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 .
Priority
The instant application claims foreign priority to 10-2022-0039042, filed 03/29/2022 and 10-2022-0039886, filed 03/30/2022.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted, IDS - 06/09/2026. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities: “BBS (OBSS)” should be “BSS (OBSS)”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: applicant specification paragraph [0357], “a TVHT AP (an AP operating in a TV whitespace band)” should be corrected “a TBTT AP (an AP operating in a TBTT)”.
Appropriate correction is required.
35 U.S.C. 112(a) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, requires the specification to be written in “full, clear, concise, and exact terms.” The specification is replete with terms which are not clear, concise and exact. The specification should be revised carefully in order to comply with 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112. Examples of some unclear, inexact or verbose terms used in the specification are: applicant specification paragraph [0357], “a TVHT AP (an AP operating in a TV whitespace band)”.
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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 1-12, and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being
anticipated by George et al. (US20230318763A1) hereinafter “George”.
Regarding Claim 1,
George discloses, ‘A method performed by a first access point (AP) in a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, the method comprising:
transmitting, to a second AP, channel-related information of the first AP’ (Disclosure, coordinated multi-user TX, a mechanism for a master access point to dynamically allocated resources to neighbor/participating access point [0046]. Multi-access point scheduling and coordination in WLAN for channel access for a TXOP between the multiple access points and the one/more associated STAs [0124]. The first AP transmit during a first portion of the TXOP [0054, 0126]. A method at a first AP transmit to a second AP; transmit trigger signal to the second AP indicating a set of one/more resources for the second AP during MU TX [0051]. The first access point initiates multi-access point coordinated TX [0004]. The first access point transmitting to at least a second access point for a TXOP [0007]. The first AP transmitting to the second AP resource request and transmit a channel for multi-user TX [0324]. );
And discloses, ‘receiving, from the second AP, resource allocation information related to a multi-access point operation’ (The first and the second access point participates multi-user TX. And, allocate resources [0321, 0330]. The second AP transmit a scheduling indicator received at the first AP [0126].);
And discloses, ‘and performing a frame exchange with at least one station (STA) associated with the first AP on a specific resource based on the resource allocation information.’ (In Fig. 5 illustrates multi-access scheduling trigger frame as multi-access PPDU transmitted the first AP as the TXOP owner to neighbor APs. And, the scheduling indication frame in the PPDU format to associated STAs. Each STA in the associated BSS tune to the subchannel assigned for the AP [0156]. STAs that are associated with each of the APs derive the sub-channel in which associated AP send PSDUs. Multi-access PPDU carry a BSS identifier and map to the subchannel [0158]. The first AP as the TXOP indicate the sub-channel for the neighboring AP. Indication provided in multi-access schedule-trigger. And, second/third AP use the allocated sub-channel to serve their STAs [0192]. Disclosure, in Fig. 7C, STAs associated to the AP determine the sub-channel per-AP is sent within the allocated sub-channel and determine a STA-id to RU mapping [0199].
- First AP transmit first portion/resource assignment of the TXOP
- first AP transmit an indication of a start of the second portion of the TXOP
- second portion TXOP (map-PPDU/HE TB PPDU), and both the first and the second AP ready to communicate with one/more associated STAs [0126].)
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Regarding Claim 2,
‘The method of claim 1’ (disclosed above),
And discloses, ‘wherein: the channel-related information is transmitted to the second AP in response to a request from the second AP, or unsolicitedly.’ (Disclosure, coordinated multi-user TX, a mechanism for a master access point to dynamically allocated resources to neighbor/participating access point. Described technique into phases: resource offer, request phase and a triggered TX phase [0046]. The initiator/master AP obtain access to a channel during the TXOP that includes the resources required [0047] and respond to MU-TXOP [0048]. Followed by triggered tx phase and further the triggered tx phase in the coordinated MU-TXOP performed between the APs and their associated STAs [0049-0050]. A contention-based access [0149]. )
Regarding Claim 3,
‘The method of claim 1’ (disclosed above),
And discloses, ‘wherein: the channel-related information includes at least one of channel information of the first AP, or channel state information acquired by the first AP.’ (In Fig. 7 illustrates muti-access scheduling and trigger; in Fig. 7B, the first AP uses a first subchannel 763 [0196]. In Fig. 7C, an associated STA within RU 789 and within subchannel of the first AP [0197]. The first AP channel access (successful contention-based) to TXOP with at least a second AP to schedule of resources within the TXOP [0125]. The first AP transmit a first resource assignment uses multi-access point PPDU/HE trigger-based PPDU between the first and the second AP. The second AP transmit a scheduling indicator received by the first AP. The first AP transmit an indication of a start of the second portion of the TXOP (e.g., map-PPDU/HE TB-PPDU) [0126]. The first AP transmit preamble 825 that spans a number of subchannels and trigger 830 uses the first subchannel and further trigger associated STAs to transmit a HE TB PPDU 835 in the first subchannel [0202] and in Fig. 8.)
