DETAILED ACTION
This communication is response to the application filed on 01/30/2024. Claims 1-20 are pending and presented for examination.
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 Objections
Claim 6 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the first device the second device” seems to be a typo of “the first device and the second device”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 7, 9, 10, 12, and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2019/0250930 to Erez (hereafter Erez).
Regarding claim 1, Erez discloses first device (see Erez, Fig 1, Device A), comprising:
a circuit (see Erez, Fig 1, PCIe Module 106) configured to provide frames across a connection comprised of one or more links to a second device (see Erez, ¶ 0006: The first device communicates data with a second device using the serial data link configurable to operate in a plurality of link configurations; ¶ 0033: a first device may communicate data with a second device using a serial data link configurable to operate in a plurality of link configurations), wherein the circuit is configured to use during an idle condition a lower power consuming link of the links for link management operations (see Erez, ¶ 0025: after different periods of link idle, a device can transition from the active link state L0 to one of the power saving link states (e.g., L0s, L1, L1.2, etc.). The power saving link states are different in the amount of power saving and latency they provide before returning to the fully functional state L0; ¶ 0029: the devices A and B may enter a power saving PCIe link state after certain predetermined conditions are met including a timeout when the PCIe link is idle (i.e., no data communication between devices). In general, the low power saving link state (e.g., L0s) has a shorter timeout than the high power saving link state (e.g., L1.2)), is configured to use during the idle condition the lower power consuming link of the links for beacon synchronization operations, or is configured to select the links in response to traffic parameters and a power consumption characteristic of the links (see Erez, ¶ 0034: the first device detects a condition for changing the link configuration of the serial data link. For example, the device may determine the condition based on whether the current PCIe configuration (e.g., lane width and technology generation) can meet the power consumption, performance (e.g., data transfer rate), and/or link utilization requirement of the serial data link; ¶ 0035: the device selects a link configuration among the plurality of link configurations that prioritizes reduction of the lane width over downgrading the technology generation to meet a predetermined performance requirement of the serial data link. In some embodiments, the performance requirement may include data rate (bandwidth) and/or power consumption. In some examples, reducing lane width or downgrading technology generation can reduce power consumption).
Regarding claim 3, Erez discloses the first device of claim 1, wherein the circuit is configured to put one or more selected links of the links in a sleep mode when required performance is reduced (see Erez, Fig ¶ 0025: after different periods of link idle, a device can transition from the active link state L0 to one of the power saving link states (e.g., L0s, L1, L1.2, etc.). The power saving link states are different in the amount of power saving and latency they provide before returning to the fully functional state L0; ¶ 0029: he devices A and B may enter a power saving PCIe link state after certain predetermined conditions are met including a timeout when the PCIe link is idle (i.e., no data communication between devices). In general, the low power saving link state (e.g., L0s) has a shorter timeout than the high power saving link state (e.g., L1.2)).
Regarding claim 7, Erez discloses the first device of claim 1, wherein the traffic parameters comprise a number of packets per second or a rate at which data is arriving (see Erez, ¶ 0031: reducing lane number results in more power saving than moving to a lower PCIe generation, for the same data rate reduction; ¶ 0035: the device selects a link configuration among the plurality of link configurations that prioritizes reduction of the lane width over downgrading the technology generation to meet a predetermined performance requirement of the serial data link. In some embodiments, the performance requirement may include data rate (bandwidth) and/or power consumption; ¶ 0037: Some exemplary power states are active-idle state 504, full power state 506, light throttling state 508, heavy throttling state 510, and extreme throttling state 512. In any of the throttling states, the device needs to reduce its power consumption, for example, by reducing the data rate of the PCIe link; ¶ 0038: In the active-idle power state 504, the device is not transferring data and may have a power consumption limit of 400 milliwatts (mW). In the full power state 506, the device has no power consumption limit and a date rate of 3.2 GB/s. In the light throttling power state 508, the device has a power consumption limit of 2.4 Watts (W) and a date rate of 1.6 GB/s. In the heavy throttling power state 510, the device has a power consumption limit of 1.9 W and a date rate of 1 GB/s. In the extreme throttling power state 512, the device has a power consumption limit of 1.2 W and a date rate of 400 MB/s. The power consumption and performance (e.g., data rate) values shown in table 600 are illustrative in nature).
