DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, anycorrection of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground ofrejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would bethe same under either status.
Response to Amendment
The proposed reply filed on January 23rd, 2026 has been entered. Claims 1-24 are pending in 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 non-obviousness.
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) 1 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Merlin et al. (US 2015/0117369 A1) in view of Chu et al. (US 10,694,523 B2).
Regarding claim 1, Merlin et al. teach a first wireless access point (AP), comprising: a processing system that includes processor circuitry and memory circuitry that stores code, the processing system configured to cause the first wireless AP to Fig. 3, [0053-0054], wireless device 402 is an example of a device that may be configured to implement the various methods described herein. As shown in the figs. 1-3, the wireless device 402 may comprise the AP 104, one of the STAs 106, one of the APs 254, and/or one of the STAs 256. The wireless device 402 may include a processor 404 which controls operation of the wireless device 402. The processor 404 may also be referred to as a central processing unit (CPU). A memory 406, which may include both read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM), may provide instructions and data to the processor 404. A portion of the memory 406 may also include non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM). The processor 404 typically performs logical and arithmetic operations based on program instructions stored within the memory 406. The instructions in the memory 406 may be executable to implement the methods described herein),
Merlin et al. teach identify one or more other wireless APs to participate with the first wireless AP in a coordinated AP transmission session during which each of the one or more other identified wireless APs has an opportunity to communicate with one or more respective stations (STAs) (Fig. 3, [0050, 0074-0075, 0077, 0082], classification of transmissions and the corresponding transmitter and receiver devices may be performed by the group scheduling controller in the APs 254A-254C and/or the STAs 256A-256H. TXOP class may also be a function of the entity that owns or administers the transmitters or receiver of the TXOPs. TXOP class may also be a function of the QoS class allowed in of the TXOPs. Several other criteria may be defined to identify a TXOP class. As described further below, in one embodiment, a class may comprise one or more of downlink transmissions from an access point to a client station or uplink transmissions from a client station to an access point. A plurality of APs such as transmitters 510, 520, and 530 (fig. 5) can coordinate to assign TXOP classes with time slots 550. In some embodiments, the transmitters 510, 520, and 530 can advertise the TXOP class/time slot 550 associations in the beacons 540. In some embodiments, the transmitters 510, 520, and 530 can independently associate TXOP classes with time slots 550, for example dynamically based on observed behavior of other transmitters. A person having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the description herein related to TXOP class/slot associations can apply to any other embodiments described herein. A plurality of APs (such as, for example, transmitters 510, 520, and 530) can coordinate to use the same time slot 550 size. In some embodiments, the transmitters 510, 520, and 530 can advertise the time slot 550 size in the beacons 540. Each time slot can be long enough to allow the transmitters 510, 520, and 530 to perform a CCA procedure on the channel, thereby enhancing legacy coexistence and/or regulatory compliance and enabling coordinated medium access across the multiple transmitters. The plurality of APs (such as, for example, transmitters 510, 520, and 530) can coordinate to define a maximum transmission time. The maximum transmission time can limit the length of the TXOP Class 1 transmissions 560 and TXOP Class 2 transmissions 570, for example on a per-TXOP basis),
Merlin et al. teach decrement a first back-off counter of the first wireless AP in association with the first wireless AP contending for access to a wireless channel (Fig. 3, [0079], if the clear channel assessment (CCA) determines that the channel is not idle, the transmitters 510, 520, and/or 530 can refrain from transmitting, and in some embodiments can recheck the channel during the next time slot 550 period. In one aspect, the CCA 545 state at a slot for a particular TXOP class can be used by the transmitters 510, 520, and/or 530 to decrement a backoff counter associated with the TXOP class. The backoff for a class can decrement only if the CCA 545 indicates that the medium is idle during the time slots 550 allocated to that particular TXOP class. When the backoff countdown expires at a time slot 550, the transmitter can then begin a transmission for the particular TXOP class. In the illustrated embodiment, for example, the APs 254A-254C have data for TXOP Class 1 at various points in the timing diagram 500. Thus, they perform a CCA in the time slot 550 index 1, during which time the channel is idle. Accordingly, starting at time slot 550 index 2, the APs 254A-254C begin transmitting TXOP Class 1 transmissions 560. In one embodiment, the performance of the CCA procedure may start at a beginning of the associated time slot 550. In such embodiment, a backoff procedure according to a backoff value associated with the time slot may be performed. In one aspect, the backoff value may be initialized to a first value at the beginning of the associated time slot, and the backoff value may be decremented while an associated channel is assessed to be idle, as further described below),
Merlin et al. teach transmit, to each of the one or more other identified wireless APs, a respective indication of an ability of the other identified wireless AP to pause decrementing of a respective back-off counter of the other identified wireless AP in accordance with the participation of the other identified wireless AP in the coordinated AP transmission session (Fig. 3, [0079, 0107-0108], the backoff for a class can decrement only if the CCA 545 indicates that the medium is idle during the time slots 550 allocated to that particular TXOP class. When the backoff countdown expires at a time slot 550, the transmitter can then begin a transmission for the particular TXOP class. The transmitters 810 and/or 820 (fig. 8) can be configured to transmit a usage indication 860 prior to beginning a transmission 870 during the RAW 750. The usage indication 860 can alert other transmitters that the RAW 750 is in use for an associated TXOP class. In an embodiment, transmitters 810 and/or 820 can refrain from transmitting for a TXOP class not associated with the RAW 750 when they receive the usage indication 860. The transmitters 810 and/or 820 can be configured to transmit a non-usage indication 880 after finishing the transmission 870 during the RAW 850. The non-usage indication 880 can alert other transmitters that the RAW 850 is no longer in use for an associated TXOP class. In an embodiment, transmitters 810 and/or 820 can refrain from transmitting for a TXOP class not associated with the RAW 750 before they receive the non-usage indication 880),
Merlin et al. teach and commence the coordinated AP transmission session over the wireless channel in accordance with the first back-off counter being decremented to less than a value (Fig. 3, [0079, 0087], the CCA 545 state at a slot for a particular TXOP class can be used by the transmitters 510, 520, and/or 530 to decrement a backoff counter associated with the TXOP class. The backoff for a class can decrement only if the CCA 545 indicates that the medium is idle during the time slots 550 allocated to that particular TXOP class. When the backoff countdown expires at a time slot 550, the transmitter can then begin a transmission for the particular TXOP class. The backoff value may be initialized to a first value at the beginning of the associated time slot, and the backoff value may be decremented while an associated channel is assessed to be idle. A backoff procedure similar or compliant with the one defined in IEEE 802.11 standard can be used. In various embodiments, the transmitters 510, 520, and/or 530 can be configured to wait for the slot start time to initiate the transmission when the backoff counter expires before the slot start time. In such case, the transmitters 510, 520, and/or 530 can be configured to perform CCA at the start of the next slot or right before the next slot).
