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 Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 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 § 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.
Claims 1-4, 10-14, 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jia (2024/0089854) in view of Sampathkumar (2010/0284316) hereinafter Sam.
Regarding claim 1, Jia discloses a method comprising: receiving by an access point (AP 110) working a first channel (link 1, Figure 1, 131, first link) over which the AP communicates with stations (STA 120) and from an AP controller, a request for scanning on a second channel different than the first channel (Figure 8, steps 822, second link based on multi-link operation), determine by the AP and based on the request, a first duration for the scanning of the second channel (aligning first and second TBTT intervals), determine by the AP and based on the first duration, a second duration for preventing a station from sending a packet to the AP on the first channel (para 30, doze state related to TBTT intervals prevents transmission and reception of signals); generating by the ap and based on the second duration, a beacon frame or probe response frame (Figure 8, step 828 transmitting beacon frame) including a quiet element or TID to link mapping element, and transmitting by the AP and to the station, the beacon frame or the probe response frame (Figure 3, step 308). Jia fails to disclose the beacon frame or probe response including a quiet element or a tid-to-link mapping. However, Sam teaches generating a beacon frame or a probe response frame including a quiet element (Figure 2, quiet IE) or TID mapping element (Figure 2, 220 – beacon frame includes a quiet element). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include a quiet element in order to prevent collisions in transmissions.
Regarding claim 11, Jia discloses an access point Figure 8, comprising at least one processor (810) and a memory coupled to the processor (820), the AP working a first channel (link 1, Figure 1, 131, first link) over which the AP communicates with stations (STA 120) the memory storing instructions to cause the at least one processor to: receive a request for scanning on a second channel different than the first channel (Figure 8, steps 822, second link based on multi-link operation), determine by the AP and based on the request, a first duration for the scanning of the second channel (aligning first and second TBTT intervals), determine by the AP and based on the first duration, a second duration for preventing a station from sending a packet to the AP on the first channel (para 30, doze state related to TBTT intervals prevents transmission and reception of signals); generating by the ap and based on the second duration, a beacon frame or probe response frame (Figure 8, step 828 transmitting beacon frame) including a quiet element or TID to link mapping element, and transmitting by the AP and to the station, the beacon frame or the probe response frame (Figure 3, step 308). Jia fails to disclose the beacon frame or probe response including a quiet element or a tid-to-link mapping. However, Sam teaches generating a beacon frame or a probe response frame including a quiet element (Figure 2, quiet IE) or TID mapping element (Figure 2, 220 – beacon frame includes a quiet element). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include a quiet element in order to prevent collisions in transmissions.
Regarding claim 20, Jia discloses a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, which when executed by an access point (AP 110), the AP working a first channel (link 1, Figure 1, 131, first link) over which the AP communicates with stations (STA 120) cause the AP to: receive a request for scanning on a second channel different than the first channel (Figure 8, steps 822, second link based on multi-link operation), determine by the AP and based on the request, a first duration for the scanning of the second channel (aligning first and second TBTT intervals), determine by the AP and based on the first duration, a second duration for preventing a station from sending a packet to the AP on the first channel (para 30, doze state related to TBTT intervals prevents transmission and reception of signals); generating by the ap and based on the second duration, a beacon frame or probe response frame (Figure 8, step 828 transmitting beacon frame) including a quiet element or TID to link mapping element, and transmitting by the AP and to the station, the beacon frame or the probe response frame (Figure 3, step 308). Jia fails to disclose the beacon frame or probe response including a quiet element or a tid-to-link mapping. However, Sam teaches generating a beacon frame or a probe response frame including a quiet element (Figure 2, quiet IE) or TID mapping element (Figure 2, 220 – beacon frame includes a quiet element). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include a quiet element in order to prevent collisions in transmissions.
Regarding claim 2, Jia further discloses determining the first duration as the second duration (instructing first TBTT and second TBTT to align at a same start time, Figure 8, 826; Figure 3; 306). Sam further teaches wherein the beacon frame includes the quiet element (Figure 2, quiet element is part of the beacon frame 200).
