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 .
Detail Action
2. This office action is response to the application filed on . Claims 1-20 are pending in this communication.
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.
3. Claims 1,2,4,6,9-11,13,15,17,19-20 are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MERLIN et al. (US 20220345187 A1) in view of PARK et. Al (US 20250317945 A1)
Regarding Claim 1:
MERLIN discloses;
a. A method operable by a first wireless communication device for protecting channel state information (CSI), (Abstract, Para.0231; “methods…. for radio frequency (RF) sensing in wireless communication systems….. transmits or receives …. frames associated with a channel report … include channel state information (CSI) of the wireless channel”, ”the first wireless communication device transmits…..a frame …..to protect transmissions to or from the second wireless communication devices”) the method comprising:
commencing an authentication process to authenticate a second wireless communication device; (Para.0077, Para.0101, Para.0241; “perform authentication and association operations to establish a communication link ….with the selected AP 102”, “the wireless communication device ….can be …..the AP 102”, “only the selected second wireless communication devices are permitted to access the wireless channel”)
b. inhibiting generation of CSI representing a radio frequency (RF) channel between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device; (Para.0186, Para.0202, Abstract, Para.0188; “The …. parameters may be used … for… obtaining channel state information (CSI) of the wireless channel”, “D1 …. transmit parameters to determine the CSI or generate the channel report….D2 …. receive parameters to determine the CSI or generate the channel report”, “the channel report ….. include channel state information (CSI) of the wireless channel”, “The first and second wireless communication devices D1 and D2”)
c. after authentication of the second wireless communication device is complete, (Para.0077, Para.0182; “perform authentication …. to establish a communication link”, “transmissions of the channel report …. scheduled during a …. session established on the wireless channel”) ……CSI representing the RF channel between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device. (Para.0186, Para.0202, Abstract, Para.0188; “… obtaining channel state information (CSI) of the wireless channel”, “D1 …. transmit ….. CSI or generate the channel report….D2 …. Receive …..the CSI or generate the channel report”, “the channel report …. include channel state information (CSI) of the wireless channel”, “The first and second wireless communication devices D1 and D2”)
however, MERLIN does not explicitly disclose:
c. after authentication of the …… device …. enabling generation of CSI …..between the first ….. device and the second ….. device.
In an analogous reference Park discloses:
c. after authentication of the …… device …. enabling generation of CSI …..between the first ….. device and the second ….. device. (Claim.22, Para.0180, Claim.11, Para.0273; “based on the communication between the first device and the second device being performed in the shared spectrum, the first device is allowed to trigger the …..CSI …..to the second device”, “a wireless communication system supporting an unlicensed band/shared spectrum”, “based on communication between the first device and the second device being performed in a licensed spectrum, the first device is not allowed to trigger the second CSI ….. to the second device”, “triggers the ….. CSI …… include a ….. time …. value for which the …. CSI ….. transmitted” when the communication between the first device and the second device being performed in the shared spectrum/unlicensed band, the first device is allowed to trigger the CSI/time duration for which the CSI is transmitted to the second device, on the other hand while the communication between the first device and the second device being performed in the licensed spectrum, the first device is not allowed to trigger the CSI, which is construed as ‘after authentication of the …… device …. enabling generation of CSI …..between the first ….. device and the second ….. device’)
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art to modify MERLIN’s method for radio frequency (RF) sensing in wireless communication systems by enhancing MERLIN’s method to include Park’s method of occupying resources in an unlicensed band.
The motivation: a wireless communication system supporting an unlicensed band/shared spectrum can be used for diverse purposes, e.g., the unlicensed band for vehicle-specific communication (e.g., automated driving).