Merlin et al. is teaching a coordinated AP transmission based on TXOP comprising of decrementing the backoff counter for the AP contending access to a wireless channel. Merlin et al., however, fail to expressly teach that the back-off counter is decremented to less than a value. (Emphasis added).
Regarding claim 1, Chu et al. teach commence the coordinated AP transmission session over the wireless channel in accordance with the first back-off counter being decremented to less than a value (Fig. 1, [col 3 ln 51-56, col 5 ln 28-32, 55-67, col 6 ln 1-5, claim 5], communication system including multiple WLANs 110. A first WLAN 110-1 includes an access point (AP) 114-1 that comprises a host processor 118 coupled to a network interface device 122. WLAN 110-2 includes an AP 114-2 and a plurality of client stations 194. In an embodiment, the AP 114-2 has a structure that is the same as or similar to the AP 114-1. The APs 114 and the client stations 154/194 contend for a communication medium using carrier sense multiple access with a collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) protocol or another suitable medium access protocol. In an embodiment, the APs 114 and the client stations 154/194 employ a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure, in which the AP/client station determines an energy level of the medium in order to determine whether the medium is busy or idle. Generally speaking, if the energy level indicates the medium is idle, the device can transmit. Using the power threshold level set to the value above the minimum value to determine whether the communication is idle comprises decrementing a backoff counter in response to determining that comparing energy detected in the communication channel is less than the power threshold level set to the value above the minimum value; and transmitting the first packet during the spatial reuse opportunity includes transmitting the first packet after the backoff counter reaches zero. Generally speaking, if the energy level indicates the medium is idle, the device can transmit. On the other hand, if the energy level indicates the medium is busy, the device sets a backoff counter. The backoff counter is decremented during a time slot if the energy level of the medium indicates the medium is idle, and not decremented during the time slot if the energy level of the medium indicates the medium is busy. When the backoff counter reaches zero and if the energy level of the medium indicates the medium is idle, the device can transmit).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Merlin et al. by incorporating the features as taught by Chu et al. in order to provide a more effective and efficient system that is capable of commencing the coordinated AP transmission session over the wireless channel in accordance with the first back-off counter being decremented to less than a value. The motivation is to support an improved method for a communication system including multiple WLANs (see [col 3 ln 52-53]).
Regarding claim 13, Merlin et al. teach a method for wireless communication by a first access point (AP), comprising: (Fig. 3, [0053-0054], wireless device 402 is an example of a device that may be configured to implement the various methods described herein. As shown in the figs. 1-3, the wireless device 402 may comprise the AP 104, one of the STAs 106, one of the APs 254, and/or one of the STAs 256. The wireless device 402 may include a processor 404 which controls operation of the wireless device 402. The processor 404 may also be referred to as a central processing unit (CPU). A memory 406, which may include both read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM), may provide instructions and data to the processor 404. A portion of the memory 406 may also include non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM). The processor 404 typically performs logical and arithmetic operations based on program instructions stored within the memory 406. The instructions in the memory 406 may be executable to implement the methods described herein),
Merlin et al. teach identifying one or more other wireless APs to participate with the first wireless AP in a coordinated AP transmission session during which each of the one or more other identified wireless APs has an opportunity to communicate with one or more respective stations (STAs) (Fig. 3, [0050, 0074-0075, 0077, 0082], classification of transmissions and the corresponding transmitter and receiver devices may be performed by the group scheduling controller in the APs 254A-254C and/or the STAs 256A-256H. TXOP class may also be a function of the entity that owns or administers the transmitters or receiver of the TXOPs. TXOP class may also be a function of the QoS class allowed in of the TXOPs. Several other criteria may be defined to identify a TXOP class. As described further below, in one embodiment, a class may comprise one or more of downlink transmissions from an access point to a client station or uplink transmissions from a client station to an access point. A plurality of APs such as transmitters 510, 520, and 530 (fig. 5) can coordinate to assign TXOP classes with time slots 550. In some embodiments, the transmitters 510, 520, and 530 can advertise the TXOP class/time slot 550 associations in the beacons 540. In some embodiments, the transmitters 510, 520, and 530 can independently associate TXOP classes with time slots 550, for example dynamically based on observed behavior of other transmitters. A person having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the description herein related to TXOP class/slot associations can apply to any other embodiments described herein. A plurality of APs (such as, for example, transmitters 510, 520, and 530) can coordinate to use the same time slot 550 size. In some embodiments, the transmitters 510, 520, and 530 can advertise the time slot 550 size in the beacons 540. Each time slot can be long enough to allow the transmitters 510, 520, and 530 to perform a CCA procedure on the channel, thereby enhancing legacy coexistence and/or regulatory compliance and enabling coordinated medium access across the multiple transmitters. The plurality of APs (such as, for example, transmitters 510, 520, and 530) can coordinate to define a maximum transmission time. The maximum transmission time can limit the length of the TXOP Class 1 transmissions 560 and TXOP Class 2 transmissions 570, for example on a per-TXOP basis),
