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 .
Claims 1 to 21 are presented for examination.
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 to 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over HU et al. (EP 4 117 220 A1) in view of Huang (USPAP 2023/0413367).
Claims 1 to 2 and 7 to 8:
HU substantially teaches the claimed invention. HU teaches a method and a communication apparatus for indicating a modulation scheme corresponding to a multi-resource unit and related device, the communication apparatus comprising: one or more access point (Aps) and one or more stations (STAs) (see fig. 1 and par. 0048). HU teaches that the station may support a wired or wireless network and/or extremely high throughput (ETH) or may be a STA applicable to a future Wi-Fi standard (see par. 0054).
HU teaches that a resource unit (RU) can be allocated to different users for downlink and uplink data transmission (see par. 0055). HU teaches that RU status may be indicated by a 8-bit resource unit allocation subfield and a user may identify, by reading a station ID in a user field (see par. 0063 to 0064). Hu teaches that a plurality of user fields may indicate a multi-RU (multiple resource unit, MRU) allocated to one communication device (see par. 0068).
HU teaches that the MCS of each RU in a combined MRU is an MCS that is set in a user field and the user field corresponding to the first 20MHz bandwidth range includes a STA ID on the STA 2 (see par. 0087). HU teaches that the first device needs to determine whether the first device is a Mu-MIMO and needs to set a quantity of data stream and also determine a quantity of users on a multi-RU (see par. 0101). HU teaches that a quantity of user fields corresponds to the first RU in the plurality of RUs indicated by the RU allocation subfield (see par. 0103).
HU teaches that the user field may indicate MCS (modulation and coding scheme) of a plurality of RUs (see par. 0125 et seq.). HU teaches that the communication apparatus includes a processor (1401) may include one or more memories (1402) and the memory may be separately disposed or may be integrated (see fig. 14, and par. 0200). HU teaches that the user field may indicate MCS (modulation and coding scheme) of a plurality of RUs (see par. 0125 et seq.). HU teaches that the communication apparatus includes a processor (1401) may include one or more memories (1402) and the memory may be separately disposed or may be integrated (see fig. 14, and par. 0200).
HU fails to specifically teach the limitation of decoding user fields or first portions of unequal modulation and coding scheme (UEM) user fields from a first user specific field” and the limitation of: “decode a second user specific field to retrieve remaining portions of UEM user fields for UEM users for a full set of modulation and coding schemes (MCS);” however. Huang in an analogous art teaches a method and system for uplink multi-user transmission in a wireless local area network comprising the steps of: a STA decoding the received trigger frame to determine whether the RU adaptation is enabled for the STA and the STA further decodes the Common info field of the trigger frame to determine whether the RU adaptation is enabled for the STA. Huang also teaches that further; the STA may decode the Common Info field of the trigger frame to determine that the RU adaptation is disabled for the STA and wherein the Common Info field is set to indicate that the RU adaptation is disabled for all of the plurality of STA’s when Ru or MRU allocated to any of the plurality of STA’s is used for multi-user-input multi-output (MU-MIMO) allocation (see par. 0069).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the communication apparatus of HU to include the decoding step of Huang because Huang teaches that it is known in the art that a STA reception unit includes a decoding unit to determine the RU adaptation that will aid in increasing the system throughput. This modification would have been obvious because a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to employ a method and system for a wireless communication device comprising a decoder in the reception unit for determining the RU adaptation and increasing the system throughput as taught by Huang (see par. 0121).
As to the further limitation of the claims, HU teaches that the frame may be extremely high throughput PPDU (EHT-PPDU) according to IEEE 802.11ac/xi Standards (see par. 0034). Huang teaches that the PPDU received and decoded may be according to IEE 802.11ac/xi Standards and Specifications, in a very high throughput (see par. 0004).
As per claims 3 to 5, HU teaches that the remaining user fields do not indicate a quantity of users and the remaining user fields are user fields indicating an MCS. HU teaches that the actual quantity of users may alternatively be determined based on a device ID included in a user field corresponding to the multi-RU for the first device (see par. 0110 et seq.). HU teaches that the first RU and the fourth RU are simultaneously allocated to a STA1, a STA2, aSTA3 and aSTA4 as an MRU (see par. 0113). Hu further teaches that a user filed may include the STA ID (see par. 0124). HU teaches that an EHT-sig field comprises a common field and a user specific field wherein the user specific field includes a user field corresponding to the first device (see par. 0061). HU teaches that the common filed includes 1 to N resource units and the resource units includes 1 to m user fields with every two user-field forming a group (see fig. 3 and par. 0061).
