Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/729,476

BLUETOOTH LOW ENERGY COEXISTENCE LINK CONFIGURATION

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Jul 16, 2024
Priority
Mar 28, 2022 — IN 202241017763 +1 more
Examiner
MILLS, DONALD L
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Qualcomm Incorporated
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
85%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
10m
Est. Remaining
95%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 85% — above average
85%
Career Allowance Rate
803 granted / 949 resolved
+24.6% vs TC avg
Moderate +11% lift
Without
With
+10.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 10m
Avg Prosecution
30 currently pending
Career history
972
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.1%
-36.9% vs TC avg
§103
55.0%
+15.0% vs TC avg
§102
28.6%
-11.4% vs TC avg
§112
4.0%
-36.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 949 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
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 Interpretation The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f): (f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof. The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph: An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof. The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked. As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph: (A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function; (B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and (C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function. Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function. Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function. Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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, 24, and 28-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Badic et al. (US 2021/0120555 A1), hereinafter referred to as D1. Regarding claims 1, 24, 28, and 30, D1 discloses a method and device configured to perform wireless communication for one or more RATs, which comprises: a memory; and one or more processors, coupled to the memory, configured to: configure a short-range wireless communication link for use by a first communication technology, wherein a configuration of the short-range wireless communication link includes a number of configured retransmission opportunities to support multiple coexistence transmission patterns associated with the first communication technology and a second communication technology (Referring to Figures 1-3 and 28-31, coexistence between the A2DP and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) profiles and D2D technology on a shared frequency spectrum. Coexistence between Bluetooth and 6 ms multi-tone mini slots is shown according to some aspects. In case no Bluetooth coexistence is required, 5 mini slots a 6 ms could be placed inside a 30 ms normal slot as shown in 3102. If the Bluetooth coexistence is known to at both the Tx and Rx, the number of mini slots can be reduced to 4 while placing a Bluetooth Tx and Rx pair, as well as some guard times, in between each of the mini-slots as shown in 3104. Since Tx and Rx know about the interruptions, the coded bits for transmission can be rate-matched around the Bluetooth gaps so that a higher code rate can be used because no coded bits get lost due to the Bluetooth transmission. Also shown in 3104 is an optional, additional Bluetooth retransmission slot 3105, i.e. the last BT transmission slot shown in 3104. See paragraphs 0206-0214.); and transmit, to another wireless communication device, a communication using at least one of the first communication technology and the second communication technology based at least in part on a selected coexistence transmission pattern, of the multiple coexistence transmission patterns (Referring to Figures 1-3 and 28-32, scheduling communications (transmission) for the first RAT using the plurality of slots or the plurality of minislots, wherein communications for the first RAT are prevented during slots or minislots associated with communications for the second RAT based on the at least one second RAT communication profile. The prevention of the first RAT communications may for example, include muting the first RAT during slots and/or minislots which are allocated to the second RAT based on the second RAT communication profile. In the case where the second RAT is Bluetooth, for example, the second RAT communication profile may be at least one of Hands-Free Profile (HFP), Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) for streaming stereo music, Basic Printing Profile (BPP), Dial-Up Networking (DUN), or Object Push Profile (OPP). See paragraphs 0214-0217.) Regarding claim 2, and 29, D1 discloses wherein one of the first communication technology and the second communication technology is associated with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) (Referring to Figures 1-3 and 28-31, coexistence between the A2DP and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) profiles and D2D technology on a shared frequency spectrum. See paragraphs 0206-0214.) Regarding claim 3, and further regarding claim 29, D1 discloses wherein one of the first communication technology and the second communication technology is associated with a wireless local area network (WLAN) (Referring Figures 1 and 2, radio access network context (e.g., LTE, UMTS, GSM, other 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) networks, WLAN/WiFi, Bluetooth, 5G NR, mmWave, etc.). See paragraphs 0069-0070.) Regarding claim 4, D1 discloses wherein the one or more processors are further configured to select the selected coexistence transmission pattern, of the