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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed 1/13/2026 has been accepted and entered. Accordingly, claims 1, 11-12, and 14-15 have been amended.
Claims 1-20 are pending in this application.
Regarding the 112b rejection of claims 1, 11-12, and 14, the rejection has been cured by the amendments. Therefore, the 112b rejection for claims 1, 11-12, and 14 has been withdrawn.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 1/13/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that claim 15 recites “a sharing access point (AP)” and not a “shoring access point (AP)” as contended and metes and bounds of the claimed invention are clear. (Pg. 7 Remarks)
Examiner respectfully disagrees. The spelling of “shoring” rather than “sharing” in the previous Office Action was a typing error by the examiner. As such, the misspelling of the word was not intended as the reason for rejection. Rather, the reason for the metes and bounds not being clear is that the claim does not recite components that perform those functions. The recited “sharing access point (AP)” would need to operate using necessary components e.g. a processor, memory, etc. which must also be defined for device claims. Therefore, the 112b rejection is maintained as the metes and bounds of the claim are still unclear.
Applicant’s further arguments with respect to claims 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
More specifically, claim 15 is directed to “a sharing access point (AP)” that transmits one or more MU-RTS TXW frames and receive a respective CTS from the one or more shared AP. However, claim does not recite components that performs those functions. Therefore, the metes and bounds of claimed invention are not clear.
Claims 16-20 are rejected for their dependency to claim 15.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claims 1-4, 7-10, and 14-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun et al. (US 2024/0224259 A1), hereinafter “Sun”, in view of Lou et al. (US 2025/0048428 A1), hereinafter “Lou”.
Re. Claim 1, Sun teaches:
A method (¶0006 the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a method for wireless communication.)
comprising: allocating, by a sharing access point, one or more service periods of a transmit opportunity (TXOP) time to one or more shared AP; (¶0031 an access point (AP) may share a transmission opportunity (TXOP) with another AP. The AP may leverage association identifiers (AIDs) that are unused in identifying non-AP stations (STAs) to signal the allocation of a portion of a TXOP from the AP to the other AP. [i.e. allocating, through use of AIDs, a service period of a TXOP to one or more shared AP])
transmitting, by the sharing access point, one or more multi-user request to send TXOP sharing (MU-RTS TXS) frames to the one or more shared AP to indicate the allocation of the one or more service periods; (¶0058 an AID of the one or more subsets of AIDs may be selected by or otherwise assigned to the shared AP 102 such that the sharing AP 102 may transmit a frame (such as a CTI, an MU-RTS frame, or an MU-RTS TXS frame, among others) that includes the AID associated with the shared AP 102 to allocate the portion of the TXOP to the shared AP 102. [i.e. transmitting a MU-RTS TXS frame to one or more shared AP that indicates the allocation of service periods, where the service periods are mapped to portion of the TXOP])
and receiving a respective clear to send (CTS) from the one or more shared AP in response to a corresponding MU-RTS TXS frame to indicate a confirmation by a respective shared AP which will use the allocated one (¶0080 the AP 402-b may transmit a response frame 435 based on receiving the frame 430. For example, the response frame 435 may be an explicit confirmation of the allocation of the portion of the TXOP to the AP 402-b. In some examples, a type of the response frame 435 may be based on a type of the frame 430. For example, if the frame 430 is a trigger frame, such as an MU-RTS frame or an MU-RTS TXS frame, the response frame 435 may be a clear-to-send (CTS) frame that indicates successful allocation of the portion of the TXOP to the AP 402-b. [i.e. receive a clear-to-send (CTS) from a shared AP, which indicates confirmation by the shared AP that will use the allocated service period of the TXOP, which is mapped to the successful allocation of the portion of the TXOP (service period)])
wherein the one or more shared AP performs one or more of a downlink transmission and uplink reception in the allocated one or more service periods. (¶0052 The sharing AP 102 may allocate the time or frequency segments to itself or to one or more of the shared APs 102. For example, each shared AP 102 may utilize a partial TXOP assigned by the sharing AP 102 for its uplink or downlink communications [i.e. shared AP performs uplink and downlink communication in allocated service period, where the service period is mapped to a partial TXOP assigned by the sharing AP] with its associated STAs 104.)
