and can be applied to any distribution of data flows between WiFi and cellular RAT based on channel condition and preset requirements for the flows)
The Applicant argues,
Second, even when considered in combination, Yang, Chen, and Rune do not disclose an architecture with four channels, specifically primary and secondary Wi-Fi channels and primary and secondary cellular channels. Yang only discloses two different channels - a Wi-Fi channel and a cellular channel. See e.g., Figure 4 and paras. [0048]-[0049]. A review of Chen and Rune demonstrates that they also fail to disclose such architectural specificity. Also, because the cited references fail to disclose or suggest the specific four-channel architecture of claim 1, the combination of Yang, Chen, and Rune also fails to disclose or suggest the scenario in claim 1 in which the battle game flows are switched to a secondary Wi-Fi channel from a primary Wi-Fi channel. (Page 13)
In response, the Examiner argues back,
Yang describes the switching of generic flows between WiFi and Cellular Channel. The illustration in Fig. 4 shows generic switching between WiFi RAT and Cellular RAT. However, it does not limit between only 2 channels and in-fact, it envisions the generic structure and clearly states that any combination or RAT and channels can be applied, i.e., four channels and even more in some cases. [0048] recites, “Additionally, note that the RATs shown in FIG. 4 are exemplary only, and that other combinations are envisioned, such as using multiple different cellular RATs, e.g., instead of or in addition to the WiFi RAT.” Also, the flows described in the reference is generic data flow and it can be battle game flow.
The Applicant argues,
Finally, Yang, Chen, and Rune do not perform selective flow switching, in which some flows from a game application (i.e., the first and second game battle flows) are switched to a second channel, while another flow (i.e., the voice flow) is maintained on a first channel. (page 13)
In response the Examiner argues back,
While Yang does not explicitly mention the above, however, Chen teaches the above limitations [0039][0056-0058][0067] (([0039] recites, “ Among them, the network quality of the Wi-Fi network currently used by the electronic device is less than or equal to the preset network quality, which includes at least one of the following: the signal strength of the Wi-Fi network currently used by the electronic device is less than or equal to the preset signal strength, the network delay of the Wi-Fi network currently used by the electronic device is greater than or equal to the preset network delay, and the average real-time network speed of the Wi-Fi network currently used by the electronic device is less than or equal to the preset average real-time network speed.”[0056-0058] recites, “..If the network quality of the Wi-Fi network is still not good enough, a reminder message is output to remind the user to switch networks, and the user is reminded in time that the network quality is not good,… when it is detected that the network quality of the Wi-Fi network currently used by the electronic device is still less than or equal to the predetermined network quality, turn on the mobile data switch and enable the link aggregation function, under which the electronic device uses the Wi-Fi network and the mobile data network at the same time “ As explained above, it is clear that based on the preset network quality (threshold) requirements for the flows/streams, switch might happen. For example, the first and/or second data flow might not meet the quality as per preset condition in WiFi RAT channels (2.4G or 5G), and switch to the second network channel of cellular RAT, e.g., LTE, WCDMA, or multi-SIM etc. Therefore, the second network channel, i.e., the cellular RAT is of the best channel quality among WiFi channels (2.4G and 5G) and cellular RAT channels (primary and secondary)). [0067] recites, “For example, assuming that the wireless network modules used for link aggregation are a wifi module and a data network module, step 203 determines that the diversion weight of the wifi module is 1/3, and the diversion weight of the data network module is 2/3. If the electronic device currently has three data streams established, the electronic device will distribute one data stream to the wifi module and two data streams to the data network module.” [0058] recites, “… when it is detected that the network quality of the Wi-Fi network currently used by the electronic device is still less than or equal to the predetermined network quality, turn on the mobile data switch and enable the link aggregation function, under which the electronic device uses the Wi-Fi network and the mobile data network at the same time “ As explained and understood by an ordinary person with knowledge in the art that each flow can have preset requirement threshold (e.g., QoS, SNR, PER/BER) and that can depend on channel characteristics or parameters. Also, as explained in [0058] one data flow (third) can continue on the same network channel (WiFi), while two data flows (first and second) on mobile data network. In-fact this is generalized and can be applied to any distribution of data flows between WiFi and cellular RAT based on channel condition and preset requirements for the flows)
Conclusion
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/AHMED SAIFUDDIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2475
/KHALED M KASSIM/supervisory patent examiner, Art Unit 2475