UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`
`
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`PO. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 2231371450
`www.uspto.gov
`
`15/890,863
`
`02/07/2018
`
`LEI HUANG
`
`731156.682C1
`
`8516
`
`Seed IP Law Group LLP/Panason1e
`701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 5400
`Seattle, WA 98104
`
`PHUNKULH' BOB A
`
`ART UNIT
`
`2412
`
`PAPER NUMBER
`
`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
`
`06/21/2019
`
`ELECTRONIC
`
`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
`
`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above—indicated "Notification Date" to the
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`following e—mail address(es):
`US PTOeACtion @ SeedIP .Com
`
`pairlinkdktg @ seedip .eom
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`0/7709 A0170” Summary
`
`Application No.
`15/890,863
`Examiner
`BOBA PHUNKULH
`
`Applicant(s)
`HUANG et al.
`Art Unit
`2412
`
`AIA (FITF) Status
`Yes
`
`- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet wit/7 the correspondence address -
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLY IS SET TO EXPIRE g MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available under the provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply be timely filed after SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing
`date of this communication.
`|f NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, even if timely filed, may reduce any earned patent term
`adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
`
`Status
`
`1). Responsive to communication(s) filed on 2/7/2019.
`[:1 A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
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`2a)D This action is FINAL.
`
`2b)
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`This action is non-final.
`
`3)[:] An election was made by the applicant in response to a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
`
`4)[:] Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordance with the practice under Expat/7e Quay/e, 1935 CD. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`5)
`Claim(s)
`
`1—19 is/are pending in the application.
`
`5a) Of the above claim(s)
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`is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`
`E] Claim(s)
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`is/are allowed.
`
`Claim(s) fl is/are rejected.
`
`[:1 Claim(s) _ is/are objected to.
`
`) ) ) )
`
`6 7
`
`8
`
`
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`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement
`[j Claim(s)
`9
`* If any claims have been determined aflowabie. you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
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`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`
`http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPeredback@uspto.gov.
`
`Application Papers
`10)[:] The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`
`11). The drawing(s) filed on 2/07/2018 is/are: a). accepted or b)E] objected to by the Examiner.
`
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`12). Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`Certified copies:
`
`a). All
`
`b)D Some**
`
`C)D None of the:
`
`1.. Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`
`2.[:] Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`
`3:] Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`
`** See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
`
`Attachment(s)
`
`1)
`
`Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`
`Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`2)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date 2/20/2019: 2/07/2018.
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3) C] Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`4) CI Other-
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20190606
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/890,863
`Art Unit: 2412
`
`Page 2
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`Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
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`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined
`
`under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
`
`DETAILED ACTION
`
`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
`
`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, 6-7, 9-11, 15-16, 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as
`
`being anticipated by SEOK et al. (US 2012/0106531 A1), hereinafter SEOK.
`
`Regarding claim 1, SEOK discloses a communication method, comprising:
`
`transmitting a sounding frame comprising a training signal (the destination STAs
`
`transmit a sounding PPDU 120 and a sounding PPDU 130 in response to a training
`
`request from AP, see 113 0036-0037 and figure 1); and
`
`receiving a first feedback frame from a communication partner device (AP, see
`
`figure 1), the first feedback frame comprising first beamforming feedback information,
`
`wherein the first feedback frame is transmitted together with at least one second
`
`feedback frame by multiuser transmission (the AP can transmit a steered spatial
`
`division multiple access (SDMA) data frame 140 to the STA_1 and the STA_2. The
`
`SDMA data frame 140 is a frame transmitted by performing spatial multiplexing on the
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/890,863
`Art Unit: 2412
`
`Page 3
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`STA_1 and the STA_2 on the basis of the channel information obtained by performing
`
`channel estimation by using the sounding PPDU received by the AP from each
`
`destination STA, see ll 0038).
`
`Regarding claim 2, SEOK discloses one of the at least one second feedback
`
`frame comprises second beamforming feedback information, and the multiuser
`
`transmission is performed over a plurality of communication links, and the first
`
`beamforming feedback information comprises information on one communication link of
`
`the plurality of communication links, and the second beamforming feedback information
`
`comprises information on another communication link of the plurality of communication
`
`links (the SDMA data frame includes channel information, may be beamforming,
`
`obtained by performing channel estimation by using the sounding PPDU received by the
`
`AP from each destination STA,
`
`the AP transmits the SDMA data frame 140 to STA_1
`
`and STA-2, see ll 0038).
