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 04/03/2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 3 and 15 objected to because of the following informalities: The claim utilizes “and/or” language. Such language can cause ambiguity as to whether the limitation should be joint or alternate. Examiner suggests amending the claims to state “at least one of” or alternate language. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefore, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the disclosed invention is inoperative and therefore lacks utility. Specifically, the claims are directed towards generating a PPDU and performing a function on it to arrive at a final product. However, the PPDU is never transmitted or used in the operation of the method, system, or CRM.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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, 2, 4, 7, 8, 12-14, 16, 19, 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being unpatentable over Chen et, al. (WO 2022260783 A1, referred to as Chen hereinafter)
Regarding claim 1, Chen teaches a wireless communication method, comprising: generating a protocol data unit PPDU; (pp. 0006, generates a PPDU.)
and performing a frequency domain resource duplication on the protocol data unit PPDU in units of a resource unit RU to obtain a final protocol data unit PPDU. (pp. 0135, maps user data to a RU sized group, then duplicates the user data to a second RU group, and transmits the PPDU)
Regarding claim 2, Chen teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein the protocol data unit PPDU at least comprises a data field, said performing the frequency domain resource duplication on the protocol data unit PPDU in units of the resource unit RU comprises: performing a frequency domain resource duplication the data field in units of the resource unit RU. (pp. 0006, describes signals and confines duplication to the data)
Regarding claim 4, Chen teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein when the frequency domain resource duplication is performed on the protocol data unit PPDU in units of the resource unit RU, data duplicated in each resource unit RU is the same. (pp. 0135, maps user data to a RU sized group, then duplicates the user data to a second RU group, and transmits the PPDU)
Regarding claim 9, Chen teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 2, wherein the wireless communication method is applied in a wireless device, the data field comprises N data segments, a bandwidth occupied by each data segment is a working bandwidth of the wireless device, said performing the frequency domain resource duplication on the protocol data unit PPDU in the unit of the resource unit RU comprises: performing a frequency domain resource duplication on M data segments in the protocol data unit PPDU in units of the resource unit RU, where 1<M<N. (See figs. 8-12B).
Regarding claim 10, Chen teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 9, wherein when 1<M, pieces of size information of resource units RUs used for different data segments are the same or different. (See figs. 8-12B).
Regarding claim 11, Chen teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 10, wherein when the frequency domain resource duplication is performed on the M data segments in the protocol data unit PPDU in units of the resource unit RU, a frequency domain resource duplication is performed on a single data segment in units of a resource unit RU with at least one piece of size information. (See figs. 8-12B).
Regarding claim 12, Chen teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein the protocol data unit PPDU comprises preamble puncture information, the method further comprises: before said performing the frequency domain resource duplication on the protocol data unit PPDU in units of the resource unit RU, (pp. 0006, verbatim teaches the preamble carrying punctured subchannel information and RU duplication process on PPDU.)
Regarding claim 13, Chen teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein a bandwidth occupied by the protocol data unit PPDU is greater than or equal to BW 80MHz. (pp. 0051, transmits over a bandwidth 80 MHz or higher.)
Regarding claim 14, Chen teaches a wireless device, comprising: at least one processor; and a non-transitory memory in communicative connection with at least one processor; wherein the non-transitory memory stores a computer program that is executable by the at least one processor, the computer program when executed by the at least one processor, implements the wireless communication method of claim 1. (pp. 0176)
Regarding claim 20, Chen teaches A non-transitory computer storage medium in which a computer program is stored, wherein the computer program when executed by a processor implements the wireless communication method of claim 1. (pp. 0176)
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 3, 5-8, 9-11, 15, 17, 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen, in view of Yu et, al. (US20220045889A1, referred to as Yu hereinafter.)
Regarding claim 3, Chen teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 1. However, Chen does not teach wherein the resource unit RU comprises a resource unit RU with size information of 106, a resource unit RU with size information of 242, and/or a resource unit RU with size information of 484. However, Yu teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein the resource unit RU comprises a resource unit RU with size information of 106, a resource unit RU with size information of 242, and/or a resource unit RU with size information of 484. (Yu, pp. 0146, exact match for all RU sizes.)