As per claim 6, HU teaches that the user field in which the first MCS is located is a first user field in a plurality of user fields corresponding to the first device (STA1) (see par. 0097). HU teaches that the user field in which the first MCS is located may include a plurality of MCS and may indicate the plurality of MCS’s in another manner. HU also teaches that the preset sequence may be a descending sequence and may indicate a higher-order modulation scheme (see par. 0129).
As per claim 9, HU teaches that all possible resource unit arrangement and combination modes are indicated through indexing and an index may further indicate a quantity of users performing single-user/multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (SU/MU-MIMO) transmission in the RU (see par. 0062).
As per claim 10, HU teaches that the communication device comprises a concept of a content channel (CC) based on the IEEE802.11ax standard (see par. 0062). HU teaches that the first preset entry is used at a corresponding MRU in a content channel (see par. 0081) HU further teaches that the content channels may be in ascending sequence of frequencies based a structure of a content channel (see par. 0083).
As per claim 11, HU teaches that the resource unit allocation subfield is eight bits and the user field total length is 21 bits (see par. 0126 and 0165).
Claims 12 to 13 and 18 to 19:
HU teaches a computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer-readable storage medium is executed by a computer, a function of a communication device. HU teaches that a resource unit (RU) can be allocated to different users for downlink and uplink data transmission (see par. 0055). HU teaches that RU status may be indicated by an 8-bit resource unit allocation subfield and a user may identify, by reading a station ID in a user field (see par. 0063 to 0064). Hu teaches that a plurality of user fields may indicate a multi-RU (multiple resource unit, MRU) allocated to one communication device (see par. 0068).
HU teaches that the MCS of each RU in a combined MRU is an MCS that is set in a user field and the user field corresponding to the first 20MHz bandwidth range includes a STA ID on the STA 2 (see par. 0087). HU teaches that the first device needs to determine whether the first device is a Mu-MIMO and needs to set a quantity of data stream and also determine a quantity of users on a multi-RU (see par. 0101). HU teaches that a quantity of user fields corresponds to the first RU in the plurality of RUs indicated by the RU allocation subfield (see par. 0103).
HU fails to specifically teach the limitation of decoding user fields or first portions of unequal modulation and coding scheme (UEM) user fields from a first user specific field” and the limitation of: “decode a second user specific field to retrieve remaining portions of UEM user fields for UEM users for a full set of modulation and coding schemes (MCS);” however. Huang in an analogous art teaches a method and system for uplink multi-user transmission in a wireless local area network comprising the steps of: a STA decoding the received trigger frame to determine whether the RU adaptation is enabled for the STA and the STA further decodes the Common info field of the trigger frame to determine whether the RU adaptation is enabled for the STA. Huang also teaches that further; the STA may decode the Common Info field of the trigger frame to determine that the RU adaptation is disabled for the STA and wherein the Common Info field is set to indicate that the RU adaptation is disabled for all of the plurality of STA’s when Ru or MRU allocated to any of the plurality of STA’s is used for multi-user-input multi-output (MU-MIMO) allocation (see par. 0069).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the communication apparatus of HU to include the decoding step of Huang because Huang teaches that it is known in the art that a STA reception unit includes a decoding unit to determine the RU adaptation that will aid in increasing the system throughput. This modification would have been obvious because a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to employ a method and system for a wireless communication device comprising a decoder in the reception unit for determining the RU adaptation and increasing the system throughput as taught by Huang (see par. 0121).
As per claims 14 to 16, HU teaches that the remaining user fields do not indicate a quantity of users and the remaining user fields are user fields indicating an MCS. HU teaches that the actual quantity of users may alternatively be determined based on a device ID included in a user field corresponding to the multi-RU for the first device (see par. 0110 et seq.). HU teaches that the first RU and the fourth RU are simultaneously allocated to a STA1, a STA2, aSTA3 and aSTA4 as an MRU (see par. 0113). HU further teaches that a user filed may include the STA ID (see par. 0124). HU teaches that an EHT-sig field comprises a common field and a user specific field wherein the user specific field includes a user field corresponding to the first device (see par. 0061). HU teaches that the common filed includes 1 to N resource units and the resource units includes 1 to m user fields with every two user-field forming a group (see fig. 3 and par. 0061).
