DETAILED ACTION
Introduction
This Final Office Action is in response to amendments and remarks filed on November 7, 2025, for the application with serial number 18/641,551.
Claims 1, 3, and 9-11 are amended.
Claim 2 is canceled.
Claims 1 and 3-12 are pending.
Response to Remarks/Amendments
35 USC §101 Rejections
The Applicant traverses the rejection of the claims as being directed to an ineligible abstract idea, contending that the claims recite special purpose hardware that renders the claims eligible. See Remarks p. 10. The Examiner respectfully disagrees. The electric power apparatus, power, supply, transmitter, and receiver could all be generic computer hardware components in for, example, a conventional mobile phone. The rejection for lack of subject matter eligibility is updated and maintained.
35 USC §102/103 Rejections
Amendments to the claims changed the scope of the claims, necessitating further consideration of the prior art. Independent claims 1, 9, and 11 now stand rejected as being obvious over Liu in view of Lyren. The broadest reasonable interpretation of the “power supply” includes a battery, which is included in a conventional mobile phone. This is evidenced by the cited passage of Lyren.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
The Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP) provides detailed rules for determining subject matter eligibility for claims in §2106. Those rules provide a basis for the analysis and finding of ineligibility that follows.
Claims 1 and 3-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101. The claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter because the claimed invention recites a judicial exception (i.e., a law of nature, a natural phenomenon, or an abstract idea) without significantly more. Although claims(s) 1 and 3-12 are all directed to one of the four statutory categories of invention, the claims are directed to calculating a position of a receiver (as evidenced by exemplary independent claim 1; “a first position calculation unit configured to calculate a position of the first receiver on the basis of the calculated distance and the position of the first transmitter’), an abstract idea. Certain methods of organizing human activity are ineligible abstract ideas, including managing personal behavior or relationships or interactions between people. See MPEP §2106.04(a). Additionally, note that mathematical concepts, including formulas, equations, and calculations are ineligible abstract ideas. See Id. The limitations of exemplary claim 1 include: “detect a position of [a] first transmitter;” “process information based on [ ] distance-measurement waves and the position of the first transmitter;” “calculate a distance between the first transmitter and the first receiver;” “calculate a position of the first receiver on the basis of the calculated distance and the position of the first transmitter;” and “store the calculated position of the first receiver.” The steps are all steps for managing personal behavior related to the abstract idea of calculating a position of a receiver that, when considered alone and in combination, are part of the abstract idea of calculating a position of a receiver. The dependent claims further recite steps for managing personal behavior that are part of the abstract idea of calculating a position of a receiver. These claim elements, when considered alone and in combination, are considered to be abstract ideas because they are directed to a method of organizing human activity which includes determining the distance between a receiver and a transmitter based on the time difference of arrival of transmitted radio waves.
Under step 2A of the subject matter eligibility analysis, a claim that recites a judicial exception must be evaluated to determine whether the claim provides a practical application of the judicial exception. Additional elements of the independent claims amount to generic computer hardware that does not provide a practical application (a storage processing system with an electric power apparatus, power supply, transmitter, receiver, position detector, processing device, calculation units, and storage processing units in independent claim 1; a processing device, calculation unit, electric power apparatus, transmitter, receiver, and storage processing unit in independent claim 9; and a computer with a processing device, transmitter, receiver, electric power apparatus, and storage unit in independent claim 11). See MPEP §2106.04(d)[I]. The claims do not recite an improvement to another technology or technical field, nor do they recite an improvement to the functioning of the computer itself. See MPEP §2106.05(a). The claims require no more than a generic computer (a storage processing system with an electric power apparatus, transmitter, receiver, position detector, processing device, calculation units, and storage processing units in independent claim 1; a processing device, calculation unit, electric power apparatus, transmitter, receiver, and storage processing unit in independent claim 9; and a computer with a processing device, transmitter, receiver, electric power apparatus, and storage unit in independent claim 11) to implement the abstract idea, which does not amount to significantly more than an abstract idea. See MPEP §2106.05(f). Because the claims only recite use of a generic computer, they do not apply the judicial exception with a particular machine. See MPEP §2106.05(b). For these reasons, the claims do not provide a practical application of the abstract idea, nor do they amount to significantly more than an abstract idea under step 2B of the subject matter eligibility analysis. Using a generic computer to implement an abstract idea does not provide an inventive concept. Therefore, the claims recite ineligible subject matter under 35 USC §101.
