DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-28 are pending.
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/21/2023 and 04/24/2025 was filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 2-8, 10-14, 16-21 and 23-27 are objected to because of the following informalities: the preamble of claims 2-8 and 10-14 states “A method” should be “The method” and the preamble of claims 16-21 and 23-27 states “A mesh node” should be “The mesh node”. Appropriate correction is required.
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 of this title, 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 1-28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okumura, Akihito (US 20180359729, Okumura hereinafter) in view of Yang et al. (US 20200367138, Yang hereinafter).
As to claim 1: Okumura discloses a method of connecting a ... node to a … communication network comprising a plurality of interconnected ... nodes, wherein said ... node is arranged to connect to said … communication network using a default physical layer (PHY) and is arranged to connect to said … communication network using a long-range PHY, wherein a reach area of said long-range PHY is greater than a reach area of said default PHY (see at least paragraphs [0067]-[0075] and Fig. 7, in step S710, the control device 410M establishes communication with the wireless communication device 400S. To be specific, when an advertising packet is received from the wireless communication device 400S, the control device 410M transmits a connection request to the wireless communication device 400S. At this time, the wireless communication devices 400M and 400S communicate with each other in the normal mode (the first PHY) based on default settings. The PHY indication unit 412M outputs the information representing the long-range mode to the PHY setting unit 422M. Based on the information received from the PHY indication unit 412M, the PHY setting unit 422M sets the long-range mode for communication with the wireless communication device 400S. The long-range modes have longer maximum communication distances than the normal mode where long-range is 500lbps or 125kbps and normal range is 1Mbps), said method comprises the steps of:
determining, by said ... node, that said long-rang PHY is required for connecting to said … communication network (see at least paragraph [0072] and Fig. 7, in step 30, the control device 410M determines, as the switching control unit 414M, whether or not the received signal strength indication detected by the strength measurement unit 426M is smaller than the threshold Ith (interpreted as determining long-rang PHY is required). When it is determined that the received signal strength indication is smaller than the threshold Ith (step S730=YES), the control device 410M performs the processing of step S735);
…casting, by said ... node, a long-range support message using said long-range PHY thereby requesting connection to said … communication network (see at least paragraph [0074] and Fig. 7, the control device 410M transmits, as the switching control unit 414M, an instruction (a PHY switching signal) for switching the communication mode from the normal mode (the first PHY) to a long-range mode (the second PHY) to the wireless communication device 400S.);
receiving, by said ... node, from a second ... node in said … communication network, a support response of said long-range support message thereby indicating support of said connection of said ... node to said communication network using said long-range (see at least paragraph [0075] and Fig. 7, when an ACK signal responding to the PHY switching signal is received from the wireless , the switching control unit 414M outputs information representing a long-range mode to the PHY indication unit 412M. The PHY indication unit 412M outputs the information representing the long-range mode to the PHY setting unit 422M.).
Okumura does not explicitly disclose mesh nodes and mesh communication network; and broadcasting a support message to the mesh communication network.
However Yang discloses mesh nodes and mesh communication network (see at least paragraph [0014] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network); and broadcasting a support message to the mesh communication network (see at least paragraph [0031] and Fig. 2, in step S220, the control device broadcasts the configuration packet (interpreted as support message) to a plurality of controlled devices of the system 100 to establish a Bluetooth mesh network.).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network and broadcasting the configuration packet, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
As to claim 2: Okumura and Yang disclose the method in accordance with claim 1. Okumura further discloses wherein said ... node receives a plurality of support responses of said long-range support message from a plurality of second ... nodes in said ... communication network, and wherein said method further comprises the steps of: selecting, by said ... node, one of said plurality of second ... nodes in said ... communication network from which said ... node receives said plurality of support responses of said long-range support message, for connecting said ... node to said ... communication network (see at least paragraph [0074] and Fig. 7, the control device 410M transmits, as the switching control unit 414M, an instruction (a PHY switching signal) for switching the communication mode from the normal mode (the first PHY) to a long-range mode (the second PHY) to the wireless communication device 400S.).
Okumura does not explicitly disclose mesh nodes and mesh communication network.
