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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-16 in the reply filed on 11/19/2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 17-20 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 11/19/2025.
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.
Claim(s) 1-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cummings et al., Pub. No.: US2019/0331718 A1.
Regarding claim 1, Cummings discloses An apparatus (Fig. 2A, par. 0037; the testing enclosure 102) comprising: a testing frame comprising a plurality of radio frequency (RF) shielded cabinets (par. 0037; the testing enclosure 102 that includes the panel 104, the switch 108, the attenuators 110 and 112, the RF shielded boxes 114 and 116, and the UEs 118 and 120.), each of the plurality of RF shielded cabinets housing an antenna and a device under test (par. 0036; the communication channels may include a conductive wire type connection, e.g. a wire configured to transmit data via electric pulses such as a USB cable, or a wireless communication link between an RF antenna within the testing enclosure 102.); a wireless simulation system (par. 0027; the radio signal from the radio source 106 may be modified by the attenuators 110 and 112 to enable simulation of signals deployed in a field environment (i.e., replicate live network scenarios) while in a lab or testing environment.) electrically coupled to each antennae and configured to transmit one or more RF signals to each antennae through the electrical coupling (par. 0036; the communication channels may include a conductive wire type connection, e.g. a wire configured to transmit data via electric pulses such as a USB cable, or a wireless communication link between an RF antenna within the testing enclosure 102.); and a testing computing device commutatively coupled to each of the devices under test (par. 0030; The testing enclosure system may also include the computing device 130 that may be connected to the radio source 106 the attenuators 110 and/or 112, and/or the UEs 118 and 120.).
Regarding claim 2, Cummings discloses all the limitations in claim 1. Cummings also discloses wherein the one or more RF signals comprise a first RF signal and a second RF signal, and wherein the wireless simulation system is electrically coupled to each antennae by an electrical circuit configured to receive the first RF signal and the second RF signal from the wireless simulation system (par. 0025).
Regarding claim 3, Cummings discloses all the limitations in claim 2. Cummings also discloses wherein the electrical circuit comprises at least one RF combiner configured to combine the first RF signal and the second RF signal to output a combined RF signal (par. 0026).
Regarding claim 4, Cummings discloses all the limitations in claim 3. Cummings also discloses wherein the electrical circuit comprises an amplifier configured to receive the combined RF signal and output an amplified RF signal (par. 0025).
Regarding claim 5, Cummings discloses all the limitations in claim 3. Cummings also discloses wherein the electrical circuit comprises at least one RF splitter configured to: receive the amplified RF signal (par. 0020); and output the amplified RF signal to each of the antennas located within the RF shielded cabinets (par. 0020).
Regarding claim 6, Cummings discloses all the limitations in claim 2. Cummings also discloses wherein the electrical circuit comprises at least one RF combiner configured to: receive, from each of the antennas, a third RF signal (par. 0026); and combine the received third RF signals to output a combined RF signal (par. 0026).
Regarding claim 7, Cummings discloses all the limitations in claim 6. Cummings also discloses wherein the electrical circuit comprises at least one RF splitter configured to: receive the combined RF signal (par. 0023); output to the wireless simulation system a first RF output signal comprising a first portion of the combined RF signal having a first range of frequencies (par. 0027); and output to the wireless simulation system a second RF output signal comprising a second portion of the combined RF signal having a second range of frequencies (par. 0027).
Regarding claim 8, Cummings discloses all the limitations in claim 6. Cummings also discloses wherein the electrical circuit comprises at least one attenuator configured to: attenuate one of the third RF signals (par. 0019); and output the attenuated one of the third RF signals to the at least one RF combiner (par. 0020).
Regarding claim 9, Cummings discloses all the limitations in claim 1. Cummings also discloses wherein the wireless simulation system is a cellular simulation system, and wherein the one or more RF signals comprise a first cellular signal and a second cellular signal (par. 0027).
Regarding claim 10, Cummings discloses all the limitations in claim 9. Cummings also discloses wherein the first cellular signal is a 4G signal, and the second cellular signal is a 5G signal (par. 0025).
Regarding claim 11, Cummings discloses all the limitations in claim 1. Cummings also discloses wherein the testing computing device is configured to transmit a request for wireless connectivity status from each of the devices under test, and receive, in response to the requests, wireless status data from each of the devices under test (par. 0030).
Regarding claim 12, Cummings discloses An electrical circuit (Fig. 1 item 104; testing environment 100 that includes a testing enclosure 102 having a panel 104 (i.e., the panel is the electrical circuit)) comprising: a radio frequency (RF) combiner configured to combine at least two cellular signals to output a combined cellular signal (par. 0026; the switch 108 may be usable to receive the radio signal from the panel 104 (which may include as many inputs as there are radios to be connected) and to pass the signal thru the attenuators 110 and 112.); an amplifier configured to receive the combined cellular signal and output an amplified cellular signal (par. 0032; The radio protocol component 126 may cause the radio source 106 (i.e., power amplifier PA is located in the radio source) to function as a radio outputting radio frequencies such as LTE, 3G, 4G, 5G, CBRS, Wi-Fi, and so forth.); and an RF splitter configured to receive the amplified cellular signal and provide the amplified cellular signal to each of a plurality of antennas located within RF shielded chambers of a testing system (par. 0023; The RF shielded box 114 may include multiple connectors usable to couple with a UE 118 such that the UE 118 may receive a radio signal from the radio source 106 via the panel 104, the switch 108, and the attenuator 110.).
Regarding claim 13, Cummings discloses all the limitations in claim 12. Cummings also discloses wherein the RF combiner is configured to receive the at least two cellular signals from a cellular simulation system (par. 0026).
Regarding claim 14, Cummings discloses all the limitations in claim 13. Cummings also discloses wherein the at least two cellular signals comprise a 4G signal and a 5G signal (par. 0025).
Regarding claim 15, Cummings discloses all the limitations in claim 12. Cummings also discloses wherein the electrical circuit comprises a second RF combiner configured to: receive, from each of the plurality of antennas, a third cellular signal (par. 0026); and combine the third cellular signals to output a combined third cellular signal (par. 0026).
Regarding claim 16, Cummings discloses all the limitations in claim 15. Cummings also discloses wherein the electrical circuit comprises an RF splitter configured to: receive the combined third cellular signal from the second RF combiner (par. 0027); output to a cellular simulation system a first output cellular signal comprising a first portion of the combined third cellular signal having a first range of frequencies (par. 0027); and output to the cellular simulation system a second output cellular signal comprising a second portion of the combined third cellular signal having a second range of frequencies (par. 0027).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AYODEJI O AYOTUNDE whose telephone number is (571)270-7983. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 7:00am-3:30pm.
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/AYODEJI O AYOTUNDE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2649