DETAILED ACTION
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 04/07/2026 has been entered.
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 .
Claims 1-18 are pending in this office.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed 04/04/2026 have been considered but are moot in view of new grounds of rejection.
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.
Claims 1-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun et al (US 2023/0308938 A1) in view of Kim et al (US 2023/0309151 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Sun teaches an operation method of a first device supporting multiple links in a communication system (Sun: Fig. 15, device 1505), the operation method comprising:
receiving a first initial control frame from a second device through a first link among the multiple links (Sun: Fig. 15; [0164], device 1505 receiving BSRP TF 1510 on link 1501);
performing a frame transmission and reception procedure with the second device in the first link through which the first initial control frame is received (Sun: Fig. 15; [0167], device 1505 transmits BSR 1512 to AP 1507).
Although Sun teaches operating in a listening mode in one or more links among the multiple links a delay time based on completing of the frame transmission and reception procedure (Sun: Fig. 15; [0168], device 1505 receives for ML TF 1514 after completing of the BSR transmission), Sun does not explicitly disclose switching to a listening mode on one or more links among the multiple links after a delay time based on completing of the frame transmission and reception procedure.
Kim teaches switching to a listening mode on one or more links among the multiple links based on completing of the frame transmission and reception procedure (Kim: Fig. 37; [0304], the MLD device switching to Link 2 in listening mode in performing channel access),
wherein the first device operates in the listening mode on the one or more links after a delay time from the completion of the frame transmission and reception procedure, and wherein the delay time is determined based on a time required by the first device to switch to the listening mode on the one or more links (Kim: Fig. 37; [0304], [0304] performing the switching and operating in channel access/listening mode after a switching delay).
It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Sun by switching to a listening mode on one or more links among the multiple links after s delay time based on completing of the frame transmission and reception procedure wherein the first device operates in the listening mode on the one or more links after a delay time from the completion of the frame transmission and reception procedure, and wherein the delay time is determined based on a time required by the first device to switch to the listening mode on the one or more links as disclosed by Chu to provide a system for a device performing multi-link communication (Kim: Abstract).
Regarding claim 7, Sun teaches an operation method of a second device supporting multiple links in a communication system (Sun: Fig. 15, AP 1507), the operation method comprising:
transmitting a first initial control frame to a first device through a first link among the multiple links (Sun: Fig. 15; [0164], AP 1507 transmits BSRP TF 1510 on link 1501);
performing a frame transmission and reception procedure with the first device in the first link through which the first initial control frame is transmitted (Sun: Fig. 15; [0167], AP 1507 receives BSR 1512 from device 1505); and
transmitting a second initial control frame to the first device on one link among the multiple links after the frame transmission and reception procedure (Sun: Fig. 15; [0168], AP 1507 transmits ML TF 1514).
Although Sun teaches operating in a listening mode in one or more links among the multiple links a delay time based on completing of the frame transmission and reception procedure (Sun: Fig. 15; [0168], device 1505 receives for ML TF 1514 after completing of the BSR transmission), Sun does not explicitly disclose switching to a listening mode on one or more links among the multiple links after a delay time based on completing of the frame transmission and reception procedure.
Kim teaches switching to a listening mode on one or more links among the multiple links based on completing of the frame transmission and reception procedure (Kim: Fig. 37; [0304], the MLD device switching to Link 2 in listening mode in performing channel access),
wherein the first device operates in the listening mode on the one or more links after a delay time from the completion of the frame transmission and reception procedure, and wherein the delay time is determined based on a time required by the first device to switch to the listening mode on the one or more links (Kim: Fig. 37; [0304], [0304] performing the switching and operating in channel access/listening mode after a switching delay).
It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Sun by switching to a listening mode on one or more links among the multiple links after s delay time based on completing of the frame transmission and reception procedure wherein the first device operates in the listening mode on the one or more links after a delay time from the completion of the frame transmission and reception procedure, and wherein the delay time is determined based on a time required by the first device to switch to the listening mode on the one or more links as disclosed by Chu to provide a system for a device performing multi-link communication (Kim: Abstract).
Regarding claim 11, Sun teaches a first device supporting multiple links in a communication system (Sun: Fig. 15, device 1505), comprising: a processor; and a memory storing one or more instructions executable by the processor, wherein the one or more instructions are executed to perform:
receiving a first initial control frame from a second device through a first link among the multiple links (Sun: Fig. 15; [0164], device 1505 receiving BSRP TF 1510 on link 1501);
performing a frame transmission and reception procedure with the second device in the first link through which the first initial control frame is received (Sun: Fig. 15; [0167], device 1505 transmits BSR 1512 to AP 1507).
Although Sun teaches operating in a listening mode in one or more links among the multiple links a delay time based on completing of the frame transmission and reception procedure (Sun: Fig. 15; [0168], device 1505 receives for ML TF 1514 after completing of the BSR transmission), Sun does not explicitly disclose switching to a listening mode on one or more links among the multiple links after a delay time based on completing of the frame transmission and reception procedure.
Kim teaches switching to a listening mode on one or more links among the multiple links based on completing of the frame transmission and reception procedure (Kim: Fig. 37; [0304], the MLD device switching to Link 2 in listening mode in performing channel access),
wherein the first device operates in the listening mode on the one or more links after a delay time from the completion of the frame transmission and reception procedure, and wherein the delay time is determined based on a time required by the first device to switch to the listening mode on the one or more links (Kim: Fig. 37; [0304], [0304] performing the switching and operating in channel access/listening mode after a switching delay).
It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Sun by switching to a listening mode on one or more links among the multiple links after s delay time based on completing of the frame transmission and reception procedure wherein the first device operates in the listening mode on the one or more links after a delay time from the completion of the frame transmission and reception procedure, and wherein the delay time is determined based on a time required by the first device to switch to the listening mode on the one or more links as disclosed by Chu to provide a system for a device performing multi-link communication (Kim: Abstract).
Regarding claims 2, 8 and 12, Sun teaches wherein the first initial control frame is a trigger frame (Sun: Fig. 15; [0164]-[0168]).
Regarding claims 3, 9 and 13, Sun teaches wherein the trigger frame comprises a buffer status report poll (BSRP) trigger frame (Sun: Fig. 15; [0164]-[0168]).
Regarding claims 4, 10 and 14, Sun teaches wherein the performing of the frame transmission and reception procedure further comprises: transmitting a buffer status report (BSR) to the second device, wherein information included in the BSR is information on traffic transmitted through the one or more links (Sun: Fig. 15; [0164]-[0168]).
Regarding claims 5, 11 and 15, Sun in view of Kim teaches wherein the first device supports an enhanced multi-link single radio (EMLSR) mode (Kim: Fig. 37; [0304] single-radio multi-link device), wherein the first device operates in the listening mode on EMLSR links comprising the one or more links after the delay time following completion of the frame transmission and reception procedure (Kim: Fig. 37; [0304]).
Regarding claims 6, 12 and 16, Sun in view of Kim teaches further comprising: receiving a second initial control frame from the second device through a second link among the one or more links in the listening mode after the delay time (Sun: Fig. 15; [0164]-[0168], AP 1507 transmit TF 1514 and 1518).
Regarding claims 17 and 18, Sun in view of Kim teaches wherein the first initial control frame comprises a multi user-request-to-send (MU-RTS) trigger frame (Kim: Fig. 37; [0326]).
Conclusion
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/KODZOVI ACOLATSE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2478
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