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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 21 March 2024 was filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Motz et al (US 10,490,060).
Motz et al disclose the following claimed features:
Regarding claim 1, a sensor module (Figures 1-3) comprising: a first physical quantity sensor (302-1) configured to detect a physical quantity using a first axis as a detection axis and output a first measured signal whose frequency changes according to a magnitude of the physical quantity; a second physical quantity sensor (302-2) configured to detect a physical quantity using a second axis in a direction opposite to the first axis as a detection axis and output a second measured signal whose frequency changes according to a magnitude of the physical quantity; a reference period signal generation unit (110) configured to output a reference period signal; a first count unit (106-1) configured to count, in synchronization with one of the first measured signal and the reference period signal, a time event of the other of the first measured signal and the reference period signal to generate a first count value; a second count unit (106-2) configured to count, in synchronization with one of the second measured signal and the reference period signal, a time event of the other of the second measured signal and the reference period signal to generate a second count value; a first filter (112-1) configured to receive the first count value and output a third count value; a second filter (112-2) configured to receive the second count value and output a fourth count value; and a filter unit (114) configured to output a measurement value based on a difference between the third count value and the fourth count value (column 6, line 55 to column 8, line 54).
Regarding claim 2, wherein the filter unit (114) includes a subtractor configured to output a difference value between the third count value and the fourth count value, and a third filter configured to receive the difference value and output the measurement value (column 8, lines 36-54).
Regarding claim 3, wherein the first filter (112-1) operates in synchronization with the first measured signal, the second filter (112-2) operates in synchronization with the second measured signal, and the third filter operates in synchronization with the reference period signal (column 7, lines 41-61).
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.
Claim(s) 4-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Motz et al (US 10,490,060) in view of Yamada (US 11,802,885).
Motz et al disclose the claimed invention except for reciting the following claimed features:
Regarding claim 4, wherein the filter unit includes a third filter configured to receive the third count value and output a fifth count value, a fourth filter configured to receive the fourth count value and output a sixth count value, and a subtractor configured to output a difference value between the fifth count value and the sixth count value as the measurement value.
Regarding claim 5, wherein the first filter operates in synchronization with the first measured signal, the second filter operates in synchronization with the second measured signal, and the third filter and the fourth filter operate in synchronization with the reference period signal.
Regarding claim 6, wherein the first count unit includes a first time digital value generation unit configured to generate a first time digital value based on a phase difference between the first measured signal and the reference period signal, and a first combined output value generation unit configured to generate a first combined output value based on the first time digital value and the first count value, a quantization error of the first combined output value is fed back to generation of the next first combined output value, the second count unit includes a second time digital value generation unit configured to generate a second time digital value based on a phase difference between the second measured signal and the reference period signal, and a second combined output value generation unit configured to generate a second combined output value based on the second time digital value and the second count value, and a quantization error of the second combined output value is fed back to generation of the next second combined output value.
Yamada teaches the following claimed features:
Regarding claim 4, wherein the filter unit (Figure 5) includes a third filter (43) configured to receive the third count value and output a fifth count value (B13), a fourth filter (44) configured to receive the fourth count value and output a sixth count value (B14), and a subtractor configured to output a difference value between the fifth count value and the sixth count value as the measurement value (column 14, line 64 to column 15, line 3). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to include a third filter configured to receive the third count value and output a fifth count value, a fourth filter configured to receive the fourth count value and output a sixth count value, and a subtractor configured to output a difference value between the fifth count value and the sixth count value as the measurement value, as taught by Yamada into Motz et al, for the purpose of improving signal-to-noise ratio and suppressing common-mode disturbances.
Regarding claim 5, wherein the first filter (41) operates in synchronization with the first measured signal, the second filter (42) operates in synchronization with the second measured signal, and the third filter (43) and the fourth filter (44) operate in synchronization with the reference period signal (Figure 5). It would have been further obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to include the first filter operates in synchronization with the first measured signal, the second filter operates in synchronization with the second measured signal, and the third filter and the fourth filter operate in synchronization with the reference period signal, as taught by Yamada into Motz et al, for the purpose of improving signal-to-noise ratio and suppressing common-mode disturbances.
Regarding claim 6, wherein the first count unit includes a first time digital value generation unit configured to generate a first time digital value based on a phase difference between the first measured signal and the reference period signal, and a first combined output value generation unit configured to generate a first combined output value based on the first time digital value and the first count value, a quantization error of the first combined output value is fed back to generation of the next first combined output value, the second count unit includes a second time digital value generation unit configured to generate a second time digital value based on a phase difference between the second measured signal and the reference period signal, and a second combined output value generation unit configured to generate a second combined output value based on the second time digital value and the second count value, and a quantization error of the second combined output value is fed back to generation of the next second combined output value (column 14, line 39 to column 15, line 26). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to include a first time digital value generation unit, a first combined output value generation unit, a second time digital value generation unit, and a second combined output value generation unit, as taught by Yamada into Motz et al, for the purpose of improving frequency measurement accuracy while suppressing common-mode disturbance error.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AN H DO whose telephone number is (571)272-2143. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 7:00am-4:00pm.
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/AN H DO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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