DETAILED ACTION
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 .
This office action is in response to remarks filed 01/05/2026.
Claims 1-19 are pending and presented for examination. Claims 1, 10, and 11 are amended.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 01/05/2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-5, 7, 8, 10-17, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tomasi et al. (US 20180198488 A1, hereinafter “Tomasi”).
RE Claim 1, 10, 11, Tomasi discloses a method or a control device:
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of a processing device, the one or more programs comprising instructions for performing the method (¶¶0049-0050) performed by a network apparatus in a wireless communication system, the network apparatus comprising a directional antenna arrangement configured to transmit and receive a wireless signal (A SWIPT-aware, simultaneous wireless information and power transfer device, adaptive beam shaper includes a controller, a scheduler, and mapper of resources for information, data, and energy requests, receive wireless signals, for SWIPT-enabled transceivers, wireless devices. ¶¶0053, 0071; Fig. 1: 101, 102; Direction antenna utilized. ¶¶0128, 0131; Fig. 5; Transmitter, wireless communication system, transmits energy and information, data, to the wireless device. ¶0013, Fig. 2: S22), the control device comprising:
control circuitry connectable to the directional antenna arrangement( A SWIPT-aware, simultaneous wireless information and power transfer device, adaptive beam shaper includes a controller, a scheduler, and mapper of resources for information, data, and energy requests for SWIPT-enabled transceivers, wireless devices. ¶¶0053, 0071; Fig. 1: 101, 102; Direction antenna utilized. ¶¶0128, 0131; Fig. 5), the control circuitry being configured to:
obtain a scheduling decision identifying a wireless device served by the wireless communication network based on a traffic status and the energy status of the wireless device (According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the devices or the network device RX 1 , RX2, …, RXn are mapped to one or more of the aforementioned resources in a multi-resource allocation scenario, according to the considered setting.", ¶0086. The 'multi-resource allocation' preceding it provides for mapping to different frequency bands, time slots, different beams, and different antennas, ¶¶0082-0086. Tomasi discloses "According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the output information is given by the combination of one or more of the previous embodiments.", ¶0105. The 'output information' is 'given by an allocation function mapping' of beam shapes, beams, time slots, frequency bands, and antennas, ¶¶0099-0105. Allocation function mapping is interpreted as a schedule of time slots, frequencies, antennas and beams for transmission to the devices. Sender, wireless communications network, generates the signal, depending on priority, to maximize an energy transmission or maximize a data transmission to a device. ¶¶0043, 0044, which is interpreted as determination of a WD and WE beamforming weight vectors, ¶0016, also ¶¶0096-0104. Therefore, each device is identified, RX1 – RXn, and scheduling decision per device, beams, frequency, and time depending on the priority of maximum energy or data transmission.);
determine a first beamforming weight vector (WD) for information transmission and a second beamforming weight vector (WE) for energy transfer based on Channel State Information (CSI) associated with the wireless device (Present invention advantageously provides an information provision and a decision process that enables the adaptation and/or the optimization of the beam shape or beamforming design in order to simultaneously transfer energy and information, depending on the amount and type of information available at the transmitter. ¶0013; Sender, wireless communications network, generates the signal to maximize an energy transmission and a data transmission to a device. ¶¶0043, 0044; Beamformer matrix designed from the CSI. ¶0087; network devices, wireless devices, are mapped to different beams. ¶0084); and
apply, to a signal, at least one of:
the determined first beamforming weight vector (WD) in order to transmit an information signal via the directional antenna arrangement to the wireless device (The sender is configured to generate the signal to maximize a QoS-parameter, information/data, of the device with respect a constraint relating to energy transmission of the device. ¶0044), and
the determined second beamforming weight vector (WE) in order to transmit an energy signal via the directional antenna arrangement to the wireless device (The sender is configured to generate the signal to maximize an energy transmission with respect to a QoS-constraint, information/data, to be met. ¶0043; The efficiency of the energy transfer relies on the amount of power (from moderate to high) that is received at the EH network device receiver. ¶0127;), based on the obtained scheduling decision (A SWIPT-aware, simultaneous wireless information and power transfer device, adaptive beam shaper includes a controller, a scheduler, and mapper of resources for information, data, and energy requests for SWIPT-enabled transceivers, wireless devices. ¶¶0053, 0071; Fig. 1: 101, 102).
