DETAILED ACTION
It is hereby acknowledged that the following papers have been received and placed of record in the file: Amendment date 12/15/2025.
Claims 1-30 are presented for examination.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments with respect to claims 1-30 have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
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.
Claim(s) 1-30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al.. (US 2023/0379999 A1)in view of Kneckt et al. (US 2021/0345403 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kim teaches a first wireless device, comprising:
a processing system that includes processor circuitry and memory circuitry that stores code (station 100 (corresponding to the first wireless device) includes processor 110 and memory 160 see Kim: Fig.3; ¶[0089]), the processing system configured to cause the first wireless device to:
receive a beacon frame indicating for the first wireless device to monitor a first channel for a first frame that schedules communication via one or more channels (Station 100 receiving beacon message from AP 200, wherein beacon message include on the link change “the AP 200 obtains information by using a beacon message (S101) which is periodically transmitted” see Kim: Fig.5 step S101; ¶[0099]; ¶[0172]; ¶[0103]; ¶[0430]);
receive, from a second wireless device, the first frame indicating a channel bandwidth and indicating a puncturing pattern of a plurality of available puncturing patterns for the channel bandwidth, the puncturing pattern indicative of a first subset of a plurality of channels of the channel bandwidth (station 100 receive from AP 200 a puncture information allocated to the station related to the channel bandwidth “the AP may transmit the SU PPDU including information (e.g., a puncturing pattern of the RUs, etc.) of punctured RUs among the RUs allocated to the STA, the AP may transmit the SU PPDU including information (e.g., a puncturing pattern of the RUs, etc.) of punctured RUs among the RUs allocated to the STA” see Kim: Fig. 5 step S105; ¶[0124]); and
receive, from the second wireless device, one or more data packets via the second subset of the plurality of channels based at least in part on the at least one second frame (receiving from AP 200, association response S109b in response to S109a association request and punctured and modified channel type “receiving an association response from the AP 200 (S109b” see Kim: Fig.5 Step S109b; ¶[0100]; ¶[0120]).
Kim does not explicitly teaches transmit, to the second wireless device, at least one second frame indicating that a second subset of the plurality of channels is available, the second subset being at least a subset of the first subset of the plurality of channels of the channel bandwidth indicated by the puncturing pattern.
However, Kneckt teaches the transmit, to the second wireless device, at least one second frame indicating that a second subset of the plurality of channels is available, the second subset being at least a subset of the first subset of the plurality of channels of the channel bandwidth indicated by the puncturing pattern (transmit combine EHT BW comprising first data and second data on a second subset of channel “transmit a combined EHT BW comprising first data on a portion of the first subset of channels and second data on a portion of the second subset of channels”; “BW 1166 indicates whether a CTS frame can be transmitted to any subset of the BW in which RTS frames were transmitted” and “The reservation model may be generalized to more combinations of reserved BWs and corresponding puncture patterns” see Kneckt: ¶[0008]; Fig.2; ¶[0111];Fig. 13: ¶[0145]; ¶[0121]) in order to enable a station or access point to reserve medium transporting data utilizing EHT protocol (see Kneckt: ¶[0004]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to create the invention of Kim to include (or to use, etc.) the transmit, to the second wireless device, at least one second frame indicating that a second subset of the plurality of channels is available, the second subset being at least a subset of the first subset of the plurality of channels of the channel bandwidth indicated by the puncturing pattern as taught by Kneckt in order to enable a station or access point to reserve medium transporting data utilizing EHT protocol (see Kneckt: ¶[0004]).
Regarding claim 2, the modified Kim taught the first wireless device of claim 1 as described hereinabove. Kim further teaches wherein the first channel is associated with a second channel bandwidth that is smaller than the channel bandwidth (decrease in the bandwidth when link change request “the link change request may indicate a decrease in the bandwidth. The link change request may be a request for changing the location of the main channel” see Kim: ¶0170]; ¶[0172])
Regarding claim 3, the modified Kim taught the first wireless device of claim 1 as described hereinabove. Kim further teaches wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless device to: monitor the first channel for the first frame based at least in part on the beacon frame; and monitor the second subset of the plurality of channels for the one or more data packets based at least in part on the at least one second frame (multi-link device monitoring capability switched in a link when EMLSR mode or the EMLMR mode applied “When a multi-link device operates in the above-described EMLSR mode or EMLMR mode, transmission, reception, or monitoring capability may be switched in a link to which the EMLSR mode or the EMLMR mode is applied” see Kim: ¶[0313]).
