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 .
This office action is in response to remarks filed on 03/11/2026.
Claims 1-18 are pending and presented for examination. Claims 1, 6, 13, and 17-18 are amended.
Response to Amendments
Claims 1, 6, 13, and 17-18 have been considered based on amendments.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or non-obviousness.
Claims 1 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al (US20240137919A1) (hereinafter "Park '919") in view of Desai et al (US20230147828A1) (hereinafter "Desai").
Regarding claim 1, Park '919 discloses a method for performing enhanced preamble puncturing in a wireless communication system, wherein the wireless communication system comprises a first wireless transceiver device having an enhanced preamble puncturing capability, wherein the first wireless transceiver device is configured to operate in a first transmission bandwidth comprising one primary and multiple non-primary channels, the method comprising ([0155] Preamble puncturing may be applied to the PPDU of FIG. 10. The preamble puncturing implies that puncturing is applied to part (e.g., a secondary 20 MHz band) of the full band. For example, when an 80 MHz PPDU is transmitted, an STA may apply puncturing to the secondary 20 MHz band out of the 80 MHz band, and may transmit a PPDU only through a primary 20 MHz band and a secondary 40 MHz band.):
performing the enhanced preamble puncturing on transmission of physical layer (PHY) PPDUs comprising transmitting, in the at least one interfered channel, at least one first PHY PPDU configured to have a lower power than a power of other PPDUs transmitted in other primary or non-primary channels ([0200] By applying power limiting, the OBSS/PD value aims to reduce the effect of simultaneous transmission caused by SR. [0201] Simply put, the higher the OBSS/PD threshold (more inter-BSS transmissions can be ignored), the lower the transmit power (less interference must be generated). The transmit power limit lasts until the end of the SR TXOP identified by the HE node, which begins when the backoff reaches zero. This period depends on the active transmission period used to detect the SR TXOP.).
Park '919 fails to disclose a method for performing enhanced preamble puncturing in a wireless communication system, comprising: determining at least one interfered channel in at least one of the primary and non-primary channels by detecting transmission of an overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) protocol data unit (PPDU); during transmitting of the at least one first PHY PPDU, stopping transmission of subsequent OBSS PPDUs on the interfered channel.
However, Desai discloses a method for performing enhanced preamble puncturing in a wireless communication system, determining at least one interfered channel in at least one of the primary and non-primary channels by detecting transmission of an overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) protocol data unit (PPDU) ([0042] For example, a first STA 130a that is capable of operating in preamble puncturing mode may be assigned a macro-channel 310 to use with full frames 360 for a first time period, and transitions to use a punctured frame 350 when interference 330 is expected or detected. [0025] As used herein, the lowest frequency micro-channel 320 of a set of micro-channels 320 may be referred to as a primary channel, and the other micro-channels 320 may be referred to as secondary channels. In the current examples, the first micro-channel 320a would be the primary channel, and the second through fourth sub-channels 320b-d would be secondary channels.).
during transmitting of the at least one first PHY PPDU, stopping transmission of subsequent OBSS PPDUs on the interfered channel ([0042] In contrast, a second STA 130b that is capable of operating in multilink mode may be assigned (at a different time) the same channel as the first STA 130a was assigned to, and uses several micro-channels 320 to send or receive data using several free frames 340 (whether in STR or non-STR mode) and stops using one or more of the micro-channels 320 when interference 330 is present on those channels, but continues using the non-overlapped micro-channels 320.).
Park '919 and Desai are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of techniques for improved bandwidth usage based on the capabilities of devices accessing a shared wireless network.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Park '919 with Desai to create a method for performing enhanced preamble puncturing in a wireless communication system, comprising: determining at least one interfered channel in at least one of the primary and non-primary channels by detecting transmission of an overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) protocol data unit (PPDU); during transmitting of the at least one first PHY PPDU, stopping transmission of subsequent OBSS PPDUs on the interfered channel.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to provide backwards compatibility between different devices, so that devices running newer versions can communicate with devices running older versions of a standard.
Regarding claim 18, Park '919 discloses a wireless transceiver device, for performing enhanced preamble puncturing in a wireless communication system, the wireless transceiver device comprising ([0054] For example, STAs 110 and 120 of the present specification may also be called in various terms such as a mobile terminal, a wireless device, a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), a user equipment (UE), a mobile station (MS), a mobile subscriber unit, or simply a user.):
a processing circuit, arranged to control operations of the wireless transceiver device; and ([0068] For example, processing chips 114 and 124 illustrated in the sub-figure (b) of FIG. 1 may include the processors 111 and 121 and the memories 112 and 122. The processors 111 and 121 and memories 112 and 122 illustrated in the sub-figure (b) of FIG. 1 may perform the same function as the aforementioned processors 111 and 121 and memories 112 and 122 illustrated in the sub-figure (a) of FIG. 1.)
