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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over PAZOS (US 20120239785 A1) in view of LEE (US 20200128511 A1).
Regarding claim 1, PAZOS teaches a system for a broadcast station (PAZOS teaches a broadcast network system that includes a broadcast network server and a web content server comprising circuitry (e.g., processors and memory) configured to manage and broadcast data files [PAZOS, paragraph 0057-0058]), comprising: circuitry configured to:
determine a schedule of delivery of a media file to a plurality of receiver devices that are within a coverage area of the broadcast station (PAZOS teaches determining a broadcast schedule that identifies a time at which data files (e.g., media files/web content) will be broadcast to a plurality of receiver devices [PAZOS, paragraph 0003]);
broadcast, over a signal, signaling information that includes the schedule to the plurality of receiver devices (PAZOS teaches broadcasting an overhead content description flow, such as a file delivery table (FDT) during a FLUTE session, which functions as signaling information containing the broadcast schedule [PAZOS, paragraph 0003], [PAZOS, paragraph 0052]);
transmit the media file to the plurality of receiver devices over the channel, based on the schedule (PAZOS does teach transmitting files over specific, unbonded FLUTE channels based on the schedule, para. 0125-137).
PAZOS is silent to teaching configured to perform, based on the signaling information, a channel bonding operation to combine a plurality of radio channels into a bonded channel, wherein the plurality of radio channels is associated with one or more radio transmission spectrums; and transmit the media file over the bonded channel.
In the same field of endeavor, LEE teaches a system configured to perform, based on the signaling information, a channel bonding operation to combine a plurality of radio channels into a bonded channel, wherein the plurality of radio channels is associated with one or more radio transmission spectrums; and transmit the media file over the bonded channel (LEE teaches a broadcast transmission system that performs a channel bonding (CB) operation, enabling the bundling of multiple RF radio channels to transmit a single high-capacity stream across the combined channels [LEE, paragraph 0421], [LEE, paragraph 0426]. LEE teaches that this bonding operation is indicated based on signaling information in the preamble (e.g., L1D_plp_channel_bonding_format=00 or 01 in L1-Detail) [LEE, paragraph 0617], [LEE, paragraph 0643]. Furthermore, LEE teaches the bonded radio channels are associated with one or more radio transmission spectrums, noting they can be allocated in the same band (e.g., UHF) or different frequency bands (e.g., VHF and UHF) [LEE, paragraph 0421], [LEE, paragraph 0456]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the scheduled broadcast delivery system of PAZOS to incorporate the channel bonding mechanism of LEE in order to increase the peak service data rate beyond that offered by a single RF channel and to exploit inter-RF frequency diversity for enhanced transmission robustness against interferences [LEE, paragraph 0421-0422].
Regarding claim 2, the combination of PAZOS and LEE teaches the system according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to generate a Distribution Window Description (DWD) that includes the schedule, and wherein the signaling information includes the DWD (PAZOS teaches generating a file delivery table (FDT) that includes a "broadcast window attribute" having a "broadcast window start time attribute" and a "broadcast window end time attribute" [PAZOS, paragraph 0134-0135]. Under BRI, this broadcast window attribute acts as a Distribution Window Description (DWD) that communicates the transmission schedule within the FDT signaling information).
Regarding claim 3, the combination of PAZOS and LEE teaches the system according to claim 1, wherein each receiver device of the plurality of receiver devices: receives the signal that includes the signaling information; configures, based on the schedule specified in the received signaling information, one or more tuners that support the plurality of radio channels; and controls the configured one or more tuners to receive the media file over the bonded channel (PAZOS teaches that a receiver device receives the FDT signaling information and configures its receiver circuitry to switch on based on the scheduled broadcast window start and end times to conserve battery [PAZOS, paragraph 0134]. Additionally, LEE teaches a receiver device controlling multiple tuners to simultaneously demodulate the data streams across the plurality of bonded RF channels [LEE, paragraph 0428-0429]. The combination teaches configuring and controlling multiple tuners (from LEE) to receive the file over the bonded channel at the scheduled time (from PAZOS).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of PAZOS and LEE teaches the system according to claim 1, wherein the signaling information further includes a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to an origin server that stores the media file (PAZOS teaches that the signaling information (overhead/FDT) extracts and includes a remote Uniform Resource Locator (URL) identifying the origin server (website hosting server) that stores the media files [PAZOS, paragraph 0069]).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of PAZOS and LEE teaches the system according to claim 4, wherein each receiver device of the plurality of receiver devices retrieves the media file from the origin server over the bonded channel or via a channel associated with the one or more radio transmission spectrums (PAZOS teaches that the receiver device can retrieve the media file from the remote origin server via a unicast network channel, fully satisfying the condition of retrieving the media file "via a channel associated with the one or more radio transmission spectrums" [PAZOS, paragraph 0059], [PAZOS, paragraph 0065]).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of PAZOS and LEE teaches the system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more radio transmission spectrums include one or more of an Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) spectrum, a Wi-Fi frequency band, or a Narrowband-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) band (PAZOS teaches that the radio transmission spectrums include a Wi-Fi frequency band used by receiver devices [PAZOS, paragraph 0059]. Furthermore, LEE teaches the broadcast signal frame may be an Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) 3.0 frame, directly operating on an ATSC spectrum [LEE, paragraph 0086]).
Regarding claim 7, the combination of PAZOS and LEE teaches the system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more radio transmission spectrums include a licensed spectrum and an unlicensed spectrum (PAZOS teaches that the receiver devices communicate using a 3G cellular network (which is a licensed spectrum) and a WiFi wireless network (which operates on an unlicensed spectrum) [PAZOS, paragraph 0059]).
