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
Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) is acknowledged with the benefit of an earlier filing date of March 7, 2022 for PCT/US2022/019179.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on September 6, 2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
The factual inquiries 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.
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 1, 3 – 5, 7 – 10, and 13 – 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Patil et al (US Patent Application Publication 2011/0032913), and further in view of Lopes et al (US Patent Application Publication 2017/0311249). Hereinafter Patil and Lopes.
Regarding claim 1, Patil discloses a network communications system comprising:
a level zero node comprising a network controller and configured to connect to an external network (first tier (“tier-1”) includes a first node that resemble a traditional Internet connection via a cable or direct subscriber line (DSL) connection or 3G/WiMax/Outdoor mesh, which includes a cable or DSL modem, a wireless router or bridge, and the like, to provide multiple communication paths to external network(s) such as the Internet, paragraph [0025]; the first node is a network controller that is at level zero, and it connects to Internet (i.e. external network));
a level one node configured to wirelessly communicate with the level zero node using a first wireless local area network (WLAN) frequency band, to provide a first subscriber access point to enable one or more client devices to communicate with the external network (a second tier (“tier-2”) of the wireless mesh network (WMN or WM network) represent a wireless network backhaul that interconnects various stationary (fixed-location) OEM-specific wireless nodes adapted for communicating over a wireless communication medium such as radio frequency (RF) waves, where a tier-2 node operates as a wireless mesh node that wirelessly communicate with other mesh nodes using the appropriate mesh protocol and be configured by users to join one existing WMN, and the tier-2 node use the same network identification (SSID) when operating as APs in order to maintain a simple architecture and to ease roaming, paragraphs [0026] – [0028]; the tier-2 node is a first subscriber access point that provides other nodes (i.e. client devices) at level one, and it connects to “tier-1” node wirelessly to provide access to the Internet (i.e. external network) to the other nodes), and to advertise a subscriber service set identifier (SSID) for connecting to the first subscriber access point (the tier-2 nodes has information regarding which channel its neighboring tier-2 AP node is using, where the tier-2 nodes send this channel information to tier-3 client nodes in the reserved fields of the beacon to assist in roaming, and the tier-3 node runs an active scan to discover APs using tier-2 specific AP SSID over different wireless channels to evaluate potential connections with the neighboring tier-2 nodes and select a new tier-2 node to associate with before the current wireless connection degrades to an unacceptable level, where the tier-2 node includes dual-band Wi-Fi radio that operates on different channels from each other to enable the tier-2 node to operate in infra-mode by transmitting beacons and conducting other operations as an AP in its communications with various wireless tier-3 nodes, paragraphs [0031], [0033], [0036]; the tier-2 node advertises the SSID by being an AP beacon that broadcasts channel information), the first subscriber access point using a second WLAN frequency band different from the first WLAN frequency band (the tier-2 nodes has information regarding which channel its neighboring tier-2 AP node is using, where the tier-2 nodes send this channel information to tier-3 client nodes in the reserved fields of the beacon to assist in roaming, and the tier-3 node runs an active scan to discover APs using tier-2 specific AP SSID over different wireless channels to evaluate potential connections with the neighboring tier-2 nodes and select a new tier-2 node to associate with before the current wireless connection degrades to an unacceptable level, where the tier-2 node includes dual-band Wi-Fi radio that operates on different channels from each other to enable the tier-2 node to operate in infra-mode by transmitting beacons and conducting other operations as an AP in its communications with various wireless tier-3 nodes, paragraphs [0031], [0033], [0036]; the tier-2 node includes dual-band Wi-Fi radio that uses different frequency bands from each other); and
a level two node configured to wirelessly communicate with the level one node using the first WLAN frequency band (tier-3 nodes of the WM network acts as slave or child connecting directly to a tier-2 node, where the tier-2 nodes send channel information to tier-3 nodes in the reserved fields of the beacon to assist in roaming to ensure better overall tier-3 network connectivity within the WM network, paragraphs [0029] – [0031]),
wherein the first WLAN frequency band comprises the 5 GHz frequency band (the WM network uses Wi-Fi radio operating in accordance with selected communication protocol (e.g., IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, etc.), where tier-2 nodes use 802.11n type radio (e.g. at 5GHz band) to support the backhaul link, paragraphs [0027], [0030]) and the second WLAN frequency band comprises the 2.4 GHz frequency band (the WM network uses Wi-Fi radio operating in accordance with selected communication protocol (e.g., IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, etc.), where the tier-3 node includes radio logic unit controlled by processor to tune and receive incoming wireless signals on particular channel and to transmit outgoing wireless signals to other nodes over that particular channel, and the tier-3 node scans for first wireless channel that is based on IEEE 802.11b, and scans for neighboring tier-2 node operating on different channel than the current tier-2 node, where the tier-3 node transmits message over the second wireless channel, paragraphs [0027], [0034], [0048]).
