√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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because some of the texts shown in both FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are blurry. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
The description on page 1 of the specification under Cross Reference to Related Patent Application omits the statement that this application is a national stage application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/CN2023/126904, filed on October 26, 2023.
Additionally, the specification fails to describe the operation of Figures 4 and 5.
Correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-20 are objected to because of the following informalities:
1. (Proposed Amendment) A method, comprising:
constructing a randomized extreme-high throughput (EHT) long training field (EHT-LTF) sequence of an EHT format secure ranging null data packet (NDP); and
performing ranging in a 320MHz bandwidth using the EHT format secure ranging NDP,
wherein the EHT format secure ranging NDP conforms to a format selected from the group consisting of an EHT secure ranging NDP and an EHT trigger-based (TB) secure ranging NDP.
9. (Proposed Amendment) The method of Claim 5, wherein the tone mapping and puncturing comprise[[s]]:
mapping the 64QAM symbols of the first 80MHz sequence, the second 80MHz sequence, the third 80MHz sequence, and the fourth 80MHz sequence; and
after the mapping, replacing each of one or more punctured tones with a value of 0.
10. (Proposed Amendment) The method of Claim 5, wherein the tone mapping and puncturing comprise[[s]] replacing each of one or more punctured tones with a value of 0 during mapping of the 64QAM symbols of the first 80MHz sequence, the second 80MHz sequence, the third 80MHz sequence, and the fourth 80MHz sequence.
11. (Proposed Amendment) An apparatus, comprising: a processor comprising circuity configured to perform operations comprising:
constructing a randomized extreme-high throughput (EHT) long training field (EHT-LTF) sequence of an EHT format secure ranging null data packet (NDP); and
performing ranging in a 320MHz bandwidth using the EHT format secure ranging NDP,
wherein the EHT format secure ranging NDP conforms to a format selected from the group consisting of an EHT secure ranging NDP and an EHT trigger-based (TB) secure ranging NDP.
19. (Proposed Amendment) The apparatus of Claim 15, wherein the tone mapping and puncturing comprise[[s]]:
mapping the 64QAM symbols of the first 80MHz sequence, the second 80MHz sequence, the third 80MHz sequence, and the fourth 80MHz sequence; and
after the mapping, replacing each of one or more punctured tones with a value of 0.
20. (Proposed Amendment) The apparatus of Claim 15, wherein the tone mapping and puncturing comprise[[s]] replacing each of one or more punctured tones with a value of 0 during mapping of the 64QAM symbols of the first 80MHz sequence, the second 80MHz sequence, the third 80MHz sequence, and the fourth 80MHz sequence.
Claims 2-8 depend either directly or indirectly from claim 1, therefore they are also objected.
Claims 12-18 depend either directly or indirectly from claim 11, therefore they are also objected.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 1 and 11 are vague and indefinite. For example, each of the claims first introduces: “...an EHT format secure ranging null data packet (NDP);” (using the indefinite article “an”). In the second clause, it states: “using the EHT format secure ranging NDP,” (properly using the definite article “the” to point back to the first NDP). However, in the wherein clause, it states: “wherein the EHT format secure ranging NDP is either of two types comprising an EHT secure ranging NDP and an EHT trigger-based (TB) secure ranging NDP”. It is unclear if “the EHT format secure ranging NDP” refers generally to any NDP of this type (a broad limitation on the nature of the format), or specifically to the particular instance of the NDP constructed/used in the previous steps. See the proposed amendments to the claims by the examiner in the claim objections.
Claims 2-10 depend either directly or indirectly from claim 1, therefore they are also rejected.
Claims 12-20 depend either directly or indirectly from claim 11, therefore they are also rejected.
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 nonobviousness.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lim et al. (US 12,238,575 B2), hereinafter “Lim” in view of KIM et al. (US 2022/0377603 A1), hereinafter “Kim”.