Regarding claim 9, Erez discloses a first device, comprising:
a circuit (see Erez, Fig 1, PCIe Module 106) configured to provide multilink operations across a connection to a second device, wherein the circuit is configured to select one or more links associated with the multilink operations (see Erez, ¶ 0006: The first device communicates data with a second device using the serial data link configurable to operate in a plurality of link configurations; ¶ 0027: Power saving link state L1 306 has higher exit latency than the L0s link state. For example, link state L1 306 may be used to reduce power when the device becomes aware of a lack of outstanding PCIe requests or pending transactions. Link state L1 provides more power saving than link state L0s at the expense of higher exit latency; ¶ 0033: a first device may communicate data with a second device using a serial data link configurable to operate in a plurality of link configurations), wherein the one or more links are selected in response to a user facing parameter or an environmental parameter, wherein the links are selected to reduce power consumption associated with the multilink operations (see Erez, ¶ 0034: the first device detects a condition for changing the link configuration of the serial data link. For example, the device may determine the condition based on whether the current PCIe configuration (e.g., lane width and technology generation) can meet the power consumption, performance (e.g., data transfer rate), and/or link utilization requirement of the serial data link; ¶ 0035: the device selects a link configuration among the plurality of link configurations that prioritizes reduction of the lane width over downgrading the technology generation to meet a predetermined performance requirement of the serial data link. In some embodiments, the performance requirement may include data rate (bandwidth) and/or power consumption. In some examples, reducing lane width or downgrading technology generation can reduce power consumption).
Regarding claim 10, Erez discloses the first device of claim 9, wherein the circuit is configured to use during idle condition a lower power consuming link of the links for link management operations (see Erez, ¶ 0025: after different periods of link idle, a device can transition from the active link state L0 to one of the power saving link states (e.g., L0s, L1, L1.2, etc.). The power saving link states are different in the amount of power saving and latency they provide before returning to the fully functional state L0; ¶ 0029: the devices A and B may enter a power saving PCIe link state after certain predetermined conditions are met including a timeout when the PCIe link is idle (i.e., no data communication between devices). In general, the low power saving link state (e.g., L0s) has a shorter timeout than the high power saving link state (e.g., L1.2)).
Regarding claim 12, Erez discloses the first device of claim 10, wherein the circuit is configured to select the links in response to traffic parameters and a power consumption characteristic of the links (see Erez, ¶ 0034: the first device detects a condition for changing the link configuration of the serial data link. For example, the device may determine the condition based on whether the current PCIe configuration (e.g., lane width and technology generation) can meet the power consumption, performance (e.g., data transfer rate), and/or link utilization requirement of the serial data link; ¶ 0035: the device selects a link configuration among the plurality of link configurations that prioritizes reduction of the lane width over downgrading the technology generation to meet a predetermined performance requirement of the serial data link. In some embodiments, the performance requirement may include data rate (bandwidth) and/or power consumption. In some examples, reducing lane width or downgrading technology generation can reduce power consumption).
Regarding claim 13, Erez discloses the first device of claim 10, wherein the one or more links are selected in response to the user facing parameter, wherein the user facing parameter comprises a traffic parameter (see Erez, ¶ 0034: the first device detects a condition for changing the link configuration of the serial data link. For example, the device may determine the condition based on whether the current PCIe configuration (e.g., lane width and technology generation) can meet the power consumption, performance (e.g., data transfer rate), and/or link utilization requirement of the serial data link; ¶ 0035: the device selects a link configuration among the plurality of link configurations that prioritizes reduction of the lane width over downgrading the technology generation to meet a predetermined performance requirement of the serial data link. In some embodiments, the performance requirement may include data rate (bandwidth) and/or power consumption. In some examples, reducing lane width or downgrading technology generation can reduce power consumption; ¶ 0051: the host device may determine the expected PCIe workload or traffic generated by the autosave function based on, for example, statistic collected on previous autosave traffic of the application.).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 2, 4, 6, 15-17, and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2019/0250930 to Erez (hereafter Erez) in view of US 2026/0075518 to HUANG et al. (hereafter Huang).