However, Patil does not explicitly disclose “a level two node to provide a second subscriber access point to enable one or more client devices to communicate with the external network, and to advertise the subscriber SSID for connecting to the second subscriber access point, the second subscriber access point using the second WLAN frequency band, wherein the level one node is configured to provide a first subscriber tunnel to tunnel network traffic to the level zero node using the first WLAN frequency band, and wherein the level two node is configured to provide a second subscriber tunnel to tunnel network traffic to the level zero node by traversing the level one node using the first WLAN frequency band.”
Lopes teaches “a level two node to provide a second subscriber access point to enable one or more client devices to communicate with the external network, and to advertise the subscriber SSID for connecting to the second subscriber access point, the second subscriber access point using the second WLAN frequency band” as the backbone provider network communicatively coupled to the first hotspot access network, the mobile hotspot access network, the end-user devices, and/or environment devices via one or more wireless links, where the information is communicated between via the mobile hotspot access network, the fixed hotspot access network, the local infrastructure provider network, and/or the backbone provider network, e.g. skipping the mobile hotspot access network, fixed hotspot access network, and/or local infrastructure provider network, (paragraphs [0082] – [0090]), each Wi-Fi enabled AP broadcast the same SSID when using shared SSID implementation, where the various APs (e.g. fixed AP (FAPs) and/or mobile APs (MAPs) communicate wirelessly using different RF channels or frequency bands (paragraphs [0171] – [0174]), and “wherein the level one node is configured to provide a first subscriber tunnel to tunnel network traffic to the level zero node using the first WLAN frequency band, and wherein the level two node is configured to provide a second subscriber tunnel to tunnel network traffic to the level zero node by traversing the level one node using the first WLAN frequency band” as the example modes include the end-user devices communicate directly to backbone provider network and/or directly to local infrastructure provider network via mobile hotspot access network, and end-user devices communicate directly to backbone provider network and/or to local infrastructure provider network via Fixed APs, where the communication flexibly occurs between end-user device and server via any variety of different communication pathways (paragraphs [0104] – [0131]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Patil and Lopes before him or her, to incorporate the variety of network level components using shared SSID as taught by Lopes, to improve the access point selection of Patil, for flexibly providing communication via different communication pathways. The motivation for doing so would have been to reduce the control overhead and reduce the size of control tables and tunneling, for example both in backend servers and in APs (e.g., Fixed APs and/or Mobile APs) (paragraph [0157] of Lopes).
Regarding claim 3, Patil and Lopes disclose the network communications system of claim 1, but Patil does not explicitly disclose wherein the first subscriber tunnel and the second subscriber tunnel are provisioned dynamically.
Lopes discloses the example modes include the end-user devices communicate directly to backbone provider network and/or directly to local infrastructure provider network via mobile hotspot access network, and end-user devices communicate directly to backbone provider network and/or to local infrastructure provider network via Fixed APs, where the communication flexibly occurs between end-user device and server via any variety of different communication pathways (paragraphs [0104] – [0131]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Patil and Lopes before him or her, to incorporate the variety of network level components using shared SSID as taught by Lopes, to improve the access point selection of Patil, for flexibly providing communication via different communication pathways. The motivation for doing so would have been to reduce the control overhead and reduce the size of control tables and tunneling, for example both in backend servers and in APs (e.g., Fixed APs and/or Mobile APs) (paragraph [0157] of Lopes).
Regarding claim 4, Patil and Lopes disclose the network communications system of claim 1, but Pail does not explicitly disclose wherein the level zero node is configured to communicate with a satellite network to connect to the external network.
