DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of group I in the reply filed on 5-1-2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. The claim recites the limitation “wherein the TWT frame is transmitted via the second link based on the first link having a different characteristic than the second link”; the examiner was not able to find support for the scope of “characteristic”. Please indicate where the scope of “characteristic” is explained in the specification.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. The claim recites the limitation “wherein the TWT frame is transmitted via the second link based on the first link having a different characteristic than the second link”; the examiner was not able to find support for the scope of the “characteristic”; thereby it is unclear the scope of the limitations. Please clarify.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-5, 7-8 and 21-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhang 20240365414.
As to claim 1, Zhang discloses a first wireless communication device [AP or AP MLD], comprising:
one or more memories [620];
one or more processors [610] each communicatively coupled with at least one of the one or more memories (see fig. 16), the one or more processors, individually or in combination, configured to cause the first wireless communication device to:
configure at least one of:
one or more subfields of a field, or one or more fields of an element, that include target wake time (TWT) information in a TWT frame, wherein the one or more subfields or the one or more fields indicate a presence or an absence of at least one optional field in the TWT frame, or an optional element in the TWT frame [TWT parameter information include variable additional optional information] (see fig. 4-6; par. 0084-0089); and
transmit the TWT frame to a second wireless communication device [S210] (see par. 0084).
As to claim 2, Zhang discloses the first wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the optional element is a multi-link operation (MLO) link information element (see par. 0141).
As to claim 3, Zhang discloses the first wireless communication device of claim 2, wherein the MLO link information element indicates a first link [any of the one or more link] between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device [the B-TWT parameter information carried in each B-TWT element may correspond to one link, or may correspond to a plurality of links] (see par. 0090, 0134-0141), and the TWT frame indicates a suspension or a resumption of a TWT schedule on the first link [start time indicate resumption of a TWT schedule] (see par. 0181) or indicates an early termination of a TWT service period (SP) scheduled on the first link.
As to claim 4, Zhang discloses the first wireless communication device of claim 2, wherein the MLO link information element comprises a link identifier (ID) bitmap indicating a first link between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device (see par. 0122, 0125).
As to claim 5, Zhang discloses the first wireless communication device of claim 4, wherein the TWT frame is transmitted to the second wireless communication device [Non-AP MLD] via a second link [link used to transmit TWT data] between the first wireless communication device [AP MLD] and the second wireless communication device (see fig.2; step 210; par. 0084), and the TWT information corresponds to the first link indicated in the MLO link information element frame [TWT parameter information include variable additional optional information] (see fig. 2-3, 5-6; par. 0084-0089).
As to claim 7, Zhang discloses the first wireless communication device of claim 4, wherein the TWT frame is transmitted to the second wireless communication device via the first link based on the MLO link information element indicating the first link (see par. 0084).
As to claim 8, Zhang discloses the first wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one optional field indicates a suspension or a resumption of a TWT schedule on a first link between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device [start time indicate resumption of a TWT schedule] (see par. 0181), or indicates an early termination of a TWT service period (SP) scheduled on the first link.
Regarding claims 21 and 25, they are the corresponding method claims of device claims 1 and 5. Therefore, claims 21 and 25 are rejected for the same reasons as shown above.
As to claim 22, Zhang discloses the method of The method of wherein the at least one optional field indicates a link identifier (ID), a traffic identifier (TID) (see par. 0256), a stream classification service identifier (SCSID), or another parameter associated with a TWT schedule, and
wherein the at least one optional field is for at least one of a restricted TWT (R-TWT) agreement (see par. 0088), an individual TWT (I-TWT) agreement, a broadcast TWT (B-TWT) agreement (see par. 0087), an off-channel TWT agreement, a coordinated TWT agreement, a coordinated R-TWT agreement, a coordinated I-TWT agreement, a coordinated B-TWT agreement, a coordinated off-channel TWT agreement, or an extended protocol for a TWT agreement, and
wherein the at least one optional field is for a single link between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device, or for multiple links respectively between the second wireless communication device and a first multi-link device (MLD) including the first wireless communication device, or for multiple links respectively between the first wireless communication device and a second MLD including the second wireless communication device, or for multiple links respectively between the first MLD and the second MLD (see par. 0104-0109), and wherein the first wireless communication device is an access point (AP) or a station (STA), and the second wireless communication device is another AP or another STA (see fig. 1-2 and 4).
As to claim 23, Zhang discloses the method of claim 21, wherein the at least one optional field indicates a traffic identifier (TID)) (see par. 0256) or a stream classification service identifier (SCSID) associated with a TWT schedule on a first link between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device.
As to claim 24, Zhang discloses the method of claim 23, wherein the at least one optional field includes a TID [link ID] bitmap, and the TID is indicated via the TID bitmap [according the spec. 0043: link ID=TID] (see par. 0124-0125).
As to claim 26, Zhang discloses the method of claim 21, wherein the one or more subfields indicating the presence or the absence of the at least one optional field include a response requested subfield (see par. 0174) or a next TWT request subfield.
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 nonobviousness.
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) 6 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang.
As to claim 6, Zhang discloses the first wireless communication device of claim 5, wherein the TWT frame is transmitted via the second link based on the first link having a different frequency band than the second link (see par. 0004). As indicated in the 112 rejection, it is unclear what is required in order to be based on a characteristic. For examination purposes the examiner selected different frequency band, a plurality of other interpretation may apply. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to base the transmission in other desired “characteristic” in order to carry the desired information in a wireless signal; thereby, allowing communication.
As to claim 9, Zhang discloses the first wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors, individually or in combination, are further configured to cause the first wireless communication device to:
transmit a TWT element, the TWT element being configured to indicate a TWT start time of an initial TWT service period (SP) in a TWT schedule between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device (see par. 0093-0094), wherein the TWT frame is a TWT information frame transmitted during the TWT schedule, and wherein a start time of one or more subsequent TWT SPs is based on the TWT start time of the initial TWT SP and a TWT wake interval indicated in the TWT element (see par. 0159). Zhang fails to disclose to always indicate. However, it would be within the knowledge of one of the ordinary skills in the art to repeat the process as desired. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to indicate an information as many times as desired including always since it is going to bring the same predictable result of informing the desired information for a resilient system and avoiding errors.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARCOS L TORRES whose telephone number is (571)272-7926. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Alison Slater can be reached at (571)270-0375. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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MARCOS L. TORRES
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2647
/MARCOS L TORRES/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2647
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