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 .
The notice of allowance is withdrawn pursuant to a strategic review. Office of Patent Quality Assurance issued a proposed rejection. TC2400 Quality Assurance Specialist concurred with the proposal.
Claims 1 – 8 are pending. Claims 1, and 5 to 7 are rejected. Claims 2 to 4 and 8 are objected to allow.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Merlin et al. (US PGPUB 2018/0205502 A1, hereinafter Merlin).
Merlin anticipates, Claim 1. A transmitting station (Fig. 5, Paragraph [0027] Layer configuration 500 may apply to a STA 115 or an AP 105, and be for a transmitting wireless device or a receiving wireless device) comprising:
a first wireless signal processing unit ((Fig. 5, any one of Controllers 530a or 530b or 530c) configured to transmit a wireless signal by using a first channel ((Fig. 5, any one of Controllers 530a or 530b or 530c using any one of Link 1 or Link 2 or Link N respectively);
a second wireless signal processing unit ((Fig. 5, any one of Controllers 530a or 530b or 530c) configured to transmit a wireless signal by using a second channel different from the first channel ((Fig. 5, any one of other Controllers 530a or 530b or 530c using any one of other Link 1 or Link 2 or Link N respectively); and
a link management unit (Fig. 5, Fig. 9, Fig. 10, multilink Aggregation Controller associated with Multi-link Manger 1040 within Communications manager, 1015, Paragraph [0027] Layer configuration 500 may apply to a STA 115 or an AP 105, and be for a transmitting wireless device or a receiving wireless device. It is to be understood that aspects of layer configuration 500 may represent logical constructs (e.g., such that components of layer configuration 500 may share hardware components). A wireless device may support layer configuration 500 through the use of various hardware configurations described herein. Paragraph [0114] FIG. 9 shows a block diagram 900 of a wireless device 905 that supports multi- link BA management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Wireless device 905 may be an example of aspects of a STA 115 or an AP 105 as described herein. Wireless device 905 may include receiver 910, communications manager 915, and transmitter 920. ;Paragraph [0122] Communications manager 1015 may also include…multi-link manager 1040...) configured to establish multi-link with a receiving station by using the first wireless signal processing unit and the second wireless signal processing unit, manage communication in which the multi-link are used, and store first information indicating a reception status of transmission target data ([0118] In cases where communications manager 915 is within a device receiving multi-link communications (e.g., a first wireless device), communications manager 915 may establish a block acknowledgement agreement for a set of wireless links used for communications in parallel between the first wireless device (e.g., the device receiving multi-link communications and transmitting corresponding block acknowledgements) and a second wireless device (e.g., a device transmitting multi-link communications).),
wherein when second information indicating a sequence number of data which has been received by the receiving station is received from the receiving station via the first wireless signal processing unit or the second wireless signal processing unit, the link management unit is configured to set a reception status of data corresponding to the sequence number indicated by the second information in the first information as a transmitted status (Paragraph [0091] For example, upper MAC layer 515 may handle processing and management of SNs identified in BAs received via one or more lower MAC layers 525. That is, upper MAC layer 515 may update a global scoreboard 555-a to identify which MPDUs have been successfully received as well as identify which MPDUs have been unsuccessfully received. Scoreboard 555-a may be associated with a global set of SNs…Further, a transmitting device may map per-link scoreboards 555-b, 555-c, and 555-d to global scoreboard 555-a in order to determine which transmitted MPDUs were successfully and/or unsuccessfully received on a global level (e.g., as opposed to a per-link level); Paragraph [0125] In some cases, a received set of block acknowledgements may further indicate one or more sequence numbers of the second set of sequence numbers for the first set of data units, or one or more sequence numbers of the third set of sequence numbers for the second set of data units, or a combination thereof.).
Merlin anticipates, Claim 5. A receiving station (Fig. 5, Paragraph [0027] Layer configuration 500 may apply to a STA 115 or an AP 105, and be for a transmitting wireless device or a receiving wireless device) comprising: a first wireless signal processing unit ((Fig. 5, any one of Controllers 530a or 530b or 530c) configured to transmit a wireless signal by using a first channel ((Fig. 5, any one of Controllers 530a or 530b or 530c using any one of Link 1 or Link 2 or Link N respectively);
a second wireless signal processing unit ((Fig. 5, any one of Controllers 530a or 530b or 530c) configured to transmit a wireless signal by using a second channel different from the first channel ((Fig. 5, any one of other Controllers 530a or 530b or 530c using any one of other Link 1 or Link 2 or Link N respectively); and
a link management unit (Fig. 5, Fig. 9, Fig. 10, multilink Aggregation Controller associated with Multi-link Manger 1040 within Communications manager, 1015, Paragraph [0027] Layer configuration 500 may apply to a STA 115 or an AP 105, and be for a transmitting wireless device or a receiving wireless device. It is to be understood that aspects of layer configuration 500 may represent logical constructs (e.g., such that components of layer configuration 500 may share hardware components). A wireless device may support layer configuration 500 through the use of various hardware configurations described herein. Paragraph [0114] FIG. 9 shows a block diagram 900 of a wireless device 905 that supports multi- link BA management in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Wireless device 905 may be an example of aspects of a STA 115 or an AP 105 as described herein. Wireless device 905 may include receiver 910, communications manager 915, and transmitter 920. ;Paragraph [0122] Communications manager 1015 may also include…multi-link manager 1040...) configured to establish multi-link with a transmitting station by using the first wireless signal processing unit and the second wireless signal processing unit, manage communication in which the multi-link are used, and store first information indicating a reception status of transmission target data ([0118] In cases where communications manager 915 is within a device receiving multi-link communications (e.g., a first wireless device), communications manager 915 may establish a block acknowledgement agreement for a set of wireless links used for communications in parallel between the first wireless device (e.g., the device receiving multi-link communications and transmitting corresponding block acknowledgements) and a second wireless device (e.g., a device transmitting multi-link communications).),
wherein when data is received from the transmitting station via the first wireless signal processing unit or the second wireless signal processing unit, the link management unit is configured to set a bit corresponding to a sequence number corresponding to the data which has been received in the first information as a received bit (Paragraph [0091] For example, upper MAC layer 515 may handle processing and management of SNs identified in BAs received via one or more lower MAC layers 525. That is, upper MAC layer 515 may update a global scoreboard 555-a to identify which MPDUs have been successfully received as well as identify which MPDUs have been unsuccessfully received. Scoreboard 555-a may be associated with a global set of SNs…Further, a transmitting device may map per-link scoreboards 555-b, 555-c, and 555-d to global scoreboard 555-a in order to determine which transmitted MPDUs were successfully and/or unsuccessfully received on a global level (e.g., as opposed to a per-link level); Paragraph [0125] In some cases, a received set of block acknowledgements may further indicate one or more sequence numbers of the second set of sequence numbers for the first set of data units, or one or more sequence numbers of the third set of sequence numbers for the second set of data units, or a combination thereof.).