Lopes discloses the mobility manager (or controller) ensures communication session persist over one or more handoff(s) among different technologies (e.g. 802.11p, cellular, Wi-Fi, satellite, etc.), where the mobility controller is implemented as part of the backbone network, Fixed APs, etc. (paragraph [0042]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Patil and Lopes before him or her, to incorporate the mobility controller that performs handoff among different technologies as taught by Lopes, to improve the tier-1 node of Patil, for establishing and access controlling to external network via different technologies including satellite network. The motivation for doing so would have been to improve the efficiency, environmental impact and social value of municipal city operations and transportation services (paragraph [0047] of Lopes).
Regarding claim 5, Patil and Lopes disclose the network communications system of claim 1, Patil discloses wherein the external network comprises the Internet (first tier (“tier-1”) includes a first node that resemble a traditional Internet connection via a cable or direct subscriber line (DSL) connection or 3G/WiMax/Outdoor mesh, which includes a cable or DSL modem, a wireless router or bridge, and the like, to provide multiple communication paths to external network(s) such as the Internet, paragraph [0025]).
Regarding claim 7, Patil and Lopes disclose the network communications system of claim 1, but Patil does not explicitly disclose wherein the level zero node is further configured to advertise a backhaul SSID to provide a first backhaul access point that uses the first WLAN frequency band.
Lopes discloses the backbone provider network communicatively coupled to the first hotspot access network, the mobile hotspot access network, the end-user devices, and/or environment devices via one or more wireless links, where the information is communicated between via the mobile hotspot access network, the fixed hotspot access network, the local infrastructure provider network, and/or the backbone provider network, e.g. skipping the mobile hotspot access network, fixed hotspot access network, and/or local infrastructure provider network, (paragraphs [0082] – [0090]), each Wi-Fi enabled AP broadcast the same SSID when using shared SSID implementation, where the various APs (e.g. fixed AP (FAPs) and/or mobile APs (MAPs) communicate wirelessly using different RF channels or frequency bands (paragraphs [0171] – [0174]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Patil and Lopes before him or her, to incorporate the variety of network level components using shared SSID as taught by Lopes, to improve the access point selection of Patil, for flexibly providing communication via different communication pathways. The motivation for doing so would have been to reduce the control overhead and reduce the size of control tables and tunneling, for example both in backend servers and in APs (e.g., Fixed APs and/or Mobile APs) (paragraph [0157] of Lopes).
Regarding claim 8, Patil and Lopes disclose the network communications system of claim 7, but Patil does not explicitly disclose wherein the level one node is configured to connect to the first backhaul access point provided by the level zero node and to advertise the backhaul SSID to provide a second backhaul access point that uses the first WLAN frequency band.
Lopes discloses the backbone provider network communicatively coupled to the first hotspot access network, the mobile hotspot access network, the end-user devices, and/or environment devices via one or more wireless links, where the information is communicated between via the mobile hotspot access network, the fixed hotspot access network, the local infrastructure provider network, and/or the backbone provider network, e.g. skipping the mobile hotspot access network, fixed hotspot access network, and/or local infrastructure provider network, (paragraphs [0082] – [0090]), each Wi-Fi enabled AP broadcast the same SSID when using shared SSID implementation, where the various APs (e.g. fixed AP (FAPs) and/or mobile APs (MAPs) communicate wirelessly using different RF channels or frequency bands (paragraphs [0171] – [0174]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Patil and Lopes before him or her, to incorporate the variety of network level components using shared SSID as taught by Lopes, to improve the access point selection of Patil, for flexibly providing communication via different communication pathways. The motivation for doing so would have been to reduce the control overhead and reduce the size of control tables and tunneling, for example both in backend servers and in APs (e.g., Fixed APs and/or Mobile APs) (paragraph [0157] of Lopes).
Regarding claim 9, Patil and Lopes disclose the network communications system of claim 8, but Patil does not explicitly disclose wherein the level two node is configured to connect to the second backhaul access point provided by the level one node.