Yet, Sun does not explicitly teach: a service period of a shared AP of the one or more shared AP explicitly indicated by a start time and a duration in a user information field of the shared AP, the user information field being in a MU-RTS TXS frame of the one or more MU-RTS TXS frames.
However, in the analogous art, Lou teaches such limitations:
a service period of a shared AP of the one or more shared AP explicitly indicated by a start time (¶0120 The MU-RTS TXS frame or frame may include one User information field in its frame body. The MU-RTS TXS frame or TXS frame may include two user information field in its frame body, one of which is the special user information field, which may be used to indicate the MU-RTS TXS is meant to trigger EHT PPDUs. The MU-RTS frame may also be used by an AP to share the TXOP with one or more APs. The MU-RTS TXS frame may also contain indication that it is a frame that is used to start shared TXOP. The MU-RTS frame or other frame may include different indication whether the frame is used to start shared TXOP with an AP, or with a non-STA, or with one or more APs, or one or more non-STA APs, or within a Multiple AP set (MAP). The MU-RTS TXS frame or TXS frame may include an indication for the duration of the shared TXOP granted to the one or more STAs. Alternatively or additionally, the MU-RTS TXS or TXS frame may include a sharing schedule for the one or more STAs, indicating the allocated duration of shared TXOP and/or starting time (or implicit starting time) of the shared TXOP for each of the one or more STAs.)
and a duration in a user information field of the shared AP, (¶0120 the MU-RTS TXS or TXS frame may include a sharing schedule for the one or more STAs, indicating the allocated duration of shared TXOP and/or starting time (or implicit starting time) of the shared TXOP for each of the one or more STAs.)
the user information field being in a MU-RTS TXS frame of the one or more MU-RTS TXS frames; (¶0120 The MU-RTS TXS frame or frame may include one User information field in its frame body. The MU-RTS TXS frame or TXS frame may include two user information field in its frame body, one of which is the special user information field, which may be used to indicate the MU-RTS TXS is meant to trigger EHT PPDUs.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Sun’s invention of access point-to-access point transmission opportunity sharing to include Lou’s teaching of the user information field of a MU-RTS TXS frame including a duration and start time of a service period of a shared AP, because it would enable the sharing of a schedule for the one or more STAs when using a MU-RTS frame by an AP to share a TXOP with one or more APs. (see Lou ¶0120)
Re. Claim 2, Sun combined with Lou teaches claim 1.
Sun further teaches:
wherein the one or more service periods is one service period, and one or more shared AP is one shared AP. (¶0031 The AP may leverage association identifiers (AIDs) that are unused in identifying non-AP stations (STAs) to signal the allocation of a portion of a TXOP from the AP to the other AP [i.e. one shared AP is allocated a portion of a TXOP (mapped to a service period), which is shown here as one service period])
Re. Claim 3, Sun combined with Lou teaches claim 1.
Sun further teaches:
wherein the one or more service periods is one service period, (¶0052 To share its time or frequency resources, the sharing AP 102 may partition the TXOP into multiple time segments or frequency segments each including respective time or frequency resources representing a portion of the TXOP. The sharing AP 102 may allocate the time or frequency segments [i.e. one or more service periods] to itself or to one or more of the shared APs 102… each shared AP 102 may utilize a partial TXOP assigned by the sharing AP 102 [i.e. a single service period])
and one or more shared AP is two or more shared APs. (¶0052 For example, each shared AP 102 [i.e. ‘each’ shared AP would involve two or more shared AP, as the word ‘each’ implies at least two of something] may utilize a partial TXOP [i.e. the single service period] assigned by the sharing AP 102 for its uplink or downlink communications with its associated STAs 104.)
Re. Claim 4, Sun combined with Lou teaches claim 1.
Sun further teaches:
wherein the one or more service periods is two or more service periods, (¶0053 In some examples of such TDMA techniques, each portion of a plurality of portions of the TXOP [i.e. plurality of portions of the TXOP mapped to two or more service periods] includes a set of time resources that do not overlap with any time resources of any other portion of the plurality of portions)
and one or more shared AP is two or more shared APs, (¶0055 the sharing AP's acquisition of the TXOP enables communication between one or more additional shared APs [i.e. one or more shared Aps is functionally the same as two or more])
wherein one shared AP is allocated to a respective service period. (¶0052 The sharing AP 102 may allocate the time or frequency segments to itself or to one or more of the shared APs 102. For example, each shared AP 102 may utilize a partial TXOP assigned by the sharing AP 102 for its uplink or downlink communications [i.e. one (each) shared AP is allocated (assigned) a partial TXOP (service period)] with its associated STAs 104.)
