Prior art

Here's an analysis of the most relevant patent prior art for US patent 7412517, identified from the "References Cited" section on its Google Patents page. The dates provided for the cited patents are their respective filing or priority dates, indicating their status as prior art.

Most Relevant Prior Art for US Patent 7412517

1. U.S. Patent 6,240,082 B1

   • Full Citation: Miller et al., U.S. Patent 6,240,082 B1, "Wireless communication system and method"
   • Publication/Filing Date: July 10, 1998 [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/[US7412517](/patent/US7412517)/en]
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a general wireless communication system and methods. It likely covers fundamental aspects of establishing and maintaining communication links over wireless mediums.
   • Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Potentially anticipates broad aspects of a wireless point-to-multipoint system, including the reception and transmission of data over a wireless medium as outlined in Claim 1, and the general system architecture of Claims 27 and 30. However, it may not detail the specific dynamic bandwidth allocation based on IP-flow characteristics or QoS.

2. U.S. Patent 6,295,304 B1

   • Full Citation: Hrastar et al., U.S. Patent 6,295,304 B1, "Method and apparatus for ensuring quality of service in a wireless communication system"
   • Publication/Filing Date: July 10, 1998 [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/US7412517/en]
   • Brief Description: This patent focuses on mechanisms and devices for guaranteeing or maintaining specific levels of service quality (QoS) within wireless communication environments. This directly relates to a core objective of US7412517.
   • Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Highly relevant to claims concerning Quality of Service (QoS) requirements (Claim 20). It potentially anticipates the methods of dynamic bandwidth allocation (Claim 1) and the corresponding system "means" or apparatus (Claims 27, 30) if these are performed to ensure QoS.

3. U.S. Patent 6,404,777 B1

   • Full Citation: Kim et al., U.S. Patent 6,404,777 B1, "Apparatus and method for controlling service quality in wireless communication system"
   • Publication/Filing Date: September 8, 1999 [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/US7412517/en]
   • Brief Description: Similar to the Hrastar patents, this reference describes an apparatus and method for controlling service quality in wireless systems, suggesting mechanisms for managing resources to meet performance targets.
   • Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Potentially anticipates claims relating to QoS (Claim 20) and the general method of dynamically allocating bandwidth (Claim 1) or the system for doing so (Claims 27, 30), particularly where service quality control is a primary objective.

4. U.S. Patent 6,434,154 B1

   • Full Citation: Allyn, U.S. Patent 6,434,154 B1, "Method and system for providing packet access over an RF communication link utilizing a reservation-based MAC protocol"
   • Publication/Filing Date: August 30, 2000 [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/US7412517/en]
   • Brief Description: This patent details a method and system for transmitting packetized data over a radio frequency (RF) link using a MAC protocol that employs reservations. This is a critical technical area for US7412517, which references a "Proactive Reservation-based Intelligent Multimedia-aware Media Access (PRIMMA) MAC layer".
   • Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Highly relevant to Claim 1's method of transmitting IP flows over a wireless medium, especially if the underlying access method involves a reservation-based MAC. It could also anticipate the resource allocation components of Claims 1, 27, and 30 that rely on such MAC protocols, and potentially aspects of local retransmission management (Claim 25) if the MAC protocol described includes such features.

5. U.S. Patent 6,633,583 B1

   • Full Citation: Hrastar, U.S. Patent 6,633,583 B1, "Method and apparatus for ensuring quality of service in a wireless communication system"
   • Publication/Filing Date: November 20, 2000 [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/US7412517/en]
   • Brief Description: This is another patent by Hrastar addressing QoS in wireless communication systems, likely building upon or presenting variations of the concepts described in US6295304B1.
   • Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to US6295304B1, it potentially anticipates claims related to QoS requirements (Claim 20) and methods/apparatus for dynamic bandwidth allocation (Claims 1, 27, 30) aimed at ensuring service quality in a wireless context.

6. U.S. Patent 6,829,241 B1

   • Full Citation: Hrastar et al., U.S. Patent 6,829,241 B1, "Method and apparatus for ensuring quality of service in a wireless communication system"
   • Publication/Filing Date: September 24, 2001 [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/US7412517/en]
   • Brief Description: This patent is another in the series by Hrastar et al., focusing on methods and apparatus for ensuring QoS in wireless communication. It likely represents further advancements or specific implementations in this field.
   • Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): As with the other Hrastar patents, it strongly potentially anticipates claims concerning QoS (Claim 20) and the dynamic allocation of bandwidth (Claim 1) or corresponding system elements (Claims 27, 30) for maintaining service quality in wireless networks.

7. U.S. Patent 6,967,963 B2

   • Full Citation: Van Drebbel et al., U.S. Patent 6,967,963 B2, "System for providing packet data transmission over a wireless medium with reservation-based media access control"
   • Publication/Filing Date: September 20, 2002 [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/US7412517/en]
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a system for transmitting packet data over a wireless medium using a reservation-based Media Access Control (MAC). This is directly relevant to US7412517's focus on dynamic bandwidth allocation within a wireless PtMP system, especially given that Van Drebbel Mariner LLC was the original assignee of US7412517.
   • Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is highly significant. It potentially anticipates Claim 1, particularly the method of transmitting IP flows over a wireless medium and the dynamic allocation of bandwidth, especially if that allocation is managed through a reservation-based MAC protocol. It also strongly anticipates the system claims (Claims 27, 30) that involve such a MAC layer, and potentially Claim 25 regarding local retransmission management if the MAC details are similar.

The patents by Hrastar et al. (US6295304B1, US6633583B1, US6829241B1) are particularly relevant for their focus on Quality of Service in wireless systems, directly impacting Claims 1, 20, 27, and 30 of US7412517. The patents by Allyn (US6434154B1) and Van Drebbel et al. (US6967963B2) are highly relevant due to their detailed description of reservation-based Media Access Control (MAC) protocols for wireless packet transmission, which is a cornerstone of the dynamic bandwidth allocation mechanism described in US7412517, potentially anticipating Claims 1, 25, 27, and 30. The shared assignee (Van Drebbel Mariner LLC) for US7412517 and US6967963B2 further indicates a strong relationship and potential overlap in inventive concepts.