Regarding Claim 10:
MERLIN discloses;
a. A method operable by a first wireless communication device for protecting channel state information (CSI), (Abstract, Para.0231; “methods…. for radio frequency (RF) sensing in wireless communication systems….. transmits or receives …. frames associated with a channel report … include channel state information (CSI) of the wireless channel”, ”the first wireless communication device transmits…..a frame …..to protect transmissions to or from the second wireless communication devices”) the method comprising:
commencing an authentication process to authenticate a second wireless communication device; (Para.0077, Para.0101, Para.0241; “perform authentication and association operations to establish a communication link ….with the selected AP 102”, “the wireless communication device ….can be …..the AP 102”, “only the selected second wireless communication devices are permitted to access the wireless channel”)
b. inhibiting generation of CSI representing a radio frequency (RF) channel between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device; (Para.0186, Para.0202, Abstract, Para.0188; “The …. parameters may be used … for… obtaining channel state information (CSI) of the wireless channel”, “D1 …. transmit parameters to determine the CSI or generate the channel report….D2 …. receive parameters to determine the CSI or generate the channel report”, “the channel report ….. include channel state information (CSI) of the wireless channel”, “The first and second wireless communication devices D1 and D2”)
c. after authentication of the second wireless communication device is
complete, (Para.0077, Para.0182; “perform authentication …. to establish a communication link”, “transmissions of the channel report …. scheduled during a …. session established on the wireless channel”) commencing an authorization process to authorize the second wireless communication device; (Para.0393, Claim.2, Para.0302, Abstract; “the …. selected second wireless communication devices are permitted to access the wireless channel during the availability window”, “a wireless communication device associated with the ….. receiver device”, “a duration of the availability window corresponds to a channel report processing time of the receiver device”, “the channel report…. include channel state information (CSI) of the wireless channel …. Transmitting or receiving ….. during the time period may prevent other devices from accessing the wireless channel” when selected second wireless communication devices are permitted to access the wireless channel during the availability window, a duration of the availability window corresponds to a channel report and transmissions of the channel report is scheduled during established session on the wireless channel, which is construed as ‘after authentication of the second wireless communication device is complete, commencing an authorization process to authorize the second wireless communication device’) and
d. after authorizing of the second wireless communication device is complete, (Para.0204, Para.0109; “a sounding session for a group of STAs ….. includes …… one availability window during which the….STA reserves access to the wireless medium …..and the other STAs do not participate in the wireless ….. operation and do not belong to the sounding session”, “The STA …. includes a wireless communication device” a sounding session for a group of STAs includes one availability window during which the STA/ wireless communication device reserves access to the wireless medium, is construed as ‘after authorizing of the second wireless communication device is complete….’) ……CSI representing the RF channel between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device. (Para.0186, Para.0202, Abstract, Para.0188; “… obtaining channel state information (CSI) of the wireless channel”, “D1 …. transmit ….. CSI or generate the channel report….D2 …. Receive …..the CSI or generate the channel report”, “the channel report …. include channel state information (CSI) of the wireless channel”, “The first and second wireless communication devices D1 and D2”)
however, MERLIN does not explicitly disclose:
d. after authorizing of the …… device …. enabling generation of CSI …..between the first ….. device and the second ….. device.
In an analogous reference Park discloses:
d. after authorizing of the …… device …. enabling generation of CSI …..between the first ….. device and the second ….. device. (Claim.22, Para.0180, Claim.11, Para.0273; “based on the communication between the first device and the second device being performed in the shared spectrum, the first device is allowed to trigger the …..CSI …..to the second device”, “a wireless communication system supporting an unlicensed band/shared spectrum”, “based on communication between the first device and the second device being performed in a licensed spectrum, the first device is not allowed to trigger the second CSI ….. to the second device”, “triggers the ….. CSI …… include a ….. time …. value for which the …. CSI ….. transmitted” when the communication between the first device and the second device being performed in the shared spectrum/unlicensed band, the first device is allowed to trigger the CSI/time duration for which the CSI is transmitted to the second device, on the other hand while the communication between the first device and the second device being performed in the licensed spectrum, the first device is not allowed to trigger the CSI, which is construed as ‘after authorizing of the …… …. device …. enabling generation of CSI …..between the first ….. device and the second ….. device’)
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art to modify MERLIN’s method for radio frequency (RF) sensing in wireless communication systems by enhancing MERLIN’s method to include Park’s method of occupying resources in an unlicensed band.
The motivation: is the same as claim 1.