Re. Claim 7, Sun combined with Lou teaches claim 1.
Sun further teaches:
wherein the MU-RTS TXS frame indicates a respective service period for a respective shared AP in a respective User Information field of the MU-RTS TXS frame. (¶0080 the frame 430 is a trigger frame, such as an MU-RTS frame or an MU-RTS TXS frame & ¶0092-¶0093 FIG. 6 shows an example of a frame field diagram 600 that supports AP-to-AP TXOP sharing… The frame field diagram 600 shows a user information (info) field 605, which may be a field of a frame used to allocate a portion of a TXOP with an indicated AP [i.e. indicates a service period (portion of TXOP) for a respective shared AP (indicated AP)] (which may be referred to as a TXOP sharing frame), such as a frame 430 or a frame 535.)
Re. Claim 8, Sun combined with Lou teaches claim 1.
Sun further teaches:
wherein the MU-RTS TXS frame indicates by an association identifier (AID) in a respective User Information field of the MU-RTS TXS frame the one or more shared AP. (¶0093 a user information (info) field 605, which may be a field of a frame used to allocate a portion of a TXOP with an indicated AP [i.e. the frame, a MU-RTS TXS frame] (which may be referred to as a TXOP sharing frame), such as a frame 430 or a frame 535. The user info field 605 may include various subfields that support the allocation of the portion of the TXOP. For example, the user info field may include an AID subfield 610… The AID subfield 610 may include an AP-specific AID of the AP to which the portion of the TXOP is allocated. [i.e. MU-RTS TXS frame indicates an AID within a user information field for the one or more shared AP])
Re. Claim 9, Sun combined with Lou teaches claim 1.
wherein the MU-RTS TXS frame indicates a resource unit (RU) allocated to a respective shared AP in a User Information field of the MU-RTS TXS. (¶0058 a frame (such as a CTI, an MU-RTS frame, or an MU-RTS TXS frame, among others) that includes the AID associated with the shared AP 102 to allocate the portion of the TXOP to the shared AP 102 & ¶0093 a user information (info) field 605, which may be a field of a frame used to allocate a portion of a TXOP with an indicated AP [i.e. the MU-RTS TXS frame] (which may be referred to as a TXOP sharing frame), such as a frame 430 or a frame 535. The user info field 605 may include various subfields that support the allocation of the portion of the TXOP. For example, the user info field may include an AID subfield 610, an RU allocation subfield 615, [i.e. MU-RTS TXS contains the user information field and a subfield for indicating RU allocation for the respective shared AP (indicated AP)] an allocation duration subfield 620, a reserved subfield 625, a PS160 subfield 630 or a combination thereof.)
Re. Claim 10, Sun combined with Lou teaches claim 1.
Sun further teaches:
wherein the shared AP uses a basic service set (BSS) operating channel of the shared AP in the service period. (¶0032 To support allocating the portion of the TXOP to a second AP, which may be referred to as a shared AP, [i.e. shared AP allocated a service period] the first AP may include an AID associated with the second AP in a frame that allocates the portion of the TXOP to a device corresponding to the AID. & ¶0037 A single AP 102 and an associated set of STAs 104 may be referred to as a basic service set (BSS), which is managed by the respective AP 102. [i.e. therefore, the second AP cited above operates on an associated BSS])
Re. Claim 14, Sun combined with Lou teaches claim 1.
