DETAILED ACTION
Claim 1 is presented for examination.
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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/20/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 02/19/2024. These drawings are acceptable.
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mutlu et al., (hereinafter Mutlu), NPL “MiSTA: Threshold-ALOHA with Mini Slots”, in view of Yang et al., (hereinafter Yang), NPL “Understanding Age of Information in Large-Scale Wireless Networks”.
As per claim 1, Mutlu discloses an operation method of the mini slotted random access protocol with an age threshold [page 1, col. 1, Abstract, Introduction, page 6, col. 2, lines 14-19, an operation method of the mini slotted random access protocol with an age threshold (methodology defined; the Age of Information (AoI) metric has been studied under many network and service models, including random access channels; study a modification of the Threshold ALOHA policy that we refer to as Mini Slotted Threshold ALOHA (MiSTA))], comprising:
i. updating, by the users, their age of information, and controlling whether their age exceeds the age threshold or not [page 1, col. 1, Abstract, col. 2, Introduction, page 2, col. 1, System Model, updating, by the users, their age of information, and controlling whether their age exceeds the age threshold or not (mechanism the sources are able to keep track of their ages; Age of Information (AoI) of source; Sources with an age equal to or greater than Γ are said to be active)],
ii. if the age of the users is smaller than the age threshold, being inactive during the rest of slots [page 1, col. 1, Abstract, col. 2, Introduction, if the age of the users is smaller than the age threshold, being inactive during the rest of slots (sources with age below a predetermined threshold Γ abstain from data transmission; sources with age of information (AoI) below a certain threshold Γ are inactive)],
iii. If the age of the users reaches the age threshold, creating a new packet [page 1, col. 1, Abstract, col. 2, Introduction, page 2, col. 1, System Model, page 6, col. 2, Conclusion, If the age of the users reaches the age threshold, creating a new packet (sources with an age equal to or greater than Γ are said to be active, and attempt transmission with probability τ in each slot; sources generate a new packet)],
iv. probability TO for users who are active in the first mini slot, and sending a packet in a link layer indicating that they want to use the slot by the users is successful with probability TO [page 1, col. 1, Abstract, page 2, col. 2, Mini Slotted Threshold ALOHA, probability TO for users who are active in the first mini slot, and sending a packet in a link layer indicating that they want to use the slot by the users is successful with probability TO (a mini slot during which active sources test the channel with a certain probability, τ1)],
v. abandoning usage of this slot and data slot in it, and waiting as inactive until the next slot by the users fails with probability 1- T0 [page 1, col. 1, Abstract, col. 2, Introduction, page 5, col. 1, abandoning usage of this slot and data slot in it, and waiting as inactive until the next slot by the users fails with probability 1- T0 (Threshold ALOHA (TA), sources with age below a predetermined threshold Γ abstain from data transmission; sources with age of information (AoI) below a certain threshold Γ are inactive)],
vi. sending, by the access point, to that user feedback indicating that it can use the slot if a packet at the link layer is sent from a single user [page 2, col. 1, col. 2, System Model, sending, by the access point, to that user feedback indicating that it can use the slot if a packet at the link layer is sent from a single user (a success feedback mechanism in the system such that the AP sends an acknowledgement to a source that successfully made a transmission in that slot)],
vii. providing, by the access point, feedback to the users in the channel indicating whether multiple packets are sent from more than one user in this way [page 1, col. 1, Abstract, col. 2, Introduction, page 2, col. 1, System Model, providing, by the access point, feedback to the users in the channel indicating whether multiple packets are sent from more than one user in this way (1-bit feedback per successful transmission, sources can keep track of their ages, and make transmission decisions that are not oblivious of age)],
viii. carrying out trial in the second mini slot for users who have not become inactive [page 1, col. 1, Abstract, page 2, col. 2, Mini Slotted Threshold ALOHA, page 5, carrying out trial in the second mini slot for users who have not become inactive (using Mista, attempt probabilities of the active sources during the mini slot and the data slot, MiSTA can be further advanced by increasing the number of mini slots in a time slot)],
ix. repeating the flow as stated in the iv., and described in the first mini slot until not more than one user remains active in this mini slot and the subsequent mini slots, or until all mini slots have passed [fig. 1, page 1, col. 1, Abstract, col. 2, Introduction, page 2, col. 2, Mini Slotted Threshold ALOHA, page 5, col. 2, Extension: Multiple Mini Slotted Threshold ALOHA, (the active sources during the mini slot)],
x. probability TW by the users if there are users still active in the data slot [page 1, col. 1, Abstract, col. 2, Introduction, page 3, col. 1, page 4, col. 1, page 5, col. 1, probability TW by the users if there are users still active in the data slot (probabilities of the active sources during the mini slot and the data slot)],
xi. at the end of the data slot, broadcasting, by the access point, feedback indicating whether it has been a successful packet transfer or not [page 1, col. 1, Abstract, col. 2, Introduction, page 2, col. 1, System Model, page 2, col. 2, Mini Slotted Threshold ALOHA, at the end of the data slot, broadcasting, by the access point, feedback indicating whether it has been a successful packet transfer or not (feedback per successful transmission, sources can keep track of their ages, and make transmission decisions)], and
xii. updating, by the users, their age of information accordingly, and passing to the next slot [fig. 3, page 1, col. 1, Abstract, col. 2, Introduction, page 2, col. 1, System Model, page 4, col. 2, (the age increases by 1 at the next slot; sources can keep track of their ages, and make transmission decisions)].
Mutlu does not explicitly disclose carrying out a Bernoulli trial.
However, Yang teaches carrying out a Bernoulli trial [table 1, page 1, col. 1, Abstract, page 2, col. 1, page 3, col. 1, page 9, col. 1, Simulation and Numerical Results, carrying out a Bernoulli trial (packets of each node are updated according to independent Bernoulli processes)].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to improve upon the method described in Mutlu by including carrying out a Bernoulli trial as taught by Yang because it would provide the Mutlu's method with the enhanced capability of achieving timely updating by minimizing AoI [Yang, page 1, col. 1, col. 2, Introduction].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Feng et al., U.S. Publication No. 2017/0251382 discloses each node transmits a frame in a slot with probability.
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/JACKIE ZUNIGA ABAD/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2469
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