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 .
This office action is in response to application filed on 12/13/2023.
Claims 1-24 are pending and rejected.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 05/01/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
The use of the term "Wi-Fi," which is a trade name or a mark used in commerce, has been noted in this application. The term should be accompanied by the generic terminology; furthermore, the term should be capitalized wherever it appears or, where appropriate, include a proper symbol indicating use in commerce such as ™, SM , or ® following the term.
Although the use of trade names and marks used in commerce (i.e., trademarks, service marks, certification marks, and collective marks) are permissible in patent applications, the proprietary nature of the marks should be respected and every effort made to prevent their use in any manner which might adversely affect their validity as commercial marks.
Claim 17 is objected to because the phrase for the acronym "OFDMA" should be fully spelled out when first introduced.
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)(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.
Claims 1, 3-7, 9-13, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Cavalcanti et al (US20220123880A1) (hereinafter "Cavalcanti").
Regarding claim 1, Cavalcanti discloses a system for wireless communication, the system comprising:
data processing hardware; and ([0113] The communication station 1100 may also include processing circuitry 1106 and memory 1108 arranged to perform the operations described herein.)
memory hardware in communication with the data processing hardware, the memory hardware storing instructions that when executed on the data processing hardware cause the data processing hardware to perform operations comprising ([0113] The communication station 1100 may also include processing circuitry 1106 and memory 1108 arranged to perform the operations described herein.):
predicting an arrival time for time-sensitive data ([0069] STA Identifier (ID). Identification field to address STA recipient of BE/time-sensitive data. [0070] Segment Length. Length of next segment containing an integer number of MPDUs. This field is used to notify STAs when the next MA is expected to arrive.);
initiating a data transmission prior to the predicted arrival time for the time-sensitive data; and ([0055] When time-sensitive data needs to be transmitted to STA #11, a MA (e.g., the recent MA) associated with RU #2 may indicate the presence of time-sensitive data for STA #11.)
when an actual arrival time of the time-sensitive data and a beginning of a data field of the data transmission are not aligned, adding padding to the data transmission to align the beginning of the data field with the actual arrival time of the time-sensitive data ([0058] When time-sensitive traffic arrives, padding is added after a MA(s) to align the next MAs of all STAs at an OFDMA symbol level to enable the insertion of a WMA. Padding is added properly so that no segment transmission is interrupted unexpectedly.).
Regarding claim 7, Cavalcanti discloses a method for reducing latency of a data transmission, the method comprising:
predicting an arrival time for time-sensitive data ([0069] STA Identifier (ID). Identification field to address STA recipient of BE/time-sensitive data. [0070] Segment Length. Length of next segment containing an integer number of MPDUs. This field is used to notify STAs when the next MA is expected to arrive.);
initiating a data transmission prior to the predicted arrival time for the time-sensitive data; and ([0055] When time-sensitive data needs to be transmitted to STA #11, a MA (e.g., the recent MA) associated with RU #2 may indicate the presence of time-sensitive data for STA #11.)
when an actual arrival time of the time-sensitive data and a beginning of a data field of the data transmission are not aligned, adding padding to the data transmission to align the beginning of the data field with the actual arrival time of the time-sensitive data ([0058] When time-sensitive traffic arrives, padding is added after a MA(s) to align the next MAs of all STAs at an OFDMA symbol level to enable the insertion of a WMA. Padding is added properly so that no segment transmission is interrupted unexpectedly.).
Regarding claim 13, Cavalcanti discloses a system for wireless communication, the system comprising:
data processing hardware; and ([0113] The communication station 1100 may also include processing circuitry 1106 and memory 1108 arranged to perform the operations described herein.)
