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 § 102
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) 1-3, 9, 10 and 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cope et al. (Cope, US Pat. 5,689,267).
Referring to Claim 1, Cope teaches in a first mode of operation of the radar system, determining a first channel response associated with self-interference between the first transmitter channel and the first receiver channel (Col. 3 ln 57-65); and in a second mode of operation of the radar system, modifying a first received signal based on the first channel response (Col. 4 ln 10-20).
Referring to Claims 2, 10 and 14 Cope teaches wherein determining the first channel response comprises: transmitting a test signal; and determining the first channel response based on a signal received in response to the test signal; (Col. 3 ln 57-65).
Referring to Claim 3, Cope teaches transmitting a sense signal in the second mode of operation; and wherein the test signal is a lower power signal than the sense signal; Col. 3 ln 43-56.
Referring to Claim 9, Cope teaches in a calibration mode of operation of a radar system, determining characteristics of a self- interference cancellation signal of the radar system based on a channel response associated with self-interference between a transmitter channel and a receiver channel of the radar system; and in a sensing mode of operation of the radar system, modifying a received signal based on the determined characteristics of the self-interference cancellation signal; See citations of Claim 1 above.
Referring to Claim 13, Cope teaches a first transmitter channel and a first receiver channel; and a processor configured to: in a first mode of operation, determine a first channel response associated with self-interference between the first transmitter channel and the first receiver channel; and in a second mode of operation of the radar system, modify a first received signal based on the first channel response; see citations of Claim 1 above.
Referring to Claim 15, Cope teaches wherein the radar system is configured to: transmit a sense signal in the second mode, wherein the sense signal has a higher power level than the test signal transmitted in the first mode; Col. 3 ln 43-56.
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) 4-8, 11, 12 and 16-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cope in view of Cheung et al. (Cheung, US PGPub 2018/0309474).
Referring to Claim 4, Cope teaches setting the test signal to a specified power level in the first mode of operation, but does not explicitly disclose not limit is achieved by setting one or more of an amplifier setting, an intermediate frequency gain setting, and a gain setting of a radio frequency (RF) subsystem of the radar system.
However, Cheung teaches setting the test signal to a specified power level in the first mode of operation by setting one or more of an amplifier setting, an intermediate frequency gain setting, and a gain setting of a radio frequency (RF) subsystem of the radar system; Fig. 3 #303; [0051-0052] power settings are also implicit features of power amplifiers.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Cope with the power level setting as taught by Cheung as the power level setting predictably aids in the leakage cancellation scheme allowing for the avoidance of ghost targets.
Referring to Claims 5 and 17, Cope as modified by Cheung teaches wherein modifying the first received signal comprises: generating a self-interference cancellation signal based on the first channel response ([0065]) of Cheung; and modifying the first received signal based on the self-interference cancellation signal ([0062]) of Cheung.
Referring to Claims 6 and 11, Cope as modified by Cheung teaches wherein reconstructing the self-interference cancellation signal comprises: determining a set of self-interference channel coefficients based on the first channel response; and reconstructing the self-interference cancellation signal based on the self-interference channel coefficients; [0065-0070] of Cheung.
Referring to Claims 7, 12 and 19, Cope as modified by Cheung teaches wherein determining the set of self-interference channel coefficients comprises: determining the set of self-interference channel coefficients based on a cyclic correlation between the test signal and the corresponding signal received in response to the test signal; implicitly taught with use of #306; [0051-0054] of Cheung.
Referring to Claims 8 and 20, Cope as modified by Cheung teaches wherein modifying the first received signal comprises modifying the first received signal at an analog path of the radar system prior to converting the first received signal to a digital signal in the second mode of operation; See Fig. 3 #316 and placed before the ADC #312 of Cheung.
Referring to Claim 18, Cope as modified by Cheung teaches wherein the processor is to reconstruct the self-interference cancellation signal by: determining a set of self-interference channel coefficients based on the first channel response; and reconstructing the self-interference cancellation signal based on the self-interference channel coefficients; [0065-0070] of Cheung.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-20 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.
While the references applied are the same, the order of combination is different as the amendments necessitated a change in the rejection. Signal strength is a response associated with self-interference.
Conclusion
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 WHITNEY T MOORE whose telephone number is (571)270-3338. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday from 7am-4pm.
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/WHITNEY MOORE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3646