Regarding claim 2, Erez discloses the first device of claim 1, but does not explicitly disclose wherein the frames are provided according to an 802.11 protocol and the connection is established by using an association or authentication operation.
However, Huang discloses wherein the frames are provided according to an 802.11 protocol (see Huang, ¶ 0049: this embodiment of this application may be applied to an LTE system, a 5G NR system, and an NR evolved system, such as a 6G system or a 6G evolved system, and a plurality of systems that support multi-link transmission, such as an IEEE 802.11 system) and the connection is established by using an association or authentication operation (see Huang, Fig 3; ¶ 0068: an association relationship between the first device and the second device may be shown in FIG. 3…. and a first link is formed between the mth communication module of the first device and the mth communication module of the second device, that is, there are m low power communication links; and a second link is formed between the (m+1)th communication module of the first device and the (m+1)th communication module of the second device, . . . , and a second link is formed between the nth communication module of the first device and the n.sup.th communication module of the second device, that is, there are n-m low power communication links. The link between the first device and the second device includes m first links and n-m second links).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the above teaching as taught by Huang and incorporate it into the system of Erez to achieve reliable low power communication system (see Huang, ¶ 0003).
Regarding claim 4, Erez discloses the first device of claim 1, wherein the circuit is configured to use during the idle condition the lower power consuming link of the links for link management operations, is configured to use during the idle condition the lower power consuming link of the links for beacon synchronization operations in response to the low battery condition, or is configured to select the links in response to the traffic parameters and the power consumption characteristic of the links (see rejection of claim 1), but does not explicitly disclose using low battery condition as trigger for using the lower power consuming link of the links.
However, Huang discloses using low battery condition as trigger for using the lower power consuming link of the links for link management (see Huang, ¶ 0157: the first condition is a condition for triggering or enabling the low power consumption mode, and may include but is not limited to at least one of the following: a battery capacity of the first device and/or a battery capacity of the second device are/is less than a first threshold).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement using low battery condition as trigger of using the lower power consuming link for connection as taught by Huang and incorporate it to the system of Erez to reduce power consumption of devices in the communication system (see Huang, ¶ 0003).
Regarding claim 6, Erez discloses the first device of claim 1, Erez disclose the first device and the second device but fails to explicitly disclose wherein the first device the second device are each one of mobile station devices or mobile access points.
However, Huang discloses wherein the first device the second device are each one of mobile station devices or mobile access points (see Huang, Fig 1, mobile terminal 11 and network side device 12; ¶ 0035).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the above teaching as taught by Huang and incorporate it into the system of Erez to achieve reliable low power communication system (see Huang, ¶ 0003).
Regarding claim 15, Erez discloses the first device, comprising: a circuit configured to provide multilink operations across a connection to a second device, wherein the circuit is configured to select one or more links associated with the multilink operations, wherein the one or more links are selected to reduce power consumption associated with the multilink operations (see Erez, ¶ 0006: The first device communicates data with a second device using the serial data link configurable to operate in a plurality of link configurations; ¶ 0033: a first device may communicate data with a second device using a serial data link configurable to operate in a plurality of link configurations), wherein the circuit is configured to use during an idle condition a lower power consuming link of the links for link management operations (see Erez, ¶ 0025: after different periods of link idle, a device can transition from the active link state L0 to one of the power saving link states (e.g., L0s, L1, L1.2, etc.). The power saving link states are different in the amount of power saving and latency they provide before returning to the fully functional state L0; ¶ 0029: the devices A and B may enter a power saving PCIe link state after certain predetermined conditions are met including a timeout when the PCIe link is idle (i.e., no data communication between devices). In general, the low power saving link state (e.g., L0s) has a shorter timeout than the high power saving link state (e.g., L1.2)), but Erez does not explicitly disclose in response to a low battery condition.
