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 § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim 29 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because “computer readable storage hardware” does not clearly recite that the hardware/memory medium is “non-transitory”. It is suggested the claim is amended to recite “non-transitory computer readable storage hardware” (see applicant’s specification, page 6, lines 15-16).
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, 4-9, 11, 12, 15, 18-23, 25-26 and 29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al (US 2020/0,162,586; hereinafter Li) in view of Greel et al (US 2008/0,013,463; hereinafter Greel).
Regarding claim 1, 15, and 29, Li disclose a system comprising communication management hardware (1102, 1202; Fig. 1) and computer-readable storage hardware (storage medium 220, 2021; Fig. 21, 22) having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when carried out by computer processor hardware (processor 110, 210, 2022) (paras. [0214]-[0217], [0226]; Fig. 21, 22), and a method comprising at a first wireless station:
retrieving first protocol information assigned to the first wireless station, the first protocol information indicating a first security protocol supported by the first wireless station (a first device obtains first protocol type information supported by a first port of the first device, wherein a first port of the first device supports the flexible Ethernet protocol and the standard Ethernet protocol; ¶ [0080]);
transmitting a notification to a second wireless station indicating the first security protocol supported by the first wireless station (the first device generates indication information used to indicate a protocol type supported by the first port; and the first device sends the indication information used to indicate the protocol type supported by the first port; ¶ [0091]); and
selecting a security protocol in which to communicate with the second wireless station based on the first protocol information and second protocol information, the second protocol information received from the second wireless station (the second device sends the indication information used to indicate the protocol type supported by the second port to be received by the first device, the first device obtains a protocol type supported by a second port of a second device, where the protocol type supported by the second port of the second device includes a flexible Ethernet protocol and/or a standard Ethernet protocol, the first device determines or selects a target protocol type based on the protocol type supported by the second port and a protocol type supported by the first port, where the target protocol type includes the flexible Ethernet protocol or the standard Ethernet protocol; paras. [0080]-[0081], [0087], [0020]). Although Li disclose the first and second device can be user equipment in 5G communication system, a network device, a base station, a wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node in a WiFi system, Li do not explicitly disclose a first wireless security protocol. In the same field of endeavor, Reel disclose a communication system, e.g. in a mobile station or network device, that communicate over a variety of different network protocols, e.g. Ethernet and Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) (¶ [0037]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to do so in order to configure the wireless station to communicate using an alternative protocol to securely send data over the air or over the internet.
Regarding claim 4 and 18, Li and Greel disclose the method and system as in claim 1 and 15 respectively, wherein the communication management hardware (Li, 1102, 1202; Fig. 1) is further operative to: receive the second protocol information from the second wireless station in response to transmitting the notification; and wherein the second protocol information indicates a second wireless security protocol different than the first wireless security protocol (a first device obtains a protocol type supported by a second port of a second device, where the protocol type supported by the second port of the second device includes a flexible Ethernet protocol and/or a standard Ethernet protocol, wherein the first port and the second port may support different protocol types; Li, paras. [0080], [0100], wherein the security protocol can be a wireless security protocol, e.g. WEP; Greel, ¶ [0037]).
Regarding claim 5 and 19, Li and Greel disclose the method and system as in claim 4 and 118 respectively, wherein the selected wireless security protocol is the second wireless security protocol (the first device obtains first indication information from the second device, and the first device selects the better target protocol type based on the first indication information that indicate a protocol type with a higher priority in the protocol type supported by the second port of the second device; Li, para. [0020], the security protocol can be a wireless security protocol, e.g. WEP; Greel, ¶ [0037]), the communication management hardware further operative to: in response to selection of the second wireless security protocol, establish a respective wireless communication link between the first wireless station and the second wireless station using the second wireless security protocol (the first device communicates with the second device based on the target protocol type through the first port and the second port; Li, ¶ [0082], the security protocol can be a wireless security protocol, e.g. WEP; Greel, ¶ [0037]).
Regarding claim 6 and 20, Li and Greel disclose the method and system as in claim 1 and 15 respectively, wherein the second protocol information indicates identities of multiple wireless security protocols supported by the second wireless station, the identities of the multiple wireless security protocols indicating the first wireless security protocol and a second wireless security protocol (the first device obtains a protocol type supported by a second port of a second device, where the protocol type supported by the second port of the second device includes a flexible Ethernet protocol and/or a standard Ethernet protocol; Li, ¶ [0080], wherein the security protocol can be a wireless security protocol, e.g. WEP; Greel, ¶ [0037]).
