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 Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. The amendments made to claim 1 change the scope of the claim.
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.
Claims 1-2, 6-7, 10, 12-16, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Naik et al. (US 2023/0199641) in view of Ko et al. (US 2023/0284303).
Regarding claim 1, Naik discloses a device comprising: a first, multiple-link-single-radio (MLSR), radio configured to transmit over a first link and a second link of a first wireless band ([0033], “On the other hand, some non-AP MLDs may communicate with the AP MLD on only one of the communication links at any given time, for example, in accordance with a multi-link single-radio (MLSR) or enhanced MLSR (EMLSR) mode of operation.”); the first radio configured to detect an overlapping basic service set (OBSS) communication on the first link of the first wireless band ([0129], “In some aspects, the AP MLD may select one of the communication links Link1 or Link2 to be used for data exchanges during the overlapping service periods SP1 and SP2 based on one or more channel conditions associated with each of the communication links Link1 and Link2. As described herein, example suitable channel conditions may include, among other examples, a level of interference (such as from an OBSS), a bandwidth of the channel, and an MCS used for communications.”). Naik does not disclose the comparison of the power level of the OBSS to a threshold. Ko discloses and the first radio configured to transmit over the second link of the first wireless band, responsive to a comparison of a power level of the OBSS communication to a threshold, on the first link of the first wireless band ([0194], “In addition, the pre-configured condition may include a condition in which a signal strength of the received PPDU or the received frame is less than a threshold. For example, the threshold may be variable. In addition, the threshold may be a threshold for an OBSS PD-based spatial reuse operation. In addition, the threshold may be a value equal to or greater than a CCA threshold. In addition, the threshold may be a value based on power at transmission is to be performed.”); wherein the device is configured to operate as an access point (AP) for one or more stations of a wireless network ([0326], “Specifically, when the multi-link operation is performed in the link-specific independent transmission scheme, as described in FIG. 10(a), each AP or terminal belonging to an AP MLD or an STA MLD independently perform a channel contention process for frame transmission in each link, and performs frame transmission in each link.”). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Naik in view of Ko to have the comparison of the power level of the OBSS to a threshold. The motivation would have been to increase network performance (e.g., Ko [0132]).
Regarding claim 2, Naik discloses the device of claim 1, further comprising: a second MLSR radio configured to transmit over the first link and the second link of a second wireless band ([0065], “The AP MLD 510 includes multiple APs 512-516 associated with (or operating on) communication links 502-506, respectively.”); the second radio configured to detect an OBSS communication on the second link of the second wireless band; and the second radio configured to transmit over the second link of the second wireless band, responsive to the detection of the OBSS communication on the first link of the second wireless band ([0079], “In some aspects, the AP MLD may decide whether to extend the DL TXOP based on one or more channel conditions associated with each of the communication links Link1 and Link2. As described herein, example suitable channel conditions may include, among other examples, a level of interference (such as from an OBSS), a bandwidth of the channel, and an MCS used for communications. In some implementations, the AP MLD may perform a channel comparison operation that compares the channel conditions associated with Link1 and Link2 and indicates which of the communication links has the superior (or more favorable) channel conditions.”).
Regarding claim 6, Naik discloses the device of claim 2, further comprising a third MLSR radio, separate from the first and second radio to monitor at least one of the first wireless band or the second wireless band ([0065], “The AP MLD 510 includes multiple APs 512-516 associated with (or operating on) communication links 502-506, respectively. In the example of FIG. 5, the AP MLD 510 is shown to include only 3 APs. However, in some implementations, the AP MLD 510 may include fewer or more APs than those depicted in FIG. 5. Although the APs 512-516 may share a common association context (through the AP MLD 510), each of the APs 512-516 may establish a respective BSS on its associated communication link. The APs 512-516 also may establish their respective communication links 502-506 on different frequency bands. For example, the AP 512 may operate on the 2.4 GHz frequency band, the AP 514 may operate on the 5 GHz frequency band, and the AP 516 may operate on the 6 GHz frequency band.”).
