Prior art

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 11368537, a review of its cited references was conducted. The patent lists both external prior art documents and earlier applications within its own patent family. For the purpose of anticipating claims under 35 U.S.C. § 102, the focus is on the external prior art.

External Prior Art Citations:

1. US6711158B1

   • Full Citation: US6711158B1, daCosta; Francis et al., "Method and apparatus for enabling dynamic routing in a wireless network"
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed: February 27, 2002; Published: March 23, 2004.
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a method for dynamically routing traffic in a wireless network comprising root and relay devices. Relay devices automatically establish a path to a root device based on an analysis of predetermined factors and transmit this path information to other relay devices. The network dynamically changes paths as network conditions change. It also addresses load balancing.
   • Potential Anticipation of Claim(s) of US11368537B2: This patent potentially anticipates several elements of Claim 1 of US11368537B2, particularly the broader concepts of:
     • A wireless network with a plurality of communication devices including root and relay devices (analogous to RAP and MAP nodes).
     • MAP nodes (relay devices) communicating with an external network through an associated RAP node (root device).
     • MAP nodes automatically establishing a path to a parent node (root device) by selecting from potential parent nodes based on predetermined factors.
     • The establishment of the MAP node's routing path to the external network.
       However, US6711158B1's abstract does not explicitly detail a "Wi-Fi" network, a "tree shape" organization, the involvement of an "access server" in defining selection criteria, the specific criteria of "throughput value representing signal strength" and "latency value representing number of hops," or the requirement of "two or more radios" in MAP nodes. These specific details in Claim 1 of US11368537B2 appear to be distinguishing features.

2. US6807166B1

   • Full Citation: US6807166B1, daCosta; Francis et al., "Method and apparatus for enabling dynamic channel allocation in a wireless network"
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed: February 27, 2002; Published: October 19, 2004.
   • Brief Description: This patent focuses on dynamically allocating communication channels in a wireless network to avoid interference and support seamless roaming. Devices select channels based on usage by neighboring devices and can communicate over a wired network to coordinate channel changes.
   • Potential Anticipation of Claim(s) of US11368537B2: This patent is primarily concerned with dynamic channel allocation and seamless roaming. It does not directly anticipate the core elements of Claim 1 of US11368537B2, which relate to the self-configuring tree-shaped mesh network, the distinction between RAP and MAP nodes, and the specific parent selection criteria based on throughput and latency for routing path establishment.

3. US7020120B2

   • Full Citation: US7020120B2, daCosta; Francis et al., "Method and apparatus for enabling dynamic management of network bandwidth in a wireless network"
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed: February 27, 2002; Published: March 28, 2006.
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a system for managing network bandwidth in a wireless network where a master device polls wireless devices to determine available bandwidth and application characteristics, then dynamically assigns bandwidth. It also covers coordination among multiple master devices.
   • Potential Anticipation of Claim(s) of US11368537B2: This patent focuses on centralized bandwidth management rather than the decentralized, self-configuring mesh network topology and parent selection for routing described in Claim 1 of US11368537B2. Therefore, it does not appear to directly anticipate the specific elements of Claim 1.

Internal Priority Documents (Not Anticipatory Prior Art for § 102):

The following patents are cited as continuation-in-part applications, indicating they are part of the same patent family and establish priority for subject matter claimed in US11368537B2. They are not considered anticipatory prior art under 35 U.S.C. § 102 for the claims of US11368537B2 as they contribute to its priority chain rather than predating the invention's effective filing date.

• US7420952B2: "High performance wireless network" (Filed: 2003-05-08; Published: 2008-09-02)
• US8520691B2: "High performance wireless network" (Filed: 2010-01-29; Published: 2013-08-27)
• US9172738B1: "High performance wireless network" (Filed: 2012-08-09; Published: 2015-10-27)
• US9819747B2: "High performance wireless network" (Filed: 2015-06-15; Published: 2017-11-14)
• US10785316B2: "High performance wireless network" (Filed: 2018-02-28; Published: 2020-09-22)

Among the external prior art, US6711158B1 is the most relevant as it describes a fundamental system for dynamic routing and path establishment in a wireless network with root and relay devices, which broadly aligns with the network structure and automatic connection process claimed in US11368537B2.