Lopes discloses the backbone provider network communicatively coupled to the first hotspot access network, the mobile hotspot access network, the end-user devices, and/or environment devices via one or more wireless links, where the information is communicated between via the mobile hotspot access network, the fixed hotspot access network, the local infrastructure provider network, and/or the backbone provider network, e.g. skipping the mobile hotspot access network, fixed hotspot access network, and/or local infrastructure provider network, (paragraphs [0082] – [0090]), each Wi-Fi enabled AP broadcast the same SSID when using shared SSID implementation, where the various APs (e.g. fixed AP (FAPs) and/or mobile APs (MAPs) communicate wirelessly using different RF channels or frequency bands (paragraphs [0171] – [0174]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Patil and Lopes before him or her, to incorporate the variety of network level components using shared SSID as taught by Lopes, to improve the access point selection of Patil, for flexibly providing communication via different communication pathways. The motivation for doing so would have been to reduce the control overhead and reduce the size of control tables and tunneling, for example both in backend servers and in APs (e.g., Fixed APs and/or Mobile APs) (paragraph [0157] of Lopes).
Regarding claim 10, Patil and Lopes disclose the network communications system of claim 9, but Patil does not explicitly disclose wherein, responsive to the level one node failing, the level two node is configured to connect to the first backhaul access point and to advertise the backhaul SSID to change roles in the network communications system from a level two node to a level one node.
Lopes discloses the backbone provider network communicatively coupled to the first hotspot access network, the mobile hotspot access network, the end-user devices, and/or environment devices via one or more wireless links, where the information is communicated between via the mobile hotspot access network, the fixed hotspot access network, the local infrastructure provider network, and/or the backbone provider network, e.g. skipping the mobile hotspot access network, fixed hotspot access network, and/or local infrastructure provider network, (paragraphs [0082] – [0090]), each Wi-Fi enabled AP broadcast the same SSID when using shared SSID implementation, where the various APs (e.g. fixed AP (FAPs) and/or mobile APs (MAPs) communicate wirelessly using different RF channels or frequency bands (paragraphs [0171] – [0174]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Patil and Lopes before him or her, to incorporate the variety of network level components using shared SSID as taught by Lopes, to improve the access point selection of Patil, for flexibly providing communication via different communication pathways. The motivation for doing so would have been to reduce the control overhead and reduce the size of control tables and tunneling, for example both in backend servers and in APs (e.g., Fixed APs and/or Mobile APs) (paragraph [0157] of Lopes).
Regarding claim 13, Patil and Lopes disclose the network communications system of claim 1 but Patil does not explicitly disclose further comprising an extension node configured to wirelessly communicate with the level zero node and the level one node using a first portion of the first WLAN frequency band, the level one node configured to communicate with the level zero node through the extension node, the level two node configured to wirelessly communicate with the level one node using a second portion of the first WLAN frequency band different from the first portion of the first WLAN frequency band.
Lopes discloses the backbone provider network communicatively coupled to the first hotspot access network, the mobile hotspot access network, the end-user devices, and/or environment devices via one or more wireless links, where the information is communicated between via the mobile hotspot access network, the fixed hotspot access network, the local infrastructure provider network, and/or the backbone provider network, e.g. skipping the mobile hotspot access network, fixed hotspot access network, and/or local infrastructure provider network, (paragraphs [0082] – [0090]), each Wi-Fi enabled AP broadcast the same SSID when using shared SSID implementation, where the various APs (e.g. fixed AP (FAPs) and/or mobile APs (MAPs) communicate wirelessly using different RF channels or frequency bands (paragraphs [0171] – [0174]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Patil and Lopes before him or her, to incorporate the variety of network level components using shared SSID as taught by Lopes, to improve the access point selection of Patil, for flexibly providing communication via different communication pathways. The motivation for doing so would have been to reduce the control overhead and reduce the size of control tables and tunneling, for example both in backend servers and in APs (e.g., Fixed APs and/or Mobile APs) (paragraph [0157] of Lopes).