multiple coexistence transmission patterns (Referring to Figures 1-3 and 28-31, coexistence between the A2DP and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) profiles and D2D technology on a shared frequency spectrum. Coexistence (coexistence transmission patterns as described below) between Bluetooth and 6 ms multi-tone mini slots is shown according to some aspects. In case no Bluetooth coexistence is required, 5 mini slots a 6 ms could be placed inside a 30 ms normal slot as shown in 3102. If the Bluetooth coexistence is known to at both the Tx and Rx, the number of mini slots can be reduced to 4 while placing a Bluetooth Tx and Rx pair, as well as some guard times, in between each of the minislots as shown in 3104. Since Tx and Rx know about the interruptions, the coded bits for transmission can be rate-matched around the Bluetooth gaps so that a higher code rate can be used because no coded bits get lost due to the Bluetooth transmission. Also shown in 3104 is an optional, additional Bluetooth retransmission slot 3105, i.e. the last BT transmission slot shown in 3104. See paragraphs 0206-0214.) 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) 5-20, 22-23, and 25-27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 in view of Kondareddy (US 2022/0078623 A1), hereinafter referred to as D2. Regarding claims 5 and 25, D1 does not disclose wherein the short-range wireless communication link is associated with an isochronous (ISO) interval comprising multiple subevents. D2 teaches coexistence of isochronous communication device with co-located asynchronous communication device, which comprises system 100 for managing the coexistence of co-located isochronous and asynchronous communication devices sharing a common radio frequency spectrum. System 100 includes a multi-radio communication device 101 with an isochronous communication device, Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) communication device 102. BLE communication device 102 may be compliant with Bluetooth® Core Specification version 5.2, for example, which supports isochronous audio data transmission in the 2.4 GHz ISM (industrial, scientific and medical) Band. BLE communication device 102 may operate as the master device in a Bluetooth® network, controlling one or more BLE slave devices 105. BLE communication device 102 may transmit connected isochronous streams (CIS) to one or more BLE devices 105 comprising a connected isochronous group (CIG). BLE communication device 102 may also transmit a broadcast isochronous stream (BIS) to a group of BLE devices 105 comprising a broadcast isochronous group (BIG). See paragraphs 0017-0020. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to implement the isochronous communication device of D2 in the system of D1. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have been motivated to do so to comply with well-known standards and improve system operability. Regarding claims 6 and 26, the primary reference further teaches wherein the selected coexistence transmission pattern includes multiple groups of one or more subevents dedicated for use by the first communication technology and multiple groups of one or more subevents dedicated for use by the second communication technology (Referring to Figures 1-3 and 28-32, scheduling communications (transmission) for the first RAT using the plurality of slots or the plurality of minislots (multiple groups of one or more subevents), wherein communications for the first RAT are prevented during slots or minislots associated with communications for the second RAT based on the at least one second RAT communication profile. The prevention of the first RAT communications may for example, include muting the first RAT during slots and/or minislots which are allocated to the second RAT based on the second RAT communication profile (multiple groups of one or more subevents dedicated for use by the second communication technology). In the case where the second RAT is Bluetooth, for example, the second RAT communication profile may be at least one of Hands-Free Profile (HFP), Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) for streaming stereo music, Basic Printing Profile (BPP), Dial-Up Networking (DUN), or Object Push Profile (OPP). See paragraphs 0214-0217.) Regarding claims 7 and 27, the primary reference further teaches wherein the multiple groups of one or more subevents dedicated for use by the first communication technology are distributed across the interval such that a group of one or more subevents dedicated for use by the second communication technology is interspersed between each group of the multiple groups of one or more subevents dedicated for use by the first communication technology (Referring to Figures 1-3 and 28-32, scheduling communications (transmission) for the first RAT using the plurality of slots or the plurality of minislots (multiple groups of one or more subevents), wherein communications for the first RAT are prevented during slots or minislots associated with communications for the second RAT based on the at least one second RAT communication profile. The prevention of the first RAT communications may for example, include muting the first RAT during slots and/or minislots which are allocated to the second RAT based on the second RAT communication profile (multiple groups of one or more subevents dedicated for use by the second communication technology). In the case where the second RAT is Bluetooth, for example, the second RAT communication profile may be at least one of Hands-Free Profile (HFP), Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) for streaming stereo music, Basic Printing Profile (BPP), Dial-Up Networking (DUN), or Object Push Profile (OPP). See paragraphs 0214-0217. As shown in