at least one communication control circuit, coupled to the processing circuit, arranged to perform communication control, wherein the at least one communication control circuit is arranged to perform wireless communication operations with at least one other device within the wireless communication system for the wireless transceiver device ([0181] Each device/STA of the sub-figure (a)/(b) of FIG. 1 may be modified as shown in FIG. 11. A transceiver 630 of FIG. 11 may be identical to the transceivers 113 and 123 of FIG. 1. The transceiver 630 of FIG. 11 may include a receiver and a transmitter.), wherein the wireless transceiver device having an enhanced preamble puncturing capability is configured to operate in a first transmission bandwidth comprising one primary and multiple non-primary channels ([0155] Preamble puncturing may be applied to the PPDU of FIG. 10. The preamble puncturing implies that puncturing is applied to part (e.g., a secondary 20 MHz band) of the full band. For example, when an 80 MHz PPDU is transmitted, an STA may apply puncturing to the secondary 20 MHz band out of the 80 MHz band, and may transmit a PPDU only through a primary 20 MHz band and a secondary 40 MHz band.); wherein:
the wireless transceiver device is arranged to perform the enhanced preamble puncturing on transmission of PPDUs comprising transmitting, in the at least one interfered channel, at least one first physical layer (PHY) PPDU configured to have a lower power than a power of other PPDUs transmitted in other primary or non-primary channels ([0200] By applying power limiting, the OBSS/PD value aims to reduce the effect of simultaneous transmission caused by SR. [0201] Simply put, the higher the OBSS/PD threshold (more inter-BSS transmissions can be ignored), the lower the transmit power (less interference must be generated). The transmit power limit lasts until the end of the SR TXOP identified by the HE node, which begins when the backoff reaches zero. This period depends on the active transmission period used to detect the SR TXOP.).
Park '919 fails to disclose a wireless transceiver device, wherein: the wireless transceiver device is arranged to determine at least one interfered channel in at least one of the primary and non-primary channels by detecting transmission of an overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) protocol data unit (PPDU); and the wireless transceiver device is arranged to stop transmission of subsequent OBSS PPDUs on the interfered channel during transmitting of the at least one first PHY PPDU.
However, Desai discloses a wireless transceiver device, wherein:
the wireless transceiver device is arranged to determine at least one interfered channel in at least one of the primary and non-primary channels by detecting transmission of an overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) protocol data unit (PPDU); and ([0042] For example, a first STA 130a that is capable of operating in preamble puncturing mode may be assigned a macro-channel 310 to use with full frames 360 for a first time period, and transitions to use a punctured frame 350 when interference 330 is expected or detected. [0025] As used herein, the lowest frequency micro-channel 320 of a set of micro-channels 320 may be referred to as a primary channel, and the other micro-channels 320 may be referred to as secondary channels. In the current examples, the first micro-channel 320a would be the primary channel, and the second through fourth sub-channels 320b-d would be secondary channels.)
the wireless transceiver device is arranged to stop transmission of subsequent OBSS PPDUs on the interfered channel during transmitting of the at least one first PHY PPDU ([0042] In contrast, a second STA 130b that is capable of operating in multilink mode may be assigned (at a different time) the same channel as the first STA 130a was assigned to, and uses several micro-channels 320 to send or receive data using several free frames 340 (whether in STR or non-STR mode) and stops using one or more of the micro-channels 320 when interference 330 is present on those channels, but continues using the non-overlapped micro-channels 320.).
Park '919 and Desai are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of techniques for improved bandwidth usage based on the capabilities of devices accessing a shared wireless network.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Park '919 with Desai to create a wireless transceiver device, wherein: the wireless transceiver device is arranged to determine at least one interfered channel in at least one of the primary and non-primary channels by detecting transmission of an overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) protocol data unit (PPDU); and the wireless transceiver device is arranged to stop transmission of subsequent OBSS PPDUs on the interfered channel during transmitting of the at least one first PHY PPDU.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to provide backwards compatibility between different devices, so that devices running newer versions can communicate with devices running older versions of a standard.
Claims 2, 10, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park '919 in view of Desai, in further view of Hu et al (US20230085448A1) (hereinafter "Hu '448").
Regarding claim 2, Park '919, as modified by Desai, fails to disclose the method, wherein the first wireless transceiver device is arranged to send at least one indication for indicating at least one capability regarding the enhanced preamble puncturing.
However, Hu '448 disclose the method, wherein the first wireless transceiver device is arranged to send at least one indication for indicating at least one capability regarding the enhanced preamble puncturing ([0185] It can be learned from Table 7 that in this embodiment of this application, the preamble puncturing information field A has both a capability of indicating all puncturing statuses supported in non-OFDMA transmission and a capability of indicating a puncturing status of an 80 MHz channel corresponding to a frequency domain segment in OFDMA transmission.).
Park '919, as modified by Desai, and Hu '448 are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of PPDU and preamble structuring.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Park '919, as modified by Desai, with Hu '448 to create the method, wherein the first wireless transceiver device is arranged to send at least one indication for indicating at least one capability regarding the enhanced preamble puncturing.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to signal the capabilities of one device to another.
