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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-4, 8-11 and 14-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Huang (2025/0063530).
Regarding claim 1, Huang discloses an apparatus of an access point multi-link device (AP MLD) configured as a Transmitted Basic Service Set Identifier (TxBSSID) in a wireless network including a multiple BSSID (MBSSID) set (see abstract, fig.9, element AP 10, paragraphs [0038], [0084] and its description), the apparatus comprising: memory (see abstract, fig.9, element 12, paragraphs [0038], [0084] and its description); and processing circuitry coupled to the memory (see abstract, fig.9, elements 11, 12, paragraphs [0038], [0084] and its description), the processing circuitry is to: encode beacon frames for transmission to non-AP MLDs in the wireless network, the transmission being on behalf of the TxBSSID and Non-Transmitted BSSIDs (NonTxBSSIDs) within the MBSSID set (see abstract, fig.2A, elements NG AP MLD, NG non-AP MLD, step Beacon, fig.9, element 13, paragraphs [0007], [0019], [0038], [0048-0049], [0084], [0086] and its description); encode a link recommendation frame for transmission to the non-AP MLDs, the link recommendation frame including link recommendations for the non-AP MLDs associated with any APs in the MBSSID set (see abstract, fig.2A, elements NG AP MLD, NG non-AP MLD, step Probe Response, fig.9, element 13, paragraphs [0009], [0019], [0038], [0048-0049], [0084], [0086] and its description); and utilize a group management cipher suite of the TxBSSID to protect the link recommendation frame encoded for the transmission (see abstract, fig.2A, elements NG AP MLD, NG non-AP MLD, step ML Probe Response, fig.9, element 13, paragraphs [0009], [0019], [0038], [0048-0049], [0054-0055], [0084], [0086] and its description).
Regarding claim 2, Huang further discloses wherein the processing circuitry is to: perform load balancing by moving traffic from the non-AP MLDs to one or more communication links of the TxBSSID (see paragraphs [0047-0049]).
Regarding claim 3, Huang further discloses wherein the processing circuitry is to: encode the link recommendation frame as a non-protected enhanced high-throughput (EHT) action frame (this feature is not an invention, it’s widely known that does not require special security or interference protection such as “password).
Regarding claim 4, Huang further discloses wherein the processing circuitry is to: encode the link recommendation frame as a protected enhanced high-throughput (EHT) action frame (this feature is not an invention, it’s widely known that is explicitly secured and protected from interference by the MAC layer, paragraphs [0004], [0044], [0082]).
Regarding claim 8, Huang further comprising: a transceiver configured to transmit and receive wireless signals (see abstract, fig.9, element 13, paragraphs [0038], [0084] and its description).
Regarding claim 9, Huang further comprising: one or more antennas coupled to the transceiver, wherein the transceiver is to transmit the beacon frames and the link recommendation frame via the one or more antennas (see abstract, fig.9, element 13, paragraphs [0038], [0084], [0086] and its description).
Regarding claim 10, Huang discloses an apparatus of a station (STA) configured as a non-access point multi-link device (non-AP MLD) of a plurality of non-AP MLDs in a wireless network including a multiple Basic Service Set Identifier (MBSSID) set (see abstract, fig.7- fig.9 element 20, paragraphs [0036-0038], [0079], [0084] and its description), and the apparatus comprising: memory (see abstract, fig.9, element 22, paragraphs [0038], [0084] and its description); and processing circuitry coupled to the memory (see abstract, fig.9, elements 21, 22, paragraphs [0038], [0084] and its description), the processing circuitry is to: decode beacon frames received in a transmission from an access point multi-link device (AP MLD) configured as a Transmitted Basic Service Set Identifier (TxBSSID) in the wireless network, the transmission being on behalf of the TxBSSID and Non-Transmitted BSSIDs (NonTxBSSIDs) within the MBSSID set (see abstract, fig.2A, elements NG AP MLD, NG non-AP MLD, step Beacon, fig.9, element 13, paragraphs [0007], [0019], [0038], [0048-0049], [0084], [0086] and its description); and decode a link recommendation frame received from the TxBSSID, the link recommendation frame including link recommendations for the plurality of non-AP MLDs associated with any APs in the MBSSID set, and the link recommendation frame protected based on a group management cipher suite of the TxBSSID (see abstract, fig.2A, elements NG AP MLD, NG non-AP MLD, step Probe Response, fig.9, element 13, paragraphs [0009], [0019], [0038], [0048-0049], [0084], [0086] and its description).
Regarding claim 11, Huang further discloses wherein the processing circuitry is to: decode the link recommendation frame as a protected enhanced high-throughput (EHT) action frame (this feature is not an invention, it’s widely known that is explicitly secured and protected from interference by the MAC layer, paragraph [0082]).
Regarding claims 14-17 recite limitations substantially similar to claims 1-4. Therefore, these claims were rejected for similar reasons as stated above.
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 5-6, 12 and 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang (2025/0063530) in view of Luo et al. (2025/0175327).
Regarding claim 5, Huang discloses all the subject matters except for Message Integrity Check (MIC) element. However, Luo discloses a method for authentication and device comprising add a Management Message Integrity Check (MIC) element (MME) at an end of the link recommendation frame (see fig.1, element AP 10, STA 20 paragraphs [0119-0122] and its description). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to use Luo’s Message Integrity Check (MIC) in Huang’s invention in order to prevent attacks on encrypted packets and ensure that message has not been tampered with during transmission.
Regarding claim 6, Luo further wherein the MME is to enable integrity protection based on BIP-GTK Security Association (BIGTKSA) keys for integrity checking (see paragraphs [0072-0078], [0120]).
Regarding claims 12 and 18-19 recite limitations substantially similar to claims 5-6. Therefore, these claims were rejected for similar reasons as stated above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7, 13 and 20 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Examiner's Note: Examiner has cited particular columns and line numbers in the references applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied to specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant in preparing responses, to fully consider the references in entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.
When responding to this Office Action, Applicant is advised to clearly point out the patentable novelty which he or she thinks the claims present, in view of the state of the art disclosed by the references cited or the objections made. He or she must also show how the amendments avoid such references or objections See 37 CFR 1.111(c).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CongVan Tran whose telephone number is (571) 272-7871. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Th.
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UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
/CONGVAN TRAN/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2647
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