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 Objections
Claim 4 is objected to because claim 4 recites “in response to an update instruction for the wireless signal coverage map” without disclosing a trigger for the update instruction.
Claim 7 and 8 are objected to because claims recite “generating prompt information” without disclosing a mechanism in case of a wireless access point to which the method of the claims applied.
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 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.
(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 12-15 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by IDS Reference Lau; Vincent Kin Nang US 20150312774 A1, hereinafter Lau.
Regarding claim 1, 13 and 16, Lau teaches, a method for wireless access point deployment, the method being applied to a mobile robot, the method comprising:
in a process of the mobile robot traveling along a moving path determined by an environment map, detecting wireless signal coverage information of each moving position in the moving path (Lau: Abstract “A wireless coverage characterization platform uses an autonomous vehicle or robot, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle or other small robot, to autonomously collect key wireless coverage parameters for an indoor environment. One or more vehicles or robots are equipped with integrated simultaneous localization and mapping sensors as well as wireless signal measurement sensors”),
wherein the wireless signal coverage information is used to generate a wireless signal coverage map of an environment where the mobile robot is currently located (Lau: Abstract: " ... The vehicle's navigation system guides the vehicle through the environment based on the sensor measurements and the learned indoor map until a complete map of the wireless signal strength at all locations throughout the environment is obtained ... ''), and
the wireless signal coverage map is used to update a deployment position of the wireless access point in the environment (Lau: Abstract: "… The system can identify areas of weak wireless coverage or interference sources and recommend access point device locations based on results of the survey ... ").
With respect to claim 13, claim recites the identical features of claim 1 for a corresponding electronic device. Therefore, it is subjected to the same rejection.
With respect to claim 16, claim recites the identical features of claim 1 for a corresponding non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Therefore, it is subjected to the same rejection.
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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 5, 7, 8 14 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over IDS Reference Lau; Vincent Kin Nang US 20150312774 A1, hereinafter Lau, in view of Kiviniemi; Jussi US 20230077238 A1, hereinafter Kiviniemi.
Regarding claim 5, 14 and 17, Lau teaches, A method for wireless access point deployment,
acquiring wireless signal coverage information detected by a mobile robot at each moving position during movement (Lau: Abstract “A wireless coverage characterization platform uses an autonomous vehicle or robot, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle or other small robot, to autonomously collect key wireless coverage parameters for an indoor environment. One or more vehicles or robots are equipped with integrated simultaneous localization and mapping sensors as well as wireless signal measurement sensors”); and
determining a wireless signal coverage map of an environment where the mobile robot is currently located based on the wireless signal coverage information detected at each moving position (Lau: Abstract: " ... The vehicle's navigation system guides the vehicle through the environment based on the sensor measurements and the learned indoor map until a complete map of the wireless signal strength at all locations throughout the environment is obtained...''),
wherein the wireless signal coverage map is used to update a deployment position of the wireless access point in the environment (Lau: Abstract: "… The system can identify areas of weak wireless coverage or interference sources and recommend access point device locations based on results of the survey ... ").
Lau does not expressly teach, however, in the same field of endeavor, Kiviniemi teaches, the method being applied to a wireless access point (Kiviniemi: claim 1 “A method for generating site survey information pertaining to a radio network, the radio network comprising at least a first wireless access point and a second wireless access point, …”, claims 3-4, claim 5 “… collecting the measured network-related data from the at least one wireless site-survey device; and processing the measured network-related data to update the site survey information pertaining to the radio network.”; [0016] “the calculation unit configured to collect a given set of site-survey data from the two or more wireless access points and to process the given set of site-survey data to generate site survey information.”; [0045] “In an embodiment, the first wireless access point and the second wireless access point are managed by the wireless network controller. … The wireless network controller is optionally embedded in each wireless access point.”; [51] “In such an embodiment, the first wireless access point and the second wireless access point sends the first set of site-survey data to the wireless network controller.”; [0084] “In this regard, the wireless network controller may utilize the site survey information to control and manage the radio network.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Lau to include the features as taught by Kiviniemi above in order to provide a method for generating site survey information pertaining to a radio network (Kiviniemi [0005]).
