DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority as a CON of co-pending 18/339764 filed 6/22/2023 is acknowledged.
Preliminary Amendment filed 11/19/2024 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-20 have been cancelled.
Claims 21-40 have been newly added and remain pending.
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.
Claims 21, 26-32, and 37 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hui et al. (US20210385771A1), hereafter Hui.
Regarding claims 21 and 37,
Hui discloses a device (Fig. 4, parent device; Fig. 7-8) comprising a transceiver (Fig. 8, I/O interfaces 808) and processing circuitry (Fig. 8, processing system 810) coupled to the transceiver, configured to perform a method to cause the transceiver to transmit a wake-up signal (Fig. 4, 410; paragraph 57-58) to an end device (Fig. 4, End Device 304), establish a connection with the end device (Fig. 4, 425; paragraph 59-60), and perform coordinated sampled listening with the end device using the transceiver (paragraph 53-60; CSL after synchronized reception is established).
Regarding claim 32,
Hui discloses a non-transitory computer-readable medium (Fig. 8, computer-readable storage memory 812) storing instructions (paragraph 110) that, when executed by processing circuitry (Fig. 8, processing system 810) of an electronic device (Fig. 4, parent device 302), cause the processing circuitry to transmit, using a transceiver (Fig. 8, I/O interfaces 808), a wake-up signal (Fig. 4, 410; paragraph 57-58) to an end device (Fig. 4, End Device 304) to establish, using the transceiver, a connection with the end device (Fig. 4, 425; paragraph 59-60) and perform, using the transceiver, coordinated sampled listening with the end device (paragraph 53-60; CSL performed after synchronized reception is established).
Regarding claims 26-31,
Hui discloses the end device, such as a router (Fig. 1, router-eligible end device 104) of a Thread network (paragraph 90) or sleepy end device (paragraph 3, 41-47; sleeping mesh network devices) is communicatively coupled to the electronic device via an IEEE 802.15.4 wireless mesh network (paragraph 39, 53, 105).
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 22-25, 33-36, and 38-40 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hui in view of Hanley et al. (US20180132182A1), hereafter Hanley.
Regarding claims 22-24, 33 35, 36, and 38-40,
Hui discloses periodically activating a window of time for communications between parent device and end device (paragraph 9, 19, 53-56; Fig. 3a, receive window 322) but does not expressly show transmitting an indication of a first plurality of time slots and a second plurality of time slots to the end device, to enter a low power state during one or more times outside of the first plurality of time slots and the second plurality of time slots, or to exit the low power state to transmit or receive wireless signals during the first plurality of time slots or the second plurality of time slots based on receiving the wake-up signal.
Hanley discloses analogous art (Title: Optimization of Broadcast Messaging for Low-Energy Devices Communicating on a Time-Slotted Channel Hopping Network) including a parent device (paragraph 2, 18; parent devices including routers defined by IEEE 802.15.4) comprising a transceiver (Fig. 2, TSCH device 102c with Transceiver 220) and processing circuitry (Processor 202) operatively coupled to the transceiver (via Bus 206) to transmit an indication of a first plurality of time slots (Fig. 4, time slots 411-415 according to configured hopping pattern) and a second plurality of time slots (Fig. 4, time slots 421-425 according to configured hopping pattern) to an end device (LE Device 104c) to cause at least a portion of the transceiver to enter a low power state during one or more times outside of the first plurality of time slots and the second plurality of time slots (Abstract; Fig. 5-7; paragraphs 3-6, 18-20, 38-51; sleep state during wake/sleep cycle) and cause the transceiver to exit the low power state to transmit or receive wireless signals during the first plurality of time slots or the second plurality of time slots (Abstract; Fig. 5-7; paragraphs 3-6, 18-20, 38-51; wake state during wake/sleep cycle) based on receiving the wake-up signal (Abstract; Fig. 9, step 920; paragraph 64; acknowledgement message to check-in identifying broadcast timeslot).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of effective filing to modify Hui by transmitting an indication of a first plurality of time slots and a second plurality of time slots to the end device, to enter a low power state during one or more times outside of the first plurality of time slots and the second plurality of time slots, and to exit the low power state to transmit or receive wireless signals during the first plurality of time slots or the second plurality of time slots, as shown by Hanley, thereby optimizing communication between parent devices and low-energy end devices operating on different wake/sleep cycles.
Regarding claim 34,
The combination of Hui and Hanley discloses the first plurality of time slots is associated with receiving, using the transceiver, wireless signals from the end device (Hui: Fig. 3a-b; Hanley: Fig. 4-7; paragraphs 3-6, 18-20, 38-51; wake state during wake/sleep cycle; Fig. 9, step 910; transmitting), and the second plurality of time slots is associated with transmitting, using the transceiver, wireless signals to the end device (Hui: Fig. 3a-b; Hanley: Fig. 4-7; paragraphs 3-6, 18-20, 38-51; wake state during wake/sleep cycle; Fig. 9, step 920-930; receiving/listening). See motivation above.
Regarding claim 25,
The combination of Hui and Hanley discloses the processing circuitry is configured to determine the plurality of time slots based at least in part on network traffic on a wireless network to which the electronic device is communicatively coupled (Hui: paragraph 90; variety of custom or standard protocols; Hanley: paragraph 28; PN-TSCH protocol compared to slower LE-TSCH protocol). See motivation above.
Conclusion
5. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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/GREGORY B SEFCHECK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2477
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