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 .
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) 1-3,5-7,10-14,16,17 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Asterjadhi et al. (US 2020/0076519).
The claimed invention reads on Asterjadhi et al. as follows:
Regarding claims 1 and 11, Asterjadhi et al. discloses an access repeater device ( access point or AP)(fig. 1 number 105), comprising: a controller configured to: control transmission of a first beam of radio frequency (RF) signals at a first transmit (Tx) power level (Par.259, tx to a sector, hence a beam inherently at a 1st tx power), wherein a first user equipment (UE) of a set of UEs is detected at a first distance from the access repeater device at a first instance (Par.260, receives from each STA, hence at least a 1st UE); identify that a second UE responds to the first beam of RF signals communicated in a test direction (i.e. test direction is interpreted as any desired/sectorized direction) from a plurality of different test directions (Par.260 and Fig.6:120-b, receives from each STA and Fig.19:1915, at least a second in the area over the sector/beam); and modulate a transmit power output of the first beam of RF signals towards the second UE in the test direction (Par.262, Par.145… it can be seen after the AP receives sector-specific SNR/interference reports and adjusts parameters (i.e. identify tx power for subsequent communications) *schedule and transmit data (downlink or uplink grants) to the appropriate stations in those sectors (i.e. sectors in fig. 6 number 120b) (Fig.6: number 120-b and Par.162), hence must be modulated at a tx power).
Regarding claims 13 and 14, Asterjadhi et al. discloses a method (fig. 7 and P:0167), comprising: in an access repeater device ( access point or AP)(fig. 1 number 105), comprising: a controller configured to: control transmission of a first beam of radio frequency (RF) signals at a first transmit (Tx) power level (Par.259, tx to a sector, hence a beam inherently at a 1st tx power), wherein a first user equipment (UE) of a set of UEs is detected at a first distance from the access repeater device at a first instance (Par.260, receives from each STA, hence at least a 1st UE); identify that a second UE responds to the first beam of RF signals communicated in a test direction (i.e. test direction is interpreted as any desired/sectorized direction) from a plurality of different test directions (Par.260 and Fig.6:120-b, receives from each STA and Fig.19:1915, at least a second in the area over the sector/beam); and modulate a transmit power output of the first beam of RF signals towards the second UE in the test direction (Par.262, Par.145… it can be seen after the AP receives sector-specific SNR/interference reports and adjusts parameters (i.e. identify tx power for subsequent communications) *schedule and transmit data (downlink or uplink grants) to the appropriate stations in those sectors (i.e. sectors in fig. 6 number 120b) (Fig.6: number 120-b and Par.162), hence must be modulated at a tx power).
Regarding claim 20, Asterjadhi et al. discloses a non-transitory computer-readable medium (memory) (fig. 12 number 1230) having stored thereon, computer-executable instructions, which when executed a processor of an access repeater device, cause the processor (fig. 12 number 1240) to execute operations (P:0205 and P:0210), the operations comprising: control transmission of a first beam of radio frequency (RF) signals at a first transmit (Tx) power level (Par.259, tx to a sector, hence a beam inherently at a 1st tx power), wherein a first user equipment (UE) of a set of UEs is detected at a first distance from the access repeater device at a first instance (Par.260, receives from each STA, hence at least a 1st UE); identify that a second UE responds to the first beam of RF signals communicated in a test direction (i.e. test direction is interpreted as any desired/sectorized direction) from a plurality of different test directions (Par.260 and Fig.6:120-b, receives from each STA and Fig.19:1915, at least a second in the area over the sector/beam); and modulate a transmit power output of the first beam of RF signals towards the second UE in the test direction (Par.262, Par.145… it can be seen after the AP receives sector-specific SNR/interference reports and adjusts parameters (i.e. identify tx power for subsequent communications) *schedule and transmit data (downlink or uplink grants) to the appropriate stations in those sectors (i.e. sectors in fig. 6 number 120b) (Fig.6: number 120-b and Par.162), hence must be modulated at a tx power).
Regarding claim 2, Asterjadhi et al. discloses the controller is further configured to detect a distribution of the set of UEs (fig. 2 115a and 115b), within a defined physical coverage zone (fig. 2, 120a) at a second instance (P:0131-P:0132), based on the UE response, the detection of the distribution of the set of UEs comprises detection of the second UE at the second instance, the set of UEs comprises the first UE at the first distance (short distance)(105a and 115b) and the second UE at a second distance from the access repeater device (fig. 2 105a and 115a), and the second distance is farther from the first distance with respect to the access repeater device (fig. 2).
Regarding claim 3, Asterjadhi et al. discloses based on the UE response, the controller is further configured to adjust a combination of an antenna pattern settings, a beam splitting settings, and a transmit beam power settings for the detection of the distribution of the set of UEs within the defined physical coverage zone (i.e. (Par.262, Par.145… it can be seen after the AP receives sector-specific SNR/interference reports and adjusts parameters (i.e. identify tx power for subsequent communications) *schedule and transmit data (downlink or uplink grants) to the appropriate stations in those sectors (i.e. sectors in fig. 6 number 120b) (Fig.6: number 120-b, Par. 135 and Par.162).
Regarding claims 5 and 16, Asterjadhi et al. discloses the controller is further configured to calibrate, based on the UE response, a beam pattern (training signal) of the first beam of RF signals to concurrently serve the first UE at the first distance and the second UE at a second distance (fig. 2) from the access repeater device (fig. 19 number 1925, P:0134 and P:0262).