Regarding claim 7, Naik does not disclose the simultaneous monitoring. Ko discloses the device of claim 6, wherein the third radio is configured to simultaneously monitor each of the first wireless band and the second wireless band ([0129], “As described herein, example suitable channel conditions may include, among other examples, a level of interference (such as from an OBSS), a bandwidth of the channel, and an MCS used for communications. For example, the AP MLD may perform a channel comparison operation that compares the channel conditions associated with Link1 and Link2 and indicates which of the communication links has the superior (or more favorable) channel conditions. In some implementations, the AP MLD may transmit a trigger frame on the communication link indicated to have superior channel conditions.”). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Naik in view of Ko to have the monitoring. The motivation would have been to increase network performance (e.g., Ko [0132]).
Regarding claim 10, Naik discloses a device, comprising: a plurality of multiple-link-single-radio (MLSR) radios, each radio configured to monitor a plurality of links of a respective wireless band, and to transmit over the plurality of links of the respective wireless band ([0033], “On the other hand, some non-AP MLDs may communicate with the AP MLD on only one of the communication links at any given time, for example, in accordance with a multi-link single-radio (MLSR) or enhanced MLSR (EMLSR) mode of operation.”); each of the plurality of radios is configured to detect an unavailability of a primary link of the respective wireless band; and each of the plurality of radios is configured to monitor a secondary link of the respective wireless band, responsive to the detected unavailability of the primary link; wherein the device is configured to operate as an access point (AP) for one or more stations of a wireless network ([0065], “The AP MLD 510 includes multiple APs 512-516 associated with (or operating on) communication links 502-506, respectively. In the example of FIG. 5, the AP MLD 510 is shown to include only 3 APs. However, in some implementations, the AP MLD 510 may include fewer or more APs than those depicted in FIG. 5. Although the APs 512-516 may share a common association context (through the AP MLD 510), each of the APs 512-516 may establish a respective BSS on its associated communication link. The APs 512-516 also may establish their respective communication links 502-506 on different frequency bands. For example, the AP 512 may operate on the 2.4 GHz frequency band, the AP 514 may operate on the 5 GHz frequency band, and the AP 516 may operate on the 6 GHz frequency band.”).
Regarding claim 12, Naik does not disclose the simultaneous monitoring. Ko discloses the device of claim 10, further comprising: at least one of the plurality of radios is configured to simultaneously monitor two or more links of the respective wireless band ([0129], “As described herein, example suitable channel conditions may include, among other examples, a level of interference (such as from an OBSS), a bandwidth of the channel, and an MCS used for communications. For example, the AP MLD may perform a channel comparison operation that compares the channel conditions associated with Link1 and Link2 and indicates which of the communication links has the superior (or more favorable) channel conditions. In some implementations, the AP MLD may transmit a trigger frame on the communication link indicated to have superior channel conditions.”). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Naik in view of Ko to have the monitoring. The motivation would have been to increase network performance (e.g., Ko [0132]).
Regarding claim 13, Naik discloses the device of claim 10, further comprising: a further radio, separate from the plurality of radios, configured to simultaneously monitor two or more links at least one of the respective wireless bands ([0065], “The AP MLD 510 includes multiple APs 512-516 associated with (or operating on) communication links 502-506, respectively. In the example of FIG. 5, the AP MLD 510 is shown to include only 3 APs. However, in some implementations, the AP MLD 510 may include fewer or more APs than those depicted in FIG. 5. Although the APs 512-516 may share a common association context (through the AP MLD 510), each of the APs 512-516 may establish a respective BSS on its associated communication link. The APs 512-516 also may establish their respective communication links 502-506 on different frequency bands. For example, the AP 512 may operate on the 2.4 GHz frequency band, the AP 514 may operate on the 5 GHz frequency band, and the AP 516 may operate on the 6 GHz frequency band.”).
