Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 03/12/2024 and 09/03/2025 have been placed in record and considered by the examiner.
Claim Objection
Claim(s) is/are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 line 10, “CS required bit” should read as “Carrier Sense (CS) required bit”.
Claim 8 line 9, “CS required bit” should read as “Carrier Sense (CS) required bit”.
Claim 10 line 12, “CS required bit” should read as “Carrier Sense (CS) required bit”.
Claim 11 line 11, “CS required bit” should read as “Carrier Sense (CS) required bit”.
Appropriate corrections are required.
NOTICE for all US Patent Applications filed on or after March 16, 2013
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 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of AIA 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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3, 5-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Sun et al. (WO 2021178157 A1, of IDS, hereinafter ‘SUN’).
Regarding claim 1, SUN teaches an access point apparatus for executing wireless communication complying with an IEEE 802.11 series (
Fig. 1 AP 102 in wireless communication network 100,
[0054] Figure 1 shows a block diagram of an example wireless communication network 100. According to some aspects, the wireless communication network 100 can be an example of a wireless local area network (WLAN) such as a Wi-Fi network (and will hereinafter be referred to as WLAN 100). For example, the WLAN 100 can be a network implementing at least one of the IEEE 802.11 family of wireless communication protocol standards …… The WLAN 100 may include numerous wireless communication devices such as an access point (AP) 102 and multiple stations (STAs) 104. While only one AP 102 is shown, the WLAN network 100 also can include multiple APs 102.
Fig. 7D AP1…AP4), comprising:
an adjustment unit configured to perform adjustment of a communication parameter, between the access point apparatus and another access point apparatus, to avoid interference between communication in the access point apparatus and communication in the other access point apparatus (
Fig. 6 Block 602 [Wingdings font/0xE8] Block 604 [Wingdings font/0xE8] Block 606,
[0053] other BSSs (OBSSs)
[0094] In block 602, the wireless communication device (hereinafter referred to as the first AP or TXOP owner) obtains a TXOP for wireless communication via a wireless channel. The TXOP owner manages or is otherwise associated with a BSS (hereinafter referred to as the “first BSS” in conjunction with Figure 6) including one or more wireless STAs. In block 604, the TXOP owner selects one or more other wireless APs to participate in the TXOP. In block 606, the first AP transmits a first packet to the one or more other wireless APs that includes scheduling information for the TXOP. The scheduling information indicates a plurality of portions of the TXOP. The scheduling information also includes a plurality of AP identifiers (APIDs) associated with the one or more wireless APs. The scheduling information further indicates which one or more portions of the transmission opportunity are allocated to each respective wireless AP of the one or more wireless APs for communicating with its respective BSS.
[0095] In some implementations, each portion of the plurality of portions of the transmission opportunity includes a set of time resources that do not overlap with any time resources of any other portion of the plurality of portions. In such implementations, the scheduling information may include an indication of time resources, of multiple time resources of the TXOP, associated with each portion of the TXOP. For example, the scheduling information may include an indication of a time segment of the TXOP such as an indication of one or more slots or sets of symbol periods associated with each portion of the TXOP such as for MU coordinated AP (CAP) TDMA (CAP-TDMA). In some other implementations, ….. … the scheduling information may include an indication of a bandwidth portion of the wireless channel such as an indication of one or more subchannels or resource units (RUs) associated with each portion of the TXOP such as for MU CAP OFDMA (CAP-OFDMA).
[0096] Figures 7A-7D show timing diagrams illustrating examples of the transmissions of communications that support resource sharing according to some implementations. For example, the timing diagrams shown in Figures 7A-7D may illustrate aspects of the process 600 of Figure 6.
Fig. 8 Blocks 802 [Wingdings font/0xE8] 804, [0098] In some implementations, to select the one or more other coordinated APs to participate in the TXOP 702 in block 604, the TXOP owner API optionally performs a TXOP availability indication process during a resource poll phase 704 during which the TXOP owner API learns of the other APs’ desires or intents to participate in the TXOP 702. For example, Figure 8 shows a flowchart illustrating an example TXOP indication process 800 for advertising an availability of time resources in the TXOP 702. In block 802, at time /;, the TXOP owner API transmits a packet (also referred to herein as a CAP Resource Poll (CRP) packet or frame) 710 to other wireless APs, for example, other APs in its extended service set (ESS), that indicates that the time resources of the TXOP 702 can be shared by the TXOP owner API.
