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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the Applicant's communication filed on 09/26/2024. In virtue of this communication, claims 1 – 20 are currently pending in the instant application.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
2. 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 of this title, 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.
3. Claims 1 – 6, 8 – 13, and 16 – 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lopez et al. (hereinafter “Lopez”) (Pub # US 2019/0268849 A1) in view of Ang et al. (hereinafter “Ang”) (Pub # US 2016/0374022 A1).
Regarding claims 1 and 10, Lopez discloses an apparatus (see 50 in FIG. 3 and FIG. 20) comprising:
a transmitter (see main transceiver 56 with wake-up receiver (WUR) 70 in FIG. 3) configured to operate in accordance with an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexed (OFDM) wireless communication protocol (see [0055], [0056], [0059] for receive, at a WUR, a plurality of OFDM symbols and carrying user data targeted to a main transceiver operated according to any one or more of the 3GPP cellular standards, GSM, GPRS, WCDMA, HSDPA, LTE and LTE-Advanced, Wi-Fi, BLUETOOTH and ZIGBEE technologies);
a memory (see 64 in FIG. 3) configured to store configuration data (see [0058], [0059]); and
a processing device coupled to the memory (see 52/62 in FIG. 3), the processing device configured to:
receive data to be wirelessly transmitted to a wireless client (see [0054] – [0060] for receiving a plurality of OFDM symbols and carrying user data targeted to the main transceiver of the wireless device);
identify, in the configuration data, one or more wakeup signal parameters associated with the wireless client, wherein the one or more wakeup signal parameters comprise a sub-carrier (see [0056] – [0063], [0115] for the WUS operates to listen for and detect a signal with a wake-up signature (WUS), where the WUS comprises a superimposition of signal power on the OFDM signal, and see [0068] – [0071] is discussing the unit power for m and k, where m for the index for the OFDM symbol; k for the index for the sub-carrier); and
during transmission of a data packet, control the wireless transmitter to over-ride the sub-carrier of the data packet with a wakeup signal to cause the wireless client to wake from a power saving mode (see FIG. 15, [0038] – [0040], [0069] for overlay a WUS consisting of a bit sequence to the WUR on top of a data packet, see FIG. 4, [0056] – [0063] for the WUR operates to listen for and detect a signal with the WUS then the WUR is configured to wake up the main transceiver circuit and carrying user data targeted to a main transceiver of one or more receiving devices other than the receiving device, wherein the WUS comprises a superimposition (thus over-riding) of signal power on the OFDM signal, and see [0007] for the WUS is destined to a user whose main radio is asleep but which possesses the WUR, thus obviously power saving mode).
Lopez teaches that the wakeup signal parameter comprise a sub-carrier but does not disclose specifically that is a selected sub-carrier.
In an analogous art, Ang discloses the wakeup signal parameter comprise a selected sub-carrier (see Ang, [0042] - [0044] for the base station embed synchronization and wake-up signal (WUPI) signaling into OFDM downlink signaling, wherein a synchronization signal is a symbol known to both the transmitter and all listening receivers (e.g., LP IOEs 130 and UEs 120) and transmitted using a selected subcarrier).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing date the invention was made, to modify the invention of Lopez, and have the wakeup signal parameter comprise a selected sub-carrier thereby detect the specific modulation of the synchronization signals/WUPIs from the base station which is selected to be easier for the transceiver at the LP IOE to decode the signals at low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), as discussed by Ang (see Ang, [0044], [0081]).
Regarding claims 2 and 11, Lopez in view of Ang disclose wherein the wireless client is a first wireless client and the data packet is addressed to a second wireless client (see Lopez, [0056] – [0063] for the WUR operates to listen for and detect a signal with the WUS then the WUR is configured to wake up the main transceiver circuit and carrying user data targeted to a main transceiver of one or more receiving devices other than the receiving device).
Regarding claims 3 and 12, Lopez in view of Ang disclose wherein the one or more wakeup signal parameters further comprise a wakeup bit pattern to be transmitted via the selected sub-carrier (see Lopez, [0050] – [0053], [0061] – [0065] for the WUS consists of bits b(m), m=0, 1, . . . 8, and see Ang, [0042] - [0044] for transmit using the selected sub-carrier). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing date the invention was made in order to detect the specific modulation of the synchronization signals/WUPIs to decode the signals at low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), as discussed by Ang (see Ang, [0044], [0081]).
Regarding claims 4 and 13, Lopez in view of Ang disclose wherein the wakeup signal is a phase modulated signal (see Lopez, [0115]).
Regarding claim 5, Lopez in view of Ang disclose wherein the one or more wakeup signal parameters further comprise a modulation scheme to be used for encoding the wakeup signal (see Lopez, [0064], [0072] for modulation and coding scheme using in WUS).
Regarding claim 6, Lopez in view of Ang disclose wherein the one or more wakeup signal parameters is received from the wireless client (see Lopez, FIG. 3, [0054] – [0063], [0115], or see Ang, [0048]).
Regarding claim 8, Lopez in view of Ang disclose wherein over-riding the selected sub-carrier with the wakeup signal comprises replacing a plurality of bits of the data packet with a bit pattern that represents the wakeup signal (see Lopez, [0038], [0039], [0069] for overlaying a WUS consisting of a bit sequence on top of a data packet).
Regarding claim 9, Lopez in view of Ang disclose wherein over-riding the selected sub-carrier with the wakeup signal comprises repeating a wakeup bit pattern over a full length of the data packet (see Lopez, FIG. 15, [0038] – [0040], [0053], [0063], [0069], [0080] for windowing functions to overlay a WUS consisting of a bit sequence onto an OFDM signal).
