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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 November 10, 2025 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
The newly added secondary reference, Chennichetty, discloses a dynamic steering method for XR devices.
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.
Claims 1-12 and 14-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lim et al. (US 20240283510 A1, hereinafter Lim) in view of CHENNICHETTY et al. (US 20210120454 A1, hereinafter Chennichetty).
Regarding claims 1, 10 and 19 Lim discloses:
A method for ensuring quality of experience (QoE) for extended reality (XR) devices over WiFi networks, comprising:
receiving a pairing request from an XR device (Paragraph [0070], “The association process includes a process in which the STA transmits an association request frame to the AP, and in response, the AP transmits an association response frame to the STA.” The association request frame is like a pairing request.)
prior to establishing a connection between the XR device and a network (Fig. 3 and paragraph [0062], “In order for an STA to set up a link with respect to a network and transmit/receive data, it first discovers a network, performs authentication, establishes an association, and need to perform the authentication process for security. The link setup process may also be referred to as a session initiation process or a session setup process.” In fig. 3 the AP or network receives a probing request in network discovery the steps above to set up a link are prior steps to establishing a connection.)
negotiating, by a negotiating agent, a channel selection for the XR device based on the XR identifier, wherein the negotiating is a pre-connection negotiation (Fig. 3 and paragraph [0071] “the association response frame may include information related to various capabilities, status code, association ID (AID), supported rates, enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) parameter set, received channel power indicator (RCPI), received signal to noise indicator (RSNI), mobility domain, timeout interval (e.g., association comeback time), overlapping BSS scan parameters, TIM broadcast response, Quality of Service (QOS) map, etc.” and paragraph [0062], “In order for an STA to set up a link with respect to a network and transmit/receive data, it first discovers a network, performs authentication, establishes an association, and need to perform the authentication process for security. The link setup process may also be referred to as a session initiation process or a session setup process.” In fig. 3 the AP or network receives a probing request in network discovery the steps above to set up a link are prior steps to establishing a connection. The response frame in the AP (which could be a router) can be seen as a negotiating agent.)
pairing the network with the XR device; (Paragraph [0040], “In addition, the device of the present disclosure may be implemented in various devices such as a mobile phone, a vehicle, a personal computer, augmented reality (AR) equipment, and virtual reality (VR) equipment, etc.” And paragraph [0070], “The association process includes a process in which the STA transmits an association request frame to the AP, and in response, the AP transmits an association response frame to the STA.” The device can be seen as a VR or AR device which could count as an xr device stated in the specs and associating with an AP could be like pairing.)
and scheduling transmissions to the XR device using the negotiated channel selection. (Paragraph [0261], “a STA may transmit to an AP a sensing measurement result (e.g., CSI) feedback based on a signal received from an AP.” The STA can transmit to AP.)
Lim does not disclose:
the pairing request comprising an XR identifier that indicates one or more service needs of the XR device and identifies a priority of the XR device for the data rate and bandwidth assignment;
and comprises performing dynamic steering to identify a first channel that satisfies the one or more service needs and priority of the XR device indicated by the XR identifier, and wherein the dynamic steering is adaptive and configured to change the first channel to a second channel based on network conditions;
Chennichetty does disclose:
the pairing request comprising an XR identifier that indicates one or more service needs of the XR device and identifies a priority of the XR device for the data rate and bandwidth assignment; (Paragraph [0014], “generating the steering ranking list is based on assigning weights to the profile of each of the one or more wireless devices… the profile of each of the one or more wireless devices includes at least one member of the group consisting of: a Wi-Fi multimedia (WMM) access category (AC) designation… a priority designation; and a steering success rate.” And paragraph [0042], “Other factors or conditions for steering a device may include backhaul performance, network topology, performance characteristics (such as throughput, goodput, bandwidth, latency, errors, jitter, and the like).” These are conditions to steer the device during its negation phase.)
