DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to the application filed on 9/19/2024 in which claims 1-11 are pending.
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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 5, 6, 10, and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kato et al. (US20230019184A1).
As to claims 1, 10, and 11, Kato teaches a wireless communication apparatus having a plurality of station functions and being connectable with a plurality of access points in parallel, the apparatus comprising: ([0041] For example, the radio unit 21-1 may be used for communication, and the first radio channel set in the radio unit 21-1 may be an “in-use channel”. Further, the second radio channel set in the radio unit 21-2 may be a “standby channel”. In this case, the channel selection control unit 31 may select the switching destination channel of the radio channel set in the radio unit 21-2 while maintaining the radio channel set in the radio unit 21-1 Note that the first and second radio channels may be two different radio channels of two APs 10 different from each other.)
a detection unit configured to detect access points; ([0047] FIG. 4 shows an example of an AP list (a radio channel list) according to the second example embodiment. The AP list can be created by channel scanning.)
a selection unit configured to select an access point to be connected with the wireless communication apparatus, from the plurality of access points detected by the detection unit; and ([0047] Therefore, for example, when both the radio units 21-1 and 21-2 are in connection with a radio channel corresponding to the BSSID of the entry number 1, the channel selection control unit 31 may select a radio channel corresponding to one of the BSSIDs of the entry number 6 to 9 as the switching destination channel for the radio unit 21-2.)
a control unit configured to perform control so that an access point having already been connected via a first station function is not selected by the selection unit as an access point to be connected via a second station function. ([0047] the channel selection control unit 31 may select, as the switching destination channel for the radio unit 21-2, a radio channel corresponding to either of the entry numbers 8 and 9 having BSSIDs of each of which the position of the octet which is different from that of the BSSID of the entry number 1 corresponding to the radio unit 21-1 is higher than those of other entry numbers.)
As to claim 5, Kato teaches the wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit configured to determine whether the plurality of access points detected by the detection unit includes the access point having already been connected via the first station function, wherein the determination unit performs the determination by using information required to be connected with an access point. ([0047] the channel selection control unit 31 may select, as the switching destination channel for the radio unit 21-2, a radio channel corresponding to either of the entry numbers 8 and 9 having BSSIDs of each of which the position of the octet which is different from that of the BSSID of the entry number 1 corresponding to the radio unit 21-1 is higher than those of other entry numbers.)
As to claim 6, Kato teaches the wireless communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the information required to be connected is a Service Set Identifier (SSID) and/or a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) of a network built by an access point. (Fig. 4 The AP list includes BSSIDs and SSIDs)
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kato in view of Hosoda (US20180042056A1).
As to claim 2, Kato teaches the wireless communication apparatus of claim 1,
But does not specifically teach:
further comprising a display unit configured to display the access points detected by the detection unit, wherein, out of the plurality of access points detected by the detection unit, the display unit displays access points excluding the access point having already been connected via the first station function.
However Hosoda teaches a display unit configured to display the access points detected by the detection unit, wherein, out of the plurality of access points detected by the detection unit, the display unit displays access points excluding the access point having already been connected via the first station function. ([0060] Typically, it has been known that in the case of performing wireless network setting, peripheral APs are searched, and the list of APs found by such searching is displayed. A user can select, from the displayed APs, an AP that the user wishes to use in wireless communication, thereby performing wireless network setting. [0108] An access point of a device itself can be excluded from access point candidates set for the device.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the communication apparatus of Kato with the display of Hosoda in order to reduce a user's erroneous setting of a AP.)
Claim(s) 3 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kato in view of Takahashi et al. (US20170374567A1).
As to claim 3, Kato teaches the wireless communication apparatus of claim 1,
But does not specifically teach:
further comprising a display unit configured to display the access points detected by the detection unit, wherein the display unit displays the plurality of access points detected by the detection unit so that the access points having already been connected via the first station function is not selected.
