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 Objections
Claim 20 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 20 is cancelled and there is another claim 20 below claim 21. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1-10, 12-19, 21 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Gong et al. (US Publication 2024/0080127 A1).
In regards to claims 1 and 12, Gong et al. (US Publication 2024/0080127 A1) a wireless communication method, comprising: sending, by a first device, a first frame to a second device (see figure 9, sending the PPDU at step 902 for the first communication apparatus to a second communication apparatus), wherein; the first frame comprises a first extremely high throughput link adaptation control field (ELA control field) (see paragraph 79-80 for EHT control); wherein the first ELA control field comprises an unsolicited modulation and coding scheme feedback (MFB) field (see table 2 on page 16), a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) request (MRQ)/uplink extremely high throughput trigger-based physical layer protocol data unit modulation and coding scheme feedback (UL EHT TB PPDU MFB) field (see paragraph 251; the first indication information may also be described as an MRQ/UL EHT TB PPDU MFB subfield), a number of spatial streams (NSS) field (see paragraph 311; 3-bit NSS subfield), an extremely high throughput-modulation and coding scheme (EHT-MCS) field, a resource unit (RU) allocation field, a bandwidth (BW) field, an MCS request sequence identifier (MSI)/partial physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) parameters field, and a transmission beamforming field (see paragraph 313; When the value of the UL EHT TB PPDU MFB subfield is 1, the first field may include the MSI/partial PPDU parameters subfield, the BW subfield, the RU allocation subfield, the EHT-MCS subfield, and the NSS subfield. When the value of the UL EHT TB PPDU MFB subfield is 0, the first field may include the Tx beamforming subfield); wherein the unsolicited MFB field occupies 1 bit (see paragraph 70; unsolicited modulation and coding scheme feedback MFB subfield whose quantity of bits is 1), the MRQ/UL EHT TB PPDU MFB field occupies 1 bit (see paragraph 44; with reference to the value of the unsolicited MFB subfield, the MRQ and the UL EHT TB PPDU MFB are indicated by using 1 bit), and the BW field occupies 3 bits (see paragraph 290; the quantity of bits of the BW subfield is 3).
In regards to claims 2 and 13, Gong teaches, wherein the first ELA control field (see paragraph 79-80 for EHT control) is configured to indicate MFB information, and the unsolicited MFB field is configured to indicate that a feedback type of the MFB information is an unsolicited MFB or a solicited MFB (see table 2 on page 16).
In regards to claims 3 and 14, Gong teaches, wherein the first ELA control field is configured to indicate MFB information, and in a case where the unsolicited MFB field indicates that a feedback type of the MFB information is an unsolicited MFB, the MRQ/UL EHT TB PPDU MFB field is an UL EHT TB PPDU MFB field (see paragraph 251; the first indication information may also be described as an MRQ/UL EHT TB PPDU MFB subfield; see paragraph 252; when the value of the unsolicited MFB subfield is 0, the first indication information may indicate the MRQ; or when the value of the unsolicited MFB subfield is 1, the first indication information may indicate the UL EHT TB PPDU MFB).
In regards to claims 4 and 15, Gong teaches, wherein the first ELA control field is configured to indicate MFB information, and in a case where the unsolicited MFB field indicates that a feedback type of the MFB information is a solicited MFB, the MRQ/UL EHT TB PPDU MFB field is MRQ field (see paragraph 253; when the value of the unsolicited MFB subfield is 1, an UL EHT TB PPDU may indicate whether information provided in the first field is used for an UL TB PPDU, and the MRQ is a reserved bit. When the value of the unsolicited MFB subfield is 0, the MRQ may indicate whether a solicited feedback is used, and an UL EHT TB PPDU is a reserved bit).
In regards to claims 5 and 16, Gong teaches, wherein, the UL EHT TB PPDU MFB field is set to have a value of 1 to indicate that the NSS field, the EHT-MCS field, the BW field, and the RU allocation field in the first ELA control field is recommended MFB information for PPDUs that will be sent by the first device (see paragraph 313; as shown in FIG. 28, when the value of the unsolicited MFB subfield is 1, the first indication information may indicate the UL EHT TB PPDU MFB. When the value of the UL EHT TB PPDU MFB subfield is 1, the first field may include the MSI/partial PPDU parameters subfield, the BW subfield, the RU allocation subfield, the EHT-MCS subfield, and the NSS subfield.).
