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
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhang (US 2019/0349280).
Claim 1: Zhang discloses A network device, comprising:
a processor (elements 218, 224)
at least one network interface controller configured to provide access to a network (element 234); and
a memory communicatively coupled to the processor (element 236, para 0066), wherein the memory comprises a ranging logic that is configured to:
select a transmit chain in a plurality of transmit chains of the network device and a receive chain in a plurality of receive chains of the network device for a ranging measurement associated with a first network device (para 0047-0055)
transmit a ranging request frame to the first network device based on the selected transmit chain (para 0047-0055)
receive a ranging response frame from the first network device based on the selected receive chain (para 0056-0064); and
determine a distance between the network device and the first network device based on a round-trip time between the network device and the first network device (para 0067-0074)
Claim 2: Zhang discloses the round-trip time corresponds to a duration between the transmission of the ranging request frame and the reception of the ranging response frame (para 0067-0074)
Claim 3: Zhang discloses the ranging request frame comprises a fine timing measurement (FTM) request frame, and the ranging response frame comprises an FTM response frame (para 0067-0074)
Claim 4: Zhang discloses wherein to select the transmit chain, the ranging logic is further configured to:
transmit, using each of the plurality of transmit chains, a test frame to the first network device (para 0007, 0067-0074)
receive channel state information (CSI) feedback associated with each test frame (para 0008, 0067-0076) and
determine, for each of the plurality of transmit chains, an outgoing link quality associated with the first network device based on the received respective CSI feedback (para 0081-0085, 0090)
wherein the transmit chain is selected based on the transmit chain being associated with a highest outgoing link quality in the plurality of transmit chains (para 0083, 0084, 0134, amongst others discussing the selection of LOS chains based on quality measurements)
Claim 5: Zhang discloses the test frame comprises a beamforming sound frame or an initiator fine timing measurement (iFTM) frame (0067-0076)
Claim 6: Zhang discloses to select the receive chain, the ranging logic is further
configured to receive, using the plurality of receive chains, one or more test frames from the first network device (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090)
determine per-receive chain channel state information (CSI) for each of the plurality of receive chains based on the received one or more test frames (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090); and
determine, for each of the plurality of receive chains, an incoming link quality associated with the first network device based on the per-receive chain CSI, wherein the receive chain is selected based on the receive chain being associated with a highest incoming link quality in the plurality of receive chains (para 0081-0085, 0134, amongst others discussing the selection of LOS chains based on quality measurements)
Claim 7: Zhang discloses the ranging logic is further configured to transmit an indication of the selected transmit chain or an indication of the selected receive chain to the first network device or a controller (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090)
Claim 8: Zhang discloses the ranging logic is further configured to store an indication of the selected transmit chain and an indication of the selected receive chain in a data store (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090)
Claim 9: Zhang discloses the ranging logic is further configured to re-select the transmit chain and the receive chain for another ranging measurement associated with the first network device based on the stored indication of the selected transmit chain and the stored indication of the selected receive chain (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090)
Claim 10: Zhang discloses the ranging logic is further configured to determine whether a channel between the network device and the first network device experiences a line-of-sight (LOS) condition or a non-LOS (nLOS) condition (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090)
Claim 11: Zhang discloses to determine whether the channel experiences the LOS condition or the nLOS condition, the ranging logic is further configured to:
obtain a plurality of tentative ranging measurements associated with the first network device over a plurality of bands based on the selected transmit chain and the selected receive chain (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090); and
determine a spread of the plurality of tentative ranging measurements (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090),
wherein the channel is determined to experience the LOS condition if the spread of the plurality of tentative ranging measurements is less than a threshold, and the channel is determined to experience the nLOS condition if the spread of the plurality of tentative ranging measurements is greater than the threshold (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090, 0117-0130, 0142-0149).
Claim 12: Zhang discloses each tentative ranging measurement in the plurality of tentative ranging measurements is based on a respective measurement bandwidth, and device in response to the channel being determined to experience the LOS condition, the ranging logic is further configured to take a tentative ranging measurement based on a greatest measurement bandwidth as the determined distance between the network device and the first network device (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090, 0117-0130, 0142-0149).
Claim 13: Zhang discloses in response to the channel being determined to experience the nLOS condition, the ranging logic is further configured to select a band associated with least signal distortion in the plurality of bands; and take a tentative ranging measurement obtained over the selected band associated with the least signal distortion as the determined distance between the network device and the first network device (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090, 0117-0130, 0142-0149).
Claim 14: Zhang discloses to determine the band associated with the least signal distortion; the ranging logic is further configured to:
transmit, for each band in the plurality of bands, one or more test frames to the first network device based on the selected transmit chain (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090, 0117-0130, 0142-0149).
receive, for each band in the plurality of bands, channel state information (CSI) feedback associated with the respective one or more test frames (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090, 0117-0130, 0142-0149).; and
determine, for each band in the plurality of bands, a respective CSI distortion factor based on a corresponding CSI feedback (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090, 0117-0130, 0142-0149).
wherein the band associated with the least signal distortion corresponds the band having a lowest CSI distortion factor (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090, 0117-0130, 0142-0149).
Claim 15: Zhang discloses the respective CSI distortion factor is determined based on a structure of the corresponding CSI feedback (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090, 0117-0130, 0142-0149).
Claim 16: Zhang discloses the structure of the corresponding CSI feedback comprises one or more depths of one or more dips and a count of the one or more dips (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090, 0117-0130, 0142-0149).
Claim 17: Zhang discloses the ranging logic is further configured to calculate a correction factor based on the lowest CSI distortion factor; and apply the correction factor to the determined distance between the network device and the first network device (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090, 0117-0130, 0142-0149).
Claim 18: Zhang discloses the network device comprises an access point (AP) (para 0044-0046)
Claim 19: Zhang discloses A network device, comprising:
a processor (elements 218, 224)
at least one network interface controller configured to provide access to a network (element 234) and
a memory communicatively coupled to the processor (element 236, para 0066),, wherein the memory comprises a ranging logic that is configured to:
select a transmit chain in a plurality of transmit chains of the network device and a receive chain in a plurality of receive chains of the network device for a ranging measurement associated with a first network device (para 0047-0055)
determine whether a channel between the network device and the first network device experiences a line-of-sight (LOS) condition or a non-LOS (nLOS) condition (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090, 0117-0130, 0142-0149).
transmit a ranging request frame to the first network device based on the selected transmit chain (para 0047-0055)
receive a ranging response frame from the first network device based on the selected receive chain (para 0056-0064); and
determine a distance between the network device and the first network device based on a round-trip time between the network device and the first network device and the channel being determined to experience the LOS condition or the nLOS condition (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090, 0117-0130, 0142-0149).
Claim 20: Zhang discloses A method for performing a ranging measurement, comprising:
selecting a transmit chain in a plurality of transmit chains of a network device and a receive chain in a plurality of receive chains of the network device for the ranging measurement associated with a first network device (para 0047-0055)
transmitting a ranging request frame to the first network device based on the selected transmit chain (para 0047-0055)
receiving a ranging response frame from the first network device based on the selected receive chain (para 0056-0064); and
determining a distance between the network device and the first network device based on a round-trip time between the network device and the first network device (para 0067-0074, 0081-0085, 0090, 0117-0130, 0142-0149).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PETER M BYTHROW whose telephone number is (571)270-1468. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 830am-5pm.
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/PETER M BYTHROW/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3648