Lim discloses a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) system in FIG. 19 comprising at least: a transceiver (630) configured to transmit and/or receive a wireless signal; and a processor (610) coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: generate an Extremely High Throughput (EHT) Physical Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) including a legacy signal (L-SIG) field, a repeated L-SIG (RL-SIG) field, a control signal field being contiguous to the RL-SIG field, an EHT Short Training Field (STF), and an EHT Long Training Field (LTF) which is contiguous to the EHT STF, wherein the L-SIG field includes a length field, the length field is set to a value satisfying a condition that a remainder is zero when the length field is divided by three, and the remainder differentiates the EHT PPDU from a High Efficiency (HE) PPDU, wherein the RL-SIG field is a repeat of the L-SIG field and is contiguous to the L-SIG field, wherein the RL-SIG field and the control signal field are configured based on Binary Phase-Shift Keying (BPSK), wherein the control signal field includes first information related to a physical version of the EHT PPDU, second information related to a bandwidth of the EHT PPDU, third information related to a basic service set (BSS) color, fourth information related to a transmission opportunity (TXOP), and fifth information related to a PPDU type, wherein the fifth information has a length of two bits, and a value of the fifth information indicates a single user (SU) transmission or a trigger-based (TB) PPDU, and wherein the first information has a length of three bits and is set to zero for the EHT PPDU; and transmit the EHT PPDU.
Lim also teaches that the EHT standard may support a wide bandwidth (e.g., a bandwidth of 320 MHz or more), 16 streams, and/or multi-link (or multi-band) operation (Col. 26, lines 63-67).
Lim further teaches that when a first puncturing pattern is applied, puncturing may be applied only to the secondary 20 MHz band within the 80 MHz band. For example, when a second puncturing pattern is applied, puncturing may be applied to only any one of two secondary 20 MHz bands included in the secondary 40 MHz band within the 80 MHz band. For example, when a third puncturing pattern is applied, puncturing may be applied to only the secondary 20 MHz band included in the primary 80 MHz band within the 160 MHz band (or 80+80 MHz band). For example, when a fourth puncturing is applied, puncturing may be applied to at least one 20 MHz channel not belonging to a primary 40 MHz band in the presence of the primary 40 MHz band included in the 80 MHz band within the 160 MHz band (or 80+80 MHz band). Col. 22, lines 4-19.
Regarding claim 11, Lim discloses an apparatus (WLAN system in FIG. 19), comprising: a processor (processor 610) comprising circuity (transceiver 630) configured to perform operations comprising: constructing a randomized extreme-high throughput (EHT) long training field (EHT-LTF) sequence (construction of an Extremely High Throughput (EHT) Physical Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) containing an EHT Long Training Field (EHT-LTF)) of an EHT format secure ranging null data packet (NDP) (an EHT PPDU packet structure consisting of training fields (STF/LTF) and signaling fields, but no data payload (the architectural baseline of an NDP)); and performing ranging in a 320MHz bandwidth using the EHT format secure ranging NDP (the EHT standard supports a wide bandwidth, specifically citing “a bandwidth of 320 MHz or more” and discloses ranging operations using Wi-Fi packets), wherein the EHT format secure ranging NDP is either of two types comprising an EHT secure ranging NDP and an EHT trigger-based (TB) secure ranging NDP (discloses EHT standard protocol variants, signal routing, and control signal fields capable of accommodating trigger contexts, and standard vs. Trigger-Based (TB) variants for multi-user up-link ranging orchestration. Implementing both standard and trigger-based variants is an obvious design choice based on whether the ranging is initiated standalone or scheduled by an Access Point).
However, Lim does not explicitly show or teach constructing a randomized extreme-high throughput (EHT) long training field (EHT-LTF) sequence of an EHT format secure ranging null data packet (NDP).
