DETAILED ACTION
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 the submission filed 2026-02-13 (herein referred to as the Reply) where claim(s) 1-14, 17, 19-23 are pending for consideration.
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 identified above has been entered.
35 USC §102 - Claim Rejections
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.
(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.
Claim(s) is/are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being unpatentable over CHU_235 (US20210211235)
Claim(s) 1, 17
CHU_235 teaches
determining a first message frame, wherein the first message frame indicates parameter information, the parameter information is used to determine
parameters of block acknowledgment related to more than one traffic identifier and BAR for multi-link communications includes BA control information (e.g., Solicited BA Bitmap Size field) associated with Multi-Traffic Identification (TID) <FIG(s). 4, 5, 6, 9; para. 0050-0052, 0062-0068>.
information of media access control (MAC) service data unit (MSDU) corresponding to the more than one traffic identifier respectively, and In one embodiment, Multi-TID BA is applicable to both MPDU and MSDU and therefore the BAR control information is applicable to A-MSDU/MSDU BA <FIG(s). 4, 5, 6, 9; para. 0078-0079>.
each of the more than one traffic identifier corresponds to at least one link of the multi-link supported by the originator; and Each of the identified would implicitly be associated with at least one link in the multi-link environment. <FIG(s). 4, 5, 6, 9; para. 0050-0052, 0062-0068>.
sending the first message frame in a first link, wherein the first link is at least one link of the multi-link supported by the originator. A BAR is over a link in the multi-link communications <FIG(s). 14, 4; para. 0050, 0101>
Claim(s) 8, 23
CHU_235 teaches
receiving a first message frame in a first link, wherein the first link is at least one link of the multi-link supported by the originator, the first message frame indicates parameter information, the parameter information is used to determine
parameters of block acknowledgment related to more than one traffic identifier and BAR for multi-link communications includes BA control information (e.g., Solicited BA Bitmap Size field) associated with Multi-Traffic Identification (TID) <FIG(s). 4, 5, 6, 9; para. 0050-0052, 0062-0068>.
information of media access control (MAC) service data unit (MSDU) corresponding to the more than one traffic identifier respectively, and In one embodiment, Multi-TID BA is applicable to both MPDU and MSDU and therefore the BAR control information is applicable to A-MSDU/MSDU BA <FIG(s). 4, 5, 6, 9; para. 0078-0079>.
each of the more than one traffic identifier corresponds to at least one link of the multi-link supported by the originator; and Each of the identified would implicitly be associated with at least one link in the multi-link environment. <FIG(s). 4, 5, 6, 9; para. 0050-0052, 0062-0068>.
performing a communication operation based on the first message frame. A BA is sent in response to and in accordance with the previously received BAR in the multi-link communications. <FIG(s). 14, 4; para. 0050, 0101>.
Claim(s) 2, 9, 19
CHU_235 teaches
wherein the parameter information comprises more than one traffic identifier. Per Multi-Traffic Identification (TID) fields includes TIDs <FIG(s). 4, 5, 9; para. 0050-0056, 0062-0064>.
35 USC §103 - Claim Rejections
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 of this title, 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 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 non-obviousness.
Claim(s) is/are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CHU_235 (US20210211235) in view of CHU_951 (US20170111951)
Claim(s) 3, 10, 20
CHU_235 does not explicitly teach
wherein the parameter information comprises block acknowledgment policy parameters corresponding to the more than one traffic identifier respectively.
However in a similar endeavor, CHU_951 teaches
wherein the parameter information comprises block acknowledgment policy parameters corresponding to the more than one traffic identifier respectively. BA Ack policy subfield corresponding to multi-traffic class identifier (multi-TID) subfield. <FIG(s). 4A, 4B, 6A, 6B, 6C, 7A, 7B, 8A, 8B; para. 0064-0065, 0078-0080, 0082, 0084-0087>.