Sun further teaches:
wherein the MU-RTS TXS frame is duplicated in each channel of a BSS operating channel of the sharing AP (¶0042-¶0043 PPDUs may be transmitted over physical channels having bandwidths of 40 MHZ, 80 MHZ, 160 or 320 MHz by bonding together multiple 20 MHz channels… In instances in which PPDUs [i.e. PPDUs mapped to frames, which includes the MU-RTS TXS frame] are transmitted over a bonded channel, the preamble fields may be duplicated and transmitted in each of the multiple component channels. [i.e. frames are duplicated in each of the multiple channels] & ¶0058 For example, an AID of the one or more subsets of AIDs may be selected by or otherwise assigned to the shared AP 102 such that the sharing AP 102 may transmit a frame (such as a CTI, an MU-RTS frame, or an MU-RTS TXS frame, among others) that includes the AID associated with the shared AP 102 to allocate the portion of the TXOP to the shared AP 102. & ¶0061 The shared AP 102 may communicate one or more PDUs 200 during the allocated portion of the TXOP, for example, with one or more STAs 104 that are a part of a BSS associated with (such as managed by) the shared AP 102, the sharing AP 102, [i.e. BSS of the sharing AP] one or more other APs 102, or any combination thereof)
and the CTS is received in each channel which the shared AP will use for the one or more of the downlink transmission and uplink reception in the allocated service period. (¶0061 The shared AP 102 may communicate one or more PDUs 200 during the allocated portion of the TXOP, [i.e. communication (uplink/downlink) in the allocated service period (portion of the TXOP)] for example, with one or more STAs 104 that are a part of a BSS associated with (such as managed by) the shared AP 102, the sharing AP 102, one or more other APs 102, or any combination thereof & ¶0080 the response frame 435 may be a clear-to-send (CTS) frame [i.e. CTS received] that indicates successful allocation of the portion of the TXOP to the AP & ¶0042-¶0043 PPDUs may be transmitted over physical channels having bandwidths of 40 MHZ, 80 MHZ, 160 or 320 MHz by bonding together multiple 20 MHz channels… In instances in which PPDUs [i.e. PPDUs mapped to frames, which includes the response frame (clear to send CTS frame)] are transmitted over a bonded channel, the preamble fields may be duplicated and transmitted in each of the multiple component channels. [i.e. frame is duplicated in each channel of the shared AP 102])
Re. Claim 15, Sun teaches:
A sharing access point (AP) (¶0032 a first AP may obtain a TXOP (such as a contention-based TXOP) associated with a wireless channel that corresponds to a duration of time during which the first AP may transmit frames via the wireless channel. In some examples, the first AP, which may be referred to as a TXOP sharing AP or sharing AP,)
arranged to allocate one or more service periods of a transmit opportunity (TXOP) time to one or more shared AP; (¶0031 an access point (AP) may share a transmission opportunity (TXOP) with another AP. The AP may leverage association identifiers (AIDs) that are unused in identifying non-AP stations (STAs) to signal the allocation of a portion of a TXOP from the AP to the other AP. [i.e. allocating, through use of AIDs, a service period of a TXOP to one or more shared AP])
transmit one or more multi-user request to send TXOP sharing (MU-RTS TXS) frames to the one or more shared AP to indicate the allocation of the one or more service periods, (¶0058 an AID of the one or more subsets of AIDs may be selected by or otherwise assigned to the shared AP 102 such that the sharing AP 102 may transmit a frame (such as a CTI, an MU-RTS frame, or an MU-RTS TXS frame, among others) that includes the AID associated with the shared AP 102 to allocate the portion of the TXOP to the shared AP 102. [i.e. transmitting a MU-RTS TXS frame to one or more shared AP that indicates the allocation of service periods, where the service periods are mapped to portion of the TXOP])
and receive a respective clear to send (CTS) from the one or more shared AP in response to a corresponding MU-RTS TXS frame to indicate a confirmation by a respective shared AP which will use the allocated service period of the TXOP, (¶0080 the AP 402-b may transmit a response frame 435 based on receiving the frame 430. For example, the response frame 435 may be an explicit confirmation of the allocation of the portion of the TXOP to the AP 402-b. In some examples, a type of the response frame 435 may be based on a type of the frame 430. For example, if the frame 430 is a trigger frame, such as an MU-RTS frame or an MU-RTS TXS frame, the response frame 435 may be a clear-to-send (CTS) frame that indicates successful allocation of the portion of the TXOP to the AP 402-b. [i.e. receive a clear-to-send (CTS) from a shared AP, which indicates confirmation by the shared AP that will use the allocated service period of the TXOP, which is mapped to the successful allocation of the portion of the TXOP (service period)])
wherein the one or more shared AP performs one or more of a downlink transmission and uplink reception in the allocated service period. (¶0052 The sharing AP 102 may allocate the time or frequency segments to itself or to one or more of the shared APs 102. For example, each shared AP 102 may utilize a partial TXOP assigned by the sharing AP 102 for its uplink or downlink communications [i.e. shared AP performs uplink and downlink communication in allocated service period, where the service period is mapped to a partial TXOP assigned by the sharing AP] with its associated STAs 104.)