and comprises performing dynamic steering to identify a first channel that satisfies the one or more service needs and priority of the XR device indicated by the XR identifier, (Paragraph [0009], “In some implementations, the steering ranking list is generated dynamically.” And paragraph [0047], “optimizing steering within a multi-AP environment based on wireless device profiles may lead to higher throughput, higher goodput, and lower latencies in data transmission.”(the needs) And paragraph [0070], “Therefore, a selected AP (including the root AP 110) may consider at least the above-mentioned factors when steering the stations STA1-STA4 between different APs, or between different frequency bands”
and wherein the dynamic steering is adaptive and configured to change the first channel to a second channel based on network conditions; (Paragraph [0009], “In some implementations, the steering ranking list is generated dynamically.” And paragraph [0118], “An AP/band steering software module 336 to facilitate steering wireless devices, such as the stations STA1-STA4, between different wireless associations (such as between different APs, or between different frequency bands, or both), based on a STA profile (also known as a client profile or wireless device profile), monitored traffic flow characteristics, classified traffic types, priority designations, movement of the wireless devices, QoS attributes, or a steering ranking list”)
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the teachings of Lim in view of Chennichetty to incorporate dynamic steering for XR device’s priority and needs. One would be motivated to do this to reduce latency and improve reliability for better QoS.
Regarding claim 10 specifically Lim discloses:
A system for ensuring quality of experience (QoE) for extended reality (XR) devices over WiFi networks, comprising: a WiFi connectivity device having one or more antennas for receiving pairing requests from at least one XR device and transmitting data to the at least one XR device; (Paragraph [0041], “A first device 100 may include one or more processors 102 and one or more memories 104 and may additionally include one or more transceivers 106 and/or one or more antennas 108.” And paragraph [0070], “The association process includes a process in which the STA transmits an association request frame to the AP, and in response, the AP transmits an association response frame to the STA.” The devices may include an AP and from this the devices can pair through these frames.)
and a processor (Paragraph [0041], “a processor 102 may receive a wireless signal including second information/signal through a transceiver 106 and then store information obtained by signal processing of second information/signal in a memory 104. A memory 104 may be connected to a processor 102 and may store a variety of information related to an operation of a processor 102.”)
Regarding specifically claim 19 Lim discloses:
A non-transitory computer storage media storing computer-useable instructions (Paragraph [0327], “A scope of the present disclosure includes software or machine-executable commands (e.g., an operating system, an application, a firmware, a program, etc.) which execute an operation according to a method of various embodiments in a device or a computer and a non-transitory computer-readable medium that such a software or a command, etc. are stored and are executable in a device or a computer… A memory optionally includes one or more storage devices positioned remotely from processor(s). A memory or alternatively, nonvolatile memory device(s) in a memory include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.”)
Regarding claims 2 and 14, Lim discloses:The method of claim 1, wherein the channel selection provides a dedicated frequency for the XR device. (Paragraph [0040], “In addition, the device of the present disclosure may be implemented in various devices such as a mobile phone, a vehicle, a personal computer, augmented reality (AR) equipment, and virtual reality (VR) equipment, etc.” And Paragraph [0109], “As shown at the top of FIG. 8, 26-units (i.e., units corresponding to 26 tones) may be allocated. 6 tones may be used as a guard band in the leftmost band of the 20 MHz band, and 5 tones may be used as a guard band in the rightmost band of the 20 MHz band. In addition, 7 DC tones are inserted in the center band, that is, the DC band, and 26-units corresponding to each of the 13 tones may exist on the left and right sides of the DC band. In addition, 26-unit, 52-unit, and 106-unit may be allocated to other bands. Each unit may be allocated for STAs or users.” And paragraph [0106], “The RU may be used when transmitting signals to multiple STAs based on the OFDMA scheme. In addition, the RU may be defined even when a signal is transmitted to one STA.” And paragraph [0110], “The RU allocation of FIG. 8 is utilized not only in a situation for multiple users (MU) but also in a situation for a single user (SU), and in this case, it is possible to use one 242-unit as shown at the bottom of FIG. 8.” The OFDMA scheme may send a dedicated set of RU tones depending on the needs of the device.)
Regarding claims 3 and 15, Lim discloses:
The method of claim 2, wherein the dedicated frequency is assigned by orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA).
(Paragraph [0106], “The RU may be used when transmitting signals to multiple STAs based on the OFDMA scheme. In addition, the RU may be defined even when a signal is transmitted to one STA.” The RU assigned is based on the scheme of the OFDMA.)