Regarding claim 14, Naik discloses the device of claim 10, further comprising: a further radio, separate from the plurality of radios, configured to communicate an availability of one of the plurality of primary links or one of the plurality of secondary links ([0114], “The non-overlapping service periods SP1-SP4 may provide latency gains across multiple communication links Link1 and Link2 by increasing the frequency with which the AP MLD or the non-AP MLD can transmit latency-sensitive traffic. For example, any latency-sensitive traffic that becomes available between times t.sub.0 and t.sub.1 can be transmitted on Link1 (during SP1), any latency-sensitive traffic that becomes available between times t.sub.1 and t.sub.2 can be transmitted on Link2 (during SP2), any latency-sensitive traffic that becomes available between times t.sub.2 and t.sub.3 can be transmitted on Link1 (during SP3), and any latency-sensitive traffic that becomes available between times t.sub.3 and t.sub.4 can be transmitted on Link2 (during SP4).”).
Regarding claim 15, Naik discloses a method comprising: monitoring, by a first, multiple-link-single-radio (MLSR) radio of a device, a first link of a first wireless band ([0033], “On the other hand, some non-AP MLDs may communicate with the AP MLD on only one of the communication links at any given time, for example, in accordance with a multi-link single-radio (MLSR) or enhanced MLSR (EMLSR) mode of operation.”); detecting, by the first radio, an OBSS communication on the first link of the first wireless band ([0129], “In some aspects, the AP MLD may select one of the communication links Link1 or Link2 to be used for data exchanges during the overlapping service periods SP1 and SP2 based on one or more channel conditions associated with each of the communication links Link1 and Link2. As described herein, example suitable channel conditions may include, among other examples, a level of interference (such as from an OBSS), a bandwidth of the channel, and an MCS used for communications.”). Naik does not disclose the comparison of the power level of the OBSS to a threshold. Ko discloses monitoring, by the first radio, a second link of the first wireless band responsive to a comparison of a power level of the OBSS communication to a threshold ([0194], “In addition, the pre-configured condition may include a condition in which a signal strength of the received PPDU or the received frame is less than a threshold. For example, the threshold may be variable. In addition, the threshold may be a threshold for an OBSS PD-based spatial reuse operation. In addition, the threshold may be a value equal to or greater than a CCA threshold. In addition, the threshold may be a value based on power at transmission is to be performed.”); and transmitting, by the first radio, over the second link of the first wireless band, responsive to the detection of the OBSS communication ([0326], “Specifically, when the multi-link operation is performed in the link-specific independent transmission scheme, as described in FIG. 10(a), each AP or terminal belonging to an AP MLD or an STA MLD independently perform a channel contention process for frame transmission in each link, and performs frame transmission in each link.”). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Naik in view of Ko to have the comparison of the power level of the OBSS to a threshold. The motivation would have been to increase network performance (e.g., Ko [0132]).
Regarding claim 16, Naik discloses the method of claim 15, further comprising: monitoring, by a second MLSR radio of the device, the first link of a second wireless band ([0065], “The AP MLD 510 includes multiple APs 512-516 associated with (or operating on) communication links 502-506, respectively.”); detecting, by the second radio, a second OBSS communication on the first link of the second wireless band; monitoring, by the second radio, the second link of the second wireless band responsive to the detection of the second OBSS communication; and transmitting, by the second radio, over the second link of the first wireless band, responsive to the detection of the second OBSS communication ([0079], “In some aspects, the AP MLD may decide whether to extend the DL TXOP based on one or more channel conditions associated with each of the communication links Link1 and Link2. As described herein, example suitable channel conditions may include, among other examples, a level of interference (such as from an OBSS), a bandwidth of the channel, and an MCS used for communications. In some implementations, the AP MLD may perform a channel comparison operation that compares the channel conditions associated with Link1 and Link2 and indicates which of the communication links has the superior (or more favorable) channel conditions.”).
Regarding claim 19, Naik does not disclose the simultaneous monitoring. Ko discloses the method of claim 16, further comprising simultaneously monitoring, via a third radio, separate from the first and second radio each of the first wireless band and the second wireless band ([0129], “As described herein, example suitable channel conditions may include, among other examples, a level of interference (such as from an OBSS), a bandwidth of the channel, and an MCS used for communications. For example, the AP MLD may perform a channel comparison operation that compares the channel conditions associated with Link1 and Link2 and indicates which of the communication links has the superior (or more favorable) channel conditions. In some implementations, the AP MLD may transmit a trigger frame on the communication link indicated to have superior channel conditions.”). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Naik in view of Ko to have the monitoring. The motivation would have been to increase network performance (e.g., Ko [0132]).
