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 .
This office action is in response to Applicant’s preliminary amendment filed on 2/1/2024.
Claims 1-8 are currently pending.
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)(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.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by FANG et al. (US 2025/0031262 A1; hereafter FANG).
With respect to claim 1, FANG discloses an access point (ML-AP1, ML-AP2 in FIG. 1; 220 in FIG. 2A) comprising:
a first wireless signal processing unit (221, 222, 223 in FIG. 2A) including one or more processors;
a second wireless signal processing unit (221, 222, 223 in FIG. 2A) including one or more processors; and
a link management unit (242 in FIG. 2A), including one or more processors, configured to establish a multi-link with a first wireless terminal apparatus using the first wireless signal processing unit and the second wireless signal processing unit (401, 402, 403, 404 in FIG. 4; paragraphs [0118], and [0126]),
wherein the link management unit (242 in FIG. 2A) is capable of setting at least the multi-link to a first operation mode and sets the first wireless signal processing unit and
the second wireless signal processing unit to an intermittent operation mode in the first operation mode, and when the multi-link is set to the first operation mode and first data addressed to the first wireless terminal apparatus is input (401, 402, 403, 404 in FIG. 4; paragraphs [0118], and [0126]),
the link management unit causes at least one wireless signal processing unit associated with a traffic identifier attached to the first data to transmit a beacon signal including information indicating that the first data has been buffered (401, 402, 403, 404 in FIG. 4; paragraphs [0118], and [0126]).
With respect to claim 2, FANG further discloses wherein upon receiving a transmission request via the at least one wireless signal processing unit (221, 222, 223 in FIG. 2A) after causing the at least one wireless signal processing unit to transmit the beacon signal, the link management unit causes a wireless signal processing unit having received the transmission request to transmit the first data (401, 402, 403, 404 in FIG. 4; paragraphs [0118], and [0126]).
With respect to claim 3, FANG further discloses 3. The access point according to claim 1, wherein the link management unit is capable of setting the multi-link to a second operation mode and sets the first wireless signal processing unit (221, 222, 223 in FIG. 2A) and the second wireless signal processing unit (221, 222, 223 in FIG. 2A) to an active mode and an intermittent operation mode, respectively, in the second operation mode (paragraph [0025]), and
when the multi-link is set to the second operation mode, second data addressed to the first wireless terminal apparatus is input, and a traffic identifier (paragraph [0103], FIGURE 3) added to the second data associated with the first wireless signal processing unit and the second wireless signal processing unit, the link management unit causes the first wireless signal processing unit to transmit the second data (401, 402, 403, 404 in FIG. 4; paragraphs [0118], and [0126]).
With respect to claim 4, FANG further discloses 4. The access point of claim 1, further comprising:
a third wireless signal processing unit (221, 222, 223 in FIG. 2A) including one or more processors; and
a fourth wireless signal processing unit (221, 222, 223 in FIG. 2A) including one or more processors, wherein the link management unit establishes a multi-link with a second wireless terminal apparatus using the third wireless signal processing unit and the fourth wireless signal processing unit, and when data addressed to the second wireless terminal apparatus has not been input to the link management unit when the beacon signal is transmitted (401, 402, 403, 404 in FIG. 4; paragraphs [0118], and [0126]), the beacon signal includes information indicating that data addressed to the second wireless signal processing unit has not been buffered (401, 402, 403, 404 in FIG. 4; paragraphs [0118], and [0126]).
With respect to claim 5, FANG discloses a wireless terminal apparatus (ML-STA1, ML-STA2 in FIG. 1; 210 in FIG. 2A) comprising:
a first wireless signal processing unit (211, 212, 213 in FIG. 2A) including one or more processors;
a second wireless signal processing unit (211, 212, 213 in FIG. 2A) including one or more processors; and
a link management unit (241 in FIG. 2A), including one or more processors, configured to establish a multi-link with an access point using the first wireless signal processing unit and the second wireless signal processing unit (401, 402, 403, 404 in FIG. 4; paragraphs [0118], and [0126]),
wherein the link management unit is capable of setting at least the multi-link to a first operation mode and sets the first wireless signal processing unit and the second wireless signal processing unit to an intermittent operation mode in the first operation mode (401, 402, 403, 404 in FIG. 4; paragraphs [0118], and [0126]), and
when the multi-link is set to the first operation mode, the link management unit periodically sets at least one wireless signal processing unit of the first wireless signal processing unit (401, 402, 403, 404 in FIG. 4; paragraphs [0118], and [0126]) and
the second wireless signal processing unit to a state in which wireless signal reception is possible, and when the at least one wireless signal processing unit receives a beacon signal including information indicating that data addressed (401, 402, 403, 404 in FIG. 4; paragraphs [0118], and [0126]) to a subject station has been buffered from the access point, a wireless signal processing unit having received the beacon signal transmits a transmission request for data to the access point (401, 402, 403, 404 in FIG. 4; paragraphs [0118], and [0126]).
With respect to claim 6, FANG further discloses the wireless terminal apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the transmission request is generated by the link management unit (401, 402, 403, 404 in FIG. 4; paragraphs [0118], and [0126]).
With respect to claim 7, FANG further discloses the wireless terminal apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the transmission request is generated by the wireless signal processing unit (211, 212, 213 in FIG. 2A) having received the beacon signal (401, 402, 403, 404 in FIG. 4; paragraphs [0118], and [0126]), and
the information is not transmitted from the wireless signal processing unit to the link management unit (401, 402, 403, 404 in FIG. 4; paragraphs [0118], and [0126]).
With respect to claim 8, FANG further discloses the wireless terminal apparatus according to of claim 5, wherein the link management unit is configured to cause the wireless signal processing unit (211, 212, 213 in FIG. 2A) having received the beacon signal to transmit a signal notifying the start of a power saving mode (paragraph [0025]) when data corresponding to the transmission request is successfully received from the access point, and sets the wireless signal processing unit (211, 212, 213 in FIG. 2A) having received the beacon signal to a state in which wireless signal reception is not possible upon receiving an acknowledgment for the signal (401, 402, 403, 404 in FIG. 4; paragraphs [0118], and [0126]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Brian T O'Connor whose telephone number is (571)270-1081. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri Flex 10am-6:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gary Mui can be reached at 571-270-1420. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BRIAN T O CONNOR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465 January 4, 2026