DETAILED ACTION
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 .
This action is in response to applicant’s amendment/arguments filed on 01/14/2026. Claims 1, 10, 14, 16, 17 and 20 have been amended. Currently, claims 1-20 are pending. This action is made FINAL.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments/amendments with respect to amended claims 1, 10 and 16 have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
Claim Objections
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities:
On lines 1-2 of claim 3, replace “a first transceiver” with -- the first transceiver --;
On lines 2-3 of claim 3, replace “a second transceiver” with -- the second transceiver --.
Appropriate correction is required.
Response to Amendments
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 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.
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.
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 text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
Claims 1-8 and 10-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu (US 20130286937 A1) in view of Gao (US 20250211295 A1).
Consider claim 1, Liu discloses a method (read as the scanning method performed by client station, figures 2 and 3, par [0054]-[0057]) comprising:
selecting a first plurality of channels of a wireless device, the first plurality of channels being sub-bands of a wireless device; scanning the first plurality of channels for a transmission from an access point, the first plurality of channels being scanned in parallel (read as client station 100 with a first transceiver module and scanning modules 106 select/use multiple 20 MHz channels of 2.4 GHz for scanning at the same time (i.e. parallel) for access point transmissions, which is sub-band of the client base station 100, figures 2 and 3, par [0042], [0054]-[0057], [0063] and [0072], which par [0057] clearly states “[t]he scanning module 106 can simultaneously scan multiple channels of the frequency band at the same time instead of scanning the plurality of channels of the frequency band one channel at a time”; note: alternatively, another reading of first plurality of channels would correspond to the first set of channels for scanning in par [0072]);
selecting a second plurality of channels of the wireless device, the second plurality of channels being sub-bands of the wireless device; scanning the second plurality of channels for the transmission from the access point, the second plurality of channels being scanned in parallel (read as client station 100 with a second transceiver module and scanning modules 106 select/use multiple 20 MHz channels of 5 GHz for scanning at the same time (i.e. parallel) for access point transmissions, which is sub-band of the client base station 100, figures 2 and 3, par [0042], [0054]-[0057], [0063] and [0072], which par [0057] clearly states “[t]he scanning module 106 can simultaneously scan multiple channels of the frequency band at the same time instead of scanning the plurality of channels of the frequency band one channel at a time”; note: alternatively, another reading of second plurality of channels would correspond to the second set of channels for scanning in par [0073]);
wherein the first plurality of channels is different from the second plurality of channels (read as the multiple channels of 2.4 GHz band for first transceiver module are different from the multiple channels of 5 GHz band for second transceiver module, par [0042], [0047] and [0055]-[0057]), wherein the first plurality of channels with channel size scanned in parallel is for a first transceiver with its bandwidth (read as the scanning of the multiple 20 MHz channels of 2.4 GHz at the same time using the first transceiver module with its bandwidth, figures 2 and 3, par [0042], [0047], [0055]-[0057] and [0072]); wherein the second plurality of channels scanned with channel size in parallel is for a second transceiver with its bandwidth collocated with the first transceiver in the wireless device (read as the scanning of the multiple 20 MHz channels of 5 GHz at the same time using the second transceiver module with its bandwidth, figures 2 and 3, par [0042], [0047], [0055]-[0057] and [0073]);
wherein the second plurality of channels being scanned in parallel is less than all of the available channels of a band of the wireless device (read as the channels being scanned for 5 GHz is less than the combined channels of both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, figures 2 and 3, par [0042] and [0056]-[0057]).
However, Liu discloses the claimed invention above and multiple 20 MHz channels and bandwidth for first transceiver module and second transceiver module for the scanning (see par [0055]-[0057] and [0072]-[0073]) but does not specifically disclose wherein a first number of the first plurality of channels scanned in parallel is determined based on an available bandwidth and a size of a channel the first transceiver, wherein a second number of the second plurality of channels scanned in parallel is determined based on an available bandwidth and a size of a channel of the second transceiver.
