DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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
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, 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, 8-14, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jang et al (US 20220312522 A1, hereinafter referred to as Jang) in view of Chu et al (US 20200280387 A1, hereinafter referred to as Chu).
Re claim 1, Jang teaches a non-access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD) (STA 1, STA 2, Fig. 23-25), comprising:
(i) a processor (Processor, Fig. 1, Fig. 19, Par 0053-0056, Par 0232-0235) configured to generate a frame (management frame, data frame or control frame, Par 0252, Par 0384, Par 0421) including a control element (capability operation element, TID control field, Fig. 23-25, Fig. 30) that indicates another MLD (TID and corresponding link (i.e., TID1, Link 1; TID2, Link2) information sent by the STA1, STA2 to the AP, Fig. 23-25, Fig. 30) (Fig. 23-25, Fig. 30, Fig. 32-33, Par 0270-0271, Par 0276-0277, Par 0282-0283, Par 0345-0346, Par 0353-0354); and
(ii) a transmitter (Transceiver, Fig. 1, Fig. 19, Par 0053-0056, Par 0232-0236) configured to transmit the frame including the control element to the another MLD (AP) (Transmitting TID and corresponding link (i.e., TID1, Link 1; TID2, Link2) information to the AP) (Fig. 23-25, Fig. 30, Fig. 32-33, Par 0270-0271, Par 0276-0277, Par 0282-0283, Par 0345-0346, Par 0353-0354).
Jang discloses that the control element (capability operation element, TID control field) indicates a traffic identifier (TID) associated with the data traffic (TID) associated with the link between the non-AP MLD and the another MLD. Jang does not disclose that the control element indicates a priority associated with data traffic associated with a link between the non-AP MLD and another MLD, a delay associated with the data traffic associated with the link between the non-AP MLD and the another MLD.
Chu teaches that a traffic identifier (TID) indicates a traffic priority (priority of the data) and delay (maximum latency) corresponding to the TID (Par 0034).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Jang by defining that a traffic identifier (TID) indicates a traffic priority (priority of the data) and delay (maximum latency) corresponding to the data identified/classified by the TID, as taught by Chu for the purpose of efficiently communicating data in a wireless local area network (WLAN), as taught by Chu (Par 0017).
Jang discloses that the control element includes a traffic identifier (TID) associated with the data traffic (TID) associated with the link between the non-AP MLD and the another MLD. Jang further discloses that the TID indicates a corresponding priority of the data (Par 0005). Chu discloses that each TID is associated with a corresponding data priority and delay. Therefore, Jang in view of Chu discloses that the control element (capability operation element, TID control field) indicates a priority associated with data traffic associated with a link between the non-AP MLD and another MLD and a delay associated with the data traffic associated with the link between the non-AP MLD and the another MLD by providing a TID and corresponding link information.
Claim 9 recites a method performing the functions recited in claim 1 and thereby, is rejected for the reasons discussed above with respect to claim 1.
Re claims 2, 10, Jang teaches that the control element enables the another MLD to satisfy the priority associated with the data traffic associated with a link between the non-AP MLD and the another MLD, and the delay associated with the data traffic associated with the link between the non-AP MLD and the another MLD (after providing the TID and link information, the AP transmits data associated with a TID over a link specified for the TID (Fig. 23-25) and by doing so, the AP satisfies the priority and latency associated with the TID) (Fig. 23-25, Fig. 30, Par 0270-0271, Par 0276-0277, Par 0282-0283, Par 0345-0346, Par 0353-0354).
Re claims 3, 11, Jang teaches that a receiver (Transceiver, Fig. 1, Fig. 19) configured to receive, from the another MLD (AP), the data traffic associated with the TID (receiving data associated with the TID from the AP, Fig. 23-25, Fig. 30, Fig. 33) (Par 0271, Par 0277, Par 0283, Par 0346, Par 0424).
Re claims 4, 12, Jang teaches that the data traffic associated with the TID is received according to the priority associated with the data traffic associated with a link between the non-AP MLD and another MLD, and the delay associated with the data traffic associated with the link between the non-AP MLD and the another MLD (after providing the TID and link information, the AP transmits data associated with a TID over a link specified for the TID (Fig. 23-25) and by doing so, the AP maintains the priority and latency associated with the TID) (Fig. 23-25, Fig. 30, Par 0270-0271, Par 0276-0277, Par 0282-0283, Par 0345-0346, Par 0353-0354, Par 0424).
Re claims 5, 13, Jang teaches that the non-AP MLD is configured with multiple links between the non-AP MLD and the another MLD (Link 1 and Link 2 configured between STA and the AP, Fig. 20, Fig. 23-25, Par 0241-0244, Par 0270-0271, Par 0276-0277, Par 0282-0283, Par 0345-0346, Par 0353-0354).
Re claims 6, 14, Jang teaches that the control element is transmitted in a data frame (Par 0250-0252, Par 0328, Par 0353).
Re claims 8, 16, Jang teaches that the another MLD is an AP MLD (AP, Fig. 23-25, Par 0241-0244, Par 0270-0271, Par 0276-0277, Par 0282-0283).
4. Claims 7 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jang and Chu as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Li et al (US 20170126461, hereinafter referred to as Li).
Re claim 7, Jang teaches that the control element includes a TID associated with a specific traffic. Jang does not disclose that the TID/control element is transmitted in a medium access control (MAC) header.
Li teaches that the TID/control element is transmitted in a medium access control (MAC) header (Par 0034).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Jang by including the feature that the TID/control element is transmitted in a medium access control (MAC) header, as taught by Li for the purpose of coordinating a changing receive operating mode (ROM) of a wireless station (STA) in communication with an access point (AP), as taught by Li (Par 0002, Par 0010-0011).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HARUN UR R CHOWDHURY whose telephone number is (571)270-3895. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kwang B Yao can be reached at 5712723182. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HARUN CHOWDHURY/Examiner, Art Unit 2473
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