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
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.
Claims 1 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mishra et al (US 2011/0164546, hereinafter Mishra), in view of Unagami et al (US 2023/0073703, hereinafter Unagami) and in view of Nandakumaran et al (US 2022/0303364, hereinafter Nandakumaran).
Regarding claim 1, Mishra discloses a network system comprising: a plurality of terminal-accommodating networks that are configured to transfer transfers communication data between terminals (core networks that are fixed or infrastructure networks, Para [0025]/Fig. 1); and an ad hoc network that includes a plurality of mobile nodes and whose network topology dynamically changes depending on a locational relationship between the mobile nodes (mobile ad-hoc network (MANET ) with different devices, Para [0019]/Fig. 1 with mobile nodes, Para [0009] meaning topology will change), and each of the plurality of terminal-accommodating networks includes a fixed representative node (edge router facilitates routing between MANET and core networks, Para [0027]), and when receiving communication data from the destination mobile node to the destination terminal to be connected to the one of the terminal-accommodating networks to which the fixed representative node belongs, transfer the communication data to the destination terminal (edge router facilitates routing between the MANET and the core network, Para [0027], so will be able to route a packet received from the MANET to the destination device in the core network); and each of the mobile nodes are configured to: when receiving the communication data of which the each of the mobile nodes is not the destination mobile node from a fixed representative node of which the each of the mobile nodes is the adjacent mobile node, or a mobile node different from the each of the mobile nodes, refer to a path table stored in the each of the mobile nodes and transfer the communication data to a mobile node of a next hop toward the destination mobile node; and when receiving the communication data of which the each of the mobile nodes is the destination mobile node from a fixed representative node of which the each of the mobile nodes is the adjacent mobile node, or a mobile node different from the each of the mobile nodes, transmit the communication data to the destination fixed representative node attached to the communication data (nodes in the ad hoc network include routing information, Para [0040], this includes a routing or forwarding table to support routing functions, including next hop and destination address, Para [0048], also has information on neighboring nodes, Para [0050], obvious the nodes in the ad-hoc network will route packets to the next hop or the destination edge router); but does not explicitly disclose the ad hoc network includes an adjacent mobile node indicating one of the mobile nodes enabled to communicate with the fixed representative node and a mobile node different from the adjacent mobile node. Unagami discloses a mobile network connected to a MANET network, where the MANET is made up of mobile nodes and can connect to the base station, Fig. 1, in view of the combination the mobile devices of the MANET can communicate with the edge router. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to utilize the techniques taught by Unagami in the system of Mishra in order to build MANETs to increase coverage area of the network; and does not disclose the fixed representative node is configured to: when receiving communication data from a terminal to be connected to one of the terminal-accommodating networks to which the fixed representative node belongs to a destination terminal that is a terminal to be connected to a terminal-accommodating network different from the one of the terminal-accommodating networks, acquire identification information of a destination fixed representative node indicating a fixed representative node of a destination terminal-accommodating network that is a terminal-accommodating network to which the destination terminal is to be connected, and identification information of a destination mobile node indicating the adjacent mobile node of the destination fixed representative node, attach the identification information of the destination mobile node and the identification information of the destination fixed representative node to the communication data received, and transfer the communication data to the adjacent mobile node. Nandakumaran discloses an originating network device may encapsulate packets twice, Para [0014], where switch 1 can receive a packet from a host and encapsulate a packet and add destination address of switch 2 and encapsulate a packet again with the destination of switch N, Fig. 4b, where switch 1 is the edge device in the fixed network, switch A is the first adjacent node, switch N is the last node before the fixed destination node, which is switch 2, Fig. 4a. Therefore, the edge router of first core network can add two destinations addresses to the packet, one for the last node in the ad-hoc network and one for the edge router connecting to the other core network. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to utilize the techniques taught by Nandakumaran in the system of Mishra in view of Unagami in order to send packets across different networks that may use different protocols.
Regarding claim 6, Mishra discloses a fixed representative node of a network system (edge router in core network, Fig. 1) including: a plurality of terminal-accommodating networks that are configured to transfer communication data between terminals (core networks that are fixed or infrastructure networks, Para [0025]/Fig. 1); and an ad hoc network that includes a plurality of mobile nodes and whose network topology dynamically changes depending on a locational relationship between the mobile nodes (mobile ad-hoc network (MANET ) with different devices, Para [0019]/Fig. 1 with mobile nodes, Para [0009] meaning topology will change), the fixed representative node comprising a transfer unit that is configured to: and when receiving communication data from the destination mobile node to the destination terminal connected to the one of the terminal-accommodating networks to which the fixed representative node belongs, transfer the communication data to the destination terminal (nodes in the ad hoc network include routing information, Para [0040], this includes a routing or forwarding table to support routing functions, including next hop and destination address, Para [0048], also has information on neighboring nodes, Para [0050], obvious the nodes in the ad-hoc network will route packets to the next hop or the destination edge router); but does not explicitly disclose the fixed representative node being connected to an adjacent mobile node that belongs to one of the terminal-accommodating networks and indicates one of the mobile nodes enabled to communicate with the fixed representative node. Unagami discloses a mobile network connected to a MANET network, where the MANET is made up of mobile nodes and can connect to the base station, Fig. 1, in view of the combination the mobile devices of the MANET can communicate with the edge router. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to utilize the techniques taught by Unagami in the system of Mishra in order to build MANETs to increase coverage area of the network; and does not disclose when receiving communication data from a terminal to be connected to one of the terminal-accommodating networks to which the fixed representative node belongs to a destination terminal that is a terminal to be connected to a terminal-accommodating network different from the one of the terminal-accommodating networks, acquire identification information of a destination fixed representative node indicating a fixed representative node of a destination terminal-accommodating network that is a terminal-accommodating network to which the destination terminal is to be connected, and identification information of a destination mobile node indicating the adjacent mobile node of the destination fixed representative node, attach the identification information of the destination mobile node and the identification information of the destination fixed representative node to the communication data received, and transfer the communication data to the adjacent mobile node. Nandakumaran discloses an originating network device may encapsulate packets twice, Para [0014], where switch 1 can receive a packet from a host and encapsulate a packet and add destination address of switch 2 and encapsulate a packet again with the destination of switch N, Fig. 4b, where switch 1 is the edge device in the fixed network, switch A is the first adjacent node, switch N is the last node before the fixed destination node, which is switch 2, Fig. 4a. Therefore, the edge router of first core network can add two destinations addresses to the packet, one for the last node in the ad-hoc network and one for the edge router connecting to the other core network. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to utilize the techniques taught by Nandakumaran in the system of Mishra in view of Unagami in order to send packets across different networks that may use different protocols.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mishra, in view of Unagami, in view of Nandakumaran and in view of Chan et al (US 7,808,960, hereinafter Chan).