Claims 3 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Naik et al. (US 2023/0199641) in view of Ko et al. (US 2023/0284303) and further in view of Monajemi et al. (US 2024/0040525).
Regarding claim 3, Naik in view of Ko does not disclose the radios being software defined. Monajemi discloses the device of claim 2, wherein: the first radio and second radio comprise software defined radios ([0022], "In some embodiments of the disclosure, controller 105 may be implemented by a Digital Network Architecture Center (DNAC) controller (i.e., a Software-Defined Network (SDN) controller) that may configure information for coverage environment 110 in order to provide collision avoidance in MLD MBBR.") the first radio can transmit over the second wireless band and the second radio can transmit over the first wireless band ([0017], "STR devices may have two independent Transceivers (TXRX) capable of simultaneous and unrestricted operation on a given set of links (e.g., any channel in 2.4 GHz plus any channel in 5 GHz, 5 GHz plus 6 GHz, etc.)."). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Naik in view of Ko and further in view of Monajemi to have the radios being software defined. The motivation would have been to improve throughput gains and latency (e.g., Monajemi [0017]).
Regarding claim 11, Naik in view of Ko does not disclose the radios being software defined. Monajemi discloses the device of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of radios is a software defined radio ([0022], "In some embodiments of the disclosure, controller 105 may be implemented by a Digital Network Architecture Center (DNAC) controller (i.e., a Software-Defined Network (SDN) controller) that may configure information for coverage environment 110 in order to provide collision avoidance in MLD MBBR."). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Naik in view of Ko and further in view of Monajemi to have the radios being software defined. The motivation would have been to improve throughput gains and latency (e.g., Monajemi [0017]).
Claims 4-5 and 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Naik et al. (US 2023/0199641) in view of Ko et al. (US 2023/0284303) and further in view of Dasam et al. (US 2023/0239786).
Regarding claim 4, Naik discloses the first radio is configured to transmit over one of the third link and the fourth link ([0033], “On the other hand, some non-AP MLDs may communicate with the AP MLD on only one of the communication links at any given time, for example, in accordance with a multi-link single-radio (MLSR) or enhanced MLSR (EMLSR) mode of operation.”); the first radio configured to detect an OBSS communication on the third link of the first wireless band ([0129], “In some aspects, the AP MLD may select one of the communication links Link1 or Link2 to be used for data exchanges during the overlapping service periods SP1 and SP2 based on one or more channel conditions associated with each of the communication links Link1 and Link2. As described herein, example suitable channel conditions may include, among other examples, a level of interference (such as from an OBSS), a bandwidth of the channel, and an MCS used for communications.”). Naik does not disclose the comparison of the power level of the OBSS to a threshold. Ko discloses and the first radio configured to transmit over the fourth link of the first wireless band, responsive to a comparison of a power level of the OBSS communication to a threshold on the third link of the first wireless band ([0194], “In addition, the pre-configured condition may include a condition in which a signal strength of the received PPDU or the received frame is less than a threshold. For example, the threshold may be variable. In addition, the threshold may be a threshold for an OBSS PD-based spatial reuse operation. In addition, the threshold may be a value equal to or greater than a CCA threshold. In addition, the threshold may be a value based on power at transmission is to be performed.”). Naik in view of Ko does not disclose the subdivision of the first link. Dasam discloses the device of claim 3, wherein: the device is configured to subdivide the first link into a third link and a fourth link ([0022], "Each link by which a multi-link station may communicate with an access point may be mapped to a band (such as a frequency band around 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz) and a channel (which may define a sub-band, e.g. a narrower frequency range, of an assigned band, such as a 10 MHz, 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz or any other such range within the frequency band). MLO capability of a multi-link station may provide high throughput by splitting data flow over different links"). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Naik in view of Ko and further in view of Dasam to have the subdivision of the first link. The motivation would have been to increase power efficiency (e.g., Dasam [0030]).