Yet, Sun does not explicitly teach: a service period of a shared AP of the one or more shared AP explicitly indicated by a start time and a duration in a user information field of the shared AP, the user information field being in a MU-RTS TXS frame of the one or more MU-RTS TXS frames;
However, in the analogous art, Lou teaches such limitations:
a service period of a shared AP of the one or more shared AP explicitly indicated by a start time (¶0120 The MU-RTS TXS frame or frame may include one User information field in its frame body. The MU-RTS TXS frame or TXS frame may include two user information field in its frame body, one of which is the special user information field, which may be used to indicate the MU-RTS TXS is meant to trigger EHT PPDUs. The MU-RTS frame may also be used by an AP to share the TXOP with one or more APs. The MU-RTS TXS frame may also contain indication that it is a frame that is used to start shared TXOP. The MU-RTS frame or other frame may include different indication whether the frame is used to start shared TXOP with an AP, or with a non-STA, or with one or more APs, or one or more non-STA APs, or within a Multiple AP set (MAP). The MU-RTS TXS frame or TXS frame may include an indication for the duration of the shared TXOP granted to the one or more STAs. Alternatively or additionally, the MU-RTS TXS or TXS frame may include a sharing schedule for the one or more STAs, indicating the allocated duration of shared TXOP and/or starting time (or implicit starting time) of the shared TXOP for each of the one or more STAs.)
and a duration in a user information field of the shared AP, (¶0120 the MU-RTS TXS or TXS frame may include a sharing schedule for the one or more STAs, indicating the allocated duration of shared TXOP and/or starting time (or implicit starting time) of the shared TXOP for each of the one or more STAs.)
the user information field being in a MU-RTS TXS frame of the one or more MU-RTS TXS frames; (¶0120 The MU-RTS TXS frame or frame may include one User information field in its frame body. The MU-RTS TXS frame or TXS frame may include two user information field in its frame body, one of which is the special user information field, which may be used to indicate the MU-RTS TXS is meant to trigger EHT PPDUs.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Sun’s invention of access point-to-access point transmission opportunity sharing to include Lou’s teaching of the user information field of a MU-RTS TXS frame including a duration and start time of a service period of a shared AP, because it would enable the sharing of a schedule for the one or more STAs when using a MU-RTS frame by an AP to share a TXOP with one or more APs. (see Lou ¶0120)
Re. Claim 16, Sun combined with Lou teaches claim 15.
Sun further teaches:
wherein the MU-RTS TXS frame is duplicated in each channel of the BSS operating channel of the sharing AP. (¶0042-¶0043 PPDUs may be transmitted over physical channels having bandwidths of 40 MHZ, 80 MHZ, 160 or 320 MHz by bonding together multiple 20 MHz channels… In instances in which PPDUs [i.e. PPDUs mapped to frames, which includes the MU-RTS TXS frame] are transmitted over a bonded channel, the preamble fields may be duplicated and transmitted in each of the multiple component channels. [i.e. frames are duplicated in each of the multiple channels] & ¶0058 For example, an AID of the one or more subsets of AIDs may be selected by or otherwise assigned to the shared AP 102 such that the sharing AP 102 may transmit a frame (such as a CTI, an MU-RTS frame, or an MU-RTS TXS frame, among others) that includes the AID associated with the shared AP 102 to allocate the portion of the TXOP to the shared AP 102. & ¶0061 The shared AP 102 may communicate one or more PDUs 200 during the allocated portion of the TXOP, for example, with one or more STAs 104 that are a part of a BSS associated with (such as managed by) the shared AP 102, the sharing AP 102, [i.e. BSS of the sharing AP] one or more other APs 102, or any combination thereof)
Re. Claim 17, Sun combined with Lou teaches claim 15.