Regarding claim 14, Patil discloses a method for provisioning a network communications system, the method comprising:
attaching, by a network node (tier-2 node), to a backhaul access point (first tier (“tier-1”) includes a first node that resemble a traditional Internet connection via a cable or direct subscriber line (DSL) connection or 3G/WiMax/Outdoor mesh, which includes a cable or DSL modem, a wireless router or bridge, and the like, to provide multiple communication paths to external network(s) such as the Internet, paragraph [0025]; tier-1 node is backhaul access point that connects to Internet) providing a backhaul network connection using a first wireless local area network (WLAN) frequency range (a second tier (“tier-2”) of the wireless mesh network (WMN or WM network) represent a wireless network backhaul that interconnects various stationary (fixed-location) OEM-specific wireless nodes adapted for communicating over a wireless communication medium such as radio frequency (RF) waves, where a tier-2 node operates as a wireless mesh node that wirelessly communicate with other mesh nodes using the appropriate mesh protocol and be configured by users to join one existing WMN, and the tier-2 node use the same network identification (SSID) when operating as APs in order to maintain a simple architecture and to ease roaming, paragraphs [0026] – [0028]; the tier-2 node is the network node that provides the backhaul network connection), the backhaul network associated with a backhaul service set identifier (SSID) (a second tier (“tier-2”) of the wireless mesh network (WMN or WM network) represent a wireless network backhaul that interconnects various stationary (fixed-location) OEM-specific wireless nodes adapted for communicating over a wireless communication medium such as radio frequency (RF) waves, where a tier-2 node operates as a wireless mesh node that wirelessly communicate with other mesh nodes using the appropriate mesh protocol and be configured by users to join one existing WMN, and the tier-2 node use the same network identification (SSID) when operating as APs in order to maintain a simple architecture and to ease roaming, paragraphs [0026] – [0028]; the tier-2 node is the network node that provides the backhaul network connection with the SSID).
However, Patil does not explicitly disclose “the backhaul access point having a base service set identifier (BSSID) associated therewith, the BSSID being a hardware address of the backhaul access point; obtaining, by the network node, a network address from a network address server and a hardware address of the network address server; comparing, by the network node, the BSSID to the hardware address of the network address server; responsive to determining that the BSSID is the same as the hardware address, assuming, by the network node, a role of a level one node in the network communications system by broadcasting a subscriber SSID that provides a subscriber network connection using a second WLAN frequency range and the backhaul SSID; and responsive to determining that the BSSID differs from the hardware address, assuming, by the network node, a role of a level two node in the network communications system by broadcasting the subscriber SSID but not the backhaul SSID.”
Lopes discloses the backbone provider network communicatively coupled to the first hotspot access network, the mobile hotspot access network, the end-user devices, and/or environment devices via one or more wireless links, where the information is communicated between via the mobile hotspot access network, the fixed hotspot access network, the local infrastructure provider network, and/or the backbone provider network, e.g. skipping the mobile hotspot access network, fixed hotspot access network, and/or local infrastructure provider network, (paragraphs [0082] – [0090]), the example modes include the end-user devices communicate directly to backbone provider network and/or directly to local infrastructure provider network via mobile hotspot access network, and end-user devices communicate directly to backbone provider network and/or to local infrastructure provider network via Fixed APs, where the communication flexibly occurs between end-user device and server via any variety of different communication pathways (paragraphs [0104] – [0131]), each Wi-Fi enabled AP using shared SSID and shared BSSID, where the various APs (e.g. fixed AP (FAPs) and/or mobile APs (MAPs) communicate wirelessly using different RF channels or frequency bands (paragraphs [0171] – [0174]), the first access point (e.g. FAP or MAP) allocates a unique wireless network identifier by broadcasting the wireless network identifier using RF interfaces including radio spectrum and communication protocols used for Wi-Fi, where the first access point requests assignment of network address from network node, and the first access point enables the wireless communication via the RF interfaces from the received network address (paragraph [0196]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Patil and Lopes before him or her, to incorporate the variety of network level components using shared SSID as taught by Lopes, to improve the access point selection of Patil, for flexibly providing communication via different communication pathways. The motivation for doing so would have been to reduce the control overhead and reduce the size of control tables and tunneling, for example both in backend servers and in APs (e.g., Fixed APs and/or Mobile APs) (paragraph [0157] of Lopes).
Regarding claim 15, Patil and Lopes disclose the method of claim 14 but Patil does not explicitly disclose further comprising, responsive to determining that the backhaul SSID is no longer being broadcast by a particular level one node, changing, by the network node, a role from a level two node to a level one node by attaching to the backhaul access point provided by a level zero node and broadcasting the backhaul SSID in addition to the subscriber SSID.