Nonetheless, Gao discloses sub-bands of a terminal and that the number of sub-bands is determined from total bandwidth value and the sub-band size, which the number of sub-bands multiplied by the sub-band size is equal to the total bandwidth value, which mathematically means the number of sub-bands equals to the total bandwidth value divided by the sub-band size, par [0101]-[0102] and [0065]-[0066].
Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Gao’s teaching of determining a number of sub-bands from bandwidth resource size and sub-band size into Liu’s teaching of multi-channel collocated transceiver module architecture, in order to improve and better define a more explicit bandwidth-based basis for the channel-group selection and count.
Consider claim 2, as applied to claim 1 above, Liu, as modified by Gao, discloses wherein the first plurality of channels and the second plurality of channels combined include all available channels of the wireless device (read as the total of multiple channels of 2.4 GHz band for first transceiver module and multiple channels of 5 GHz band for second transceiver module include all available WiFi channels when the client station only operate using WiFi, par [0042], [0047] and [0055]-[0057]).
Consider claim 3, as applied to claim 1 above, Liu, as modified by Gao, discloses wherein the first plurality of channels is used by a first transceiver operating on a first band, and wherein the second plurality of channels is used by a second transceiver operating on a second band (read as, for example, multiple channels of 2.4 GHz band for first transceiver module, and multiple channels of 5 GHz band for second transceiver module, par [0042], [0047] and [0055]-[0057]).
Consider claim 4, as applied to claim 1 above, Liu, as modified by Gao, discloses sending a probe request frame from the wireless device, wherein the transmission from the access point is a response to the probe request frame (read as the active scanning in which the client station transmits probe requests (frames) on the channels and then listens for/detects a probe responses (frames) from the multiple 20 MHz channels, par [0044], [0047], [0050] and [0070]).
Consider claim 5, as applied to claim 1 above, Liu, as modified by Gao, discloses wherein the transmission from the access point is a beacon frame (read as the response beacon frame, par [0044], [0047] and [0063]).
Consider claims 6 and 7, as applied to claim 1 above, Liu, as modified by Gao, discloses the claimed invention above but does not specifically disclose wherein the first number of the first plurality of channels and the second number of the second plurality of channels are determined based, at least in part, on a bandwidth of the wireless device as in claim 6; and wherein the first number and the second number are determined dividing the bandwidth of the wireless device by a size of a channel as in claim 7.
Nonetheless, Gao discloses sub-bands of a terminal and that the number of sub-bands is determined from total bandwidth value and the sub-band size, which the number of sub-bands multiplied by the sub-band size is equal to the total bandwidth value, which mathematically means the number of sub-bands equals to the total bandwidth value divided by the sub-band size, par [0101]-[0102] and [0065]-[0066].
Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Gao’s teaching of determining a number of sub-bands from bandwidth resource size and sub-band size into Liu’s teaching of multi-channel collocated transceiver module architecture, which modified by Gao, in order to improve and better define a more explicit bandwidth-based basis for the channel-group selection and count.
Consider claim 8, as applied to claim 1 above, Liu, as modified by Gao, discloses wherein the wireless device is multi-band device (read as the client station 100 operates in multiple frequency bands such as 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, par [0055]-[0056]).