[0099] In block 804, after transmitting the CRP 710, the TXOP owner API may receive, at time C, a packet (also referred to herein as a CAP Resource Response (CRR) packet or frame) 712 from each of one or more candidate APs that indicates a desire by the respective AP to participate in the TXOP 702. In the example illustrated in Figure 7A, AP2, AP3 and AP4 are among the candidate APs that transmit respective CRRs 712.sub.2, 712.sub.3 and 712.sub.4 to the TXOP owner API. Referring back to the process 600, based on the receipt of the CRRs 712, the TXOP owner API may then select one or more of the candidate APs to participate in the TXOP 702 in block 604.
[0131] …. In some implementations, to mitigate the possibility of OBSS device transmissions during the TXOP portions 716, each of the coordinated APs API, AP2, AP3 and AP4 may transmit a CTS-to-Self frame at the start of its allocated time resources to reserve the medium. The CTS-to-Self frame may be duplicated on each 20 MHz portion of the wireless channel. Additionally or alternatively, the TXOP owner API may schedule or otherwise allocate the TXOP portions 716 such that they are in order of decreasing quantities of frequency resources. In other words, the coordinated APs that will perform data communications with the largest bandwidths are first. For example, suppose that coordinated APs API and AP2 are both to transmit over an 80 MHz channel, AP3 is to transmit over a 40 MHz channel and AP4 is to transmit over a 20 MHz channel. Such ordering minimizes the chance of OBSS interference.); and
a transmission control unit configured to control to transmit, after the adjustment unit performs the adjustment, a trigger frame that provides a data transmission opportunity to at least one partner apparatus and stores 0 in a CS Required Bit (
Fig. 6 Block 608, [0094] In block 608, the TXOP owner transmits data to, or triggers the transmission of data from, one or more wireless stations in its BSS in a portion of the transmission opportunity it allocated to itself.
[0140] For UL communications, the triggering of the transmission of UL data from a wireless STA in AP2’s BSS includes transmitting a trigger frame to the wireless station in the TXOP portion 710.sub.2 allocated to AP2. In some other implementations than those just described, the CSF 718.sub.2 or the trigger frame may indicate to the STAs in AP2’s BSS that no carrier sensing is required for the transmission of data to AP2 in the TXOP portion 710.sub.2 allocated to AP2 in response to receiving the trigger frame.
(SUN [0140] teaching AP transmitting a trigger frame to a partner wireless station indicating no carrier sensing is required for the transmission of data, and setting ‘0’ for the CS Required bit for indicating no carrier sensing is required is a well known technique in the art).
Regarding claim 8, the claim is interpreted mutatis mutandis of claim 1 and rejected for the same reason as set forth for claim 1.
Regarding claim 10, the claim is interpreted mutatis mutandis of claim 1 and rejected for the same reason as set forth for claim 1.
Regarding claim 11, SUN teaches a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a program for causing a computer included in an access point apparatus to perform a communication method of executing wireless communication complying with an IEEE 802.11 series (
Fig. 1 AP 102 in wireless communication network 100,
[0054] Figure 1 shows a block diagram of an example wireless communication network 100. According to some aspects, the wireless communication network 100 can be an example of a wireless local area network (WLAN) such as a Wi-Fi network (and will hereinafter be referred to as WLAN 100). For example, the WLAN 100 can be a network implementing at least one of the IEEE 802.11 family of wireless communication protocol standards …… The WLAN 100 may include numerous wireless communication devices such as an access point (AP) 102 and multiple stations (STAs) 104. While only one AP 102 is shown, the WLAN network 100 also can include multiple APs 102.
Fig. 4, wireless communication device 400 with Memory 408, [0082] the wireless communication device 400 can be an example of a device for use in an AP such as the AP 102 described above with reference to Figure 1. …. the wireless communication device 400 further includes one or more memory blocks or elements 408 …..
[0088] The memory 408 can include tangible storage media such as random-access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM), or combinations thereof. The memory 408 also can store non-transitory processor computer-executable software (SW) code containing instructions that, when executed by the processor 404, cause the processor to perform various operations described herein for wireless communication….
See also Fig. 7D AP1…AP4),
Further claim 11 is interpreted mutatis mutandis of claim 1 and rejected for the same reason as set forth for claim 1.