Kim also relates to a wireless local area network (WLAN) system in FIG. 19 comprising at least: a transceiver (630) configured to transmit and/or receive a wireless signal; and a processor (610) coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform the operations of: receiving, from a receiving STA, an allocation of a first resource unit (RU) and a second RU; generating a physical protocol data unit (PPDU) including a first data field, a second data field, and data duplication information, wherein the second data field is generated by duplicating the first data field, wherein the data duplication information includes information related to that the first data field and the second data field are the same; and transmitting, to the receiving STA, the PPDU, wherein the first data field is transmitted through the first RU and the second data field is transmitted through the second RU (claim 1).
Kim also teaches processor-based operations for processing Wi-Fi frame structures, cryptographic randomization or secure sequence generation for secure ranging, and secure ranging methods specifically utilizing Null Data Packets (NDPs).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to randomize Lim’s EHT-LTF sequence by using Kim’s security protocols to optimize Lim’s EHT PPDU frame into an NDP format to execute the ranging protocols taught by Kim. The motivation to combine Lim and Kim is heavily driven by technological evolution (the transition of secure Wi-Fi ranging protocols into newer, wider IEEE 802.11be/Wi-Fi 7 EHT channels). A person having ordinary skill in the art (POSITA ) would look at the 320 MHz EHT frame architecture of Lim and naturally apply the secure ranging and NDP modifications taught by Kim to improve time-of-flight (ToF) accuracy and prevent replay/spoofing attacks.
Regarding claim 1, because claim 1 is a method claim, the operational steps recited correspond in scope and substance to the structural features recited in apparatus claim 11 for the same reasons set forth in connection with claim 11 above.
Regarding Claims 2-3 and 12-13, Lim discloses a control signal field being contiguous to the RL-SIG field. Further, in the 802.11be architecture, this control field is universally standard-defined as the Universal Signal (U-SIG) field. It is also well-known and common knowledge that preamble puncturing and the utilization of the “Punctured Channel Info” subfield inside the U-SIG to indicate allocation across a 320 MHz band are rigid, mandatory components defined by the IEEE 802.11be specification itself to prevent interference in wideband channels. Because both Lim and Kim are operated within the constraints of the EHT standard, applying a standard-specified puncturing pattern (as detailed in 802.11be) to a 320 MHz EHT frame structure represents nothing more than adhering to the industry standard.
Regarding claims 4 and 14, each claim specifies that constructing the randomized EHT-LTF sequence involves expanding the randomized High-Efficiency (HE) long training field sequence from the IEEE 802.11az specification up into the broader 320MHz EHT framework. It is not new in the art that IEEE 802.11az explicitly introduced randomized HE-LTFs for secure ranging to mitigate “man-in-the-middle” or preamble-injection distance-fraud attacks. When the Wi-Fi standard transitioned from High-Efficiency (HE / Wi-Fi 6) to Extremely High Throughput (EHT / Wi-Fi 7), scaling subcarrier sequence configurations (like LTFs) to accommodate wider bandwidths (such as 320MHz) was the standard protocol roadmap. Therefore, taking a secure sequence generation rule from a preceding generation standard (802.11az HE-LTF) and mathematically extending or expanding it to fill a wider channel bandwidth (320MHz EHT-LTF) in an EHT packet structure is nothing more than applying a known technique to a known system to achieve a completely predictable result.
