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 .
Response to Amendment
The Amendments to the Claims filed 06/03/2026 have been entered. Claims 1-6 and 8-19 are pending in the application. Claim 7 has been canceled and claims 17-19 are new. Applicant’s amendment to the Claims have overcome each and every 35 U.S.C. 101 rejection previously set forth in the Non-final rejection dated 02/06/2026. Due to amendments to the claims new 35 U.S.C. 103 rejections are presented below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
As noted above the 35 U.S.C. 101 rejections previously set forth have been overcome by amendment to the claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 11, 14, and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Albsmeier et al. (US 20120249140 A1) in view of Fan et al. (US 20190104009 A1).
Regarding Claims 11, 14, and 16. Albsmeier teaches:
A method for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device, comprising:
acquiring a sequence to be transmitted, the sequence to be transmitted comprising multiple data symbols comprising MRI-related data (See para[0008]: a magnetic resonance system and a transmission method, which enable a wireless transmission between the local coil system and the magnetic resonance system with reduced interference in the MR imaging is provided.);
acquiring a training sequence comprising multiple training symbol sets (See para[0010], para[0014], and para[0024] – para[0027]: Furthermore regularly recurring signals appear which are inserted into the data stream for digital transmission of the data. For instance, constant training sequences are inserted into the digital data stream at the start of a frame for estimating the channel pulse response and for the receiver-side distortion.),
using the post-insertion sequence to be transmitted as a transmitted signal See para[0010], para[0014], and para[0024] – para[0027]: Furthermore regularly recurring signals appear which are inserted into the data stream for digital transmission of the data. For instance, constant training sequences are inserted into the digital data stream at the start of a frame for estimating the channel pulse response and for the receiver-side distortion.); and
transmitting the transmitted signal to a receiving end (See para[0018]: The transmitter transmits a modulated signal wirelessly to a receiver of a magnetic resonance system.)s
wherein the transmitted signal facilitates (i) a restoration of the MRI-related data from the transmitted signal by the receiving end (See para[0017] and para[0021]: the data stream in the receiver in the magnetic resonance system is decoded following demodulation. To this end, a so-called sync word may be used in one example.)
based upon synchronization information (See para[0030]: the descrambler of the receiver of the magnetic resonance system decodes a signal, which is encoded with a self-synchronizing scrambler. The descrambler may be a self-synchronizing and/or multiplicative descrambler.) and
channel estimation information extracted from the transmitted signal by the receiving end (See para[0025]: The local coil system uses alternating training sequences and correlation sequences for the channel estimation and frame start marker and/or frame start identifier.), and
(ii) a reduction of inter-symbol interference in the transmitted signal as processed by the receiving end based on the channel estimation information (See para[0010]: As a result, regularly recurring signal sequences which interfere with the imaging may be avoided.).
Albsmeier is silent as to the language of:
wherein each training symbol set comprises a first preset number of training symbols; and
respectively inserting the multiple training symbol sets from among the multiple data symbols of the sequence to be transmitted such that two adjacent training symbol sets of the multiple training symbol sets are spaced apart by a second preset number of data symbols of the multiple data symbols, thereby generating a post-insertion sequence.
Nevertheless Fan teaches:
wherein each training symbol set comprises a first preset number of training symbols (See Fig. 4, para[0006] and para[0028]: adding a training symbol prefix to the OFDM symbol frame, the training symbol prefix including a plurality of training symbols, each of the training symbols including N sub-symbol fields.); and
respectively inserting the multiple training symbol sets from among the multiple data symbols of the sequence to be transmitted such that two adjacent training symbol sets of the multiple training symbol sets are spaced apart by a second preset number of data symbols of the multiple data symbols, thereby generating a post-insertion sequence (See Fig. 4, para[0022]: The ZFS training symbol insertion unit 106 can be configured to insert the ZFS training symbols between OFDM successive frames. The ZFS training symbols can include a first ZFS training symbol and a second ZFS training symbol in immediate succession, i.e., as two OFDM symbol slots, between successive frames. As shown, there can be a total NF data frames and each data frame can have a ZFS training symbol sequence appended to its beginning.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Albsmeier wherein each training symbol set comprises a first preset number of training symbols; respectively inserting the multiple training symbol sets from among the multiple data symbols of the sequence to be transmitted such that two adjacent training symbol sets of the multiple training symbol sets are spaced apart by a second preset number of data symbols of the multiple data symbols, thereby generating a post-insertion sequence such as that of Fan. Fan teaches, “OFDM generally requires the OFDM receiver to accurately and stably synchronize to OFDM signals that arrive at the receiver antenna(s). Synchronization error can induce loss of orthogonality among the OFDM subcarriers, resulting in degradation beyond what would be experienced by traditional systems” (See para[0001]). One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to modify Albsmeier, because using two training symbols sets spaced apart by a number of data symbol sets would have helped to improve accuracy and synchronization of transmitted signals, as recognized by Fan.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Albsmeier et al. (US 20120249140 A1) in view of Fan et al. (US 20190104009 A1) as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of Lanneer et al. (US 20220271979 A1).