Regarding claim 5, Naik in view of Ko does not explicitly disclose the multiple links for each band on a specific frequency band. Dasam discloses the device of claim 3, wherein each link of the first wireless band is a wireless link equal to or greater than 20 MHz in the 5 GHz range, and each link of the second wireless band is equal to or greater than 20 MHz in the 6 GHz range ([0022], "Each link by which a multi-link station may communicate with an access point may be mapped to a band (such as a frequency band around 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz) and a channel (which may define a sub-band, e.g. a narrower frequency range, of an assigned band, such as a 10 MHz, 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz or any other such range within the frequency band)."). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Naik in view of Ko and further in view of Dasam to have the multiple links for each band on a specific frequency band. The motivation would have been to increase power efficiency (e.g., Dasam [0030]).
Regarding claim 17, Naik discloses detecting, by the first radio, an OBSS communication on the third link ([0129], “In some aspects, the AP MLD may select one of the communication links Link1 or Link2 to be used for data exchanges during the overlapping service periods SP1 and SP2 based on one or more channel conditions associated with each of the communication links Link1 and Link2. As described herein, example suitable channel conditions may include, among other examples, a level of interference (such as from an OBSS), a bandwidth of the channel, and an MCS used for communications.”); and monitoring, by the first radio, the fourth link responsive to the OBSS communication on the third link ([0065], “The AP MLD 510 includes multiple APs 512-516 associated with (or operating on) communication links 502-506, respectively. In the example of FIG. 5, the AP MLD 510 is shown to include only 3 APs. However, in some implementations, the AP MLD 510 may include fewer or more APs than those depicted in FIG. 5. Although the APs 512-516 may share a common association context (through the AP MLD 510), each of the APs 512-516 may establish a respective BSS on its associated communication link. The APs 512-516 also may establish their respective communication links 502-506 on different frequency bands. For example, the AP 512 may operate on the 2.4 GHz frequency band, the AP 514 may operate on the 5 GHz frequency band, and the AP 516 may operate on the 6 GHz frequency band.”). Naik in view of Ko does not disclose the subdivision of the first link. Dasam discloses the method of claim 16, further comprising: subdividing, by the device, the first link into a third link and a fourth link; monitoring, by the first radio, the third link ([0022], "Each link by which a multi-link station may communicate with an access point may be mapped to a band (such as a frequency band around 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz) and a channel (which may define a sub-band, e.g. a narrower frequency range, of an assigned band, such as a 10 MHz, 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz or any other such range within the frequency band). MLO capability of a multi-link station may provide high throughput by splitting data flow over different links"). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Naik in view of Ko and further in view of Dasam to have the subdivision of the first link. The motivation would have been to increase power efficiency (e.g., Dasam [0030]).
Regarding claim 18, Naik in view of Ko does not explicitly disclose the multiple links for each band on a specific frequency band. Dasam discloses the method of claim 16, wherein each link of the first wireless band is a wireless link equal to or greater than 20 MHz in the 5 GHz range, and each link of the second wireless band is equal to or greater than 20 MHz in the 6 GHz range ([0022], "Each link by which a multi-link station may communicate with an access point may be mapped to a band (such as a frequency band around 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz) and a channel (which may define a sub-band, e.g. a narrower frequency range, of an assigned band, such as a 10 MHz, 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz or any other such range within the frequency band)."). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Naik in view of Ko and further in view of Dasam to have the multiple links for each band on a specific frequency band. The motivation would have been to increase power efficiency (e.g., Dasam [0030]).
Claims 8 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Naik et al. (US 2023/0199641) in view of Ko et al. (US 2023/0284303) and further in view of Homchaudhuri et al. (US 2024/0107578).
Regarding claim 8, Naik in view of Ko does not disclose the sideband link. Homchaudhuri discloses the device of claim 1, further comprising a sideband link ([0064], "To avoid the same packet (with the same sequence number) from being sent on both channels, some form of serialization may be performed. The serialization may synchronize access to a packet by multiple WiFi SoCs. As illustrated, one possible way to achieve this serialization by (sideband) signaling between the WiFi SoCs, using an interface referred to as an inter-chip signaling bridge (labeled ICSB).") to communicate an availability of one of the first link or the second link ([0055], "The mid-loop algorithm may decide (e.g., based on channel conditions, traffic load, and channel loading on links 1 and 2) whether to route packets to/from peer p1 in a single link mode or a multi-link mode (e.g., using all available links). The multi-link mode could include multi- link multi-radio (MLMR) or multi-link single radio (MLSR)."). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Naik in view of Ko and further in view of Homchaudhuri to have the sideband link. The motivation would have been to lower operating latency (e.g., Homchaudhuri [0023]).