However Yang discloses mesh nodes and mesh communication network (see at least paragraph [0014] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network and broadcasting the configuration packet, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
As to claim 3: Okumura and Yang disclose the method in accordance with claim 1. Okumura further discloses wherein messages sent using said long-range PHY have a lower rate compared to messages sent using said default PHY (see at least paragraphs [0067]-[0075] and Fig. 7, transmits an instruction (a PHY switching signal) for switching the communication mode from the normal mode (the first PHY) to a long-range mode (the second PHY) where long-range is 500lbps or 125kbps and normal range is 1Mbps).
As to claim 4: Okumura and Yang disclose the method in accordance claim 1. Okumura further discloses wherein said long-range support message is sent with a lower rate compared to messages sent using said default PHY (see at least paragraphs [0067]-[0075] and Figs. 2&7, transmits an instruction (a PHY switching signal) for switching the communication mode from the normal mode (the first PHY) to a long-range mode (the second PHY) where long-range is 500lbps or 125kbps and normal range is 1Mbps).
As to claim 5: Okumura and Yang disclose the method in accordance claim 1. Okumura further discloses wherein said step of determining comprises any of: determining, by said ... node, that said ... node is out of reach of said ... communication network by detecting absence of receipt of messages from said ... communication network (see at least paragraph [0063], when a communication disconnection (supervision timeout) occurs as shown in FIG. 6, it is highly likely to have been caused by ambient radio wave interference preventing packets sent out from the wireless communication device 400S from reaching the wireless communication device 400M.).
Okumura does not explicitly disclose mesh nodes and mesh communication network.
However Yang discloses mesh nodes and mesh communication network (see at least paragraph [0014] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network and broadcasting the configuration packet, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
As to claim 6: Okumura and Yang disclose the method in accordance with claim 1. Okumura further discloses further comprising: initiating connection establishment, by said ... node, to said second ... node in said ... communication network using said long-range PHY (see at least paragraph [0075], [0075] In step S745, the control device 410M switches, as the switching control unit 414M, the communication mode from the normal mode to a long-range mode. For example, when an ACK signal responding to the PHY switching signal is received from the wireless communication device 400S, the switching control unit 414M outputs information representing a long-range mode to the PHY indication unit 412M.).
Okumura does not explicitly disclose mesh nodes and mesh communication network.
However Yang discloses mesh nodes and mesh communication network (see at least paragraph [0014] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network and broadcasting the configuration packet, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
As to claim 7: Okumura and Yang disclose the method in accordance with claim 1. Okumura further discloses wherein said ... communication network is a Bluetooth ... communication network, and wherein said ... nodes are Bluetooth … nodes (see at least paragraphs [0043] and [0117], the communication module 420M is configured to be capable of communication based on the Bluetooth 5.0 standard.).
Okumura does not explicitly disclose mesh nodes and mesh communication network.
However Yang discloses mesh nodes and mesh communication network (see at least paragraph [0014] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network and broadcasting the configuration packet, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
As to claim 8: Okumura and Yang disclose the method in accordance with claim 1. Okumura does not explicitly disclose wherein said mesh node is arranged to establish a long-range bearer using said long-range PHY, wherein said long-range bearer is any of: a connection-less advertising bearer; a connection-oriented GATT bearer; a connection-less advertising bearer between a low-power node and an associated friend mesh node.
However Yang discloses wherein said mesh node is arranged to establish a long-range bearer using said long-range PHY, wherein said long-range bearer is any of: a connection-less advertising bearer; a connection-oriented GATT bearer; a connection-less advertising bearer between a low-power node and an associated friend mesh node.
However Yang discloses wherein said mesh node is arranged to establish a long-range bearer using said long-range PHY, wherein said long-range bearer is any of: a connection-less advertising bearer; a connection-oriented GATT bearer; a connection-less advertising bearer between a low-power node and an associated friend mesh node.