Regarding claims 6-7,17 Asterjadhi et al. discloses the controller is further configured to execute a beam splitting operation to concurrently serve the first UE and the second UE based on the first beam of RF signals and a second beam of RF signals (i.e. However, in some examples (e.g., when operating in a full duplex mode), while the uplink transmission on communication link 205 occupies the medium, AP 105-a may transmit a downlink transmission on communication link 210 to STA 115-b. Because STA 115-b is closer to AP 105-a, AP 105-a may send the downlink transmission at a higher MCS, and the downlink transmission may have a higher throughput. Simultaneously sending a high throughput transmission to a close STA 115-b and a low throughput transmission from a far STA 115-a may result in a high gain values (P:0134).
Regarding claim 10, Asterjadhi et al. discloses the controller is further configured to periodically scan a defined physical coverage zone in a horizontal plane with reference to a ground plane to locate a distribution of different UEs within the defined physical coverage zone while one or more service beams of RF signals are concurrently locked onto the set of UEs (i.e. AP 105-b may send a series of training signals 605. In some examples, AP 105-c may send training signals 605 on different sets of directional antenna. The training signals 605 may therefore be directional, and AP 105-b may sweep through 360 degrees, transmitting one directional training signal 605 for each sector. AP 105- may, instruct STAs 115 to monitor the directional signals, and transmit SNR reports at different times)(P:0163).
Regarding claim 12, Asterjadhi et al. discloses the controller is further configured to generate an enhanced UE connectivity database (a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code) over a period of time comprising a relationship between a beam pattern, a beam transmit power, and a location of a number of UEs distributed at a plurality of different locations within the defined physical coverage zone of the access repeater device, and the number of UEs includes the set of UEs (P:0079 and P:0163).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4,8,9,15,18 and 19 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claim 4, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone or in combination the controller is further configured to: control a decrease of the first Tx power level of the first beam of RF signals to a second Tx power level, wherein the decrease of the first Tx power level of the first beam of RF signals induces a UE response at the second UE, of the set of UEs, at a second distance from the access repeater device to increase a Tx radio power of an RF signal emitted by the second UE; and control the decrease of the first Tx power level of the first beam of RF signals, one of periodically or in a targeted operation, to present the access repeater device at a greater distance than an actual location of the access repeater device, wherein the decrease of the first Tx power level one of periodically or in the targeted operation causes the second UE to exit hide by an increase of the Tx radio power at the second UE in a closed-loop feedback.
Regarding claim 8, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone or in combination the execution of the beam splitting operation is further based on the UE response, and the beam splitting operation includes: the first beam of RF signals in a first polarization locked on the first UE at the first distance, and the second beam of RF signals in a second polarization directed at the second UE at a second distance from the access repeater device.
Regarding claim 9, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone or in combination the execution of the beam splitting operation is further based on the UE response, and the beam splitting operation includes: the first beam of RF signals in a first polarization with a first Tx power locked on the first UE at the first distance, and the second beam of RF signals in a second polarization with a second Tx power directed at the second UE at a second distance from the access repeater device, and the second Tx power higher than the first Tx power.
Regarding claim 15, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone or in combination controlling a decrease of the first Tx power level of the first beam of RF signals to a second Tx power level, wherein the decrease of the first Tx power level of the first beam of RF signals induces a UE response at the second UE, of the set of UEs, at a second distance from the access repeater device to increase a Tx radio power of an RF signal emitted by the second UE; and controlling the decrease of the first Tx power level of the first beam of RF signals, one of periodically or in a targeted operation, to present the access repeater device at a greater distance than an actual location of the access repeater device, wherein the decrease of the first Tx power level one of periodically or in the targeted operation causes the second UE to come out of hiding by increasing the Tx radio power at the second UE in a closed-loop feedback.
Regarding claim 18, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone or in combination executing a beam splitting operation to concurrently serve the first UE and the second UE based on the first beam of RF signals and a second beam of RF signals, wherein the execution of the beam splitting operation is further based on the UE response, and the beam splitting operation includes: the first beam of RF signals in a first polarization locked on the first UE at the first distance, and the second beam of RF signals in a second polarization directed at the second UE at a second distance from the access repeater device.
Regarding claim 19, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone or in combination executing a beam splitting operation to concurrently serve the first UE and the second UE based on the first beam of RF signals and a second beam of RF signals, wherein the execution of the beam splitting operation is further based on the UE response, and the beam splitting operation includes: the first beam of RF signals in a first polarization with a first Tx power is locked on the first UE at the first distance, and the second beam of RF signals in a second polarization with a second Tx power is directed at the second UE at a second distance from the access repeater device, wherein the second Tx power is higher than the first Tx power.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Ponnuswamy (US 10,516,455) discloses a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a hardware processor of a first access point a first, causes the first access point to: transmit, to a client device, frames using a first polarization configuration of a first antenna of the first access point; select a second polarization configuration for the first antenna different than the first polarization configuration to transmit additional frames based on respective characteristics associated with spatial streams transmitted from the first access point to the client device, wherein the spatial streams comprise a spatial stream targeted for the client device and a spatial stream targeted for a third second client device.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEITH FERGUSON whose telephone number is (571)272-7865. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7 am -3 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Wesley L Kim can be reached at (571) 272-7867. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KEITH FERGUSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2648