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 § 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.
Claims 1-11 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1, a system is claimed comprising two elements – a plurality of nodes, and a remote positioning server. The claimed function of the remote positioning server includes receiving a response message to the UWB broadcast message individually broadcast by the plurality of nodes. However, it is unclear how the remote positioning server is receiving a message in response to messages transmitted by another entity (i.e., the plurality of nodes). Based on the context of the instant specification (see at least Fig. 4), it appears that the response message is not a response to the UWB broadcast message, but rather a message that is subsequently transmitted after the UWB broadcast message is transmitted (i.e., S430 is transmitted by nodes and then S450 is transmitted by nodes and received by the remote positioning server). Appropriate correction is required.
Regarding claim 6, the phrase “goes around” is indefinite. The general meaning of the phrase “goes around” is used to represent physical action such as circulation of information or to physically move around something else. This does not appear to be the intended meaning of the claimed function. The Examiner infers that the claimed function is that the remote positioning server transmits a broadcast command message to each of the nodes (individually or collectively, the claim is not specific to either case) at fixed intervals of T duration. Appropriate correction is required.
Regarding claim 7, the phrase “goes around” is indefinite for the same reasons as indicated for claim 6.
Regarding claim 7, the claim requires that each of the nodes sequentially broadcasts a UWB broadcast message. However, the claim does not indicate how each individually nodes is apprised of its particular transmission position in the sequence with respect to the other nodes. Thus, there appears to be a missing step which would indicate to each node that received the UWB broadcast command message, when to transmit its respective UWB broadcast message. Appropriate correction is required.
Regarding claim 7, the claim recites the limitation "the remote location server" in the fourth and seventh limitations. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Regarding claim 7, the remote location server is required to sequentially receive a broadcast completion report message from each of the nodes. However, it is unclear how reception of each report message is received in sequence when each report message is transmitted by a different node. There appears to be a missing step which schedules when each report message is to be transmitted and/or a particular time frame (or window) that the remote location server utilizes for receiving a particular report message from a particular node. Appropriate correction is required.
Regarding claim 7, the remote positioning server is required to sequentially receive a response message from each of the nodes. However, it is unclear how reception of each response message is received in sequence when each response message is transmitted by a different node. There appears to be a missing step which schedules when each response message is to be transmitted and/or a particular time frame (or window) that the remote positioning server utilizes for receiving a particular response message from a particular node. Appropriate correction is required.
Regarding claim 7, the claimed response message includes timestamp information. However, given the antecedent basis of “the response message,” it appears as though each node is transmitting the same response message. Therefore, the contents of the response message would be the same, thus rendering the timestamp being the same. In this manner, it is unclear how the remote location server and remote positioning servers would be able to determine a unique distance and time of flight for each node. The Examiner suggests that Applicant amend the language of the claim to clarify that each response message includes a timestamp indicating the time (e.g., time of transmission) of the node transmitting the response message. Appropriate correction is required.
Regarding claim 11, the phrase “goes around” is indefinite for the same reasons as indicated for claim 6.
Allowable Subject Matter
Notwithstanding the aforementioned 35 U.S.C. § 112 rejections, claims 1-11 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
With respect to the claim(s), the prior art of record fails to disclose singly or in combination or render obvious all the limitations of the claim(s).
The closest prior art relating to Applicant' s claimed invention is:
US 20250048332 A1 Qian; Bin et al.
US 20230358848 A1 Dhekne; Ashutosh et al.
Qian discloses that an ultra-wideband (UWB) signal transmission method includes that a plurality of initiators simultaneously sends a UWB signal. A UWB signal sent by any initiator is obtained by performing pulse shaping and modulation on a first sequence. The first sequence is obtained by performing a cyclic shift on a second sequence, and a number of cyclic shift bits is determined based on a shift factor and a step size of the cyclic shift that are of the any initiator. A responder determines time of arrival of the plurality of UWB signals based on the plurality of received UWB signals and the second sequence. As shown in FIG. 7, four UWB devices simultaneously perform ranging. A UWB device 1 directly sends a preamble sequence without a delay. A UWB device 2 delays 128 nanoseconds (ns) and then sends the preamble sequence. A UWB device 3 delays 256 nanoseconds and then sends the preamble sequence. A UWB device 4 delays 374 nanoseconds and then sends the preamble sequence. After detecting a signal, a receiving end performs a correlation operation on a local preamble sequence and the received sequence, to obtain correlation peaks, and calculates distances to complete ranging. “Silence d” in FIG. 7 indicates a start point of a delay, and start points of delays of the two UWB devices are the same.
Dhekne discloses a system comprising a plurality of ultrawide-band (UWB) communicating devices configured to be communicatively arranged as a plurality of nodes in a mesh configuration (e.g., all-to-all network), wherein the plurality of UWB communicating devices includes a first UWB communicating device configured to sequentially transmit in each of a plurality of messaging cycles, a first localization packet of data to each of the other plurality of UWB communicating devices, including a second UWB communicating device, wherein the first UWB communicating device and the second UWB communicating device are configured to determine time associated values corresponding to receipts of the transmitted localization packets (e.g., time of flight (ToF)) sent from the other UWB communicating devices, wherein the determined time associated value is included in the first localization packet, wherein the first UWB communicating device and second UWB communicating device are configured to be positioned at a plurality of spaced apart locations on a user, including at a first body location and a second body location; and a local controller placed in proximity to the plurality of UWB communicating devices (e.g., in a work area or as a wearable device), the local controller as a listening device is configured to (i) passively collect the localization packets sequentially transmitted by the respective UWB communicating devices and (ii) determine pair-wise distances between each respective pairs formed of the plurality of UWB communicating devices using the passively collected localization packets, wherein the collected localization packets including the pair-wise distances are used in a trained machine learning classifier model to determine a gesture classification of the user (e.g., for interpreting and communicating body signals, body recognition in virtual or augmented reality, controlling robotic operations).
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.”
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, Applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KASHIF SIDDIQUI whose telephone number is (571)270-3188. The examiner can normally be reached on M-R 6:00 EST to 16:00 EST.
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, Jeffrey Rutkowski can be reached on 571-270-1215. 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.
/KASHIF SIDDIQUI/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2415