Consider claim 10, Liu discloses a device (read as client station 100, figures 2 and 3, par [0054]-[0057]) comprising: a memory configured to store channel information associated with channels of a wireless device; and processing elements (read as the memory that stores code executed by the processors, par [0086]-[0087]) configured to:
select a first plurality of channels of a wireless device, the first plurality of channels being sub-bands of a wireless device; scan the first plurality of channels for a transmission from an access point, the first plurality of channels being scanned in parallel (read as client station 100 with a first transceiver module and scanning modules 106 select/use multiple 20 MHz channels of 2.4 GHz for scanning at the same time (i.e. parallel) for access point transmissions, which is sub-band of the client base station 100, figures 2 and 3, par [0042], [0054]-[0057], [0063] and [0072], which par [0057] clearly states “[t]he scanning module 106 can simultaneously scan multiple channels of the frequency band at the same time instead of scanning the plurality of channels of the frequency band one channel at a time”; note: another reading of first plurality of channels would correspond to the first set of channels for scanning in par [0072]);
select a second plurality of channels of the wireless device, the second plurality of channels being sub-bands of the wireless device; scan the second plurality of channels for the transmission from the access point, the second plurality of channels being scanned in parallel (read as client station 100 with a second transceiver module and scanning modules 106 select/use multiple 20 MHz channels of 5 GHz for scanning at the same time (i.e. parallel) for access point transmissions, which is sub-band of the client base station 100, figures 2 and 3, par [0042], [0054]-[0057], [0063] and [0072], which par [0057] clearly states “[t]he scanning module 106 can simultaneously scan multiple channels of the frequency band at the same time instead of scanning the plurality of channels of the frequency band one channel at a time”; note: another reading of second plurality of channels would correspond to the second set of channels for scanning in par [0073]);
wherein the first plurality of channels is different from the second plurality of channels (read as the multiple channels of 2.4 GHz band for first transceiver module are different from the multiple channels of 5 GHz band for second transceiver module, par [0042], [0047] and [0055]-[0057]), wherein the first plurality of channels with channel size scanned in parallel is for a first transceiver with its bandwidth (read as the scanning of the multiple 20 MHz channels of 2.4 GHz at the same time using the first transceiver module with its bandwidth, figures 2 and 3, par [0042], [0047], [0055]-[0057] and [0072]); wherein the second plurality of channels scanned with channel size in parallel is for a second transceiver with its bandwidth collocated with the first transceiver in the wireless device (read as the scanning of the multiple 20 MHz channels of 5 GHz at the same time using the second transceiver module with its bandwidth, figures 2 and 3, par [0042], [0047], [0055]-[0057] and [0073]);
wherein the second plurality of channels being scanned in parallel is less than all of the available channels of a band of the wireless device (read as the channels being scanned for 5 GHz is less than the combined channels of both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, figures 2 and 3, par [0042] and [0056]-[0057]).
However, Liu discloses the claimed invention above and multiple 20 MHz channels and bandwidth for first transceiver module and second transceiver module for the scanning (see par [0055]-[0057] and [0072]-[0073]) but does not specifically disclose wherein a first number of the first plurality of channels scanned in parallel is determined based on an available bandwidth and a size of a channel the first transceiver, wherein a second number of the second plurality of channels scanned in parallel is determined based on an available bandwidth and a size of a channel of the second transceiver.
Nonetheless, Gao discloses sub-bands of a terminal and that the number of sub-bands is determined from total bandwidth value and the sub-band size, which the number of sub-bands multiplied by the sub-band size is equal to the total bandwidth value, which mathematically means the number of sub-bands equals to the total bandwidth value divided by the sub-band size, par [0101]-[0102] and [0065]-[0066].
Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Gao’s teaching of determining a number of sub-bands from bandwidth resource size and sub-band size into Liu’s teaching of multi-channel collocated transceiver module architecture, in order to improve and better define a more explicit bandwidth-based basis for the channel-group selection and count.
Consider claim 11, as applied to claim 10 above, Liu, as modified by Gao, discloses wherein the first plurality of channels is used by the first transceiver configured to operate on a first band, and wherein the second plurality of channels is used by the second transceiver configured to operate on a second band (read as, for example, multiple channels of 2.4 GHz band for first transceiver module, and multiple channels of 5 GHz band for second transceiver module, par [0042], [0047] and [0055]-[0057]).
Consider claim 12, as applied to claim 10 above, Liu, as modified by Gao, discloses wherein the processing elements are further configured to: send a probe request frame from the wireless device, wherein the transmission from the access point is a response to the probe request frame (read as the active scanning in which the client station transmits probe requests (frames) on the channels and then listens for/detects a probe responses (frames) from the multiple 20 MHz channels, par [0044], [0047], [0050] and [0070]).
Consider claim 13, as applied to claim 10 above, Liu, as modified by Gao, discloses wherein the transmission from the access point is a beacon frame (read as the response beacon frame, par [0044], [0047] and [0063]).