Merlin et al. teach decrementing a first back-off counter of the first wireless AP in associated with the first wireless AP contending for access to a wireless channel (Fig. 3, [0079], if the clear channel assessment (CCA) determines that the channel is not idle, the transmitters 510, 520, and/or 530 can refrain from transmitting, and in some embodiments can recheck the channel during the next time slot 550 period. In one aspect, the CCA 545 state at a slot for a particular TXOP class can be used by the transmitters 510, 520, and/or 530 to decrement a backoff counter associated with the TXOP class. The backoff for a class can decrement only if the CCA 545 indicates that the medium is idle during the time slots 550 allocated to that particular TXOP class. When the backoff countdown expires at a time slot 550, the transmitter can then begin a transmission for the particular TXOP class. In the illustrated embodiment, for example, the APs 254A-254C have data for TXOP Class 1 at various points in the timing diagram 500. Thus, they perform a CCA in the time slot 550 index 1, during which time the channel is idle. Accordingly, starting at time slot 550 index 2, the APs 254A-254C begin transmitting TXOP Class 1 transmissions 560. In one embodiment, the performance of the CCA procedure may start at a beginning of the associated time slot 550. In such embodiment, a backoff procedure according to a backoff value associated with the time slot may be performed. In one aspect, the backoff value may be initialized to a first value at the beginning of the associated time slot, and the backoff value may be decremented while an associated channel is assessed to be idle, as further described below),
Merlin et al. teach transmitting, to each of the one or more other identified wireless APs, a respective indication of an ability of the other identified wireless AP to pause decrementing of a respective back-off counter in accordance with the participation of the other identified wireless AP in the coordinated AP transmission session (Fig. 3, [0079, 0107-0108], the backoff for a class can decrement only if the CCA 545 indicates that the medium is idle during the time slots 550 allocated to that particular TXOP class. When the backoff countdown expires at a time slot 550, the transmitter can then begin a transmission for the particular TXOP class. The transmitters 810 and/or 820 (fig. 8) can be configured to transmit a usage indication 860 prior to beginning a transmission 870 during the RAW 750. The usage indication 860 can alert other transmitters that the RAW 750 is in use for an associated TXOP class. In an embodiment, transmitters 810 and/or 820 can refrain from transmitting for a TXOP class not associated with the RAW 750 when they receive the usage indication 860. The transmitters 810 and/or 820 can be configured to transmit a non-usage indication 880 after finishing the transmission 870 during the RAW 850. The non-usage indication 880 can alert other transmitters that the RAW 850 is no longer in use for an associated TXOP class. In an embodiment, transmitters 810 and/or 820 can refrain from transmitting for a TXOP class not associated with the RAW 750 before they receive the non-usage indication 880),
Merlin et al. teach and commencing the coordinated AP transmission session over the wireless channel in accordance with the first back-off counter being decremented to less than a value (Fig. 3, [0079, 0087], the CCA 545 state at a slot for a particular TXOP class can be used by the transmitters 510, 520, and/or 530 to decrement a backoff counter associated with the TXOP class. The backoff for a class can decrement only if the CCA 545 indicates that the medium is idle during the time slots 550 allocated to that particular TXOP class. When the backoff countdown expires at a time slot 550, the transmitter can then begin a transmission for the particular TXOP class. The backoff value may be initialized to a first value at the beginning of the associated time slot, and the backoff value may be decremented while an associated channel is assessed to be idle. A backoff procedure similar or compliant with the one defined in IEEE 802.11 standard can be used. In various embodiments, the transmitters 510, 520, and/or 530 can be configured to wait for the slot start time to initiate the transmission when the backoff counter expires before the slot start time. In such case, the transmitters 510, 520, and/or 530 can be configured to perform CCA at the start of the next slot or right before the next slot).
Merlin et al. is teaching a coordinated AP transmission based on TXOP comprising of decrementing the backoff counter for the AP contending access to a wireless channel. Merlin et al., however, fail to expressly teach that the back-off counter is decremented to less than a value. (Emphasis added).
Regarding claim 13, Chu et al. teach commencing the coordinated AP transmission session over the wireless channel in accordance with the first back-off counter being decremented to less than a value (Fig. 1, [col 3 ln 51-56, col 5 ln 28-32, 55-67, col 6 ln 1-5, claim 5], communication system including multiple WLANs 110. A first WLAN 110-1 includes an access point (AP) 114-1 that comprises a host processor 118 coupled to a network interface device 122. WLAN 110-2 includes an AP 114-2 and a plurality of client stations 194. In an embodiment, the AP 114-2 has a structure that is the same as or similar to the AP 114-1. The APs 114 and the client stations 154/194 contend for a communication medium using carrier sense multiple access with a collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) protocol or another suitable medium access protocol. In an embodiment, the APs 114 and the client stations 154/194 employ a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure, in which the AP/client station determines an energy level of the medium in order to determine whether the medium is busy or idle. Generally speaking, if the energy level indicates the medium is idle, the device can transmit. Using the power threshold level set to the value above the minimum value to determine whether the communication is idle comprises decrementing a backoff counter in response to determining that comparing energy detected in the communication channel is less than the power threshold level set to the value above the minimum value; and transmitting the first packet during the spatial reuse opportunity includes transmitting the first packet after the backoff counter reaches zero. Generally speaking, if the energy level indicates the medium is idle, the device can transmit. On the other hand, if the energy level indicates the medium is busy, the device sets a backoff counter. The backoff counter is decremented during a time slot if the energy level of the medium indicates the medium is idle, and not decremented during the time slot if the energy level of the medium indicates the medium is busy. When the backoff counter reaches zero and if the energy level of the medium indicates the medium is idle, the device can transmit).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Merlin et al. by incorporating the features as taught by Chu et al. in order to provide a more effective and efficient system that is capable of commencing the coordinated AP transmission session over the wireless channel in accordance with the first back-off counter being decremented to less than a value. The motivation is to support an improved method for a communication system including multiple WLANs (see [col 3 ln 52-53]).