Regarding claim 10, Park '919, as modified by Desai, fails to disclose the method, wherein the at least one interfered channel includes a 40 megahertz (40MHz) primary channel, and the at least one first PPDU, transmitting in the at least one interfered channel, has a preamble having repeated fields.
However, Hu '448 discloses the method, wherein the at least one interfered channel includes a 40 megahertz (40MHz) primary channel, and the at least one first PPDU, transmitting in the at least one interfered channel, has a preamble having repeated fields ([0120] Based on the structure shown in FIG. 6, a U-SIG field may be repeated only in each frequency domain segment (80 MHz), and different U-SIG fields and EHT-SIG fields may be used for different frequency domain segments. It should be understood that, for a frequency domain segment greater than or equal to 40 MHz, an EHT-SIG field in each frequency domain segment may have two or more content channels. Each frequency domain segment may include, in a U-SIG field, only a puncturing indication of the 80 MHz frequency domain segment. This architecture is equivalent to that overheads of a U-SIG field and an EHT-SIG field on an original primary 80 MHz channel are allocated to the four frequency domain segments, so that overheads can be reduced.).
Park '919, as modified by Desai, and Hu '448 are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of PPDU and preamble structuring.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Park '919, as modified by Desai, with Hu '448 to create the method, wherein the at least one interfered channel includes a 40 megahertz (40MHz) primary channel, and the at least one first PPDU, transmitting in the at least one interfered channel, has a preamble having repeated fields.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to reduce computation time.
Regarding claim 12, Park '919, as modified by Desai, fails to disclose the method, wherein the at least one interfered channel includes a 40MHz primary channel, and the at least one first PPDU, transmitting in the at least one interfered channel, has a plurality of repeated preambles.
However, Hu '448 disclose the method, wherein the at least one interfered channel includes a 40MHz primary channel, and the at least one first PPDU, transmitting in the at least one interfered channel, has a plurality of repeated preambles ([0120] Based on the structure shown in FIG. 6, a U-SIG field may be repeated only in each frequency domain segment (80 MHz), and different U-SIG fields and EHT-SIG fields may be used for different frequency domain segments. It should be understood that, for a frequency domain segment greater than or equal to 40 MHz, an EHT-SIG field in each frequency domain segment may have two or more content channels. Each frequency domain segment may include, in a U-SIG field, only a puncturing indication of the 80 MHz frequency domain segment. This architecture is equivalent to that overheads of a U-SIG field and an EHT-SIG field on an original primary 80 MHz channel are allocated to the four frequency domain segments, so that overheads can be reduced.).
Park '919, as modified by Desai, and Hu '448 are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of PPDU and preamble structuring.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Park '919, as modified by Desai, with Hu '448 to create the method, wherein the at least one interfered channel includes a 40MHz primary channel, and the at least one first PPDU, transmitting in the at least one interfered channel, has a plurality of repeated preambles.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to reduce overhead.
Claims 3, 13, and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park '919 in view of Desai, in further view of Hu et al (US20190182842A1) (hereinafter "Hu '842").
Regarding claim 3, Park '919, as modified by Desai, fails to disclose the method, wherein the at least one interfered channel comprises one or more 20 megahertz (20MHz) channels, and the at least one first PPDU comprises one or more signals on the one or more 20MHz channels; and during the enhanced preamble puncturing, the one or more signals on the one or more 20MHz channels are transmitted with the lower power, wherein the lower power comprises at least one lower transmit power that is lower than any transmit power of any signals on any other 20MHz channels within the primary and non-primary channels.
However, Hu '842 discloses the method, wherein the at least one interfered channel comprises one or more 20 megahertz (20MHz) channels, and the at least one first PPDU comprises one or more signals on the one or more 20MHz channels; and during the enhanced preamble puncturing, the one or more signals on the one or more 20MHz channels are transmitted with the lower power, wherein the lower power comprises at least one lower transmit power that is lower than any transmit power of any signals on any other 20MHz channels within the primary and non-primary channels ([0063] In one embodiment, the interference mitigation includes de-amplification or gain reduction on the sub-carriers close to the channel boundary of the preamble punctured sub-channels By reducing the transmit power at the sub-carriers close to the channel boundary, the interference leakage can be controlled to meet the transmit spectral mask defined for preamble punctured scenarios. [0057] Exemplary resource unit allocation 1000 includes punctured sub-channel region 1010, and punctured side effect mitigation sub-channel region 1020, and normal sub-channel region 1030. In one embodiment, resource unit allocation 1000 includes a primary 20 MHz region 1071 and a secondary 20 MHz region 1072.).
Park '919, as modified by Desai, and Hu '842 are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of techniques to mitigate interference during transmission.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Park '919, as modified by Desai, with Hu '842 to create the method, wherein the at least one interfered channel comprises one or more 20 megahertz (20MHz) channels, and the at least one first PPDU comprises one or more signals on the one or more 20MHz channels; and during the enhanced preamble puncturing, the one or more signals on the one or more 20MHz channels are transmitted with the lower power, wherein the lower power comprises at least one lower transmit power that is lower than any transmit power of any signals on any other 20MHz channels within the primary and non-primary channels.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to reduce the impact of interference and improve transmission efficiency.