memory hardware in communication with the data processing hardware, the memory hardware storing instructions that when executed on the data processing hardware cause the data processing hardware to perform operations comprising ([0113] The communication station 1100 may also include processing circuitry 1106 and memory 1108 arranged to perform the operations described herein.):
reserving a resource unit of a multiplexed data transmission for time-sensitive data ([0040] The frame preemption capability may achieve worst case latency guarantees with high efficiency, as it eliminates the need for un-used times (guard bands) around reserved service period for time-sensitive applications (e.g., as defined by the IEEE 802.1Qbv over IEEE 802.11 mechanism). With frame preemption capabilities, the AP may transmit more BE traffic as it can preempt the transmission only when needed to transmit a time-sensitive frame.);
transmitting a preamble followed by one or more empty frames using the reserved resource unit ([0055] When time-sensitive data needs to be transmitted to STA #11, a MA (e.g., the recent MA) associated with RU #2 may indicate the presence of time-sensitive data for STA #11. STA #2 may read the MA and pauses to process the received P-PPDU until the end of the segment for the STA #11 (e.g., S #1 for the STA #11 as shown in FIG. 6). After STA #11 receives the time-sensitive data, STA #2 may resume the processing of the subsequent segments (e.g., S #2, S #3, etc.). [0057] In some embodiments where wideband-level frame preemption is applied, a wide band MA (WMA) may be used to signal preemptable STAs that the current P-PPDU transmission will be preemptied. Additionally or alternatively, the WMA may be used to indicate new resource allocation for (time-sensitive) data transmission to a new set of preemptable STAs.);
continuing to transmit empty frames on the reserved resource unit until an arrival of the time sensitive data; and ([0058] When time-sensitive traffic arrives, padding is added after a MA(s) to align the next MAs of all STAs at an OFDMA symbol level to enable the insertion of a WMA. Padding is added properly so that no segment transmission is interrupted unexpectedly. [0059] In the example of FIG. 7, the frame preemption is based on a new RU allocation. The time-sensitive data packet arrives at the end of transmission of S #1 for STA #2. The AP may generate new dummy segments (padding) to wait for other STAs to finalize their segment transmissions and align all MAs at an OFDMA symbol level.)
transmitting a data field containing the time sensitive data on the reserved resource unit ([0059] In the example of FIG. 7, the frame preemption is based on a new RU allocation. The time-sensitive data packet arrives at the end of transmission of S #1 for STA #2. The AP may generate new dummy segments (padding) to wait for other STAs to finalize their segment transmissions and align all MAs at an OFDMA symbol level.).
Regarding claim 19, Cavalcanti discloses a method for reducing latency of a data transmission, the method comprising:
reserving a resource unit of a multiplexed data transmission for time-sensitive data ([0040] The frame preemption capability may achieve worst case latency guarantees with high efficiency, as it eliminates the need for un-used times (guard bands) around reserved service period for time-sensitive applications (e.g., as defined by the IEEE 802.1Qbv over IEEE 802.11 mechanism). With frame preemption capabilities, the AP may transmit more BE traffic as it can preempt the transmission only when needed to transmit a time-sensitive frame.);
transmitting a preamble followed by one or more empty frames using the reserved resource unit ([0055] When time-sensitive data needs to be transmitted to STA #11, a MA (e.g., the recent MA) associated with RU #2 may indicate the presence of time-sensitive data for STA #11. STA #2 may read the MA and pauses to process the received P-PPDU until the end of the segment for the STA #11 (e.g., S #1 for the STA #11 as shown in FIG. 6). After STA #11 receives the time-sensitive data, STA #2 may resume the processing of the subsequent segments (e.g., S #2, S #3, etc.). [0057] In some embodiments where wideband-level frame preemption is applied, a wide band MA (WMA) may be used to signal preemptable STAs that the current P-PPDU transmission will be preemptied. Additionally or alternatively, the WMA may be used to indicate new resource allocation for (time-sensitive) data transmission to a new set of preemptable STAs.);
continuing to transmit empty frames on the reserved resource unit until an arrival of the time sensitive data; and ([0058] When time-sensitive traffic arrives, padding is added after a MA(s) to align the next MAs of all STAs at an OFDMA symbol level to enable the insertion of a WMA. Padding is added properly so that no segment transmission is interrupted unexpectedly. [0059] In the example of FIG. 7, the frame preemption is based on a new RU allocation. The time-sensitive data packet arrives at the end of transmission of S #1 for STA #2. The AP may generate new dummy segments (padding) to wait for other STAs to finalize their segment transmissions and align all MAs at an OFDMA symbol level.)
transmitting a data field containing the time sensitive data on the reserved resource unit ([0059] In the example of FIG. 7, the frame preemption is based on a new RU allocation. The time-sensitive data packet arrives at the end of transmission of S #1 for STA #2. The AP may generate new dummy segments (padding) to wait for other STAs to finalize their segment transmissions and align all MAs at an OFDMA symbol level.).
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.
Claims 2, 8, 14, 16-17, 20, and 22-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cavalcanti in view of Asterjadhi et al (US20170181187A1) (hereinafter "Asterjadhi").
