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 § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(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.
Claim(s) 1,4-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Publication No. 2019/0199458 A1 to Fukuhara et al.
AS to claim 1, Fukuhara discloses A base station control system, comprising: a first base station; and a base station control apparatus including circuitry configured to (Figs. 1 and 6, disclosing “access point” 10/10a, 130 and 140, paragraphs 22-29, 73-79, disclosing the elements and components recited herein)
set, in the first base station, at least one of power to be received from a terminal or a maximum number of terminals that are to be connected to the first base station (Figs. 1,6, disclosing “first base station”; paragraphs 57-64 and Fig. 5, disclosing setting in the access point/base station “rssi threshold” and a “target value” for “terminal connection count”, teaching “power to be received from a terminal or a maximum number of terminals that are to be connected to the first base station”), the power being configured to be received by the first base station (paragraphs 57-64 and Fig. 5, disclosing setting in the access point/base station “rssi threshold”, i.e., “the power being configured to be received by the first base station”), wherein each of the power to be received and the maximum number is used to limit the number of terminals that are to be connected to the first base station (paragraphs 57-64 and Fig. 5, disclosing a process wherein the “RSSI threshold” and “terminal connection count” “target value” are used to limit the number of terminals allowed to connect to the access point, by adjusting the “RSSI threshold”, e.g., by increasing the RSSI threshold, the “terminal connection count” will be reduced, if the number of terminals is excessively large).
As to claims 4-6, see rejection for claim 1.
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.
Claim(s) 2,3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Publication No. 2019/0199458 A1 to Fukuhara et al., in view of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0163836 A1 to Kobayashi et al.
As to claim 2, Fukuhara discloses the BS control system in parent claim 1.
Fukuhara further discloses wherein the circuitry is configured to change the at least one of the power to be received from the terminal or the maximum number of terminals, based on (ii) the number of terminals that are connected to the first base station. (paragraphs 57-64 and Fig. 5, disclosing a process wherein the “RSSI threshold” and “terminal connection count” “target value” are used to limit the number of terminals allowed to connect to the access point, by adjusting the “RSSI threshold”, e.g., by increasing the RSSI threshold, the “terminal connection count” will be reduced, if the number of terminals is excessively large)
Fukuhara does not appear to disclose one or more communication parameters based on (i) the number of terminals that are connected to a second base station that is provided before the first base station is provided.
Kobayashi discloses to change one or more communication parameters based on (i) the number of terminals that are connected to a second base station that is provided before the first base station is provided. (paragraphs 123 and Fig. 14, disclosing, if the number of terminals communicating with a BS 800/apparatus 600 [“second base station”] is excessive, then the number of such terminals will be adjusted, where there are other BSs 800/apparatuses 600 in the system, i.e., “first base station”).
Before the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art that Kobayashi’s teachings may be combinable with Fukuhara’s teachings to reject this claim, since both references are directed to wireless communication infrastructures that manage the number of terminals and other network resources. In particular, Fukuhara’s teaching of “wherein the circuitry is configured to change the at least one of the power to be received from the terminal or the maximum number of terminals, based on (ii) the number of terminals that are connected to the first base station” may be combined with, and/or modified by and/or incorporated with Kobayashi’s teaching of “to change one or more communication parameters based on (i) the number of terminals that are connected to a second base station that is provided before the first base station is provided” to reject “wherein the circuitry is configured to change the at least one of the power to be received from the terminal or the maximum number of terminals, based on (i) the number of terminals that are connected to a second base station that is provided before the first base station is provided and (ii) the number of terminals that are connected to the first base station”, since a PHOSITA would have found it obvious to additionally subject Fukuhara’s method discussed above to the condition of “based on (i) the number of terminals that are connected to a second base station that is provided before the first base station is provided” disclosed/taught in Kobayashi, since the disclosed method in Kobayashi also adjusts/changes a network communication parameter(s). The suggestion/motivation would have been to improve resource allocation and management in wireless communication systems. (Fukuhara, paragraphs 1-14 ; Kobayashi, paragraphs 1-35; ). Furthermore, note that with regard to the claimed invention, especially the limitation above, all of the claimed elements have been shown to be known in the cited art, and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions and the combination would have yielded predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art as of and before the effective filing date.
As to claim 3, Fukuhara and Kobayashi teach the BS control system in parent claim 2.
Fukuhara further discloses wherein the circuitry is configured to change the at least one of the power to be received from the terminal or the maximum number of terminals, based on a change in the number of terminals or a change in a state in which one or more terminals are connected to the first base station in accordance with movement of the terminals. (paragraphs 57-64 and Fig. 5, disclosing a process wherein the “RSSI threshold” and “terminal connection count” “target value” are used to limit the number of terminals allowed to connect to the access point, by adjusting the “RSSI threshold”, e.g., by increasing the RSSI threshold, the “terminal connection count” will be reduced, if the number of terminals becomes excessively large, teaching “based on a change in the number of terminals”)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHI TANG P CHENG whose telephone number is (571)272-9021. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 9:30AM - 6PM.
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/CHI TANG P CHENG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2463