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 § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(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, 6-9, 14, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Stacey et al US 20160227579 (hereinafter Stacey).
Regarding claim 1, Stacey discloses a communication apparatus (124, 126, or 128, see fig. 1, [0023]) comprising:
a receiver (810, see fig. 6, [0070]) which, in operation, receives, from a base communication apparatus (AP 102, see fig. 1, [0023]), an uplink OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) based random access (UORA) parameter and a trigger frame comprising user information fields allocating a plurality of random access resource units (RA-RUs) (AP 102 sends an access trigger frame comprising resource units RU and AID (~UORA parameter), see figs. 1 and 2, [0039], [0042], [0056]); and
circuitry (806, see fig. 6, [0071]) which is configured to, in operation, derive a contention window parameter from the UORA parameter based on an operating bandwidth of the communication apparatus (CW, see [0020], [0026]-[0027], [0039], [0061]), determine an UORA result to access the plurality of RA-RUs based on the contention window parameter (508, see fig. 5, [0064]) and select one RA-RU from the plurality of RA-RUs according to the determination (determine from AID that resources are allocated for random access, and determine one or more random access resource allocations/RUs, see fig. 5, [0046], [0049], [0056], [0065]); and
a transmitter (810, see fig. 6, [0070]) which, in operation, transmits an uplink signal on the one RA-RU (uplink frame 408, 512, see figs 4-5, [0059], [0066]).
Regarding claim 6 as applied to claim 1, Stacey further discloses wherein the user information fields allocating one or more first RA-RUs allocated for a first type of communication apparatuses, the first type of communication apparatuses comprising the communication apparatus (404, [0038], [0049], [0057], generating RUs for different devices 124-128, or 304-310), the user information fields further allocating one or more second RA- RUs allocated for a second, different type of communication apparatuses (404, [0038], [0049], [0057], generating RUs for different devices 124-128, or 304-310), and the circuitry is further configured to: count down a UORA backoff (OBO) counter by a count of the one or more second RA-RUs allocated for the second type of communication apparatuses when determining an UORA result (508, see fig. 5, [0064]).
Regarding claim 7 as applied to claim 1, Stacey further discloses wherein the user information fields allocating one or more first RA-RUs allocated for a first type of communication apparatuses, the first type of communication apparatuses comprising the communication apparatus (404, [0038], [0049], [0057], generating RUs for different devices 124-128, or 304-310), the user information fields further allocating one or more second RA- RUs allocated for a second, different type of communication apparatuses (404, [0038], [0049], [0057], generating RUs for different devices 124-128, or 304-310), the circuitry is configured to:
count down a UORA backoff (OBO) counter by a count of the first RA-RUs allocated for the first type of communication apparatuses when determining an UORA result (508, see fig. 5, [0064]); and
randomly select the one RA-RU from the one or more RA-RUs allocated for the first type of communication apparatuses according to the determination (see [0024]-[0025], [0027], [0038], [0044]-[0045]).
Regarding claim 8 as applied to claim 1, Stacey further discloses wherein the user information fields allocating one or more first RA-RUs allocated for a first type of communication apparatuses, the first type of communication apparatuses comprising the communication apparatus, the user information fields further allocating one or more second RA- RUs allocated for a second, different type of communication apparatuses, and the UORA parameters comprises first UORA parameters for the first type of communication apparatuses and second UORA parameters for the second type of communication apparatuses (404, [0038], [0049], [0057], generating RUs for different devices 124-128, or 304-310); the circuitry is further configured to:
derive respective contention window parameters from the first UORA parameters and the second UORA parameters (CW, see [0020], [0026]-[0027], [0039], [0061]);
determine the UORA result to access the one or more first RA-RUs and the one or more second RA-RUs based on the respective contention window parameters (508, see fig. 5, [0064]); and
select the one RA-RU from the one or more first RA-RUs and the one or more second RA-RUs according to the determination (determine from AID that resources are allocated for random access, and determine one or more random access resource allocations/RUs, see fig. 5, [0046], [0049], [0056], [0065]).
