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 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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hunsinger et al (WO 9416506 A2), hereinafter Hunsinger.
Regarding claim 1, Hunsinger discloses:
A multipath suppression device comprising (Hunsinger, p. 12, lines 3-21: Three measures inherent to the modulation method are employed to mitigate multipath: a frequency slide technique, frequency division multiplexing, and an ACT-based equalization technique.
"Frequency sliding" is a modulation technique in which the carrier frequencies of a series of digital subchannels are modulated by the FM program. This has the effect of producing a constant frequency offset between the analog-FM carrier and the IBOC digital signals. The primary motivation for IBOC DAB frequency slide is that sliding the DAB carrier frequencies in synchronization with the instantaneous FM signal
frequency may be used to make conventional FM detection techniques insensitive to IBOC DAB. The added benefit of frequency slide is multipath mitigation. Frequency slide increases the effective IBOC DAB bandwidth for multipath mitigation without increasing the IBOC DAB noise
bandwidth. Frequency slide contributes a level of effective frequency diversity against multipath), :
multipath signal reproducing circuitry including correlation operation circuitry to divide a sampling signal of each of a plurality of received incoming waves by a length of a replica signal and generate a plurality of segments (Hunsinger, p. 14, line 18- 9. 15, line 7: The DAB receiver includes a frequency tracking delay element interference canceler and FM demodulator which removes a dominant tone or FM interference signal by subtracting it from a delayed replica. Cancellation is maintained through a time delay that tracks the instantaneous frequency of the dominant FM interfering waveform. A delay is generated, accurately controlled and dynamically adjusted in response to changes in the instantaneous frequency of the dominant tone or FM interference signal. A phase or phase threshold detector is used to track small errors in cancellation phase in order to close the loop on the tracking canceler and to make the tracking canceler resistant to multipath. The control voltage at the adjustable delay element varies with the instantaneous frequency of the predominant tone. In the case where an FM signal is tracked and cancelled, the control voltage becomes a demodulated FM program)>>>>
and perform a correlation operation between each of the generated plurality of segments and the replica signal and acquire a result of the correlation operation (Hunsinger, p. 14, line 18- 9. 15, line 7; and p. 40, line 22 – p. 41, line 13: Figure 23(a) illustrates a more extreme case of diffuse multipath 414. Although multipath is diffuse, inherent correlation of reference and data subchannel waveforms allow for coherent detection as shown in Figure 23 (b) at 416. A number of variations of the reference signal transmission system or its operation are possible, among them are: mutual orthogonality between subchannel modulation symbols alleviates cross-talk between subchannels; data subchannel modulation symbols may consist of mutually orthogonal chirp waveforms; data subchannel modulation symbols may consist of mutually orthogonal PN sequences; the reference waveform may consist of a PN sequence, a chirp, a pseudorandom noise burst or any waveform that overlaps all the data subchannels in spectral content; and, the reference may alternatively be time division multiplexed with the data as shown in Figure 24),
the multipath signal reproducing circuitry to estimate specifications of a reflected wave from a result of the correlation operation for the number of divisions (Hunsinger, p. 49, line 15 – p. 50, line 9: Figure 30b illustrates a tap weight scheme for a variable delay element employing complementary positive dynamic taps. The three static taps 498 are full amplitude. The dynamic taps 500 and 502 are always positive, and vary in a complementary fashion.