Regarding claim 2, Cavalcanti fails to disclose the system, wherein adding padding to the data transmission comprises inserting one or more padding subframes between a preamble of the data transmission and one or more subframes of the data field containing the time-sensitive data.
However, Asterjadhi discloses the system, wherein adding padding to the data transmission comprises inserting one or more padding subframes between a preamble of the data transmission and one or more subframes of the data field containing the time-sensitive data ([0074] In another aspect, a STA 120 may add end of file (EOF) padding delimiters to reach the target length. In another approach the padding or the EOF pad fields are added at the beginning of the A-MPDU. One of the benefits of having all the UL-MU-MIMO transmissions the same length is that the power level of the transmission will remain constant.).
Cavalcanti and Asterjadhi are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of transmitting and receiving packets over a wireless medium.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Cavalcanti with Asterjadhi to create the system, wherein adding padding to the data transmission comprises inserting one or more padding subframes between a preamble of the data transmission and one or more subframes of the data field containing the time-sensitive data.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to have all UL-MU-MIMO transmissions the same length so that the transmission power level will remain constant.
Regarding claim 8, Cavalcanti fails to disclose the method, wherein adding padding to the data transmission comprises inserting one or more padding subframes between a preamble of the data transmission and the subframes containing the data transmission.
However, Asterjadhi discloses the method, wherein adding padding to the data transmission comprises inserting one or more padding subframes between a preamble of the data transmission and the subframes containing the data transmission ([0074] In another aspect, a STA 120 may add end of file (EOF) padding delimiters to reach the target length. In another approach the padding or the EOF pad fields are added at the beginning of the A-MPDU. One of the benefits of having all the UL-MU-MIMO transmissions the same length is that the power level of the transmission will remain constant.).
Cavalcanti and Asterjadhi are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of transmitting and receiving packets over a wireless medium.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Cavalcanti with Asterjadhi to create the method, wherein adding padding to the data transmission comprises inserting one or more padding subframes between a preamble of the data transmission and the subframes containing the data transmission.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to have all UL-MU-MIMO transmissions the same length so that the transmission power level will remain constant.
Regarding claim 14, Cavalcanti fails to disclose the system, wherein reserving the resource unit of the multiplexed data transmission comprises reserving a plurality of resource units of the multiplexed data transmission.
However, Asterjadhi discloses the system, wherein reserving the resource unit of the multiplexed data transmission comprises reserving a plurality of resource units of the multiplexed data transmission ([0106] For example, in some embodiments, the AP 110 may provide one or more RUs for STAs to transmit information to the AP 110 in accordance with a contention-based protocol.).
Cavalcanti and Asterjadhi are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of transmitting and receiving packets over a wireless medium.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Cavalcanti with Asterjadhi to create the system, wherein reserving the resource unit of the multiplexed data transmission comprises reserving a plurality of resource units of the multiplexed data transmission.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to increase transmission speeds and improved bandwidth efficiency.
Regarding claim 16, Cavalcanti fails to disclose the system, wherein the data transmission is performed using a Wi-Fi protocol.
However, Asterjadhi discloses the system, wherein the data transmission is performed using a Wi-Fi protocol ([0040] In an example, an STA connects to an AP via a Wi-Fi (e.g., IEEE 802.11 protocol such as 802.11ah) compliant wireless link to obtain general connectivity to the Internet or to other wide area networks. In some implementations an STA may also be used as an AP.).
Cavalcanti and Asterjadhi are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of transmitting and receiving packets over a wireless medium.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Cavalcanti with Asterjadhi to create the system, wherein the data transmission is performed using a Wi-Fi protocol.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to lower deployment associated costs by utilizing a Wi-Fi protocol.
Regarding claim 17, Cavalcanti fails to disclose the system, wherein the multiplexed data transmission is an OFDMA data transmission.
However, Asterjadhi discloses the system, wherein the multiplexed data transmission is an OFDMA data transmission ([0041] The techniques described herein may be used for various broadband wireless communication systems, including communication systems that are based on an orthogonal multiplexing scheme. Examples of such communication systems include Spatial Division Multiple Access (SDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems, Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) systems, and so forth. [0096] In one embodiment, the CTX frame 1000 or the CTX frame 1300 may be aggregated in an A-MPDU to provide time to a STA 120 for processing before transmitting the UL signals. In this embodiment, padding or data may be added after the CTX to allow a STA 120 additional time to process the forthcoming packet. … In another embodiment, the padding may be achieved by adding PHY OFDMA symbols, which may include undefined bits not carrying information, or may include bit sequences that carry information, as long as they do not need to be processed within the IFS time.).
