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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because they fail to show AP0 where the STA roaming to as described in the specification (see step S24 in Figure 9 and “The STA roams to a neighboring AP (here, AP0)” in [0119]). The examiner notes Figure 9 shows two AP1s where the first “AP1,IF0,ch10” should be replaced with “AP0,IF0,ch00”. Any structural detail that is essential for a proper understanding of the disclosed invention should be shown in the drawing. MPEP § 608.02(d). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 1, 4 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Park et al. (US Pub. 2013/0058310).
Regarding claims 1 and 7, Park teaches a wireless node that transmits neighboring connection information to a terminal (see “Beacon (Status Information)” in step 318 in Figure 3A), the neighboring connection information being information for the terminal to be connected to a neighboring wireless node wirelessly (“beacon signals including status information representing their own channel information” in [0047]), the wireless node comprising: a reception unit that receives a signal from the neighboring wireless node (see “Beacon (Status Information)” in step 310, 312 and 314 in Figure 3A exchanged between AP1, AP2 and AP3); and a control unit that generates the neighboring connection information based on the signal (see “Beacon (Status Information)” in step 310, 312 and 314 in Figure 3A exchanged between AP1, AP2 and AP3), wherein: the reception unit receives setting change information relevant to a wireless communication setting change from the neighboring wireless node, made in the neighboring wireless node (see “Beacon (Status Information)” in step 318, 320 and 322 in Figure 3A exchanged between AP1, AP2 and AP3 after channel is decided in step 316 in Figure 3A), and the control unit changes the neighboring connection information based on the setting change information (see “Beacon (Status Information)” in step 318, 320 and 322 in Figure 3A exchanged between AP1, AP2 and AP3 after channel is decided in step 316 in Figure 3A).
Regarding claim 4, Park teaches when a wireless communication setting change has been made in the wireless node, the control unit transmits the setting change information to the neighboring wireless node, the setting change information being information for changing the neighboring connection information relevant to the wireless node (see “Beacon (Status Information)” in step 318, 320 and 322 in Figure 3A exchanged between AP1, AP2 and AP3 after channel is decided in step 316 in Figure 3A).
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.
Claims 5 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. in view of Farid et al. (US Pub. 2016/0007273).
Regarding claim 5, Park teaches the limitations in claim 1 as shown above. Park also teaches the reception unit receives the signal by using a first line (“broadcasts a basic beacon signal … including status information representing their own channel information” in [0047]). Park, however, does not teach the reception unit receives the setting change information by using a second line different from the first line. Farid teaches the reception unit receives the setting change information by using a second line different from the first line (“send the created and updated subset channel list to the MAPs assigned to the group that are connected with the controller through respective RAPs; and wherein each MAP assigned to a given group is configured to: initially connect with the controller through a wireless backhaul channel” in [0082]). It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Park to have the reception unit receives the setting change information by using a second line different from the first line as taught by Farid in order to use connections over wireless backhaul channels [0082].
Regarding claim 6, Park teaches the first line is an access line for communicating with the terminal (“broadcasts a basic beacon signal … including status information representing their own channel information” in [0047]), and Farid teaches the second line is a backhaul line for communicating with the neighboring wireless node (“send the created and updated subset channel list to the MAPs assigned to the group that are connected with the controller through respective RAPs; and wherein each MAP assigned to a given group is configured to: initially connect with the controller through a wireless backhaul channel” in [0082]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 and 3 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CLEMENCE S HAN whose telephone number is (571)272-3158. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Edan Orgad can be reached at (571)272-7884. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CLEMENCE S HAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2414
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