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 .
DETAILED ACTION This action is in response to the application filed on 01/05/2024. Claims 1-20 have been examined.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102The 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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3, 10 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a) (1) as being anticipated by Liang et al. (US 20090322518).
As of claim 1, Liang discloses a method for updating a network topology, executed by a control node of a plurality of network nodes ([FIG. 7] [0007], [0054] shows and disclose wireless network 700 of sensors as nodes (=plurality of nods), wherein tree structure includes the base station as the root node 702 (=a control node), comprising:
establishing a tree network topology comprising the network nodes ([FIG. 7] & para [0054] shows and discloses a tree network topology comprising the network nodes),
obtaining a signal scan result of each of the network nodes ([FIG. 2][0009] [0028] a channel scanning component tracks (=scan) nodes with corresponding tree structure, and the link quality assessment component evaluate quality of communication from a node to the base station and a quality of signal sent from the node to the base station be determined which implies to control node obtain a signal scan result),wherein the signal scan result of the each of the network nodes indicates a signal quality indicator of at least one other network node (para [0031] discloses a node select its parent node based on the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) and the Link Quality Indicator (LQI) (=signal quality indicator of at least one other network node); and
updating the tree network topology based on the signal scan result of the each of the network node (para [0008[[0009][0031] discloses a node select its parent node based on Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) and the Link Quality Indicator (LQI), a quality of signal sent from the node to the base station (=scan result) be determined and If the quality is acceptable then the node joins, which corresponds to updating the tree network topology based on the signal scan result).
As of claim 12, Liang discloses a control node ([FIG. 7] [0054] tree structure includes the base station as the root node 702 (=a control node), comprising: a storage circuit, storing a program code; and a processor, coupled to the storage circuit (=inherent property) and accessing the program code to:
establish a tree network topology comprising a plurality of network nodes ([FIG. 7] & para [0054] shows and discloses a tree network topology comprising the network nodes);
obtain a signal scan result of each of the network nodes ([FIG. 2][0009] [0028] discloses a channel scanning component tracks (=scan) nodes with corresponding tree structure, and the link quality assessment component evaluate quality of communication from a node to the base station and a quality of signal sent from the node to the base station be determined which implies control node obtain a signal scan result), wherein the signal scan result of the each of the network nodes indicates a signal quality indicator of at least one other network node (para [0031] discloses a node select its parent node based on the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) and the Link Quality Indicator (LQI) (=signal quality indicator of at least one other network node); and
update the tree network topology based on the signal scan result of the each of the network nodes (para [0008[[0009][0031] discloses a node select its parent node based on Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) and the Link Quality Indicator (LQI), a quality of signal sent from the node to the base station (=scan result) be determined and If the quality is acceptable then the node joins, which corresponds to updating the tree network topology based on the signal scan result).
As of claims 2 and 13, rejection of claims 1 and 12 cited above incorporated herein, in addition Liang discloses the network nodes comprise the control node and at least one member node (see [Fig.7] tree structure includes the base station as the root node 702 (=a control node) and sensors as nodes (= member node)).
As of claim 3, rejection of claim 2 cited above incorporated herein, in addition Liang discloses each member node is directly connected to the control node in the tree network topology, or indirectly connected to the control node through other member nodes (para [0054] [FIG. 7] shows and discloses parent node 714 and child nodes 722, 724, 726 which are directly or indirectly connected to the control node 702), wherein the control node obtains the signal scan result of the each member node directly or indirectly through the tree network topology ([0054] [FIG. 7] discloses the child nodes subsequently identify themselves to a parent node 714 and in communication with the base station 702 (=control node) either directly or indirectly).
As of claim 10, rejection of claim 1 cited above incorporated herein, in addition Liang discloses the control node is predefined or determined by the network nodes through a competition mechanism (para [0007] the tree structure be configured to include the base station as the root node (=control node is predefined)).
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 of this title, 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 4, 8-9,11,14, 18-20 are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Liang et al. (US 20090322518) in view of ZHANG et al. (CN 103974310 A).