Before the effective filing date of the claim invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art to have modified the system/techniques disclosed by CHU_235 with the embodiment(s) disclosed by CHU_951. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to enable simultaneous communications with among multiple stations with improved acknowledgement of messaging. <para. 0032,0033>.
Claim(s) is/are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CHU_235 (US20210211235) in view of CHU_951 (US20170111951), and further view of LI_860 (US20170230860)
Claim(s) 4, 11, 21
CHU_235 does not explicitly teach
wherein the parameter information further comprises buffer size parameters corresponding to the more than one traffic identifier respectively.
However in a similar endeavor, LI_860 teaches
wherein the parameter information further comprises buffer size parameters corresponding to the more than one traffic identifier respectively. Information includes multiple buffer information corresponding to respective traffic identifiers. <FIG(s). 3, 4, 8B, 8C; para. 0046-0047, 0064>.
Before the effective filing date of the claim invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art to have modified the system/techniques disclosed by CHU_235 and CHU_951 with the embodiment(s) disclosed by LI_860. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide improved buffer status reporting <para. 0002, 0035-0038>.
Claim(s) 5, 12, 22
CHU_235 does not explicitly teach
wherein a length of one of the buffer size parameters is related to a supported MSDU type.
However in a similar endeavor, LI_860 teaches
wherein a length of one of the buffer size parameters is related to a supported MSDU type. A TID is a label that distinguishes MSDUs and therefore a TID can be considered a MSDU type. Information includes multiple buffer information corresponding to respective traffic identifiers and therefore the inherent size of each buffer status can be considered "related" to the TID, which is a MSDU type. <FIG(s). 3, 4, 8B, 8C; para. 0023, 0046-0047, 0064>.
Before the effective filing date of the claim invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art to have modified the system/techniques disclosed by CHU_235 and CHU_951 with the embodiment(s) disclosed by LI_860. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide improved buffer status reporting <para. 0002, 0035-0038>.
Claim(s) is/are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CHU_235 (US20210211235) in view of CHU_951 (US20170111951), in view of LI_860 (US20170230860), and further view of CHU_099 (US20190268099)
Claim(s) 6, 13
CHU_235 does not explicitly teach
wherein the supported MSDU type comprises at least one of
a first type of MSDU or A-MSDU, or
a second type of MSDU or A-MSDU.
However in a similar endeavor, CHU_099 teaches
wherein the supported MSDU type comprises at least one of
a first type of MSDU or A-MSDU, or A-MSDU supported subfield <para. 0079-0080>.
Before the effective filing date of the claim invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art to have modified the system/techniques disclosed by CHU_235, CHU_951 and LI_860 with the embodiment(s) disclosed by CHU_099. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to improve signal robustness of the BA frame <FIG(s). 3; para. 0123>.
Claim(s) is/are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CHU_235 (US20210211235) in view of HUANG_454 (US20190335454)
Claim(s) 7, 14
CHU_235 does not explicitly teach
wherein the parameter information is encapsulated in the first message frame,
wherein the first message frame is
an ADDBA request frame or
an ADDBA response frame.
However in a similar endeavor, HUANG_454 teaches
wherein the parameter information is encapsulated in the first message frame, wherein the first message frame is
an ADDBA request frame or ADDBA request frame will indicate the TID for which the block ack agreement is being set up. <para. 0171>.
Before the effective filing date of the claim invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art to have modified the system/techniques disclosed by CHU_235 with the embodiment(s) disclosed by HUANG_454. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to enable better operations using new and legacy protocols in a wireless system <Background, Summary, para 0063-0065>.
Relevant Cited References
US20080212612
US20180145801
US20220287122
US20230040554
Response to Arguments
The Reply’s arguments have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to the rejection(s), which was necessitated by the Applicant’s amendments, being used in the current rejection.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDRE TACDIRAN whose telephone number is 571-272-1717. The examiner can normally be reached on M-TH, 10-5PM EST. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeffrey Rutkowski can be reached on 571-270-1215. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANDRE TACDIRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2415
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