Regarding claim 13, Park '919, as modified by Desai, fails to disclose the method, wherein performing the enhanced preamble puncturing on the transmission of the PPDUs further comprises: performing the enhanced preamble puncturing with coherent puncturing control on any first PPDU among the at least one first PPDU, for aligning an end of a first transmission opportunity (TXOP) duration of the any first PPDU to an end of a TXOP duration of the OBSS PPDU.
However, Hu '842 discloses the method, wherein performing the enhanced preamble puncturing on the transmission of the PPDUs further comprises:
performing the enhanced preamble puncturing with coherent puncturing control on any first PPDU among the at least one first PPDU, for aligning an end of a first transmission opportunity (TXOP) duration of the any first PPDU to an end of a TXOP duration of the OBSS PPDU ([0044] Traditional approaches for coping with adjacent channel interference (ACI) can include the introduction of guard bands between the adjacent channels. Unfortunately, each guard band inserted between channels basically wastes the guard band frequency and reduces the available bandwidth for communication transmission. In one embodiment, puncturing is implemented and typically requires or wastes less guard bands than traditional ACI approaches. In puncturing some bits of information are removed. In one exemplary implementation, preamble puncturing is implemented. FIG. 5 is a block diagram comparison of a traditional ACI approach 510 and an ideal preamble puncture approach 520 in accordance with one embodiment. As illustrated, in ACI approach 510 a 20 MHz transmission from station 511 includes 6 guard tones and a 20 MHz transmission from OBSS station 512 includes 5 guard tones for a total of 11 guard tones, whereas in preamble puncture approach 520 a 20 MHZ transmission from station 521 includes no guard tones and a 20 MHz OBSS transmission from station 522 includes 5 guard tone for a total of 5 guard tones. Preamble puncture side effect scenario 520 can include a 40 MHZ transmission from other stations 525.).
Park '919, as modified by Desai, and Hu '842 are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of techniques to mitigate interference during transmission.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Park '919, as modified by Desai, with Hu '842 to create the method, wherein performing the enhanced preamble puncturing on the transmission of the PPDUs further comprises: performing the enhanced preamble puncturing with coherent puncturing control on any first PPDU among the at least one first PPDU, for aligning an end of a first transmission opportunity (TXOP) duration of the any first PPDU to an end of a TXOP duration of the OBSS PPDU.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to reduce the impact of interference and improve transmission efficiency.
Regarding claim 14, Park '919, as modified by Desai, fails to disclose the method, wherein the coherent puncturing control comprises controlling the first TXOP duration to make the any first PPDU be ended just before the OBSS PPDU is ended, for gaining one or more wider bandwidth channel access opportunities.
However, Hu '842 discloses the method, wherein the coherent puncturing control comprises controlling the first TXOP duration to make the any first PPDU be ended just before the OBSS PPDU is ended, for gaining one or more wider bandwidth channel access opportunities ([0044] Traditional approaches for coping with adjacent channel interference (ACI) can include the introduction of guard bands between the adjacent channels. Unfortunately, each guard band inserted between channels basically wastes the guard band frequency and reduces the available bandwidth for communication transmission. In one embodiment, puncturing is implemented and typically requires or wastes less guard bands than traditional ACI approaches. In puncturing some bits of information are removed. In one exemplary implementation, preamble puncturing is implemented. FIG. 5 is a block diagram comparison of a traditional ACI approach 510 and an ideal preamble puncture approach 520 in accordance with one embodiment. As illustrated, in ACI approach 510 a 20 MHz transmission from station 511 includes 6 guard tones and a 20 MHz transmission from OBSS station 512 includes 5 guard tones for a total of 11 guard tones, whereas in preamble puncture approach 520 a 20 MHZ transmission from station 521 includes no guard tones and a 20 MHz OBSS transmission from station 522 includes 5 guard tone for a total of 5 guard tones. Preamble puncture side effect scenario 520 can include a 40 MHZ transmission from other stations 525.).
Park '919, as modified by Desai, and Hu '842 are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of techniques to mitigate interference during transmission.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Park '919, as modified by Desai, with Hu '842 to create the method, wherein the coherent puncturing control comprises controlling the first TXOP duration to make the any first PPDU be ended just before the OBSS PPDU is ended, for gaining one or more wider bandwidth channel access opportunities.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to reduce the impact of interference and improve transmission efficiency.
Claims 4 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park '919 in view of Desai, in further view of Lu et al (US20210266960A1) (hereinafter "Lu").
Regarding claim 4, Park '919, as modified by Desai, fails to disclose the method, wherein the at least one interfered channel comprises one or more 20 megahertz (20MHz) channels; and during the enhanced preamble puncturing, the at least one first PPDU is further configured to have a predetermined data portion transmitted in the primary channel among the one or more 20MHz channels.