Lopes discloses the mobility manager (or controller) ensures communication session persist over one or more handoff(s) among different technologies (e.g. 802.11p, cellular, Wi-Fi, satellite, etc.), where the mobility controller is implemented as part of the backbone network, Fixed APs, etc. to support the mobility across different communication technologies as the Mobile APs migrate among Fixed APs (and/or Mobile APs) (paragraphs [0042], [0155]), the backbone provider network communicatively coupled to the first hotspot access network, the mobile hotspot access network, the end-user devices, and/or environment devices via one or more wireless links, where the information is communicated between via the mobile hotspot access network, the fixed hotspot access network, the local infrastructure provider network, and/or the backbone provider network, e.g. skipping the mobile hotspot access network, fixed hotspot access network, and/or local infrastructure provider network, (paragraphs [0082] – [0090]), the example modes include the end-user devices communicate directly to backbone provider network and/or directly to local infrastructure provider network via mobile hotspot access network, and end-user devices communicate directly to backbone provider network and/or to local infrastructure provider network via Fixed APs, where the communication flexibly occurs between end-user device and server via any variety of different communication pathways (paragraphs [0104] – [0131]), each Wi-Fi enabled AP using shared SSID and shared BSSID, where the various APs (e.g. fixed AP (FAPs) and/or mobile APs (MAPs) communicate wirelessly using different RF channels or frequency bands (paragraphs [0171] – [0174]), the first access point (e.g. FAP or MAP) allocates a unique wireless network identifier by broadcasting the wireless network identifier using RF interfaces including radio spectrum and communication protocols used for Wi-Fi, where the first access point requests assignment of network address from network node, and the first access point enables the wireless communication via the RF interfaces from the received network address (paragraph [0196]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Patil and Lopes before him or her, to incorporate the variety of network level components using shared SSID as taught by Lopes, to improve the access point selection of Patil, for flexibly providing communication via different communication pathways. The motivation for doing so would have been to reduce the control overhead and reduce the size of control tables and tunneling, for example both in backend servers and in APs (e.g., Fixed APs and/or Mobile APs) (paragraph [0157] of Lopes).
Regarding claim 16, Patil and Lopes disclose the method of claim 14, Patil discloses wherein the first WLAN frequency band comprises the 5 GHz frequency band (the WM network uses Wi-Fi radio operating in accordance with selected communication protocol (e.g., IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, etc.), where tier-2 nodes use 802.11n type radio (e.g. at 5GHz band) to support the backhaul link, paragraphs [0027], [0030]) and the second WLAN frequency band comprises the 2.4 GHz frequency band (the WM network uses Wi-Fi radio operating in accordance with selected communication protocol (e.g., IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, etc.), where the tier-3 node includes radio logic unit controlled by processor to tune and receive incoming wireless signals on particular channel and to transmit outgoing wireless signals to other nodes over that particular channel, and the tier-3 node scans for first wireless channel that is based on IEEE 802.11b, and scans for neighboring tier-2 node operating on different channel than the current tier-2 node, where the tier-3 node transmits message over the second wireless channel, paragraphs [0027], [0034], [0048]).
Regarding claim 17, Patil and Lopes disclose the method of claim 14 but Patil does not explicitly disclose further comprising dynamically provisioning, by the network node, a first subscriber tunnel to tunnel network traffic from a client coupled to the subscriber SSID.
Lopes discloses the example modes include the end-user devices communicate directly to backbone provider network and/or directly to local infrastructure provider network via mobile hotspot access network, and end-user devices communicate directly to backbone provider network and/or to local infrastructure provider network via Fixed APs, where the communication flexibly occurs between end-user device and server via any variety of different communication pathways (paragraphs [0104] – [0131]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Patil and Lopes before him or her, to incorporate the variety of network level components using shared SSID as taught by Lopes, to improve the access point selection of Patil, for flexibly providing communication via different communication pathways. The motivation for doing so would have been to reduce the control overhead and reduce the size of control tables and tunneling, for example both in backend servers and in APs (e.g., Fixed APs and/or Mobile APs) (paragraph [0157] of Lopes).
Regarding claim 18, Patil and Lopes disclose the method of claim 14 but Patil does not explicitly disclose further comprising dynamically provisioning, by the network node, a backhaul tunnel to tunnel network traffic from a client coupled to the subscriber SSID, the backhaul tunnel configured to tunnel packets from the level two node to a level zero node of the network communications system.