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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Merlin et al. (US PGPUB 2018/0205502 A1, in view of Patil, US 2021/0160958.
For claims 6, Merlin teaches a receiving station according to claim 5, wherein the link management unit includes a buffer capable of storing an input data unit ([0065] teaches buffer size, which implies a buffer, also [0189-0190] teaches functionalities are implemented by software ). Merlin does not explicitly teaches the link management unit includes a buffer.
For claim 6, Merlink also teaches the first wireless signal processing unit is configured to input inputs a data unit in which no error has been detected among a received first data unit group to the buffer (Fig. 6A, Link 3, Fig. 6B, Line 3 SN shows no error has been detected).
Merlin does not teach the second wireless signal processing unit is configured to input inputs a data unit in which no error has been detected among a received second data unit group to the buffer, and the link management unit is configured to output outputs a plurality of data units for which an order of sequence numbers is arranged to an upper layer in response to the arrangement of the order of the sequence numbers in the plurality of data units stored in the buffer.
In the analogous art, Patil teaches wherein the link management unit includes a buffer capable of storing an input data unit (Patil, Fig. 6, 470, Upper Media Access Control (UMAC) Layer, see also Fig. 5, host 450, [0077] discuss host buffering packets), first wireless signal processing unit is configured to input inputs a data unit in which no error has been detected among a received first data unit group to the buffer (Patil, Fig. 11, Element 108a, validate CFC for MPDUs 1154) the second wireless signal processing unit is configured to input inputs a data unit in which no error has been detected among a received second data unit group to the buffer (Patil, Fig. 11, 108b, validate CFC for MPDUs), and the link management unit is configured to output outputs a plurality of data units for which an order of sequence numbers is arranged to an upper layer in response to the arrangement of the order of the sequence numbers in the plurality of data units stored in the buffer (Patil, Fig. 11,, Element 1175-1195, [0097] see also Fig. 13, Element 1375-1395, [0105]).
For claim 7, Merlin does not teach discard the input data unit when data with a sequence number assigned to the data unit input from the first wireless signal processing unit or the second wireless signal processing unit is already stored in the buffer.
However, Patil teaches discard the input data unit when data with a sequence number assigned to the data unit input from the first wireless signal processing unit or the second wireless signal processing unit is already stored in the buffer. (Patil teaches flush indicator, Fig. 14, [0109]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing time of the current application, to combine the teachings of Patil into Merlin, to improve the performance of multilink communication (Patil, [0004])
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 3, 4, and 8 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: For claim 2, Merlin teaches the transmitting station according to claim 1. “When it is confirmed that the data that has not been received by the receiving station” is well known in the art os a non-acknowledgement. Merlin does not teach the receiving station to transmit data that has not been received when it is confirmed that the data that has not been received by the receiving station remains in the reception status updated based on the second information.
Similarly, claim 3 recites features related to claim 2 that is not found in the prior art: “when it is confirmed that data that has not been received by the receiving station remains in the first information updated based on the second information … inquire of the first wireless signal processing unit and the second wireless signal processing unit whether there is data that has not been transmitted in the multi-link and cause the receiving station to transmit the data that has not been received by the receiving station, excluding a sequence number of the data that has not been transmitted, confirmed by the inquiry.” After a thorough and complete search, the aforementioned features of claims 2 and 3 are not found in the prior art.
For claim 4, Merlin teaches the transmitting station according to claim 1. Merlin and Patil do not teach the link management unit periodically transmits a request for transmitting information indicating the sequence number of the data which has been received by the receiving station to the receiving station. Although various HARQ schemes are known in the art, nothing in the prior art explicit states or worded as “periodically transmits a request for transmitting information indicating the sequence number of the data which has been received by the receiving station to the receiving station”.
For claim 8, Merlin and Patil do not teach when a request for transmitting a reception status of data is received from the transmitting station via the first wireless signal processing unit or the second wireless signal processing unit, the link management unit is configured to cause the transmitting station to transmit a wireless frame including the first information by using the first wireless signal processing unit or the second wireless signal processing unit. After a thorough and complete search, the aforementioned features of claim 8 is not found in the prior art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Ke, CN 111277502 teaches multi-link aggregation and buffering, thus relevant to claim 6.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Charles C Jiang whose telephone number is (571)270-7191. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Thursday 7 am to 5 pm Eastern Time.
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/CHARLES C JIANG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2412