However Yang discloses wherein said mesh node is arranged to establish a long-range bearer using said long-range PHY, wherein said long-range bearer is any of: a connection-less advertising bearer; a connection-oriented GATT bearer; a connection-less advertising bearer between a low-power node and an associated friend mesh node (see at least paragraphs [0014]-[0015] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network where mesh network uses generic attribute (GATT) bearer layer).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network and broadcasting the configuration packet, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
As to claim 9: Okumura discloses a method of supporting connection of a ... node to a ... communication network comprising a plurality of interconnected ... nodes, wherein a ... node in said ... communication network is arranged to connect to said ... node using a default physical layer (PHY) and is arranged to connect to said ... node using a long-range PHY, wherein a reach area of said long-range PHY is greater than a reach area of said default PHY (see at least paragraphs [0067]-[0075] and Fig. 7, in step S710, the control device 410M establishes communication with the wireless communication device 400S. To be specific, when an advertising packet is received from the wireless communication device 400S, the control device 410M transmits a connection request to the wireless communication device 400S. At this time, the wireless communication devices 400M and 400S communicate with each other in the normal mode (the first PHY) based on default settings. The PHY indication unit 412M outputs the information representing the long-range mode to the PHY setting unit 422M. Based on the information received from the PHY indication unit 412M, the PHY setting unit 422M sets the long-range mode for communication with the wireless communication device 400S. The long-range modes have longer maximum communication distances than the normal mode where long-range is 500lbps or 125kbps and normal range is 1Mbps), said method comprises the steps of:
receiving, from said ... node, by said ... node in said ... communication network, a long-range support message using said long-range PHY thereby requesting connection of said ... node to said ... communication network (see at least paragraph [0074] and Fig. 7, the control device 410M transmits, as the switching control unit 414M, an instruction (a PHY switching signal) for switching the communication mode from the normal mode (the first PHY) to a long-range mode (the second PHY) to the wireless communication device 400S.);
transmitting, by said ... node in said ... communication network, a support response of said long-range support message thereby indicating support of said connection of said ... node to said communication network using said long-range PHY (see at least paragraph [0075] and Fig. 7, when an ACK signal responding to the PHY switching signal is received from the wireless communication device 400S, the switching control unit 414M outputs information representing a long-range mode to the PHY indication unit 412M. The PHY indication unit 412M outputs the information representing the long-range mode to the PHY setting unit 422M.).
Okumura does not explicitly disclose mesh nodes and mesh communication network.
However Yang discloses mesh nodes and mesh communication network (see at least paragraph [0014] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
As to claim 10: Okumura and Yang disclose the method in accordance with claim 9. Okumura further discloses wherein messages sent using said long-range PHY have a lower rate compared to messages sent using said default PHY (see at least paragraphs [0067]-[0075] and Fig. 7, transmits an instruction (a PHY switching signal) for switching the communication mode from the normal mode (the first PHY) to a long-range mode (the second PHY) where long-range is 500lbps or 125kbps and normal range is 1Mbps).
As to claim 11: Okumura and Yang disclose the method in accordance with claim 9. Okumura further discloses wherein said long-range support message is received with a lower rate compared to messages sent using said default PHY (see at least paragraphs [0067]-[0075] and Fig. 7, transmits an instruction (a PHY switching signal) for switching the communication mode from the normal mode (the first PHY) to a long-range mode (the second PHY) where long-range is 500lbps or 125kbps and normal range is 1Mbps).
As to claim 12: Okumura and Yang disclose the method in accordance with claim 9. Okumura further discloses wherein said ... node in said ... communication network is arranged to establish a default bearer using said default PHY, and is arranged to establish a long-range bearer using said long-range PHY, said method further comprises the step of: establishing, by said ... node in said ... communication network, said long-range bearer to said ... node using said long-range PHY (see at least paragraphs [0067]-[0075] and Fig. 7, in step S710, the control device 410M establishes communication with the wireless communication device 400S. To be specific, when an advertising packet is received from the wireless communication device 400S, the control device 410M transmits a connection request to the wireless communication device 400S. At this time, the wireless communication devices 400M and 400S communicate with each other in the normal mode (the first PHY) based on default settings. The PHY indication unit 412M outputs the information representing the long-range mode to the PHY setting unit 422M.).
Okumura does not explicitly disclose mesh nodes and mesh communication network.
However Yang discloses mesh nodes and mesh communication network (see at least paragraph [0014] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network and broadcasting the configuration packet, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
As to claim 13: Okumura and Yang disclose the method in accordance with claim 9. Okumura further discloses wherein said ... communication network is a Bluetooth ... communication network, and wherein said ... nodes are Bluetooth ... nodes (see at least paragraphs [0043] and [0117], the communication module 420M is configured to be capable of communication based on the Bluetooth 5.0 standard.).