Lopes discloses the example modes include the end-user devices communicate directly to backbone provider network and/or directly to local infrastructure provider network via mobile hotspot access network, and end-user devices communicate directly to backbone provider network and/or to local infrastructure provider network via Fixed APs, where the communication flexibly occurs between end-user device and server via any variety of different communication pathways (paragraphs [0104] – [0131]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Patil and Lopes before him or her, to incorporate the variety of network level components using shared SSID as taught by Lopes, to improve the access point selection of Patil, for flexibly providing communication via different communication pathways. The motivation for doing so would have been to reduce the control overhead and reduce the size of control tables and tunneling, for example both in backend servers and in APs (e.g., Fixed APs and/or Mobile APs) (paragraph [0157] of Lopes).
Regarding claim 19, Patil and Lopes disclose the method of claim 14 but Patil does not explicitly disclose further comprising ceasing, by the network node, advertisement of the subscriber SSID and the backhaul SSID responsive to determining that there is no network connection from the network communications system to an external network.
Lopes discloses the example modes include the end-user devices communicate directly to backbone provider network and/or directly to local infrastructure provider network via mobile hotspot access network, and end-user devices communicate directly to backbone provider network and/or to local infrastructure provider network via Fixed APs, where the communication flexibly occurs between end-user device and server via any variety of different communication pathways (paragraphs [0104] – [0131]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Patil and Lopes before him or her, to incorporate the variety of network level components using shared SSID as taught by Lopes, to improve the access point selection of Patil, for flexibly providing communication via different communication pathways. The motivation for doing so would have been to reduce the control overhead and reduce the size of control tables and tunneling, for example both in backend servers and in APs (e.g., Fixed APs and/or Mobile APs) (paragraph [0157] of Lopes).
Regarding claim 20, Patil and Lopes disclose the method of claim 14 but Patil does not explicitly disclose further comprising, responsive to determining that a signal strength associated with the BSSID is below a threshold value, attaching, by the network node, to the backhaul network connection using a different backhaul access point having a different BSSID.
Lopes discloses the backbone provider network communicatively coupled to the first hotspot access network, the mobile hotspot access network, the end-user devices, and/or environment devices via one or more wireless links, where the information is communicated between via the mobile hotspot access network, the fixed hotspot access network, the local infrastructure provider network, and/or the backbone provider network, e.g. skipping the mobile hotspot access network, fixed hotspot access network, and/or local infrastructure provider network, (paragraphs [0082] – [0090]), the example modes include the end-user devices communicate directly to backbone provider network and/or directly to local infrastructure provider network via mobile hotspot access network, and end-user devices communicate directly to backbone provider network and/or to local infrastructure provider network via Fixed APs, where the communication flexibly occurs between end-user device and server via any variety of different communication pathways (paragraphs [0104] – [0131]), each Wi-Fi enabled AP using shared SSID and shared BSSID, where the various APs (e.g. fixed AP (FAPs) and/or mobile APs (MAPs) communicate wirelessly using different RF channels or frequency bands (paragraphs [0171] – [0174]), the first access point (e.g. FAP or MAP) allocates a unique wireless network identifier by broadcasting the wireless network identifier using RF interfaces including radio spectrum and communication protocols used for Wi-Fi, where the first access point requests assignment of network address from network node, and the first access point enables the wireless communication via the RF interfaces from the received network address, where the first access point determine whether a quality is satisfactory during a communication with end-user, such as a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), an error rate, or other suitable metric (paragraph [0196]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Patil and Lopes before him or her, to incorporate the variety of network level components using shared SSID as taught by Lopes, to improve the access point selection of Patil, for flexibly providing communication via different communication pathways. The motivation for doing so would have been to reduce the control overhead and reduce the size of control tables and tunneling, for example both in backend servers and in APs (e.g., Fixed APs and/or Mobile APs) (paragraph [0157] of Lopes).
Claims 11 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Patil et al (US Patent Application Publication 2011/0032913) in view of Lopes et al (US Patent Application Publication 2017/0311249), and further in view of Visuri et al (US Patent Application Publication 2014/0293829). Hereinafter Patil, Lopes, and Visuri.
Regarding claim 11, Patil and Lopes disclose the network communications system of claim 1, but do not explicitly disclose wherein the level one node is further configured to advertise a point of sale (POS) SSID to provide a POS access point.