Regarding claim 9, Stacey discloses a base communication apparatus (AP 102, see fig. 1, [0023]) comprising:
circuitry (806, see fig. 6, [0070]-[0071]) which is configured to, in operation, generate a trigger frame comprising user information fields allocating a plurality of random access resource units (RA-RUs) (404, [0038], [0049], [0057]), the user information fields allocating one or more first RA-RUs allocated for a first type of communication apparatuses (404, [0038], [0049], [0057], generating RUs for different devices 124-128, or 304-310), and the user information fields further allocating one or more second RA-RUs allocated for a second, different type of communication apparatuses (404, [0038], [0049], [0057], generating RUs for different devices 124-128, or 304-310);
a transmitter (810, see fig. 6, [0070]) which, in operation, transmits an uplink OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) based random access (UORA) parameter and the trigger frame to one or more communication apparatuses (AP 102 sends an access trigger frame comprising resource units RU and AID (~UORA parameter), see figs. 1 and 2, [0039], [0042], [0056]).
Regarding claim 14 as applied to claim 9, Stacey further discloses wherein the circuitry is further configured to set an associated identifier subfield of each of the one or more user information fields allocating the one or more first RA- RUs to a value other than 0 or 2045 (see [0024], [0038]).
Regarding claim 18, Stacey discloses a communication method (see figs. 2-5) comprising:
receiving an uplink OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) based random access (UORA) parameter and a trigger frame comprising user information fields allocating a plurality of random access resource units (RA-RUs) (AP 102 sends an access trigger frame comprising resource units RU and AID (~UORA parameter), see figs. 1 and 2, [0039], [0042], [0056]);
deriving a contention window parameter from the UORA parameter based on an operating bandwidth (CW, see [0020], [0026]-[0027], [0039], [0061]);
determining an UORA result to access the plurality of RA-RUs based on the contention window parameter (508, see fig. 5, [0064]);
selecting one RA-RU from the plurality of RA-RUs according to the determination (determine from AID that resources are allocated for random access, and determine one or more random access resource allocations/RUs, see fig. 5, [0046], [0049], [0056], [0065]); and
transmitting an uplink signal on the one RA-RU (uplink frame 408, 512, see figs 4-5, [0059], [0066]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5, 10-13, and 15-18 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Viger et al US 20220322426 discloses an AP that provides a random-access NFRP trigger frame defining a random access for the stations to a plurality of RU tone sets. A non-AP station randomly selects a responding RU tone set from the plurality of RU tone sets and send a Null-Data-Packet NDP feedback report response on the selected responding RU tone set.
Li et al US 20220191923 a method and device for uplink orthogonal frequency division multiple access random access, the method including receiving, by a station (STA), a first trigger frame sent by an access point AP, the STA supporting n resource units RUs, where n>1 and is an integer, the first trigger frame including information used to determine a number k of random access resource units (RA-RUs) allocated by the AP, where k is an integer >0.
Viger et al US 20210051728 discloses a RAPS information element used by non-AP stations to configure their UL MU random access mechanism. The Element_ID, and optionally the Element ID Extension, identify the RAPS format. A typical parameter that may be included in the RAPS information element is the range of the OFDMA contention window (OCW Range) for 802.11ax stations willing to initiate random access following reception of a trigger frame for random access (TF-R).
Chen et al US 10,911,582 discloses AP configured to encode a trigger frame to allocate a center 26 tone RU of an 80 MHz channel for an HE-trigger-based PPDU, the center 26 tone RU having an adjacent upper 20 MHz subchannel and an adjacent lower 20 MHz subchannel. In an embodiment, the center 26 tone RU is for a station (STA) and wherein the trigger frame indicates to the STA to transmit a pre-HE-STF preamble on one of the adjacent upper 20 MHz subchannel, the adjacent lower 20 MHz subchannel, or both the adjacent upper and lower 20 MHz subchannels, and configure the wireless device to transmit the trigger frame to the station.
Noh et al US 10,904,920 discloses trigger-based random access for a wireless device.
Ryu et al US 10,708,958 discloses a method for transmitting a trigger frame performed by a first wireless terminal may include, configuring a trigger frame of a basic type including a plurality of user information fields for an OFDMA-based random access backoff procedure by a plurality of second wireless terminals, wherein each of the plurality of user information fields includes resource allocation information for a RA resource unit allocated for the OFDMA-based random access backoff procedure, identifier information indicating that the RA resource unit is allocated for the OFDMA-based random access backoff procedure.
Patil et al US 20180302923 discloses trigger-based random access in a multi-BSSID network.
Viger et al US 20180027453 discloses transmission method for trigger frame by a 802.11ax access point.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OLUMIDE T AJIBADE AKONAI whose telephone number is (571)272-6496. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8AM-4PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, CHARLES N APPIAH can be reached at 571-272-7904. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/OLUMIDE AJIBADE AKONAI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3648