Regarding claim 8, PAZOS teaches a method, comprising: in a system for a broadcast station (PAZOS teaches a broadcast network system that includes a broadcast network server and a web content server comprising circuitry (e.g., processors and memory) configured to manage and broadcast data files [PAZOS, paragraph 0057-0058]):
determining a schedule of delivery of a media file to a plurality of receiver devices that are within a coverage area of the broadcast station (PAZOS teaches determining a broadcast schedule that identifies a time at which data files (e.g., media files/web content) will be broadcast to a plurality of receiver devices [PAZOS, paragraph 0003]);
broadcasting, over a signal, signaling information that includes the schedule to the plurality of receiver devices (PAZOS teaches broadcasting an overhead content description flow, such as a file delivery table (FDT) during a FLUTE session, which functions as signaling information containing the broadcast schedule [PAZOS, paragraph 0003], [PAZOS, paragraph 0052]);
transmitting the media file to the plurality of receiver devices over the channel, based on the schedule (PAZOS does teach transmitting files over specific, unbonded FLUTE channels based on the schedule, para. 0125-137).
PAZOS is silent to teaching that comprising performing, based on the signaling information, a channel bonding operation to combine a plurality of radio channels into a bonded channel, wherein the plurality of radio channels is associated with one or more radio transmission spectrums; and transmitting the media file over the bonded channel.
In the same field of endeavor, LEE teaches a method comprising performing, based on the signaling information, a channel bonding operation to combine a plurality of radio channels into a bonded channel, wherein the plurality of radio channels is associated with one or more radio transmission spectrums; and transmitting the media file over the bonded channel (LEE teaches a broadcast transmission system that performs a channel bonding (CB) operation, enabling the bundling of multiple RF radio channels to transmit a single high-capacity stream across the combined channels [LEE, paragraph 0421], [LEE, paragraph 0426]. LEE teaches that this bonding operation is indicated based on signaling information in the preamble (e.g., L1D_plp_channel_bonding_format=00 or 01 in L1-Detail) [LEE, paragraph 0617], [LEE, paragraph 0643]. Furthermore, LEE teaches the bonded radio channels are associated with one or more radio transmission spectrums, noting they can be allocated in the same band (e.g., UHF) or different frequency bands (e.g., VHF and UHF) [LEE, paragraph 0421], [LEE, paragraph 0456]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the scheduled broadcast delivery system of PAZOS to incorporate the channel bonding mechanism of LEE in order to increase the peak service data rate beyond that offered by a single RF channel and to exploit inter-RF frequency diversity for enhanced transmission robustness against interferences [LEE, paragraph 0421-0422].
Regarding claims 9-14, the dependent claims are interpreted and rejected for the same reasons as set forth above in claims 2-7, respectively.
Regarding claim 15, PAZOS teaches a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a system (PAZOS teaches a broadcast network system that includes a broadcast network server and a web content server comprising circuitry (e.g., processors and memory) configured to manage and broadcast data files [PAZOS, paragraph 0057-0058]), cause the system to execute operations, the operations comprising:
determining a schedule of delivery of a media file to a plurality of receiver devices that are within a coverage area of the broadcast station (PAZOS teaches determining a broadcast schedule that identifies a time at which data files (e.g., media files/web content) will be broadcast to a plurality of receiver devices [PAZOS, paragraph 0003]);
broadcasting, over a signal, signaling information that includes the schedule to the plurality of receiver devices (PAZOS teaches broadcasting an overhead content description flow, such as a file delivery table (FDT) during a FLUTE session, which functions as signaling information containing the broadcast schedule [PAZOS, paragraph 0003], [PAZOS, paragraph 0052]);
transmitting the media file to the plurality of receiver devices over the channel, based on the schedule (PAZOS does teach transmitting files over specific, unbonded FLUTE channels based on the schedule, para. 0125-137).
PAZOS is silent to teaching that comprising performing, based on the signaling information, a channel bonding operation to combine a plurality of radio channels into a bonded channel, wherein the plurality of radio channels is associated with one or more radio transmission spectrums; and transmitting the media file over the bonded channel.
In the same field of endeavor, LEE teaches a system configured to perform performing, based on the signaling information, a channel bonding operation to combine a plurality of radio channels into a bonded channel, wherein the plurality of radio channels is associated with one or more radio transmission spectrums; and transmitting the media file over the bonded channel (LEE teaches a broadcast transmission system that performs a channel bonding (CB) operation, enabling the bundling of multiple RF radio channels to transmit a single high-capacity stream across the combined channels [LEE, paragraph 0421], [LEE, paragraph 0426]. LEE teaches that this bonding operation is indicated based on signaling information in the preamble (e.g., L1D_plp_channel_bonding_format=00 or 01 in L1-Detail) [LEE, paragraph 0617], [LEE, paragraph 0643]. Furthermore, LEE teaches the bonded radio channels are associated with one or more radio transmission spectrums, noting they can be allocated in the same band (e.g., UHF) or different frequency bands (e.g., VHF and UHF) [LEE, paragraph 0421], [LEE, paragraph 0456]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the scheduled broadcast delivery system of PAZOS to incorporate the channel bonding mechanism of LEE in order to increase the peak service data rate beyond that offered by a single RF channel and to exploit inter-RF frequency diversity for enhanced transmission robustness against interferences [LEE, paragraph 0421-0422].
Regarding claims 16-20, the dependent claims are interpreted and rejected for the same reasons as set forth above in claims 2-6, respectively.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
PATHANIA (US 20210368516 A1), and KIM (US 20110154425 A1) teach content delivery systems.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WEN WU HUANG whose telephone number is (571)272-7852. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10-6.
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/WEN W HUANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2648
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