However, Huang discloses wherein the one or more links are selected to reduce power consumption associated with the multilink operations in response to a low battery condition (see Huang, ¶ 0157: the first condition is a condition for triggering or enabling the low power consumption mode, and may include but is not limited to at least one of the following: a battery capacity of the first device and/or a battery capacity of the second device are/is less than a first threshold).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement using low battery condition as trigger of using the lower power consuming link for connection as taught by Huang and incorporate it to the system of Erez to reduce power consumption of devices in the communication system (see Huang, ¶ 0003).
Regarding claim 16, Erez in view of Huang discloses the first device of claim 15, but does not explicitly disclose wherein the low battery condition is associated with a battery of the first device being below a first threshold and the first device being solely on battery power.
However, Huang discloses wherein the low battery condition is associated with a battery of the first device being below a first threshold and the first device being solely on battery power (see Huang, ¶ 0157: the first condition is a condition for triggering or enabling the low power consumption mode, and may include but is not limited to at least one of the following: a battery capacity of the first device and/or a battery capacity of the second device are/is less than a first threshold, the first device and/or the second device are/is overheated (for example, a temperature inside the first device and/or a temperature inside the second device exceed/exceeds a specific temperature threshold)).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement above teaching as taught by Huang and incorporate it to the system of Erez to reduce power consumption of devices in the communication system (see Huang, ¶ 0003).
Regarding claim 17, Erez discloses the first device of claim 15, the circuit is configured to use during an idle condition a lower power consuming link of the links for link management operations (see Erez, ¶ 0025: after different periods of link idle, a device can transition from the active link state L0 to one of the power saving link states (e.g., L0s, L1, L1.2, etc.). The power saving link states are different in the amount of power saving and latency they provide before returning to the fully functional state L0; ¶ 0029: the devices A and B may enter a power saving PCIe link state after certain predetermined conditions are met including a timeout when the PCIe link is idle (i.e., no data communication between devices). In general, the low power saving link state (e.g., L0s) has a shorter timeout than the high power saving link state (e.g., L1.2)), is configured to use during the idle condition the lower power consuming link of the links for beacon synchronization operations, or is configured to select the links in response to traffic parameters and a power consumption characteristic of the links (see Erez, ¶ 0034: the first device detects a condition for changing the link configuration of the serial data link. For example, the device may determine the condition based on whether the current PCIe configuration (e.g., lane width and technology generation) can meet the power consumption, performance (e.g., data transfer rate), and/or link utilization requirement of the serial data link; ¶ 0035: the device selects a link configuration among the plurality of link configurations that prioritizes reduction of the lane width over downgrading the technology generation to meet a predetermined performance requirement of the serial data link. In some embodiments, the performance requirement may include data rate (bandwidth) and/or power consumption. In some examples, reducing lane width or downgrading technology generation can reduce power consumption), Erez does not explicitly disclose during low battery condition.
However, Huang discloses wherein during the low battery condition, is configured to use during the idle condition the lower power consuming link (see Huang, ¶ 0157: the first condition is a condition for triggering or enabling the low power consumption mode, and may include but is not limited to at least one of the following: a battery capacity of the first device and/or a battery capacity of the second device are/is less than a first threshold).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement above teaching as taught by Huang and incorporate it to the system of Erez to reduce power consumption of devices in the communication system (see Huang, ¶ 0003).