Figure 30, mini-slots for BT and D2D activity interspersed between each grouping of the multiple groups of mini-slots.) D1 does not disclose an ISO interval. D2 teaches coexistence of isochronous communication device with co-located asynchronous communication device, which comprises system 100 for managing the coexistence of co-located isochronous and asynchronous communication devices sharing a common radio frequency spectrum. System 100 includes a multi-radio communication device 101 with an isochronous communication device, Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) communication device 102. BLE communication device 102 may be compliant with Bluetooth® Core Specification version 5.2, for example, which supports isochronous audio data transmission in the 2.4 GHz ISM (industrial, scientific and medical) Band. BLE communication device 102 may operate as the master device in a Bluetooth® network, controlling one or more BLE slave devices 105. BLE communication device 102 may transmit connected isochronous streams (CIS) to one or more BLE devices 105 comprising a connected isochronous group (CIG). BLE communication device 102 may also transmit a broadcast isochronous stream (BIS) to a group of BLE devices 105 comprising a broadcast isochronous group (BIG). See paragraphs 0017-0020. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to implement the isochronous communication device of D2 in the system of D1. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have been motivated to do so to comply with well-known standards and improve system operability. Regarding claim 8, the primary reference further teaches wherein the one or more processors, to transmit the communication using at least one of the first communication technology and the second communication technology based at least in part on the selected coexistence transmission pattern, are configured to transmit a set of data packets (Referring to Figures 1-3 and 28-32, scheduling communications (transmission) for the first RAT using the plurality of slots or the plurality of minislots (multiple groups of one or more subevents), wherein communications for the first RAT are prevented during slots or minislots associated with communications for the second RAT based on the at least one second RAT communication profile. The prevention of the first RAT communications may for example, include muting the first RAT during slots and/or minislots which are allocated to the second RAT based on the second RAT communication profile (multiple groups of one or more subevents dedicated for use by the second communication technology). In the case where the second RAT is Bluetooth, for example, the second RAT communication profile may be at least one of Hands-Free Profile (HFP), Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) for streaming stereo music, Basic Printing Profile (BPP), Dial-Up Networking (DUN), or Object Push Profile (OPP). See paragraphs 0214-0217. As shown in Figure 30, mini-slots for BT and D2D activity interspersed between each grouping of the multiple groups of mini-slots.) Regarding claim 9, the primary reference further teaches wherein the one or more processors, to transmit the communication using at least one of the first communication technology and the second communication technology based at least in part on the selected coexistence transmission pattern, are configured to: transmit a first data packet, of the set of data packets, using a first group of the multiple groups of one or more subevents dedicated for use by the first communication technology; and transmit a second data packet, of the set of data packets, using a second group of the multiple groups of one or more subevents dedicated for use by the first communication technology (Referring to Figures 1-3 and 28-32, scheduling communications (transmission) for the first RAT using the plurality of slots or the plurality of minislots (multiple groups of one or more subevents), wherein communications for the first RAT are prevented during slots or minislots associated with communications for the second RAT based on the at least one second RAT communication profile. The prevention of the first RAT communications may for example, include muting the first RAT during slots and/or minislots which are allocated to the second RAT based on the second RAT communication profile (multiple groups of one or more subevents dedicated for use by the second communication technology). In the case where the second RAT is Bluetooth, for example, the second RAT communication profile may be at least one of Hands-Free Profile (HFP), Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) for streaming stereo music, Basic Printing Profile (BPP), Dial-Up Networking (DUN), or Object Push Profile (OPP). See paragraphs 0214-0217. As shown in Figure 30, mini-slots for BT and D2D activity interspersed between each grouping of the multiple groups of mini-slots, coexistence transmission pattern, to transmit a first packet in a first group of mini slots dedicated for the first communication technology and to transmit a second packet in a second group of mini slots dedicated for the second communication technology.) Regarding claim 10, the primary reference further teaches wherein a duration of each group of the multiple groups of one or more subevents dedicated for use by the first communication technology is less than a duration threshold (Referring to Figures 1-3 and 28-32, scheduling communications (transmission) for the first RAT using the plurality of slots or the plurality of minislots (multiple groups of one or more subevents), wherein communications for the first RAT are prevented during slots or minislots associated with communications for the second RAT based on the at least one second