Regarding Claim 2:
MERLIN in view of PARK discloses;
The method of claim 1, further comprising:
Generating the CSI representing the RF channel between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device within a radio of the first wireless communication device; (disclosed in claim 1) and
requiring authentication and authorization …. that is within the first wireless communication device…. to access the CSI representing the RF channel between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device from the radio. (MERLIN, Para.0231, Para.0182, Abstract; ”the first wireless communication device transmits….. to protect transmissions to or from the second wireless communication devices”, “transmissions of the channel report …. scheduled during a …. session established on the wireless channel”, “the channel report…. include channel state information (CSI) of the wireless channel …. Transmitting or receiving ….. during the time period may prevent other devices from accessing the wireless channel”)
…. subsystem that is within the ……wireless communication device, but is external to the radio, to enable the subsystem to access the CSI (PARK, Para.0111, Para.0358, Para.0348, Abstract; “the point ….may be an external reference point …..of a carrier in which a subcarrier ….. supported by a network on that carrier….”, “The communication unit …. transmit and receive signals ….. to and from external devices ……”, “wireless devices ….. correspond to …..a communication unit”, “wireless communication by a first device ….. transmitting, to a second device, information on the …. channel state information (CSI)”)
With respect to dependent claim 13, a corresponding reasoning was given earlier in this section with respect to claim 2; therefore, claim 13 rejected, for similar reasons, under the grounds as set forth for claim 2.
Regarding Claim 4:
MERLIN in view of PARK discloses;
The method of claim 1, further comprising:
authenticating ….. the RF channel between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device; and…. transmission of the CSI representing the RF channel between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device from the first wireless communication device ….. (MERLIN, disclosed in claim 1)
……authenticating and authorizing a customer premises equipment (CPE) to receive the CSI …….
in response to authenticating and authorizing the CPE, enabling transmission of the CSI ….. from the first ….. device to the CPE. (PARK, Para.0277, Abstract; “a first UE may transmit …. CSI reporting to a second UE”, “on the basis of communication between the first device and the second device being performed in a shared spectrum, the first device …. allowed to trigger a ….CSI report”)
With respect to dependent claim 15, a corresponding reasoning was given earlier in this section with respect to claim 4; therefore, claim 15 rejected, for similar reasons, under the grounds as set forth for claim 4.
Regarding Claim 6:
MERLIN in view of PARK discloses;
The method of claim 1, further comprising limiting access to the CSI representing the RF channel between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device via a wide area network to devices that are authenticated and are authorized (MERLIN, Para.0192, Para.0067; “The communications … between the first wireless communication device (D1) and the second wireless communication device (D2) ….. the sensing operation … include any number of second wireless communication devices …. transmit ….over the wireless channel”,” implemented using …. a wireless wide area network (WWAN)”) to access the CSI representing the RF channel between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device. (Para.0232, Para.0234, Para.0150; “only the second wireless communication devices are permitted to access the wireless channel during the availability window”, “a duration of the availability window corresponds to a processing time …. for generating …. channel report”, “a channel report including …. CSI processed with the transmit parameters”)
With respect to dependent claim 17, a corresponding reasoning was given earlier in this section with respect to claim 6; therefore, claim 17 rejected, for similar reasons, under the grounds as set forth for claim 6.
Regarding Claim 9:
MERLIN in view of PARK discloses;
The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device is a Wi-Fi wireless communication device. (MERLIN, Para.0192; “The communications … between the first wireless communication device (D1) and the second wireless communication device (D2)”)
With respect to dependent claim 20, a corresponding reasoning was given earlier in this section with respect to claim 9; therefore, claim 20 rejected, for similar reasons, under the grounds as set forth for claim 9.