RE Claim 12, 2, Tomasi discloses the method or the control device:
The control device , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to, for the wireless device (A SWIPT-aware, simultaneous wireless information and power transfer device, adaptive beam shaper includes a controller, a scheduler, and mapper of resources for information, data, and energy requests for SWIPT-enabled transceivers, wireless devices. ¶¶0053, 0071; Fig. 1: 101, 102;), determine the first beamforming weight vector (WD) by:
computing the first beamforming weight vector (WD) in order to maximize Signal- To-Noise Ratio of a radio signal to be transmitted via the directional antenna arrangement (A SWIPT-aware adaptive beam shaper, SABS, receives input information for QoS constraints, traffic status, and energy requests, energy status from the devices. ¶¶0090-0092;The SABS processes input device information and produces, computes, the output device resource allocation information, based on traffic and energy information, for allocation of beams and beam shapes for the device. ¶¶0090,0099, 0101; The sender, SABS, is configured to generate the signal to maximize a QoS-parameter, traffic information/data, of the device with respect a constraint relating to energy transmission of the device. ¶0044; The efficiency of the information, traffic, transfer directly depends on a given minimum threshold signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio, SINR, above which information can be reliably decoded. ¶0127; Direction antenna utilized. ¶¶0128, 0131; Fig. 5).
RE Claim 13, 3, Tomasi discloses the method or control device:
The control device , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to, for the wireless device (A SWIPT-aware, simultaneous wireless information and power transfer device, adaptive beam shaper includes a controller, a scheduler, and mapper of resources for information, data, and energy requests for SWIPT-enabled transceivers, wireless devices. ¶¶0053, 0071; Fig. 1: 101, 102;), determine the second beamforming weight vector (WE) by:
computing the second beamforming weight vector (WE) in order to maximize received power of a radio signal to be transmitted via the directional antenna arrangement (A SWIPT-aware adaptive beam shaper, SABS, receives input information for QoS constraints, traffic status, and energy requests, energy status from the devices. ¶¶0090-0092;The SABS processes input device information and produces, computes, the output device resource allocation information, based on traffic and energy information, for allocation of beams and beam shapes for the device. ¶¶0090,0099, 0101; The sender, SABS, is configured to generate the signal to maximize an energy transmission with respect to a QoS-constraint, information/data, to be met. ¶0043; The efficiency of the energy transfer relies on the amount of power (from moderate to high) that is received at the EH network device receiver. ¶0127; Direction antenna utilized. ¶¶0128, 0131; Fig. 5).
RE Claim 14, 4, Tomasi discloses the method or control device:
The control device , wherein the control circuitry (A SWIPT-aware, simultaneous wireless information and power transfer device, adaptive beam shaper includes a controller, a scheduler, and mapper of resources for information, data, and energy requests for SWIPT-enabled transceivers, wireless devices. ¶¶0053, 0071; Fig. 1: 101, 102;) is further configured to:
obtain the CSI associated with the wireless device (CSI and location related information is requested from the wireless devices for an information transfer or in order to perform a more efficient energy transfer. ¶¶0079-0080; Beamformer matrix designed from the CSI. ¶0087;).
RE Claim 15, 5, Tomasi discloses the method or control device:
The control device, wherein the control circuitry (A SWIPT-aware, simultaneous wireless information and power transfer device, adaptive beam shaper includes a controller, a scheduler, and mapper of resources for information, data, and energy requests for SWIPT-enabled transceivers, wireless devices. ¶¶0053, 0071; Fig. 1: 101, 102;) is further configured to:
obtain a traffic status and an energy status of the wireless device (A SWIPT-aware, simultaneous wireless information and power transfer device, adaptive beam shaper includes a controller, a scheduler, and mapper of resources for information, data, and energy requests for SWIPT-enabled transceivers, wireless devices. ¶¶0053, 0071; Fig. 1: 101, 102; The mapper is configured to allocate resources for each device. ¶0081; A SWIPT-aware adaptive beam shaper, SABS, receives input information for QoS constraints, traffic status, and energy requests, energy status, from the devices. ¶¶0090-0092;The SABS processes input device information and produces, computes, output device resource allocation information, based on traffic and energy information. ¶¶0090, 0102).
RE Claim 16, 7, Tomasi discloses the method or control device:
The control device , wherein the obtained scheduling decision is indicative of a scheduling for information transmission and/or for energy transfer to the wireless device (A SWIPT-aware, simultaneous wireless information and power transfer device, adaptive beam shaper includes a controller, a scheduler, and mapper of resources for information, data, and energy requests for SWIPT-enabled transceivers, wireless devices. ¶¶0053, 0071; Fig. 1: 101, 102; Information request, traffic status for data, and energy request, energy status for energy, sent by a network device, a wireless device, to the transmitter, the wireless communication network. ¶0109, Fig. 2: S20).