`
`Regarding claim 6, SEOK discloses wherein the first beamforming feedback
`
`information comprises one or more beamforming matrices (Upon receiving the sounding
`
`PPDU 120 and the sounding PPDU 130, the AP obtains channel information by
`
`performing channel estimation on the STA_1 and the STA_2. The channel information
`
`can be used in beamforming for reducing interference of the plurality of destination
`
`STAs. On the basis of the obtained channel information, the AP can transmit a steered
`
`spatial division multiple access (SDMA) data frame 140 to the STA_1 and the STA_2,
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/890,863
`Art Unit: 2412
`
`see ll 0038).
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`Page 4
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`Regarding claim 7, SEOK discloses the first feedback frame comprises one or
`
`more quality indicators representing SNR (upon receiving the sounding PPDU 120 and
`
`the sounding PPDU 130, the AP obtains channel information by performing channel
`
`estimation on the STA_1 and the STA_2, see 0038; and the channel information may
`
`be based on the SNR values, see ll 0085, 0086).
`
`Regarding claim 9, SEOK discloses wherein the first beamforming feedback
`
`information is determined based on the training signal (the AP transmits a training
`
`request (TRQ) frame 110 to destination STAs (i.e., STA_1 and STA_2) which are
`
`intended for AP to transmit a frame after channel access. The TRQ frame 110 is a
`
`frame for requesting transmission of a sounding physical layer convergence procedure
`
`(PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) to be used to estimate a channel between the
`
`destination STA and the AP before the AP transmits the data frame to the destination
`
`STAs, see ll 0038).
`
`Regarding claim 10, SEOK discloses a communication apparatus, comprising;
`
`a communication device which, in operation,
`
`transmit a sounding frame comprising a training signal (the destination STAs
`
`transmit a sounding PPDU 120 and a sounding PPDU 130 in response to a training
`
`request from AP, see 1ls 0036-0037 and figure 1); and
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/890,863
`Art Unit: 2412
`
`Page 5
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`receive a first feedback frame from a communication partner device (AP, see
`
`figure 1), the first feedback frame comprising first beamforming feedback information,
`
`wherein the first feedback frame is transmitted together with at least one second
`
`feedback frame by multiuser transmission (the AP can transmit a steered spatial
`
`division multiple access (SDMA) data frame 140 to the STA_1 and the STA_2. The
`
`SDMA data frame 140 is a frame transmitted by performing spatial multiplexing on the
`
`STA_1 and the STA_2 on the basis of the channel information obtained by performing
`
`channel estimation by using the sounding PPDU received by the AP from each
`
`destination STA, see 11 0038).
`
`Regarding claim 11, SEOK discloses one of the at least one second feedback
`
`frame comprises second beamforming feedback information, and the multiuser
`
`transmission is performed over a plurality of communication links, and the first
`
`beamforming feedback information comprises information on one communication link of
`
`the plurality of communication links, and the second beamforming feedback information
`
`comprises information on another communication link of the plurality of communication
`
`links (the SDMA data frame includes channel information, may be beamforming,
`
`obtained by performing channel estimation by using the sounding PPDU received by the
`
`AP from each destination STA, see 11 0038).
`
`Regarding claim 15, SEOK discloses wherein the first beamforming feedback
`
`information comprises one or more beamforming matrices (Upon receiving the sounding
`
`PPDU 120 and the sounding PPDU 130, the AP obtains channel information by
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/890,863
`Art Unit: 2412
`
`Page 6
`
`performing channel estimation on the STA_1 and the STA_2. The channel information
`
`can be used in beamforming for reducing interference of the plurality of destination
`
`STAs. On the basis of the obtained channel information, the AP can transmit a steered
`
`spatial division multiple access (SDMA) data frame 140 to the STA_1 and the STA_2,
`
`see ll 0038).
`
`Regarding claim 16, SEOK discloses the first feedback frame comprises one or
`
`more quality indicators representing SNR (upon receiving the sounding PPDU 120 and
`
`the sounding PPDU 130, the AP obtains channel information by performing channel
`
`estimation on the STA_1 and the STA_2, see 0038; and the channel information may
`
`be based on the SNR values, see ll 0085, 0086).
`
`Regarding claim 18, SEOK discloses wherein the first beamforming feedback
`
`information is determined based on the training signal (the AP transmits a training
`
`request (TRQ) frame 110 to destination STAs (i.e., STA_1 and STA_2) which are
`
`intended for AP to transmit a frame after channel access. The TRQ frame 110 is a
`
`frame for requesting transmission of a sounding physical layer convergence procedure
`
`(PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) to be used to estimate a channel between the
`
`destination STA and the AP before the AP transmits the data frame to the destination
`
`STAs, see ll 0038).