Regarding claim 2, SUN teaches the access point apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the other access point apparatus is an access point apparatus that cooperates with the access point apparatus, and the adjustment of the communication parameter is executed based on a result of negotiation with the other access point apparatus (
Fig. 7D, [0123] For example, in the implementation illustrated in Figure 7D, after transmitting or receiving data communications to or from one or more STAs in its BSS using the time resources of the first TXOP portion 716i, the TXOP owner API transmits a trigger 722.sub.2 to the second AP AP2 at time t4 to indicate the start of the second TXOP portion 710.sub.2. For example, the trigger 722.sub.2 may trigger the second AP AP2 to initiate data communications or otherwise provide an indication to the second AP AP2 of a start of the time resources allocated to the second AP AP2. In some implementations, the TXOP owner API transmits the trigger 722.sub.2 to the second AP AP2 at the scheduled start of the second TXOP portion 710.sub.2. ).
Regarding claim 3, SUN teaches the access point apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit configured to determine whether adjustment can be performed to avoid interference with the other access point apparatus by the adjustment of the adjustment unit (
Fig. 7D, [0123] For example, in the implementation illustrated in Figure 7D, after transmitting or receiving data communications to or from one or more STAs in its BSS using the time resources of the first TXOP portion 716i, the TXOP owner API transmits a trigger 722.sub.2 to the second AP AP2 at time t4 to indicate the start of the second TXOP portion 710.sub.2. For example, the trigger 722.sub.2 may trigger the second AP AP2 to initiate data communications or otherwise provide an indication to the second AP AP2 of a start of the time resources allocated to the second AP AP2. In some implementations, the TXOP owner API transmits the trigger 722.sub.2 to the second AP AP2 at the scheduled start of the second TXOP portion 710.sub.2.
See also Fig. 8, Block 804, [0099] as cited above for claim 1).
Regarding claim 5, SUN teaches the access point apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where a trigger frame that provides a data transmission opportunity to at least one partner apparatus is transmitted in a status in which the adjustment unit does not perform the adjustment, the transmission control unit controls to transmit the trigger frame that stores 0 in the CS Required Bit (
See [0140] cited for claim 1.
See also Fig. 10 Blocks [1006[Wingdings font/0xE8]1008]
[0144] In block 1004, STA2 determines that the scheduling information includes an APID (APID2) associated with AP2. In block 1006, STA2 receives a trigger frame from AP2 in the portion 716.sub.2 of the TXOP 702 allocated to AP2. In block 1008, STA2 transmits data to AP2 in the TXOP portion 716.sub.2 in response to receiving the trigger frame based on the determination that the scheduling information includes the APID2. [0145] As described above with reference to Figures 7A-7D, in some CAP TDMA implementations, each portion 716 of the plurality of portions 716 of the TXOP 702 corresponds to a time segment comprised of a set of time resources that do not overlap with any time resources of any other portion of the plurality of portions, such as non overlapping slots or symbols. In some other CAP OFDMA implementations, each portion of the plurality of portions of the TXOP corresponds to a bandwidth segment comprised of a set of frequency resources that do not overlap with any frequency resources of any other portion of the plurality of portions, such as non-overlapping subchannels or RUs.
(trigger frame that stores 0 in the CS Required Bit for indicating carrier sensing not required is well known in the art.)).
Regarding claim 6, SUN teaches the access point apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment of the communication parameter by the adjustment unit includes at least one of adjustment to avoid interference by making frequency resources, used by the access point apparatus and the other access point apparatus to operate, different from each other, adjustment of a communication parameter concerning communication power, and adjustment of a communication parameter concerning a period during which communication is to be performed (
[0136] As described above with reference to Figures 7A-7D, in some CAP TDMA implementations, each portion 716 of the plurality of portions 716 of the TXOP 702 corresponds to a time segment comprised of a set of time resources that do not overlap with any time resources of any other portion of the plurality of portions, such as non overlapping slots or symbols. In some other CAP OFDMA implementations, each portion of the plurality of portions of the TXOP corresponds to a bandwidth segment comprised of a set of frequency resources that do not overlap with any frequency resources of any other portion of the plurality of portions, such as non-overlapping subchannels or RUs.).
Regarding claim 7, SUN teaches the access point apparatus according to claim 2, wherein information for the negotiation is communicated using a trigger frame for exchanging information between access points (
See [0123] cited above for claim 2).
Regarding claim 9, SUN teaches the communication method according to claim 8, further comprising controlling to transmit, after receiving the trigger frame that stores 0 in the CS Required Bit, uplink data to the access point apparatus without executing a carrier sense, which is executed by at least one of the at least one partner apparatus (
See [0140] cited for claim 1.