Regarding claim 7 and 21, Li and Greel disclose the method and system as in claim 6 and 20 respectively, wherein the first wireless security protocol corresponds to a first level in a tiered hierarchy of multiple wireless security protocols; and wherein the second wireless security protocol corresponds to a second level in the tiered hierarchy of multiple wireless security protocols, the second level ranking higher than the first level (the protocol type, e.g. flexible Ethernet protocol, is indicated with a higher priority in the protocol type supported by the second port of the second device, Li, paras. [0020], [0096]-[0097], wherein the security protocol can be a wireless security protocol, e.g. WEP; Greel, ¶ [0037]).
Regarding claim 8 and 22, Li and Greel disclose the method and system as in claim 1 and 15 respectively, the system as in claim 15, wherein the selected wireless security protocol is the first wireless security protocol (the first device determines the target protocol type based on a protocol type of the first security protocol with a higher priority in the protocol type supported by the first port of the first device; Li, ¶ [0021], wherein the security protocol can be a wireless security protocol, e.g. WEP; Greel, ¶ [0037]).
Regarding claim 9 and 23, Li and Greel disclose the method and system as in claim 1 and 15 respectively, wherein the selected wireless security protocol is a second wireless security protocol specified by the second protocol information (e.g. the protocol type with a higher priority in the protocol type supported by the second port is a flexible Ethernet protocol type, in this case, the flexible Ethernet protocol may be selected as the target protocol type;
Li, ¶ [0097]; wherein the security protocol can be a wireless security protocol, e.g. WEP; Greel, ¶ [0037]).
Regarding claim 11 and 25, Li and Greel disclose the method and system as in claim 1 and 15 respectively, wherein the communication management hardware is further operative to: prior to transmitting the notification, receive a message from the second wireless station, the message indicating a second wireless communication protocol supported by the second wireless station (first device obtains first indication information from the second device indicating the protocol type supported by the second port of the second device; Li, ¶ [0096], wherein the security protocol can be a wireless security protocol, e.g. WEP, Greel, ¶ [0037]); and transmit the notification from the first wireless station to the second wireless station in response to detecting that the second wireless security protocol supported by the second wireless station is different than the first wireless security protocol supported by the first wireless station (the first device generates and sends indication information used to indicate a protocol type supported by the first port to the second device where the first port and the second port may support different protocol types, Li, paras. [0091], [0100], wherein the security protocol can be a wireless security protocol, e.g. WEP, Greel, ¶ [0037]).
Regarding claim 12 and 26, Li and Greel disclose the method and system as in claim 1 and 15 respectively, wherein the communication management hardware is further operative to: in response to transmitting the notification, receive a message from the second wireless station indicating that the second wireless station supports the first wireless security protocol (the second device generates indication information used to indicate a protocol type supported by a second port of the second device, where the protocol type supported by the second port of the second device includes a flexible Ethernet protocol and/or a standard Ethernet protocol, the first device obtains the protocol type supported by the second device, and a first port of the first device supports the flexible Ethernet protocol and the standard Ethernet protocol,
paras. [0086], [0080], wherein the security protocol can be a wireless security protocol, e.g. WEP; Greel, ¶ [0037]); and in response to detecting that the second wireless station supports the first wireless security protocol as indicated by the received message, establishing a wireless communication link between the first wireless station and the second wireless station using the first wireless security protocol (the first device communicates with the second device based on the target protocol type through the first port and the second port; Li, ¶ [0082], wherein the security protocol can be a wireless security protocol, e.g. WEP, Greel, ¶ [0037]).
Claims 2-3, 13, 16-17, and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al (US 2020/0,162,586) in view of Greel et al (US 2008/0,013,463) further in view of Zhu et al (US 2019/0,349,758; hereinafter Zhu).