Regarding Claim 11:
MERLIN in view of PARK discloses;
The method of claim 10, further comprising encrypting CSI representing the RF channel between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device before sending the CSI to the second wireless communication device. (MERLIN, Para.0184, Para.0202, Para.0150; “the first and second wireless communication devices … exchange …. parameters ….with each other”, “transmit parameters to determine the CSI or generate the channel report”, “channel report may include CSI encoded with encoding parameters”)
Regarding Claim 19:
MERLIN in view of PARK discloses;
The method of claim 10, further comprising causing the ….wireless communication device to ….. representing the RF channel between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device to ….. in response to performance of the first wireless communication device dropping below a predetermined threshold value. (MERLIN, Para.0140, Para.0133; “the RX device may generate or transmit a channel report only if one or more conditions are satisfied…..the RX device may not generate a channel report …. if the difference in the CSI is below a CSI threshold”, “the TX device and the RX device ….examples of the transmitting device …. and the receiving device”)
…..the first …. device to switch from (i) an operating state using the CSI representing the RF channel between the first …. device and the second …..device to (PARK, Abstract, Para.0180, Para.0182, Para.0101; “on the basis of communication between the first device and the second device being performed in a shared spectrum, the first device …. allowed to trigger a … CSI report for the second device”, “a wireless communication system supporting an unlicensed band/shared spectrum”, “a cell operating in an unlicensed band ….. refer to the operating frequency”, “a frequency band of 6 GHz ….and higher …. include an unlicensed band…. used for diverse purposes”) (ii) a default operating state that does not use the CSI representing the RF channel between the first ….. device and the second …. device, (Para.0182, Para.0304; “a cell operating in a licensed band ….. refer to the operating frequency …. of the cel”, “based on communication between the first device and the second device being performed in a licensed spectrum, the first device may not be allowed to trigger the …. CSI reporting to the second device”)
Claims 3,12,14 are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MERLIN et al. (US 20220345187 A1) in view of PARK et. Al (US 20250317945 A1) and further in view of Avetisov et. Al (US 20210258308 A1)
Regarding Claim 3:
MERLIN in view of PARK discloses;
The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the CSI representing the RF channel between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device within ….. environment of the first wireless communication device, (disclosed in claim 1) wherein access to resources …. according to an authentication and authorization policy (Park, Para.0292; “the proposed rule …..may be configured ….. for ….. resource allocation ….”) …..
however, MERLIN in view of PARK does not explicitly disclose:
generating the ……. channel between the ….. and the ……. within a trusted environment of the …… communication …… wherein access to resources within the trusted environment is limited to elements within the trusted environment, except according to ….. that is executed within the trusted environment.
In an analogous reference Avetisov discloses:
generating the ……. channel between the ….. and the ……. within a trusted environment of the …… communication …… (Para.0125; “communications between the TEE and the authentication application ….. to establish ….. a secure channel of communications, with the TEE”) wherein access to resources within the trusted environment is limited to elements within the trusted environment, (Para.0149; “utilization of the private key….. restricted to the TEE or other secure component of the mobile device ….such that ….. cannot access the private key”) except according to ….. that is executed within the trusted environment. (Para.0109; “…. deny …. access based on the received result or time out the access attempt if not result is received within a threshold amount of time”)
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art to modify MERLIN in view of PARK’s method for radio frequency (RF) sensing in wireless communication systems by enhancing MERLIN in view of PARK’s method to include Avetisov’s method to authenticate a user via the mobile device of the user.
The motivation: a digital signature based on a private key of a cryptographic key pair unique to the user among a population of users, which helps to authenticate a particular user/ mobile device.
With respect to dependent claim 14, a corresponding reasoning was given earlier in this section with respect to claim 3; therefore, claim 14 rejected, for similar reasons, under the grounds as set forth for claim 3.
Regarding Claim 12:
MERLIN in view of PARK discloses;
The method of claim 10, further comprising …. CSI representing the RF channel between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device before sending the CSI to the second wireless communication device. (disclosed in claim 11)
however, MERLIN in view of PARK does not explicitly disclose:
digitally signing …. between the ….. device and the …… device
In an analogous reference Avetisov discloses:
digitally signing …. between the ….. device and the …… device (Para.0049; “a … server …. receive the cryptographically signed data… signed by an entity (e.g., a specific mobile computing device of a user)”)
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art to modify MERLIN in view of PARK’s method for radio frequency (RF) sensing in wireless communication systems by enhancing MERLIN in view of PARK’s method to include Avetisov’s method to authenticate a user via the mobile device of the user.
The motivation: same as claim 3.
