Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/198,252

Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) System and Method For Controlling Frequency Sharing and/or Interference in a Communications System

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
May 16, 2023
Examiner
NGUYEN, THE HY
Art Unit
2478
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Charter Communications Operating LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
74%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 10m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 74% — above average
74%
Career Allow Rate
230 granted / 312 resolved
+15.7% vs TC avg
Strong +33% interview lift
Without
With
+33.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 10m
Avg Prosecution
33 currently pending
Career history
345
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.1%
-37.9% vs TC avg
§103
54.2%
+14.2% vs TC avg
§102
18.7%
-21.3% vs TC avg
§112
13.4%
-26.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 312 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . Claim Objections Claim(s) 1, 3-4, 6, 14, 16-17, and 20 is/are objected to because of the following informalities: Claim(s) 1, 14, and 20 recite “T/I threshold table.” Acronyms must be specified. Claim(s) 3 and 16 recite “the frequency difference” but it should be “[[the]] a frequency difference.” Claim(s) 4 and 17 recite “based on transmit or EIRP of the first transmitter device” but it should be “based on transmit power or EIRP of the first transmitter device.” Claim(s) 6 recites “(at the first potential victim device” but the parenthesis should be deleted. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention. Claims 1, 14, and 20 recite the limitation "the expected transmit power" in “i) authorize use of the first frequency by the first transmitter based on the expected transmit power.” There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 8 recites the limitation “the first frequency use request.” There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Based on claim 1, the Examiner assumes it should be “the frequency use request.” Claims 9-10 recite the limitation “the first receiver.” There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Based on claim 8, the Examiner assumes it should be “the receiver device.” Claim 11 recites the limitation “said first receiver.” There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Based on claim 8, the Examiner assumes it should be “said receiver device.” Claims 12-13 depend on claim 11 and recite “said first receiver.” Appropriate correction is required. Claim 11 recites the limitation “said first frequency request.” There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Based on claim 1, the Examiner assumes it should be “said frequency use request.” Claim 13 recites the limitation “said first T/I table.” There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Based on claim 1, the Examiner assumes it should be “first T/I threshold table.” Claims 2-13 depend on claim 1 and claims 15-19 depend on claim 14. These dependent claims are rejected based on their dependencies to independent claims 1 and 14. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. TIA/EIA Telecommunications Systems Bulletin – Interference Criteria for Microwave Systems, June 1994 (cited in IDS): The effect of interference on a victim digital receiver is determined from the threshold-to-interference (T/I) ratio which provides the means of specifying the sensitivity of a victim receiver to an interferer. The advantages of T/I are that the differences in thresholds, due to bit rate, modulation technique (transmission efficiency), coding gain and noise figure, are all taken into account, that the absolute level of allowable interference can be easily determined by subtracting the T/I ratio from the 10-6 static threshold of a particular digital receiver, and that this measurement can be verified in service without disrupting traffic. However, in any actual situation, the value of T/I depends primarily on the victim receiver’s total (RF/IF/baseband) selectivity (bandwidth), the interfering signal’s RF spectrum bandwidth, and the separation between their center frequencies. The measurement of T/I for a digital radio is accomplished by fading the receiver to the point where a 10-6 BER is present on the link. The signal level is then increased 1 dB and interference injected until a BER of 10-6 is again achieved on the link. The ratio of the initial (10-6 BER) power level of the desired received signal to the interference power, as measured, is the T/I ratio. Note that this value may vary for different interferers, especially if the interfering signal is offset from and/or has a spectrum wider than the victim receiver’s bandwidth. In principle, one would need to know the T/I as a function of frequency separation for all possible interferers into a digital receiver. (pgs. 24 and 127-128). Schilling – US 5,367,533 A: A parameter, called the threshold-to-interference (T/I) ratio, is defined for digital systems. Threshold-to-interference ratio is defined as the ratio of desired signal to undesired signal that degrades performance from 10.sup.-6 to 10.sup.-5 BER. The advantage of the T/I ratio is that the difference in thresholds due to bit rate, modulation technique, and noise figure are all taken into account and the absolute level of allowable interference can be easily determined by subtracting the T/I ratio from the threshold of a particular receiver. Measurement of the T/I ratio for a digital system is accomplished by fading the receiver to the point where a 10-6 BER is present on the system. Interference is then injected until a BER of 10-5 is present on the system. The ratio of the relative level of the desired received signal and the interference is then measured and this ratio of relative levels is the T/I ratio. (col. 2 ll. 6-23). Attila Hilt et al., Fixed MW access network design using interference matrices, 10-11 September, 2003: The specific T/I value is a parameter of both the victim receiver and the interferor transmitter. It is a function of modulation characteristics, digital capacity of both links and the frequency separation (Δf) between them [11-13]. T/I is typically measured by fading the wanted received signal level (RSL) in the receiver to reach 10-6. (pg. 3 section III.) Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THE HY NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-3813. The examiner can normally be reached on Mo-Fr: 8am-4pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joseph Avellino, can be reached on (571) 272-3905. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /THE HY NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2478 TheHy.Nguyen@USPTO.gov
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 16, 2023
Application Filed
Jan 26, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
74%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+33.2%)
2y 10m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 312 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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