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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 13, and 18 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-6, 8-11, and 13-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Patil et al (US Publication 202/0213933 A1).
Regarding to claims 1 and 18, Patil discloses a first wireless device 2505 (fig. 25), comprising: a processing system that includes processor circuitry 2535 and memory circuitry 2530 that stores code (page 23 paragraph 0259), the processing system configured to cause the first wireless device to: receive 3205 a physical layer protocol data unit PPDU (fig. 32 page 24 paragraph 0285) comprising an indication of a protection of a medium access control MAC header of a frame, or an interpretation configuration (MPDU frame formats include beacon frame) for one or more first fields of the frame, from a plurality of interpretation configurations (sequence number value or hash values associated with beacon frame) for the one or more first fields (fig. 14 page 17 paragraphs 0181-0183), or both; receive the frame (page 17 paragraph 0184); and decode the frame in accordance with the format protection of the MAC header of the frame or the interpretation configuration for the one or more first fields (page 17 paragraph 0184), or both.
Regarding to claims 2 and 19, Patil discloses the indication is carried in one or more second fields of a MAC protocol data unit MPDU delimiter corresponding to the frame, and the one or more second fields indicate the protection of the MAC header of the MPDU frame or the interpretation configuration for the one or more first fields (page 17 paragraph 0182), or both.
Regarding to claim 3, Patil discloses the MPDU delimiter comprises one or more reserved fields B1 that indicate the format protection of the MAC header of the frame or the interpretation configuration for the one or more first fields (fig. 14 page 17 paragraph 0182), or both.
Regarding to claim 4, Patil discloses the MPDU delimiter comprises a delimiter signature field B8, and a value of the delimiter signature field indicates the format protection of the MAC header of the MPDU frame or the interpretation configuration for the one or more first fields (fig. 14 page 17 paragraph 0182), or both.
Regarding to claim 5 and 20, Patil discloses one or more second fields in a preamble of the PPDU, one or more service fields of the PPDU, or both, indicate the protection of the MAC header of the frame or the interpretation configuration for the one or more first fields (page 17 paragraph 0183), or both.
Regarding to claim 6, Patil discloses the is a MAC header comprises the indication, and one or more second fields in the MAC header indicate the protection of the MAC header of the frame or the interpretation configuration for the one or more first fields (fig. 3 page 11 paragraph 0129), or both.
Regarding to claims 8, Patil discloses the protection of the MAC header of the frame or the interpretation configuration for the one or more first fields, or both, indicate at least one of that one or more second fields of the frame are expanded (page 17 paragraph 0181; variable length), or that one or more third fields of the MPDU frame carry timestamp information, or a combination thereof.
Regarding to claim 9, Patil discloses the protection of the MAC header of the frame or the interpretation configuration for the one or more first fields, or both, indicate at least one of a size of a high throughput control field exceeding a threshold (fig. 7 page 13 paragraph 0146), a presence of one or more security fields in the MPDU frame associated with the protection of the MAC header, a sequence number space being expanded based at least in part on a Fragment Number field, the sequence number space being expanded based at least in part on a Packet Number field, or an interpretation for one or more third fields in the MAC header, from a plurality of interpretations for the one or more third fields in the MAC header, or a combination thereof.
Regarding to claim 10, Patil discloses to receive the message PPDU, the processing system is configured to cause the first wireless device to: receive a data frame associated with the MPDU frame, wherein the data frame comprises one or more elements indicating the format protection of the MAC header of the MPDU frame or the interpretation configuration for the one or more first fields (page 17 paragraph 1084), or both.
Regarding to claim 11, Patil discloses the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless device to: receive a second PPDU indicating a protection of a second MAC header of a second frame or a second interpretation configuration for one or more third fields of the second frame, or both; and receive an aggregate MAC protocol data unit MPDU comprising the MPDU frame and at least the second MPDU frame (page 6 paragraph 0102).
Regarding to claim 13, Patil discloses a first wireless device 2105 (fig. 21), comprising: a processing system that includes processor circuitry 2135 and memory circuitry 2130 that stores code (page 20 paragraph 0220), the processing system configured to cause the first wireless device to: transmit 3110 a physical layer protocol data unit PPDU (fig. 31 page 24 paragraph 0283) comprising an indication of a protection of a medium access control MAC header of a frame, or an interpretation configuration (MPDU frame formats include beacon frame) for one or more first fields of the frame, from a plurality of interpretation configurations (sequence number value or hash values associated with beacon frame) for the one or more first fields (fig. 14 page 17 paragraphs 0181-0183), or both; and transmit 3110 the frame in accordance with the format protection of the MAC header of the frame or the interpretation configuration for the one or more first fields (page 17 paragraph 0184), or both.
Regarding to claim 14, Patil discloses the indication is carried in one or more second fields of a MAC protocol data unit MPDU delimiter corresponding to the frame, and the one or more second fields indicate the protection of the MAC header of the MPDU frame or the interpretation configuration for the one or more first fields (page 17 paragraph 0182), or both.
Regarding to claim 15, Patil discloses the MPDU delimiter comprises one or more reserved fields B1 that indicate the format protection of the MAC header of the frame or the interpretation configuration for the one or more first fields (fig. 14 page 17 paragraph 0182), or both.
Regarding to claim 16, Patil discloses the MPDU delimiter comprises a delimiter signature field B8, and a value of the delimiter signature field indicates the format protection of the MAC header of the MPDU frame or the interpretation configuration for the one or more first fields (fig. 14 page 17 paragraph 0182), or both.
Regarding to claim 17, Patil discloses one or more second fields in a preamble of the PPDU, one or more service fields of the PPDU, or both, indicate the protection of the MAC header of the frame or the interpretation configuration for the one or more first fields (page 17 paragraph 0183), or both.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7 and 12 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.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Duc T Duong whose telephone number is (571)272-3122. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri; 9am-6pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Hassan Phillips can be reached at (571)272-3940. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DUC T DUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2467
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