"Complementary fashion" means that if one dynamic tap has amplitude A, where 0 < A < 1 , then the other has amplitude 1-A. For a baseline delay, the dynamic taps 500 and 502 are set to half amplitude. For the minimum delay, the first dynamic tap 500 is set to full amplitude and the second dynamic tap 502 is set to zero amplitude. For the maximum delay, the first dynamic tap 500 is set to zero amplitude and the second dynamic tap 502 is set to full amplitude. Delay may be varied continuously by varying the dynamic taps 500 and 502 continuously in this complementary fashion. As 500 is lowered, 502 is raised and the delay is raised. As 500 is raised, 502 is lowered and the delay is lowered. The delay varies very linearly with the values of the dynamic taps. Delay offset as a function of dynamic tap weight may be approximated theoretically from the phase of the tap group with respect to the center of the tap group),
and reproduce a multipath signal using the estimated specifications (Hunsinger, p. 49, line 15 – p. 50, line 9);
and multipath suppression circuitry to subtract the multipath signal from the sampling signal and acquire a multipath suppression signal (Hunsinger, p. 43, lines 7-15: The use of a reference 380 which is of wider bandwidth than any of the subchannels means that the reference correlates or match filters into a narrower pulse than any of the data subchannels. The bandwidth difference between the reference and any data subchannel enables pulse compression of the reference with respect to the data subchannels. This pulse compression allows the reference to be used as a phase correcting signal sampler for the reference channels in multipath).
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 text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
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.
Claims 2-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hunsinger et al (WO 9416506 A2), hereinafter Hunsinger in view of Carsello (US 20040218699 A1)
Regarding claim 2, Hunsinger discloses:
the multipath suppression device according to claim 1 (Hunsinger, p. 12, lines 3-21),
wherein the multipath signal reproducing circuitry further includes (Hunsinger, p. 16, lines 16-27):
and acquire delay-Doppler data (Hunsinger, p. 87, lines 1-17: For cases with very small delay spreads (and correspondingly large coherence bandwidths), multipath mitigation through data coding, interleaving, and error correction are required. For mobile receivers, the spatial correlation of amplitude fading and the velocity of the platform are important, since these will determine the amount of time the receiving antenna spends in the fading region, measurements indicate that spatial correlation distances from 7 inches to 2 feet are common; theoretical analysis predicts correlation distances of up to 7 feet. For a vehicle travelling at 20 miles per hour, these multipath correlation distances would require data coding and correction which can handle reduced- quality data for periods of tens to hundreds of milliseconds, this is within the capabilities of recently developed burst-error detection and correction techniques);
multipath specifications acquiring circuitry to estimate specifications of an incoming wave from a peak of the acquired delay-Doppler data (Hunsinger, p. 87, lines 1-17),
Carsello discloses:
discrete Fourier transform circuitry to perform discrete Fourier transform on the result of the correlation operation for the number of divisions (Carsello, para [0052], This computation has a frequency resolution that is twice that of the standard non-zero-padded FFT, where the frequency resolution of the standard FFT or DFT is equal to the inverse of the observation interval or time period over which the sequence of samples are collected. Where this time period is 2.5 msec the standard resolution is 400 Hz and using the zero padded FFT this is improved to 200 Hz. It has been experimentally shown that doubling the frequency resolution to 2NN.sub.s points over the actual samples collected during the sampling period provides a dramatic performance improvement in the ad hoc frequency estimation),
in a direction in which the division is performed (Carsello, para [0059], The preamble signal is constructed at the transmitter 200 such that the received preamble signal exhibits a circular shift of the preamble signal with arbitrary starting phase as was noted above. Next, the controller 306, using correlation routines 358, performs a circular time-domain correlation between the data corresponding to the preamble signal, in this case a conjugate of {S.sub.0,k}, and the adjusted received sample sequence {X.sub.k} to provide the correlation result. Both sequences are complex, so a brute-force computation would be computationally intensive. The use of a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) may be used to reduce the complexity of the computation. Take a pre-computed DFT of the desired signal 9 S l = k = 0 N s N - 1 s 0 , k - j 2 k l N s N l = 0 , 1 , , N s N - 1 Eq . 13),
determine whether or not the incoming wave is a reflected wave from the estimated specifications (Carsello, para [0040, lines 1-5], The receiver 302 receives a signal 316 comprising a preamble signal at antenna 318. The received signal is shaped by a radio frequency filter 320 that operates to reject out of band energy of the received signal and this signal is then amplified by an RF amplifier 322) Examiner interprets the received signal 316 that is shaped by the RF filter 320 as the reflected wave,