Sun further teaches:
wherein the MU-RTS TXS frame indicates a respective service period is shared with a respective shared AP in a respective User Information field of the MU-RTS TXS frame. (¶0058 a frame (such as a CTI, an MU-RTS frame, or an MU-RTS TXS frame, among others) that includes the AID associated with the shared AP 102 to allocate the portion of the TXOP to the shared AP 102 & ¶0093 a user information (info) field 605, which may be a field of a frame used to allocate a portion of a TXOP with an indicated AP [i.e. the MU-RTS TXS frame (frame used to allocate portion of TXOP)] (which may be referred to as a TXOP sharing frame), such as a frame 430 or a frame 535. The user info field 605 may include various subfields that support the allocation of the portion of the TXOP. For example, the user info field may include an AID subfield 610… [i.e. MU-RTS TXS indicates a respective service period (portion of the TXOP) for a respective shared AP (indicated AP)])
Re. Claim 18, Sun combined with Lou teaches claim 15.
Sun further teaches:
wherein the MU-RTS TXS frame indicates the one or more shared AP in a User Information field of the MU-RTS TXS frame. (¶0058 a frame (such as a CTI, an MU-RTS frame, or an MU-RTS TXS frame, among others) that includes the AID associated with the shared AP 102 to allocate the portion of the TXOP to the shared AP 102… One or more of the subsets of AIDs may be allocated for identification of APs 102 in association with TXOP sharing… an AID subfield of the frame, which may otherwise be used to identify non-AP STAs for TXOP sharing, may be leveraged to identify and indicate the shared AP 102 to which the portion of the TXOP is allocated. [i.e. AID subfield of the MU-RTS TXS frame indicates the one or more shared AP] & ¶0071 To indicate the AP 402 to which the portion of the TXOP is allocated, the frame 430 may include an AP-specific AID. For example, the frame 430 may include an AID subfield (such as an AID12 subfield of a user info field) [i.e. AID subfield in user information field] that indicates the device to which the portion of the TXOP is allocated.)
Re. Claim 19, Sun combined with Lou teaches claim 15.
Sun further teaches:
wherein the MU-RTS TXS frame indicates a resource unit (RU) allocated to a respective shared AP in a User Information field of the MU-RTS TXS frame. (¶0058 a frame (such as a CTI, an MU-RTS frame, or an MU-RTS TXS frame, among others) that includes the AID associated with the shared AP 102 to allocate the portion of the TXOP to the shared AP 102 & ¶0093 a user information (info) field 605, which may be a field of a frame used to allocate a portion of a TXOP with an indicated AP [i.e. the MU-RTS TXS frame] (which may be referred to as a TXOP sharing frame), such as a frame 430 or a frame 535. The user info field 605 may include various subfields that support the allocation of the portion of the TXOP. For example, the user info field may include an AID subfield 610, an RU allocation subfield 615, [i.e. MU-RTS TXS contains the user information field and a subfield for indicating RU allocation for the respective shared AP (indicated AP)] an allocation duration subfield 620, a reserved subfield 625, a PS160 subfield 630 or a combination thereof)
Re. Claim 20, Sun combined with Lou teaches claim 15.
wherein the MU-RTS TXS frame is duplicated in each channel of the BSS operating channel of the sharing AP (¶0042-¶0043 PPDUs may be transmitted over physical channels having bandwidths of 40 MHZ, 80 MHZ, 160 or 320 MHz by bonding together multiple 20 MHz channels… In instances in which PPDUs [i.e. PPDUs mapped to frames, which includes the MU-RTS TXS frame] are transmitted over a bonded channel, the preamble fields may be duplicated and transmitted in each of the multiple component channels. [i.e. frames are duplicated in each of the multiple channels] & ¶0058 For example, an AID of the one or more subsets of AIDs may be selected by or otherwise assigned to the shared AP 102 such that the sharing AP 102 may transmit a frame (such as a CTI, an MU-RTS frame, or an MU-RTS TXS frame, among others) that includes the AID associated with the shared AP 102 to allocate the portion of the TXOP to the shared AP 102. & ¶0061 The shared AP 102 may communicate one or more PDUs 200 during the allocated portion of the TXOP, for example, with one or more STAs 104 that are a part of a BSS associated with (such as managed by) the shared AP 102, the sharing AP 102, [i.e. BSS of the sharing AP] one or more other APs 102, or any combination thereof)
and the CTS is received in each channel which the shared AP will use for the one or more of the downlink transmission and uplink reception in the allocated service period. (¶0061 The shared AP 102 may communicate one or more PDUs 200 during the allocated portion of the TXOP, [i.e. communication (uplink/downlink) in the allocated service period (portion of the TXOP)] for example, with one or more STAs 104 that are a part of a BSS associated with (such as managed by) the shared AP 102, the sharing AP 102, one or more other APs 102, or any combination thereof & ¶0080 the response frame 435 may be a clear-to-send (CTS) frame [i.e. CTS received] that indicates successful allocation of the portion of the TXOP to the AP & ¶0042-¶0043 PPDUs may be transmitted over physical channels having bandwidths of 40 MHZ, 80 MHZ, 160 or 320 MHz by bonding together multiple 20 MHz channels… In instances in which PPDUs [i.e. PPDUs mapped to frames, which includes the response frame (clear to send CTS frame)] are transmitted over a bonded channel, the preamble fields may be duplicated and transmitted in each of the multiple component channels. [i.e. frame is duplicated in each channel of the shared AP 102])
Claims 5-6, 11 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun combined with Lou, further in view of Naribole et al. (US 2023/0413255 A1), hereinafter “Naribole”.
