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
Applicant’s amendment filed on 04/16/2026 has been entered. Claims 1,7-8,14-15 and 20 have been amended. No Claim has been canceled in this amendment. No New Claim has been added in this amendment. Claims 1-20 are still pending in this application, with claims 1,8 and 15 being independent.
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 April 16, 2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments with respect to rejection of Claims 1-20 under 35 U.S.C. §103 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to any of the references being used in the current rejection.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-5,11-12 and 18 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.
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.
The factual inquiries 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 nonobviousness.
Claims 1-3,8-11 and 15-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KIM et al. (US 2023/0284144 Al, hereinafter referred to as “Kim”) in view of KWON et al. (US 2021/0144787 Al, hereinafter referred to as “Kwon”).
Regarding claims 1,8 and 15, Kim discloses a non-access point multi-link device station (STA) supporting multiple links in a communication system (Kim Fig.1a Para[0046] A STA MLD), comprising: a processor (Kim Fig.1b Para[0046] A processor) and a memory (Kim Fig.1b Para[0046] A memory) storing one or more instructions executable by the processor, wherein the one or more instructions are executed to: receive, by the first STA (Kim Fig.20 Para[0196-197] A STA1), a first element including a traffic indication map (TIM through a first link among the multiple links (Kim Fig.20 Para[0196-197] A beacon (i.e. first element) with TIM is sent by the AP and received by the STA1); receive, by the first STA, second element (Kim Fig.20 Para[0196-197] A DL frame with BSR (i.e. second element) is received), indicating a second link through which a data unit stored in an AP MLD is transmitted (Kim Fig.20 Para[0196-197] The BSR for STA2); and in response to the TIM indicating that the data unit to be transmitted to the non-AP MLD exists (Kim Fig.20 Para[0196-197] The TIM information for STAs transitioning to awake state (i.e. data exist)), receive, by the second STA, the data unit from the AP MLD through the second link indicated by the second element among the multiple links (Kim Fig.20 Para[0196-197] The data frame is received from the AP MLD on the link2 by the STA2).
Kim does not explicitly disclose the STA MLD with a first STA operating under control of the processor; and a second STA operating under control of the processor; wherein the first element and the second element are broadcast through the first link.
However, Kwon from the same field of invention discloses the STA MLD with a first STA operating under control of the processor (Kwon Fig.1 Para[0051] A STA (i.e. first STA) with a processor); and a second STA operating under control of the processor (Kwon Fig.1 Para[0051] A STA 422 (i.e. second STA) with a processor); wherein the first element and the second element are broadcast through the first link (Kwon Para[0008-9,0057,0089] The two elements are sent by the AP MLD to the non-AP MLD in a broadcast (i.e. beacon) frame on the first link).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify Kim to have the feature of “a first STA operating under control of the processor; and a second STA operating under control of the processor; wherein the first element and the second element are broadcast through the first link” as taught by Kwon. The motivation would have been to efficiently communicate signaling information (Kwon Para[0002]).
Regarding claims 2,9 and 16, Kim in view of Kwon discloses the methods, the STA MLD and the AP MLD as explained above for Claims 1,8,15. Kim further discloses wherein the second element includes a traffic identifier (TID) mapped to the one or more links (Kim Para[0105] The AP MLD sends TID for a link).
Regarding claims 3,10 and 17, Kim in view of Kwon discloses the methods, the STA MLD and the AP MLD as explained above for Claims 1,8,15. Kim further discloses receiving a power saving (PS)-Poll frame from the non-AP MLD through the one or more links indicated by the second element, wherein the data unit is transmitted when the PS- Poll frame is received from the non-AP MLD (Kim Fig.20 Para[0196-197] The STA MLD sends PS-Poll after receiving the TIM information. The AP MLD sends data frame after receiving the PS-Poll frame).
Regarding claims 7,14 and 20, Kim in view of Kwon discloses the methods, the STA MLD and the AP MLD as explained above for Claims 1,8,15. Kim further discloses wherein the TIM is transmitted through a beacon frame (Kim Fig.20 Para[0196-197] A beacon frame contains TIM). Kwon further discloses the second element is transmitted through a broadcast frame used to indicate the one or more links related to a buffered unit (BU) stored in the AP MLD (Kwon Para[0008-10,0057,0089] The second element indicates the link information associated with the buffered data).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify Kim to have the feature of “the second element is transmitted through a broadcast frame used to indicate the one or more links related to a buffered unit (BU) stored in the AP MLD” as taught by Kwon. The motivation would have been to efficiently communicate signaling information (Kwon Para[0002]).
Claims 6,13 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Kim in view of Kwon and further in view of ASTERJADHI et al. (US 2017/0078967 Al, hereinafter referred to as “Asterjadhi”).
Regarding claims 6,13 and 19, Kim in view of Kwon discloses the methods, the STA MLD and the AP MLD as explained above for Claims 1,8,15. Kim in view of Kwon does not explicitly disclose transmitting a trigger frame to the non-AP MLD through the one or more links indicated by the second element; and receiving a PS-Poll frame as a response to the trigger frame from the non-AP MLD, wherein the data unit is transmitted when the PS-Poll frame is received from the non-AP MLD.
However, Asterjadhi from a similar field of invention discloses transmitting a trigger frame to the non-AP MLD through the one or more links indicated by the second element (Asterjadhi Fig.8,8A Para[0075-76] A trigger is sent after beacon); and receiving a PS-Poll frame as a response to the trigger frame from the non-AP MLD (Asterjadhi Fig.8,8A Para[0075-76] A PS-Poll is received), wherein the data unit is transmitted when the PS-Poll frame is received from the non-AP MLD (Asterjadhi Fig.8,8A Para[0075-76] A DL data is received).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify Kim and Kwon to have the feature of “transmitting a trigger frame to the non-AP MLD through the one or more links indicated by the second element; and receiving a PS-Poll frame as a response to the trigger frame from the non-AP MLD, wherein the data unit is transmitted when the PS-Poll frame is received from the non-AP MLD” as taught by Asterjadhi. The motivation would have been to increase efficiency and throughput (Asterjadhi Para[0078]).
Although specific columns, figures, reference numerals, lines of the reference(s), etc. have been referred to, Applicant should consider the entire applied prior art reference(s).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Sudesh M. Patidar whose telephone number is (571)272-2768. The examiner can normally be reached M-F:: 10AM-6:30PM ET.
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/Sudesh M. Patidar/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2415
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