Okumura does not explicitly disclose mesh nodes and mesh communication network.
However Yang discloses mesh nodes and mesh communication network (see at least paragraph [0014] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
As to claim 14: Okumura and Yang disclose the method in accordance with claim 9. Okumura does not explicitly disclose wherein said mesh node in said mesh communication network is arranged to establish a long-range bearer using said long-range PHY, wherein said long-range bearer is any of: a connection-less advertising bearer; a connection-oriented GATT bearer; a connection-less advertising bearer between a low-power node and an associated friend mesh node.
However Yang discloses wherein said mesh node in said mesh communication network is arranged to establish a long-range bearer using said long-range PHY, wherein said long-range bearer is any of: a connection-less advertising bearer; a connection-oriented GATT bearer; a connection-less advertising bearer between a low-power node and an associated friend mesh node (see at least paragraphs [0014]-[0015] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network where mesh network uses generic attribute (GATT) bearer layer).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
As to claim 15: Okumura discloses a ... node arranged to connect to a ... communication network comprising a plurality of interconnected ... nodes, using a default physical layer (PHY) and is arranged to connect to said ... communication network using a long-range PHY, wherein a reach area of said long-range PHY is greater than a reach area of said default PHY (see at least paragraphs [0067]-[0075] and Fig. 7, in step S710, the control device 410M establishes communication with the wireless communication device 400S. To be specific, when an advertising packet is received from the wireless communication device 400S, the control device 410M transmits a connection request to the wireless communication device 400S. At this time, the wireless communication devices 400M and 400S communicate with each other in the normal mode (the first PHY) based on default settings. The PHY indication unit 412M outputs the information representing the long-range mode to the PHY setting unit 422M. Based on the information received from the PHY indication unit 412M, the PHY setting unit 422M sets the long-range mode for communication with the wireless communication device 400S. The long-range modes have longer maximum communication distances than the normal mode where long-range is 500lbps or 125kbps and normal range is 1Mbps), said ... node comprising:
process equipment arranged for determining that said long-range PHY is required for connecting to said ... communication network (see at least paragraph [0072] and Fig. 7, in step 30, the control device 410M determines, as the switching control unit 414M, whether or not the received signal strength indication detected by the strength measurement unit 426M is smaller than the threshold Ith (interpreted as determining long-rang PHY is required). When it is determined that the received signal strength indication is smaller than the threshold Ith (step S730=YES), the control device 410M performs the processing of step S735);
transmit equipment arranged for …casting a long-range support message using said long-range PHY thereby requesting connection to said ... communication network (see at least paragraph [0074] and Fig. 7, the control device 410M transmits, as the switching control unit 414M, an instruction (a PHY switching signal) for switching the communication mode from the normal mode (the first PHY) to a long-range mode (the second PHY) to the wireless communication device 400S.);
receive equipment arranged for receiving from a ... node in said ... communication network, a support response of said long-range support message thereby indicating support of said connection of said ... node to said communication network using said long-range PHY (see at least paragraph [0075] and Fig. 7, when an ACK signal responding to the PHY switching signal is received from the wireless communication device 400S, the switching control unit 414M outputs information representing a long-range mode to the PHY indication unit 412M. The PHY indication unit 412M outputs the information representing the long-range mode to the PHY setting unit 422M.).
Okumura does not explicitly disclose mesh nodes and mesh communication network; and broadcasting a support message to the mesh communication network.
However Yang discloses mesh nodes and mesh communication network (see at least paragraph [0014] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network); and broadcasting a support message to the mesh communication network (see at least paragraph [0031] and Fig. 2, in step S220, the control device broadcasts the configuration packet (interpreted as support message) to a plurality of controlled devices of the system 100 to establish a Bluetooth mesh network.).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network and broadcasting the configuration packet, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
As to claim 16: Okumura and Yang disclose the mesh node in accordance with claim 15. Okumura further discloses wherein said received equipment is arranged for receiving a plurality of support responses of said long-range support message from a plurality of ... nodes in said ... communication network, and wherein said ... node further comprises: determine equipment arranged for selecting one of said plurality of ... nodes in said ... communication network from which said ... node receives said plurality of support responses of said long-range support message, for connecting said ... node to said ... communication network (see at least paragraph [0072] and Fig. 7, in step 30, the control device 410M determines, as the switching control unit 414M, whether or not the received signal strength indication detected by the strength measurement unit 426M is smaller than the threshold Ith (interpreted as determining long-rang PHY is required). When it is determined that the received signal strength indication is smaller than the threshold Ith (step S730=YES), the control device 410M performs the processing of step S735).
