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 Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. The claim(s) recite(s) “a computer implemented method” which determines the distance between two network entities by performing a mathematical operation on data inputs. This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because the procedures carried out by the generically recited “computer” do not perform any material function besides generating outputs and operating on an input. While there is a step of generating control signals and transmitting these signals to other devices, there is no active recitation of the ranging procedures being carried out and the resultant ranging reports being generated by the additional network devices. The claim(s) does/do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because the additional elements amount to extra solution activity; the transmission of control signals and the reception of data reports amounts to merely extra solution activity of sending and receiving data.
Clam 20 does not remedy the deficiencies of claim 19 and merely using a UWB-based ranging procedure to apply the abstract idea into a technological environment is not sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
Examiner suggest that an amendment which actively recites that the generation and transmission of the control information for the first and second network entities causes said entities to carry out ranging procedures based on the control information and generate ranging reports based on the carried out ranging procedures would likely be sufficient to establish the claimed invention as substantially more than the recited judicial exception.
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) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Keum (KR 20220170152A).
Claim 1: Keum discloses A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, by a first network entity, control information for a ranging procedure via a non-ultra-wide band (non-UWB) communication protocol (para 0104-0116, fig 2, 4, 5a-5c); and
performing, by the first network entity, the ranging procedure with a second network entity based on the control information and via an ultra-wide band (UWB) communication protocol, wherein performing the ranging procedure comprises exchanging solely ranging messages with the second network entity (para 0117-0124)
Claim 2: Keum discloses the non-UWB communication protocol comprises an 802.11 communication protocol, a Bluetooth communication protocol, or wired communication protocol (para 0022, 0023, 0038)
Claim 3: Keum discloses the control information is received from a controller associated with the first network entity and the second network entity (para 0104-0116, fig 3, 4b, 5a-5c)
Claim 4: Keum discloses the control information is received from a third network entity (para 0104-0116, fig 3, 4b, 5a-5c, 7)
Claim 5: Keum discloses each of the ranging messages lacks a data portion (fig 3, SP3, para 0100, 0130, 0131)
Claim 6: Keum discloses each of the ranging messages has a scrambled timestamp sequence (STS) packet configuration option (SP3) frame format (fig 3, SP3, para 0100, 0130, 0131)
Claim 7: Keum discloses generating, by the first network entity, a ranging report after performing the ranging procedure; and transmitting, by the first network entity, the ranging report to a controller associated with the first network entity and the second network entity (para 0117-0124, 0131)
Claim 8: Keum discloses the ranging report comprises at least one of: (i) a session identifier (ID) associated with the ranging procedure, (ii) a first time-stamped field associated with transmission of a first ranging message to the second network entity, (iii) a second time-stamped field associated with reception of a second ranging message from the second network entity, (iv) a third time- stamped field associated with transmission of a third ranging message to the second network entity, or (v) an indication of whether the first network entity was an initiator for the ranging procedure (fig 3, para 0100, 0117-0124, 0130, 0131)
Claim 9: Keum discloses the ranging report is transmitted using a non-UWB communication protocol (para 0117-0124)
Claim 10: Keum discloses A first network device comprising:
one or more memories collectively storing instructions (para 0016, 0134); and
one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories (para 0016, 0134),
the one or more processors being collectively configured to execute the instructions to cause the first network device to perform an operation comprising:
receiving control information for a ranging procedure via a non-ultra-wide band (non-UWB) communication protocol (para 0104-0116, fig 2, 4, 5a-5c); and
performing the ranging procedure with a second network device based on the control information and using an ultra-wide band (UWB) communication protocol, wherein performing the ranging procedure comprises exchanging solely ranging messages with the second network device (para 0117-0124)
Claim 11: Keum discloses the non-UWB communication protocol comprises an 802.11 communication protocol, a Bluetooth communication protocol, or wired communication protocol (para 0022, 0023, 0038)
Claim 12: Keum discloses the control information is received from a controller associated with the first network device and the second network device (para 0104-0116, fig 3, 4b, 5a-5c)
Claim 13: Keum discloses the control information is received from a third network device (para 0104-0116, fig 3, 4b, 5a-5c, 7)
Claim 14: Keum discloses each of the ranging messages lacks a data portion (fig 3, SP3, para 0100, 0130, 0131)
Claim 15: Keum discloses each of the ranging messages has a scrambled timestamp sequence (STS) packet configuration option 3 (SP3) frame format (fig 3, SP3, para 0100, 0130, 0131)
Claim 16: Keum discloses generating a ranging report after performing the ranging procedure; and transmitting, the ranging report to a controller associated with the first network device and the second network device (para 0117-0124, 0131)
Claim 17: Keum discloses the ranging report is transmitted using a non-UWB communication protocol (fig 3, para 0100, 0117-0124, 0130, 0131)
Claim 18: Keum discloses the ranging report comprises at least one of: (i) a session identifier (ID) associated with the ranging procedure, (ii) a first time-stamped field associated with transmission of a first ranging message to the second network device, (iii) a second time-stamped field associated with reception of a second ranging message from the second network device, (iv) a third time-stamped field associated with transmission of a third ranging message to the second network device, or (v) an indication of whether the first network device was an initiator for the ranging procedure (fig 3, para 0100, 0117-0124, 0130, 0131)
Claim 19: Keum discloses A computer-implemented method comprising:
generating control information for a ranging procedure between a first network entity and a second network entity (para 0104-0116, fig 2, 4, 5a-5c)
transmitting the control information to at least one of the first network entity or the second network entity via a non-ultra-wide band (non-UWB) communication protocol (para 0104-0116, fig 2, 4, 5a-5c)
receiving, via a non-UWB communication protocol, a first ranging report associated with the ranging procedure from the first network entity and a second ranging report associated with the ranging procedure from the second network entity (para 0117-0124, 0130, 0131) and
determining a distance between the first network entity and the second network entity based on the first and second ranging reports (para 0117-0124, 0130, 0131)
Claim 20: Keum discloses the ranging procedure is a UWB-based ranging procedure (para 0117-0124)
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Ha (US 2022/0397659), Ha (US 2022/0397658), Lee (US 20210136556), Koo (US 2023/0019120), Henry (US 2022/0066010) each disclose an embodiment of UWB ranging in which an out-of-bound transmission is used to connect two or more UWB devices and initiate ranging.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PETER M BYTHROW whose telephone number is (571)270-1468. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 830am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Resha Desai can be reached at (571) 270-7792. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PETER M BYTHROW/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3648