Regarding claim 19, Erez in view of Huang discloses the first device of claim 15, wherein the one or more links are selected in response to a user facing parameter or an environmental parameter (see Erez, ¶ 0034: the first device detects a condition for changing the link configuration of the serial data link. For example, the device may determine the condition based on whether the current PCIe configuration (e.g., lane width and technology generation) can meet the power consumption, performance (e.g., data transfer rate), and/or link utilization requirement of the serial data link; ¶ 0035: the device selects a link configuration among the plurality of link configurations that prioritizes reduction of the lane width over downgrading the technology generation to meet a predetermined performance requirement of the serial data link. In some embodiments, the performance requirement may include data rate (bandwidth) and/or power consumption. In some examples, reducing lane width or downgrading technology generation can reduce power consumption).
Claim(s) 5 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2019/0250930 to Erez (hereafter Erez) in view of US 2016/0353382 to Xue (hereafter Xue).
Regarding claim 5, Erez discloses the first device of claim 1, wherein the circuit is configured to use during the idle condition the lower power consuming link of the links for link management operations, is configured to select the links in response to the traffic parameters and the power consumption characteristic of the links (see Erez, ¶ 0034: the first device detects a condition for changing the link configuration of the serial data link. For example, the device may determine the condition based on whether the current PCIe configuration (e.g., lane width and technology generation) can meet the power consumption, performance (e.g., data transfer rate), and/or link utilization requirement of the serial data link; ¶ 0035: the device selects a link configuration among the plurality of link configurations that prioritizes reduction of the lane width over downgrading the technology generation to meet a predetermined performance requirement of the serial data link. In some embodiments, the performance requirement may include data rate (bandwidth) and/or power consumption. In some examples, reducing lane width or downgrading technology generation can reduce power consumption), but does not explicitly disclose is configured to use during the idle condition the lower power consuming link of the links for beacon synchronization operations.
However, Xue discloses configured to use during the idle condition the lower power consuming link of the links for beacon synchronization operations (see Xue, ¶ 0038: each station in the Wi-Fi network may operate in an awake mode (e.g., a high power mode) and a sleep mode (e.g., a low power mode). During the awake mode, stations may be operable to communicate over the first set of channels using the Wi-Fi protocol and over the second set of channels using the low energy protocol. During the sleep mode, although stations may not be configured to transmit or receive data according to the first set of protocol (e.g., because associated radio frequency circuitry may be powered down), the stations may retain the ability to transmit or receive data via the second set of channels according to the low energy protocol. The access point may broadcast advertisement packets (e.g., beacon information) to the stations over a particular channel (e.g., a low energy protocol advertising channel) in the second set of channels while the stations are in the sleep mode…. Communicating advertisement packets over the second set of channels according to the low energy protocol may enable the stations to remain in the sleep mode until receiving notification (e.g., a traffic indication map) that buffered downlink data is available at the access point).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the above teaching as taught by Xue and incorporate it into the system of Erez to conserver power at the stations (see Xue, ¶ 0038).
Regarding claim 11, Erez discloses the first device of claim 10, wherein the circuit is configured to use during the idle condition the lower power consuming link but does not explicitly disclose wherein the circuit is configured to use during the idle condition the lower power consuming link of the links for beacon synchronization operations.
However, Xue discloses wherein the circuit is configured to use during the idle condition the lower power consuming link of the links for beacon synchronization operations (see Xue, ¶ 0038: each station in the Wi-Fi network may operate in an awake mode (e.g., a high power mode) and a sleep mode (e.g., a low power mode). During the awake mode, stations may be operable to communicate over the first set of channels using the Wi-Fi protocol and over the second set of channels using the low energy protocol. During the sleep mode, although stations may not be configured to transmit or receive data according to the first set of protocol (e.g., because associated radio frequency circuitry may be powered down), the stations may retain the ability to transmit or receive data via the second set of channels according to the low energy protocol. The access point may broadcast advertisement packets (e.g., beacon information) to the stations over a particular channel (e.g., a low energy protocol advertising channel) in the second set of channels while the stations are in the sleep mode…. Communicating advertisement packets over the second set of channels according to the low energy protocol may enable the stations to remain in the sleep mode until receiving notification (e.g., a traffic indication map) that buffered downlink data is available at the access point)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the above teaching as taught by Xue and incorporate it into the system of Erez to conserver power at the stations (see Xue, ¶ 0038).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2019/0250930 to Erez (hereafter Erez) in view of US 2018/0206190 to Cherian et al. (hereafter Cherian).