However, Lu discloses the method, wherein the at least one interfered channel comprises one or more 20 megahertz (20MHz) channels; and during the enhanced preamble puncturing, the at least one first PPDU is further configured to have a predetermined data portion transmitted in the primary channel among the one or more 20MHz channels ([0050] Each of the 80-MHz channel segments contains four 20-MHz channels with one of which being a primary 20-MHz channel. When the AP device detects a frame (e.g., a Physical Layer Convergence Procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU)) on the primary 20-MHz channel of the primary 80-MHz channel segment 1, the AP device may suspend its ongoing backoff counter and obtain duration information of the OBSS transmission in the physical layer (PHY) header of the received PPDU. After determining that the received frame is from an OBSS with a signal strength equal to or greater than a specific level (e.g., −62 dBm), the AP device may initiate a PBSR TXOP without including the primary 80-MHz channel segment 1, with the time duration of a PBSR period being limited by the duration information in the received OBSS PPDU.).
Park '919, as modified by Desai, and Lu are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of data transmission techniques with partial bandwidth spectrum reuse.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Park '919, as modified by Desai, with Lu to create the method, wherein the at least one interfered channel comprises one or more 20 megahertz (20MHz) channels; and during the enhanced preamble puncturing, the at least one first PPDU is further configured to have a predetermined data portion transmitted in the primary channel among the one or more 20MHz channels.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to improve bandwidth utilization.
Regarding claim 15, Park '919, as modified by Desai, fails to disclose the method, wherein the coherent puncturing control further comprises estimating the TXOP duration of the OBSS PPDU according to at least one preamble content of the OBSS PPDU.
However, Lu discloses the method, wherein the coherent puncturing control further comprises estimating the TXOP duration of the OBSS PPDU according to at least one preamble content of the OBSS PPDU ([0045] In network environment 100, one of STA 110 and STA 120 functioning as an AP may obtain a partial bandwidth spectrum reuse transmission opportunity (PBSR TXOP) on a partial bandwidth of an operating bandwidth when it detects a frame transmission from an OBSS or other system (not shown) with signal strength equal to or greater than a specific level. The PBSR TXOP may not include a primary channel or primary channel segment, and preamble puncturing may be applied in the PBSR TXOP on the channel(s) which is/are idle within the operating bandwidth. [0050] After determining that the received frame is from an OBSS with a signal strength equal to or greater than a specific level (e.g., −62 dBm), the AP device may initiate a PBSR TXOP without including the primary 80-MHz channel segment 1, with the time duration of a PBSR period being limited by the duration information in the received OBSS PPDU. Before initiating the PBSR TXOP, the AP device may invoke a PBT backoff procedure for a PBT backoff counter to count down every time slot without checking the status of the medium.).
Park '919, as modified by Desai, and Lu are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of data transmission techniques with partial bandwidth spectrum reuse.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Park '919, as modified by Desai, with Lu to create the method, wherein the coherent puncturing control further comprises estimating the TXOP duration of the OBSS PPDU according to at least one preamble content of the OBSS PPDU.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to improve bandwidth utilization.
Claims 5 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park '919 in view of Desai, in further view of Suh et al (US20160301500A1) (hereinafter "Suh").
Regarding claim 5, Park '919, as modified by Desai, fails to disclose the method, wherein the predetermined data portion includes zero-padded bits or dummy bits.
However, Suh discloses the method, wherein the predetermined data portion includes zero-padded bits or dummy bits ([0007] In some embodiments a receiver which receives the transmitted frame inserts zero bit data into each of the received bit punctured HE-SIGB fields according to the puncturing pattern used to puncture each HIE-SIGB field prior to the receiver conducting BCC decoding of each received HE-SIGB field.).
Park '919, as modified by Desai, and Suh are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of preamble structuring with regard to OBSS.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Park '919, as modified by Desai, with Suh to create the method, wherein the predetermined data portion includes zero-padded bits or dummy bits.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to maintain the standard under which the device may be operating.
Regarding claim 16, Park '919, as modified by Desai, fails to disclose the method, wherein the at least one preamble content comprises one or a combination of a field value in a non-high-throughput (non-HT) signal (L-SIG) field within an OBSS PHY header of the OBSS PPDU, a field value in a high efficiency (HE) signal A (HE-SIG-A) field within the OBSS PHY header, and a field value in an extremely high throughput (EHT) signal (EHT-SIG) field within the OBSS PHY header.
However, Suh discloses the method, wherein the at least one preamble content comprises one or a combination of a field value in a non-high-throughput (non-HT) signal (L-SIG) field within an OBSS PHY header of the OBSS PPDU, a field value in a high efficiency (HE) signal A (HE-SIG-A) field within the OBSS PHY header, and a field value in an extremely high throughput (EHT) signal (EHT-SIG) field within the OBSS PHY header ([0007] In some embodiments each preamble includes at least one legacy field, a High Efficiency (HE)-SIGA field and at least one HE-SIGB field, and the at least one field of each preamble portion which is punctured comprises the at least one HE-SIGB field.).
