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 .
Claims 1-11 and 13 are pending in the instant application.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of foreign priority document(s) [KR-10-2022-0063619; KR-10-2022-0067754], however translation(s) of said application(s) has not been made of record in accordance with 37 CFR 1.55.
Should applicant desire to obtain the benefit of foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), a certified English translation of the foreign application(s) must be submitted in reply to this action. 37 CFR 41.154(b) and 41.202(e). When an English language translation of a non-English language foreign application is required, the translation must be that of the certified copy (of the foreign application as filed) submitted together with a statement that the translation of the certified copy is accurate. See MPEP §§ 215 and 216.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 08/06/2026 was filed before the mailing of a First Office Action on the Merits. 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.
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 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 non-obviousness.
Claims 1-11 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han et al. [Han] (US 2021/0400717 A1) in view of MINOTANI et al. [Minotani] (US 2025/0126607 A1).
Regarding claim 1,
Han discloses a method comprising: obtaining, by a first station (STA), channel information based on a first downlink (DL) frame received from a first access point (AP) (Han: ¶ 0042, Referring to FIG. 2, the first wireless communication apparatus 21 may include an antenna 21_2, a transceiver 21_ 4, and a processing circuitry 21_6. ¶ 0043, The antenna 21_2 may receive a signal from the second wireless communication apparatus 22 and provide the signal to the transceiver 21_ 4, and may transmit a signal provided from the transceiver 21_ 4 to the second wireless communication apparatus 22. ¶ 0093, In operation S111, the first access point AP1 may transmit the frame 120. ¶ 0095, in operation S112, the second station STA2 may determine a path loss (that is, PL12b of FIG. 8B) between the first access point AP1 and the second station STA2. For example, the second station STA2 may measure the reception power of the frame S111 and calculate the path loss as a difference between the measured reception power and the transmit power information included in the frame 120; [Examiner’s Note: Han discloses STA measuring reception power from frame (channel information) based on frame from AP1 (first AP)]);
transmitting, by the first STA, the channel information to a second AP (Han: ¶ 0096, In operation S113, the second station STA2 may report the path loss. For example, the second station STA2 may transmit a signal including information on the path loss determined in operation S112 to the second access point AP2; [Examiner’s Note: Han discloses STA transmitting the frame-derived channel/path-loss information to the second AP]);
and receiving, by the first STA, a second DL frame based on coordinated spatial reuse (C-SR) based on the channel information (Han: ¶ 0101, At time t12, the first access point AP1 may transmit the first PPDU PPDU1 to the first station STA1 in the shared TXOP, and the second access point AP2 may transmit the second PPDU PPDU2 to the second station STA2 in the shared TXOP; [Examiner’s Note: Han discloses the DL/DL coordinated-spatial-reuse operation in which AP2 transmits the second PPDU to the station in the shared TXOP. Han also teaches use of measured reception power/path loss to control the transmission power in C-SR.]).
Han does not explicitly disclose, within at least one resource unit (RU).
However, Minotani teaches within at least one resource unit (RU) [for the first DL frame] (Minotani: ¶ 0138, the user information of the TF may notify of spatial stream allocation information for each AP/STA and transmission signal power of a spatial division C-SR signal. ¶ 0139, An AID12 subfield of the user information includes information indicating a destination. ¶ 0140, The destination of the control information regarding spatial division C-SR is notified of a type of spatial
stream information, which is notified of by an SS Allocation/RA-RU Information subfield; [Examiner’s Note: Minotani teaches RU/resource indication associated with the C-SR TF]).
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 teachings of Han by further including, within at least one resource unit (RU), as taught by Minotani, in order to provide an explicit RU-associated C-SR transmission while permitting the shared AP to use measured channel conditions to control the coordinated DL transmission and thereby reduce interference.
Regarding claim 2, Han in view of Minotani teaches the method of claim 1.
Han further teaches wherein: transmission of the second DL frame is based on a C-SR trigger frame transmitted by the second AP (Han: ¶ 0101, At time t12, the first access point AP1 may transmit the first PPDU PPDU1 to the first station STA1 in the shared TXOP… ¶ 0099, The shared access point may control or perform the transmission of the shared BSS based on information included in the announcement frame AF. ¶ 0095, in operation S112, the second station STA2 may determine a path loss (that is, PL12b of FIG. 8B) between the first access point AP1 and the second station STA2. For example, the second station STA2 may measure the reception power of the frame S111 and calculate the path loss as a difference between the measured reception power and the transmit power information included in the frame 120; [Examiner’s Note: Han discloses receiving report indication from second AP triggering the report]).