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) 1 and 3-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20140225780 A1 to Liu (hereinafter ‘LIU’) in view of US 10225681 B1 to Lyren (hereinafter ‘LYREN’).
Claim 1 (Currently Amended)
LIU discloses an indoor position information (see abstract; multiple time-difference-of-arrival units can be used in indoor, outdoor (or a combination thereof) applications) storage processing system (see ¶[0019]; data can also be input into the localization algorithm, such as positional coordinates of the TDOA units, and, in particular, receivers in each unit 120, 122, which can be pre-stored in a memory 184. The resultant estimated position of the target transmitter can be stored in memory 184 or output to a user, as is well understood in the art) comprising:
an electric power apparatus (see ¶[0033]; communication media can use an electrical, optical, RF, or other carrier) provided in a building (see ¶[0005] and [0023]; time difference of arrival can be applied to provide robust localization. Unfortunately, connecting the receivers using cables is costly, especially for structures that are already constructed, such as when the TDOA is used within enclosed structures (e.g., malls, buildings, etc. Easy installation: each unit can be mounted on a wall or the ceiling of a building without requiring synchronization among the distributed receiver units nor long cables to connect the distributed receive antennas).
LIU does not explicitly disclose, but LYREN discloses, the electric power apparatus comprising a power supply, the electric power apparatus being operable by a power supplied by the power supply (see col 14, ln 1-7; the portable electronic device includes Bluetooth low energy (BLE) hardware or other hardware to make the portable electronic device a Bluetooth enabled or Bluetooth Smart device. The physical object includes a Bluetooth device and a battery (such as a button cell) so that the two enabled Bluetooth devices (e.g., the portable electronic device and the physical object) wirelessly communicate with each other and exchange information);
LIU further discloses a first transmitter configured to transmit distance-measurement waves (see abstract and ¶[0016]; a target transmitter. The controller 132 can include one or more integrated circuits and can perform distance/time calculations on the time distance of arrival (TDOA) measurements (the result of such calculations will be called hereafter TDOA information or TDOA data) or pass through the TDOA measurements unchanged), the first transmitter being provided in a terminal which is movable within a building (see ¶[0004]; Uplink-Time Difference of Arrival, is a wireless location technology that relies on sensitive receivers typically located at the cell towers to determine the location of a mobile phone).
a first receiver embedded in the electric power apparatus, the first receiver being operable by in part the power supplied by the power supply and the first receiver being configured to receive the distance-measurement waves transmitted by the first transmitter (see abstract; receiver antennas can be used to determine a location of a target transmitter without synchronizing or connecting together the units);
a position detector configured to detect a position of the first transmitter (see again abstract; receiver antennas can be used to determine a location of a target transmitter without synchronizing or connecting together the units. See also ¶[0025] and Fig. 4; a flowchart of a method for detecting a position of a target transmitter); and
a first information processing device configured to process information based on the distance-measurement waves and the position of the first transmitter (see ¶[0016] and [0029]; the controller can include a microcontroller or a microprocessor and an associated programmable chip, such as an FPGA. A processing unit can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), processor in an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or any other type of processor), wherein the first information processing device comprises:
a first distance calculation unit configured to calculate a distance between the first transmitter and the first receiver on the basis of the distance-measurement waves received by the first receiver (see again ¶[0016]; the controller 132 can include one or more integrated circuits and can perform distance/time calculations on the TDOA measurements);
a first position calculation unit configured to calculate a position of the first receiver on the basis of the distance calculated by the first distance calculation unit, and the position of the first transmitter detected by the position detector (see ¶[0017]-[0019] and [0025] and Figs. 4-6; detect a position of a transmitter based on time difference of arrival of signals. Data can also be input into the localization algorithm, such as positional coordinates of the TDOA units, and, in particular, receivers in each unit 120, 122, which can be pre-stored in a memory 184. The resultant estimated position of the target transmitter can be stored in memory 184 or output to a user, as is well understood in the art. Use one receiver (e.g., receiver 110) on the unit as a reference and determine a time when a first peak (or leading edge or other characteristics of the signal that carries timing information, as is understood in the art, but for simplicity, the first peak is often used herein as an example) is detected. It can then determine when the other receivers (e.g., receiver 112) on the same unit received the same first peak. The TDOA information can then be calculated by subtracting the time between when the first receiver received the first peak and the second receiver received the first peak. If there are other receivers in the unit 120, they can likewise be used to detect the first peak and the TDOA information can be calculated by subtracting the time that the first peak was received by the reference receiver from the time when the first peak was received by the other receivers. Examiner Note: this disclosure teaches that any position of a receiving or transmitting unit can be known using a reference receiver and transmitter); and
a storage processing unit configured to store the position of the first receiver, which was calculated by the first position calculation unit, in a storage unit as a position of the electric power apparatus (see Fig. 1 and ¶[0019]; output position data. The resultant estimated position of the target transmitter can be stored in memory 184 or output to a user, as is well understood in the art. By accepting either the TDOA raw data or the TDOA information, the controller 182 either computes everything or allows some of the processing to occur locally on the units).