Park '919, as modified by Desai, and Suh are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of preamble structuring with regard to OBSS.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Park '919, as modified by Desai, with Suh to create the method, wherein the at least one preamble content comprises one or a combination of a field value in a non-high-throughput (non-HT) signal (L-SIG) field within an OBSS PHY header of the OBSS PPDU, a field value in a high efficiency (HE) signal A (HE-SIG-A) field within the OBSS PHY header, and a field value in an extremely high throughput (EHT) signal (EHT-SIG) field within the OBSS PHY header.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to signify the standard under which the device may be operating.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park '919 in view of Desai, in further view of Lou et al (US20250261233A1) (hereinafter "Lou").
Regarding claim 6, Park '919, as modified by Desai, fails to disclose the method, wherein the one or more signals comprise a first signal on a first 20MHz channel among the one or more 20MHz channels, the first signal being transmitted with transmit power control for mitigation of at least one on-going PPDU transmitted from the OBSS that causes the determination of the at least one interfered channel.
However, Lou discloses the method, wherein the one or more signals comprise a first signal on a first 20MHz channel among the one or more 20MHz channels, the first signal being transmitted with transmit power control for mitigation of at least one on-going PPDU transmitted from the OBSS that causes the determination of the at least one interfered channel ([0135] Some implementations include power control for multiple responding frames after a PSRT PPDU. For example, in some implementations, during the duration indicated in the PSRR PPDU, multiple responding frames are sent from multiple OBSS STAs after PSRT PPDU is sent. [0110] In some implementations, the power control information carried in a PSRT PPDU (e.g., PSRR PPDU 810) may include one or more of: a transmit power of the PSRT PPDU and the expected receive power or received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of STAOBSS_A; a sum of the transmit power of the PART PPDU and expected RSSI of STAOBSS_A; a PSR value currently used in Trigger frame and PPDU; and/or the power control information may be a value or values per entire bandwidth, per 20 MHz subchannel, per 40 MHz subchannel, per 80 MHz subchannel, per 160 MHz subchannel, or with a mixed mode, where one or more bits of the field and/or subfield may indicate the subchannel resolution (e.g., whether it is per 80 MHz power control information or per 320 MHz power control information etc.) or unit of the power control information, and the remaining bits may indicate detailed values in that resolution or unit.).
Park '919, as modified by Desai, and Lou are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of techniques for parameterized spatial reuse.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Park '919, as modified by Desai, with Lou to create the method, wherein the one or more signals comprise a first signal on a first 20MHz channel among the one or more 20MHz channels, the first signal being transmitted with transmit power control for mitigation of at least one on-going PPDU transmitted from the OBSS that causes the determination of the at least one interfered channel.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to lower transmit power, which may in turn, result in reduced generated interference.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park '919 in view of Desai, in further view of Adachi et al (US20180007701A1) (hereinafter "Adachi").
Regarding claim 7, Park '919, as modified by Desai, fails to disclose the method, wherein the one or more signals comprise same preamble contents as that of the any signals on the any other 20MHz channels.
However, Adachi discloses the method, wherein the one or more signals comprise same preamble contents as that of the any signals on the any other 20MHz channels ([0095] Preamble 1 is transmitted in channel width band (20 MHz) as with the case of the legacy field. Consequently, in a case where the physical packet is OFDMA-transmitted to multiple terminals in multiple resource blocks in one channel, the content of preamble 1 of the physical packet transmitted to the terminals is required to be the same.).
Park '919, as modified by Desai, and Adachi are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of signaling and resource allocation.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Park '919, as modified by Desai, with Adachi to create the method, wherein the one or more signals comprise same preamble contents as that of the any signals on the any other 20MHz channels.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to reduce signaling overhead.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park '919 in view of Desai, in further view of Wu et al (EP3989653A1) (hereinafter "Wu").
Regarding claim 8, Park '919, as modified by Desai, fails to disclose the method, wherein the one or more signals have at least one preamble signaling content which is different from at least one corresponding preamble content of the any signals on the any other 20MHz channels.
However, Wu discloses the method, wherein the one or more signals have at least one preamble signaling content which is different from at least one corresponding preamble content of the any signals on the any other 20MHz channels (Pg. 9: Since the preamble 410 of the different triggered STAs do not overlap with one another, each triggered STA can transmit different contents in the preamble. Accordingly, each of the triggered STAs can select values for one or more parameters of their TB PPDU 406 and can signal these parameters in the preamble 410.).
Park '919, as modified by Desai, and Wu are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of signaling and resource allocation.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Park '919, as modified by Desai, with Wu to create the method, wherein the one or more signals have at least one preamble signaling content which is different from at least one corresponding preamble content of the any signals on the any other 20MHz channels.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to identify channels which have different parameters in their PPDU.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park '919 in view of Desai, in further view of Park et al (US20240172208A1) (hereinafter "Park '208").
