DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 8, 16, and 20 have been cancelled.
Status of Claims
2. This Office Action is in response to the application filed on 01/22/2026. Claims 1-7, 9-15, and 17-19 are presently pending and are presented for examination.
3. In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Response to Arguments
4. Applicant's arguments filed 01/22/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argued that Khan and Hicks do not teach the limitation “wherein the translation logic is configured to generate the outbound communication as multiple transmissions, each to a different endpoint and at least two of the multiple transmissions using different radio frequencies or using a radio frequency and the other communication mechanism”.
Examiner respectfully disagrees. Fig. 7 of Khan demonstrates (teaches) an exemplary frequency conversion (filter) between inbound communication frequencies with outbound communication frequencies. In fact as frequency filter between incoming signals and outgoing signals can be configured (designed or tuned or chosen) to behave in multiple fashion. The f1, f2, and f3 in Fig. 7 are merely a representative frequencies broadly interpreted.
Applicant argued that Khan and Hicks do not teach the limitation “selecting at least one cellular radio frequency among multiple cellular radio frequencies based on power resources of the wireless access point”.
Examiner respectfully disagrees. Fig. 7 of Khan demonstrates (teaches) a f1 is chosen from the access point 104. In addition, Fig. 9 selects f3 to be f2 based on the wireless Power transmitter. In addition, Khan teaches The outside module 208 is powered by the inside module 216 using wireless power transfer mechanism based on resonant or non-resonant inductive coupling methods (see paragraph 17).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. 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 1-7, 9-15, and 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Khan et al. (US 2018/0019798 A1) in view of Hicks (US 2006/0019667 A1).
For claim 1 Khan teaches a wireless access point (AP) (see Fig. 2 and Fig. 10 “AP 212”), comprising:
a first part disposed outside of a building, the first part including a first transceiver that transmits to and receives from one or more access points of a telecommunications network over licensed radio frequencies, first unlicensed radio frequencies, or both (see paragraph 16, Fig. 2 “The wall 204 may be structure of a building that separates the inside environment from the outside environment”, Fig. 2 and Fig. 10 “AP 212 with outside environment and the inside environment”, and paragraph 3 “Wi-Fi-unlicensed frequencies”);
a second part disposed inside of the building, on an opposite side of a window of the building from the first part, the second part including a second transceiver that transmits to and receives from one or more devices disposed within the building using second unlicensed radio frequencies, another wireless communication mechanism, or both (see paragraph 16, Fig. 2 “The wall 204 may be structure of a building that separates the inside environment from the outside environment”, Fig. 2 and Fig. 10 “AP 212 with outside environment and the inside environment”, and paragraph 3 “Wi-Fi-unlicensed frequencies”); and
translation logic disposed in the first part, the second part, or both and configured to translate between a first protocol representing an inbound communication received at one of the first part and the second part and a second protocol representing an outbound communication transmitted through the other of the first part and the second part and (see paragraph 26 “in FIG. 10, the outside module 208 communicates at a first frequency f1 with the radio base station 104 and at a second frequency f2 with the inside devices. The outside module 208 performs direct radio frequency (RF) conversion (translation) between f1 and f2 without baseband processing”),
wherein the translation logic is configured to generate the outbound communication as multiple transmissions, each to a different endpoint and at least two of the multiple transmissions using different radio frequencies or using a radio frequency and the other communication mechanism (see Fig. 7 “frequency translation between at least f1, f2, and f3).
Khan does not explicitly teach licensed and unlicensed spectrum.
However, Hicks teaches the dual mode telephone 106 functions as a wireless phone operating over licensed wireless spectrum via a licensed wireless 112 network
when a user is outside of buildings and as a digital cordless phone operating over unlicensed spectrum 110 via the unlicensed wireless network with a wireless
access point in conjunction with VoIP digital voice technology when a user is inside buildings, such as the user's home (see Hicks: paragraph 76).
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of claimed invention to use the teachings of Hicks in the access point system of Khan in order for the converter of AP to translate from one frequency protocol to another protocol vice versa-for example from an unlicensed frequency to a licensed frequency spectrum or vice versa (see Hicks: paragraph 76).
For claim 2 Khan in view of Hicks teaches the wireless access point, wherein the first protocol or the second protocol is associated with at least one of the licensed radio frequencies and is one of a new radio (NR) protocol, a long term volution (LTE) protocol, a third generation (3G) protocol, a second generation (2G) protocol, or a protocol associated with citizen broadband radio service (CBRS) (see Khan: paragraph 3 “4G LTE and Wi-Fi” and Hicks: paragraph 76 “licensed and unlicensed radio frequencies).
For claim 3 Khan in view of Hicks teaches the wireless access point, wherein the first unlicensed radio frequencies and the second unlicensed radio frequencies are the same radio frequencies or overlapping radio frequency ranges (see Khan: paragraph 26 “f1, f2, and f3 are in the same frequency range”).
For claim 4 Khan in view of Hicks teaches the wireless access point wherein the first protocol or the second protocol is associated with at least one of unlicensed radio frequency of the first unlicensed radio frequencies or the second unlicensed radio frequencies and is one of a protocol associated with a Wi-Fi radio frequency or with a Bluetooth radio frequency (see Khan: paragraph 3 “W-Fi”).
For claim 5 Khan in view of Hicks teaches the wireless access point, wherein the other wireless communication mechanism is infrared communication (see Khan: paragraph 3 “W-Fi-infrared is a design choice for short range”).
For claim 6 Khan in view of Hicks teaches the wireless access point, wherein the translation logic receives the inbound communication from a first protocol stack or a first data representation and transmits the outbound communication to a second protocol stack or a second data representation (see Khan: paragraph 21 “other function such as protocol processing”).
