DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to the communications filed on 04/02/2026.
Currently, claims 1 & 8-9 are pending; claims 2-7 & 10-13 are currently withdrawn.
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of previously identified Species IV in the reply filed on 04/02/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that Species V and Species IV are not patentably distinct, after further review and consideration the Examiner agrees that previous identified Species IV and V should be Examined together.
However, the other previously identified Species are still patentable distinct from each other (even if/when grouping Species IV and V together). Additionally the Examiner notes that if common/generic allowable subject matter (i.e. allowable subject matter applicable to multiple/all previously identified Species) then previous election/restriction requirement may also be reasons for withdrawal (in the future).
Additionally support for maintaining the updated election/restriction requirement is shown by the current reference Hadani et al. (US 2017/0078054: as addressed later in the Office Action) not being applicable to instant/original claim 2 (which requires the IFFT, followed by the transmit pulse unit, and then followed by the time multiplexing unit) in regards to the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 102.
Additionally but not exclusively, the Examiner believe that instant/original claim 5 is substantially similar to independent claim 1 (albeit in method/process claim format), and thus should be grouped/examined with non-withdrawn claims 1 and 8-9 (which is stated in the rejection below).
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 5, and 8 are concurrently rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hadani et al. (US 20170078054: hereinafter “Hadani”).
With regards to claims 1 and 5, Hadani teaches a transmitter and a transmission method (figs. 1a-47; e.g. see OTFS transmitter/s (TXs) of figures 3-4, 5a-5d, 10, 22, 29a/b, 34, and 36 (which are not exclusive to each other). Additionally, note that the method steps are implemented as functions of the cited hardware) comprising (the steps of):
a transmission unit (figs. 1a-47; see Tx of figs. 3-4, 5a-5d, 10, 22, 29a/b, 34, and 36, e.g. figs. 29a/b+34+36 (in the context of figs. 30+19a+5a/c in regards to the delay-doppler domain) of the OTFS modulator of the cited Tx(s) of Hadani) configured to transmit a frame in which M symbols are arranged in a delay direction and in each of which N symbols are arranged in a Doppler direction (figs. 1a-47; see Tx of figs. 3-4, 5a-5d, 10, 22, 29a/b, 34, and 36, e.g. figs. 29a+34+36 (in the context of figs. 19a+5a/c in regards to the delay-doppler domain) of the OTFS modulator of the cited Tx(s) of Hadani. Where figure 36 shows the data frame generator (which includes modulated symbols) are output to the OTFS modulator. Moreover, figs. 5a/c+19a+30 show that the symbols (in the delay-Doppler domain) have ‘M symbols’ arranged in the delay direction and ‘N symbols’ arranged in the Doppler direction); and
a transmit pulse application unit configured to apply a transmit pulse (figs. 1a-47; see Tx of figs. 3-4, 5a-5d, 10, 22, 29a/b, 34, and 36, e.g. figs 29a+34+36 where the show Filter Bank (and/or Heisenberg Transform) is mapped to the claimed ‘transmit pulse application unit’, which applies the applies the shaped Tx pulse(s). For example, the N Tx pulses in the ‘Nyquist interval T/M’ are shown graphically in figs. 19a/b and 20+21 and furthermore are stated to square root raised cosine Nyquist pulses [0111+0112-0114]), in which N square-root Nyquist pulses or Nyquist pulses corresponding to a Nyquist interval T/M are arranged one for each time interval T, to each of the symbols (figs. 1a-47; see Tx of figs. 3-4, 5a-5d, 10, 22, 29a/b, 34, and 36, e.g. figs 29a/b+34+36 where the show Filter Bank (and/or Heisenberg Transform) is mapped to the claimed ‘transmit pulse application unit’, which applies the applies the shaped Tx pulse(s). For example, the N Tx pulses in the ‘Nyquist interval T/M’ are shown graphically in figs. 19a/b and 20+21 and furthermore are stated to square root raised cosine Nyquist pulses [0111] and [0112-0114]). Each of the Tx pulses (for the single carrier scenario as well as the multicarrier scenario ([0111] and [0112-0114])) each carries one of the symbols, which includes data symbols and/or pilot/reference signal(s)).