Regarding claim 9, Park '919, as modified by Desai, fails to disclose the method, wherein the at least one preamble signaling content comprises one or a combination of a field value in a high efficiency (HE) signal B (HE-SIG-B) field within a first PHY header of the first PPDU and a field value in an extremely high throughput (EHT) signal (EHT-SIG) field within the first PHY header.
However, Park '208 discloses the method, wherein the at least one preamble signaling content comprises one or a combination of a field value in a high efficiency (HE) signal B (HE-SIG-B) field within a first PHY header of the first PPDU and a field value in an extremely high throughput (EHT) signal (EHT-SIG) field within the first PHY header ([0158] Information related to the preamble puncturing applied to the PPDU may be included in U-SIG and/or EHT-SIG. For example, a first field of the U-SIG may include information related to a contiguous bandwidth, and second field of the U-SIG may include information related to the preamble puncturing applied to the PPDU.).
Park '919, as modified by Desai, and Park '208 are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of preamble structuring .
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Park '919, as modified by Desai, with Park '208 to create the method, wherein the at least one preamble signaling content comprises one or a combination of a field value in a high efficiency (HE) signal B (HE-SIG-B) field within a first PHY header of the first PPDU and a field value in an extremely high throughput (EHT) signal (EHT-SIG) field within the first PHY header.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to reduce the preamble signaling.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park '919 in view of Desai, in further view of Park et al (EP4333526A1) (hereinafter "Park '526").
Regarding claim 11, Park '919, as modified by Desai, fails to disclose the method, wherein the repeated fields are non-high-throughput (non-HT) short training fields (L-STF fields), and each L-STF field among the L-STF fields is the same as a L-STF field in a PPDU transmitted in at least one other 20MHz channel.
However, Park '526 discloses the method, wherein the repeated fields are non-high-throughput (non-HT) short training fields (L-STF fields), and each L-STF field among the L-STF fields is the same as a L-STF field in a PPDU transmitted in at least one other 20MHz channel ([0318] The non-HT Dup PPDU may further include a legacy-short training field (L-STF), a legacy-long training field (L-LTF), and a legacy-signal (L-SIG). The L-STF, the L-L TF, the L-SIG, and the data field may be duplicated and transmitted for every 20 MHz channel.).
Park '919, as modified by Desai, and Park '526 are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of configuring PPDU fields.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Park '919, as modified by Desai, with Park '526 to create the method, wherein the repeated fields are non-high-throughput (non-HT) short training fields (L-STF fields), and each L-STF field among the L-STF fields is the same as a L-STF field in a PPDU transmitted in at least one other 20MHz channel.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to reduce the preamble overhead.
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park '919 in view of Desai, in further view of Park et al (US20210368443A1) (hereinafter "Park '443").
Regarding claim 17, Park '919, as modified by Desai, fails to disclose the method, wherein the coherent puncturing control further comprises aligning the end of the first TXOP duration of the any first PPDU to the end of the TXOP duration of the OBSS PPDU which occupied a primary channel among a set of 20 megahertz (20MHz) channels within the primary and non-primary channels.
However, Park '443 discloses the method, wherein the coherent puncturing control further comprises aligning the end of the first TXOP duration of the any first PPDU to the end of the TXOP duration of the OBSS PPDU which occupied a primary channel among a set of 20 megahertz (20MHz) channels within the primary and non-primary channels ([0372] By puncturing only a busy 20 MHz channel as described above, that is, by using the puncturing rule of the case 1, channel efficiency can be improved. In addition, by puncturing a part without data to be transmitted to an STA allocated to a specific 20 MHz channel, that is, by using a puncturing rule of the case 2, transmission of OBSS in which the punctured channel is used as primary 20 MHz can be guaranteed.).
Park '919, as modified by Desai, and Park '443 are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same endeavor of techniques for transmission and scheduling with adjacent interference.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a motivation to combine the teachings of Park '919, as modified by Desai, with Park '443 to create the method, the method, wherein the coherent puncturing control further comprises aligning the end of the first TXOP duration of the any first PPDU to the end of the TXOP duration of the OBSS PPDU which occupied a primary channel among a set of 20 megahertz (20MHz) channels within the primary and non-primary channels.
The motivation to combine both references would come from the need to reduce interference and power consumption while increasing transmission efficiency and system performance.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 03/11/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding claims 1 and 18, on page 7 of Applicant's remarks, Applicant submits, "… Claims 1 and 18, however, teach transmitting a PHY PPDU in an interfered channel which is configured to have a lower power than a power of other PPDUs transmitted in other channels. In other words, transmit power is only limited for the PPDU in the interfered channel, i.e. a single channel. As Park '919 aggregates the PPDUs, this comprises determining power available for both PPDUs, rather than outside interference affecting transmission on an initial channel."