and acquire the specifications of the incoming wave determined to be the reflected wave (Carsello, para [0040, lines 1-5]),
and signal reproducing circuitry to reproduce the multipath signal from the acquired specifications (Carsello, para [0049], Employing an optimum detection methodology requires that the preamble signal be synchronized in both time and frequency with the wireless receiver 300. The controller 306 is operable to estimate a frequency offset between one of the received sample sequences and a nominal frequency of the signal source 326 by locating a peak of a correlation of a magnitude squared value of a Fast Fourier Transform of the received sample sequence and a magnitude squared value of a Fast Fourier Transform of an expected preamble signal where the expected preamble is stored in the memory 356. This peak in the correlation results in or provides a frequency offset or estimate that can be used to adjust the received sample sequence according to the frequency offset to create an adjusted received sample. Then a circular time-domain correlation between data corresponding to the preamble signal and the adjusted received sample sequence is calculated to provide the correlation result) Examiner interprets the synchronized signal as a reproduced signal generated by receiver 300 to match the timing and frequency of the original signal
It would have been obvious to someone in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Hunsinger with Carsello to incorporate the features of: discrete Fourier transform circuitry to perform discrete Fourier transform on the result of the correlation operation for the number of divisions, in a direction in which the division is performed, determine whether or not the incoming wave (= LOS, incident, rx signal) is a reflected wave from the estimated specifications, and acquire the specifications of the incoming wave determined to be the reflected wave, and signal reproducing circuitry to reproduce the multipath signal from the acquired specifications. Both arts are considered analogous arts as they both disclose multipath suppression systems and methods; however, Hunsinger does not disclose DFT processing and the determination of the reflected wave as disclosed by Carsello. The modification would render the predictable results of improved multipath discrimination; improved estimation accuracy of doppler shift, phase offsets or signal strength; improved classification of arrival time, amplitude, and/or doppler frequency; and improved reduction of false suppression.
Regarding claim 3, Hunsinger discloses:
the multipath suppression device according to claim 2 (Hunsinger, p. 12, lines 3-21),
and acquire delay- Doppler data (Hunsinger, p. 87, lines 1-17).
Carsello discloses:
wherein the discrete Fourier transform circuitry performs the discrete Fourier transform on a result of a correlation operation having a negative value, in the result of the correlation operation for the number of divisions (Carsello, para [0052]),
after inverting the negative value to a positive value, in the direction in which the division is performed (Carsello, para [0052]),
It would have been obvious to someone in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Hunsinger with Carsello to incorporate the features of: wherein the discrete Fourier transform circuitry performs the discrete Fourier transform on a result of a correlation operation having a negative value, in the result of the correlation operation for the number of divisions, after inverting the negative value to a positive value, in the direction in which the division is performed. Both arts are considered analogous arts as they both disclose multipath suppression system and methods; however, Hunsinger does not disclose the DFT processing as disclosed by Carsello. The modification would render the predictable results of improved reflected wave detection and improved classification.
Regarding claim 4, Hunsinger discloses:
the multipath suppression device according to claim 2 (Hunsinger, p. 12, lines 3-21),
wherein the multipath specifications acquiring circuitry estimates a delay time of each of the incoming waves and determines an incoming wave other than an incoming wave having a shortest estimated delay time as a reflected wave (Hunsinger, p. 50, line 10 – p. 51, line 4: Figure 30c illustrates a variable delay element employing dynamic taps of opposite sign. "Opposite sign" means that if one dynamic tap implements a weight of A, then the other dynamic tap implements a weight of -A. The three static taps 504 in Figure 30c are full
amplitude, and the dynamic taps 506 and 508 are always of opposite sign and may vary continuously. For a baseline delay, the dynamic taps 506 and 508 are set to zero. For the minimum delay, the first dynamic tap 506 is set to full positive amplitude and the second dynamic tap 508 is set to full negative amplitude. For the maximum delay, the first dynamic tap 506 is set to full negative
amplitude and the second dynamic tap 508 is set to full positive amplitude. Delay may be varied continuously by varying the dynamic taps 506 and 508 continuously in this complementary fashion. As 506 is lowered, 508 is raised and the delay is raised. As 506 is raised, 508 is lowered and the delay is lowered. The delay varies very linearly with the values of the dynamic taps. Delay offset as a function of dynamic tap weight may again be approximated theoretically from the phase of the tap group with respect to the center of the tap group).