Regarding Claim 4,
‘The method of claim 3’ (disclosed above),
And discloses, ‘wherein: the channel information includes information on an available channel or subchannel of the first AP, or information on an unavailable channel or subchannel.’ (In Fig. 5 illustrates multi-access schedule-trigger; schedule indication frame derived from the map-sch-trigger; first subchannel of multiple available subchannels [0155]. Per-AP resource allocation indicted in the trigger signal [0356, 0359].)
Regarding Claim 5,
‘The method of claim 3’ (disclosed above),
And discloses, ‘wherein: the channel state information is based on state information of at least one of a channel or a subchannel for at least one of a basic service set (BSS) or an overlapping BSS (OBSS) received from the at least one STA.’ (In Fig. 5, multi-access schedule trigger transmitted by the first AP as TXOP to neighboring APs; transmits the scheduling indication frames include BSS in the map-PPDU format. Associated STAs of APs determine the subchannel; each STA in the associated BSS tune to subchannel assigned for that AP; per-STA carried within the schedule indication frame [0156]. Techniques to provide a TXOP for the AP duration and access priority based on a number of overlapping OBSS APs participating coordinated TX to fully use available subchannels [0128]. A master AP secure channel access to the TXOP and transmit resources available for the TXOP [0130]. )
Regarding Claim 6,
‘The method of claim 5’ (disclosed above),
And discloses, ‘wherein: the state information of the at least one of the channel or the subchannel includes at least one of a clear channel assessment (CCA) state, a channel load, a receive power indicator (RPI), an average noise power indicator (ANPI), an idle power indicator (IPI), a receive channel power indicator (RCPI), or a receive signal to noise indicator (RSNI).’ (measure the channel/receive power level [0328, 0411].)
Regarding Claim 7,
‘The method of claim 1’ (disclosed above),
And discloses, ‘wherein: the resource allocation information is determined by the second AP based on channel-related information from at least one AP including the first AP.’ (the second AP transmit a scheduling indication received by the first AP and by one/more STAs associated to the second AP [0126]. )
Regarding Claim 8,
‘The method of claim 1’ (disclosed above),
And discloses, ‘wherein: the resource allocation information is included in a trigger frame from the second AP for the frame exchange.’ (the resource allocation HE TB-PPDU [0126]. )
Regarding Claim 9,
‘The method of claim 1’ (disclosed above),
And discloses, ‘wherein: the resource allocation information includes information about a resource that the first AP including the specific resource is operable.’ (In Fig. 7B includes the subchannel and PSDU 763 [0196], in Fig. 7C subchannels 789 for the first AP. And in Fig. 8 illustrates, 830 and 835 [0202].)
Regarding Claim 10,
‘The method of claim 1’ (disclosed above),
And discloses, ‘wherein: the multiple access point operation includes a coordinated-orthogonal frequency division multiple access (C-OFDMA) based multi-access point operation, the specific resource is defined on a frequency domain.’ (In Fig. 7B illustrates multi-access point trigger for coordinated OFDMA assigns subchannel; map AP-identifiers to indicate subchannel [0195]. Determine frequency resource for multi-access operation [0150].)
Regarding Claim 11,
‘The method of claim 1’ (disclosed above),
And discloses, ‘wherein: the first AP is a slave AP, and the second AP is a master AP.’ (Multi-access point coordinated MU TX. A technique for the master access point to dynamically allocated resources to slave access point participating in a MU TX [0046]. )
Regarding Claim 12,
George discloses, ‘A first access point (AP) device operating in a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, the device comprising:
at least one transceiver; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
transmit, through the at least one transceiver, to a second AP, channel-related information of the first AP;
receive, through the at least one transceiver, from the second AP, resource allocation information related to a multi-access point operation; and
perform, through the at least one transceiver, a frame exchange with at least one station (STA) associated with the first AP on a specific resource based on the resource allocation information’ (A wireless communication operates at a first AP executed by processor to transmit to a second AP [0054]. And in Fig. 9 includes transceiver. And, similar to method claim 1.).
Regarding Claim 14,
George discloses, ‘A second access point (AP) device operating in a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, the device comprising:
at least one transceiver; and
at least one processor coupled with the at least one transceiver,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
receive, through the at least one transceiver, channel-related information of an AP group from each AP belonging to the AP group; and
transmit, through the at least one transceiver, resource allocation information for each of at least one AP of the AP group to the each of the at least one AP,
wherein a specific resource that a frame exchange is performed between at least one station (STA) associated with a first AP of the at least one AP and the first AP is based on resource allocation information transmitted to the first AP.’ (The second AP executed by processor to receive from the first AP [0069]. MU TX scheme the master AP transmit trigger frame to one/more neighboring APs indication of a set of resources for each neighboring APs [0355]. )
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to
applicant's disclosure:
Hanqing et al. (US20230163808A1), “Coordinated multi-access point transmissions for wireless local area network systems”.
Wang et al. (US20230319886A1) “Multi-ap setup and transmission procedures for wlan systems”.
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/S.A./Examiner, Art Unit 2466
/CHRISTOPHER M CRUTCHFIELD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2466
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