Regarding claims 4, Lim discloses:
The method of claim 1, wherein the channel selection is based on uplink or downlink signaling.
(Paragraph [0071], “the association response frame may include information related to various capabilities, status code, association ID (AID), supported rates, enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) parameter set, received channel power indicator (RCPI), received signal to noise indicator (RSNI), mobility domain, timeout interval (e.g., association comeback time), overlapping BSS scan parameters, TIM broadcast response, Quality of Service (QOS) map, etc.” The RCPI of the channel measures the overall power of the channel while the RSNI measures the up and downlink quality.)
Regarding claims 5, Lim discloses:
The method of claim 2, wherein the dedicated frequency is a frequency on a shared channel. (Paragraph [0106], “The RU may be used when transmitting signals to multiple STAs based on the OFDMA scheme.” Using the OFDMA scheme the RU is a subdivision of the same channel, thus when it assigns a dedicated tone to a device it is still in the same shared channel.)
Regarding claims 6 and 16, Lim discloses:
assigning a new channel or frequency to the XR device. (Paragraph [0064], “Scanning schemes include active scanning and passive scanning… In active scanning, an STA performing scanning transmits a probe request frame to discover which APs exist around it while moving channels and waits for a response thereto.” And paragraph [0065], “In passive scanning, a STA performing scanning waits for a beacon frame while moving channels. The beacon frame is one of the management frames defined in IEEE 802.11, and is periodically transmitted to notify the existence of a wireless network and to allow the STA performing scanning to find a wireless network and participate in the wireless network.” Active and passive scanning are methods to help assign a new channel to a device.)
Regarding claim 7, Lim discloses: The method of claim 6, wherein the new channel or frequency is assigned to the XR device when signal conditions change. (Paragraph [0037], “…the first device 100 and the second device 200 include an access point (AP), a base station (BS), a fixed station, a Node B, a base transceiver system (BTS), a network, it may be replaced with various terms such as an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system, a road side unit (RSU), a repeater, a router, a relay, and a gateway.” And paragraph [0064], “Scanning schemes include active scanning and passive scanning… In active scanning, an STA performing scanning transmits a probe request frame to discover which APs exist around it while moving channels and waits for a response thereto.” And paragraph [0065], “In passive scanning, a STA performing scanning waits for a beacon frame while moving channels. The beacon frame is one of the management frames defined in IEEE 802.11, and is periodically transmitted to notify the existence of a wireless network and to allow the STA performing scanning to find a wireless network and participate in the wireless network.” And paragraph [0071], “…the association request frame may include information related to various capabilities, a beacon listen interval, a service set identifier (SSID), supported rates, supported channels, RSN, mobility domain, supported operating classes, Traffic Indication Map Broadcast request (TIM broadcast request), interworking service capability, etc. For example, the association response frame may include information related to various capabilities, status code, association ID (AID), supported rates, enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) parameter set, received channel power indicator (RCPI), received signal to noise indicator (RSNI), mobility domain, timeout interval (e.g., association comeback time), overlapping BSS scan parameters, TIM broadcast response, Quality of Service (QOS) map, etc. This corresponds to some examples of information that may be included in the association request/response frame…” The device and access point periodically monitors the signal condition using the received signal to noise indicator and the device will passively or actively scan for a new channel based on these conditions.)
Regarding claims 8 and 17, Lim discloses:
wherein the new channel or frequency is assigned to the XR device on a periodic basis. (And paragraph [0064], “Scanning schemes include active scanning and passive scanning… In active scanning, an STA performing scanning transmits a probe request frame to discover which APs exist around it while moving channels and waits for a response thereto.” And paragraph [0065], “In passive scanning, a STA performing scanning waits for a beacon frame while moving channels. The beacon frame is one of the management frames defined in IEEE 802.11, and is periodically transmitted to notify the existence of a wireless network and to allow the STA performing scanning to find a wireless network and participate in the wireless network.” The AP will periodically send beacon frames which includes channel number or signal strength so passive scanning helps assign a new channel for the device periodically.)
