Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 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 Park (9661560) in view of Sampathkumar (2010/0284316) hereinafter Sam and Kim (WO2023/038878).
Regarding claim 1, Park discloses a method comprising, receiving by an access point (Figure 1, 125 or 130) working a first channel (providing wireless service Col 18; 4-10) and from a controller (AP sends a probe request on a first channel, Col 6;25-45) , a request for scanning on a second channel different than a first channel (Col. 17;48-Col. 18,20, probe response (request for scanning) includes a second frequency/channel). Park discloses determining by the AP, and based on the request a first duration for scanning of a second channel (Col; 20; 50-Col; 21,2 – the use of TBTT information reflects a duration of scanning to change to the second channel). Park also discloses generating based on the second duration (based on the change to another channel (Col; 26;30-45) and transmitting by the AP to the station, a beacon frame (Col; 26;35-45). Park fails to disclose determining, by the AP, and based on the first duration, a second duration for preventing a station from sending a packet or the beacon frame including a quiet element or TID-to-link mapping element.
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. Sam does not teach that the second duration is based on the first duration and prevents a station from sending a packet to the AP.
However, Park teaches a system where a second duration (restricted target wake up time in conjunction with a quiet intervals, (abstract)) is based upon a first duration (quiet intervals and R-Twt interval is based upon reception of the beacon link). In particular, note para 139-143 which states that no transmission may occur during quiet intervals. Park teaches in para 172-183, the transmission of beacon frames with quiet intervals as well as signaling of the termination of r-twt intervals), 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 second duration based upon the first interval to prevent transmission for power savings.
Regarding claim 2, Park further teaches wherein the beacon frame includes the quiet element (para 122, quiet element is part of the beacon frame 140) and determining the first duration as the second duration (r-twt interval overlaps with the quiet interval, para 173).
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). Jia further teaches 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 claim 11, Park discloses an access point (Figure 1, 125 or 130) comprising at least one processor and a memory coupled to the processor. (Figure 22, processor 2220 and memory 2240) . Park discloses the memory and processor cause the at least one processor to working a first channel (providing wireless service Col 18; 4-10) and from a controller (AP sends a probe request on a first channel, Col 6;25-45) , receive a request for scanning on a second channel different than a first channel (Col. 17;48-Col. 18,20, probe response (request for scanning) includes a second frequency/channel). Park discloses determining by the AP, and based on the request a first duration for scanning of a second channel (Col; 20; 50-Col; 21,2 – the use of TBTT information reflects a duration of scanning to change to the second channel). Park also discloses generating based on the second duration (based on the change to another channel (Col; 26;30-45) and transmitting by the AP to the station, a beacon frame (Col; 26;35-45). Park fails to disclose determining, by the AP, and based on the first duration, a second duration for preventing a station from sending a packet or the beacon frame including a quiet element or TID-to-link mapping element.
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. Sam does not teach that the second duration is based on the first duration and prevents a station from sending a packet to the AP.
However, Park teaches a system where a second duration (restricted target wake up time in conjunction with a quiet intervals, (abstract)) is based upon a first duration (quiet intervals and R-Twt interval is based upon reception of the beacon link). In particular, note para 139-143 which states that no transmission may occur during quiet intervals. Park teaches in para 172-183, the transmission of beacon frames with quiet intervals as well as signaling of the termination of r-twt intervals), 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 second duration based upon the first interval to prevent transmission for power savings.
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.
Regarding claim 20, Park discloses a non-trasnitory computer readable medium (Col 28;60-65) comprising instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a processor (Figure 22, item 2220) by an access point working on a first channel (Providing wireless service Col. 18;4-10) cause the AP to: receive a request for scanning on a second channel different than a first channel (Col. 17;48-Col. 18,20, probe response (request for scanning) includes a second frequency/channel). Park discloses determining by the AP, and based on the request a first duration for scanning of a second channel (Col; 20; 50-Col; 21,2 – the use of TBTT information reflects a duration of scanning to change to the second channel). Park also discloses generating based on the second duration (based on the change to another channel (Col; 26;30-45) and transmitting by the AP to the station, a beacon frame (Col; 26;35-45). Park fails to disclose determining, by the AP, and based on the first duration, a second duration for preventing a station from sending a packet or the beacon frame including a quiet element or TID-to-link mapping element.
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. Sam does not teach that the second duration is based on the first duration and prevents a station from sending a packet to the AP.
However, Park teaches a system where a second duration (restricted target wake up time in conjunction with a quiet intervals, (abstract)) is based upon a first duration (quiet intervals and R-Twt interval is based upon reception of the beacon link). In particular, note para 139-143 which states that no transmission may occur during quiet intervals. Park teaches in para 172-183, the transmission of beacon frames with quiet intervals as well as signaling of the termination of r-twt intervals), 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 second duration based upon the first interval to prevent transmission for power savings.
Claim(s) 5-7, 15-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park, Sam, and Kim as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Jia (2024/0365188).
Regarding claims 5-6, the combination of Park, Sam, and Kim doesn’t disclose that the AP is a multi-link device, 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 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 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 Park, Sam, Kim, and Jia as applied to claim 7 above, and further in view of Cariou (2023/0139206).
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Park, Sam, Kim, and Jia 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 Park, Sam, Kim, Jia, 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.
Chu (8014346) discloses the use of quiet elements in wireless networks
Chu (2023/0026249) discloses the use of a restricted wake time in a multi path network.
Xin (2023/0117842) disclose QoS buffering and TID in access points.
Ratnam (2024/0007894) discloses multi-link traffic indication with MLD AP and non-AP MLD.
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WILLIAM GEORGE TROST IV
Primary Patent Examiner
Art Unit 2641
/WILLIAM G TROST IV/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2641