Regarding claim 8, Erez discloses the first device of claim 1, but does not explicitly disclose wherein at least one of the links uses the 2.4 GHz frequency band, and another of the links uses the 5 GHZ frequency band.
However, Cherian discloses wherein at least one of the links uses the 2.4 GHz frequency band, and another of the links uses the 5 GHZ frequency band (see Cherian, ¶ 0008: establish a multi-link session between the first wireless device and a second wireless device, the multi-link session comprising a plurality of wireless links for communications in parallel between the first wireless device and the second wireless device; ¶ 0042: Devices in WLAN 100 may communicate over unlicensed spectrum, which may be a portion of spectrum that includes frequency bands traditionally used by Wi-Fi technology, such as the 5 GHz band, the 2.4 GHz band, the 60 GHz band, the 3.6 GHz band, and/or the 900 MHz band).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the above teaching as taught by Cherian and incorporate it into the system of Erez to achieve improved techniques for power save procedures for multi-link aggregation in wireless communications systems (see Cherian, ¶ 0004).
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2019/0250930 to Erez (hereafter Erez) in view of US 9,635,677 to Liu et al. (hereafter Liu).
Regarding claim 14, Erez discloses the first device of claim 10, but does not explicitly disclose wherein the one or more links are selected in response to the environmental parameter, wherein the environmental parameter comprises a connection quality parameter.
However, Liu discloses wherein the one or more links are selected in response to the environmental parameter, wherein the environmental parameter comprises a connection quality parameter (see Liu, Col 1 lines 52-61: During communication, a peer device that is receiving data can monitor the signal quality and initiate a transition to a new link setting if the current link setting is deemed “inadequate” for the data communication that is in progress. A link setting can be deemed inadequate, for example, if the signal quality drops below a minimum acceptable level or for other reasons. In some embodiments, a link setting can also be deemed inadequate if the signal quality becomes excessively high, which can be an indication that power is being wasted; Col 8 lines 44-56: Final selection module 308 can select the link setting to be used based on candidates 326 identified by option identification module 304, link requirements 312, and link condition 324. For example, if link condition 324 indicates that the signal quality is poor, final selection module 308 can “upgrade” to a link setting with an improved link margin relative to the current link setting, which can be determined by comparing the LMI scores from column 318 of table 306. If link condition 324 indicates that the signal quality is good, final selection module 308 can maintain the current selection or in some instances “downgrade” to a link setting with higher energy efficiency (lower power consumption in column 322 of table 306) that still meets link requirements 312; Col 11 lines 15-28).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the above invention and incorporate it into the system of Erez to improve communication system performance while reducing power consumption (see Liu, Col 1 lines 30-32).
Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2019/0250930 to Erez (hereafter Erez) in view of US 2026/0075518 to HUANG et al. (hereafter Huang), and further in view of US 2016/0353382 to Xue (hereafter Xue).
Regarding claim 18, Erez in view of Huang discloses the first device of claim 15, wherein during the low battery condition, the circuit is configured to use during an idle condition a lower power consuming link of the links for link management operations, and is configured to select the links in response to a traffic parameter and a power consumption characteristic of the links (see Erez, ¶ 0034: the first device detects a condition for changing the link configuration of the serial data link. For example, the device may determine the condition based on whether the current PCIe configuration (e.g., lane width and technology generation) can meet the power consumption, performance (e.g., data transfer rate), and/or link utilization requirement of the serial data link; ¶ 0035: the device selects a link configuration among the plurality of link configurations that prioritizes reduction of the lane width over downgrading the technology generation to meet a predetermined performance requirement of the serial data link. In some embodiments, the performance requirement may include data rate (bandwidth) and/or power consumption. In some examples, reducing lane width or downgrading technology generation can reduce power consumption), but Erez does not explicitly disclose configured to use during the idle condition the lower power consuming link of the links for beacon synchronization operations.