However Takahashi teaches a display unit configured to display the access points detected by the detection unit, wherein the display unit displays the plurality of access points detected by the detection unit so that the access points having already been connected via the first station function is not selected. ([0048] The access point selection screen 200 includes icons 201 to 204 corresponding to the access points. On each of the icons 201 to 204, information regarding a corresponding access point is displayed. If there is an access point that cannot be selected at the current point in time, the control unit 101 displays the access point selection screen such that the user can visually distinguish the access point that cannot be selected, for example, by graying out the corresponding icon. The access point that cannot be selected is an access point that complies with the radio regulation of the current location and at which communication cannot be established, for example. In the example in FIG. 2, an access point C cannot be selected, and thus a corresponding icon 203 is grayed out.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Kato with the display of Takahashi in order to prevent access points that cannot be used from being selected.
The combination of Kato and Takahashi means a display would show access points that are in the area but not accessible due to already being connected to a first radio unit in the case of selecting a different Ap for the second radio unit.
As to claim 4, Kato teaches the wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1,
But does not specifically teach:
wherein a display unit identifiably displays the access point having already been connected via the first station function.
However Takahashi teaches wherein a display unit identifiably displays the access point having already been connected via the first station function. ([0048] The access point selection screen 200 includes icons 201 to 204 corresponding to the access points. On each of the icons 201 to 204, information regarding a corresponding access point is displayed. If there is an access point that cannot be selected at the current point in time, the control unit 101 displays the access point selection screen such that the user can visually distinguish the access point that cannot be selected, for example, by graying out the corresponding icon. The access point that cannot be selected is an access point that complies with the radio regulation of the current location and at which communication cannot be established, for example. In the example in FIG. 2, an access point C cannot be selected, and thus a corresponding icon 203 is grayed out.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Kato with the display of Takahashi in order to prevent access points that cannot be used from being selected.
The combination of Kato and Takahashi means a display would show access points that are in the area but not accessible due to already being connected to a first radio unit in the case of selecting a different Ap for the second radio unit.
Claim(s) 7-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kato in view of Shimada (US20130195093A1).
As to claim 7, Kato teaches the wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1,
But does not specifically teach:
wherein a first access point is an access point operating as a Group Owner prescribed in a Wi-Fi Direct standard.
However Shimada teaches wherein a first access point is an access point operating as a Group Owner prescribed in a Wi-Fi Direct standard. ([0003] Wi-Fi Direct (called "WFD" below) formulated by Wi-Fi Alliance is known. A WFD wireless network includes one apparatus operating as a Group Owner (called "G/O apparatus" below), and one or more apparatuses operating as clients administered by the G/O apparatus (called "client apparatus" below). In a case where a connection according to WFD is to be established between a pair of apparatuses, each of the pair of apparatuses executes a G/O negotiation, and determines whether it is to operate as the G/O or the client. [0004] The present specification presents a technique that, in a state where a wireless communication device is to establish connections with a plurality of devices, may allow the wireless communication device to form an appropriate connection state.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the access point and devices of Kato with the wireless communication devices and access points of Shimada in order to establish connections with a plurality of devices, and allow the wireless communication device to form an appropriate connection state.
As to claim 8, Kato teaches the wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1,
But does not specifically teach:
wherein the first and second station functions are connected with access points through a protocol conforming to an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard.
However Shimada teaches wherein the first and second station functions are connected with access points through a protocol conforming to an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard. ([0009] In addition to the wireless communication function in accordance with the WFD, the printer 10 is capable of executing a normal wireless communication function (e.g., wireless communication according to IEEE802.11).)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the access point and devices of Kato with the wireless communication devices and access points of Shimada in order to establish connections with a plurality of devices, and allow the wireless communication device to form an appropriate connection state.
As to claim 9, Kato teaches the wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1,
But does not specifically teach:
wherein the first and second station functions are capable of executing wireless communication conforming to a Wi-Fi Direct standard.
However Shimada teaches wherein the first and second station functions are capable of executing wireless communication conforming to a Wi-Fi Direct standard.
([0009] In addition to the wireless communication function in accordance with the WFD, the printer 10 is capable of executing a normal wireless communication function (e.g., wireless communication according to IEEE802.11).)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the access point and devices of Kato with the wireless communication devices and access points of Shimada in order to establish connections with a plurality of devices, and allow the wireless communication device to form an appropriate connection state.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ELTON S WILLIAMS whose telephone number is (571)272-9933. The examiner can normally be reached 8-4 Mon-Fri.
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, Gary Mui can be reached at (571) 270-1420. 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.
/Elton Williams/ Examiner, Art Unit 2465
Prosecution Insights