See also Fig. 10 Blocks [1006[Wingdings font/0xE8]1008]
[0144] In block 1004, STA2 determines that the scheduling information includes an APID (APID2) associated with AP2. In block 1006, STA2 receives a trigger frame from AP2 in the portion 716.sub.2 of the TXOP 702 allocated to AP2. In block 1008, STA2 transmits data to AP2 in the TXOP portion 716.sub.2 in response to receiving the trigger frame based on the determination that the scheduling information includes the APID2. [0145] As described above with reference to Figures 7A-7D, in some CAP TDMA implementations, each portion 716 of the plurality of portions 716 of the TXOP 702 corresponds to a time segment comprised of a set of time resources that do not overlap with any time resources of any other portion of the plurality of portions, such as non overlapping slots or symbols. In some other CAP OFDMA implementations, each portion of the plurality of portions of the TXOP corresponds to a bandwidth segment comprised of a set of frequency resources that do not overlap with any frequency resources of any other portion of the plurality of portions, such as non-overlapping subchannels or RUs.
(trigger frame that stores 0 in the CS Required Bit for indicating carrier sensing not required is well known in the art.)).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun et al. (WO 2021178157 A1, of IDS, hereinafter ‘SUN’) in view of Ahn et al. (KR 20180115724 A, hereinafter ‘AHN’).
Regarding claim 4, SUN teaches the access point apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
as a result of the adjustment by the adjustment unit, in a case where a trigger frame that provides a data transmission opportunity to at least one partner apparatus is transmitted in a status in which a transmission path that can avoid interference with the other access point apparatus can be ensured as a transmission path used by the access point apparatus to communicate with a partner apparatus, the transmission control unit controls to transmit the trigger frame that stores 0 in the CS Required Bit (
See [0140] cited for claim 1;
and trigger frame that stores 0 in the CS Required Bit for indicating carrier sensing not required is well known in the art, for example see AHN [0137] cited below).
SUN does not explicitly in a case where a trigger frame that provides a data transmission opportunity to at least one partner apparatus is transmitted in a status in which only a transmission path where interference with the other access point apparatus can occur can be ensured as a transmission path used by the access point apparatus to communicate with a partner apparatus, the transmission control unit controls to transmit the trigger frame that stores 1 in the CS Required Bit (although based on SUN [0140] it is obvious that AP transmitting a trigger frame to a partner wireless station indicating carrier sensing is required for the transmission of data to in a status in which a transmission path can be used by other access point apparatus to avoid interference).
.
In an analogous art, AHN teaches in a case where a trigger frame that provides a data transmission opportunity to at least one partner apparatus is transmitted in a status in which only a transmission path where interference with the other access point apparatus can occur can be ensured as a transmission path used by the access point apparatus to communicate with a partner apparatus, the transmission control unit controls to transmit the trigger frame that stores 1 in the CS Required Bit (
[0135]
Additionally, the trigger frame may include information indicating whether channel sensing is required'
Specifically, information indicating whether channel sensing is required may be the CS required bit.
In a specific embodiment, when the CS required bit is 1, the wireless communication terminal can detect whether the channel indicated by the trigger frame is idle when transmitting a PPDU based on a trigger.
[0137]
AP ..... transmits a trigger frame to trigger the fourth station (STA 4).
At this time, the CS required bit (CS req.) included in the trigger frame ) indicates that no channel sensing is required before transmitting a PPDU based on a trigger of 0.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to take the technique of using CS required bit in trigger frame to wireless device or partner apparatus for multi-user wireless communication of AHN to the system of coordinated access point transmissions for sharing the resources of a transmission opportunity using a AP as central coordinator for sharing resources with multiple APs of SUN in order to take the advantage of a method using an AP as an BSS Coordination Point for enabling efficient use of bandwidth between resource users (AHN: [0007, 0038]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Oteri et al. (US 20210385779 A1), describing SYSTEMS, METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR MULTIPLE ACCESS POINT (MULTI-AP) COORDINATION IN WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORKS (WLANS)
Sun et al. (US 20210282161 A1), describing COORDINATED ACCESS POINT TRANSMISSIONS
Chen et al. (US 20210120548 A1), describing MULTI-AP RESOURCE SHARING
Guo; Y. (US 20200374870 A1), describing METHOD FOR COORDINATED MULTI-ACCESS POINT AP TRANSMISSION AND RELATED APPARATUS
Ahn et al. (US 20190132107 A1), describing WIRELESS COMMUNICATION METHOD USING TRIGGER INFORMATION, AND WIRELESS COMMUNICATION TERMINAL USING SAME
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/SHAH M RAHMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2413