With respect to claim 14, claim recites the identical features of claim 5 for a corresponding electronic device. Therefore, it is subjected to the same rejection.
With respect to claim 17, claim recites the identical features of claim 5 for a corresponding non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Therefore, it is subjected to the same rejection.
Regarding claim 7, Lau, in view of Kiviniemi, teaches the method, as outlined in the rejection of claim 5.
Lau further teaches, further comprising: determining whether a current deployment position of the wireless access point in the environment meets a signal coverage requirement based on the wireless signal coverage map; and in response to the current deployment position of the wireless access point not meeting the signal coverage requirement, generating prompt information, wherein the prompt information is used to indicate to update the deployment position of the wireless access point (Lau [62] “The system can then identify these recommended access point locations and power levels 608 to the user via the interface application; e.g., by graphically indicating the proposed locations of the access point devices on the estimated indoor map. In an example scenario, based on an analysis of the signal strength map, the wireless coverage characterization component 212 may determine that moving an existing wireless access point device from its present location to a new location will eliminate a weak coverage area discovered by the system as a result of the UAV's survey of the indoor environment. Accordingly, the system can generate and display instructions for relocating the access point device to its recommended new location.”, prompting is interpreted as indicating/instructing for relocating).
Regarding claim 8, Lau, in view of Kiviniemi, teaches the method, as outlined in the rejection of claim 7.
Lau further teaches, wherein in response to the current deployment position of the wireless access point not meeting the signal coverage requirement, generating the prompt information comprises: in response to the current deployment position of the wireless access point not meeting the signal coverage requirement, determining signal strengths of a plurality of positions in the environment based on the wireless signal coverage map; and according to the signal strengths of the plurality of positions in the environment, determining a target deployment position of the wireless access point, and generating the prompt information, wherein the prompt information is used to indicate the target deployment position of the wireless access point (see Lau [61]-[62] and rejections of claim 5 and claim 7 above).
Claims 9-12, 15 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over IDS Reference Lau; Vincent Kin Nang US 20150312774 A1, hereinafter Lau, in view of DENNELER; Charles Ross et al US 20220108532 A1, hereinafter DENNELER.
Regarding claim 9, 15 and 18, Lau teaches, a method for wireless access point deployment,
acquiring a wireless signal coverage map of an environment where a mobile robot is currently located, wherein the wireless signal coverage map is determined by wireless signal coverage information detected by the mobile robot at each moving position during movement (Lau: Abstract “A wireless coverage characterization platform uses an autonomous vehicle or robot, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle or other small robot, to autonomously collect key wireless coverage parameters for an indoor environment. One or more vehicles or robots are equipped with integrated simultaneous localization and mapping sensors as well as wireless signal measurement sensors … The vehicle's navigation system guides the vehicle through the environment based on the sensor measurements and the learned indoor map until a complete map of the wireless signal strength at all locations throughout the environment is obtained ... '”),
displaying the wireless signal coverage map, wherein the wireless signal coverage map is used to update a deployment position of a wireless access point in the environment (Lau [62] “Accordingly, the system can generate and display instructions for relocating the access point device to its recommended new location.”).
While Lau implicitly teaches, the method being applied to a terminal device (Lau [61] “For example, a separate interface application executing on an external computing device (e.g., a desktop, laptop, or tablet computer) can communicatively connect to the wireless coverage characterization system 202 via the communication component 214, either wirelessly or over a wired network connection (e.g., Ethernet, universal serial bus, etc.) and retrieve the estimated indoor map and wireless characterization data collected by the system and stored in memory 218… In an example, non-limiting presentation format, the interface application can display the wireless coverage information as a heat map overlaid on the indoor map estimated by the map building component 208, such that different heat map colors represent different wireless signal levels throughout the indoor environment.”, a terminal device is known to have capability of a tablet computer), in the same field of endeavor, DENNELER expressly teaches, the method being applied to a terminal device, (DENNELER [0036] “According to an exemplary embodiment, the mobile device 102 may also include a display interface 338. The display interface may be configured to interface the computing device 102 with one or more display devices 340… the display device 340 can be configured to display and interface comprised of a Wi-Fi coverage map in the form of a heat map which also identifies the location of current access points and a recommend location of additional access points.”, mobile device is equivalent to a terminal device).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Lau to include the features as taught by DENNELER above in order to display signal coverage in a wireless network via an augmented reality interface (DENNELER [0001]).
