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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 6/9/2026 has been entered.
Claims 1-3 and 5-20 are pending.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5, 6, 9-13, and 16-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Soma et al. (US Pub. No. 2021/0235311) in view of Atefi (US Pub. No. 2021/0168816).
Regarding claims 1, 11, and 16, Soma discloses a device (figure 2 element 290) a method a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (paragraph 51) comprising:
a processor (figure 1 processor 102) configured to:
detect an application executing in association with a network at a location (figure 3 and paragraphs 76 and 78: figure 3 shows a software/application running in IHS 100 to implement adaptive multi-link control. Context information (e.g., application type, proximity based) such as applications under execution usable to determine when to enable or disable multi-link aggregation features);
analyze network data corresponding to the application execution (paragraph 78: software/application configured to collect context information such as, for example, RSSI from various APs, ToF from various Aps, physical location information, accelerometer data, etc. Software 300 may also include ML and /or AI algorithms configured to store and analyze other context information indicative of user behavior such applications under execution and their priorities, distance between the user and the IHS. Software 300 may be configured to use such information to perform multi-link aggregation that are specific to that context);
determine, based on the analysis, a set of network parameters (paragraph 76: optimizer UI 303 may receive as configuration parameters, a user’s selection of QoS indicators, thresholds, and/or context information (e.g. application type, proximity-based, posture-based, etc.) usable by software 300 to determine whether to enable or disable multi-link aggregation features in IHS 100. Paragraph 78: Software 300 may also include ML and /or AI algorithms configured to store and analyze other context information indicative of user behavior such applications under execution and their priorities. Paragraph 73: communication device’s operating context plays an important role in determining wireless link conditions), the set of network parameters indicating requirements related to connectivity and capacity capabilities of the network (paragraph 73: QoS, bandwidth, speed of wireless links, time of flight (ToF) – a link’s capabilities. The operating context plays an important role in determining wireless condition. Software 300 may be configured to use such information to perform multi-link aggregation that are specific to that context);
configure multi-link operation (MLO) components of the network based on the determined set of network parameters; and facilitate network activity for the application via the configured MLO components (paragraphs 73: device’s operating context plays an important role in determining wireless link condition. Information about wireless connection quality and capacity can be used in optimizing communication channel selection and multi-link aggregation. Paragraph 78: software 300 may be configured to use such information to perform multi-link aggregation operations that are specific to that context. Figure 5 and paragraphs 7 and 94-101: At least QoS parameters are used to configure multi-link operation and network connectivity via the configured multi-operation).
Soma further teach the configuring comprises activating, based on the set of network parameters, at least one MLO component associated with a connection of the device (paragraphs 73, 76, 78, and 79: multi-link aggregation software 300 configures to activate/enable multi-link aggregation feature (multiple links) based on network parameters of at least QoS parameters).
Soma does not teach a link of multi-links is in a dormant state until activation.
In the same field of multi-link activation, Atefi discloses a link of multi-links is in a dormant/low power state until activation (paragraph 286: an inactive/power-down/low-powered/doze/sleep state link is transition/enabled to an active/powered-up/high-power/awake stake based on QoS information).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to implement in Soma a link of a multi-link is in a dormant state until activation.
The motivation would have been for power saving.
Regarding claims 2, 12, and 17, all limitations of claims 1, 11, and 16 are disclosed above. Soma further teaches the MLO components correspond to at least one of a channel, band (paragraph 36: channel and/or band).
Regarding claim 3, all limitations of claim 1 are disclosed above. Soma further discloses determining, based on the set of network parameters, to activate the MLO components associated with a connection of the device, wherein the configuration of the MLO components is based on the activation determination (Figure 5 and paragraphs 7 and 94-101: activate MLO component for aggregation).
Regarding claim 5, all limitations of claim 1 are disclosed above. Soma further teaches the set of network parameters correspond to at least one of bandwidth, latency, packet size, signal strength, downloading, uploading, transmission power, or transmission frequency (paragraph 73: bandwidth and paragraph 76).
Regarding claim 6, all limitations of claim 1 are disclosed above. Soma further teaches collecting activity data from a plurality of applications operating on the network; analyzing the activity data; determining a plurality of patterns of behavior for the network; and storing the determined plurality of patterns of behavior (paragraphs 69-70, 73).
Regarding claim 9, all limitations of claim 1 are disclosed above. Soma further teaches the device is a user device (paragraph 31 and 52).
Regarding claim 10, all limitations of claim 1 are disclosed above. Soma does not teach but Atefi teaches the device is an access point for a location (paragraph 286: STA or AP: multi-link device can be either station or access point).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to substitute a known element (device in Soma) with another (access point in Atefi) for predictable result of multi-link operation.
Regarding claims 13 and 18, all limitations of claim 1 are disclosed above. Soma further discloses determining, based on the set of network parameters, to activate the MLO components associated with a connection of the device, wherein the configuration of the MLO components is based on the activation determination (Figure 5 and paragraphs 7 and 94-101: activate MLO component for aggregation).
Claim(s) 7, 14, and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Soma et al. (US Pub. No. 2021/0235311) in view of Atefi (US Pub. No. 2021/0168816) in view of Nayak et al. (US Pub. No. 2022/0272566).
Regarding claims 7, 14, and 19, all limitations of claims 6, 11, and 16 are disclosed above. Soma further teaches analyzing, in association with the application, a set of patterns, the set of patterns being identified from the stored plurality of patterns of behavior (paragraphs 70 and 73);
Soma does not teach but Nayak discloses determining, based on the analysis of the set of patterns, a time corresponding to the application execution, wherein the time is indicated in at least one pattern in the set of patterns, wherein the detection of the application is based on the determined time (paragraphs 36, 38, and 62, 63: determine TWT parameters).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to implement in Soma determining, based on the analysis of the set of patterns, a time corresponding to the application execution, wherein the time is indicated in at least one pattern in the set of patterns, wherein the detection of the application is based on the determined time.
The motivation would have been for power saving.
Claim(s) 8, 15, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Soma et al. (US Pub. No. 2021/0235311) in view of Atefi (US Pub. No. 2021/0168816) in view of Aio et al. (US Pub. No. 2024/0121602).
Regarding claims 8, 15, and 20, all limitations of claims 1, 11, and 16 are disclosed above. Soma further teaches the network is a location-specific network (paragraph 78), wherein the network is a WiFi mesh network (paragraph 48).
Soma does not teach but Aio discloses the WiFi mesh network comprises front haul (paragraphs 141 and 143) and back haul components (paragraph 139) between nodes of the network, wherein the front haul and back haul components comprise the MLO components (paragraphs 143 and 144).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to implement in Soma the WiFi mesh network comprises front haul and back haul components between nodes of the network, wherein the front haul and back haul components comprise the MLO components.
The motivation would have been for relay communication.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-3 and 5-20 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.
Conclusion
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/TITO Q PHAM/Examiner, Art Unit 2466
/FARUK HAMZA/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2466
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