Cavalcanti and Asterjadhi are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of transmitting and receiving packets over a wireless medium.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Cavalcanti with Asterjadhi to create the system, wherein the multiplexed data transmission is an OFDMA data transmission.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to increase wireless capacity and efficiency.
Regarding claim 20, Cavalcanti fails to disclose the method, wherein reserving the resource unit of the multiplexed data transmission comprises reserving a plurality of resource units of the multiplexed data transmission.
However, Asterjadhi discloses the method, wherein reserving the resource unit of the multiplexed data transmission comprises reserving a plurality of resource units of the multiplexed data transmission ([0106] For example, in some embodiments, the AP 110 may provide one or more RUs for STAs to transmit information to the AP 110 in accordance with a contention-based protocol.).
Cavalcanti and Asterjadhi are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of transmitting and receiving packets over a wireless medium.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Cavalcanti with Asterjadhi to create the method, wherein reserving the resource unit of the multiplexed data transmission comprises reserving a plurality of resource units of the multiplexed data transmission.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to increase transmission speeds and improved bandwidth efficiency.
Regarding claim 22, Cavalcanti fails to disclose the system, wherein the data transmission is performed using a Wi-Fi protocol.
However, Asterjadhi discloses the system, wherein the data transmission is performed using a Wi-Fi protocol ([0040] In an example, an STA connects to an AP via a Wi-Fi (e.g., IEEE 802.11 protocol such as 802.11ah) compliant wireless link to obtain general connectivity to the Internet or to other wide area networks. In some implementations an STA may also be used as an AP.).
Cavalcanti and Asterjadhi are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of transmitting and receiving packets over a wireless medium.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Cavalcanti with Asterjadhi to create the system, wherein the data transmission is performed using a Wi-Fi protocol.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to lower deployment associated costs by utilizing a Wi-Fi protocol.
Regarding claim 23, Cavalcanti fails to disclose the system, wherein the multiplexed data transmission is an OFDMA data transmission.
However, Asterjadhi discloses the system, wherein the multiplexed data transmission is an OFDMA data transmission ([0041] The techniques described herein may be used for various broadband wireless communication systems, including communication systems that are based on an orthogonal multiplexing scheme. Examples of such communication systems include Spatial Division Multiple Access (SDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems, Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) systems, and so forth. [0096] In one embodiment, the CTX frame 1000 or the CTX frame 1300 may be aggregated in an A-MPDU to provide time to a STA 120 for processing before transmitting the UL signals. In this embodiment, padding or data may be added after the CTX to allow a STA 120 additional time to process the forthcoming packet. … In another embodiment, the padding may be achieved by adding PHY OFDMA symbols, which may include undefined bits not carrying information, or may include bit sequences that carry information, as long as they do not need to be processed within the IFS time.).
Cavalcanti and Asterjadhi are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of transmitting and receiving packets over a wireless medium.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Cavalcanti with Asterjadhi to create the system, wherein the multiplexed data transmission is an OFDMA data transmission.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to increase wireless capacity and efficiency.
Claims 3-6, and 9-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cavalcanti in view of Ayadurai et al (US20210351882A1) (hereinafter "Ayadurai").
Regarding claim 3, Cavalcanti fails to disclose the system, wherein adding padding to the data transmission comprises inserting padding sub-frames between a preamble of the data transmission and one or more subframes configured to contain the time-sensitive data until the time-sensitive data arrives.
However, Ayadurai discloses the system, wherein adding padding to the data transmission comprises inserting padding sub-frames between a preamble of the data transmission and one or more subframes configured to contain the time-sensitive data until the time-sensitive data arrives ([0029] FIG. 2 shows an example of the structure of a packet 200 such as a Wi-Fi packet. The packet 200 comprises a preamble and header portion 202 and a payload 204. The data portion 206 is a part of the payload 204. The size of the payload 204 (e.g. the amount of data in the payload) may be equal to or greater than the size of the data portion 206. The payload 204 may include data 208 preceding the data portion 206, and/or data 210 following the data portion 206. In some examples, the data 208 and/or the data 210 comprises padding data.).