Regarding claim 3, Sam teaches determining a number of target beacon transmission time (TBTT) intervals to be passed before scanning (para 28) and determining a switching operation (switching from sleep to wake mode, para 31) and that a switching duration from the first to second channel based on beacon frames (Figure 2 and 5, para 48-51). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include a channel switching operation to allow for traffic to be remapped to a new channel quickly.
Regarding claim 4, Sam further teaches filling a quiet count field (226) based on the number of TBTT intervals, filling a quiet offset (232) based on the switching duration, and filling a quiet duration (230) based on the second duration (para 28-29, elements 226, 232, are based on probe response in para 29). Park also teaches that quiet intervals can be determined based on a second duration (Figure 11, para 144, second interval (r-twt) overlaps with the quiet interval). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include a quiet element based on a second duration in order to provide accurate system timing for signaling of the quiet duration.
Regarding claim 10, Jia further teaches performing a switching operation from a first channel to a second channel (Figures 7-8, steps 822,824) and performing a scanning on the second channel (step 826, figure 8). Claim 10 is rejected for the same reasoning as in the rejection of claim 1 above.
Regarding claims 12-14, the apparatus claims are read upon by the method claims of claims 2-4 and are rejected given the same reasoning above.
Claim(s) 5-7, 15-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Jia (‘854) and Sam as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Jia (2024/0365188).
Regarding claims 5-6, the combination of Jia (854) and Sam discloses that the AP is a multi-link device (para 17) . The combination doesn’t disclose where the beacon frame or probe response includes TID-to-link mapping and use of multiple beacon frames based on the different links for communication. However, Jia (188) teaches the use of multi-link AP connections (para 17), the use of multiple links and beacon frames (para 20-24 and Figure 5) and the use of a TID-to link mapping element (para 49). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include MLD and TID-to-link mapping in order to allow multiple users to simultaneously communicate to an access point.
Regarding claim 7, Jia (188) teaches determining a time interval to be passed before performing a TID-to-link mapping (para 49, T11 has a TXOP and after the beacon frame and T21 passes, a new tid-to-link mapping takes place, para 49). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include a time interval in order prevent premature signaling.
Regarding claims 15-17, the apparatus claims are read upon by the method claims of claims 2-4 and are rejected given the same reasoning above.
Claims 8-9, 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jia (854), Sam, and Jia (188) as applied to claim 7 above, and further in view of Cariou (2023/0139206).
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Jia (854), Sam, and Jia (188) disclose all the particulars of the claim except the mapping of fields in the TID-to-link elements. However, Cariou teaches in an analogous art, the use of a mapping switch time field based on time interval, expected duration field based on a second duration, and a set of link-mapping all the in the TID-to-link mapping (para 247-249, Figure 2p). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include TID-to-link mappings as taught by Cariou in order to comply with the MLD signaling requirements.
Regarding claim 9, Cariou further teaches setting a second TID-to-link mapping element in a second beacon frame, being used to notify scanning on the first link and transmitting the second beacon from on a second link for the AP MLD (Figure 4a, para 279-289, setting up multiple channel links in a MLD system). Claim 9 is rejected for the same reasoning as given in the rejection of claim 8 above.
Regarding claims 18-19, the combination of Jia (854), Sam, Jia (188), and Cariou disclose all the particulars of the claim relating to an access point and are rejected given the same reasoning as in the rejection of claims 8-9 above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Patil (2015/0109981) discloses synchronization amongst mesh networks.
Kwon (2022/0174536) discloses MLD networks with TID-to-link mapping and multiple channels with a enhanced high speed for non-simultaneous transmission on a MLD system.
Huang (2023/0403753) discloses mutli-link operation with mesh networks.
Kim (2023/0413328) discloses blocking in a target wake time in MLD networks.
Kneckt (2024/0089891) discloses multiple access point communications in a LAN/
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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WILLIAM GEORGE TROST IV
Primary Patent Examiner
Art Unit 2641
/WILLIAM G TROST IV/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2641
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