RAT communication profile. The prevention of the first RAT communications may for example, include muting the first RAT during slots and/or minislots which are allocated to the second RAT based on the second RAT communication profile (multiple groups of one or more subevents dedicated for use by the second communication technology). In the case where the second RAT is Bluetooth, for example, the second RAT communication profile may be at least one of Hands-Free Profile (HFP), Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) for streaming stereo music, Basic Printing Profile (BPP), Dial-Up Networking (DUN), or Object Push Profile (OPP). See paragraphs 0214-0217. As shown in Figure 30, mini-slots for BT and D2D activity interspersed between each grouping of the multiple groups of mini-slots, coexistence transmission pattern, to transmit a first packet in a first group of mini slots dedicated for the first communication technology and to transmit a second packet in a second group of mini slots dedicated for the second communication technology according to a first and second slot (the mini slot duration less than the time slot duration).) Regarding claim 11, the primary reference further teaches wherein the selected coexistence transmission pattern includes a first group of one or more subevents dedicated for use by the first communication technology and a second group of one or more subevents dedicated for use by the second communication technology (Referring to Figures 1-3 and 28-32, scheduling communications (transmission) for the first RAT using the plurality of slots or the plurality of minislots (multiple groups of one or more subevents), wherein communications for the first RAT are prevented during slots or minislots associated with communications for the second RAT based on the at least one second RAT communication profile. The prevention of the first RAT communications may for example, include muting the first RAT during slots and/or minislots which are allocated to the second RAT based on the second RAT communication profile (multiple groups of one or more subevents dedicated for use by the second communication technology). In the case where the second RAT is Bluetooth, for example, the second RAT communication profile may be at least one of Hands-Free Profile (HFP), Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) for streaming stereo music, Basic Printing Profile (BPP), Dial-Up Networking (DUN), or Object Push Profile (OPP). See paragraphs 0214-0217. As shown in Figure 30, mini-slots for BT and D2D activity interspersed between each grouping of the multiple groups of mini-slots, coexistence transmission pattern, to transmit a first packet in a first group of mini slots dedicated for the first communication technology and to transmit a second packet in a second group of mini slots dedicated for the second communication technology according to a first and second slot.) Regarding claim 12, the primary reference further teaches wherein a duration of the second group of one or more subevents dedicated for use by the second communication technology is greater than a duration threshold (Referring to Figures 1-3 and 28-32, scheduling communications (transmission) for the first RAT using the plurality of slots or the plurality of minislots (multiple groups of one or more subevents), wherein communications for the first RAT are prevented during slots or minislots associated with communications for the second RAT based on the at least one second RAT communication profile. The prevention of the first RAT communications may for example, include muting the first RAT during slots and/or minislots which are allocated to the second RAT based on the second RAT communication profile (multiple groups of one or more subevents dedicated for use by the second communication technology). In the case where the second RAT is Bluetooth, for example, the second RAT communication profile may be at least one of Hands-Free Profile (HFP), Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) for streaming stereo music, Basic Printing Profile (BPP), Dial-Up Networking (DUN), or Object Push Profile (OPP). See paragraphs 0214-0217. As shown in Figure 30, mini-slots for BT and D2D activity interspersed between each grouping of the multiple groups of mini-slots, coexistence transmission pattern, to transmit a first packet in a first group of mini slots dedicated for the first communication technology and to transmit a second packet in a second group of mini slots dedicated for the second communication technology according to a first and second slot (D2D activity greater than BT activity).) Regarding claim 13, D1 does not disclose wherein the first group of one or more subevents occurs at a beginning portion of the ISO interval and the second group of one or more subevents occurs at an ending portion of the ISO interval. D2 teaches where isochronous data information is transmitted over a coexistence bus (e.g., bus 104) from an isochronous communication device (e.g., BLE communication device 102) to an asynchronous communication device (e.g., Wi-Fi communication device 103) sharing a common wireless spectrum (e.g., 2.4 GHz ISM band), where the isochronous data information comprises an isochronous interval (e.g., 201-1, 201-2, etc.) and a duration of isochronous data (202-1, 202-2, etc.) for transmission within the isochronous interval. Method 300 continues at operation 304, where the asynchronous communication device reserves the common wireless spectrum for the duration of the isochronous data transmission. Next, method 300 continues at operation 306, where the asynchronous communication device aggregates asynchronous data for transmission by the asynchronous communication device within the isochronous interval, after the duration of the isochronous data transmission. Method 300 concludes at operation 308, where the asynchronous communication device transmits the aggregated data within the isochronous interval. See paragraphs 0030-0032. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to implement the isochronous communication device of D2 in the system of D1. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have been motivated to do so to comply with well-known standards and improve system operability. Regarding claim 14, the primary reference further teaches wherein each subevent of the second group of one or more subevents occurs during a configured retransmission opportunity (Referring to Figures 1-3 and 28-31, coexistence between the A2DP and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) profiles and D2D technology on a shared frequency spectrum. Coexistence between Bluetooth and 6 ms multi-tone mini slots is shown according to some aspects. In case no Bluetooth coexistence is required, 5 mini slots a 6 ms could be placed inside a 30 ms normal slot as shown in 3102. If the Bluetooth coexistence is known to at both the Tx and Rx, the number of mini slots can be reduced to 4 while placing a Bluetooth Tx and Rx pair, as well as some guard times, in between each of the minislots as shown in 3104. Since Tx and Rx know about the interruptions, the coded bits for transmission can be rate-matched around the Bluetooth gaps so that a higher code rate can be used because no coded bits get lost due to the Bluetooth transmission. Also shown in 3104 is an optional, additional Bluetooth retransmission slot 3105, i.e. the last BT transmission slot shown in 3104 (subevent of the second group occurs during a configured retransmission opportunity). See paragraphs 0206-0214.) Regarding claim 15, D1 does not disclose wherein the second group of one or more subevents is associated with a first number of subevents in a first ISO interval, and wherein the second group of one or more subevents is associated with a second number of subevents, different than the first number of subevents, in a second ISO interval. D2 teaches where isochronous data information is transmitted over a coexistence bus (e.g., bus 104) from an isochronous communication device (e.g., BLE communication device 102) to an asynchronous communication device (e.g., Wi-Fi communication device 103) sharing a common wireless spectrum (e.g., 2.4 GHz ISM band), where the isochronous data information comprises an isochronous interval (e.g., 201-1, 201-2, etc.) and a duration of isochronous data (202-1, 202-2, etc.) for transmission within the isochronous interval (first ISO interval associated with a first number of subevents). Method 300 continues at operation 304, where the asynchronous communication device reserves the common wireless spectrum for the duration of the isochronous data transmission. Next, method 300 continues at operation 306, where the asynchronous communication device aggregates asynchronous data for transmission by the asynchronous communication device within the isochronous interval, after the duration of the isochronous data transmission. Method 300 concludes at operation 308, where the asynchronous communication device transmits the aggregated data within the isochronous interval (second ISO interval associated with a second number of subevents different than the first number of subevents). See paragraphs 0030-0032. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to implement the isochronous communication device of D2 in the system of D1. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have been motivated to do so to comply with well-known standards and improve system operability. Regarding claim 16, D1 does not disclose wherein the second number of subevents is less than the first number of subevents. D2 teaches where isochronous data information is transmitted over a coexistence bus (e.g., bus 104) from an isochronous communication device (e.g., BLE communication device 102) to an asynchronous communication device (e.g., Wi-Fi communication device 103) sharing a common wireless spectrum (e.g., 2.4 GHz ISM band), where the isochronous data information comprises an isochronous interval (e.g., 201-1, 201-2, etc.) and a duration of isochronous data (202-1, 202-2, etc.) for transmission within the isochronous interval (first ISO interval associated with a first number of subevents). Method 300 continues at operation 304, where the asynchronous communication device reserves the common wireless spectrum for the duration of the isochronous data transmission. Next, method 300 continues at operation 306, where the asynchronous communication device aggregates asynchronous data for transmission by the asynchronous communication device within the isochronous interval, after the duration of the isochronous data transmission. Method 300 concludes at operation 308, where the asynchronous communication device transmits the aggregated data within the isochronous interval (second ISO interval associated with a second number of subevents different than the first number of subevents, configurable such that it may either be more, the same, or less than the first ISO interval). See paragraphs 0030-0032. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to implement the isochronous communication device of D2 in the system of D1. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have been motivated to do so to comply with well-known standards and improve system operability. Regarding claim 17, the primary reference further teaches wherein the one or more processors are further configured to reduce the first number of subevents to the second number of subevents based at least in part on detecting a link quality associated with the first communication technology (Referring to Figures 16-20, number and duration of the coexistence resource(s) can be adjusted (increased or decreasing the number of mini-slots according to link quality) based on the technology profile that conflicts with the technology of low priority, scenario, channel quality, or based on applications. When a device needs to communicate with a peer device, it has to ensure that the local resources reserved for in-device coexistence are time and frequency aligned with its peers. This time alignment can be made implicitly or explicitly. See paragraphs 0161-0163.) Regarding claim 18, the primary reference further teaches wherein the one or more processors are further configured to change the first number of subevents to the second number of subevents based at least in part on a demand for at least one of the first communication technology or the second communication technology (Referring to Figures 16-20, number and duration of the coexistence resource(s) can be adjusted (increased or decreasing the number of mini-slots according to demand for the first and second communication technology) based on the technology profile that conflicts with the technology of low priority, scenario, channel quality, or based on applications. When a device needs to communicate with a peer device, it has to ensure that the local resources reserved for in-device coexistence are time and frequency aligned with its peers. This time alignment can be made implicitly or explicitly. See paragraphs 0161-0163.) Regarding claim 19, the primary reference further teaches wherein at least one of the first communication technology is associated with a power-saving mode during the second group of one or more subevents, or the second communication technology is associated with a power- saving mode during the first group of one or more subevent (Referring to Figures 16-20 and 28-30, allow the coexistence between the A2DP and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) profiles (power saving mode) and D2D technology on a shared frequency spectrum. See paragraph 0206-0208. See Figure 30 regarding mini-slot usage for BT and D2D activity associated with each grouping of mini-slots.) Regarding claim 20, D1 does not disclose wherein the selected coexistence transmission pattern is associated with a maximum number of subevents, and wherein a number of subevents of the ISO interval is smaller than the maximum number of subevents associated with the coexistence transmission pattern. D2 teaches where isochronous data information is transmitted over a coexistence bus (e.g., bus 104) from an isochronous communication device (e.g., BLE communication device 102) to an asynchronous communication device (e.g., Wi-Fi communication device 103) sharing a common wireless spectrum (e.g., 2.4 GHz ISM band), where the isochronous data information comprises an isochronous interval (e.g., 201-1, 201-2, etc.) and a duration of isochronous data (202-1, 202-2, etc.) for transmission within the isochronous interval (first ISO interval associated with a first number of subevents, less than the maximum number of subevents/period of transmission for ISO data and asynchronous data). Method 300 continues at operation 304, where the asynchronous communication device reserves the common wireless spectrum for the duration of the isochronous data transmission. Next, method 300 continues at operation 306, where the asynchronous communication device aggregates asynchronous data for transmission by the asynchronous communication device within the isochronous interval, after the duration of the isochronous data transmission. Method 300 concludes at operation 308, where the asynchronous communication device transmits the aggregated data within the isochronous interval (second ISO interval associated with a second number of subevents different than the first number of subevents, configurable such that it may either be more, the same, or less than the first ISO interval). See paragraphs 0030-0032. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to implement the isochronous communication device of D2 in the system of D1. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have been motivated to do so to comply with well-known standards and improve system operability. Regarding claim 22, D1 does not disclose wherein the selected coexistence transmission pattern includes at least a portion of a first isochronous (ISO) interval dedicated for use by the first communication technology and at least a portion of a second ISO interval dedicated for use by the second communication technology. D2 teaches where isochronous data information is transmitted over a coexistence bus (e.g., bus 104) from an isochronous communication device (e.g., BLE communication device 102) to an asynchronous communication device (e.g., Wi-Fi communication device 103) sharing a common wireless spectrum (e.g., 2.4 GHz ISM band), where the isochronous data information comprises an isochronous interval (e.g., 201-1, 201-2, etc.) and a duration of isochronous data (202-1, 202-2, etc.) for transmission within the isochronous interval (first ISO interval dedicated for use by first communication technology). Method 300 continues at operation 304, where the asynchronous communication device reserves the common wireless spectrum for the duration of the isochronous data transmission. Next, method 300 continues at operation 306, where the asynchronous communication device aggregates asynchronous data for transmission by the asynchronous communication device within the isochronous interval, after the duration of the isochronous data transmission. Method 300 concludes at operation 308, where the asynchronous communication device transmits the aggregated data within the isochronous interval (second ISO interval dedicated for use by second communication technology). See paragraphs 0030-0032. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to implement the isochronous communication device of D2 in the system of D1. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have been motivated to do so to comply with well-known standards and improve system operability. Regarding claim 23, D1 does not disclose wherein the selected coexistence transmission pattern includes multiple isochronous intervals dedicated for use by one of the first communication technology or the second communication technology. D2 teaches where isochronous data information is transmitted over a coexistence bus (e.g., bus 104) from an isochronous communication device (e.g., BLE communication device 102) to an asynchronous communication device (e.g., Wi-Fi communication device 103) sharing a common wireless spectrum (e.g., 2.4 GHz ISM band), where the isochronous data information comprises an isochronous interval (e.g., 201-1, 201-2, etc.) and a duration of isochronous data (202-1, 202-2, etc.) for transmission within the isochronous interval (first ISO interval comprising multiple isochronous intervals dedicated for the first communication technology). Method 300 continues at operation 304, where the asynchronous communication device reserves the common wireless spectrum for the duration of the isochronous data transmission. Next, method 300 continues at operation 306, where the asynchronous communication device aggregates asynchronous data for transmission by the asynchronous communication device within the isochronous interval, after the duration of the isochronous data transmission. Method 300 concludes at operation 308, where the asynchronous communication device transmits the aggregated data within the isochronous interval (second ISO interval dedicated for use by second communication technology). See paragraphs 0030-0032. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to implement the isochronous communication device of D2 in the system of D1. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have been motivated to do so to comply with well-known standards and improve system operability. Claim(s) 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 in view of D2 in further view of Lee et al. (US 2024/0396849 A1), hereinafter referred to as D3. Regarding claim 21, D1 does not disclose wherein the one or more processors are further configured to select a flush timeout associated with the ISO interval based at least in part on the number of subevents associated with one of the ISO interval or the coexistence transmission pattern. D3 teaches a method and system for transmitting and receiving data in short-range wireless communication systems, which comprises a buffer management between the master device and the slave device performed in units of the ISO interval 2510, and the master device may store data for error recovery for n times the time of the ISO interval 2510 based on a flush timeout (FT) parameter. See paragraphs 0331-0333. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to implement the flush timeout of D3 in the system of D1 and D2. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have been motivated to do so to flushes a transmission buffer regardless of whether data transmission is successful or not in one ISO interval to prevent system congestion. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Persson et al. (US 2014/0269534 A1) - a second determiner configured to determine an effect of pausing the communication by the second transceiver during the communication by the first transceiver on the throughput of the communication by the second transceiver and a controller configured to control the second transceiver to pause communication during the communication by the first transceiver if the effect of the communication by the first transceiver on the throughput of the communication by the second transceiver is higher than the effect of pausing the communication by the second transceiver during the communication by the first transceiver on the throughput of the communication by the second transceiver. Ferrari et al. (US 2021/0400688 A1) - aligning a timing of audio frames of a first wireless communication protocol with a timing of slots of a second wireless communication protocol to reduce overlapping requests to access a shared transceiver from the first wireless communication protocol and the second wireless communication protocol; receiving a first request to access the shared transceiver of the wireless communication device from the first wireless communication protocol and receiving a second request to access the shared transceiver of the wireless communication device from the second wireless communication protocol during a coexistence window; and granting the second request from the second wireless communication protocol Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DONALD L MILLS whose telephone number is (571)272-3094. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday from 9-5 PM EST. 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, Yemane Mesfin can be reached at 571-272-3927. 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. DONALD L. MILLS Primary Examiner Art Unit 2462 /Donald L Mills/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2462
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Prosecution Timeline

Jul 16, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 01, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §103 (current)

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1-2
Expected OA Rounds
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2y 10m (~10m remaining)
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