With regards to claim 8, Hadani teaches the limitations of claim 1 above.
Hadani further teaches the transmitter according to claim 1 (previously addressed),
wherein the transmission unit includes an orthogonal time frequency space (OTFS) modulation unit (previously addressed and/or readily apparent) configured to generate a transmit signal by performing OTFS modulation on the frame containing transmission data (previously addressed and/or readily apparent), and
wherein the OTFS modulation unit (previously addressed) includes an inverse discrete Fourier transform unit configured to generate a time-domain signal of each delay position by performing an inverse discrete Fourier transform on N symbols at each delay position within the frame (figs. 1a-47; see Tx of figs. 3-4, 5a-5d, 10, 22, 29a/b, 34, and 36, e.g. figs. 29a/b+34+36 (in the context of figs. 30+19a+5a/c in regards to the delay-doppler domain) of the OTFS modulator of the cited Tx(s) of Hadani. Furthermore, the particular 2D-Fourier Transform in the Tx (within the OTFS modulator) before the Filter Bank (and/or Heisenberg Transform) including but not limited to figure 29a is also known as a ‘Symplectic Discrete Fourier Transform’ (SDFT) or inverse SDFT (ISDFT), [0153-0163], where are addressed in paragraph [0155] “Notice that the above 2D Fourier transform (known as the Symplectic Discrete Fourier Transform) differs from the more well known Cartesian Fourier transform in that the exponential functions across each of the two dimensions have opposing signs”. In other words, the SFDT implements an DFT operation of the symbols across the Doppler domain (via Greek lowercase symbol ‘Nu’), and the SFDT implements an IDFT operation across the Delay domain (via the Greek lowercase ‘Tau’); see equation 34 and [0154].
Moreover, the ‘Inverse SFDT’ (ISFDT) used at the transmitter in figure 29a/b (also see equation 36 and [0159]), implements an IDFT operation on the symbols across the Delay domain and implements an DFT operation on the symbols across the Doppler domain (see equation 36 and [0159]). Where the as addressed by at least figs. 5a+5c the OTFS modulator converters the various delay positions to time (within/across the previously addressed symbols of the frame).
The remaining limitations were previously addressed and/or are readily apparent
Additionally but not exclusively, the Examiner note that SFFT and ISFFT are also defined and applicable including [0164-0171] to the invention/TX/OTFS_modulator of Hadani); and
a P/S conversion unit (figs 1-47; see Tx of figs. 3-4, 5a-5d, 10, 22, 29a/b, 34, and 36, e.g. figs. 29a/b+34+36 (in the context of figs. 30+19a+5a/c in regards to the delay-doppler domain) of the OTFS modulator of the cited Tx(s) of Hadani. Where for example, figure 29a show that the Polyphase Filter/Transform (and/or Heisenberg Transform) performs parallel to serial conversion on the time-domain samples (where figure 36 shows the OTFS modulator and Tx Filter both occur in the digital/sample domain, i.e. before the DAC)) configured to perform parallel/serial conversion by regarding samples constituting the time-domain signal as M parallel samples in the delay direction (figs 1-47; see Tx of figs. 3-4, 5a-5d, 10, 22, 29a/b, 34, and 36, e.g. figs. 29a/b+34+36 (in the context of figs. 30+19a+5a/c in regards to the delay-doppler domain) of the OTFS modulator of the cited Tx(s) of Hadani. Where for example, figure 29a show that the Polyphase Filter/Transform (and/or Heisenberg Transform) performs parallel to serial conversion on the time-domain samples (where figure 36 shows the OTFS modulator and Tx Filter both occur in the digital/sample domain, i.e. before the DAC)). Also see figure 20+21 and figs. 5a/c where the time-domain OTFS Tx waveform based on the previously addressed M and N variables. The remaining limitations were previously addressed).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 9 is 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure and are cited in the attached PTO-892 form.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to James M. Perez, telephone number (571)270-3231. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday: 10am to 6pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, David C. Payne can be reached at (571)272-3024. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JAMES M PEREZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2635 6/13/2026
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