LIU discloses determining the position of a target transmitter that is a mobile phone. LYREN discloses indoor positioning obtained through receivers, transmitters, and sensors deployed on mobile devices (see col 29, ln 8-31) that are powered by batteries. It would have been obvious to include the sensors deployed on mobile devices with batteries as taught by LYREN in the system executing the method of LIU with the motivation to determine the position of an object.
Claim 3 (Currently Amended)
The combination of LIU and LYREN discloses an indoor position information detection system comprising: the indoor position information storage processing system according to claim 1;
LIU further discloses and a second information processing device configured to process information based on the position of the electric power apparatus stored by the storage processing unit (see ¶[0029]; one or more processing units),
wherein the second information processing device comprises: a second distance calculation unit provided in the terminal, which is movable within the building, the second distance calculation unit being configured to calculate a distance between a second transmitter and the first receiver on the basis of distance-measurement waves transmitted by the second transmitter configured to transmit the distance-measurement waves and received by the first receiver (see again ¶[0029]; one or more processing units. See again ¶[0017]-[0019] and [0025] and Figs. 4-6; detect a position of a transmitter based on time difference of arrival of signals. Data can also be input into the localization algorithm, such as positional coordinates of the TDOA units, and, in particular, receivers in each unit 120, 122, which can be pre-stored in a memory 184. The resultant estimated position of the target transmitter can be stored in memory 184 or output to a user, as is well understood in the art. Use one receiver (e.g., receiver 110) on the unit as a reference and determine a time when a first peak (or leading edge or other characteristics of the signal that carries timing information, as is understood in the art, but for simplicity, the first peak is often used herein as an example) is detected. It can then determine when the other receivers (e.g., receiver 112) on the same unit received the same first peak. The TDOA information can then be calculated by subtracting the time between when the first receiver received the first peak and the second receiver received the first peak. If there are other receivers in the unit 120, they can likewise be used to detect the first peak and the TDOA information can be calculated by subtracting the time that the first peak was received by the reference receiver from the time when the first peak was received by the other receivers. Examiner Note: this disclosure teaches that any position of a receiving or transmitting unit can be known using a reference receiver and transmitter); and
a first detection unit configured to detect a position of the second transmitter on the basis of the distance calculated by the second distance calculation unit and the position of the electric power apparatus (see ¶[0023]-[0024]; 1) the transmitters whose positions are tracked could be any radio-frequency transmitters such as those designed for wireless communications (for example, a WiFi transmitter or a cellular transmitter. Emphasis added. Track multiple transmitters).
Claim 4 (Original)
The combination of LIU and LYREN discloses the indoor position information detection system according to claim 3.
LIU further discloses wherein the electric power apparatus is provided on a ceiling of the building (see ¶[0016] and [0022]-[0024]; the receiver antennas 110, 112, 114 and 116 are shown positioned on two or more TDOA units 120, 122, which are typically located in an enclosed area (having walls and a ceiling). In outdoor applications, the TDOA units 120, 122 can be incorporated into one or more cellular towers. A few example placements of the receiver units 210, 220, and 230 are shown in FIG. 2. As shown, a room 250 has units 210, 220, 230 placed on the walls and ceiling with a spaced relation there between.).
Claim 5 (Original)
The combination of LIU and LYREN discloses the indoor position information detection system according to claim 4.