Regarding Claim 12. Albsmeier teaches:
The method as claimed in claim 11,
wherein the training symbol comprise random symbol numbers (See para[0025]: The training sequences and correlation sequences may be generated in a pseudo random fashion or selected in a pseudo random fashion from a predetermined set of training sequences and correlation sequences.) and
Albsmeier is silent as to the language of:
wherein the training symbol has Dirac pulse correlation.
Nevertheless Lanneer teaches:
wherein the training symbol has Dirac pulse correlation (See para[0081]: the predetermined sequence may be optimized to have an autocorrelation property that resembles a Dirac impulse to obtain good synchronization and channel estimation performance by the correlation unit 340.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Albsmeier wherein the training symbol has Dirac pulse correlation such as that of Lanneer. One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to modify Albsmeier, because using training symbol sets with Dirac pulse correlation would have helped to obtain good synchronization and channel estimation performance, as recognized by Lanneer.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-6, 8-10, 13, and 15 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Claims 1, 13 and 15 are allowed for disclosing:
in response to a determination that the candidate training sequence does not comprise the multiple training symbol sets, updating the candidate training sequence; and
repeating the determination of whether the candidate training sequence comprises the multiple training symbol sets.
The prior art Albsmeier et al. (US 20120249140 A1) teaches communicating with an MRI machine and synchronizing transmissions using a training sequence (See para[0024] – para[0027]). However, Albsmeier either singularly or in combination, fails to anticipate or render obvious “in response to a determination that the candidate training sequence does not comprise the multiple training symbol sets, updating the candidate training sequence” in combination with all other limitations in the claim as claimed and defined by applicant.
The prior art Zhao et al. (US 20170272279 A1) teaches using a periodic training sequence and performing parallel autocorrelation operations of different delay amounts on training sequence (See Abstract and para[0058]). However, Zhao either singularly or in combination, fails to anticipate or render obvious “in response to a determination that the candidate training sequence does not comprise the multiple training symbol sets, updating the candidate training sequence” in combination with all other limitations in the claim as claimed and defined by applicant.
The prior art Fan et al. (US 20190104009 A1) teaches using spacing successive frames of a signal using training symbols and iteratively determining an accumulated cross-correlation data and an accumulated autocorrelation data (See Abstract, para[0006], and Fig. 5). However, Fan either singularly or in combination, fails to anticipate or render obvious “in response to a determination that the candidate training sequence does not comprise the multiple training symbol sets, updating the candidate training sequence” in combination with all other limitations in the claim as claimed and defined by applicant.
Thus, these limitations, in combination with the other elements of the claims, are neither anticipated by nor obvious in view of the prior art of record and to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Claims 2-6 and 8-10 are allowed for depending from claim 1.
Claims 1, 11, and 13-16 are seen as applying or using the judicial exception in some other meaningful way beyond generally linking the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment, such that the claim as a whole is more than a drafting effort designed to monopolize the exception. As such, claims 1-6 and 8-19 are not rejected under 35 USC 101.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Claims 17-19 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 06/03/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that: Thus, Zhao's periodic training sequence is fundamentally different from Applicant's claimed sequence. This is because in Zhao, the training sub-sequences form a contiguous block connected end-to-end. Zhao, para. [0057]. And although data may be inserted between these sub-sequences, it must be periodic filler data to maintain the periodicity of the training sequence. Zhao, para. [0059]. To be sure, Zhao's periodicity requirement teaches away from inserting training symbol sets among actual payload data, because non-periodic payload data (such as MRI-related data) would destroy the very periodicity that Zhao requires.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 11, 14, and 16 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Luo et al. (US 20190173640 A1) formatting transmit data into a frame structure that comprises signal blocks interspersed with training sequences for assisting a receive operation (See Abstract and Fig. 2).
Guo et al. (US 20180234273 A1) discloses using a first and second group of training sequences in a training-aided single-carrier frequency domain equalization system (See Abstract and Fig. 4).
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CARTER W FERRELL whose telephone number is (571)272-0551. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 10 am - 8 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Catherine T. Rastovski can be reached at (571) 270-0349. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CARTER W FERRELL/Examiner, Art Unit 2857
/YOSSEF KORANG-BEHESHTI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2857
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