Claim(s) 2 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Merlin et al. (US 2015/0117369 A1) in view of Chu et al. (US 10,694,523 B2) as applied to claims 1 and 13 above, and further in view of Huang et al. (US 2020/0045555 A1).
Merlin et al. and Chu et al. disclose the claimed limitations as described in paragraph 5 above. Merlin et al. and Chu et al. do not expressly disclose the following features: regarding claim 2, wherein, to identify the one or more other APs to participate, the processing system is configured to cause the first wireless AP to: advertise the coordinated AP transmission session; receive, from each wireless AP of one or more nearby wireless APs, a respective response indicating an intent to participate in the coordinated AP transmission session; and identify the one or more other wireless APs to participate in the coordinated AP transmission session in accordance with the one or more received respective responses; regarding claim 14, wherein the identifying comprises: advertising the coordinated AP transmission session; receiving, from each wireless AP of one or more nearby wireless APs, a respective response indicating an intent to participate in the coordinated AP transmission session; and identifying the one or more other wireless APs to participate in the coordinated AP transmission session in accordance with the one or more received respective responses.
Regarding claim 2, Huang et al. teach wherein, to identify the one or more other APs to participate, the processing system is configured to cause the first wireless AP to: advertise the coordinated AP transmission session; receive, from each wireless AP of one or more nearby wireless APs, a respective response indicating an intent to participate in the coordinated AP transmission session; and identify the one or more other wireless APs to participate in the coordinated AP transmission session in accordance with the one or more received respective responses (Fig. 5, [0099, 0113], an AP 502 may be configurable to operate as a master AP 502 of a multi-AP group 515. The master AP 502 may establish the multi-AP group 515. The multi-AP group 515 may include the master AP 502 and one or more other APs 502. To establish the multi-AP group 515, the master AP 502 may: transmit one or more messages to advertise the multi-AP group 515; exchange signaling with one or more of the other APs 502, wherein the signaling may include at least one message related to one of the other APs 502 joining the multi-AP group 515. The master AP 502 may establish the multi-AP group 515 to enable usage of AP Trigger Frames (AP TFs) for coordination of resources to be used for downlink transmissions of the APs 502 of the multi-AP group 515. The signaling exchanged to establish the multi-AP group 515 may include one or more of: a join request message from one of the other APs 502; a join response message from the master AP 502; and/or other. In some embodiments, the master AP 502 may encode the join response message to indicate an AP identifier (AP ID) assigned to the AP 502 from which a join request message was received).
Regarding claim 14, Huang et al. teach wherein the identifying comprises: advertising the coordinated AP transmission session; receiving, from each wireless AP of one or more nearby wireless APs, a respective response indicating an intent to participate in the coordinated AP transmission session; and identifying the one or more other wireless APs to participate in the coordinated AP transmission session in accordance with the one or more received respective responses (Fig. 5, [0099, 0113], an AP 502 may be configurable to operate as a master AP 502 of a multi-AP group 515. The master AP 502 may establish the multi-AP group 515. The multi-AP group 515 may include the master AP 502 and one or more other APs 502. To establish the multi-AP group 515, the master AP 502 may: transmit one or more messages to advertise the multi-AP group 515; exchange signaling with one or more of the other APs 502, wherein the signaling may include at least one message related to one of the other APs 502 joining the multi-AP group 515. The master AP 502 may establish the multi-AP group 515 to enable usage of AP Trigger Frames (AP TFs) for coordination of resources to be used for downlink transmissions of the APs 502 of the multi-AP group 515. The signaling exchanged to establish the multi-AP group 515 may include one or more of: a join request message from one of the other APs 502; a join response message from the master AP 502; and/or other. In some embodiments, the master AP 502 may encode the join response message to indicate an AP identifier (AP ID) assigned to the AP 502 from which a join request message was received).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Merlin et al. with Chu et al. by incorporating the features as taught by Huang et al. in order to provide a more effective and efficient system that is capable of identifying other APs to participate with the first AP in a coordinated access point transmission session. The motivation is to support an improved method for grouping of access points (APs) into multi-AP groups to enable coordination of downlink transmissions (see [0002]).
Claim(s) 4, 12, 16 and 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Merlin et al. (US 2015/0117369 A1) in view of Chu et al. (US 10,694,523 B2) as applied to claims 1 and 13 above, and further in view of Dasylva et al. (US 7,684,333 B1).
Merlin et al. and Chu et al. disclose the claimed limitations as described in paragraph 5 above. Merlin et al. and Chu et al. do not expressly disclose the following features: regarding claim 4, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless AP to reset the first back-off counter after an end of a transmission opportunity; regarding claim 12, wherein the value is a quantity of one; regarding claim 16, further comprising resetting the first back-off counter after an end of a transmission opportunity; claim 24, wherein the value is a quantity of one.
