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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 07/16/2026 with respect to claim 15 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. See the mapping bellow.
Official Notice
Using “subtractive combination ” or “additive combination ” for signal modulation(according to interpretation above) is well known in the art as evidenced by You CN 107728156 A (for additive see fig. 2 and fig. 3a-d ) and Bai US 20200292663 A1 fig. 5, 6 where power splitting of signal at 541 occurs and final generated output code is based on split signals which share the power of initial signal. This is just different ways to obtain coded signal.
Also using different sources to transmit different portions of the transmit signal is well known as evidenced by Bai US 20200292663 (fig. 8)
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) 15 and claims bellow are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 US 20090059201 A1 in view of Official Notice.
15 (Currently Amended) A LIDAR module comprising:
a light emitting device (205) configured to emit a light signal (251) in accordance with a combination of a plurality of partial signals(261); and
one or more processors (201+223)-configured to:encode a sequence of symbols(261), wherein each symbol of the sequence of symbols is associated with a respective combination of the plurality of partial signals, and(fig. 2)
control the light emitting device to combine the plurality of partial signals as a function of the encoded sequence of symbols to emit the light signal(fig. 2)
wherein the emitted light signal(fig. 7) comprises one or more light pulses(pulse 2-7, 8-10), wherein at least one light pulse(2-7) comprises a plurality of pulse portions(portion 2, 3, 4, 5,6 ,7), each pulse portion having a respective signal level(fig. 7)l, and wherein the signal levels of the plurality of pulse portions are defined by the one
but does not teach
15 wherein the combination of the plurality of partial signals comprises one of an additive combination of the plurality of partial signals, or a subtractive combination of the plurality of partial signals.
Official Notice teaches Different well known ways to provide encoded signal by using subtractive or additive methods.
It will be obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art to modify teachings taught by D1 with teachings by Official notice in order to generate required coded signal in different well known methods. (also Applicant provided with IDS prior art by Bondy which also teaches amended limitation in much narrower sense than Examiner BRI)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-3, 5-8, 10-11, 13, 20-22, 16-17 are allowed.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/HOVHANNES BAGHDASARYAN/Examiner, Art Unit 3645