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.
Claim(s) 1-9, 11-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhou et al. (hereinafter Zhou)(US 2025/0351179) in view of Fang et al. (hereinafter Fang)(US 2023/0147311) and Huang et al. (hereinafter Huang)(EP 4145947).
Regarding claim 1, Zhou teaches a method, comprising:
detecting, by an Access Point (AP) actor, that a communication metric characterizing communication between the AP actor and a non-AP actor is indicative of reduced communication quality(P[0305], signal quality of links 1 and link2 may be degraded);
in response to detecting, sending a request, by the AP actor, to the non-AP actor for a beacon report for respective link metric values for a plurality of non-collocated AP actors(AP MLD1 carry a reconfiguration multi-link element in a beacon frame);
receiving, in response to the request and from the non-AP actor, the beacon report including the respective link metric values for the plurality of non-collocated AP actors(P[0305], signal quality of link 1 and link 2 (collocated actors) may be degraded and received signal strength indicator is below threshold; but the AP MLD 2(non-collocated AP actors) over link 3 to serve non-AP MLD 1); and
based on the respective link metric values for the plurality of non-collocated AP actors, sending, by the AP actor, to the non-AP actor, a list of a subset of the plurality of non-collocated AP actors from which the non-AP actor may select to roam(non-AP MLD1 is connected to AP MLD2(many APs connected to AP MLD 2; Fig. 31) over link 3 based on reconfiguration beacon frame).
Zhou did not teach specifically receiving information reports from the plurality of non-collocated AP actors via a control plane that interconnects the AP actor and the plurality of non-collocated AP actors. However, Fang teaches in an analogous art receiving information reports from the plurality of non-collocated AP actors via a control plane that interconnects the AP actor and the plurality of non-collocated AP actors(P[0028], provided to non-co-located multiple APs in different locations by using a control plane signaling over the backhaul/over-the air; P[0030], MLD’s mobility pattern, signal strength etc and MLD may inform the A-MLD prior to making a switch). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the method of receiving information reports from the plurality of non-collocated AP actors via a control plane that interconnects the AP actor and the plurality of non-collocated AP actors in order to have efficient switching.
Zhou in view of Fang did not teach specifically beacon information. However, Huang teaches in an analogous art beacon information(P[0091], quality of link between the non-AP MLD and the multiple AP MLDs; also P[0160-0167], request and response between AP MLD and non-colocated MLD 3; ). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the beacon information in order to have improved quality.
Regarding claim 2, Zhou teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising: defining a mobility domain that includes the AP actor and the plurality of non-collocated AP actors; and enabling control plane communication among the AP actor and the plurality of non- collocated AP actors(Fig. 41; non-collocated AP actors; seamless roaming provide control plane roaming (virtual MLD MAC); virtual AP MLD in Fig. 41).
Regarding claim 3, Zhou in view of Fang and Huang teaches the method of claim 2, further comprising assigning a mobility domain-unique link ID to each AP in the AP actor and to each AP in the plurality of non-collocated AP actors(P[0191], configuration fields include link ID information; P[0305], reconfiguration information).
Regarding claim 4, Zhou in view of Fang and Huang teaches the method of claim 3, wherein the list of the subset of the plurality of non-collocated AP actors comprises respective mobility domain-unique link IDs corresponding to APs in the plurality of non-collocated AP actors(P[0305], AP MLD 2(non-co-located AP) can carry a multilink element).
Regarding claim 5, Zhou in view of Fang and Huang teaches the ethod of claim 2, wherein the AP actor and the plurality of non-collocated AP actors are multi-link devices (MLDs)(Fig. 41, MLDs).
Regarding claim 6, Zhou in view of Fang and Huang teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the link metric values are comprised of at least one of signal strength or signal quality values. (P[0305], signal strength).
Regarding claim 7, Zhou in view of Fang and Huang teaches the method of claim 1, wherein sending the list of a subset of the plurality of non- collocated AP actors from which the non-AP actor may select to roam comprises sending the list of a subset of the plurality of non-collocated AP actors via a neighbor report element in at least one of a basic service set transition management (BTM) request frame, a BTM query frame, or neighbor report response frame(Zhou: P[0181], multi-AP MLD sounding reference frame includes virtual basic service sets; candidate set ID field; Huang: P[0102], candidate list field may carry neighbor report).
Regarding claim 8, Zhou in view of Fang and Huang teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising executing, with the non-AP actor, a roaming procedure by a selected one of the plurality of non-collocated AP actors on the list of a subset of the plurality of non-collocated AP actors(P[0305], reconfiguration with non-collocated link 3 connected).
Regarding claim 9, Zhou in view of Fang and Huang teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising, after the non-AP actor roams to an AP in the plurality of non-collocated AP actors, one of the AP actor or non-AP actor initiating a remove link procedure between the AP actor and the non-AP actor(P[0305], announce removal of affiliated APs corresponding to link 1 and link 2 by the AP MLD; multiple AP MLDs).
Claims 11-17 are rejected for the same reason as set forth in claims 1-7 respectively.
Claims 18-20 are rejected for the same reason as set forth in claims 1-3 respectively.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhou et al. (hereinafter Zhou)(US 2025/0351179) in view of Fang et al. (hereinafter Fang)(US 2023/0147311) and Huang et al. (hereinafter Huang)(EP 4145947) and Asterjadhi et al. (hereinafter Asterjadhi)(US 2021/0007168).
Regarding claim 10, Zhou in view of Fang and Huang teaches all the particulars of the claim except the method of claim 1, wherein the non-AP actor verifies the respective link metric values associated with the plurality of non-collocated AP actors while in a power save mode. However, Asterjadhi teaches in an analogous art wherein the non-AP actor verifies the respective link metric values associated with the plurality of non-collocated AP actors while in a power save mode(P[0137], non-AP MLD in a power save mode in such that STA interface to the auxiliary link). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the method wherein the non-AP actor verifies the respective link metric values associated with the plurality of non-collocated AP actors while in a power save mode in order to have improved efficiency.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) have been considered but are moot in view of new ground of rejection.
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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/MUTHUSWAMY G MANOHARAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2647
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