Re. Claim 5, Sun combined with Lou teaches claim 1.
Yet, the combined references do not teach: further comprising determining the one or more shared AP have a same 20 MHz primary channel as the sharing AP; and performing channel switch of a primary channel of one of the one or more shared APs during a service period.
However, in the analogous art, Naribole teaches such limitations:
further comprising determining the one or more shared AP have a same 20 MHz primary channel as the sharing AP; (¶0038 a sharing AP 210 and a shared AP 220 have the same primary 20 MHz channel,)
and performing channel switch of a primary channel of one of the one or more shared APs during a service period. (¶0039 in a shared TXOP, it may be necessary for a shared AP 220 to temporarily switch its primary 20 MHz channel until the end of the SH-TXOP.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Sun and Lou’s invention of access point-to-access point transmission opportunity sharing to include Naribole’s teaching of switching channels when one or more shared AP has a same 20 MHz primary channel as the sharing AP, because it would enable the device to switch channels due to the resources not being able to be allocated on the same channel, preventing channel interference. (see Naribole ¶0015 & ¶0038)
Re. Claim 6, Sun combined with Lou teaches claim 1.
Yet, the combined references do not teach: further comprising determining the one or more shared AP have a same 20 MHz primary channel as the sharing AP; and allocating the service period to only one of the one or more shared APs.
However, in the analogous art, Naribole teaches such limitations:
further comprising determining the one or more shared AP have a same 20 MHz primary channel as the sharing AP; (¶0038 a sharing AP 210 and a shared AP 220 have the same primary 20 MHz channel,)
and allocating the service period to only one of the one or more shared APs. (¶0021 selecting, by the sharing AP, an AP as the shared AP [i.e. only one of the shared APs] if a bandwidth of a primary channel of the AP is within a bandwidth of the SH-TXOP, and restricting, by the sharing AP, allocation to any shared AP in the AP candidate set of time resources beyond a duration of the SH-TXOP and frequency resources outside of the SH-TXOP bandwidth. [i.e. selects only one AP as shared AP by restricting allocation of APs that do not share same time/frequency resources (same channel)])
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Sun and Lou’s invention of access point-to-access point transmission opportunity sharing to include Naribole’s teaching of only allocating the service period to only one of the shared APs, because it would enable the device to prevent channel interference due to resources not being able to be allocated on the same channel. (see Naribole ¶0015 & ¶0038)
Re. Claim 11, Sun combined with Lou teaches claim 1.
Yet, the combined references do not teach: wherein the shared AP uses 20 MHz channels of the shared AP that overlaps in frequency with a BSS operating channel of the sharing AP and a respective primary channel of the shared AP and sharing AP are within a BSS operating channel of the shared AP and the BSS operating channel of the sharing AP.