Regarding claim 4, the modified Kim taught the first wireless device of claim 1 as described hereinabove. Kim further teaches wherein the beacon frame indicates a second channel within the channel bandwidth to monitor for the first frame (The processor transmits an initial control frame which initiates the frame exchange in the first link in the EMLSR mode, and terminates a TXOP for the frame exchange before a time point a predetermined time earlier than a time point at which the multi-link device is to receive a beacon frame in the second link see Kim: ¶[0017]).
Regarding claim 5, the modified Kim taught the first wireless device of claim 4 as described hereinabove. Kim further teaches wherein the first channel is a primary channel of communication with the second wireless device and the second channel is a secondary channel of communication with the second wireless device (each of puncturing types of primary 160 MHz and secondary 160 MHz in a 320 MHz BW configuration of an SU PPDU see Kim: ¶[0127]).
Regarding claim 6, the modified Kim taught the first wireless device of claim 1 as described hereinabove. Kim further teaches wherein the first frame indicates a first number of spatial streams associated with wireless communication with the second wireless device (number of spatial streams “the MIMO Rx support subfield may indicate that MIMP reception can be performed by using many spatial streams as the number equal to or greater than the value of a Max Rx spatial stream subfield of the operation element” see Kim: ¶[0324]).
Regarding claim 7, the modified Kim taught the first wireless device of claim 6 as described hereinabove. Kim further teaches wherein: the at least one second frame indicates that a second number of spatial streams are available, and the one or more data packets are received via the second number of spatial streams (number of spatial streams and smaller than a value the Max Rx spatial stream subfield “the MIMO Rx support subfield may indicate that MIMP reception can be performed by using many spatial streams as the number equal to or greater than the value of a Max Rx spatial stream subfield of the operation element” and “performing MIMO transmission to the single radio multi-link device needs to perform the MIMO transmission by using many spatial streams as the number equal to or smaller than a value the Max Rx spatial stream subfield of the operation element” see Kim: ¶[0324]).
Regarding claim 8, the modified Kim taught the first wireless device of claim 7 as described hereinabove. Kim further teaches wherein the second number of spatial streams is the same as the first number of spatial streams or is different from the first number of spatial streams (number of spatial streams and equal or greater or smaller than a value the Max Rx spatial stream subfield “the MIMO Rx support subfield may indicate that MIMP reception can be performed by using many spatial streams as the number equal to or greater than the value of a Max Rx spatial stream subfield of the operation element” and “performing MIMO transmission to the single radio multi-link device needs to perform the MIMO transmission by using many spatial streams as the number equal to or smaller than a value the Max Rx spatial stream subfield of the operation element” see Kim: ¶[0324]). .
Regarding claim 9, the modified Kim taught the first wireless device of claim 1 as described hereinabove. Kim further teaches wherein at least one of the first frame or the at least one second frame includes an aggregated control field comprising control information (TRS control field “When an ack policy of a frame included in a received PPDU is “HETP ack”, a multi-link device in the EML mode needs to successfully receive a TRS control field or a trigger frame included in the PPDU to perform an ack response” see Kim: ¶[0332]).
Regarding claim 10, the modified Kim taught the first wireless device of claim 1 as described hereinabove. Kim further teaches wherein: the first frame indicates a first duration associated with a wireless communication session with the second wireless device, and the at least one second frame indicates a second duration different from the first duration (different PPDU frame have different size and duration with different duration of padding see Kim: Fig.8; ¶[0421]).
Regarding claim 11, the modified Kim taught the first wireless device of claim 1 as described hereinabove. Kim further teaches wherein the at least one second frame comprises an indication that the first wireless device is available for wireless communication via the first subset of the plurality of channels (the capability information may include information on the links available to each station included in the MLD see Kim: ¶[0146]).