Regarding claim 3, Han in view of Minotani teaches the method of claim 2.
Han does not explicitly disclose wherein: the C-SR trigger frame includes at least one of information about an STA to which the second DL frame is to be transmitted or information about an RU to which the second DL frame is to be transmitted.
However, Minotani teaches wherein: the C-SR trigger frame includes at least one of information about an STA to which the second DL frame is to be transmitted or information about an RU to which the second DL frame is to be transmitted (Minotani: ¶ 0139, An AID12 subfield of the user information includes information indicating a destination (destination apparatus) of the control information regarding spatial division C-SR. The information indicating the destination is, for example, an identifier of an AP/STA. ¶ 0140, The destination …notified of by an SS Allocation/RA-RU Information subfield; [Examiner’s Note: Minotani teaches the AID12 field supplies destination identification, while the SS Allocation/RA-RU structure supplies the claimed resource indication. Minotani further states that the multi-AP TF provides spatial-stream allocation information for each AP/STA and that the AP transmits the C-SR signal to destination STAs]).
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 teachings of Han by further including, the C-SR trigger frame includes at least one of information about an STA to which the second DL frame is to be transmitted or information about an RU to which the second DL frame is to be transmitted, as taught by Minotani, in order to allow the second AP to identify both the intended STA and/or resource for the coordinated DL transmission.
Regarding claim 4, Han in view of Minotani teaches the method of claim 2.
Han further teaches wherein: the C-SR trigger frame includes at least one of a transmission power of the second AP, a transmission power limit value for the first AP, an acceptable interference level of the second AP, a transmission opportunity (TXOP) duration, or a length of the second DL frame (Han: ¶ 0099, The third field 133 may include information on a period in which the PPDU transmission is performed in the shared TXOP… The fifth field 135 may include the transmit power limit (TPL) as described above with reference to FIG. 6. The sixth field 136 may include the tolerable interference limit (TIL) as described above with reference to FIG. 10; [Examiner’s Note: Han discloses XTOP duration (field 133), transmit power limit (field 135), and tolerable interference limit (field 136); Only one limitation is required to meet the claimed subject matter. Emphasis Added.]).
Regarding claim 5, Han in view of Minotani teaches the method of claim 2.
Han does not explicitly disclose wherein: the C-SR trigger frame includes at least one of padding bits or a dummy signal.
However, Minotani teaches wherein: the C-SR trigger frame includes at least one of padding bits or a dummy signal (Minotani: ¶ 0246, the sharing AP includes the length information regarding the reference signal in a dummy length subfield of User Info of the MAP TF. ¶ 0249, the AP generates a C-SR signal including a dummy field before a reference signal; [Examiner’s Note: Minotani teaches dummy signaling in C-SR; Only one limitation is required to meet the claimed subject matter. Emphasis Added.]).
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 teachings of Han by further including, the C-SR trigger frame includes…a dummy signal, as taught by Minotani, in order to reduce an effect of interference caused by phase rotation that occurs between reference signals, thereby improving accuracy of channel estimation.
Regarding claim 6, Han in view of Minotani teaches the method of claim 1.
Han does not explicitly disclose wherein: at least one RU is indicated by the second AP to which the first DL frame is transmitted.
However, Minotani teaches wherein: at least one RU is indicated by the second AP to which the first DL frame is transmitted (Minotani: ¶ 0140, The destination of the control information regarding spatial division C-SR is notified of a type of spatial
stream information, which is notified of by an SS Allocation/RA-RU Information subfield; [Examiner’s Note: Minotani teaches RU/resource indication associated with the C-SR TF]).
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 teachings of Han by further including, at least one RU is indicated by the second AP to which the first DL frame is transmitted, as taught by Minotani, in order to eliminate interference and maximize wireless spectrum efficiency.
Regarding claim 7, Han in view of Minotani teaches the method of claim 1.