Regarding claims 9 and 18, Lim discloses:
wherein the at least one new channel or frequency is selected based on congestion in the network. (Paragraph [0071], “…the association request frame may include information related to various capabilities, a beacon listen interval, a service set identifier (SSID), supported rates, supported channels, RSN, mobility domain, supported operating classes, Traffic Indication Map Broadcast request (TIM broadcast request), interworking service capability, etc. For example, the association response frame may include information related to various capabilities, status code, association ID (AID), supported rates, enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) parameter set, received channel power indicator (RCPI), received signal to noise indicator (RSNI), mobility domain, timeout interval (e.g., association comeback time), overlapping BSS scan parameters, TIM broadcast response, Quality of Service (QOS) map, etc. This corresponds to some examples of information that may be included in the association request/response frame…” The TIM broadcast indicates the congestion of the network.)
Regarding claim 11, Lim discloses:
The system of claim 10, wherein the WiFi connectivity device is a router. (Paragraph [0037], “…the first device 100 and the second device 200 include an access point (AP), a base station (BS), a fixed station, a Node B, a base transceiver system (BTS), a network, it may be replaced with various terms such as an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system, a road side unit (RSU), a repeater, a router, a relay, and a gateway.”)
Regarding claim 12 Lim discloses:
The system of claim 10, wherein the WiFi connectivity device is a user equipment (UE). (Paragraph [0037], “ FIG. 1 may be replaced with various terms such as a terminal, a wireless device, a Wireless Transmit Receive Unit (WTRU), an User Equipment (UE)” and paragraph [0039], “ FIG. 1, the first device 100 and the second device 200 may transmit and receive radio signals through various wireless LAN technologies (e.g., IEEE 802.11 series).” UE and wifi connectivity.)
Regarding claim 20, Lim discloses:
The non-transitory computer storage media of claim 19, wherein the negotiated channel is a dedicated frequency. (Paragraph [0327], “A scope of the present disclosure includes software or machine-executable commands (e.g., an operating system, an application, a firmware, a program, etc.) which execute an operation according to a method of various embodiments in a device or a computer and a non-transitory computer-readable medium that such a software or a command, etc. are stored and are executable in a device or a computer… A memory optionally includes one or more storage devices positioned remotely from processor(s). A memory or alternatively, nonvolatile memory device(s) in a memory include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.” And Paragraph [0109], “As shown at the top of FIG. 8, 26-units (i.e., units corresponding to 26 tones) may be allocated. 6 tones may be used as a guard band in the leftmost band of the 20 MHz band, and 5 tones may be used as a guard band in the rightmost band of the 20 MHz band. In addition, 7 DC tones are inserted in the center band, that is, the DC band, and 26-units corresponding to each of the 13 tones may exist on the left and right sides of the DC band. In addition, 26-unit, 52-unit, and 106-unit may be allocated to other bands. Each unit may be allocated for STAs or users.” And paragraph [0106], “…a resource unit (RU) defined in a wireless LAN system will be described. the RU may include a plurality of subcarriers (or tones). The RU may be used when transmitting signals to multiple STAs based on the OFDMA scheme.” Specific RU tones are assigned by the OFDMA scheme based on the needs of a device and the RUs are subdivisions of that channel.)
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combined teachings of Lim and Chennichetty in view of TRAN LE et al. (US 20160212774 A1, hereinafter Tran).
Regarding claim 13, Lim and Chennichetty does not disclose:
The system of claim 12, wherein the UE acts as a WiFi hotspot.
However, Tran does disclose:
The system of claim 12, wherein the UE acts as a WiFi hotspot. (Abstract, “Methods are provided for assessing the suitability of a UE to act as a hotspot dependent on parameters such as quality of data connection, battery life, and use of the UE by the user.” The UE is acting as a hotspot which is a WiFi connectivity device.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the combined teachings of Lim and Chennichetty in view of Tran by expanding the devices that could be used as a WiFi connectivity device. One would be motivated to do this to provide internet access vis the UE’s cellular connection (Paragraph [0004], Tran).
Conclusion
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/NAM P. CAO/Examiner, Art Unit 2479 /JAE Y LEE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2479