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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claim 1-6, 8, 9, 11-14 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chun et al. (US Pub. 2017/0070914) in view of Verma et al. (US Pub. 2019/0261369).
Regarding claims 1, 14 and 16, Chun teaches a method comprising: receiving, by a first station (STA) from a second STA, at least one sensing signal (see “HE NDP frame” 3020 in Figure 30) on at least one partial frequency unit in a frequency bandwidth (see “a frequency channel region to be measured by an STA (which will report a channel state or feed the channel state back)” and “some transfer channels (partial bandwidth) other than all of the transfer channels of an UL/DL PPDU should be measured” in [0548]); and transmitting, by the first STA to the second STA, feedback information based on the at least one sensing signal (see “UL MU feedback frame” 3040 in Figure 30), wherein the feedback information includes channel state information (CSI) for the at least one partial frequency unit (see “obtain channel state information by measuring target DL channels indicated in the NDPA frame 3010 … The STAs may generate feedback frames (or beamforming frame/beamforming feedback frames) 3040 including the obtained channel state information” in [0537]). Chun, however, does not teach the at least one partial frequency unit includes at least one active frequency unit excluding at least one inactive frequency unit from the frequency bandwidth. Verma teaches the at least one partial frequency unit includes at least one active frequency unit excluding at least one inactive frequency unit from the frequency bandwidth (see “an NDPA may indicate a puncturing pattern using a bitmap. For example an endpoint may solicit partial bandwidth feedback by indicating a puncturing pattern in an NDPA. The punctured sounding may be indicated by the inclusion of a non-zero Disallowed Subchannel Bitmap subfield in the NDPA frame. The disallowed subchannels may be applied to the tone information to be included in the feedback” in [0067] and “the puncture pattern may be indicated through a bitmap” in [0142], see also “Partial BW Info” 852 in NDPA frame in Figure 8). It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Chun to have the at least one partial frequency unit includes at least one active frequency unit excluding at least one inactive frequency unit from the frequency bandwidth as taught by Verma in order to support dynamic puncturing [0067].
Regarding claim 2, Verma teaches the partial frequency unit includes a discontinuous subcarrier (see “an NDPA may indicate a puncturing pattern using a bitmap. For example an endpoint may solicit partial bandwidth feedback by indicating a puncturing pattern in an NDPA. The punctured sounding may be indicated by the inclusion of a non-zero Disallowed Subchannel Bitmap subfield in the NDPA frame. The disallowed subchannels may be applied to the tone information to be included in the feedback” in [0067] and “the puncture pattern may be indicated through a bitmap” in [0142]).
Regarding claim 3, Chun teaches the sensing signal includes a null data physical protocol data unit (NDP) (see “HE NDP frame” 3020 in Figure 30), the NDP supports long training field (LTF) repetition (“the L-LTF … may be repeated” in [0154]).
Regarding claim 4, Chun teaches the sensing signal includes a NDP (see “HE NDP frame” 3020 in Figure 30), the NDP supports at least one spatial stream or at least one space-time stream (“The NUM_STS subfield indicates the number of recommended spatial streams” in [0218]).
Regarding claim 5, Chun teaches before receiving the sensing signal (see “HE NDP frame” 3020 in Figure 30), a NDP announcement frame including sensing signal or measurement-related information is received (see “HE NDPA frame” 3010 in Figure 30); or after receiving the sensing signal, a trigger frame (see “Trigger frame” 3030 in Figure 30) or a feedback request including sensing signal or measurement-related information is received.
Regarding claim 6, Chun teaches the sensing signal or measurement-related information includes at least one of sensing-related identification information, measurement frequency unit information, measurement feedback type information, sensing signal LTF field repetition information, or information on a number of sensing signal streams (“The NUM_STS subfield indicates the number of recommended spatial streams” in [0218], see also “Num_STS” in Figure 32).
Regarding claim 8, Chun teaches a frame including the feedback information further includes a sensing report control field (see “HE control field for DL CSI feedback” in Figure 32, see also “STA info 1” field in Figure 35).
Regarding claim 9, Chun teaches the sensing report control field includes at least one of sensing-related identification information, measurement frequency unit information, measurement feedback type information, delayed feedback support information, fragment feedback support information, fragment bitmap information, or tone grouping information (see “feedback type”, “Measuring Freq. resource” in Figure 35).
Regarding claim 11, Chun teaches the fragment feedback support information indicates that the feedback information is partitioned into a plurality of fragments and whether at least one partial fragment of the plurality of fragments is included in the feedback information (“remaining feedback segments information, first feedback segment information” in [0724]).
Regarding claim 12, Chun teaches the fragment bitmap information indicates the at least one partial fragment of the plurality of fragments (“a feedback segment retransmission bitmap field” in [0727], see also “if the bit of a location n is “1”, (n=0 in the case of the LSB and n=7 in the case of the MSB), a feedback segment corresponding to “n” in the remaining feedback segments subfield within the VHT MIMO control field of a VHT compressed beamforming frame is requested” in [0297]).
Regarding claim 13, Chun teaches the sensing report control field is included in a frame including sensing signal or measurement-related information received from the second STA (see “HE control field for DL CSI feedback” in Figure 32, see also “STA info 1” field in Figure 35).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chun et al. in view of Verma et al. and further in view of Vermani et al. (US Pub. 2017/0054542).
Regarding claim 7, Chun in view of Verma, teaches the limitations in claim 6 as shown above. Chun in view of Verma, however, does not teach the measurement feedback type information indicates one of raw CSI, CSI, channel quality indication (CQI), compressed CSI, or a compressed matrix. Vermani teaches the measurement feedback type information indicates one of raw CSI, CSI, channel quality indication (CQI), compressed CSI, or a compressed matrix (“a parameter indicating a Type (s) of information being requested (e.g., CSI feedback, CQI feedback” in [0130]). It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Chun in view of Verma to have the measurement feedback type information indicates one of raw CSI, CSI, channel quality indication (CQI), compressed CSI, or a compressed matrix as taught by Vermani in order to allow for an expanded amount of information to be provided in STA information fields [0130].
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chun et al. in view of Verma et al. and further in view of Merlin et al. (US Pub. 2016/0262051).
Regarding claim 10, Chun in view of Verma teaches the limitations in claim 9 as shown above. Chun in view of Verma, however, does not teach the delayed feedback support information indicates whether the feedback information is transmitted immediately or is transmitted after a predetermined time period. Merlin teaches the delayed feedback support information indicates whether the feedback information is transmitted immediately or is transmitted after a predetermined time period (“The response timing field 1346 may comprise an indication of whether the STA should transmit the feedback immediately, or whether to delay” in [0130]). It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Chun in view of Verma to have the delayed feedback support information indicates whether the feedback information is transmitted immediately or is transmitted after a predetermined time period as taught by Merlin in order to indicate the response timing to transmit the feedback [0130].
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 03/12/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. In page 6, the applicant argues that Chun does not teach NDP frame transmitted/received on the partial bandwidth to be measured. Chun teaches NDP frame on the partial bandwidth to be measured as determined by NDPA [0534], [0535]. The claim recites sensing signal on the partial bandwidth.
Rest of the applicant’s arguments in pages 6-7 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.
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.
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/CLEMENCE S HAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2414
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