Okumura does not explicitly disclose mesh nodes and mesh communication network.
However Yang discloses mesh nodes and mesh communication network (see at least paragraph [0014] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network and broadcasting the configuration packet, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
As to claim 17: Okumura and Yang disclose the mesh node in accordance with claim 15. Okumura further discloses wherein messages sent using said long-range PHY have a lower rate compared to messages sent using said default PHY (see at least paragraphs [0067]-[0075] and Fig. 7, transmits an instruction (a PHY switching signal) for switching the communication mode from the normal mode (the first PHY) to a long-range mode (the second PHY) where long-range is 500lbps or 125kbps and normal range is 1Mbps).
As to claim 18: Okumura and Yang disclose the mesh node in accordance with claim 16. Okumura further discloses wherein said process equipment is further arranged for any of: determining that said ... node is out of reach of said ... communication network by detecting that no support responses are received in reply to messages sent using said default PHY; determining that said ... node is out of reach of said ... communication network by detecting absence of receipt of messages from said ... communication network (see at least paragraph [0063], when a communication disconnection (supervision timeout) occurs as shown in FIG. 6, it is highly likely to have been caused by ambient radio wave interference preventing packets sent out from the wireless communication device 400S from reaching the wireless communication device 400M.).
Okumura does not explicitly disclose mesh nodes and mesh communication network.
However Yang discloses mesh nodes and mesh communication network (see at least paragraph [0014] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network and broadcasting the configuration packet, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
As to claim 19: Okumura and Yang disclose the mesh node in accordance with claim 16. Okumura further discloses wherein said ... node is arranged to establish a default bearer using said default PHY, and is arranged to establish a long-range bearer using said long-range PHY, wherein said process equipment is further arranged for: establishing said long-range bearer to said ... node in said ... communication network using said long-range PHY (see at least paragraphs [0067]-[0075] and Fig. 7, in step S710, the control device 410M establishes communication with the wireless communication device 400S. To be specific, when an advertising packet is received from the wireless communication device 400S, the control device 410M transmits a connection request to the wireless communication device 400S. At this time, the wireless communication devices 400M and 400S communicate with each other in the normal mode (the first PHY) based on default settings. The PHY indication unit 412M outputs the information representing the long-range mode to the PHY setting unit 422M.).
Okumura does not explicitly disclose mesh nodes and mesh communication network.
However Yang discloses mesh nodes and mesh communication network (see at least paragraph [0014] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network and broadcasting the configuration packet, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
As to claim 20: Okumura and Yang disclose the mesh node in accordance with claim 16. Okumura further discloses wherein said ... communication network is a Bluetooth ... communication network, and wherein said ... nodes are Bluetooth ... nodes (see at least paragraphs [0043] and [0117], the communication module 420M is configured to be capable of communication based on the Bluetooth 5.0 standard.).
Okumura does not explicitly disclose mesh nodes and mesh communication network.
However Yang discloses mesh nodes and mesh communication network (see at least paragraph [0014] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network and broadcasting the configuration packet, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
As to claim 21: Okumura and Yang disclose the mesh node in accordance with claim 16. Okumura does not explicitly disclose wherein said mesh node is arranged to establish a long-range bearer using said long-range PHY, wherein said long-range bearer is any of: a connection-less advertising bearer; a connection-oriented GATT bearer; a connection-less advertising bearer between a low-power node and an associated friend mesh node.
