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 .
Response to Amendment
This communication is in response to the amendment filed 8/21/2026. The amendment has been entered and considered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1, 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 and 5 recite “a common sequence number space”; however, the Examiner was unable to find support in the specification that the assigned sequence numbers are from a common sequence number space.
Appropriate correction required.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 3-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang US 2021/0126947 in view of Kim et al. “Kim” US 2022/0407622 in view of Liu et al. “Liu” US 2021/0007007.
Regarding claim 1, Wang teaches a transmitting station (Figure 1) comprising:
a first radio signal processing circuit configured to transmit a radio signal by using a first channel and store information indicating a sequence number of data to be transmitted (transmitter has multiple radios (i.e. first processing unit); Paragraph 30. Further, the packets are transmit using multi-link frames (i.e. first channel) and the information includes a sequence number (i.e. storing sequence numbers); Paragraphs 39-40);
a second radio signal processing circuit configured to transmit a radio signal by using a second channel different from the first channel and store information indicating a sequence number of data to be transmitted (transmitter has multiple radios (i.e. second processing unit); Paragraph 30. Further, the packets are transmit using multi-link frames (i.e. second channel) and the information includes a sequence number (as the information would be stored, this is viewed as storing sequence numbers; Paragraphs 39-40. The system includes data storage, see Figure 12); and
processing circuitry configured to establish multi-link with a receiving station by using the first radio signal processing circuit and the second radio signal processing circuit and manage communication using the multi-link (the multi-link upper MAC entity constructs frames for communication through the multi-link system to a receiver; Paragraph 39),
wherein
the processing circuitry is configured to distribute a plurality of data units belonging to a same TID and assigned with sequence numbers from a common sequence number space into the first radio signal processing circuit and the second radio signal processing circuit (the multi-link upper mac entity constructs frames for communication through the multi-link system and the MPDUs that belong to the same traffic ID (TID) are transmit on multiple links (i.e. first and second radio processing units for distribution). A sequence number is also assigned to the data; Paragraphs 38-41),
the first radio signal processing circuit is configured to transmit a first data unit group input from the processing circuitry among the plurality of data units to the receiving station, and store first information indicating a sequence number of a plurality of data unit included in the first data unit group (MPDUs are aggregated (i.e. first data unit group) and then send out on one or the multiple links; Paragraphs 40-41. The MPDUs are associated with sequence numbers that are stored; Paragraphs 38-39),
the second radio signal processing circuit is configured to transmit a second data unit group input from the processing circuitry among the plurality of data units to the receiving station, and store second information indicating a sequence number of a plurality of data units included in the second data unit group (MPDUs are aggregated (i.e. second data unit group) and then send out on one or the multiple links; Paragraphs 40-41. The MPDUs are associated with sequence numbers that are stored; Paragraphs 38-39);
receiving a first frame including third information indicating a reception status of the first data unit group from the receiving station, the first radio signal processing unit refers to a reception status of a sequence number indicated by the first information among sequence numbers indicated by the third information, and determines whether a data unit included in the transmitted first data unit group has been successfully delivered (the receiver will perform and send a BlockACK based on the received MPDUs; Paragraph 42. The BlockACK consolidates acknowledgments for MPDUs received over different links and then failed MPDUs can be re-transmit on the same or different link than the original transmission; Paragraph 43. This shows that the BlockACK indicates what information was successfully received and fails to be received properly. The sequence numbers of the packets are identified to determine if they are out of order as well so that they are sent to the destination in the correct order; Paragraph 57); and
when receiving a second frame including fourth information indicating a reception status of the second data unit group from the receiving station, the second radio signal processing unit refers to a reception status of a sequence number indicated by the second information among sequence numbers indicated by the fourth information, and determines whether a data unit included in the transmitted second data unit group has been successfully delivered (the receiver will perform and send a BlockACK based on the received MPDUs; Paragraph 42. The BockACK consolidates acknowledges for MPDUs received over different links and then failed MPDUs can be re-transmit on the same or different link than the original transmission; Paragraph 43. This shows that the BlockACK indicates what information was successfully received and fails to be received properly. The sequence numbers of the packets are identified to determine if they are out of order as well so that they are sent to the destination in the correct order; Paragraph 57)
Wang does not expressly disclose the use of bitmaps including information indicating a sequence number of a data unit; however, Kim teaches SN bitmaps are included in a first and second MPDU; Paragraphs 115-116 and Figure 9. Thus, one can see the SN is part of a first and second bitmap for first and second MPDUs.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing to modify the teachings of Wang to include a SN bitmap in the MPDUs as taught by Kim.
One would be motivated to make the modification such that control fields can be identified in the MPDUs as taught by Kim; Paragraphs 115-116.
The prior art does not expressly disclose determining successful reception based on a sequence number matching a sequence number of the transmission target indicated by the first information among sequence numbers indicated by the third information; however, Liu teaches a BlockAck bitmap of aggregated information wherein the sequence number matches a value of the starting sequence control subfield (i.e. transmission target) of the BlockAck; Paragraphs 38-39. The exclusion of SN of data not transmitted as claimed is merely a result of the operation being performed and does not carry any patentable weight.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing to modify the teachings of Wang to include matching sequence numbers to determine successful delivery as taught by Liu.