Consider claims 14 and 15, as applied to claim 10 above, Liu, as modified by Gao, discloses the claimed invention above but does not specifically disclose wherein the first number of the first plurality of channels and the second number of the second plurality of channels are determined based, at least in part, on a bandwidth of the wireless device as in claim 14, and wherein the first number and the second number are determined by dividing the bandwidth of the wireless device by a size of a channel as in claim 15.
Nonetheless, Gao discloses sub-bands of a terminal and that the number of sub-bands is determined from total bandwidth value and the sub-band size, which the number of sub-bands multiplied by the sub-band size is equal to the total bandwidth value, which mathematically means the number of sub-bands equals to the total bandwidth value divided by the sub-band size, par [0101]-[0102] and [0065]-[0066].
Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Gao’s teaching of determining a number of sub-bands from bandwidth resource size and sub-band size into Liu’s teaching of multi-channel collocated transceiver module architecture, which modified by Gao, in order to improve and better define a more explicit bandwidth-based basis for the channel-group selection and count.
Consider claim 16, Liu discloses a system (read as client station 100, figures 2 and 3, par [0054]-[0057]) comprising: an antenna configured to transmit and receive wireless signals; a transceiver coupled to the antenna (read as antenna 102 and the transceiver modules, par [0054]-[0057]); a memory configured to store channel information associated with channels of a wireless device; and processing elements (read as the memory that stores code executed by the processors, par [0086]-[0087]) configured to:
select a first plurality of channels of a wireless device, the first plurality of channels being sub-bands of a wireless device; scan the first plurality of channels for a transmission from an access point, the first plurality of channels being scanned in parallel (read as client station 100 with a first transceiver module and scanning modules 106 select/use multiple 20 MHz channels of 2.4 GHz for scanning at the same time (i.e. parallel) for access point transmissions, which is sub-band of the client base station 100, figures 2 and 3, par [0042], [0054]-[0057], [0063] and [0072], which par [0057] clearly states “[t]he scanning module 106 can simultaneously scan multiple channels of the frequency band at the same time instead of scanning the plurality of channels of the frequency band one channel at a time”; note: another reading of first plurality of channels would correspond to the first set of channels for scanning in par [0072]);
select a second plurality of channels of the wireless device, the second plurality of channels being sub-bands of the wireless device; scan the second plurality of channels for the transmission from the access point, the second plurality of channels being scanned in parallel (read as client station 100 with a second transceiver module and scanning modules 106 select/use multiple 20 MHz channels of 5 GHz for scanning at the same time (i.e. parallel) for access point transmissions, which is sub-band of the client base station 100, figures 2 and 3, par [0042], [0054]-[0057], [0063] and [0072], which par [0057] clearly states “[t]he scanning module 106 can simultaneously scan multiple channels of the frequency band at the same time instead of scanning the plurality of channels of the frequency band one channel at a time”; note: another reading of second plurality of channels would correspond to the second set of channels for scanning in par [0073]);
wherein the first plurality of channels is different from the second plurality of channels (read as the multiple channels of 2.4 GHz band for first transceiver module are different from the multiple channels of 5 GHz band for second transceiver module, par [0042], [0047] and [0055]-[0057]), wherein the first plurality of channels with channel size scanned in parallel is for a first transceiver with its bandwidth (read as the scanning of the multiple 20 MHz channels of 2.4 GHz at the same time using the first transceiver module with its bandwidth, figures 2 and 3, par [0042], [0047], [0055]-[0057] and [0072]); wherein the second plurality of channels scanned with channel size in parallel is for a second transceiver with its bandwidth collocated with the first transceiver in the wireless device (read as the scanning of the multiple 20 MHz channels of 5 GHz at the same time using the second transceiver module with its bandwidth, figures 2 and 3, par [0042], [0047], [0055]-[0057] and [0073]);
wherein the second plurality of channels being scanned in parallel is less than all of the available channels of a band of the wireless device (read as the channels being scanned for 5 GHz is less than the combined channels of both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, figures 2 and 3, par [0042] and [0056]-[0057]).