Regarding claim 12, the modified Kim taught the first wireless device of claim 1 as described hereinabove. Kim further teaches wherein the at least one second frame is transmitted after expiration of a time duration, the time duration beginning after receipt of the first frame and associated with a network allocation vector of the channel bandwidth (“The station may determine a time point at which the end time point timer expires, as an end time point of frame exchange corresponding to the timer. In addition, the multi-link device to which the EML mode is applied may also configure a timer for an end time point” see Kim: ¶[0328]).
Regarding claim 13, the modified Kim taught the first wireless device of claim 1 as described hereinabove. Kim further teaches wherein the puncturing pattern indicates that the first channel is punctured (the AP may transmit the SU PPDU including information (e.g., a puncturing pattern of the RUs, etc.) of punctured RUs among the RUs allocated to the ST see Kim: ¶[0124]).
Regarding claim 14, the modified Kim taught the first wireless device of claim 1 as described hereinabove. Kim further teaches wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless device to: perform a clear channel assessment of each channel of the plurality of channels based at least in part on the first frame, wherein the second subset of the plurality of channels is based at least in part on the clear channel assessment (Such a process is referred to as clear channel assessment (CCA) and a level to decide whether the corresponding signal is sensed is referred to as a CCA threshold. When a wireless signal having the CCA threshold or more, which is received by the terminal, indicates the corresponding terminal as a receiver, the terminal processes the received wireless signal see Kim: ¶[0103]).
Regarding claim 15, the modified Kim taught the first wireless device of claim 14 as described hereinabove. Kim further teaches wherein the clear channel assessment is performed during a short interframe space that occurs between reception of the first frame and transmission of the at least one second frame ( At this time, the first station may start transmission after a time longer than SIFS from the transmission of the CTS-to-Self frame. Specifically, the first station may start transmission after PIFS from the transmission of the CTS-to-Self frame. The station transmitting the CTS-to-Self frame should start transmission after SIFS from the transmission of the CTS-to-Self frame see Kim: ¶[0231]).
Regarding claim 16, the modified Kim taught the first wireless device of claim 1 as described hereinabove. Kim further teaches wherein the first wireless device is a first wireless station (STA) or a first access point (AP) and the second wireless device is a second wireless STA or a second AP (STA 100 and AP 200 see Kim: Fig.5; Fig.10).
Regarding claim 17, claim 17 is rejected for the same reason as the claim 1 described hereinabove. Claim 17 disclosed a first wireless device that perform the same functionalities that claiming in the vice versa direction as the first wireless device of claim 1 as set forth hereinabove.
Regarding claim 18, claim 18 is rejected for the same reason as the claim 2 described hereinabove.
Regarding claim 19, claim 19 is rejected for the same reason as the claim 4 described hereinabove.
Regarding claim 20, claim 20 is rejected for the same reason as the claim 5 described hereinabove.
Regarding claim 21, claim 21 is rejected for the same reason as the claim 6 described hereinabove.
Regarding claim 22, claim 22 is rejected for the same reason as the claim 7 described hereinabove.
Regarding claim 23, claim 23 is rejected for the same reason as the claim 9 described hereinabove.
Regarding claim 24, claim 24 is rejected for the same reason as the claim 10 described hereinabove.
Regarding claim 25, claim 25 is rejected for the same reason as the claim 11 described hereinabove.
Regarding claim 26, claim 26 is rejected for the same reason as the claim 12 described hereinabove.
Regarding claim 27, claim 27 is rejected for the same reason as the claim 13 described hereinabove.
Regarding claim 28, claim 28 is rejected for the same reason as the claim 16 described hereinabove.
Regarding claim 29, claim 29 is rejected for the same reason as the claim 1 described hereinabove. Claim 29 disclosed a first wireless device that perform the same functionalities as the first wireless device of claim 1 as set forth hereinabove.
Regarding claim 30, claim 30 is rejected for the same reason as the claim 17 described hereinabove. Claim 30 disclosed a first wireless device that perform the same functionalities as the first wireless device of claim 17 as set forth hereinabove.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GUANG W LI whose telephone number is (571)270-1897. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 7AM-5PMET.
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GUANG W. LI
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2478
March 26, 2026
/GUANG W LI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2478