Prior art

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 10051556, I will examine the patent citations listed on the Google Patents page and then search for descriptions of those patents. Since the current date is May 28, 2026, the information provided in the prompt about the current status of the patent (e.g., litigation) is up-to-date.

Here's an analysis of the cited prior art:

Most Relevant Prior Art for US10051556

The patent US10051556 references a number of prior art documents. Below are the most relevant citations, including their full citation, publication/filing dates, a brief description, and which claims they potentially anticipate.

1. US20050227623A1

• Full Citation: US20050227623A1, "Wireless network service provider and associated channel-searching method"
• Publication Date: October 13, 2005.
• Description: This patent application describes a method for a wireless network service provider to determine available channels and services. It involves a mobile device searching for wireless network services and a service provider sending information about available services. The system can optimize channel searching by providing a mobile device with a list of available channels from previously scanned records.
• Potential Anticipation: This reference appears to generally describe a station's process of searching for networks and receiving information, which is a broad concept underlying US10051556. However, it does not explicitly mention the inclusion of the station's signal strength in a probe request frame or the access point's decision to respond based on that signal strength, which are key distinguishing features of US10051556 claims 1, 9, 10, and 11.

2. US20090046633A1

• Full Citation: US20090046633A1, "Digitally signing access point measurements for robust location determination"
• Publication Date: February 19, 2009.
• Description: This patent application focuses on using access point measurements, potentially including signal strength, for robust location determination. It discusses a method for digitally signing these measurements to ensure their authenticity and integrity.
• Potential Anticipation: While it mentions "access point measurements" and "signal strength," this patent's primary focus is on secure location determination rather than optimizing the active scanning process based on real-time uplink/downlink quality as defined in US10051556. Therefore, it is unlikely to directly anticipate the core claims of US10051556, particularly the conditional response from the access point based on uplink quality.

3. US20100118830A1

• Full Citation: US20100118830A1, "Mobile Intelligent Roaming Using Multi-Modal Access Point Devices"
• Publication Date: May 13, 2010.
• Description: This patent application describes intelligent roaming for mobile devices among different access point types (multi-modal). It focuses on managing handovers and connections to optimize mobile device connectivity.
• Potential Anticipation: This reference addresses mobile device roaming and connection management, which is a related but distinct area from the specific active scanning optimization proposed in US10051556. It does not detail the inclusion of a station's signal strength in a probe request to trigger a conditional probe response from an access point, as claimed in US10051556.

4. US20120044914A1

• Full Citation: US20120044914A1, "System and method for wi-fi roaming"
• Publication Date: February 23, 2012.
• Description: This patent application describes systems and methods for Wi-Fi roaming, focusing on maintaining connectivity as a user moves between different Wi-Fi networks.
• Potential Anticipation: Similar to US20100118830A1, this patent focuses on the broader concept of Wi-Fi roaming. It does not appear to disclose the specific mechanism of a station sending its signal strength in a probe request to influence the access point's probe response, which is central to US10051556.

5. US20120044862A1

• Full Citation: US20120044862A1, "System and method for maintaining a communication session"
• Publication Date: February 23, 2012.
• Description: This patent application details methods and systems for maintaining a communication session, particularly in dynamic wireless environments, potentially across different access points.
• Potential Anticipation: This reference is concerned with maintaining existing communication sessions rather than optimizing the initial access point scanning and selection process based on signal strength information in probe frames as claimed in US10051556.

6. US20120108173A1

• Full Citation: US20120108173A1, "Method and apparatus for connecting wireless network in a digital device"
• Publication Date: May 3, 2012.
• Description: This patent application describes a method and apparatus for a digital device to connect to a wireless network.
• Potential Anticipation: This is a very broad patent that generally covers connecting to a wireless network. Without more specific details, it is unlikely to anticipate the specific improvements in active scanning using signal strength information in probe request and response frames as described in US10051556.

7. US20130086665A1

• Full Citation: US20130086665A1, "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CLONING A Wi-Fi ACCESS POINT"
• Publication Date: April 4, 2013.
• Description: This patent application describes a system and method for cloning a Wi-Fi access point, which involves replicating its configuration and settings.
• Potential Anticipation: This patent's focus on cloning access points is unrelated to the active scanning method of US10051556, which aims to optimize the selection of an existing access point based on signal quality during the scan process.

8. US20130231151A1

• Full Citation: US20130231151A1, "Method, apparatus, and computer program product for probe request and response exchange"
• Publication Date: September 5, 2013.
• Description: This patent application describes methods and apparatus for exchanging probe request and response frames in a wireless network.
• Potential Anticipation: This patent appears more relevant as it specifically addresses probe request and response exchanges. However, the key differentiator for US10051556 lies in the content of these frames (station's signal strength) and the conditional transmission of probe responses by the AP based on uplink quality, which is not explicitly detailed in the brief description of this reference. Further analysis of this patent's claims would be needed to determine if it truly anticipates the novelty of US10051556.

9. US20130294354A1

• Full Citation: US20130294354A1, "Enhanced active scanning in wireless local area networks"
• Publication Date: November 7, 2013.
• Description: This patent application describes methods for enhanced active scanning in wireless local area networks.
• Potential Anticipation: This patent's title, "Enhanced active scanning," suggests a direct overlap with the subject matter of US10051556. The claims of this patent would need to be thoroughly reviewed to determine if they disclose a station including its signal strength in a probe request and an access point conditionally responding based on that signal strength and/or a target path loss, which are central to US10051556's claims. This patent is highly likely to be considered very relevant.

10. US20150098358A1

• Full Citation: US20150098358A1, "Active scanning method and apparatus"
• Publication Date: April 9, 2015.
• Description: This patent application describes an active scanning method and apparatus.
• Potential Anticipation: Similar to US20130294354A1, the title "Active scanning method and apparatus" indicates high relevance. The details of its claims would need to be examined to see if they disclose the specific mechanism of using signal strength information in probe frames for conditional responses and expedited access point association, as defined in US10051556.

11. US20150189673A1

• Full Citation: US20150189673A1, "Method and apparatus for initial access over wireless lan"
• Publication Date: July 2, 2015.
• Description: This patent application describes a method and apparatus for initial access over a wireless LAN.
• Potential Anticipation: This patent relates to "initial access over wireless LAN," which encompasses the scanning process. Its claims would need to be reviewed to determine if it anticipates the specific improvements of US10051556 regarding signal strength-based probe frame exchanges and conditional responses to optimize this initial access.

Other Cited Patents (Less direct relevance based on titles/snippets):

• US20080014934A1: "Wlan system scanning and selection".
• US20100284303A1: "Method and apparatus for generating and exchanging information for coverage optimization in wireless networks".
• US20110149766A1: "Association supporting apparatus and method in wireless communication system".
• US20120307685A1: "Method and Apparatus of Active Scanning in Wireless Local Area Network".
• US20110188486A1: "Method and apparatus of transmit power control in wireless local area network".
• US8509173B2: "Method and apparatus of transmit power control in wireless local area network".
• US20110243013A1: "Method and apparatus for channel scanning in a wireless communication system".
• US20160007386A1: "Method and apparatus for filtering-based scanning in wlan system".

The patents US20130294354A1 and US20150098358A1, with titles directly referring to "enhanced active scanning" and "active scanning method and apparatus," appear to be the most promising candidates for anticipating or overlapping with the claims of US10051556. A detailed comparison of their claims with those of US10051556 would be necessary to establish actual anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102.