Obviousness

Obviousness Analysis of US Patent 8156360 Under 35 U.S.C. § 103

This analysis identifies combinations of prior art references that would render the claims of US Patent 8156360 obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) at the time of the invention (priority date: 2004-11-24).

Independent Claims of US8156360:

The independent claims of US8156360 (Claims 1, 8, 15, and 22) collectively describe a system and method for wirelessly waking a computing device. Key elements include:

• Monitoring a plurality of wireless channels for a wake-up packet addressed to a wireless device during a monitor timeframe.
• The wake-up packet is configured to cause the wireless device to transition from a first (lower power) mode to a second (higher power) mode.
• Transitioning to the second power mode if a wake-up packet is received within the monitor timeframe.
• Ceasing to monitor the wireless channels if no wake-up packet is received after the monitor timeframe has elapsed.
• (Optional, but present in dependent claims and description) Resuming monitoring after an inactivity timeframe.

Primary Prior Art Reference: US Patent 7398408B2

US Patent 8156360 is explicitly identified as a continuation of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 10/995,188, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,398,408 on July 8, 2008. The entire disclosure of US7398408B2 is incorporated by reference into US8156360. This makes US7398408B2 highly relevant prior art, and its teachings are considered known to a PHOSITA.

US7398408B2, Claim 1, states:
"A method for putting a wireless device into a reduced power mode such that the device can be wirelessly returned to a full power mode and for returning the device to a full power mode using signals transmitted over a wireless LAN, the method comprising the steps of:
putting a device into a reduced power mode;
activating a receiver to scan a plurality of wireless data channels for a MAGIC PACKET;
scanning each channel for a predetermined time period; and
if a MAGIC PACKET for that device is received, returning that device to a full power mode, otherwise, deactivating the receiver for another predetermined time period."

Obviousness of US8156360 Claims based on US7398408B2:

The claims of US8156360 are substantially identical or obvious variations of the teachings in its parent patent, US7398408B2.

Analysis of US8156360, Claim 1 (Method), against US7398408B2, Claim 1:

1. "monitoring a plurality of wireless channels for a wake-up packet addressed to a wireless device during a monitor timeframe": US7398408B2 teaches "activating a receiver to scan a plurality of wireless data channels for a MAGIC PACKET; scanning each channel for a predetermined time period". The term "MAGIC PACKET" is expressly used interchangeably with "wake-up data sequence" in US8156360, which functions as a wake-up packet. The act of "scanning" a plurality of channels is equivalent to "monitoring" them. The collective time spent "scanning each channel for a predetermined time period" effectively defines the "monitor timeframe" during which the receiver is active and looking for a wake-up packet.
2. "wherein the wake-up packet is configured to cause the wireless device to initiate a transition from operating in a first power mode to operating in a second power mode": US7398408B2 explicitly teaches that "if a MAGIC PACKET for that device is received, returning that device to a full power mode". The "reduced power mode" corresponds to the first power mode, and "full power mode" corresponds to the second power mode, making this element directly taught.
3. "transitioning from operating the wireless device in the first power mode to operating the wireless device in the second power mode when a wake-up packet addressed to the wireless device has been received before the monitor timeframe has elapsed": This is directly covered by US7398408B2's teaching of "if a MAGIC PACKET for that device is received, returning that device to a full power mode".
4. "ceasing to monitor the plurality of wireless channels when a wake-up packet addressed to the wireless device has not been received after the monitor timeframe has elapsed": US7398408B2 states "otherwise, deactivating the receiver for another predetermined time period". This "deactivating the receiver" directly corresponds to "ceasing to monitor". The "monitor timeframe" in US8156360 represents the period during which the device actively scans all channels, and if no wake-up packet is received within this period, the receiver is deactivated, thereby ceasing monitoring.

Motivation for Combination/Modification:
Given that US8156360 is a continuation of US7398408B2, the changes in wording are minor definitional distinctions or clarifications rather than substantive additions that would overcome obviousness. The detailed description and flowcharts of US8156360 (e.g., FIG. 7, steps S215-S265) further illustrate the process of periodically scanning multiple channels and deactivating the receiver if no wake-up packet is found, then re-initiating the scan cycle after an inactivity period. This explicitly described cycling through a monitoring period followed by deactivation directly supports the "monitor timeframe" and "ceasing to monitor" language in the claims of US8156360. A PHOSITA would readily understand these phrases to describe the same underlying functionality taught in US7398408B2.

Therefore, the method of Claim 1 of US8156360 is rendered obvious by US7398408B2 alone.

Obviousness of Apparatus and Computer-Readable Medium Claims:
Claims 8 and 15 describe an apparatus, and Claim 22 describes a non-transitory computer-readable medium, all corresponding to the method of Claim 1. If the method of Claim 1 is obvious, then an apparatus configured to perform that obvious method, or a computer-readable medium storing instructions to perform that obvious method, would also be obvious to a PHOSITA. No additional inventive step is present in merely implementing the obvious method in an apparatus or storing it on a computer-readable medium.

Alternative Obviousness Combination (if US7398408B2 were considered insufficient on its own for certain elements):

Even without relying on the specific continuation relationship, a combination of prior art references would render the claims obvious:

Primary Reference: US Patent 6049885A ("Method and apparatus for allowing a remote node to awaken a sleeping node of a network").

• This patent teaches the foundational "MAGIC PACKET" technology for waking a sleeping computer on a wired LAN. It describes a LAN controller monitoring incoming frames for a specific data sequence (the MAGIC PACKET) while in a low-power mode, and then restoring full power upon detection.

Secondary Reference 1 (for Wireless Application): US Patent 20030097398A1 ("Wireless Connection For Portable Systems And Network adapters Using Wake-Up Requests").

• This reference explicitly describes using "wireless connections" for "portable systems and network adapters using wake-up requests." Another strong reference is US Patent 6304899B1 ("Data processing system and method for powering-on a remote client computer system utilizing a wireless signal").

Secondary Reference 2 (for Power Management and Scanning in Wireless): US Patent 20030210658A1 ("Method and system for managing power consumption of a network interface module in a wireless computing device") or US Patent 20040264396A1 ("Method for power saving in a wireless LAN").

• These references teach managing power consumption and implementing power-saving techniques specifically within wireless computing devices or wireless LANs. Furthermore, US Patent 6701442B1 describes a "power management circuit for selectively applying power to network monitoring circuitry which monitors the receipt of network wake-up messages," balancing power and monitoring.

Motivation to Combine:
A PHOSITA, aiming to extend the well-known "Wake-on-LAN" functionality (as taught by US6049885A) from wired networks to the increasingly prevalent wireless networks, would find it obvious to apply the existing principles of remote wake-up to a wireless context. The concept of using "wake-up requests" over a "wireless connection" (US20030097398A1 or US6304899B1) was known. When adapting such a system for wireless and often battery-powered devices, optimizing power consumption is a critical engineering consideration. It would be an obvious design choice to manage the power of the wireless network interface by intermittently monitoring for wake-up packets to conserve energy, as described in references like US20030210658A1 or US20040264396A1, and to implement a timed scanning process (e.g., "monitor timeframe" and "ceasing to monitor") to balance responsiveness with power efficiency. The integration of these known elements (WoL, wireless communication, and power management in wireless devices) would be a predictable extension of existing technologies, driven by the desire to maintain the benefits of centralized network administration in a wireless environment while respecting battery constraints.

This combination of prior art references would lead a PHOSITA to conceive of a system and method for waking wireless LAN devices in a manner claimed by US8156360.