For claim 7 Khan in view of Hicks teaches the wireless access point of claim 6, wherein the translation logic is configured to generate an intermediate representation from the inbound communication and use the intermediate representation to generate the outbound communication as one or more transmissions using at least the second protocol (see Khan: paragraph 26 “f1 to f2 to f3 ”).
For claim 9 Khan in view of Hicks teaches the wireless access point, wherein the wireless access point selects among licensed radio frequencies, among first unlicensed radio frequencies, or among both for the outbound communication based on power resources of the wireless access point (see Khan: paragraph 21 “other function such as protocol processing”).
For claim 10 Khan in view of Hicks teaches the wireless access point, wherein the wireless access point and the one or more access points are associated with a mobile network operator and at least one of the one or more devices disposed within the building is not a subscriber of the mobile network operator (see Hicks: paragraph 27 “Wi-Fi” and paragraph 31 “subscriber”).
For claim 11 Khan in view of Hicks teaches the wireless access point, wherein the wireless access point is configured to receive an update to the translation logic, the update supporting translation to and from an additional protocol (see Khan: Fig. 18 “f1<>f2 & f2<>f3”).
For claim 12 Khan in view of Hicks teaches a method comprising:
receiving, at a wireless access point, an inbound communication associated with a first protocol of one of a cellular radio frequency technology or a Wi-Fi radio frequency technology (as discussed in claim 1);
translating, by translation logic of the wireless access point, between the first protocol and a second protocol of the other of the cellular radio frequency technology or the Wi-Fi radio frequency technology to generate an outbound communication associated with the second protocol (as discussed in claim 1);
selecting among cellular radio frequencies based on power resources of the wireless access point (see Fig. 7 “a f1 is chosen from the access point 104”, Fig. 9 “selects f3 to be f2 based on the wireless Power transmitter”, and paragraph 17 “the outside module 208 is powered by the inside module 216 using wireless power transfer mechanism based on resonant or non-resonant inductive coupling methods”); and
transmitting, by the wireless access point, the outbound communication selecting among cellular radio frequencies based on power resources of the wireless access point using the selected at least one cellular frequency (see paragraph 34 “band
selection mechanisms that select the frequency sub-bands within f1, f2 , and f3” and as discussed in claim 1),
wherein the inbound communication is received at a first part of the wireless access point and the outbound communication is transmitted at a second part of the wireless access point, and one of the first part and the second part is disposed outside of a building and the other of the first part and the second part is disposed inside of the building, on an opposite side of a window of the building from the first part (as discussed in claim 1).
For claim 13 Khan in view of Hicks teaches the method, wherein the first protocol or the second protocol is associated with the cellular radio frequency technology and is one of a new radio (NR) protocol, a long term volution (LTE) protocol, a third generation (3G) protocol, a second generation (2G) protocol, or a protocol associated with citizen broadband radio service (CBRS) (as discussed in claim 2).
For claim 14 Khan in view of Hicks teaches the method, wherein the translating comprises generating an intermediate representation from the inbound communication and using the intermediate representation to generate the outbound communication as one or more transmissions using at least the second protocol (as discussed in claim 7).
For claim 15 Khan in view of Hicks teaches the method, wherein the translating comprises generating the outbound communication as multiple transmissions, each to a different endpoint and at least two of the multiple transmissions using different radio frequencies (as discussed in claim 8).
For claim 17 Khan in view of Hicks teaches the method, further comprising receiving an update to the translation logic of the wireless access point, the update supporting translation to and from an additional protocol (as discussed in claim 11).
For claim 18 Khan in view of Hicks teaches a non-transitory computer storage medium having stored thereon a plurality of programming instructions that, when executed by a wireless access point (as discussed in claim 1), cause the wireless access point to perform operations comprising:
receiving an inbound communication associated with a first protocol of one of a cellular radio frequency technology or a Wi-Fi radio frequency technology (as discussed in claim 1);
translating, by translation logic of the wireless access point, between the first protocol and a second protocol of the other of the cellular radio frequency technology or the Wi-Fi radio frequency technology to generate an outbound communication associated with the second protocol (as discussed in claim 1); and
transmitting the outbound communication (as discussed in claim 1),
wherein the translation logic is configured to generate the outbound communication as multiple transmissions, each to a different endpoint and at least two of the multiple transmissions using different radio frequencies (as discussed in claim 1), and
wherein the inbound communication is received at a first part of the wireless access point and the outbound communication is transmitted at a second part of the wireless access point, and one of the first part and the second part is disposed outside of a building and the other of the first part and the second part is disposed inside of the building, on an opposite side of a window of the building from the first part (as discussed in claim 1).
For claim 19 Khan in view of Hicks teaches the non-transitory computer storage medium, wherein the first protocol or the second protocol is associated with the cellular radio frequency technology and is one of a new radio (NR) protocol, a long term volution (LTE) protocol, a third generation (3G) protocol, a second generation (2G) protocol, or a protocol associated with citizen broadband radio service (CBRS) (as discussed in claim 2).
Conclusion
6. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Furuichi (US 2025/0176006 A1) (paragraph 340 “selected frequency (channel) based on the adjusted power”) and Khlat (US 2023/0079153 A1) (Fig. 2 “signal conversion circuit 32 and F1-FM 34”).
7. 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.
7. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to David M OVEISSI whose telephone number is (571)270-3127. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8Am-5PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeffrey Rutkowski can be reached at (571) 270 - 1215. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MANSOUR OVEISSI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2415