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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/15/2026 was filed after the mailing date of the Non-Final Office Action on 06/26/2026. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 2 and 6 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 2, “a value” should be changed to – the value – in line 3.
Regarding claim 6, -- or -- should be added before “320*N” in line 2.
Appropriate correction is required.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 11, and 13 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 8-11, and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kwon et al. US 2021/0337564 in view of Lee US 9,736,277 (cited in IDS filed 9/15/2026).
Consider claim 1, Kwon discloses A method comprising:
receiving, by a first station (STA) from a second STA, a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) (see FIG. 1, and ¶ [0052], wherein second STA receives first PPDU transmitted from first STA); and
decoding, by the first STA, PPDU, and obtaining a medium access control protocol data unit (MPDU) based on the data field (see FIG. 5C, ¶ [0125], wherein 1st PPDU is decoded and the A-MPDU is obtained based on the payload).
However Kwon does not explicitly disclose PPDU including a first at least one field and a second at least one field, wherein the first at least one field includes at least one non-legacy signal (SIG) field, and the second at least one field includes a data field; and wherein a guard interval for the second at least one field is predefined as a single value, and wherein a value of the guard interval is not signaled to the first STA that receives the PPDU.
Lee teaches PPDU (see FIG. 9) including a first at least one field (see FIG. 9 and col. 14 lines 15-23, Legacy portion of Preamble and SIG-A field) and a second at least one field (see FIG. 9 and col. 14 lines 19-23, HEW portion of preamble and Data field), wherein the first at least one field includes at least one non-legacy signal (SIG) field (see FIG. 9, wherein SIG-A is a non-legacy signal field), and the second at least one field includes a data field (see FIG. 9, data field 908); and wherein a guard interval for the second at least one field is predefined as a single value (see FIG. 9 and col. 14 lines 24-25, wherein the guard interval (FI) includes the same predetermined GI duration throughout the HE frame), and wherein a value of the guard interval is not signaled to the first STA that receives the PPDU (see FIG. 9 and col. 14 lines 27-35, wherein the GI length utilized in the HE frame is not indicated in any part of the HE frame but rather is detected by a receiver). Lee further discloses providing physical layer convergence procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) format preamble designs for HE-based transmission (see col. 1 lines 17-21). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the invention of Kwon, and to include PPDU including a first at least one field and a second at least one field, wherein the first at least one field includes at least one non-legacy signal (SIG) field, and the second at least one field includes a data field; and wherein a guard interval for the second at least one field is predefined as a single value, and wherein a value of the guard interval is not signaled to the first STA that receives the PPDU, as taught by Lee for the purpose of providing physical layer convergence procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) format preamble designs for HE-based transmission.
Consider claim 11, Kwon discloses A first station (STA) device (see FIG. 1, STA1a) comprising:
at least one transceiver (see FIG. 1 and ¶ [0045], wherein each STA includes at least one transceiver); and
at least one processor connected to the at least one transceiver (see FIG. 1 and ¶ [0045], wherein each STA 104 includes at least one controller implemented within a processor),
wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
receiving, by a first station (STA) from a second STA, a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) (see FIG. 1, and ¶ [0052], wherein second STA receives first PPDU transmitted from first STA); and
decoding, by the first STA, PPDU, and obtaining a medium access control protocol data unit (MPDU) based on the data field (see FIG. 5C, ¶ [0125], wherein 1st PPDU is decoded and the A-MPDU is obtained based on the payload).
However Kwon does not explicitly disclose PPDU including a first at least one field and a second at least one field, wherein the first at least one field includes at least one non-legacy signal (SIG) field, and the second at least one field includes a data field; and wherein a guard interval for the second at least one field is predefined as a single value, and wherein a value of the guard interval is not signaled to the first STA that receives the PPDU.
Lee teaches PPDU (see FIG. 9) including a first at least one field (see FIG. 9 and col. 14 lines 15-23, Legacy portion of Preamble and SIG-A field) and a second at least one field (see FIG. 9 and col. 14 lines 19-23, HEW portion of preamble and Data field), wherein the first at least one field includes at least one non-legacy signal (SIG) field (see FIG. 9, wherein SIG-A is a non-legacy signal field), and the second at least one field includes a data field (see FIG. 9, data field 908); and wherein a guard interval for the second at least one field is predefined as a single value (see FIG. 9 and col. 14 lines 24-25, wherein the guard interval (FI) includes the same predetermined GI duration throughout the HE frame), and wherein a value of the guard interval is not signaled to the first STA that receives the PPDU (see FIG. 9 and col. 14 lines 27-35, wherein the GI length utilized in the HE frame is not indicated in any part of the HE frame but rather is detected by a receiver). Lee further discloses providing physical layer convergence procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) format preamble designs for HE-based transmission (see col. 1 lines 17-21). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the invention of Kwon, and to include PPDU including a first at least one field and a second at least one field, wherein the first at least one field includes at least one non-legacy signal (SIG) field, and the second at least one field includes a data field; and wherein a guard interval for the second at least one field is predefined as a single value, and wherein a value of the guard interval is not signaled to the first STA that receives the PPDU, as taught by Lee for the purpose of providing physical layer convergence procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) format preamble designs for HE-based transmission.
Claim 13 is rejected on the same ground as for claim 11 because of similar scope.
Consider claim 2, Lee discloses wherein: the at least one non-legacy SIG field included in the first at least one field lacks information indicating a value for the guard interval for the second at least one field (see FIG. 9 and col. col. 14 lines 27-35, wherein the GI length utilized in the HE frame is not indicated in any part of the HE frame but rather is detected by a receiver).
Consider claim 8, Lee discloses wherein: the second at least one field further includes at least one of a non-legacy short training field (STF) field, or a non-legacy long training field (LTF) field (see FIG. 9 and col. 14 lines 21-23).
Consider claim 9, Chen discloses wherein: the first at least one field further includes at least one of a legacy-STF (L-STF) field, a legacy-LTF (L-STF), or a legacy-SIG (L-SIG) (see FIG. 9 and col. 14 lines 15-17).
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kwon et al. US 2021/0337564 in view of Lee US 9,736,277 (cited in IDS filed 9/15/2026) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Cariou et al. US 2025/0350520.
Consider claim 10, Kwon in view of Lee discloses every claimed limitation in claim 1.
However Kwon in view of Lee does not explicitly disclose wherein: an operating band where the PPDU is transmitted or received is a millimeter wave (mmWave) band or a 60GHz band. Cariou teaches wherein: an operating band where the PPDU is transmitted or received is a millimeter wave (mmWave) band or a 60GHz band (see ¶ [0031-0033]). Cariou further discloses providing wireless communication to support beamforming over mm Wave wireless communication channel (see ¶ [0002]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the invention of Kwon in view of Lee, and to include wherein: an operating band where the PPDU is transmitted or received is a millimeter wave (mmWave) band or a 60GHz band, as taught by Cariou for the purpose of providing wireless communication to support beamforming over mm Wave wireless communication channel.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-7 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/JANICE N TIEU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2633