One would be motivated to make the modification such that the system can properly acknowledge successful reception of aggregated information and individual information as taught by Liu; Paragraph 39.
Regarding claim 3, Wang teaches the first and second radio signal processing units include first/second buffers capable of storing first/second data unit groups (the packets are transmit using multi-link frames (i.e. second channel) and the information includes a sequence number (as the information would be stored, this is viewed as storing sequence numbers; Paragraphs 39-40. The system includes data storage, see Figure 12. MPDUs are aggregated (i.e. first and second data unit groups) and then sent out on one or the multiple links; Paragraphs 40-41. The MPDUs are associated with sequence numbers that are stored; Paragraphs 38-39. Thus one can see there would be storage (buffers) for the aggregated data unit groups as claimed).
Regarding claim 4, Wang teaches the first and second radio signal units set data units determined to have failed to be delivered as retransmission targets (Paragraph 43 teaches failed MPDUs are re-transmit on the same link or different links. Here the failed units are viewed as retransmission targets as they are re-transmit).
Regarding claim 5, Wang teaches a receiving station (Figure 1) comprising:
a first radio signal processing unit configured to receive a radio signal by using a first channel and store first information indicating a data reception status for each sequence number (transmitters and receivers have multiple radios (i.e. first processing unit); Paragraphs 29-31. Further, the packets are transmit using multi-link frames (i.e. first channel) and the information includes a sequence number (i.e. storing sequence numbers); Paragraphs 39-40);
a second radio signal processing unit configured to receive a radio signal using a second channel different from the first channel and store second information indicating a data reception status for each sequence number (transmitters and receivers have multiple radios (i.e. second processing unit); Paragraphs 29-31. Further, the packets are transmit using multi-link frames (i.e. first channel) and the information includes a sequence number (i.e. storing sequence numbers); Paragraphs 39-40); and
a link management unit is configured to establish multi-link with a transmitting station by using the first radio signal processing unit and the second radio signal processing unit and manage communication using the multi-link (the multi-link upper MAC entity constructs frames for communication through the multi-link system to a transmitter; Paragraph 39),
wherein
in an operation in which the transmitting station distributes and transmits a plurality of data units belonging to a same TID and assigned with sequence numbers from a common sequence number space to which sequence numbers are assigned to the first radio signal processing unit and the second radio signal processing unit (the multi-link upper mac entity constructs frames for communication through the multi-link system and the MPDUs that belong to the same traffic ID (TID) are transmit/received on multiple links (i.e. first and second radio processing units for distribution). A sequence number is assigned to the data; Paragraphs 38-41),
and
the link management unit is configured to rearrange the data unit received from the first radio signal processing unit and the data unit received from the second radio signal processing unit according to sequence numbers, and output the plurality of data units with ordered sequence numbers to an upper layer (the device will reorder the MPDUs (i.e. data units); Paragraph 42. The reordering is to ensure the data is received in the correct order; Paragraph 57).
Wang does not expressly disclose the use of bitmaps including information indicating a sequence number of a data unit and updating bitmaps based on first data and updating a first start sequence number based on a notification from the transmitting station; however, Kim teaches SN bitmaps are included in a first and second MPDU; Paragraphs 115-116 and Figure 9. Thus, one can see the SN is part of a first and second bitmap for first and second MPDUs. Further, based on information received from the transmitting station, the receiving station can update the bitmap; Paragraph 109. The update would be for the plurality of bitmaps/sequence numbers.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing to modify the teachings of Wang to include a SN bitmap in the MPDUs as taught by Kim.
One would be motivated to make the modification such that control fields can be identified in the MPDUs as taught by Kim; Paragraphs 115-116.
Wang does not expressly disclose receiving first and second data unit groups and outputting a data in which no error is detected among the received first/second data unit groups to the link management; however, Liu teaches that HARQ packet 1 indicates the information has been received and decoded successfully (i.e. a data output when no errors); Paragraphs 34 and 39-40).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing to modify the teachings of Wang to include outputting a data indicating no error in the received data as taught by Liu.
One would be motivated to make the modification such that the system can properly acknowledge successful reception of information and individual information as taught by Liu; Paragraph 39.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 8/21/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding claims 1 and 5, Applicant argues Wang does not teach or suggest the amended limitations and cites to paragraphs that were not relied upon by the Examiner to reject the limitations in question.
The Examiner respectfully disagrees that the amended limitations overcome the cited art of record. In particular, Wang teaches that data can belong to a same TID and transmit over multiple links. Further the data is also associated with sequence numbers; Paragraphs 38-40. Thus, one can see the plurality of data units belong to a same TID and have sequence numbers assigned.
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 BRANDON M RENNER whose telephone number is (571)270-3621. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7am-5pm EST.
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/BRANDON M RENNER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2411
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