As of claims 4 and 14, rejection of claims 2 and 13 cited above incorporated herein, in addition Liang does not explicitly disclose but ZHANG in the same field of endeavor teaches updating the tree network topology based on the signal scan result of the each of the network nodes comprises:
in response to determining that the signal scan result of the control node indicates that at least one first member node and at least one second member node exist in the at least one member node, updating the tree network topology by controlling each first member node to directly connect to the control node, wherein the signal quality indicator of the each first member node in the signal scan result of the control node satisfies a first preset condition (ZHANG, para [0139] node K + 1 of sub antenna receive the node K + 3 signal sent by the antenna, and the channel quality is greater than the communication threshold, the node K + 3 at node K + 1), and
the signal quality indicator of the each second member node in the signal scan result of the control node does not satisfy the first preset condition (ZHANG [Fig. 9] and para [0139] discloses node K + 1 receive the node K + 2 of parent antenna sends the signal, but the signal is lower than the communication threshold which corresponds to does not satisfy the preset condition);
marking the at least one first member node as belonging to at least one updated node (ZHANG, [Fig. 4][0139] member node K + 3 is connected to K+1 corresponds to marked as an updated node), and marking the at least one second member node as belonging to at least one non-updated node (ZHANG, para [0139] node K + 1 receive the node K + 2 of parent antenna sends the signal, but the signal is lower than the communication threshold, the node k + 2 between communication cannot be performed, there is no topological link relation (=marking as a non-updated node).
Therefore it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Liang with the teaching of ZHANG in order to automatically identify wireless node device in the coverage area of multi-hop wireless communication network in tree topology as taught by ZHANG in para [0004].
As of claims 4 and 14, rejection of claims 2 and 13 cited above incorporated herein, in addition Liang does not explicitly disclose but ZHANG in the same field of endeavor teaches the tree network topology belongs to a multi-hop wireless network (ZHANG, para [0150] multi-hop communication network tree topology),
and each member node is connected to an external network only through the control node ([0154] the access node receives a service providing network access and also see [Fig. 4] member nodes are connected through the control node).
As of claims 9 and 19, rejection of claims 2 and 13 cited above incorporated herein, in addition Liang does not explicitly disclose but ZHANG teaches the control node is a multipoint relay (ZHANG, [Fig. 4] access node (=control node) is a multipoint relay), and each member node is a mesh access point ([Fig. 4] and para [0052] the access node and between node relation of mesh information).
As of claims 11 and 20, rejection of claims 2 and 13 cited above incorporated herein, in addition Liang does not explicitly disclose but ZHANG teaches the at least one member node comprises at least one updated node and at least one non-updated node (ZHANG, para [0139], node k + 2, there is no topological link relation ( a non-updated node), and updating the tree network topology based on the signal scan result of the each of the network nodes comprises: in response to determining that the at least one non-updated node only comprises at least one remote node that is not located within a signal transmission range of any updated node, repeatedly executing the following operations until each member node is marked as belonging to the at least one updated node (ZHANG, para [0146] if the access node accesses the parent node fails, repeating the step 501 to step 506 the process), and the operations comprising:
finding at least one second reference node in the at least one non-updated node, wherein the signal scan result of each second reference node comprises at least one fourth member node belonging to the at least one updated node, and the signal transmission range corresponds to a preset strength threshold; updating the tree network topology by controlling the each second reference node to directly connect to the corresponding at least one fourth member node;
marking the each second reference node as belonging to the at least one updated node (ZHANG, [Fig. 4] the node K + 1 of sub antenna capable of receiving node K + 3 antenna sends the signal, the signal quality is A and node K + 2 capable of receiving the parent to node K + 4 (fourth member node) antenna sends the signal, the signal quality is B, wherein signal quality between K=1 and K=2 are C and D , wherein, A and B are much greater than C and D than the communication threshold and updating the tree network topology by connecting K+2 to node K=4 and also connect to node K through K=4 which corresponds to marking node K+2 as an updated node).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-7 and 15-17 are 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, since the combined teachings of the prior art references do not teach or reasonably suggest the claimed invention as a whole.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FAHMIDA S CHOWDHURY whose telephone number is (571)272-2547. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am to 5pm.
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/FAHMIDA S CHOWDHURY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2471