Regarding claim 2, Mishra discloses the network system according to claim 1, but not wherein the fixed representative node is configured: transmit a connection request to all the mobile nodes; and detect, as the adjacent mobile node, a mobile node that has transmitted a connection request response received earliest among connection request responses that are responses to the connection request received from the mobile nodes, and each of the mobile nodes is configured to, when receiving the connection request from the fixed representative node, transmit the connection request response to the fixed representative node. Chan discloses an AP can broadcast beacons, C: 3 R: 34-35, the node sends a reply to the AP and updates its route the AP, the reply contains routing information to the node, C: 5 R: 31-36 and the AP updates the zone topology, C: 5 R: 47-50, obvious to one of ordinary skill the earliest received response would be from the closet node. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to utilize the techniques taught by Chan in the system of Mishra in view of Nandakumaran in order to extend wireless coverage and reduce deployment costs.
Claims 4 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mishra, in view of Unagami, in view of Nandakumaran and in view of Barritt et al (US 2023/0119905, hereinafter Barritt).
Regarding claim 4, Mishra discloses the network system according to claim 1, wherein the network system includes a replica server (server, which can be separate device from the edge router, Para [0027]), but not the replica server is configured to: acquire past location information on the mobile nodes, predict future locations indicating locations after a predetermined time from a current time; determine one of the mobile nodes closest to the fixed representative node as the adjacent mobile node from the predicted future locations of the mobile nodes and a location of the fixed representative node; transmit the identification information of the adjacent mobile node to a corresponding fixed representative node, and the fixed representative node executes receive and store the identification information of the adjacent mobile node from the replica server. Barritt discloses a network controller can transmit forwarding rules about the configurations to the nodes, Para [0022], network controller configures network topology and pass routing rules to the nodes and schedule topology changes, Para [0037], receives current location and predicted path of each node, Para [0041], stores current and future location of nodes, Para [0043], determines current and future topology of network, Para [0044], therefore knows which nodes are adjacent and routing information is stored at the nodes, Para [0041]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to utilize the techniques taught by Barritt in the system of Mishra in view of Nandakumaran in order to transmit communications with less latency and less packet loss.
Regarding claim 7, Mishra discloses a replica server (server, which can be separate device from the edge router, Para [0027]) of a network system comprising: a plurality of terminal-accommodating networks that are configured to transfer communication data between terminals (core networks that are fixed or infrastructure networks, Para [0025]/Fig. 1); an ad hoc network that includes a plurality of mobile nodes and whose network topology dynamically changes depending on a locational relationship between the mobile nodes (mobile ad-hoc network (MANET ) with different devices, Para [0019]/Fig. 1 with mobile nodes, Para [0009] meaning topology will change); but does not disclose the replica server being communicatively connected to a fixed representative node included in each of the plurality of terminal-accommodating networks and each of the plurality of mobile nodes, and the replica server comprising: a location prediction unit, including one or more processors, configured to acquire past location information on the mobile nodes and predict future locations indicating locations after a predetermined time from a current time; an adjacent mobile node determination unit, including one or more processors, configured to determine one of the mobile nodes closest to the fixed representative node as an adjacent mobile node enabled to communicate with the fixed representative node from the predicted future locations of the mobile nodes and a location of the fixed representative node; and a data communication unit, including one or more processors, configured to transmit identification information of the adjacent mobile node determined by the adjacent mobile node determination unit to a corresponding fixed representative node. Barritt discloses a network controller can transmit forwarding rules about the configurations to the nodes, Para [0022], network controller configures network topology and pass routing rules to the nodes and schedule topology changes, Para [0037], receives current location and predicted path of each node, Para [0041], stores current and future location of nodes, Para [0043], determines current and future topology of network, Para [0044], therefore knows which nodes are adjacent and routing information is stored at the nodes, Para [0041]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to utilize the techniques taught by Barritt in the system of Mishra in view of Nandakumaran in order to transmit communications with less latency and less packet loss.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 5 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN CUNNINGHAM whose telephone number is (571) 272-1765. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Thursday 7:30-18:00 (EST).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Huy Vu can be reached on (571) 272-3155. The fax number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KEVIN M CUNNINGHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2461