Regarding claims 5 and 15, as applied to claims 1 and 11, respectively, wherein the constructing of the randomized EHT-LTF sequence comprises: generating a pseudorandom sequence (Kim teaches the constructing of a randomized or cryptographically secure sequence for secure ranging); parsing, with a segment parser, the pseudorandom sequence as a plurality of pseudorandom octets among a first 80MHz sequence corresponding to a first 80MHz frequency segment, a second 80MHz sequence corresponding to a second 80MHz frequency segment, a third 80MHz sequence corresponding to a third 80MHz frequency segment, and a fourth 80MHz sequence corresponding to a fourth 80MHz frequency segment of the 320MHz bandwidth (by standard EHT architecture: In IEEE 802.11 standards, a 320 MHz channel is natively treated as a combination of four discrete 80 MHz channels. Segment parsers are standard structural elements used to distribute data across multiple frequency segments in wideband operations); modulating, with a 64 quadrature amplitude modulation (64QAM) modulator, the plurality of pseudorandom octets to 64QAM symbols; and tone mapping and puncturing the 64QAM symbols of the first 80MHz sequence, the second 80MHz sequence, the third 80MHz sequence and the fourth 80MHz sequence. In standard wireless practices: 64QAM modulation, tone mapping, and preamble/channel puncturing (e.g., to avoid preamble interference or handle DFS channels) are baseline features of EHT (Wi-Fi 7) systems. Therefore, a POSITA implementing a 320 MHz EHT system by Lim and utilizing secure ranging by Kim would be forced by basic communication theory and standard specs to partition the wideband signal into four 80 MHz blocks using a standard segment parser. Modulating those streams with standard constellations (64QAM) and applying puncturing to dodge sub-channel interference are routine engineering choices that yield completely predictable results.
Regarding claims 6-8 and 16-18, the punctured channel info subfield in the U-SIG field is an architectural anchor introduced in the EHT (Wi-Fi 7) standard and Lim teaches the control signaling chain (contiguous to RL-SIG, which is where the universal signal (U-SIG) field the U-SIG resides in EHT PPDUs). Therefore, replacing punctured tones with 0 (nulling/dropping) is the standard mathematical method for handling subchannel puncturing in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM/OFDMA) systems. When an 80MHz sub-band (or a 20/40MHz portion within it) is blocked by narrowband interference, the transmitter sets those subcarrier values (tones) to zero to prevent transmitting energy over the unauthorized or blocked frequency. Setting subcarriers to zero based on a dynamic bitmask field in the preamble is a routine implementation of the EHT preamble puncturing framework.
Regarding claims 9 and 19, mapping 64QAM symbols across four distinct 80 MHz sequences (which collectively form the 320 MHz bandwidth taught by Lim). In 320 MHz EHT transmissions, the bandwidth in Wi-Fi 7 Mechanics is natively treated as four concatenated 80 MHz channels. Puncturing (nulling out parts of the spectrum to avoid interference or DFS channels) is a fundamental feature of EHT. It is also a standard engineering practice in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) systems, “replacing punctured tones with a value of 0” is the standard mathematical implementation to ensure no power is allocated to those subcarriers during the IFFT (Inverse Fast Fourier Transform) stage. Therefore, performing the 64QAM mapping first and then zeroing out (puncturing) the disallowed tones represents a normal, predictable sequence of transmitter digital signal processing steps.
Regarding claims 10 and 20, in standard IEEE 802.11ax and IEEE 802.11be, preamble puncturing allows a transmitter to avoid transmitting on an 80MHz sub-channel or specific Resource Units (RUs) that are experiencing interference. When a tone is punctured, the standard practice to prevent energy transmission on that specific frequency is to set its mathematical value to 0 before processing it through the Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT). Because this is already explicitly specified or implicitly required by established wireless communication standards to achieve standard-compliant puncturing, replacing each of one or more punctured tones with a value of 0 during mapping of the 64QAM symbols of the first 80MHz sequence, the second 80MHz sequence, the third 80MHz sequence and the fourth 80MHz sequence is not new in the art because replacing omitted, blocked, or punctured data symbols with zero during tone-mapping to maintain symbol alignment across an OFDM grid is a textbook engineering solution. Further applying this well-known zeroing technique specifically to 64QAM symbols across a 320MHz bandwidth (split into four 80MHz segments) is a routine, predictable application of existing technology to a wider channel width. Therefore, replaces the punctured tones with 0 simultaneously during the mapping layout step by choosing one sequence over the other provides no unexpected structural or functional wireless performance enhancement, it would be entirely obvious to a Person Having Ordinary Skill in the Art (PHOSITA) to implement either timing scheme based on standard hardware optimization.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Chen et al. (US 2021/0144752 A1) relates to an extremely high throughput (EHT) station (STA) configured for trigger based (TB) transmission to decode a trigger frame (TF) received from an access point (AP). The TF may include an assignment of resources comprising one or more 20 MHz channels. The EHT STA may determine which of the one or more assigned channels are available for transmission and which of the allocated channels are unavailable when the EHT STA is assigned more than one 20 MHz channel. The EHT STA may encode an EHT TB PPDU in response to the trigger frame. The EHT TB PPDU may be encoded to include an EHT preamble followed by a data field. The EHT preamble may be encoded to indicate channel availability. The EHT STA may generate signaling to cause the EHT STA to transmit the encoded EHT TB PPDU only on the assigned channels that have been determined to be available.