Regarding claim 4, Dasylva et al. teach wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless AP to reset the first back-off counter after an end of a transmission opportunity (Fig. 1, [Col 4 ln 34-65], multiple BSSs can overlap and exchange communications among themselves or with wired networks through access points (AP) 18. An access point (AP) is an addressable wireless station that provides access to the DS 12 by providing distribution system services (DSS) in addition to functioning as a wireless station 16. Hereafter, a general reference to stations includes access points, unless specifically referred to by reference numeral. Data move between each BSS 14 and the DS 12 by way of one of the APs 18. For example, in FIG. 1, data from the stations 16-1, 16-2 pass to the DS 12 by way of the access point 18-1, and from the station 16-3 to the DS 12 by way of the access point 18-2. The DS 12 uses a distribution system medium (DSM) for communications between APs 18. The DSM is considered logically separate from the WM, although, physically, the DSM and WM can be the same or different media. To support QoS provisioning, stations implement a variation of the 802.11e EDCA, referred to hereafter as modified EDCA (or m-EDCA), as described herein. The m-EDCA functions employ the CSMA/CA algorithm to resolve contentions between applications vying for the wireless channel. Each station maintains two internal state variables: a back-off counter and a contention window. After each frame transmission, whether or not the transmission is successful, the station resets the back-off counter to a random integer value that is uniformly distributed over the length of the contention window. To minimize collisions between stations, the contention window is doubled, up to a maximum value, whenever a frame collision occurs, otherwise the contention window is reset to a given minimum value. A frame is successfully transmitted if an acknowledgment is received at the source station within a specified period).
Regarding claim 12, Dasylva et al. teach wherein the value is a quantity of one (Fig. 1, [Col 4 ln 50-67, col 5 ln 1-9], each station maintains two internal state variables: a back-off counter and a contention window. After each frame transmission, whether or not the transmission is successful, the station resets the back-off counter to a random integer value that is uniformly distributed over the length of the contention window. To minimize collisions between stations, the contention window is doubled, up to a maximum value, whenever a frame collision occurs, otherwise the contention window is reset to a given minimum value. A frame is successfully transmitted if an acknowledgment is received at the source station within a specified period. When a station does not transmit a frame, that station listens to the wireless channel and decrements its back-off counter by one unit in each slot following a period of minimum length (called Arbitration Inter Frame Spacing, AIFS) during which the wireless channel has been continuously sensed idle. The station acquires the right to transmit a frame when the back-off counter reaches zero. When the station senses that the wireless channel is busy, in one embodiment the station freezes the back-off counter. Instead of freezing the back-off counter, the station can decrement the back-off counter although the wireless channel is sensed busy).
Regarding claim 16, Dasylva et al. teach further comprising resetting the first back-off counter after an end of a transmission opportunity (Fig. 1, [Col 4 ln 34-65], multiple BSSs can overlap and exchange communications among themselves or with wired networks through access points (AP) 18. An access point (AP) is an addressable wireless station that provides access to the DS 12 by providing distribution system services (DSS) in addition to functioning as a wireless station 16. Hereafter, a general reference to stations includes access points, unless specifically referred to by reference numeral. Data move between each BSS 14 and the DS 12 by way of one of the APs 18. For example, in FIG. 1, data from the stations 16-1, 16-2 pass to the DS 12 by way of the access point 18-1, and from the station 16-3 to the DS 12 by way of the access point 18-2. The DS 12 uses a distribution system medium (DSM) for communications between APs 18. The DSM is considered logically separate from the WM, although, physically, the DSM and WM can be the same or different media. To support QoS provisioning, stations implement a variation of the 802.11e EDCA, referred to hereafter as modified EDCA (or m-EDCA), as described herein. The m-EDCA functions employ the CSMA/CA algorithm to resolve contentions between applications vying for the wireless channel. Each station maintains two internal state variables: a back-off counter and a contention window. After each frame transmission, whether or not the transmission is successful, the station resets the back-off counter to a random integer value that is uniformly distributed over the length of the contention window. To minimize collisions between stations, the contention window is doubled, up to a maximum value, whenever a frame collision occurs, otherwise the contention window is reset to a given minimum value. A frame is successfully transmitted if an acknowledgment is received at the source station within a specified period).
Regarding claim 24, Dasylva et al. teach wherein the value is a quantity of one (Fig. 1 [Col 4 ln 50-67, col 5 ln 1-9], each station maintains two internal state variables: a back-off counter and a contention window. After each frame transmission, whether or not the transmission is successful, the station resets the back-off counter to a random integer value that is uniformly distributed over the length of the contention window. To minimize collisions between stations, the contention window is doubled, up to a maximum value, whenever a frame collision occurs, otherwise the contention window is reset to a given minimum value. A frame is successfully transmitted if an acknowledgment is received at the source station within a specified period. When a station does not transmit a frame, that station listens to the wireless channel and decrements its back-off counter by one unit in each slot following a period of minimum length (called Arbitration Inter Frame Spacing, AIFS) during which the wireless channel has been continuously sensed idle. The station acquires the right to transmit a frame when the back-off counter reaches zero. When the station senses that the wireless channel is busy, in one embodiment the station freezes the back-off counter. Instead of freezing the back-off counter, the station can decrement the back-off counter although the wireless channel is sensed busy).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Merlin et al. with Chu et al. by incorporating the features as taught by Dasylva et al. in order to provide a more effective and efficient system that is capable of resetting the back-off counter and using the value is a quantity of one. The motivation is to support an improved method for allocating the bandwidth of a wireless channel to traffic flows (see [col 1 ln 18-20]).
Claim(s) 6 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Merlin et al. (US 2015/0117369 A1) in view of Chu et al. (US 10,694,523 B2) as applied to claims 1 and 13 above, and further in view of Amini et al. (US 2015/0098377 A1).