Cavalcanti and Ayadurai are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of transmitting padding data in a payload until the data portion has been received.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Cavalcanti with Ayadurai to create the system, wherein adding padding to the data transmission comprises inserting padding sub-frames between a preamble of the data transmission and one or more subframes configured to contain the time-sensitive data until the time-sensitive data arrives.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to increase efficient use of resources.
Regarding claim 4, Cavalcanti fails to disclose the system, wherein the data transmission is initiated at a time determined to position the beginning of the data field a predetermined period of time after the predicted arrival time for the time-sensitive data.
However, Ayadurai discloses the system, wherein the data transmission is initiated at a time determined to position the beginning of the data field a predetermined period of time after the predicted arrival time for the time-sensitive data ([0036] In some examples, the position of the respective data portion in the packet comprises a predetermined position in the payload shifted by the respective random or pseudorandom time period. For example, if a request to transmit a packet is made at substantially regular or substantially constant time intervals, and a random or pseudorandom time delay t before transmission of a packet is specified, then the position of the data portion in the packet (e.g. within the payload) may be shifted from a predetermined position by an amount equivalent to −t, for example, to compensate for the delay specified for that packet.).
Cavalcanti and Ayadurai are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of transmitting padding data in a payload until the data portion has been received.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Cavalcanti with Ayadurai to create the system, wherein the data transmission is initiated at a time determined to position the beginning of the data field a predetermined period of time after the predicted arrival time for the time-sensitive data.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to increase efficient use of resources.
Regarding claim 5, Cavalcanti fails to disclose the system, wherein the arrival time for the time-sensitive data is predicted using a known time interval between arrivals of successive sets of time sensitive data.
However, Ayadurai discloses the system, wherein the arrival time for the time-sensitive data is predicted using a known time interval between arrivals of successive sets of time sensitive data ([0047] Some example embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented as a software module as part of an existing Wi-Fi 802.11 entity or device, such as for example an Access Point (AP) or Station (STA). The device may be configured to be able to identify the Industrial Ethernet traffic stream, e.g. based on source and/or destination addresses for example, and also to know periodicity of this traffic and possibly also the size of each data portion in this traffic.).
Cavalcanti and Ayadurai are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of transmitting padding data in a payload until the data portion has been received.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Cavalcanti with Ayadurai to create the system, wherein the arrival time for the time-sensitive data is predicted using a known time interval between arrivals of successive sets of time sensitive data.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to increase efficient use of resources.
Regarding claim 6, Cavalcanti fails to disclose the system, wherein the data transmission is performed using a Wi-Fi protocol.
However, Ayadurai discloses the system, wherein the data transmission is performed using a Wi-Fi protocol ([0045] Since in some examples the packet length is indicated at the start of the transmission, the transmitter (e.g. Wi-Fi device connected to the sending node) may specify an oversized transmission of up to 1500-bytes at the start of the transmission (e.g. in the packet header), and hence may need to fill the end of the packet (e.g. the portion of the payload following the data portion) with padding data.).
Cavalcanti and Ayadurai are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of transmitting padding data in a payload until the data portion has been received.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Cavalcanti with Ayadurai to create the system, wherein the data transmission is performed using a Wi-Fi protocol.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to lower deployment associated costs by utilizing a Wi-Fi protocol.
Regarding claim 9, Cavalcanti fails to disclose the system, wherein adding padding to the data transmission comprises inserting padding sub-frames between a preamble of the data transmission and one or more subframes of the data field configured to contain the time-sensitive data until the time-sensitive data arrives.
However, Ayadurai discloses the method, wherein adding padding to the data transmission comprises inserting padding sub-frames between a preamble of the data transmission and one or more subframes of the data field configured to contain the time-sensitive data until the time-sensitive data arrives ([0029] FIG. 2 shows an example of the structure of a packet 200 such as a Wi-Fi packet. The packet 200 comprises a preamble and header portion 202 and a payload 204. The data portion 206 is a part of the payload 204. The size of the payload 204 (e.g. the amount of data in the payload) may be equal to or greater than the size of the data portion 206. The payload 204 may include data 208 preceding the data portion 206, and/or data 210 following the data portion 206. In some examples, the data 208 and/or the data 210 comprises padding data.).