As per claim 17, HU teaches that the user field in which the first MCS is located is a first user field in a plurality of user fields corresponding to the first device (STA1) (see par. 0097). HU teaches that the user field in which the first MCS is located may include a plurality of MCS and may indicate the plurality of MCS’s in another manner. HU also teaches that the preset sequence may be a descending sequence and may indicate a higher-order modulation scheme (see par. 0129).
Claims 20 and 21:
HU substantially teaches the claimed invention. HU teaches a method and a communication apparatus for indicating a modulation scheme corresponding to a multi-resource unit and related device, the communication apparatus comprising: one or more access point (Aps) and one or more stations (STAs) (see fig. 1 and par. 0048). HU teaches that the station may support a wired or wireless network and/or extremely high throughput (ETH) or may be a STA applicable to a future Wi-Fi standard (see par. 0054).
HU teaches that a resource unit (RU) can be allocated to different users for downlink and uplink data transmission (see par. 0055). HU teaches that RU status may be indicated by a 8-bit resource unit allocation subfield and a user may identify, by reading a station ID in a user field (see par. 0063 to 0064). Hu teaches that a plurality of user fields may indicate a multi-RU (multiple resource unit, MRU) allocated to one communication device (see par. 0068).
HU teaches that the MCS of each RU in a combined MRU is an MCS that is set in a user field and the user field corresponding to the first 20MHz bandwidth range includes a STA ID on the STA 2 (see par. 0087). HU teaches that the first device needs to determine whether the first device is a Mu-MIMO and needs to set a quantity of data stream and also determine a quantity of users on a multi-RU (see par. 0101). HU teaches that a quantity of user fields corresponds to the first RU in the plurality of RUs indicated by the RU allocation subfield (see par. 0103).
HU teaches that the user field may indicate MCS (modulation and coding scheme) of a plurality of RUs (see par. 0125 et seq.). HU teaches that the communication apparatus includes a processor (1401) may include one or more memories (1402) and the memory may be separately disposed or may be integrated (see fig. 14, and par. 0200). HU teaches that the user field may indicate MCS (modulation and coding scheme) of a plurality of RUs (see par. 0125 et seq.). HU teaches that the communication apparatus includes a processor (1401) may include one or more memories (1402) and the memory may be separately disposed or may be integrated (see fig. 14, and par. 0200).
HU fails to specifically teach the limitation of decoding user fields or first portions of unequal modulation and coding scheme (UEM) user fields from a first user specific field” and the limitation of: “decode a second user specific field to retrieve remaining portions of UEM user fields for UEM users for a full set of modulation and coding schemes (MCS);” however. Huang in an analogous art teaches a method and system for uplink multi-user transmission in a wireless local area network comprising the steps of: a STA decoding the received trigger frame to determine whether the RU adaptation is enabled for the STA and the STA further decodes the Common info field of the trigger frame to determine whether the RU adaptation is enabled for the STA. Huang also teaches that further; the STA may decode the Common Info field of the trigger frame to determine that the RU adaptation is disabled for the STA and wherein the Common Info field is set to indicate that the RU adaptation is disabled for all of the plurality of STA’s when Ru or MRU allocated to any of the plurality of STA’s is used for multi-user-input multi-output (MU-MIMO) allocation (see par. 0069).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the communication apparatus of HU to include the decoding step of Huang because Huang teaches that it is known in the art that a STA reception unit includes a decoding unit to determine the RU adaptation that will aid in increasing the system throughput. This modification would have been obvious because a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to employ a method and system for a wireless communication device comprising a decoder in the reception unit for determining the RU adaptation and increasing the system throughput as taught by Huang (see par. 0121).
As to the further limitation of the claims, HU teaches that the frame may be extremely high throughput PPDU (EHT-PPDU) according to IEEE 802.11ac/xi Standards (see par. 0034). Huang teaches that the PPDU received and decoded may be according to IEE 802.11ac/xi Standards and Specifications, in a very high throughput (see par. 0004).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Liu et al. (USPAP 2019/0238195) discloses a method for group-based unequal MCS schemes.
YU et al. (EP 3 934 140 A1) discloses an information indication method and apparatus for a data transmission system.
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/Shelly A Chase/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2112
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