However Yang discloses wherein said mesh node is arranged to establish a long-range bearer using said long-range PHY, wherein said long-range bearer is any of: a connection-less advertising bearer; a connection-oriented GATT bearer; a connection-less advertising bearer between a low-power node and an associated friend mesh node (see at least paragraphs [0014]-[0015] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network where mesh network uses generic attribute (GATT) bearer layer).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network and broadcasting the configuration packet, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
As to claim 22: Okumura discloses a ... node in a ... communication network arranged for supporting connection of a ... node to said ... communication network comprising a plurality of interconnected ... nodes, using a default physical layer (PHY) and is arranged to connect to said ... node using a long-range PHY, wherein a reach area of said long-range PHY is greater than a reach area of said default PHY (see at least paragraphs [0067]-[0075] and Fig. 7, in step S710, the control device 410M establishes communication with the wireless communication device 400S. To be specific, when an advertising packet is received from the wireless communication device 400S, the control device 410M transmits a connection request to the wireless communication device 400S. At this time, the wireless communication devices 400M and 400S communicate with each other in the normal mode (the first PHY) based on default settings. The PHY indication unit 412M outputs the information representing the long-range mode to the PHY setting unit 422M. Based on the information received from the PHY indication unit 412M, the PHY setting unit 422M sets the long-range mode for communication with the wireless communication device 400S. The long-range modes have longer maximum communication distances than the normal mode where long-range is 500lbps or 125kbps and normal range is 1Mbps), said ... node in said ... communication network comprising:
receive equipment arranged for receiving, from said ... node, a long-range support message using said long-range PHY thereby requesting connection of said ... node to said ... communication network (see at least paragraph [0074] and Fig. 7, the control device 410M transmits, as the switching control unit 414M, an instruction (a PHY switching signal) for switching the communication mode from the normal mode (the first PHY) to a long-range mode (the second PHY) to the wireless communication device 400S.);
transmit equipment arranged for transmitting, a support response of said long-range support message thereby indicating support of said connection of said ... node to said communication network using said long-range PHY (see at least paragraph [0075] and Fig. 7, when an ACK signal responding to the PHY switching signal is received from the wireless communication device 400S, the switching control unit 414M outputs information representing a long-range mode to the PHY indication unit 412M. The PHY indication unit 412M outputs the information representing the long-range mode to the PHY setting unit 422M.).
Okumura does not explicitly disclose mesh nodes and mesh communication network.
However Yang discloses mesh nodes and mesh communication network (see at least paragraph [0014] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
As to claim 23: Okumura and Yang disclose the mesh node in accordance with claim 22. Okumura further discloses wherein messages sent using said long-range PHY have a lower rate compared to messages sent using said default PHY (see at least paragraphs [0067]-[0075] and Fig. 7, transmits an instruction (a PHY switching signal) for switching the communication mode from the normal mode (the first PHY) to a long-range mode (the second PHY) where long-range is 500lbps or 125kbps and normal range is 1Mbps).
As to claim 24: Okumura and Yang disclose the mesh node in accordance with claim 22. Okumura further discloses wherein said long-range support message is received with a lower rate compared to messages sent using said default PHY (see at least paragraphs [0067]-[0075] and Fig. 7, transmits an instruction (a PHY switching signal) for switching the communication mode from the normal mode (the first PHY) to a long-range mode (the second PHY) where long-range is 500lbps or 125kbps and normal range is 1Mbps).
As to claim 25: Okumura and Yang disclose the mesh node in accordance with claim 22. Okumura further discloses wherein said ... node in said ... communication network is arranged to establish a default bearer using said default PHY, and is arranged to establish a long-range bearer using said long-range PHY, said ... node further comprising: process equipment arranged for establishing said long-range bearer to said ... node using said long-range PHY (see at least paragraphs [0067]-[0075] and Fig. 7, in step S710, the control device 410M establishes communication with the wireless communication device 400S. To be specific, when an advertising packet is received from the wireless communication device 400S, the control device 410M transmits a connection request to the wireless communication device 400S. At this time, the wireless communication devices 400M and 400S communicate with each other in the normal mode (the first PHY) based on default settings. The PHY indication unit 412M outputs the information representing the long-range mode to the PHY setting unit 422M.).
Okumura does not explicitly disclose mesh nodes and mesh communication network.
However Yang discloses mesh nodes and mesh communication network (see at least paragraph [0014] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
As to claim 26: Okumura and Yang disclose the mesh node in accordance with any of claim 22. Okumura further discloses wherein said ... communication network is a Bluetooth ... communication network, and wherein said ... nodes are Bluetooth ... nodes (see at least paragraphs [0043] and [0117], the communication module 420M is configured to be capable of communication based on the Bluetooth 5.0 standard.).
Okumura does not explicitly disclose mesh nodes and mesh communication network.