It would be obvious to a person having ordinary skill of the art before the effective filing date to combine the generating of a PPDU as taught by Chen, with a resource unit, RU, comprising of size information as taught by Yu. A person having ordinary skill of the art would be motivated to do because a combination of applying DCM and RU-based duplication may achieve similar communication range (receiver sensitivity level) to QCM without any frequency domain duplication. (pp. 0146)
Regarding claim 5, Yu teaches wherein the wireless communication method is applied in a wireless device, the wireless device is distributed with multiple resource units RUs, said performing the frequency domain resource duplication on the protocol data unit PPDU in units of the resource unit RU comprises dividing the multiple resource units RUs into groups, data duplicated in each resource unit RU in each group being the same. (pg. 13, pp. 0170, two groups of duplicated identical data).
It would be obvious to a person who has ordinary skill of the art before the effective filing date to combine the generating of a PPDU as taught by Chen, with grouping of a resource unit, RU, frequency domain as taught by Yu. A person having ordinary skill of the art would be motivated to do because a combination of applying DCM and RU-based duplication may achieve similar communication range (receiver sensitivity level) to QCM without any frequency domain duplication. (pp. 0146)
Regarding claim 6, Chen and Yu teach the method of claim 5. Yu further teaches wherein all resource units RUs in each group are continuous with each other in frequency domain. (pg. 13, pp. 0170, adjacent RUs forming groups i.e. a contiguous grouping arrangement).
Regarding Claim 7, Chen further teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 5, wherein all resource units RUs in each group are discontinuous with each other in frequency domain. (pg. 0009, positions each duplicate carrying RU so that they do not overlap the first portion of the bandwidth, i.e. they are frequency-discontinuous)
Regarding claim 8, Chen further teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 5, said dividing the multiple resource units RUs into groups comprises: dividing the multiple resource units RUs into groups according to size information of the resource units RUs. (pp. 0008, selects between a RU or MRU that have differing sizes, depending on how contiguous non-punctured bandwidth is available.)
Regarding claim 15, Chen teaches the wireless device according to claim 14, however fails to teach teaches wherein the resource unit RU comprises a resource unit RU with size information of 106, a resource unit RU with size information of 242, and/or a resource unit RU with size information of 484. However, Yu teaches wherein the resource unit RU comprises a resource unit RU with size information of 106, a resource unit RU with size information of 242, and/or a resource unit RU with size information of 484. (pp. 0146, exact match for all RU sizes.)
It would be obvious to a person having ordinary skill of the art before the effective filing date to combine the generating of a PPDU as taught by Chen, with a resource unit, RU, comprising of size information as taught by Yu. A person having ordinary skill of the art would be motivated to do because a combination of applying DCM and RU-based duplication may achieve similar communication range (receiver sensitivity level) to QCM without any frequency domain duplication. (pp. 0146)
Regarding claim 16, Chen teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 14, wherein when the frequency domain resource duplication is performed on the protocol data unit PPDU in units of the resource unit RU, data duplicated in each resource unit RU is the same. (pp. 0135, maps user data to a RU sized group, then duplicates the user data to a second RU group, and transmits the PPDU)
Regarding claim 17, Chen teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 14. However, Chen fails to teach wherein the wireless communication method is applied in a wireless device, the wireless device is distributed with multiple resource units RUs, said performing the frequency domain resource duplication on the protocol data unit PPDU in units of the resource unit RU comprises dividing the multiple resource units RUs into groups, data duplicated in each resource unit RU in each group being the same. However, Yu teaches wherein the wireless communication method is applied in a wireless device, the wireless device is distributed with multiple resource units RUs, said performing the frequency domain resource duplication on the protocol data unit PPDU in units of the resource unit RU comprises dividing the multiple resource units RUs into groups, data duplicated in each resource unit RU in each group being the same. (pg. 13, pp. 0170, two groups of duplicated identical data).
Regarding claim 18, Chen and Yu teach the method of claim 17. Yu further teaches wherein all resource units RUs in each group are continuous with each other in frequency domain. (pg. 13, pp. 0170, adjacent RUs forming groups i.e. a contiguous grouping arrangement).
Regarding Claim 19, Chen teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 17, wherein all resource units RUs in each group are discontinuous with each other in frequency domain. (pp. 0009, positions each duplicate carrying RU so that they do not overlap the first portion of the bandwidth, i.e. they are frequency-discontinuous)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AYAAN AYAZ SHEIKH whose telephone number is (571)272-4643. The examiner can normally be reached MON-FRI 7:30-5pm.
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/AYAAN AYAZ SHEIKH/
Examiner, Art Unit 2463
/ASAD M NAWAZ/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2463
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