DETAILED ACTION
This office action is a response to an application field on 11/08/2023, in which claims 1-6 are pending and ready for examination.
Priority
Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) is acknowledged.
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)(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 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S./C 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by NGUYEN et al. (hereinafter, “NGUYEN”; 20230396623).
In response to claim 1,
NGUYEN teaches a method for selecting a relay in millimeter wave (mmWave) networks, the method comprises: computing, by a controller, a first Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) from at least one source to at least one relay, and a second SNR from the at least one relay to at least one destination (paragraph 40, communication node is equated to a controller, transmitting agent equated to a source node, and receiving agent is equated to a destination, paragraph 41,using a source agent in a relay path is read as using (the source node) as a relay node, paragraph 62, defining end-to-end SNR (SNRE2E) from a source node to a end node explicitly teaches computing, by a controller, a first Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) from at least one source to at least one relay, and a second SNR from the at least one relay to at least one destination);
selecting, by the controller, a relay with a highest Q-value for enabling communication between the at least one source and the at least one destination, if a randomly selected number is more than € (paragraph 58, determining a relay agent based on a Q-table is read as selecting, by the controller, a relay for enabling communication between the at least one source and the at least one destination, “E” is equated to a randomly selected number, initial value of “E” (0.995) is equated to a highest Q-value for enabling communication);
selecting, by the controller, a relay randomly for enabling communication between the at least one source and the at least one destination, if the randomly selected number is not more than € (paragraph 58, minimum threshold value 0.005 is equated to the randomly selected number is not more than €,determining a relay agent from an access list based on a Q-table to transition for communicating explicitly teaches this limitation); and
communicating, by the at least one source, with the at least one destination via the selected relay (paragraph 58, transitioning for communicating is read as communicating, determining a relay agent from an access list based on a Q-table to transition for communicating explicitly teaches this limitation).
In response to claim 4,
NGUYEN teaches a controller for selecting a relay in millimeter wave (mmWave) networks, the controller configured for: computing a first Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) from at least one source to at least one relay, and a second SNR from the at least one relay to at least one destination (paragraph 40, communication node is equated to a controller, transmitting agent equated to a source node, and receiving agent is equated to a destination, paragraph 41,using a source agent in a relay path is read as using (the source node) as a relay node, paragraph 62, defining end-to-end SNR (SNRE2E) from a source node to a end node explicitly teaches computing, by a controller, a first Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) from at least one source to at least one relay, and a second SNR from the at least one relay to at least one destination);
selecting a relay with a highest Q-value for enabling communication between the at least one source and the at least one destination, if a randomly selected number is more than € (paragraph 58, determining a relay agent based on a Q-table is read as selecting, by the controller, a relay for enabling communication between the at least one source and the at least one destination, “E” is equated to a randomly selected number, initial value of “E” (0.995) is equated to a highest Q-value for enabling communication),
wherein the at least one source can communicate with the at least one destination via the selected relay (paragraph 58, transitioning for communicating is read as communicating, determining a relay agent from an access list based on a Q-table to transition for communicating explicitly teaches this limitation); and
selecting a relay randomly for enabling communication between the at least one source and the at least one destination, if the randomly selected number is not more than € (paragraph 58, minimum threshold value 0.005 is equated to the randomly selected number is not more than €,determining a relay agent from an access list based on a Q-table to transition for communicating explicitly teaches this limitation),
wherein the at least one source can communicate with the at least one destination via the selected relay (paragraph 58, transitioning for communicating is read as communicating, determining a relay agent from an access list based on a Q-table to transition for communicating explicitly teaches this limitation).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3 and 5-6 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.
As for dependent claims 2 and 5, these claims are objected, because there is no prior art in the record that teaches claimed limitation “wherein the method further comprises: selecting, by the controller, a highest Q-value from remaining Q-values, wherein Q-values of the selected relay for enabling communication between the at least one source and the at least one destination is not considered, till all of the at least one source and the at least one destination have a relay assigned to them.”
The closet prior art in the record NGUYEN et al. (20230396623) teaches in paragraphs 40-41 about a having communication between two nodes via a relay node, he teaches in paragraph 58 about using a Q-table with a threshold value for selecting an appropriate alternating relay node, and he teaches in paragraph 62 about using a SNR aa a matrix for selecting the alternative relay node, but he fails to teach the above cited limitation.
As for dependent claims 3 and 6, these claims are objected, because there is no prior art in the record that teaches claimed limitation “wherein the method further comprises: receiving, by the controller, a reward; updating, by the controller, the Q-value using a Bellman equation; and storing, by the controller, the updated Q-value in a Q-table.”
The closet prior art in the record NGUYEN et al. (20230396623) teaches in paragraphs 40-41 about a having communication between two nodes via a relay node, he teaches in paragraph 58 about using a Q-table with a threshold value for selecting an appropriate alternating relay node, and he teaches in paragraph 62 about using a SNR aa a matrix for selecting the alternative relay node, but he fails to teach the above cited limitation.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US Patent 9055447B2……….column 7, lines 25-61.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ABUSAYEED HAQUE whose telephone number is (571)270-7252. The examiner can normally be reached 9 am -7:30 pm.
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/ABUSAYEED M HAQUE/Examiner, Art Unit 2466
/CHRISTOPHER M CRUTCHFIELD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2466