Lim et al. (US 2021/0385830 A1) relates to a transmission STA generates first and second LTF symbols. The transmission STA transmits EHT PPDU comprising the first and second LTF symbols to a reception STA. The first and second LTF symbols are generated on the basis of an LTF sequence for first to fourth spatial streams. In the first LTF symbol, the LTF sequence for the first to fourth spatial streams is mapped to tones in four tone units in a frequency domain. In the second LTF symbol, the LTF sequence for the first to fourth spatial streams is mapped to tones in four tone units in a frequency domain. The LTF sequence, for the first to fourth spatial streams, mapped to the frequency domain of the second LTF symbol is mapped to a tone by means of cyclic shifting, by two tones, the LTF sequence, for the first to fourth spatial streams, mapped to the frequency domain of the first LTF symbol.
Chen et al. (US 2021/0399923 A1) relates to EHT training fields. A device may send a trigger frame having a type of HE null data packet (NDP) feedback, wherein the trigger frame requests feedback from a station device (STA) of one or more station device (STA). The device may receive a frame from the STA, wherein the frame comprises a HE long training field (HE-LTF) portion and a HE short training field (HE-STF), wherein the HE-STF is generated in a frequency domain over a first bandwidth. The device may identify that the HE-LTF comprises energy on a set of tones, wherein the set of tones are selected based on feedback status values associated with a resource unit (RU) tone set index. The device may identify that the HE-STF comprises a second set of tones that are energized based on a sequence that is selected based on the first bandwidth used for the frame.
Yu et al. (US 2023/0422230 A1) relates to a method includes: receiving, by an EHT station, an NFRP trigger frame; determining whether a resource for scheduling the EHT station is in an EHT modulation bandwidth or an HE modulation bandwidth based on information in the NFRP trigger frame; and sending an EHT TB NDP if the resource is in the EHT modulation bandwidth; or sending an HE TB NDP if the resource is in the HE modulation bandwidth, where the NFRP trigger frame includes a first user information field, and is used to schedule the EHT station to send the HE TB NDP in the HE modulation bandwidth and send the EHT TB NDP in the EHT modulation bandwidth.
Feng et al. (US 2024/0049157 A1) relates to apparatus and methods that perform wireless ranging procedures using EHT frames supporting large bandwidth transmission. Moreover, ranging specifications are expanded for the EHT frame format to support BW320 ranging with improved performance and accuracy. Embodiments of the present invention support high-bandwidth BW320 and BW240 wireless ranging using a EHT frame format and support 802.11az ranging using a high efficiency (HE) for 802.11be devices. Long training field (LTF) repetition features and security features are also described for EHT-LTFs, and signaling of preamble puncturing patterns are defined for 320 MHz physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs) carried in the U-SIG field and in Trigger Frames to improve spectrum efficiency and reduce interference, according to embodiments.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Young T. Tse whose telephone number is (571)272-3051. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10:30am-7pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Chieh M Fan can be reached at 571-272-3042. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Young T. Tse/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2632
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