Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/682,327

COMMUNICATION METHOD AND COMMUNICATION APPARATUS

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Feb 08, 2024
Examiner
LY, ANH VU H
Art Unit
2472
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
BEIJING XIAOMI MOBILE SOFTWARE CO., LTD.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
89%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 8m
To Grant
88%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 89% — above average
89%
Career Allow Rate
933 granted / 1047 resolved
+31.1% vs TC avg
Minimal -1% lift
Without
With
+-0.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 8m
Avg Prosecution
29 currently pending
Career history
1076
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
5.2%
-34.8% vs TC avg
§103
35.1%
-4.9% vs TC avg
§102
31.7%
-8.3% vs TC avg
§112
14.4%
-25.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1047 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 § 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claims 1-10, 13, and 15-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Chitrakar, Rojan (WO 2022/124979 A1). Regarding claim 1, Rojan discloses a communication method, performed by an initiator of tunneled direct link setup (TDLS), comprising: determining an access network query protocol (ANQP) request frame (Fig. 30A and 227th paragraph, ANQP request/response frames) in one of multi- links (Fig. 6B), wherein the ANQP request frame comprises: first TDLS capability information of the initiator to implement a TDLS function (Fig. 30C and 227th paragraph, the Query Request field 3006 comprises TDLS Capability ANQP Element) in the multi-links (Fig. 7, non-AP MLD 1 requests setup of TDLS on link 1 and link 2 with non-AP MLD 2); and sending the ANQP request frame (Fig. 2B, ANQP request frame is transmitted to STA2). Regarding claims 2, 7, and 15, Rojan discloses that wherein the first TDLS capability information comprises at least one of: a first information identifier configured to identify a support capability of the initiator for the TDLS function (Fig. 30C and 229th paragraph, the Info ID field is set to correspond to TDLS Capability); a first address identifier configured to identify a media access control (MAC) address of an access point multi-link device (AP MLD) that establishes an associated link with the initiator; a first basic service set identifier configured to identify a basic service set identifier corresponding to an access point multi-link device that establishes an associated link with the initiator with each link; a second address identifier configured to identify the initiator as a station for supporting the multi-links; a first link identifier configured to identify a link for establishing the TDLS; or a first link address identifier configured to identify an MAC address of a link for establishing the TDLS. Regarding claims 3, 8, and 16, Rojan discloses receiving an ANQP response frame (Figs. 2B and 30B), wherein the ANQP response frame comprises: second TDLS capability information configured to indicate a responder in communication with the initiator to implement the TDLS function with the multi-links (229th paragraph, TDLS Capability ANQP Element is carried in Query Response field 3026. The Info ID field is set to correspond to TDLS Capability). Regarding claims 4, 9, and 17, Rojan discloses that wherein the second TDLS capability information comprises at least one of: a second information identifier configured to identify a support capability of the responder for the TDLS function (Fig. 30C, The Info ID field is set to correspond to TDLS Capability). a third address identifier configured to identify an MAC address of an access point multi- link device that establishes an associated link with the responder; a second basic service set identifier configured to identify a basic service set identifier corresponding to an access point multi-link device that establishes an associated link with the responder with each link; a fourth address identifier configured to identify an MAC address of a multi-link device of the responder; a second link identifier configured to identify a link for establishing the TDLS; or a second link address identifier configured to identify an aMAC address of a link for establishing the TDLS. Regarding claims 5, 10, and 18, Rojan discloses that wherein the third address identifier is same as the first address identifier (Fig. 30C, MAC field carries MAC address of the MLD operating on the link in which the ANQP frame is transmitted. Same MAC included in TDLS Capability ANQP Element for Query Request and Query Response). Regarding claim 6, Rojan discloses a communication method, performed by a responder of tunneled direct link setup (TDLS), comprising: receiving an access network query protocol (ANQP) request frame in one of multi-links (Fig. 2B), wherein the ANQP request frame comprises: first TDLS capability information of an initiator in communication with the responder to implement a TDLS function (Fig. 30C and 227th paragraph, the Query Request field 3006 comprises TDLS Capability ANQP Element) in the multi-links (Fig. 7, non-AP MLD 1 requests setup of TDLS on link 1 and link 2 with non-AP MLD 2); and performing a communication operation based on the ANQP request frame (Fig. 24, data 2432 exchanged after non-AP MLD1 and non-AP MLD2 have setup TDLS direct link). Regarding claim 13, Rojan discloses an electronic device (Fig. 9) comprising a memory (Fig. 9, the device must include a memory for storing executable instructions), a processor (Fig. 9, controller 906) and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the computer program that, when executed by the processor, causes the device to: determine an access network query protocol (ANQP) request frame (Fig. 30A and 227th paragraph, ANQP request/response frames) in one of multi-links (Fig. 6B), wherein the ANQP request frame comprises: first TDLS capability information of the electronic device to implement a TDLS function (Fig. 30C and 227th paragraph, the Query Request field 3006 comprises TDLS Capability ANQP Element) in the multi-links (Fig. 7, non-AP MLD 1 requests setup of TDLS on link 1 and link 2 with non-AP MLD 2); and send the ANQP request frame (Fig. 2B, ANQP request frame is transmitted to STA2). Regarding claim 19, Rojan discloses an electronic device (Fig. 9) comprising a memory (Fig. 9, the device must include a memory for storing executable instructions), a processor (Fig. 9, controller 906) and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the computer program that, when executed by the processor, implements the method of claim 6 (see rejections of claim 6 above). Conclusion Soundararajan (US 2018/0035292 A1), generally related, discloses authenticating a client device based on plurality of capabilities (Figs. 4-5). De la Oliva et al (US 2021/0168115 A1), generally related, discloses MAC address distribution (Figs. 11, 13, and 18). Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANH VU H LY whose telephone number is (571)272-3175. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-5pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nick Jensen can be reached at 571-270-5443. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. ANH VU H. LY Primary Examiner Art Unit 2472 /ANH VU H LY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2472
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 08, 2024
Application Filed
Feb 07, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12604292
RELAY COMMUNICATION METHOD AND APPARATUS
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12598032
ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR TRANSMITTING VOICE DATA, AND OPERATION METHOD THEREOF
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12598498
Measuring a Reference Signal with Associated Synchronization Signal
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12588048
COLLISION HANDLING FOR MULTIPLE TRANSMIT RECEIVE POINTS
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12581537
CHANNEL OCCUPANCY TIME DETERMINATION METHOD, FIRST COMMUNICATION NODE AND STORAGE MEDIUM
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 17, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

AI Strategy Recommendation

Get an AI-powered prosecution strategy using examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Powered by AI — typically takes 5-10 seconds

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
89%
Grant Probability
88%
With Interview (-0.8%)
2y 8m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1047 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month