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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 18-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
With respect to independent claim 18, the limitation “performing, by the first STA, at least one sounding phase after a polling phase including an exchange of the polling frame and the response frame” is ambiguous, because it is unclear what “including an exchange of the polling frame and the response frame” modifies. For example, it can mean the exchange of the polling frame and the response frame as part of performing the sounding phase, it can mean the exchange of the polling frame and the response frame as part of the polling phase, or it can mean the exchange of the polling frame and the response frame as part of the sounding phase and the polling phase.
Independent claims 23 and 24 include similar language; thus, claims 23 and 24 are rejected for the same reason discussed above.
Dependent claims 19-22 are also rejected for the same reason because they depend from claim 18.
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.
Claims 18-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ghosh (US 2018/0331749 A1, “Ghosh”).
Regarding claim 18:
Ghosh discloses a method comprising:
receiving, by a first station (STA) (e.g., Fig. 1, 104) from an access point (AP) (e.g., Fig. 1, 102), a polling frame including information related to at least one STA including the first STA (e.g., Fig. 7, 700, [0044], a NDP-A announces both UL sounding and DL sounding, [0067]-[0068], STAs indicated are scheduled for either DL sounding or UL sounding, Fig. 7, 700 is a format of NDP-A);
transmitting, by the first STA to the AP, a response frame, based on the information related to the first STA in the polling frame and a role of the first STA (e.g., [0068], Fig. 2, 236 or 238); and
performing, by the first STA, at least one sounding phase after a polling phase
including an exchange of the polling frame and the response frame (e.g., [0067]-[0068], UL/DL sounding announcement and scheduling STAs for UL/DL sounding corresponds to a polling phase, STAs transmitting UL NDP/UL feedback corresponds to a sounding phase), wherein, based on the at least one STA transmitting the response frame to participate as a sensing receiver, the at least one sounding phase includes a first type sounding phase only (e.g., [0067]-[0068], the STAs scheduled for only DL sounding).
Regarding claim 19:
Ghosh further discloses wherein, based on the at least one STA transmitting the response frame to participate as a sensing transmitter, the at least one sounding phase includes a second type sounding
phase only (e.g., [0067]-[0068], the STAs scheduled for only UL sounding).
Regarding claim 20:
Ghosh further discloses based on the first STA of the at least one STA transmitting the response frame to participate as a sensing receiver and a second STA of the at least one STA transmitting the
response frame to participate as a sensing transmitter, the at least one sounding phase includes the first type sounding phase and the second type sounding phase, the first type sounding phase starts after the polling phase, and the second type sounding phase starts after the first type sounding phase (e.g., [0044], NDP-A announcement for UL/DL sounding, [0045], DL sounding followed by UL sounding (e.g., Fig. 2, 232 and 238)).
Regarding claim 21:
Ghosh further discloses the first type sounding phase is a null data packet announcement (NDPA) sounding phase or a downlink (DL) sounding phase (e.g., Fig. 2, 230), the second type sounding phase is a trigger frame-based sounding phase or an uplink (UL) sounding phase (e.g., Fig. 2, 234.2).
Regarding claim 22:
Ghosh further discloses the role of the first STA includes: the sensing receiver; or a sensing transmitter; or the sensing receiver and the sensing transmitter (e.g., [0027]-[0030], [0067]-[0068], Fig. 2).
Regarding independent claim 23:
Ghosh discloses a first station (STA) (e.g., Fig. 1, 104) comprising: at least one transceiver (Fig.10, 1060); and at least one processor (Fig. 10, 1002) coupled with the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive, through the at least one transceiver, from an access point (AP), a polling frame including information related to at least one STA including the first STA; transmit, through the at least one transceiver, to the AP, a response frame, based on the information related to the first STA in the polling frame and a role of the first STA; and perform, through the at least one transceiver, at least one sounding phase after a polling phase including an exchange of the polling frame and the response frame, wherein, based on the at least one STA transmitting the response frame to participate as a sensing receiver, the at least one sounding phase includes a first type sounding phase only. (See rejection for similar features with respect to claim 1.)
Regarding independent claim 24:
Ghosh discloses an access point (AP) (e.g., Fig. 1, 102) comprising: at least one transceiver (Fig. 10, 1060); and at least one processor (Fig. 10, 1002) coupled with the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: transmit, through the at least one transceiver, to at least one STA, a polling frame including information related to the at least one STA; receive, through the at least one transceiver, from the at least one STA, at least one response frame, based on the information related to the at least one STA in the polling frame and at least one role of the at least one STA; perform, through the at least one transceiver, at least one sounding phase after a polling phase including an exchange of the polling frame and the at least one response frame, wherein, based on receiving the response frame from the at least one STA which participates as a sensing receiver, the at least one sounding phase includes a first type sounding phase only. (See rejection for similar features with respect to claim 1.)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Alvin ZHU whose telephone number is (571)270-1086. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 6am-9am and 2pm-7pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gary Mui can be reached at 571-270-1420. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BO HUI A ZHU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465
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