Merlin et al. and Chu et al. disclose the claimed limitations as described in paragraph 5 above. Merlin et al. and Chu et al. do not expressly disclose the following features: regarding claim 6, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless AP to temporally align downlink transmissions from the first wireless AP over a transmission opportunity with one or more downlink transmissions from at least one of the one or more other identified wireless APs; regarding claim 18, further comprising temporally aligning downlink transmissions from the first wireless AP over a transmission opportunity with downlink transmissions from at least one of the one or more other identified wireless AP.
Regarding claim 6, Amini et al. teach wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless AP to temporally align downlink transmissions from the first wireless AP over a transmission opportunity with one or more downlink transmissions from at least one of the one or more other identified wireless APs (Fig. 5A, [0078-0079], the coexistence mechanism can synchronize the transmitting and receiving operations to increase or maximize the total wireless network's throughput (TPUT) or bandwidth. Such synchronized operations are illustrated in diagram 500. In diagram 500, all transmitting operations and receiving operations are synchronized among all wireless network circuits 220a-220c so that the circuits 220a-220c only perform either transmission or reception at any given moment of time. This technique can avoid the desensitization caused by different homogeneous radios transmitting and receiving at the same time, such as illustrated in table 202 of FIG. 2B. It is noted that AMPDU, AMSDU, or a combination of both may be used in downlink data packets. For the example that is shown in diagram 500, the downlink (DL) data packets are illustrated as comprising DL AMPDU and Single MPDU. Optionally, Request to Send (RTS) and Clear to Send (CTS) handshake packets can be exchanged between the sender (e.g., client devices 130, FIG. 1) and the base station 210 before the data transmission/receiving operations. In addition or as an alternative to increasing throughput, the coexistence mechanism may be used to coordinate the radios to achieve better delay requirement or other quality of service (QoS) metrics for one or more of the radios. The coexistence mechanism can align the downlink packet transmissions (or receiving operations) of a number of selected wireless network (e.g., WLAN) circuits operating on different channels in the same frequency band for synchronized operations. In some embodiments, the packets received by different radio circuits need to have the same duration in the downlink, and in such embodiments, frame padding may be performed by the coexistence controller 230 to make data packets (e.g., received on the downlink) among the radio circuits 220a-220c become the same size).
Regarding claim 18, Amini et al. teach further comprising temporally aligning downlink transmissions from the first wireless AP over a transmission opportunity with downlink transmissions from at least one of the one or more other identified wireless AP (Fig. 5A, [0078-0079], the coexistence mechanism can synchronize the transmitting and receiving operations to increase or maximize the total wireless network's throughput (TPUT) or bandwidth. Such synchronized operations are illustrated in diagram 500. In diagram 500, all transmitting operations and receiving operations are synchronized among all wireless network circuits 220a-220c so that the circuits 220a-220c only perform either transmission or reception at any given moment of time. This technique can avoid the desensitization caused by different homogeneous radios transmitting and receiving at the same time, such as illustrated in table 202 of FIG. 2B. It is noted that AMPDU, AMSDU, or a combination of both may be used in downlink data packets. For the example that is shown in diagram 500, the downlink (DL) data packets are illustrated as comprising DL AMPDU and Single MPDU. Optionally, Request to Send (RTS) and Clear to Send (CTS) handshake packets can be exchanged between the sender (e.g., client devices 130, FIG. 1) and the base station 210 before the data transmission/receiving operations. In addition or as an alternative to increasing throughput, the coexistence mechanism may be used to coordinate the radios to achieve better delay requirement or other quality of service (QoS) metrics for one or more of the radios. The coexistence mechanism can align the downlink packet transmissions (or receiving operations) of a number of selected wireless network (e.g., WLAN) circuits operating on different channels in the same frequency band for synchronized operations. In some embodiments, the packets received by different radio circuits need to have the same duration in the downlink, and in such embodiments, frame padding may be performed by the coexistence controller 230 to make data packets (e.g., received on the downlink) among the radio circuits 220a-220c become the same size).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Merlin et al. with Chu et al. by incorporating the features as taught by Amini et al. in order to provide a more effective and efficient system that is capable of aligning, temporally, downlink transmissions from the first wireless AP over a transmission opportunity with one or more downlink transmissions from at least one of the one or more other identified wireless APs. The motivation is to support an improved method to identify whether the client is power-sensitive, upon receipt of a request of connection from a client (see [0039]).
Claim(s) 9-10 and 21-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Merlin et al. (US 2015/0117369 A1) in view of Chu et al. (US 10,694,523 B2) as applied to claims 1 and 13 above, and further in view of Zhou et al. (US 2018/0103390 A1).
Merlin et al. and Chu et al. disclose the claimed limitations as described in paragraph 5 above.
Regarding claim 9, Merlin et al. teach wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless AP to select a duration of a transmission opportunity for the coordinated AP transmission session in accordance with identifying the one or more other wireless APs to participate in the coordinated AP transmission session (Fig. 5, [0071, 0074-0075], each transmitter 510, 520, and/or 530 can be associated with a separate AP such as, for example, the APs 254A-254C discussed above with respect to fig. 3. The transmitters 510, 520, and/or 530 can be associated with the same wireless network. In some embodiments, one or more transmitters 510, 520, and/or 530 can be associated with a separate wireless network. a plurality of APs (such as, for example, transmitters 510, 520, and 530) can coordinate to assign TXOP classes with time slots 550. In some embodiments, the transmitters 510, 520, and 530 can advertise the TXOP class/time slot 550 associations in the beacons 540. In some embodiments, the transmitters 510, 520, and 530 can independently associate TXOP classes with time slots 550, for example dynamically based on observed behavior of other transmitters. A person having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the description herein related to TXOP class/slot associations can apply to any other embodiments described herein. The plurality of APs (such as, for example, transmitters 510, 520, and 530) can coordinate to use the same time slot 550 size. In some embodiments, the transmitters 510, 520, and 530 can advertise the time slot 550 size in the beacons 540. In some embodiments, the transmitters 510, 520, and 530 can use a standard slot size, or select from a plurality of standard slot sizes, which can be for example retrieved from a memory or hard-coded).