However Yang discloses mesh nodes and mesh communication network (see at least paragraph [0014] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
As to claim 27: Okumura and Yang disclose the mesh node in accordance with claim 22. Okumura does not explicitly discloses wherein said mesh node is arranged to establish a long-range bearer using said long-range PHY, wherein said long-range bearer is any of: a connection-less advertising bearer; a connection-oriented GATT bearer; a connection-less advertising bearer between a low-power node and an associated friend mesh node.
However Yang discloses wherein said mesh node is arranged to establish a long-range bearer using said long-range PHY, wherein said long-range bearer is any of: a connection-less advertising bearer; a connection-oriented GATT bearer; a connection-less advertising bearer between a low-power node and an associated friend mesh node (see at least paragraphs [0014]-[0015] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network where mesh network uses generic attribute (GATT) bearer layer).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
As to claim 28: Okumura discloses a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a ... node, cause said ... node to implement a method of connecting a ... node to a ... communication network comprising a plurality of interconnected ... nodes, wherein said ... node is arranged to connect to said ... communication network using a default physical layer (PHY) and is arranged to connect to said ... communication network using a long-range PHY, wherein a reach area of said long-range PHY is greater than a reach area of said default PHY (see at least paragraphs [0067]-[0075] and Fig. 7, in step S710, the control device 410M establishes communication with the wireless communication device 400S. To be specific, when an advertising packet is received from the wireless communication device 400S, the control device 410M transmits a connection request to the wireless communication device 400S. At this time, the wireless communication devices 400M and 400S communicate with each other in the normal mode (the first PHY) based on default settings. The PHY indication unit 412M outputs the information representing the long-range mode to the PHY setting unit 422M. Based on the information received from the PHY indication unit 412M, the PHY setting unit 422M sets the long-range mode for communication with the wireless communication device 400S. The long-range modes have longer maximum communication distances than the normal mode where long-range is 500lbps or 125kbps and normal range is 1Mbps), wherein said method comprises the steps of:
determining, by said ... node, that said long-rang PHY is required for connecting to said ... communication network (see at least paragraph [0072] and Fig. 7, in step 30, the control device 410M determines, as the switching control unit 414M, whether or not the received signal strength indication detected by the strength measurement unit 426M is smaller than the threshold Ith (interpreted as determining long-rang PHY is required). When it is determined that the received signal strength indication is smaller than the threshold Ith (step S730=YES), the control device 410M performs the processing of step S735);
…casting, by said ... node, a long-range support message using said long-range PHY thereby requesting connection to said ... communication network (see at least paragraph [0074] and Fig. 7, the control device 410M transmits, as the switching control unit 414M, an instruction (a PHY switching signal) for switching the communication mode from the normal mode (the first PHY) to a long-range mode (the second PHY) to the wireless communication device 400S.);
receiving, by said ... node, from a second ... node in said ... communication network, a support response of said long-range support message thereby indicating support of said connection of said ... node to said communication network using said long-range PHY (see at least paragraph [0075] and Fig. 7, when an ACK signal responding to the PHY switching signal is received from the wireless communication device 400S, the switching control unit 414M outputs information representing a long-range mode to the PHY indication unit 412M. The PHY indication unit 412M outputs the information representing the long-range mode to the PHY setting unit 422M.).
Okumura does not explicitly disclose mesh nodes and mesh communication network; and broadcasting a support message to the mesh communication network.
However Yang discloses mesh nodes and mesh communication network (see at least paragraph [0014] and Fig. 1, plurality of control devices (interpreted as mesh nodes) in a Bluetooth mesh network); and broadcasting a support message to the mesh communication network (see at least paragraph [0031] and Fig. 2, in step S220, the control device broadcasts the configuration packet (interpreted as support message) to a plurality of controlled devices of the system 100 to establish a Bluetooth mesh network.).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Bluetooth mesh network and broadcasting the configuration packet, as taught by Yang, into the invention of Okumura in order to achieve efficient control of mesh network (see Yang, paragraph [0039]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Sridhara et al. (US 20200100307) discloses Coordination Between Wireless Audio Devices.
VijayaRaghavan et al. (US 10805782) discloses Hybrid Bluetooth low energy mesh networks having proxy devices.
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/K. J./
Examiner, Art Unit 2464
/RICKY Q NGO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2464