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 office action is in response to Applicant’s amendment filed on 09/25/2025.
Claims 10-13 are currently pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 10-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kishida et al. (US 2023/0269804 A1; hereafter KISHIDA).
With respect to claim 10, KISHIDA discloses a terminal apparatus (20 of FIG. 5; 20 of FIG. 6) for communicating with an access point apparatus (10 of FIG. 3; 10 of FIG. 4) through multiple links (multi-link) (MULTI-LINK of FIG. 11; MULTI-LINK of FIG. 15; MULTI-LINK of FIG. 24), the terminal apparatus (20 of FIG. 5; 20 of FIG. 6) comprising:
transmission circuitry and reception circuitry (230, 240, 250 of FIG. 6), wherein:
the multi-link comprises at least a first link and a second link (MULTI-LINK of FIG. 11; MULTI-LINK of FIG. 15; MULTI-LINK of FIG. 24),
the transmission circuitry is configured to transmit a multi-link change request frame after the multi-link is established (S70, S41, S42 in FIG. 20; S71, S51, S52 in FIG. 21; paragraphs [0118], [0119], [0120], [0124], [0130], [0135]), and
the reception circuitry is configured to receive a multi-link change response frame (S70, S41, S42 in FIG. 20; S71, S51, S52 in FIG. 21; paragraphs [0118], [0119], [0120], [0124], [0130], [0135]),
wherein:
the multi-link change request frame includes information related to an enablement or disablement of each link (S70, S41, S42 in FIG. 20; S71, S51, S52 in FIG. 21; paragraphs [0118], [0119], [0120], [0124], [0130], [0135]), and
the enablement of the first link is associated with a specific access category (FIG. 7; paragraphs [0075], [0095]).
With respect to claim 11, KISHIDA further discloses the terminal apparatus according to claim 10, wherein
the transmission circuitry is configured to transmit a frame belonging to the specific access category (FIG. 7; paragraphs [0075], [0095]).
With respect to claim 12, KISHIDA discloses an access point apparatus (10 of FIG. 3; 10 of FIG. 4) for communicating with a terminal apparatus (20 of FIG. 5; 20 of FIG. 6) through multiple links (multi-link) (MULTI-LINK of FIG. 11; MULTI-LINK of FIG. 15; MULTI-LINK of FIG. 24), the access point apparatus comprising:
transmission circuitry and reception circuitry (130, 140, 150 of FIG. 4), wherein:
the multi-link comprises at least a first link and a second link (MULTI-LINK of FIG. 11; MULTI-LINK of FIG. 15; MULTI-LINK of FIG. 24),
the reception circuitry is configured to receive a multi-link change request frame after the multi-link is established (S70, S41, S42 in FIG. 20; S71, S51, S52 in FIG. 21; paragraphs [0118], [0119], [0120], [0124], [0130], [0135]), and
the transmission circuitry is configured to transmit a multi-link change response frame (S70, S41, S42 in FIG. 20; S71, S51, S52 in FIG. 21; paragraphs [0118], [0119], [0120], [0124], [0130], [0135]),
wherein:
the multi-link change request frame includes information related to an enablement or disablement of each link (S70, S41, S42 in FIG. 20; S71, S51, S52 in FIG. 21; paragraphs [0118], [0119], [0120], [0124], [0130], [0135]), and
the enablement of the first link is associated with a specific access category (FIG. 7; paragraphs [0075], [0095]).
With respect to claim 13, KISHIDA discloses a method (Abstract) performed by a terminal apparatus (20 of FIG. 5; 20 of FIG. 6) for communicating with an access point apparatus (10 of FIG. 3; 10 of FIG. 4) through multiple links (multi-link) (MULTI-LINK of FIG. 11; MULTI-LINK of FIG. 15; MULTI-LINK of FIG. 24), wherein the multi-link comprises at
least a first link and a second link (MULTI-LINK of FIG. 11; MULTI-LINK of FIG. 15; MULTI-LINK of FIG. 24), the method comprising:
transmitting a multi-link change request frame after the multi-link is established; and receiving a multi-link change response frame (S70, S41, S42 in FIG. 20; S71, S51, S52 in FIG. 21; paragraphs [0118], [0119], [0120], [0124], [0130], [0135]), wherein:
the multi-link change request frame includes information related to an enablement or disablement of each link (S70, S41, S42 in FIG. 20; S71, S51, S52 in FIG. 21; paragraphs [0118], [0119], [0120], [0124], [0130], [0135]), and
the enablement of the first link is associated with a specific access category (FIG. 7; paragraphs [0075], [0095]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 10-13 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.
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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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 mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Brian T O'Connor whose telephone number is (571)270-1081. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri Flex 10am-6:30pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gary Mui can be reached at 571-270-1420. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BRIAN T O CONNOR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465 March 6, 2026