Regarding claim 21, Merlin et al. teach further comprising selecting a duration of a transmission opportunity for the coordinated AP transmission session in accordance with identifying the one or more other wireless APs to participate in the coordinated AP transmission session (Fig. 5, [0071, 0074-0075], each transmitter 510, 520, and/or 530 can be associated with a separate AP such as, for example, the APs 254A-254C discussed above with respect to fig. 3. The transmitters 510, 520, and/or 530 can be associated with the same wireless network. In some embodiments, one or more transmitters 510, 520, and/or 530 can be associated with a separate wireless network. a plurality of APs (such as, for example, transmitters 510, 520, and 530) can coordinate to assign TXOP classes with time slots 550. In some embodiments, the transmitters 510, 520, and 530 can advertise the TXOP class/time slot 550 associations in the beacons 540. In some embodiments, the transmitters 510, 520, and 530 can independently associate TXOP classes with time slots 550, for example dynamically based on observed behavior of other transmitters. A person having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the description herein related to TXOP class/slot associations can apply to any other embodiments described herein. The plurality of APs (such as, for example, transmitters 510, 520, and 530) can coordinate to use the same time slot 550 size. In some embodiments, the transmitters 510, 520, and 530 can advertise the time slot 550 size in the beacons 540. In some embodiments, the transmitters 510, 520, and 530 can use a standard slot size, or select from a plurality of standard slot sizes, which can be for example retrieved from a memory or hard-coded).
Merlin et al. and Chu et al. do not expressly disclose the following features: regarding claim 10, wherein the selected transmission opportunity duration is longer than a standard transmission opportunity duration; regarding claim 22, wherein the selected transmission opportunity duration is longer than a standard transmission opportunity duration.
Regarding claim 10, Zhou et al. teach wherein the selected transmission opportunity duration is longer than a standard transmission opportunity duration (Fig. 1, [0031, 0060], system 100 may be, for example, a WLAN that operates under Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO) as introduced by IEEE 802.11ac. The system 100 includes an AP 120 and a set of STAs 104 that make up a Basic Service Set (BSS). A system controller 130 may provide coordination and control for the AP 120 and other APs. The AP 120 may be managed by the system controller 130, for example, which may handle adjustments to radio frequency power, channels, authentication, and security used by the AP 120. EDCA allows contention for TXOPs, wherein a TXOP is a time interval during which a wireless node such as an AP (e.g., the AP 120), or a STA (e.g., one of the STAs in the set of STAs 104) may initiate frame transfer on the medium. TXOP is characterized by a maximum duration, referred to as TXOP Limit. Specifically, when the wireless node obtains access to the medium, the wireless node may begin transmitting such that the transmission duration does not exceed the TXOP Limit. It should be noted that, technically, the multiple frame transmission provided by TXOP is granted to an EDCAF (i.e., an AC) and not to the wireless node, where only transmission of frames of the same AC as of the frame for which the TXOP was obtained is allowed. The TXOP Limit is set in a way such that higher priority AC frames obtain access to the medium for longer durations. A zero value for TXOP means that only one frame can be transmitted during the TXOP. Basically, the higher the priority of an AC, the smaller a value for AIFS, CWmin and CWmax, and the larger a value for TXOP Limit may be used for associated frames).
Regarding claim 22, Zhou et al. teach wherein the selected transmission opportunity duration is longer than a standard transmission opportunity duration (Fig. 1, [0031, 0060], system 100 may be, for example, a WLAN that operates under Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO) as introduced by IEEE 802.11ac. The system 100 includes an AP 120 and a set of STAs 104 that make up a Basic Service Set (BSS). A system controller 130 may provide coordination and control for the AP 120 and other APs. The AP 120 may be managed by the system controller 130, for example, which may handle adjustments to radio frequency power, channels, authentication, and security used by the AP 120. EDCA allows contention for TXOPs, wherein a TXOP is a time interval during which a wireless node such as an AP (e.g., the AP 120), or a STA (e.g., one of the STAs in the set of STAs 104) may initiate frame transfer on the medium. TXOP is characterized by a maximum duration, referred to as TXOP Limit. Specifically, when the wireless node obtains access to the medium, the wireless node may begin transmitting such that the transmission duration does not exceed the TXOP Limit. It should be noted that, technically, the multiple frame transmission provided by TXOP is granted to an EDCAF (i.e., an AC) and not to the wireless node, where only transmission of frames of the same AC as of the frame for which the TXOP was obtained is allowed. The TXOP Limit is set in a way such that higher priority AC frames obtain access to the medium for longer durations. A zero value for TXOP means that only one frame can be transmitted during the TXOP. Basically, the higher the priority of an AC, the smaller a value for AIFS, CWmin and CWmax, and the larger a value for TXOP Limit may be used for associated frames)
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Merlin et al. with Chu et al. by incorporating the features as taught by Zhou et al. in order to provide a more effective and efficient system that is capable of selecting transmission opportunity duration which is longer than a standard transmission opportunity duration. The motivation is to support an improved method for scheduling group access in wireless networks (see [0002]).
Claim(s) 11 and 23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Merlin et al. (US 2015/0117369 A1) in view of Chu et al. (US 10,694,523 B2) as applied to claims 1 and 13 above, and further in view of Seok et al. (US 2020/0245352 A1).