Regarding claim 8, Naik in view of Ko does not disclose the sideband link. Homchaudhuri discloses the method of claim 16, further comprising communicating an availability of one of the first link or the second link via a sideband link ([0055], "The mid-loop algorithm may decide (e.g., based on channel conditions, traffic load, and channel loading on links 1 and 2) whether to route packets to/from peer p1 in a single link mode or a multi-link mode (e.g., using all available links). The multi-link mode could include multi- link multi-radio (MLMR) or multi-link single radio (MLSR)."). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Naik in view of Ko and further in view of Homchaudhuri to have the sideband link. The motivation would have been to lower operating latency (e.g., Homchaudhuri [0023]).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Naik et al. (US 2023/0199641) in view of Ko et al. (US 2023/0284303) and further in view of Park et al. (US 2021/0084711).
Regarding claim 9, Naik in view of Ko does not explicitly disclose the first and second OBSS duration. Park discloses the device of claim 8, wherein the device is further configured to: determine a duration of a first OBSS communication, based on content of the detected OBSS communication; determine a duration of a second OBSS communication ([0166], "FIG. 10 shows the case for the 80+80 MHz case where the primary 80 MHz is busy due to overlapping basic service set (OBSS) transmission. The receiving STA monitors the secondary 80 MHz channel using the wake-up receiver. When the primary 80 MHz is busy, the AP switches to the secondary 80 MHz channel and resumes the CW backoff and once the CW reaches 0, the AP transmits the wake-up packets over the secondary 80 MHz channel to the receiving STA."), based on an RTS message received from one of the one or more stations of the wireless network ([0039], "An AP MLD then transmits on any idle channel a control frame (e.g., request to send (RTS) or multi-user (MU) RTS) before either a single data frame or a group of data frames within a single transmit opportunity (TXOP) to indicate that frames will be transmitted on that channel."); compare the duration of the first OBSS communication to the duration of the second OBSS communication ([0159], "The packet exchanges on the secondary channels may last while the primary 20 MHz channel is busy and this duration information may be obtained from the LENGTH field in the L-SIG field or the TXOP field in HE-SIGA or the Duration field in the MAC header of the OBSS packet received on the primary channel."); transmit a clear to send (CTS) indication to the one of the one or more stations of the wireless network, indicating a same duration as the RTS message, responsive to a determination that the duration of the first OBSS communication is equal to or greater than the duration of the second OBSS communication ([0116], "In one or more embodiments, upon reception of the control frame (RTS 505 (or MU-RTS)), the extra 802.11 receiver 521 indicates to the main radio 522 of the non-AP MLD (e.g., STA 520) to switch its operation channel to the channel it received the control frame (e.g., channel 2). The extra 802.11 receiver 521 also switches its channel to the channel the main radio was operating (e.g., channel 1). The non-AP MLD (e.g., STA 520) responds back with a control frame (e.g., CTS 507) to confirm that the non-AP STA is ready to receive data frame 510 on the channel it exchanged the control frames."); and transmit a CTS indication including the duration of the first OBSS communication to the one of the one or more stations of the wireless network, indicating the duration thereof, responsive to a determination that the duration of the second OBSS communication is less than the duration of the first OBSS communication ([0109], "Similarly, when RTS 405, CTS 407 and data 410 are being transmitted on channel 2, channel 1 shows the time as busy, where the time covers the duration where these frames are being exchanged on channel 2."). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Naik in view of Ko and further in view of Park to have the first and second OBSS duration. The motivation would have been to increase throughput enhancement and latency reduction (e.g., Park [0035]).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Nick A Sundara whose telephone number is (571)272-6749. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH 7:30-5:30 EST.
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/NICK ANON SUNDARA/Examiner, Art Unit 2479 /JAE Y LEE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2479
Prosecution Insights