Regarding claim 5, Hunsinger discloses:
the multipath suppression device according to claim 2 (Hunsinger, p. 12, lines 3-21),
wherein the multipath specifications acquiring circuitry estimates an amplitude of each of the incoming waves and determines an incoming wave other than an incoming wave having a largest value of the estimated amplitude as a reflected wave (Hunsinger, p. 50, line 10 – p. 51, line 4).
Regarding claim 6, Hunsinger discloses:
a multipath suppression method comprising (Lennen, Abstract) (Hunsinger, p. 12, lines 3-21):
dividing a sampling signal of each of a plurality of received incoming waves by a length of a replica signal and generating a plurality of segments (Hunsinger, p. 14, line 18- 9. 15, line 7; and p. 40, line 22 – p. 41, line 13),
performing a correlation operation between each of the generated plurality of segments and the replica signal and acquiring a result of the correlation operation (Hunsinger, p. 14, line 18- 9. 15, line 7; and p. 40, line 22 – p. 41, line 13),
),
and subtracting the multipath signal from the sampling signal and acquiring a multipath suppression signal (Hunsinger, p. 14, line 18- 9. 15, line 7; p. 43, lines 7-15).
Carsello discloses:
estimating specifications of a reflected wave from a result of the correlation operation for the number of division (Carsello, para [0040, lines 1-4]) and (para [0044], The controller 306 is also coupled to or includes the memory 314 that is used for storing program instructions and configuration data 354, algorithms, such as correlation routines 358, as well as waveform samples 356 or information corresponding thereto that is used in the further processing of the received signal as well as a plurality of other routines that will be obvious to one of ordinary skill but that are not relevant for our purposes. The controller 306 is coupled to the signal source 326 and is operable to adjust the frequency of the signal source 326 by a control signal 360) and (further reference paras [0048-0049] regarding estimated specification such as peaks),
and reproducing a multipath signal using the estimated specifications (Carsello, para [0049]),
It would have been obvious to someone in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Hunsinger with Carsello to incorporate the features of: estimating specifications of a reflected wave from a result of the correlation operation for the number of division, and reproducing a multipath signal using the estimated specifications. Both arts are considered analogous arts as they both disclose multipath suppression systems and methods; however, Hunsinger does not disclose estimating specifications of a reflected wave from a result of the correlation operation for the number of division nor reproducing a multipath signal using the estimated specifications as disclosed by Carsello. The modification would render the predictable results of improved classification of arrival time, amplitude, and/or doppler frequency; and improved reduction of false suppression.
References Cited But Not Relied Upon
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure as thus:
Lennen US 20200371249 A1 discloses a method and apparatus for Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) that includes a wideband signal correlator and multipath mitigator
Marmet et al US 20180284291 A1 discloses GNSS-like signals wherein and omnidirectional antenna arrangement may have radiating power that is concentrated to limit multipath reflections
Steinglass et al DE 102005028657 A1 discloses multipath reception error reduction (suppression) methods for systems such as GNSS or GPS, and correlation is performed with the replica of the transmission signal
Hadani et al US 20170078054 A1 discloses multipath fading channel for wireless communication compatible for long term evolution (LTE) communication systems and radar systems
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KIMBERLY JENKINS whose telephone number is (571)272-0404. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8a-5p EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Vladimir Magloire can be reached at 517.270.5144. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KIMBERLY JENKINS/Examiner, Art Unit 3648
/VLADIMIR MAGLOIRE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3648
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