Merlin et al. and Chu et al. disclose the claimed limitations as described in paragraph 5 above. Merlin et al. disclose the following features: regarding claim 11, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless AP to obtain a transmit opportunity in accordance with identifying the one or more other wireless APs to participate in the coordinated AP transmission session; regarding claim 23, further comprising obtaining a transmit opportunity for transmitting wireless signals over a frequency bandwidth.
Regarding claim 11, Seok et al. wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless AP to obtain a transmit opportunity in accordance with identifying the one or more other wireless APs to participate in the coordinated AP transmission session (Fig. 1, [0020, 0052-0054], a method for wireless communication performed by a first access point (AP), a wireless network 100 comprising of a coordinator AP1 101 that coordinates the wireless transmissions AP2 103 and AP3 104 being recognized as coordinated access points by the coordinator AP1 101). The coordinator AP1 101 obtains TXOP and can grant the AP2 103 and the AP3 104 under control of the coordinator AP the use of some of the bandwidth granted by the TXOP). A single TXOP obtained by coordinator AP1 101 can be shared with AP2 103 and AP3 104 by allocating part of the available bandwidth to a coordinated AP).
Regarding claim 23, Seok et al. teach further comprising obtaining a transmit opportunity for transmitting wireless signals over a frequency bandwidth (Fig. 1, [0020, 0052-0054] a method for wireless communication performed by a first access point (AP), a wireless network 100 comprising of a coordinator AP1 101 that coordinates the wireless transmissions AP2 103 and AP3 104 being recognized as coordinated access points by the coordinator AP1 101). The coordinator AP1 101 obtains TXOP and can grant the AP2 103 and the AP3 104 under control of the coordinator AP the use of some of the bandwidth granted by the TXOP). A single TXOP obtained by coordinator AP1 101 can be shared with AP2 103 and AP3 104 by allocating part of the available bandwidth to a coordinated AP).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Merlin et al. with Chu et al. by incorporating the features as taught by Seok et al. in order to provide a more effective and efficient system that is capable of configuring to cause the first wireless AP to obtain a transmit opportunity in accordance with identifying the one or more other wireless APs to participate in the coordinated AP transmission session. The motivation is to support an improved method for coordinated operations of wireless access points for serving multiple wireless stations concurrently (see [0002]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 5, 7-8, 15, 17 and 19-20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 01/23/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant states in the remarks that “The Office Action has not shown, however, Merlin to teach or suggest at least transmit, to each of the one or more other identified wireless APs, a respective indication of an ability of the other identified wireless AP to pause decrementing of a respective back-off counter of the other identified wireless AP in accordance with the participation of the other identified wireless AP in the coordinated AP transmission session as is now recited in independent claim 1 (emphasis added). Merlin has not been shown by the Office Action, for example, to teach or suggest that an ability of a wireless AP to pause decrementing a backoff counter”.
Examiner respectfully disagrees. Merlin teaches the claimed limitations “transmit, to each of the one or more other identified wireless APs, a respective indication of an ability of the other identified wireless AP to pause decrementing of a respective back-off counter of the other identified wireless AP in accordance with the participation of the other identified wireless AP in the coordinated AP transmission session”. For a better understanding of the response, the response would be as follows:
(a) Merlin teaches “the backoff value may be initialized to a first value at the beginning of the associated time slot, and the backoff value may be decremented while an associated channel is assessed to be idle” (see [0079]. It is, therefore, established that the backoff timer is decremented and while decrementing an idle channel is assessed for TXOP. In other words the decrementing of the timer starts for a possible TXOP of idle time slot which assessed during decrementing time of the timer of the AP.
(b) Now it is to be established that the prior art teaches of transmitting indication to wireless AP to pause decrementing of a respective back-off counter. The prior art teaches that the AP 810 or AP 820 (fig. 8) are configured (ability) to transmit a usage indication (U) 860 prior to beginning a transmission 870 during the RAW (reserved access windows) 750. The usage indication 860 can alert other transmitters that the RAW 750 is in use for an associated TXOP class (see [0107]). This means that the other transmitters should refrain (pause or stop) from scheduling transmission until the next time slot. In other words the other transmitters (APs) to pause or stop decrementing of a respective back-off counter for TXOP until the next time slot.
As explained with the help of (a) and (b) above, the prior art fully discloses the claimed feature and the rejection is, therefore, maintained. Further, the independent claim 13 is similar to the claim 1, the rejection of the claim 13 is also maintained.
The applicant states in the remarks “dependent claims 2, 4, 6, 9-12, 14, 16, 18, and 21-24 each depend from one of independent claims 1 and 13 and are therefore allowable for at least the same reasons that independent claims 1 and 13 are allowable. Dependent claims 2, 4, 6, 9-12, 14, 16, 18, and 21- 24 also recite allowable features that have not been shown to be taught or suggested by Merlin, Chu, Huang, Dasylva, Amini, Zhou, and Seok, alone or in any combination. Accordingly, for at least these reasons, Applicant requests that the rejection of dependent claims 2, 4, 6, 9-12, 14, 16, 18, and 21-24 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 be reconsidered and withdrawn”.
The examiner respectfully disagrees. Since, as described above, the rejection of the independent claims 1 and 13 are maintained, their dependent claims 2, 4, 6, 9-12, 14, 16, 18, and 21-24 will also be remain rejected.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 SYED M BOKHARI whose telephone number is (571)270-3115. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kwang B Yao can be reached at 5712723182. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/SYED M BOKHARI/ Examiner, Art Unit 2473
5/20/2026
/KWANG B YAO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2473
Prosecution Insights