With respect to claim 15, claim recites the identical features of claim 9 for a corresponding electronic device. Therefore, it is subjected to the same rejection.
With respect to claim 18, claim recites the identical features of claim 9 for a corresponding non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Therefore, it is subjected to the same rejection.
Regarding claim 10, Lau, in view of DENNELER, teaches the method, as outlined in the rejection of claim 9.
Lau further teaches, further comprising: displaying prompt information in the wireless signal coverage map, wherein the prompt information is used to indicate at least one of: updating the deployment position of the wireless access point; or a target deployment position of the wireless access point (Lau [62] “The system can then identify these recommended access point locations and power levels 608 to the user via the interface application; e.g., by graphically indicating the proposed locations of the access point devices on the estimated indoor map. In an example scenario, based on an analysis of the signal strength map, the wireless coverage characterization component 212 may determine that moving an existing wireless access point device from its present location to a new location will eliminate a weak coverage area discovered by the system as a result of the UAV's survey of the indoor environment. Accordingly, the system can generate and display instructions for relocating the access point device to its recommended new location.”, prompting is interpreted as indicating/instructing for relocating).
Regarding claim 11, Lau, in view of DENNELER, teaches the method, as outlined in the rejection of claim 10.
Lau further teaches, further comprising: determining whether a current deployment position of the wireless access point in the environment meets a signal coverage requirement based on the wireless signal coverage map; and displaying the prompt information in the wireless signal coverage map comprises: in response to the current deployment position of the wireless access point not meeting the signal coverage requirement, displaying the prompt information in the wireless signal coverage map (see Lau [61]-[62] and rejections of claim 9 and claim 10 above).
Regarding claim 12, Lau, in view of DENNELER, teaches the method, as outlined in the rejection of claim 11.
Lau further teaches, wherein in response to the current deployment position of the wireless access point not meeting the signal coverage requirement, displaying the prompt information in the wireless signal coverage map comprises: in response to the current deployment position of the wireless access point not meeting the signal coverage requirement, determining signal strengths of a plurality of positions in the environment based on the wireless signal coverage map; and according to the signal strengths of the plurality of positions in the environment, determining the target deployment position of the wireless access point and outputting the prompt information, wherein the prompt information is used to indicate the target deployment position of the wireless access point (see Lau [61]-[62] and rejections of claim 9 and claim 10 above).
Claims 2-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lau, in view of IDS Ref Vuornos; Lauri et al US 20180332557 A1, hereinafter Vuornos.
Regarding claim 2, Lau teaches the method, as outlined in the rejection of claim 1.
Lau further teaches, wherein in the process of the mobile robot traveling along the moving path determined by the environment map, detecting the wireless signal coverage information of each moving position in the moving path comprises:
in the process of the mobile robot traveling along the moving path determined by the environment map, detecting a signal strength of each moving position in the moving path (Lau [7] “By autonomously or semi-autonomously traversing the wireless coverage area and characterizing the wireless signal strength and interference levels at locations throughout the area, …”).
Lau does not expressly teach, however, in the same field of endeavor, Vuornos teaches, determining a grid corresponding to each moving position in a grid map, wherein the grid map is determined based on an environment map of the environment where the mobile robot is currently located; and determining a signal strength corresponding to each grid based on the signal strength of each moving position and the grid corresponding to each moving position (Vuornos: Fig.4, [48] “Heat map 400 of FIG. 4 illustrates the strength of signals generated by APs 402-406 as measured (or otherwise determined) at multiple grid points, where the signal strength (e.g., RSSI) is indicated by different gray-scale levels.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Lau to include the features as taught by Vuornos above in order to provide app-guided wireless Internet access point (AP) installation, maintenance, expansion, and awareness (Vuornos [0002]).