However, Liu discloses the claimed invention above and multiple 20 MHz channels and bandwidth for first transceiver module and second transceiver module for the scanning (see par [0055]-[0057] and [0072]-[0073]) but does not specifically disclose wherein a first number of the first plurality of channels scanned in parallel is determined based on an available bandwidth and a size of a channel the first transceiver, wherein a second number of the second plurality of channels scanned in parallel is determined based on an available bandwidth and a size of a channel of the second transceiver.
Nonetheless, Gao discloses sub-bands of a terminal and that the number of sub-bands is determined from total bandwidth value and the sub-band size, which the number of sub-bands multiplied by the sub-band size is equal to the total bandwidth value, which mathematically means the number of sub-bands equals to the total bandwidth value divided by the sub-band size, par [0101]-[0102] and [0065]-[0066].
Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Gao’s teaching of determining a number of sub-bands from bandwidth resource size and sub-band size into Liu’s teaching of multi-channel collocated transceiver module architecture, in order to improve and better define a more explicit bandwidth-based basis for the channel-group selection and count.
Consider claim 17, as applied to claim 16 above, Liu, as modified by Gao, discloses wherein the first plurality of channels is used by the first transceiver operating on a first band, and wherein the second plurality of channels is used by the second transceiver operating on a second band (read as, for example, multiple channels of 2.4 GHz band for first transceiver module, and multiple channels of 5 GHz band for second transceiver module, par [0042], [0047] and [0055]-[0057]).
Consider claim 18, as applied to claim 16 above, Liu, as modified by Gao, discloses wherein the processing elements are further configured to: send a probe request frame from the wireless device, wherein the transmission from the access point is a response to the probe request frame (read as the active scanning in which the client station transmits probe requests (frames) on the channels and then listens for/detects a probe responses (frames) from the multiple 20 MHz channels, par [0044], [0047], [0050] and [0070]).
Consider claim 19, as applied to claim 16 above, Liu, as modified by Gao, discloses wherein the transmission from the access point is a beacon frame (read as the response beacon frame, par [0044], [0047] and [0063]).
Consider claim 20, as applied to claim 16 above, Liu, as modified by Gao, discloses the claimed invention above but does not specifically disclose wherein the first number of the first plurality of channels and the second number of the second plurality of channels are determined based, at least in part, on a bandwidth of the wireless device, and wherein the first number and the second number are determined dividing the bandwidth of the wireless device by a size of a channel.
Nonetheless, Gao discloses sub-bands of a terminal and that the number of sub-bands is determined from total bandwidth value and the sub-band size, which the number of sub-bands multiplied by the sub-band size is equal to the total bandwidth value, which mathematically means the number of sub-bands equals to the total bandwidth value divided by the sub-band size, par [0101]-[0102] and [0065]-[0066].
Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Gao’s teaching of determining a number of sub-bands from bandwidth resource size and sub-band size into Liu’s teaching of multi-channel collocated transceiver module architecture, which modified by Gao, in order to improve and better define a more explicit bandwidth-based basis for the channel-group selection and count.
Claim 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu (US 20130286937 A1) in view of Gao (US 20250211295 A1), and in further view of Gopalakrishnan (US 20230362797 A1).
Consider claim 9, as applied to claim 8 above, Liu, as modified by Gao, discloses the claimed invention above and the multi-band device (read as the client station 100 operates in multiple frequency bands such as 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, par [0055]-[0056]) but does not specifically disclose wherein the multi-band device is a tri-band device.
Nonetheless, Gopalakrishnan discloses scanning operation of a device having three different frequency ranges including 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz, par [0020]-[0021].
Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Gopalakrishnan’s teaching of a three frequency ranges scanning radio into Liu’s teaching of multi-band client station with scanning module, which modified by Gao, in order to improve the scanning module so it can operate across three frequency bands, which better expand scanning coverage and reduce scanning time over a broader operating range.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Junpeng Chen whose telephone number is (571) 270-1112. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Thursday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Anthony S Addy can be reached on 571-272-7795. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Junpeng Chen/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2645
Prosecution Insights