Han further teaches wherein: the DL frame includes at least one of a null data physical protocol data unit (PPDU) (NDP) or a management frame (Han: ¶ 0094, The frame 120 of FIG. 12 may be an arbitrary frame including the first field 121 and the second field 122, for example, a beacon frame or a trigger frame; [Examiner’s Note: A beacon is a management frame; Only one limitation is required to meet the claimed subject matter. Emphasis Added.]).
Regarding claim 8, Han in view of Minotani teaches the method of claim 1.
Han further teaches wherein: based on information indicating to report the channel information from the second AP being received, the channel information is transmitted to the second AP (Han: ¶ 0095, in operation S112, the second station STA2 may determine a path loss (that is, PL12b of FIG. 8B) between the first access point AP1 and the second station STA2. For example, the second station STA2 may measure the reception power of the frame S111 and calculate the path loss as a difference between the measured reception power and the transmit power information included in the frame 120. ¶ 0096, In operation S113, the second station STA2 may report the path loss. For example, the second station STA2 may transmit a signal including information on the path loss determined in operation S112 to the second access point AP2; [Examiner’s Note: Han discloses STA transmitting the frame-derived channel/path-loss information to the second AP].
Regarding claim 9, Han in view of Minotani teaches the method of claim 1.
Han further teaches wherein: the channel information includes at least one of received signal strength indication (RSSI), Rx Power Indicator (RPI), Avg Noise Power Indicator (ANPI), Idle Power Indicator (IPI), Rx Channel Power Indicator (RCPI), or Rx Signal to Noise Indicator (RSNI) obtained based on the first DL frame (Han: ¶ 0095, the second station STA2 may measure the reception power of the frame S111 and calculate the path loss as a difference between the measured reception power and the transmit power information included in the frame 120; [Examiner’s Note: Han teaches the measured reception power which is a received signal power indication corresponding to the RSSI/Rx-power type of channel information. The measurement is made from the received first frame; Only one limitation is required to meet the claimed subject matter. Emphasis Added.]).
Regarding claim 10, Han in view of Minotani teaches the method according to claim 1.
Han further teaches wherein: the first AP is an overlapping basic service set (OBSS) AP, and the second AP is a BSS AP (Han: ¶ 0037, overlapping basic service set (OBSS) environment in which a plurality of access points and a plurality of stations exist. ¶ 0040, In addition, the access point associated with the first transmission (that is, acquiring the TXOP) may be referred to as a sharing access point, and the BSS provided by the sharing access point may be referred to as a sharing BSS. ¶ 0099, The shared access point may control or perform the transmission of the shared BSS based on information included in the announcement frame AF; [Examiner’s Note: Han teaches first AP and second AP in separate BSSs in the OBSS environment, and the second AP provides the BSS receiving the coordinate second transmission, which supplies the claimed OBSS/BSS AP relationship]).
Features of claims 11 and 13 correspond to features of claim 1 and are therefore rejected using the same rationale(s) and same prior art(s) applied to claim 1, above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Cheria et al. (US A1); Cheria et al. teaches ways for nearby Wi‑Fi access points to coordinate with each other without a wired backhaul connection. One access point wins access to the wireless medium and gets a transmission opportunity, then uses over-the-air signaling to find other access points that can reuse the same time/frequency resources. The winning access point may first poll its own station or nearby access points, and those devices may report signal-strength or interference-related measurements. Based on those reports, the access point selects which neighboring access points are safe to include in coordinated reuse. The selected access points can then transmit together during the same TXOP, either in downlink or uplink mode. The application also covers multiple signaling formats, including SR poll frames, SR response frames, MU-RTS/CTS-based polling, and null-packet trigger frames. In some examples, the poll frame includes scheduling information such as slot sizes, durations, or sub-band allocations. The selection decision can be based on criteria such as maximum allowed transmit power or acceptable interference based on SIR/MCS. The system is designed for un-managed APs, meaning APs from different vendors or operators that still coordinate over the air. The goal is to let more APs reuse the medium at once while reducing interference and improving throughput. See [¶¶ 0002, 112-115. 139-143, 153-160, 165-170].
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MAJDI ALSOMIRI whose telephone number is (571) 270-0427. The examiner can normally be reached 7AM-5PM. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ayman Abaza can be reached at (571) 270-0422. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/M.A./Examiner, Art Unit 2465
/AYMAN A ABAZA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465
Prosecution Insights