Regarding claim 2 and 16, Li and Greel disclose the method and system as in claim 1 and 15 respectively, wherein the second protocol information indicates the first wireless security protocol (the second protocol information includes a flexible Ethernet protocol and/or a standard Ethernet protocol, Li, ¶ [0080], wherein the protocol can be a wireless protocol, e.g. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol; Greel, ¶ [0037]). Li and Greel do not disclose the notification is a probe request transmitted by the first wireless station to learn of an identity of a wireless network supported by the second wireless station. In the same field of endeavor, Zhu disclose the notification is a probe request transmitted by the first wireless station to learn an identity of a wireless network supported by the second wireless station (paras. [0048], [0100], [0017]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to do so in order for the first device to acquire the service set identifier or network id of second device for e.g. authentication purpose.
Regarding claim 3 and 17, Li, Greel and Zhu disclose the method and system as in claim 2 and 16 respectively, wherein the selected wireless security protocol is the first wireless security protocol (the first device determines a target protocol type based on the protocol type supported by the second port and a protocol type supported by the first port, where the target protocol type includes the flexible Ethernet protocol or the standard Ethernet protocol as the first security protocol; Li, ¶ [0081]; the security protocol can be a wireless security protocol, e.g. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol, Greel, par. [0037]), the method further comprising: in response to selection of the first wireless security protocol, establishing a respective wireless communication link between the first wireless station and the second wireless station using the selected first wireless security protocol (the first device communicates with the second device based on the target protocol type through the first port and the second port; Li, ¶ [0082], the security protocol can be a wireless security protocol, e.g. WEP Greel, ¶ [0037]).
Regarding claim 13 and 27, Li and Greel disclose the method and system as in claim 1 and 15 respectively, wherein the communication management hardware is further operative to: at the first wireless station, receiving a communication from the second wireless station prior to transmitting the notification, the communication indicating an identity of the second wireless station and a second security protocol supported by the second wireless station (the second device sends the indication information used to indicate the protocol type supported by the second port, the packet that carries the indication information used to indicate the protocol type supported by the second port may include may include the protocol type supported by the second port and a flexible Ethernet protocol group, the flexible Ethernet protocol group may include at least one link, and a port corresponding to the link is configured to take effect, the information may include system ID, port ID, and a flexible Ethernet protocol group capability token of the second device which may be used to identify the second wireless device; Li, paras. [0087], [0146]-[0148], wherein the protocol can be a wireless protocol, e.g. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol; Greel, ¶ [0037]). Li and Greel do not explicitly disclose an identity of the second wireless station. In the same field of endeavor, Zhu disclose the first device may establish a bluetooth connection with the other device based on the device identifier by exchanging one or more communications with the other device including the device identifier (paras. [0062], [0064]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to do so in order to provide information about the other device for authentication purposes.
Claims 10 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al (US 2020/0,162,586) in view of Greel et al (US 2008/0,013,463) further in view of Montemurro et al (US 2025/0,358,872; hereinafter Montemurro).
Regarding claim 10 and 24, Li and Greel disclose the method and system as in claim 1 and 15 respectively, wherein they do not disclose the communication management hardware is further operative to: prior to transmitting the notification, receive a beacon frame from the second wireless station, the beacon frame indicating at least one wireless security protocol supported by the second wireless station. Montemurro disclose prior to transmitting the notification, receive a beacon frame from the second wireless station, the beacon frame indicating at least one wireless security protocol supported by the second wireless station
(the wireless device receives a beacon frame from the second station (AP) indicating at least one wireless security protocol, e.g. Wi-Fi easy connect provisioning protocol, supported by the access point, paras. [0081]-[0088]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to do so in order to provide information, e.g. in a WSC IE format which encodes information as attributes in a binary type identifier, length and value format that specifies that the second station supports the WPS provisioning protocol and the Wi-Fi Easy Connect provisioning protocol to connect the first device to the second station.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14 and 28 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.
Regarding claim 14 and 28, Li and Greel disclose the method and system as in claim 1 and 15 respectively, wherein the second wireless station is operative to transmit first beacons indicating that the second wireless station supports the first wireless security protocol; wherein the second wireless station is operative to transmit second beacons indicating that the second wireless station supports a second wireless security protocol, the second wireless security protocol different than the first wireless security protocol; and wherein a ratio of the first beacons with respect to the second beacons transmitted by the second wireless station is based upon a number of first communication devices wirelessly connected to the second wireless station via the first wireless security protocol versus a number of second communication devices wirelessly connected to the second wireless station via the second wireless security protocol.
Conclusion
9. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LANA N LE whose telephone number is (571) 272-7891. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00am-5:00pm.
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/LANA N LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2648