Visuri discloses the system that provides alternative network access, where the wireless operators sponsor one or more access points owned and/or operated by connectivity providers to provide connectivity services to mobile devices contracted with the wireless operators, including the ANAP (alternative network access provider) indicating various payment and/or billing are possible based on the relationships of the services sponsors and consumers, and the access points belong to network of hotspots controlled by a wireless operator or wireless ISP that offers fixed fee or other special pricing to subscribers of their services, where the hotspot access point provide information identifying whether the mobile devices is a subscriber that belongs to the group (for example in its SSID) (paragraphs [0044], [0102]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Patil, Lopes, and Visuri before him or her, to incorporate the alternative network access provider as taught by Visuri, to improve the modified access point selection of Patil-Lopes for providing appropriate crediting of charging records to accolade the costs according to the sponsorship arrangements (paragraph [0079] of Visuri).
Regarding claim 12, Patil, Lopes, and Visuri the network communications system of claim 11, but Patil and Lopes do not explicitly disclose wherein the level two node is further configured to advertise the POS SSID to provide a second POS access point.
Visuri discloses the system that provides alternative network access, where the wireless operators sponsor one or more access points owned and/or operated by connectivity providers to provide connectivity services to mobile devices contracted with the wireless operators, including the ANAP (alternative network access provider) indicating various payment and/or billing are possible based on the relationships of the services sponsors and consumers, and the access points belong to network of hotspots controlled by a wireless operator or wireless ISP that offers fixed fee or other special pricing to subscribers of their services, where the hotspot access point provide information identifying whether the mobile devices is a subscriber that belongs to the group (for example in its SSID) (paragraphs [0044], [0102]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Patil, Lopes, and Visuri before him or her, to incorporate the alternative network access provider as taught by Visuri, to improve the modified access point selection of Patil-Lopes for providing appropriate crediting of charging records to accolade the costs according to the sponsorship arrangements (paragraph [0079] of Visuri).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
GUNASEKARA et al (US Patent Application publication 2018/0279391) – the wireless network of access points comprises so-called “parent access points” (PAPs), “child access points” (CAPs), and “transit access points” (TAPs), where each PAP operates as a service gateway and provides a wireless coverage area, which is further augmented by the coverages of its subsidiary CAPs, each TAP connects to either a PAP or a CAP for backhaul access, and a user’s Wi-Fi client device connects to a TAP located in the vehicle (e.g., car, train, bus, etc.), and provides connectivity to a host managed content distribution network to which the user subscribes
GUNASEKARA et al (US Patent Application publication 2018/0352473) – the first network is a managed content delivery network that includes one or more wireless access points (APs) in data communication with a backend controller which communicates with a dedicated background scanner, where the background scanner scans for coexisting networks within the venue, and reports this to the controller to dynamically adjusts transmit characteristics of the AP(s) to manage interference between the coexisting networks, or to cause the energy detect threshold of a client device to be lowered so that the device may detect WLAN signals in a scenario where a coexisting RAT (for example, LTE-U or LTE-LAA) occupies the same channel and/or frequency
GUNASEKARA et al (US Patent Application publication 2019/0149443) – the network includes one or more access points (APs) in data communication with a cable modem, which in turn communicates with managed network entities via a backhaul connection, where each AP provides connectivity to client devices as well as monitor the operation of other network components including the cable modem via logic indigenous to the AP, and invoke corrective action when failures or degraded performance is detected, and the logic runs on the AP including both diagnostic and self-healing functionality to enable at least partial automated diagnosis, localization, and recovery from faults
JAYAWARDENE et al (US Patent Application publication 2019/0320494) – the network architecture having service delivery over at least portions of extant infrastructure (e.g., a hybrid fiber coax infrastructure) which includes standards-compliant ultra-low latency and high data rate services (e.g., 5G NR services) via a common service provider, where premises devices are used to provide the 5G-based services to users at a given premises and thereabouts, and local area (e.g., “pole mounted”) radio devices are used to provide supplemental RF coverage including during mobility scenarios, in which the 5G-capable network enables uninterrupted and “seamless” exchange of data at a client device by utilizing a common waveform protocol (e.g., 3GPP-based) at a premises device and an external radio device to communicate with a client device at different locations and times while the device is moving between inside and outside the premises
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/Kai Chang/Examiner, Art Unit 2468
/Thomas R Cairns/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2468
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