RE Claim 17, 8 Tomasi discloses the method or control device:
The control device , wherein the control circuitry (A SWIPT-aware, simultaneous wireless information and power transfer device, adaptive beam shaper includes a controller, a scheduler, and mapper of resources for information, data, and energy requests for SWIPT-enabled transceivers, wireless devices. ¶¶0053, 0071; Fig. 1: 101, 102;) is further configured to:
assign a scheduling state out of a predefined set of scheduling states (S1, S2, S3, S4) to the wireless device based on the traffic status and the energy status of the wireless device so to obtain the scheduling decision for the wireless device (The system is configured to control the analogue and digital signal processing, by mapping the devices to time slots, beam shapes and operating modes (EH or ID), according to the adopted policy (obtained as a result of either an optimization problem or some heuristics), a predefined set of scheduling states. ¶0070; Given two variables, traffic and energy, with two optimization states, max/normal SNR or max/normal receive power, the result is four states for the SWIPT-aware adaptive beam shaper).
RE Claim 19, Tomasi discloses the method or control device:
A network apparatus for operating in a wireless communication system, the network apparatus comprising:
a directional antenna arrangement having a directional antenna configured to transmit and receive a wireless signal; and
a control device (A SWIPT-aware, simultaneous wireless information and power transfer device, adaptive beam shaper includes a controller, a scheduler, and mapper of resources for information, data, and energy requests, receive wireless signals, for SWIPT-enabled transceivers, wireless devices. ¶¶0053, 0071; Fig. 1: 101, 102; Direction antenna utilized. ¶¶0128, 0131; Fig. 5; Transmitter, wireless communication system, transmits energy and information, data, to the wireless device. ¶0013, Fig. 2: S22).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 18 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tomasi as applied to claims 11 and 1 above respectively, in view of Kuo et al. (WO 2018222491 A1, hereinafter “Kuo”).
RE Claim 18, 9, Tomasi discloses the method or control device:
The control device , wherein the control circuitry (A SWIPT-aware, simultaneous wireless information and power transfer device, adaptive beam shaper includes a controller, a scheduler, and mapper of resources for information, data, and energy requests for SWIPT-enabled transceivers, wireless devices. ¶¶0053, 0071; Fig. 1: 101, 102;) is further configured to:
determine a scheduling state of the wireless device in order to take the scheduling decision, the scheduling state being indicative of a scheduling for information transmission and for energy transfer (The system is configured to control the analogue and digital signal processing, by mapping the devices to time slots, beam shapes and operating modes (EH or ID), according to the adopted policy (obtained as a result of either an optimization problem or some heuristics), a predefined set of scheduling states. ¶0070; Given two variables, traffic and energy, with two optimization states, max/normal SNR or max/normal receive power, the result is four states for the SWIPT-aware adaptive beam shaper);
Tomasi does not explicitly disclose the method or the control device:
schedule a transmission over one resource block;
determine a first weighting factor for the information signal to be transmitted and a second weighting factor for the energy signal to be transmitted based on the traffic status and the energy status of the wireless device the first and second weighting factors being indicative of a power ratio (ξ) between the information signal and energy signal; and
combine the information signal and the energy signal in order to transmit a superimposed signal via the directional antenna arrangement to the wireless device based on the determined first and second weighting factors
However, Kuo discloses:
schedule a transmission over one resource block (DCI transmitted by network includes control information about the information transmission signal and the power transfer signal. DCI includes information about the information signal embedded in the power, energy, transfer signal. ¶0085; DCI and/or other configuration messages includes resource allocation as physical resource block assignments for frequency and time, a schedule. ¶0085);
determine a first weighting factor for the information signal to be transmitted and a second weighting factor for the energy signal to be transmitted based on the traffic status and the energy status of the wireless device (Beamforming configuration information is included in DCI for power transfer signal which is embedded with the information signal. ¶0084; User terminal sends a message to the network to trigger wireless power transfer. User terminal monitors its own battery status, energy, and sends request message to activate power transfer mode. ¶0122; Wireless power transfer function receives battery status and channel status information, traffic loading, with respect to the user terminal. ¶123; Joint information and power services allows user terminal to replenish user terminal’s battery and/or increase, e.g. concurrently, the information reception reliability. ¶0129), the first and second weighting factors being indicative of a power ratio (ξ) between the information signal and energy signal (SWIPT receiver employing a power splitting receiver divides the received signals into two portions, one for information, data/traffic, and one for power, energy, reception. The portions may be based on a pre-defined ratio for information and power, energy, reception. ¶0083, Fig. 2b); and
combine the information signal and the energy signal in order to transmit a superimposed signal via the directional antenna arrangement to the wireless device based on the determined first and second weighting factors (DCI transmitted by network includes control information about the information transmission signal and the power transfer signal. DCI includes information about the information signal embedded in the power, energy, transfer signal. ¶0085; SWIPT power splitting mode simultaneous receives information and energy signals. ¶0083, Fig. 2b).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Tomasi, method for wireless data and energy transfer transmission in beamforming wireless network, with the teachings of Ku, modify the ratio of data transmission to energy transmission.