Regarding claims 16 and 17, Lopez in view of Ang disclose wherein the apparatus is a wireless Access Point (AP); wherein the apparatus is a personal computing device (see Lopez, FIG. 3, [0054], [0109]).
Regarding claim 18, Lopez discloses a method comprising:
entering a wireless module (i.e., main transceiver circuit 56 in FIG. 3) of a wireless client (i.e., receiving device 50 in FIG. 3, FIG. 20, [0054]) into a power saving mode (see FIG. 4, [0056] for receiving device includes a WUR that operates with less power than the main transceiver circuit to listen and detect the wake-up signal and then wake up the main transceiver circuit, and see [0007] the main radio is asleep, thus obviously the main transceiver circuit in a power saving mode before receive wake up signal);
monitoring, by a wakeup radio (i.e., WUR 70 in FIG. 3), radio frequency (RF) signals corresponding with a sub-carrier of an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexed (OFDM) wireless communication protocol (see FIG. 4, [0055], [0056], [0059] for receive, at the WUR, a plurality of OFDM symbols and carrying user data targeted to a main transceiver operated according to any one or more of the 3GPP cellular standards, GSM, GPRS, WCDMA, HSDPA, LTE and LTE-Advanced, Wi-Fi, BLUETOOTH and ZIGBEE technologies, see FIG. 8 for Radio Frequency (RF) section of the OFDM modulator, see FIG. 4, [0056] – [0063], [0115] for the processor operates to listen for (thus monitoring) a signal with a wake-up signature (WUS), where the WUS comprises a superimposition of signal power on the OFDM signal, and see [0068] – [0071] is discussing the unit power for m and k, where m for the index for the OFDM symbol; k for the index for the sub-carrier);
detecting, by a processing device (see 52/62 in FIG. 3) of the wakeup radio, a wakeup signal specified for the wireless client to cause the wireless module to wake from the power saving mode (see FIG. 4, [0056] – [0063], [0115] for the processor operates to detect the WUS and wake up the transceiver); and
in response to detecting the wakeup signal, sending an activation signal to the wireless module to cause the wireless module to transition from the power saving mode to an active mode (see 406 in FIG. 4, [0056] – [0063] for the WUR operates to listen for and detect the WUS then the processor is configured to wake up the main transceiver in response to the detecting the WUS).
Lopez teaches that the wakeup signal comprise a sub-carrier but does not disclose specifically that the RF signal over a range of RF frequencies corresponding with a designated sub-carrier.
In an analogous art, Ang discloses the RF signal over a range of RF frequencies corresponding with a designated sub-carrier (see Ang, [0042] - [0044] for the base station embed synchronization and wake-up signal (WUPI) signaling into OFDM downlink signaling, wherein a synchronization signal is a symbol known to both the transmitter and all listening receivers (e.g., LP IOEs 130 and UEs 120) and transmitted using a selected subcarrier, thus a designed subcarrier, and see [0047] – [0048] for each LP IOE is assigned a particular set of resources (e.g., frequency subcarrier(s) and time slot(s)) at which they are to use their wake-up receivers to monitor for a wake-up paging indicator (WUPI) from the base station).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing date the invention was made, to modify the invention of Lopez, and have the RF signal over a range of RF frequencies corresponding with a designated sub-carrier thereby detect the specific modulation of the synchronization signals/WUPIs (such as WUS as taught by Lopez) from the base station which is selected to be easier for the transceiver at the LP IOE to decode the signals at low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), as discussed by Ang (see Ang, [0044], [0081]).
Regarding claim 19, Lopez in view of Ang disclose wherein monitoring comprises: demodulating the RF signals according to a phase modulation scheme to generate a received bit pattern; and comparing the received bit pattern to a wakeup bit pattern that represents the wakeup signal (see Lopez, [0038], [0097] for demodulation, see [0050], [0060] – [0063], [0069], [0071] for a WUS consisting of a bit sequence, modulating the OFDM signal with the WUS includes signaling a first/second logical bit value of the WUS with a first/second OFDM symbol of the OFDM signal by assigning a first amplitude to all of the frequency-domain symbols in the first/second OFDM symbol, then compare the bit sequence to detect WUS, and see [0111], [0115] for superimpose a modulation of signal power on the signal involving a phase modulation).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 is 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 (since Lopez teaches an OFDM modulator in FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG. 13 but does not teach all limitations in claim 7).
Claims 14 and 15 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 (since Lopez teaches an OFDM modulator in FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG. 13 but does not teach all limitations in claims 14 and 15).
Claim 20 is 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 (since Lopez teaches an OFDM modulator in FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG. 13 but does not teach all limitations in claim 20).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure is 2022/0021494 (Mazloum et al.) which discloses WUS techniques enable a terminal to transition a main receiver into a low-power state, e.g., for power-saving purposes; generating a WUS waveform which is defined in the baseband, and later modulated onto a carrier or a set of OFDM subcarriers; transmitting an OFDM symbol including the WUS, the WUS is received by the main receiver in a low-power state; then, in response to receiving the WUS, the main receiver transitions into a high-power state in which it is fit to receive the ordinary data on channel.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MONG-THUY THI TRAN whose telephone number is (571)270-3199. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 9AM - 6PM (IFP).
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, ANTHONY ADDY can be reached at (571)272-7795. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MONG-THUY T TRAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2645
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