Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
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
Art Unit – Location
The Art Unit location of your application in the USPTO may have changed. To aid in correlating any papers for this application, all further correspondence regarding this application should be directed to Art Unit 2682.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
Claims 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because:
The claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
The claim(s) recite(s) mathematical concepts, a mental process, or certain methods of organizing human activity. This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because there appears to be no technical improvement to the test and measurement instrument.
The claim(s) does/do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because the test and measurement instrument is generic and lacks detailed improvements to the instrument.
Step 1. The claims are directed to a Process.
Step 2A. Prong 1. The invention comprises an Abstract Idea of: Mathematical Concepts and a Mental Process
Mathematical Concepts of: “transform the waveform data into compressed data”
Please refer to MPEP 2106.04(a)(2) I C. e.g. “Mathematical Calculations”.
A Mental Process of: “acquiring waveform data”; “determining one or more requested data types”; “transmitting the compressed data to the client device”. MPEP 2106.04(a)(2) III B. e.g. “A Claim That Encompasses a Human Performing the Step(s) Mentally With or Without a Physical Aid Recites a Mental Process”.
Step 2A Prong 2. There are no additional elements which are directed to integration into a practical application. There is no technical improvement to the test and measurement instrument MPEP 2106.04(d)(1), 2106.05
Step 2B. Are there additional elements that amount to significantly more?
The claims cite a process which can be performed by a human using mathematical concepts and a mental processes, where the inclusion of a test and measurement instrument provides data and lacks the details for a significant technical improvement or an inventive concept to the instrument. MPEP 2106.05. There appears to be no meaningful result from test and measurement instrument.
The Examiner reasons that a user can mentally acquire data from a testing device, decide that a timing measurement is important, compress the data using a mathematical calculation of the difference between a signal rise time and the signal fall time, the difference between the rise and fall time yields a pulse width number, and sending the pulse width number to a client.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-10 are Allowed.
The closest reference of record is Bailey (US 2022/0163566 A1) In the Applicant’s independent claim 1 the reference of Bailey does not teach:
At least one test port configured to couple to a device under test; a connection to a client device; to: receive a request from the client device for a set of waveform data; determine data types based on the request; compress the waveform data containing only data elements corresponding to the requested data types; and transmit the compressed data to the client device.
Bailey fails to directly anticipate or render the above underlined limitations obvious (to be used with other claimed limitations).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, and 18 would be allowable if the 101 Abstract Idea Rejection is overcome.
Claims 14, 15, 19 and 20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Relevant Prior Art
Hildebrant et al. US 2004/0255215 A1
Systems and methods for adaptively compressing test data are disclosed. [ABSTRACT]
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TED W BARNES whose telephone number is (571) 270-1785. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri. 8:00-5:00.
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/TED W. BARNES/ Ph.D. Electrical Engineering
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2682
/TED W BARNES/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2682