In regards to claims 6 and 17, Gong teaches, wherein, the UL EHT TB PPDU MFB field is set to have a value of 0 to indicate that the NSS field, the EHT-MCS field, the BW field, and the RU allocation field in the first ELA control field is recommended MFB information for PPDUs that will be sent to the first device (see paragraph 313; When the value of the UL EHT TB PPDU MFB subfield is 0, the first field may include the Tx beamforming subfield, the MSI/partial PPDU parameters subfield, the BW subfield, the RU allocation subfield, the EHT-MCS subfield, and the NSS subfield. When the value of the unsolicited MFB subfield is 0, the first indication information may indicate the MRQ. When the value of the MRQ subfield is 1, the first field may include the MSI/partial PPDU Parameters subfield, the BW subfield, and the RU allocation subfield. When the value of the MRQ subfield is 0, the first field may include the MSI/partial PPDU parameters subfield, the EHT-MCS subfield, and the NSS subfield).
In regards to claims 7 and 18, Gong teaches, wherein the first ELA control field is configured to indicate MFB information, and the MFB comprises at least one of the following: MCS, the number of spatial streams (NSS) (see paragraph 266; (see paragraph 266; When the unsolicited MCS feedback is set to 1 and the UL EHT TB PPDU MFB subfield is set to 1, the NSS subfield may indicate a recommended number of spatial streams to an EHT TB PPDU sent from the station. In other cases, the NSS subfield is reserved), a bandwidth, resource unit (RU) allocation information, partial physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) parameters, and transmission beam-forming (Tx Beam-forming).
In regards to claims 8 and 19, Gong teaches, wherein the BW field in the first ELA control field is designed to be 3 bits to support a maximum bandwidth 320 MHz (see paragraph 290; the quantity of bits of the BW subfield is 3. Different values of the 3 bits may correspond to different bandwidths. A specific correspondence between a bit value and a bandwidth is not limited. In a possible implementation, the quantity of bits may be set to 0 to indicate 20 MHz, set to 1 to indicate 40 MHz, set to 2 to indicate 80 MHz, set to 3 to indicate 160 MHz, and set to 4 to indicate 320 MHz).
In regards to claims 9 and 21, Gong teaches wherein the unsolicited MFB field is at a first position of a control information field of the first ELA control field (see figures 29, 30, 31, 32; unsolicited MFB unsolicited MCS feed back (1bit)).
In regards to claims 10 and 20, Gong teaches, wherein the MRQ/UL EHT TB PPDU MFB field is right behind the unsolicited MFB field in the control information field of the first ELA control field (see figures 29, 30, 31, 32; MRQ/UL HE TB PPDU MFB).
Relevant Prior Art
Prior art Chun et al. (US Publication 2023/0388055 A1) teaches, The position of the extended NSS subfield and the position of the extended bandwidth subfield may be interchangeable. Since the uplink EHT TB PPDU MFB subfield may only be used when the unsolicited MFB subfield indicates 1, the partial PPDU parameter subfield may be modified. For example, the partial PPDU parameter subfield may consist of a PPDU format subfield (1 bit), a coding type subfield (1 bit), and an uplink EHT TB PPDU MFB subfield (1 bit) to estimate the PPDU format. Here, the PPDU format subfield may indicate one of EHT MU PPDU and EHT TB PPDU. Alternatively, the coding type may be set to default and the uplink EHT TB PPDU MFB subfield may be set to 1 bit (see paragraph 214). However, Chun fails to teach setting the field to third and fourth values as claimed according to the conditions.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the amended claims filed on 7/28/2026 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.
In view of the amendment filed on 7/28/2026 in the present application, the double patenting rejection has been withdrawn.
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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/JAY P PATEL/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2466
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