The motivation in doing so would be to adjust the data and energy transfer ratios based on data and energy requests in a transmission to increase efficiency and use of resources.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tomasi as applied to claims 1 above, in view of Ku et al. (US 20180026481 A1, hereinafter “Ku”).
RE Claim 6, Tomasi does not explicitly disclose the method or the control device:
The method, wherein the energy signal is a pseudo-random signal.
However, Ku discloses:
The method, wherein the energy signal is a pseudo-random signal (Wireless power transfer improved by beamforming design. ¶0163, Fig. 30; Multi-antenna power waveforming is to maximize the energy delivery efficiency gain. ¶0167; Optimal waveform for wireless power transfer with respect to a randomly generated signal in frequency and time domain. ¶0172; .
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Tomasi, method for wireless data and energy transfer transmission in beamforming wireless network, with the teachings of Ku, use of a pseudo-random signal for an energy transfer signal.
The motivation in doing so would be to maximize the wireless power transfer by an optimized energy transfer signal to a wireless device.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 01/05/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s first argument is directed to amended Claims 1 and 11. Applicant submits argument that 'Tomasi separates scheduling from beamforming: mapper handles resource allocation, while beamforming derives from CSI independently; no teaching applies WD/WE based on the obtained scheduling decision.', applicant emphasis. Applicant also argues that Tomasi's SWIPT-aware adaptive beam shaper (SABS) outputs 'generic optimizations maximizing either data rate under energy constraints or energy under data constraints, not a unified "scheduling decision" integrating both statuses to select separate first (WD) and (WE) beamforming weight vectors applied to transmit information and energy signals.', applicant emphasis.
Examiner respectfully disagrees. Tomasi discloses "According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the devices or the network device RX 1 , RX2, …, RXn are mapped to one or more of the aforementioned resources in a multi-resource allocation scenario, according to the considered setting.", Para 0086. The 'multi-resource allocation' preceding it provides for mapping to different frequency bands, time slots, different beams, and different antennas, Para 0082-0086. Tomasi discloses "According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the output information is given by the combination of one or more of the previous embodiments.", Para 0105. The 'output information' is 'given by an allocation function mapping' of beam shapes, beams, time slots, frequency bands, and antennas, Para 0099-0105. Allocation function mapping is interpreted as a schedule of time slots, frequencies, antennas and beams for transmission to the devices. Sender, wireless communications network, generates the signal, depending on priority, to maximize an energy transmission or maximize a data transmission to a device. ¶¶0043, 0044, which is interpreted as determination of a WD and WE beamforming weight vectors. Therefore, each device is identified, RX1 – RXn, and scheduling decision per device, beams, frequency, and time depending on the priority of maximum energy or data transmission.
The limitations of claim 1 and 1 1, as written, recites "applying, to a signal, at least one of" a WD and a WE beamforming vectors to the wireless device but do not recite that the vectors WD and WE are not the same. Tomasi discloses beamforming vectors for WD and WE and applying them to a device in which the beamforming vectors are the same but prioritized for data over energy or vice versa.
Tomasi further discloses: “In a first possible implementation form of the system according to the first aspect, the controller module is configured to request the feedback information from the device and/or another device. This provides the effect that feedback information is provided, for instance, for adapting energy harvesting and information decoding requirements. This advantageously provides to implement an adopted signal processing solution to efficiently construct the signal to be transmitted, providing simultaneous wireless information and energy transfer.”, ¶0016, also ¶¶0096-0104. Therefore, first the controller requests status, feedback information, from the device. Second, the controller adapts the ‘signal to be transmitted’ based on the energy and information requirements of the device. Third, constructs the ‘signal’ to be transmitted according to the feedback requirements of the device for simultaneous wireless information and energy transfer.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
US-20160156388-A1 Zeine et al.
US-10340984-B2 Tomasi et al.
US-20210119726-A1 Kim et al.
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WO-2017041858-A1 Draief et al.
US 20190199136 A1 Choi et al.
US 20180145542 A1 Choi et al.
US 20210399588 A1 Lee et al.
US 20200389054 A1 Nanehkaran et al.
CN-110312269-A Xi et al.
Y. Alsaba, S. K. A. Rahim and C. Y. Leow, "Beamforming in Wireless Energy Harvesting Communications Systems: A Survey," in IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 1329-1360, Secondquarter 2018, doi: 10.1109/COMST.2018.2797886. (Year: 2018)
The above references disclose various aspects of wireless power and information transfer to a wireless device.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL A. LANGER whose telephone number is (703)756-1780. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Eastern.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nishant B. Divecha can be reached at 1 (571) 270-3125. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PAUL A. LANGER/Examiner, Art Unit 2419
/Nishant Divecha/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2419