`
`Regarding claim 19, SEOK discloses an integrated circuit comprising:
`
`control circuitry which, in operation, controls:
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/890,863
`Art Unit: 2412
`
`Page 7
`
`transmitting a sounding frame comprising a training signal (the destination STAs
`
`transmit a sounding PPDU 120 and a sounding PPDU 130 in response to a training
`
`request from AP, see 11s 0036-0037 and figure 1); and
`
`receiving a first feedback frame from a communication partner device (AP, see
`
`figure 1), the first feedback frame comprising first beamforming feedback information,
`
`wherein the first feedback frame is transmitted together with at least one second
`
`feedback frame by mu|tiuser transmission (the AP can transmit a steered spatial
`
`division multiple access (SDMA) data frame 140 to the STA_1 and the STA_2. The
`
`SDMA data frame 140 is a frame transmitted by performing spatial multiplexing on the
`
`STA_1 and the STA_2 on the basis of the channel information obtained by performing
`
`channel estimation by using the sounding PPDU received by the AP from each
`
`destination STA, see 11 0038).
`
`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 3-4, 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable
`
`over SEOK in view of ABRAHAM et al. (US 2010/0220679 A1), hereinafter ABRAHAM.
`
`Regarding claims 3-4, 12-13, SEOKfails to explicitly disclose transmitting a
`
`frame comprising second power control information before receiving the first feedback
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/890,863
`Art Unit: 2412
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`Page 8
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`frame or the first beamforming feedback information corresponds to an entire bandwidth
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`or one or more subbands of an OFDM communication link, and the first feedback frame
`
`comprises a subband indication information.
`
`In the same field of endeavor, ABRAHAM discloses SDMA frame (the feedback
`
`frame) includes power control information that may be send by the AP to the plurality of
`
`STAs (see figures 8, 10 and 11 0094).
`
`Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at
`
`the time of invention was filed to incorporate ABRAHAMS teaching in the
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`network/system taught by SEOK in order to adjust the transmit power of STAs by
`
`serving AP to reduce interference in the cell.
`
`Claims 8, 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
`
`SEOKin view of LOU et al. (US 2017/0273112 A1), hereinafter LOU.
`
`Regarding claims 8 and 17, SEOKfails to disclose the first beamforming
`
`feedback information comprises a compressed beamforming feedback.
`
`In the same filed of endeavor, LOU discloses compressed beamforming report
`
`may be use by a beamformee when reporting feedback to the beamformer (see 11
`
`0080).
`
`Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at
`
`the time of invention was filed to incorporate LOUs teaching in the network/system
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`taught by SEOK for reducing channel capacity for transmission while minimizing
`
`potential error in the message.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/890,863
`Art Unit: 2412
`
`Page 9
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`Claims 5, 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
`
`SEOKin view of MERLIN et al. (US 2012/0300864 A1), hereinafter MERLIN.
`
`Regarding claims 5, and 14, SEOKfails to explicitly disclose the first
`
`beamforming feedback information corresponds to an entire bandwidth or one or more
`
`subbands of an OFDM communication link, and the first feedback frame comprises a
`
`subband indication information.
`
`In the same filed of endeavor, MERLIN discloses in a WLAN system where an
`
`access point (AP) provided with multiple antennas used OFDM and beamforming (eg.
`
`SDMA precoding) to transmit to one or more access terminals (see 0015).
`
`Therefore, it would obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of
`
`invention was filed to incorporate MERLINs teaching in the network/system taught by
`
`SEOKin order to perform channel estimation (condition) in widely used OFDM network.
`
`Conclusion
`
`Any response to this action should be mailed to:
`
`The following address mail to be delivered by the United States Postal
`Service (USPS) only:
`
`Mail Stop
`Commissioner for Patents
`
`P. O. Box 1450
`
`Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
`
`or faxed to:
`
`(571) 273-8300, (for formal communications intended for entry)
`
`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
`
`examiner should be directed to Bob A. Phunkulh whose telephone number is (571)
`
`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/890,863
`Art Unit: 2412
`
`Page 10
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`272-3083. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday from 8:00 AM.
`
`to 5:00 PM. (first week of the bi-week) and Monday-Friday (for second week of the bi-
`
`week).
`
`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
`
`supervisor CHARLES C. JIANG can be reach on (571) 270-7191.
`
`Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the
`
`Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for
`
`published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR.
`
`Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only.
`
`For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should
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`you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic
`
`Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
`
`/BOB A PHUNKULH/
`
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2412
`
`