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 11/14/2024 was filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Applicant has not provided an explanation of relevance of cited document(s) discussed below.
Reference JP 2018050133 A is a general background reference covering: To secure high frequency utilization efficiency while restraining interference to another device in radio communication.
SOLUTION: A communication device selects a mode in which it operates from the following modes: a first mode to manage any one of a first period when setting is made about a first group which the communication device itself belongs to and a second period when setting is made about a second group which the communication device itself does not belong to; and a second mode to manage both first period and second period. If the first mode is selected, the communication device communicates while the managed period is the first period, and if the second mode is selected, it communicates in a period which is during the first period and is not the second period. (see abstract).
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.
Claims 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suzuki et al. (Suzuki) (US 2019/0394628 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Suzuki discloses a communication device (e.g., FIG. 1, a communication system 2, paragraph 28) that executes communication compliant with Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard (e.g., capable of executing wireless communication according to a normal Wi-Fi system (e.g., IEEE 802.11), paragraph 31), the communication device comprising:
at least one memory storing instructions; and at least one processor in communication with the at least one memory and, upon executing the stored instructions, the at least one processor (e.g., The communication device may comprise one or more processors and a memory that stores computer-readable instructions therein, paragraph 5) is configured to operate as:
a communication unit configured to execute multi-link communication defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard with an external device (e.g., Further, the MFP 10 is capable of executing wireless communication according to the Wi-Fi Direct system (to be described). Below, Wi-Fi Direct is called “WFD”. In WFD, wireless communication is executed based on IEEE (abbreviation of: The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.) 802.11 standard and standards based on thereon (e.g., 802.11a, 11b, 11g, 11n, etc.), paragraph 29).
Suzuki does not specifically disclose an output unit configured to execute outputting information indicating the multi-link communication, based on a fact that the communication unit has established the multi-link communication with the external device.
Suzuki discloses the wireless LAN I/F 20 (which is similar to output unit configured to execute outputting information indicating the multi-link communication as disclosed in paragraph 40) is an interface for the control unit 30 to execute wireless communication according to the WFD system and wireless communication according to normal Wi-Fi (. The wireless LAN I/F 20 is physically one interface. However, a MAC address used in wireless communication according to the WFD system (called “MAC address for WFD” below) and a MAC address used in wireless communication according to normal Wi-Fi (called “MAC address for normal Wi-Fi” below) are both assigned to the wireless LAN I/F 20. More specifically, the MAC address for the normal Wi-Fi is pre-assigned to the wireless LAN I/F 20. Using the MAC address for the normal Wi-Fi, the control unit 30 creates the MAC address for WFD, and assigns the MAC address for WFD to the wireless LAN I/F 20, paragraph 40).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have modified Suzuki to include an output unit configured to execute outputting information indicating the multi-link communication, based on a fact that the communication unit has established the multi-link communication with the external device as equivalently by Suzuki in paragraph 40.
Regarding claim 2, Suzuki discloses wherein the outputting is displaying the information indicating the multi-link communication on a display portion of the communication device, (e.g., The displaying unit 14 is a display for displaying various types of information, paragraph 39)、
Regarding claim 3, Suzuki discloses wherein the communication device is a printer, and wherein the outputting is printing the information indicating the multi-link communication (e.g., communication system 2 with MFP including Print 18, figure 1, paragraph 28).
Regarding claim 4, Suzuki discloses wherein execution of the stored instructions further configure the output unit further outputs frequency band information and channel information about each established link (e.g., the communication speed of wireless communication via the wireless LAN I/F 20 (e.g., maximum communication speed is 11 to 454 Mbps) is faster than the communication speed of wireless communication via the NFC I/F 22 (e.g., maximum communication speed is 100 to 424 Kbps). Further, the frequency of the carrier wave in wireless communication via the wireless LAN I/F 20 (e.g., 2.4 GHz band, 5.0 GHz band) differs from the frequency of the carrier wave in the wireless communication via the NFC I/F 22 (e.g., 13.56 MHz band), paragraph 45).
Regarding claim 5, Suzuki discloses wherein the outputting is executed based on execution of the multi-link communication with the external device (e.g., in a case where the distance between the MFP 10 and the mobile device 50 is less than or equal to approximately 10 cm, the control unit 30 can wirelessly communicate with the mobile device 50 according to the NFC system via the NFC I/F 22. In a case where the distance between the MFP 10 and the mobile device 50 is either less than or equal to 10 cm, or is greater than or equal to 10 cm (e.g., a maximum is approximately 100 m), the control unit 30 can wirelessly communicate, via the wireless LAN I/F 20, with the mobile device 50 according to the WFD system and according to the normal Wi-Fi, paragraph 45).