However, Xue discloses configured to use during the idle condition the lower power consuming link of the links for beacon synchronization operations (see Xue, ¶ 0038: each station in the Wi-Fi network may operate in an awake mode (e.g., a high power mode) and a sleep mode (e.g., a low power mode). During the awake mode, stations may be operable to communicate over the first set of channels using the Wi-Fi protocol and over the second set of channels using the low energy protocol. During the sleep mode, although stations may not be configured to transmit or receive data according to the first set of protocol (e.g., because associated radio frequency circuitry may be powered down), the stations may retain the ability to transmit or receive data via the second set of channels according to the low energy protocol. The access point may broadcast advertisement packets (e.g., beacon information) to the stations over a particular channel (e.g., a low energy protocol advertising channel) in the second set of channels while the stations are in the sleep mode…. Communicating advertisement packets over the second set of channels according to the low energy protocol may enable the stations to remain in the sleep mode until receiving notification (e.g., a traffic indication map) that buffered downlink data is available at the access point).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the above teaching as taught by Xue and incorporate it into the system of Erez to conserver power at the stations (see Xue, ¶ 0038).
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2019/0250930 to Erez (hereafter Erez) in view of US 2026/0075518 to HUANG et al. (hereafter Huang), and further in view of US 2009/0031022 to WEXLER et al. (hereafter Wexler).
Regarding claim 20, Erez in view of Huang discloses the first device of claim 18, Erez discloses select link in response to traffic parameters (see Erez, ¶ 0035: the device selects a link configuration among the plurality of link configurations that prioritizes reduction of the lane width over downgrading the technology generation to meet a predetermined performance requirement of the serial data link. In some embodiments, the performance requirement may include data rate (bandwidth) and/or power consumption. In some examples, reducing lane width or downgrading technology generation can reduce power consumption; ¶ 0051: the host device may determine the expected PCIe workload or traffic generated by the autosave function based on, for example, statistic collected on previous autosave traffic of the application) but does not explicitly disclose wherein the traffic parameter is used to determine a throughput requirement and a latency requirement for selection of the links.
However, Wexler discloses wherein the traffic parameter is used to determine a throughput requirement and a latency requirement for selection (see Wexler, ¶ 0084: measures the various traffic parameters, such as latency, throughput, hits per second, number of errors, and so on).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use traffic parameters, such as latency and throughput as taught by Wexler as parameter for selection of links of the system of Erez to achieve selection of desired links to reduce power consumption in the communication system.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 2020/0241623 to Peng discloses a method for controlling a wireless communication circuit is provided, wherein the wireless communication circuit is positioned in a first electronic device, and the method includes the steps of: obtaining parameters of each of a plurality of channels of the wireless communication circuit, and storing the parameters of each channel into a first storage device of the wireless communication circuit, wherein the plurality of channels are capable of being used for communications between the first electronic device and a second electronic device; using at least one specific channel of the plurality of channels to communicate with the second electronic device; and when the wireless communication circuit enters a power saving mode, retaining the parameters of the at least one specific channel, and removing at least a portion of the parameters of the other channels from the first storage device.
US 2019/0297571 to Jose et al. discloses various solutions for power-efficient mechanism for multi-link operation with respect to user equipment and network apparatus in mobile communications are described. An apparatus may establish a first link and a second link with at least one of a plurality of network nodes. The apparatus may monitor the first link. The apparatus may stop monitoring the second link. The apparatus may determine whether a condition is triggered on the first link. The apparatus may activate the second link in response to the condition being triggered on the first link.
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/RASHEED GIDADO/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2464
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