Cavalcanti and Ayadurai are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of transmitting padding data in a payload until the data portion has been received.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Cavalcanti with Ayadurai to create the system, wherein adding padding to the data transmission comprises inserting padding sub-frames between a preamble of the data transmission and one or more subframes of the data field configured to contain the time-sensitive data until the time-sensitive data arrives.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to increase efficient use of resources.
Regarding claim 10, Cavalcanti fails to disclose the system, wherein the data transmission is initiated at a time determined to position the beginning of the data field a predetermined period of time after the predicted arrival time for the time-sensitive data.
However, Ayadurai discloses the method, wherein the data transmission is initiated at a time determined to position the beginning of the data field a predetermined period of time after the predicted arrival time for the time-sensitive data ([0036] In some examples, the position of the respective data portion in the packet comprises a predetermined position in the payload shifted by the respective random or pseudorandom time period. For example, if a request to transmit a packet is made at substantially regular or substantially constant time intervals, and a random or pseudorandom time delay t before transmission of a packet is specified, then the position of the data portion in the packet (e.g. within the payload) may be shifted from a predetermined position by an amount equivalent to −t, for example, to compensate for the delay specified for that packet.).
Cavalcanti and Ayadurai are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of transmitting padding data in a payload until the data portion has been received.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Cavalcanti with Ayadurai to create the system, wherein the data transmission is initiated at a time determined to position the beginning of the data field a predetermined period of time after the predicted arrival time for the time-sensitive data.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to increase efficient use of resources.
Regarding claim 11, Cavalcanti fails to disclose the system, wherein the arrival time for the time-sensitive data is predicted using a known time interval between arrivals of successive sets of time sensitive data.
However, Ayadurai discloses the method, wherein the arrival time for the time-sensitive data is predicted using a known time interval between arrivals of successive sets of time sensitive data ([0047] Some example embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented as a software module as part of an existing Wi-Fi 802.11 entity or device, such as for example an Access Point (AP) or Station (STA). The device may be configured to be able to identify the Industrial Ethernet traffic stream, e.g. based on source and/or destination addresses for example, and also to know periodicity of this traffic and possibly also the size of each data portion in this traffic.).
Cavalcanti and Ayadurai are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of transmitting padding data in a payload until the data portion has been received.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Cavalcanti with Ayadurai to create the system, wherein the arrival time for the time-sensitive data is predicted using a known time interval between arrivals of successive sets of time sensitive data.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to increase efficient use of resources.
Regarding claim 12, Cavalcanti fails to disclose the system, wherein the data transmission is performed using a Wi-Fi protocol.
However, Ayadurai discloses the method, wherein the data transmission is performed using a Wi-Fi protocol ([0045] Since in some examples the packet length is indicated at the start of the transmission, the transmitter (e.g. Wi-Fi device connected to the sending node) may specify an oversized transmission of up to 1500-bytes at the start of the transmission (e.g. in the packet header), and hence may need to fill the end of the packet (e.g. the portion of the payload following the data portion) with padding data.).
Cavalcanti and Ayadurai are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of transmitting padding data in a payload until the data portion has been received.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Cavalcanti with Ayadurai to create the system, wherein the data transmission is performed using a Wi-Fi protocol.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to lower deployment associated costs by utilizing a Wi-Fi protocol.
Claims 18 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cavalcanti in view of Bharadwaj et al (US20170064718A1) (hereinafter "Bharadwaj").
Regarding claim 18, Cavalcanti fails to disclose the system, wherein the reserved resource unit is allocated 20 MHz of bandwidth.
However, Bharadwaj discloses the system, wherein the reserved resource unit is allocated 20 MHz of bandwidth ([0062] In some examples a number of bits, in addition to the common block bits used to identify how a data field is partitioned amongst devices (e.g. partitioning of the data field into RUs), in the common block field, an additional N bits may be provided in the common block field. These N bits may be common to all users in the PPDU, or common to all users in a 20 MHz channel. These bits may not be a part of a resource allocation field of the common block field, but may be used to convey other types of information, for example bits indicating padding or packet extension, legacy training field (LTF), compression indication, number of LTFs in the PPDU, etc. [0105] The first common block 605-a is associated with the second and fourth 20 MHz resource units, while common block 605-b is associated with the first and third 20 MHz resource units. The dedicated content for the 26 center tones is provided at the end of the primary 20 MHz channel in center dedicated content block 615-a. The secondary 20 MHz channel includes a padding field 620 to compensate for the disparity in signaling between the secondary and primary 20 MHz channels.).