Regarding claim 3, Lau, in view of Vuornos, teaches the method, as outlined in the rejection of claim 2.
Lau further teaches, further comprising: superimposing the wireless signal coverage heat map with the environment map to obtain the wireless signal coverage map of the environment where the mobile robot is currently located (Lau: Abstract “One or more vehicles or robots are equipped with integrated simultaneous localization and mapping sensors as well as wireless signal measurement sensors. As a vehicle traverses the indoor environment, on-board processing components process the sensor measurement data to simultaneously build an indoor map of the environment and to learn the wireless coverage characteristics of the environment incrementally.”).
Vuornos further teaches, generating a wireless signal coverage heat map corresponding to the grid map based on an intensity value of the signal strength corresponding to each grid in the grid map (Vuornos: Fig.4, [48] “Heat map 400 of FIG. 4 illustrates the strength of signals generated by APs 402-406 as measured (or otherwise determined) at multiple grid points, where the signal strength (e.g., RSSI) is indicated by different gray-scale levels.”).
Regarding claim 4, Lau, in view of Vuornos, teaches the method, as outlined in the rejection of claim 2.
Lau and Vuornos further teach, further comprising: in response to an update instruction for the wireless signal coverage map, redetermining the signal strength corresponding to each grid in the grid map; and updating the wireless signal coverage map based on the redetermined grid map (Lau [54] “… the wireless coverage characterization component 212 updates the wireless coverage or interference map to include the new measurement data (as will be described in more detail below in connection with FIG. 6). The path determination algorithm 504 then analyzes the wireless coverage or interference map data collected thus far and determines how many additional measurements will be required to complete the wireless coverage or interference map, as well as the locations of these additional measurements, such that the determination of the number and locations of the additional measurements is subject to a requirement to minimize the total number of measurements (or the total amount of time) required to collect all the necessary measurement data.”, and Vuornos, as established before, teaches grid based signal measurement).
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lau, in view of Kiviniemi, and further in view of IDS Ref Vuornos; Lauri et al US 20180332557 A1, hereinafter Vuornos.
Regarding claim 6, Lau, in view of Kiviniemi, teaches the method, as outlined in the rejection of claim 5.
Lau further teaches, superimposing the wireless signal coverage heat map with the environment map to obtain the wireless signal coverage map of the environment where the mobile robot is currently located (Lau: Abstract “One or more vehicles or robots are equipped with integrated simultaneous localization and mapping sensors as well as wireless signal measurement sensors. As a vehicle traverses the indoor environment, on-board processing components process the sensor measurement data to simultaneously build an indoor map of the environment and to learn the wireless coverage characteristics of the environment incrementally.”).
Lau and Kiviniemi do not expressly teach, however, in the same field of endeavor, Vuornos teaches, wherein determining the wireless signal coverage map of the environment where the mobile robot is currently located based on the wireless signal coverage information detected at each moving position comprises: acquiring a grid map corresponding to the environment where the mobile robot is currently located; based on the wireless signal coverage information detected at each moving position, determining an intensity value of a signal strength corresponding to each grid in the grid map, and generating a wireless signal coverage heat map corresponding to the grid map (Vuornos: Fig.4, [48] “Heat map 400 of FIG. 4 illustrates the strength of signals generated by APs 402-406 as measured (or otherwise determined) at multiple grid points, where the signal strength (e.g., RSSI) is indicated by different gray-scale levels.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Lau and Kiviniemi to include the features as taught by Vuornos above in order to provide app-guided wireless Internet access point (AP) installation, maintenance, expansion, and awareness (Vuornos [0002]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
IDS Ref KONG; Fanhua US 20220279359 A1, WIRELESS ACCESS POINT DEPLOYMENT METHOD AND APPARATUS.
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/MAHBUBUL BAR CHOWDHURY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2475
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