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 § 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1, 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vanderperren et al (USPN 20060014494) in view of Shin et al (USPN 20170223648).
Regarding claim 1, Vanderperren discloses
a method of performing synchronization and frequency offset estimation for an input signal, the method comprising: (method of synchronizing and performing frequency offsetting for an input signal [0001, 0002, 0019
receiving an input signal through a wireless channel (receiver wirelessly receiving signal [0019], FIG. 1
performing a frequency compensation operation on the input signal based on a reference signal to generate a compensated signal (performing frequency compensation on the received signal based on a known training sequence [0019]
Vanderperren does not expressly disclose the reference signal corresponding to an access code associated with the input signal; determining a synchronization timing and frequency offset for the input signal by comparing the reference signal with the compensated input signal
Shin discloses the reference signal corresponding to an access code associated with the input signal (reference signal generated following predefined sequence between terminal and base station [0015, 0245]
determining a synchronization timing and frequency offset for the input signal by comparing the reference signal with the compensated input signal (determining time and frequency offsets for synchronization by comparing a reference signal with compensated received/input signal [0010, 0013, 0020]
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement “the reference signal corresponding to an access code associated with the input signal; determining a synchronization timing and frequency offset for the input signal by comparing the reference signal with the compensated input signal” as taught by Shin into Vanderperren’s system with the motivation to determine time and frequency offsets by differentiating a reference signal with a compensated input signal (Shin, paragraph [0010, 0013, 0020]).
Regarding claim 8, Vanderperren does not expressly disclose “the method is performed by an electronic device including a storage unit and the access code and the reference signal are stored in the storage unit included in the electronic device”
Shin discloses method performed by terminal comprising a memory, FIG. 27 #2720 #2722, and the sequence used for generating reference signal and reference signal itself are contained within the terminal’s memory [0007, 0013, 0245]
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement “the method is performed by an electronic device including a storage unit and the access code and the reference signal are stored in the storage unit included in the electronic device” as taught by Shin into Vanderperren’s system with the motivation to determine time and frequency offsets by differentiating a reference signal with a compensated input signal (Shin, paragraph [0010, 0013, 0020]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-7, 9-15 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 16-20 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Claims 16-20 are allowed over prior arts of record because the arts of record fail to reasonably suggest, or render obvious the following italic limitations:
… calculate a symbol error of the input signal by comparing the reference signal with the compensated input signal; and
…determine a synchronization timing and a frequency offset for the input signal based on the symbol error of the input signal .… in combination with other limitations recited as specified in claims 16, 20.
The first closest art Vanderperren et al (USPN 20060014494) discloses a method of performing synchronization and frequency offset estimation for an input signal, the method comprising: (method of synchronizing and performing frequency offsetting for an input signal [0001, 0002, 0019]. Receiving an input signal through a wireless channel (receiver wirelessly receiving signal [0019], FIG. 1. Performing a frequency compensation operation on the input signal based on a reference signal to generate a compensated signal (performing frequency compensation on the received signal based on a known training sequence [0019]. However, Vanderperren fails to disclose or render obvious the above italic as claimed.
The second closest prior art Shin et al (USPN 20170223648) discloses a method for synchronizing frequency and time in a wireless communication between a terminal and a base station utilizing a PSS (Abstract). The invention uses a reference signal corresponding to an access code associated with the input signal (reference signal generated following predefined sequence between terminal and base station [0015, 0245]. Determining a synchronization timing and frequency offset for the input signal by comparing the reference signal with the compensated input signal (determining time and frequency offsets for synchronization by comparing a reference signal with compensated received/input signal [0010, 0013, 0020]. However, Shin fails to disclose or render obvious the above italic as claimed.
Thus, Vanderperren, Shin taken individually or in combination fails to particularly disclose, fairly suggest, or render obvious the above italic limitations as claimed
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.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Warner (WO 2005081484 A1) FIG. 7
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THAI NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-7632. The examiner can normally be reached M-F campus 10:30-5pm, telework 6pm-8pm| Telework count days.
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/THAI NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2469