However, in the analogous art, Naribole teaches such limitations:
wherein the shared AP uses 20 MHz channels of the shared AP that overlaps in frequency with a BSS operating channel of the sharing AP (¶0012 Once the shared AP 120 receives the SH-TXOP ANN frame 150, the sharing AP 110 and shared AP 120 both transmit on non-overlapping channels. In other words, the sharing AP 110 transmits DL OFDMA 130 and UL ODFMA 140 frames on the 20 MHz_A and 20 MHz_B channels, while the shared AP 120 transmits DL OFDMA 130 and UL OFDMA 140 frames on the 20 MHz_C and 20 MHz_D channels. [i.e. 20 MHz channels of shared AP overlap frequency with the 20 MHz operating channel of the sharing AP, as they are both operating at 20 MHz])
and a respective primary channel of the shared AP and sharing AP are within a BSS operating channel of the shared AP and the BSS operating channel of the sharing AP. (¶0035 the primary 20 MHz bandwidth of a shared (i.e., coordinated) AP belonging to an AP candidate set of a sharing (i.e., coordinating) AP shall lie within the BSS (network) operating bandwidth of the sharing AP, [i.e. primary channel (bandwidth) of shared and sharing AP are within a BSS operating channel (operating bandwidth) of the shared and sharing AP] the primary 20 MHz bandwidth of a shared AP shall lie within the SH-TXOP bandwidth, & ¶0038 a sharing AP 210 and a shared AP 220 have the same primary 20 MHz channel, i.e., 20 MHz_A.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Sun and Lou’s invention of access point-to-access point transmission opportunity sharing to include Naribole’s teaching of the shared AP using 20MHz channels that overlap in frequency with the operating channel of the sharing AP, because it would enable the device to prevent channel interference by switching to a different overlapping bandwidth stream. (see Naribole ¶0015 & ¶0038)
Re. Claim 13, Sun combined with Lou teaches claim 1.
Yet, the combined references do not teach: further comprising receiving, by the sharing AP from a respective shared AP, a request for allocation of a bandwidth and medium time of the TXOP.
However, in the analogous art, Naribole teaches such a limitation:
further comprising receiving, by the sharing AP from a respective shared AP, a request for allocation of a bandwidth and medium time of the TXOP. (¶0008-¶0009 The coordinating APs of an AP candidate set [i.e. shared APs] can request for resources from the coordinating AP [i.e. sharing AP receiving request for resources]. Specifically, upon obtaining a transmission opportunity (TXOP), the updated AP determines whether it may share the TXOP with one or more shared APs from its AP candidate set. This TXOP is denoted as a shared TXOP (SH-TXOP) in which multi-AP coordination is performed. The coordinating AP which obtains the TXOP and initiates the multi-AP coordination is a sharing AP in reference to this TXOP; …The sharing AP initiates the SH-TXOP by transmitting an SH-TXOP announcement frame… The announcement frame includes a frequency resource, a temporary primary channel of each shared AP, lengths, and additional transmission vector (TXVECTOR) parameters for DL and UL transmission. [i.e. resources for the allocation of bandwidth (frequency resource) and medium times (lengths for DL and UL transmission)])
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Sun and Lou’s invention of access point-to-access point transmission opportunity sharing to include Naribole’s teaching of receiving a request for resources by the sharing AP from a shared AP, because it would enable an AP to coordinate with another AP upon obtaining a transmission opportunity, providing an efficient protocol for a shared AP. (see Naribole ¶0008 & ¶0019)
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun combined with Lou, Naribole, and further in view of Kim et al. (US 2025/0063619 A1), hereinafter “Kim”.
Re. Claim 12, Sun combined with Lou and Naribole teaches claim 11.
Yet, the combined references do not teach: wherein the BSS operating channels exclude punctured channels of one or more of the shared AP and sharing AP.
However, in the analogous art, Kim teaches such a limitation:
wherein the BSS operating channels exclude punctured channels of one or more of the shared AP and sharing AP. (¶0117-¶0118 in the case of the SU PPDU, a puncturing mode field, which includes information indicating, in a bitmap format, etc., a puncturing pattern and whether the puncturing mode is applied, may be included in the EHT-SIG field, and the puncturing mode field may signal a discontinuous channel type appearing within a bandwidth… the terminal may receive the PPDU in resource units remaining after excluding a specific channel of the punctured resource unit. & ¶0774 there may be an AP MLD [i.e. a sharing AP] to which AP 1 and AP 2 belong. [i.e. shared APs])
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Sun, Lou, and Naribole’s invention of access point-to-access point transmission opportunity sharing to include Kim’s teaching of operating channels excluding punctured channels of the sharing AP and shared AP, because it would enable the device to efficiently receive the transmission by recognizing a punctured resource unit if they are allocated as discontinuous. (see Kim ¶0117-¶0118)
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/G.A.M./Examiner, Art Unit 2417
/REBECCA E SONG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2417