Claims 5,7-8,16,18 are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MERLIN et al. (US 20220345187 A1) in view of PARK et. Al (US 20250317945 A1) and further in view of NAM et. Al (US 20210306044 A1)
Regarding Claim 5:
MERLIN in view of PARK discloses;
The method of claim 1, further comprising:
…… communicatively coupled to….. each of the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device, performing wireless sensing to generate processed sensing data representing a physical environment including the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device based on the CSI representing the RF channel between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device; (Para.0183; “sensing operation ….that supports ….. channel …..The communications …. between a first wireless communication device (D1) and …. second wireless communication devices (D2)”) and
limiting access to the processed sensing data to devices that are authenticated and are authorized to access the processed sensing data. (Para.0232, Para.0234, Para.0150; “only the second wireless communication devices are permitted to access the wireless channel during the availability window”, “a duration of the availability window corresponds to a processing time …. for generating …. channel report”, “a channel report including …. CSI processed with the transmit parameters”)
however, MERLIN in view of PARK does not explicitly disclose:
at customer premises equipment that is …… separate from, each of ….. device …..
In an analogous reference NAM discloses:
at customer premises equipment that is ….. separate from, each of ….. device …..(Para.0033; “UEs include…. robots, drones, …. sensors, ….or some other entity…. Some UEs …. considered Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices….. Some UEs …. considered a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE)”)
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art to modify MERLIN in view of PARK’s method for radio frequency (RF) sensing in wireless communication systems by enhancing MERLIN in view of PARK’s method to include NAM’s method of wireless communication, performed by a user equipment.
The motivation: Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) offers enhanced network performance and reliability for businesses.
With respect to dependent claim 16, a corresponding reasoning was given earlier in this section with respect to claim 5; therefore, claim 16 rejected, for similar reasons, under the grounds as set forth for claim 5.
Regarding Claim 7:
MERLIN in view of PARK discloses;
The method of claim 1, further comprising:
at a communication environment …… of the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device, performing wireless sensing to generate processed sensing data representing a physical environment including the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device based on the CSI representing the RF channel between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device; and
limiting access to the processed sensing data to devices that are authenticated and are authorized to access the processed sensing data. (DISCLOSED IN CLAIM 5)
however, MERLIN in view of PARK does not explicitly disclose:
…..at a communication environment that is remote from each of the first … device and the second ….. device….
In an analogous reference NAM discloses:
…..at a communication environment that is remote from each of the first … device and the second ….. device….(Abstract; “An access attempt from the second device is received …..associated with the user. A notification …. is generated by the remote server and transmitted to the second device. The first device obtains the notification data from the second device and ….. returned to the remote server for verification to permit or deny the access attempt of the second device”)
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art to modify MERLIN in view of PARK’s method for radio frequency (RF) sensing in wireless communication systems by enhancing MERLIN in view of PARK’s method to include NAM’s method of wireless communication, performed by a user equipment.
The motivation: same as claim 5.
With respect to dependent claim 18, a corresponding reasoning was given earlier in this section with respect to claim 7; therefore, claim 18 rejected, for similar reasons, under the grounds as set forth for claim 7.
Regarding Claim 8:
MERLIN in view of PARK discloses;
The method of claim 1, further comprising ….. the first wireless communication device …..
however, MERLIN in view of PARK does not explicitly disclose:
….. limiting a rate of change of settings to a radio of the ….. wireless communication device to a predetermined value.
In an analogous reference NAM discloses:
….. limiting a rate of change of settings to a radio of the ….. wireless communication device to a predetermined value. (Para.0036; “devices of wireless network … communicate using an operating band having a first frequency range …. span from 410 MHz to 7.125 GHz, and….. communicate using an operating band having a second frequency range …. span from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz”)
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art to modify MERLIN in view of PARK’s method for radio frequency (RF) sensing in wireless communication systems by enhancing MERLIN in view of PARK’s method to include NAM’s method of wireless communication, performed by a user equipment.
The motivation: In wireless communication, the frequency range determines how signals propagate, penetrate obstacles, and carry data.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SAYEDA SALMA NAHAR whose telephone number is (703)756-4609. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM EST.
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/SAYEDA SALMA NAHAR/Examiner, Art Unit 2435
/BEEMNET W DADA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2435
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