Examiner respectfully disagrees, noting that the claims recite, " … determining at least one interfered channel in at least one of the primary and non-primary channels … transmitting, in the at least one interfered channel, at least one first PHY PPDU configured to have a lower power than a power of other PPDUs transmitted in other primary or non-primary channels … ." The claims as written do not preclude the possibility of multiple PPDUs and channels.
Applicant further argues, "The applicant also respectfully states that the instant application teaches the enhanced preamble puncturing may be performed when the interfered channel is a primary channel, whereas Park '919 fails to teach puncturing of a primary channel (Para [0290], [0595] and [0644] specifically state that the trigger frame will not be sent in the punctured channel)."
Examiner respectfully disagrees, noting that the instant application claims do not explicitly recite the puncturing of a primary channel in the claims. Rather, the claims only requires the presence of one primary and multiple non-primary channels, the presence of at least one interfered channel, and performing the enhanced preamble puncturing in the at least one interfered channel.
Applicant's third argument in regards to claims 1 and 18 states, "The applicant further respectfully notes that Park teaches aggregating separate PPDUs. In the instant application, however, an OBSS PPDU is first detected, and then soft puncturing is performed only for a PPDU to be sent. As taught in the independent claims, the OBSS PPDU must first be detected before adjusting the transmission power, which teaches against the aggregation taught by Park '919."
The Examiner respectfully disagrees, noting that the instant application claims do not explicitly state that OBSS PPDU must first be detected before adjusting the transmission power. Instead, the claims merely state the detection of an OBSS PPDU transmission as part of the overall method.
Applicant further argues, "Moreover, the indication taught in the independent claims is not a trigger as taught by Park '919; instead the indication as taught in claims 1 and 18 indicates a capability regarding available bandwidth."
The Examiner respectfully disagrees, noting that the instant application claims do not recite the presence of an indication.
Regarding claims 2, 10, and 12, on page 8 of Applicant's remarks, Applicant submits, "The applicant respectfully states that the prior arts fail to teach or make obvious the features of an indication indicating capability. This capability indicates power for a specific PPDU, whereas Park '919 is directed to determining power over all channels, as PPDUs are aggregated for reusing spatial streams."
The Examiner respectfully disagrees, noting that the instant application claims do not explicitly state an indication of indicating capability related to a specific PPDU. Instead, the claims only recite an indication of indicating capability with regards to enhanced preamble puncturing.
Regarding claims 3, 13, and 14, on page 9 of Applicant's remarks, Applicant submits, "Claim 13 has been amended to teach that an end of a first transmission opportunity (TXOP) duration of the first PPDU is aligned to an end of a TXOP duration of the OBSS PPDU. Park '919 in view of Park '443 teach aggregating PPDUs such that the timing of both the beginning and the end of the PPDU transmission is simultaneous. In the instant application, however, the OBSS PPDU is already being transmitted. Timing of a PPDU to be transmitted is therefore adjusted so it ends at a similar time to the end of the OBSS PPDU, so that the PPDU will not interfere with subsequent OBSS PPDUs. The aim of the instant application is not directed to simultaneous transmission. The applicant therefore believes that the features of Claim 13 are not obvious with respect to the prior arts."
Examiner respectfully disagrees, noting that the concept and motivation of the claims and the prior art are similar. The claims are interpreted to perform preamble puncturing up until the point where the PPDU or TXOP duration of the interfering channel ends, so that the bandwidth portion afterwards can be fully utilized to increase bandwidth. Conceptually, Hu '842 discloses an analogous idea with the reduction of eleven guard tones/bands in the traditional adjacent channel interference approach to five guard tones in the preamble puncture approach. The motivation Hu '842 provides (see Para. 0044) is to decrease the wasted the guard band frequency and thus increase the available bandwidth for communication transmission.
Regarding claims 5 and 16, on page 10 of Applicant's remarks, Applicant submits, "Claims 5 and 16 teach that the preamble of a first PHY PPDU ( a PPDU to be transmitted in the interfered channel) has zero-padded or dummy bits, wherein the aim is for OBSS PPDUs to recognize the transmission of the first PHY PPDU, such that transmission of subsequent OBSS PPDUs is delayed via a CCA. As Park '919 is directed to aggregation of PPDUs for simultaneous transmission in order to increase the number of spatial streams, the applicant respectfully states that the prior arts therefore fail to teach or make obvious the features of delaying transmission of PPDUs."
Examiner respectfully disagrees, noting that the claim language does not explicitly state that the preamble contains zero-padded/dummy bits. Instead, the limitation only recites that a "predetermined data portion" includes zero-padded bits or dummy bits.
Applicant submits remaining claims as patentable based on being dependent on independent claims. Based on remarks above, Examiner maintains rejection of claims 1 and 18 based on 35 USC 103, and thus maintains rejection of remaining dependent claims based on 35 USC 103.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to D. Little whose telephone number is (571)272-5748. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 8-6 ET.
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/D LITTLE/ Examiner, Art Unit 2419
/Nishant Divecha/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2419
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