Regarding claim 6, Suzuki discloses wherein the outputting is displaying a first display item indicating the multi-link communication on a screen, and the first display item includes a second display item indicating a radio field intensity (e.g., A user can input various instructions to the MFP 10 by operating the operating unit 12. The displaying unit 14 is a display for displaying various types of information, paragraph 39).
Regarding claim 7, Suzuki discloses wherein the first display item includes a third display item, the number of which is same as the number of links established in the multi-link communication (e.g., A user can input various instructions to the MFP 10 by operating the operating unit 12. The displaying unit 14 is a display for displaying various types of information, paragraph 39).
Regarding claim 8, Suzuki discloses wherein the first display item is displayed on a fixed area on the screen (e.g., A user can input various instructions to the MFP 10 by operating the operating unit 12. The displaying unit 14 is a display for displaying various types of information, paragraph 39).
Regarding claim 9, Suzuki discloses wherein executions of the stored instructions further configures the output unit to change information to be output based on whether the multi-link communication is established (e.g., The PC 8, the MFP 10 and the mobile device 50 are further capable of executing wireless communication according to a normal Wi-Fi system (e.g., IEEE 802.11) different from the WFD system. In general terms, wireless communication according to normal Wi-Fi is wireless communication using the AP 6, and wireless communication according to the WFD system is wireless communication not using the AP 6, paragraph 31).
Regarding claim 10, Suzuki discloses wherein execution of the stored instructions further configures the output unit to output information indicating a radio field intensity for each link established in the multi-link communication (e.g., the MFP 10 can belong to a normal Wi-Fi network by establishing a connection with the AP 6 (called “normal Wi-Fi connection” below) according to normal Wi-Fi. Via the AP 6, the MFP 10 can execute wireless communication with another device belonging to the normal Wi-Fi network (e.g., the PC 8, the mobile device 50). Moreover, the NFC system and the system of normal Wi-Fi (called “the normal Wi-Fi system” below) have different wireless communication systems (i.e., wireless communication standards). Further, the communication speed of normal Wi-Fi is faster than the communication speed of NFC, paragraph 31).
Regarding claim 11, Suzuki discloses wherein execution of the stored instructions further configures the output unit to output information indicating which one of a Simultaneous Transmit and Receive (STR) mode and a Nonsimultaneous Transmit and Receive (NSTR) mode is used as an operation mode (e.g., in a case where the mobile device 50 that is in the client state is to wirelessly send print data to another printer that is in the client state, the mobile device 50 first wirelessly sends the print data to the MFP 10 that is in the G/O state. In this case, the MFP 10 wirelessly receives the print data from the mobile device 50, and wirelessly sends the print data to the other printer. That is, the G/O state apparatus is capable of executing the function of an AP of the normal wireless network, paragraph 36).
Regarding claim 12, Suzuki discloses wherein execution of the stored instructions further configures the output unit to output the information in a manner recognizable by a user that the communication device communicates with the external device via a single link, that the communication device has established a plurality of links with the external device and communicates with the external device via a predetermined link among the plurality of links, or that the communication device communicates with the external device via a plurality of links (e.g., he MFP 10 is capable of executing wireless communication according to the Wi-Fi Direct system (to be described). Below, Wi-Fi Direct is called “WFD”. In WFD, wireless communication is executed based on IEEE (abbreviation of: The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.) 802.11 standard and standards based on thereon (e.g., 802.11a, 11b, 11g, 11n, etc.). The NFC system and the system of WFD (called “WFD system” below) have different wireless communication systems (i.e., wireless communication standards), paragraph 29).
Regarding claim 13, Suzuki discloses wherein the outputting is displaying an icon indicating the multi-link communication on a fixed area on a screen (e.g., The displaying unit 14 is a display for displaying various types of information which including wireless Lan and NFC communication, figure 1, paragraph 39).
Regarding claim 14, claim 14 is a method for a communication device with limitations similar of limitations of claim 1. Therefore, claim 14 is rejected as set forth above as claim 1.
Regarding claim 15, claim 15 is a non-transitory computer-readable medium with limitations similar of limitations of claim 1. Therefore, claim 15 is rejected as set forth above as claim 1.
Conclusion
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/QUANG N VO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2683