Cavalcanti and Bharadwaj are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of signaling and resource allocation in a preamble.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Cavalcanti with Bharadwaj to create the system, wherein the reserved resource unit is allocated 20 MHz of bandwidth.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to compensate for the disparity in signaling between channels.
Regarding claim 24, Cavalcanti fails to disclose the system, wherein the reserved resource unit is allocated 20 MHz of bandwidth.
However, Bharadwaj discloses the system, wherein the reserved resource unit is allocated 20 MHz of bandwidth ([0062] In some examples a number of bits, in addition to the common block bits used to identify how a data field is partitioned amongst devices (e.g. partitioning of the data field into RUs), in the common block field, an additional N bits may be provided in the common block field. These N bits may be common to all users in the PPDU, or common to all users in a 20 MHz channel. These bits may not be a part of a resource allocation field of the common block field, but may be used to convey other types of information, for example bits indicating padding or packet extension, legacy training field (LTF), compression indication, number of LTFs in the PPDU, etc. [0105] The first common block 605-a is associated with the second and fourth 20 MHz resource units, while common block 605-b is associated with the first and third 20 MHz resource units. The dedicated content for the 26 center tones is provided at the end of the primary 20 MHz channel in center dedicated content block 615-a. The secondary 20 MHz channel includes a padding field 620 to compensate for the disparity in signaling between the secondary and primary 20 MHz channels.).
Cavalcanti and Bharadwaj are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of signaling and resource allocation in a preamble.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Cavalcanti with Bharadwaj to create the system, wherein the reserved resource unit is allocated 20 MHz of bandwidth.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to compensate for the disparity in signaling between channels.
Claims 15 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cavalcanti in view of Seok et al (US 20160056930 A1) (hereinafter "Seok").
Regarding claim 15, Cavalcanti fails to disclose the system, wherein transmitting the preamble followed by one or more empty frames on the reserved resource unit comprises transmitting a preamble followed by one or more empty frames on each of the plurality of reserved resource units.
However, Seok discloses the system, wherein transmitting the preamble followed by one or more empty frames on the reserved resource unit comprises transmitting a preamble followed by one or more empty frames on each of the plurality of reserved resource units ([0182] Further, a padding according to the present invention may be applied individually to each subchannel (or resource unit) of a DL/UL MU PPDU. For example, a plurality of subchannels allocated in one transmission channel (e.g., a 20-MHz bandwidth) may be allocated to a plurality of STAs.).
Cavalcanti and Seok are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of transmitting and receiving signals in a Wireless Local Area Network.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Cavalcanti with Seok to create the system, wherein transmitting the preamble followed by one or more empty frames on the reserved resource unit comprises transmitting a preamble followed by one or more empty frames on each of the plurality of reserved resource units.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to increase the data rate.
Regarding claim 21, Cavalcanti fails to disclose the system, wherein transmitting the preamble followed by one or more empty frames on the reserved resource unit comprises transmitting a preamble followed by one or more empty frames on each of the plurality of reserved resource units.
However, Seok discloses the system, wherein transmitting the preamble followed by one or more empty frames on the reserved resource unit comprises transmitting a preamble followed by one or more empty frames on each of the plurality of reserved resource units ([0182] Further, a padding according to the present invention may be applied individually to each subchannel (or resource unit) of a DL/UL MU PPDU. For example, a plurality of subchannels allocated in one transmission channel (e.g., a 20-MHz bandwidth) may be allocated to a plurality of STAs.).
Cavalcanti and Seok are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of transmitting and receiving signals in a Wireless Local Area Network.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Cavalcanti with Seok to create the system, wherein transmitting the preamble followed by one or more empty frames on the reserved resource unit comprises transmitting a preamble followed by one or more empty frames on each of the plurality of reserved resource units.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to increase the data rate.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Saggar et al (US20220399951A1) discloses techniques for symbol transmission with modified padding duration.
Dudda et al (US20220022245A1) discloses techniques for handling misalignment between arrival of critical data for transmission and transmission occasions of a configured grant.
Shafin et al (US20230239789A1) discloses techniques for low-latency traffic identification.
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/D LITTLE/Examiner, Art Unit 2419
/JACKIE ZUNIGA ABAD/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2469