LIU further discloses wherein the electric power apparatus is provided to be exposed from the ceiling (see ¶[0016] and [0022]-[0024]; the receiver antennas 110, 112, 114 and 116 are shown positioned on two or more TDOA units 120, 122, which are typically located in an enclosed area (having walls and a ceiling). In outdoor applications, the TDOA units 120, 122 can be incorporated into one or more cellular towers. A few example placements of the receiver units 210, 220, and 230 are shown in FIG. 2. As shown, a room 250 has units 210, 220, 230 placed on the walls and ceiling with a spaced relation there between.).
Claim 6 (Original)
The combination of LIU and LLYREN discloses the indoor position information detection system according to claim 3.
LIU does not specifically disclose, but LYREN discloses, wherein the electric power apparatus includes at least one of illumination equipment, a sensor, an air conditioner, a speaker, and an outlet (see col 14, ln 20-46; wireless technologies can generate an indoor position and be based on, for example, a Wi-Fi positioning system (WPS), Bluetooth, RFID systems, identity tags, angle of arrival (AoA, e.g., measuring different arrival times of a signal between multiple antennas in a sensor array to determine a signal origination location), time of arrival (ToA, e.g., receiving multiple signals and executing trilateration and/or multi-lateration to determine a location of the signal), received signal strength indication (RSSI, e.g., measuring a power level received by one or more sensors and determining a distance to a transmission source based on a difference between transmitted and received signal strengths), and ultra-wideband (UWB) transmitters and receivers).
LIU discloses determining the position of a target transmitter. LYREN discloses indoor positioning obtained through receivers, transmitters, and sensors, It would have been obvious to include the sensors as taught by LYREN in the system executing the method of LIU with the motivation to determine the position of an object.
Claim 7 (Original)
The combination of LIU and LYREN discloses the indoor position information detection system according to claim 3.
LIU additionally discloses further comprising: a plurality of electric power apparatuses including the electric power apparatus which are provided in the building (see ¶[0033]; communication media can use an electrical, optical, RF, or other carrier).
Claim 8 (Original)
The combination of LIU and LYREN discloses an electric power apparatus which is used in the indoor position information detection system according to claim 3
LIU further discloses and to which the first receiver is attached (see abstract and ¶[0004] and [0016]; a mobile phone and receiver antennas).
Claim 9 (Currently Amended)
LIU discloses an indoor position information (see abstract; multiple time-difference-of-arrival units can be used in indoor, outdoor (or a combination thereof) applications) processing device (see ¶[0016] and [0029]; the controller can include a microcontroller or a microprocessor and an associated programmable chip, such as an FPGA. A processing unit can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), processor in an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or any other type of processor) comprising: a first distance calculation unit configured to calculate a distance between a first transmitter and a first receiver on the basis of distance-measurement waves that are transmitted by the first transmitter and received by the first receiver (see again ¶[0016]; the controller 132 can include one or more integrated circuits and can perform distance/time calculations on the TDOA measurements) attached to an electric power apparatus provided in a building (see ¶[0005] and [0023]; time difference of arrival can be applied to provide robust localization. Unfortunately, connecting the receivers using cables is costly, especially for structures that are already constructed, such as when the TDOA is used within enclosed structures (e.g., malls, buildings, etc. Easy installation: each unit can be mounted on a wall or the ceiling of a building without requiring synchronization among the distributed receiver units nor long cables to connect the distributed receive antennas), wherein the first transmitter is configured to transmit the distance-measurement waves see abstract and ¶[0016]; a target transmitter. The controller 132 can include one or more integrated circuits and can perform distance/time calculations on the time distance of arrival (TDOA) measurements (the result of such calculations will be called hereafter TDOA information or TDOA data) or pass through the TDOA measurements unchanged), the first transmitter being provided in a terminal which is movable within a building (see ¶[0004]; Uplink-Time Difference of Arrival, is a wireless location technology that relies on sensitive receivers typically located at the cell towers to determine the location of a mobile phone), and wherein the first receiver is embedded in an electric power apparatus (see abstract; receiver antennas can be used to determine a location of a target transmitter without synchronizing or connecting together the units).
LIU does not explicitly disclose, but LYREN discloses, the electric power apparatus comprising a power supply, the electric power apparatus being operable by a power supplied by the power supply, and wherein the first receiver being operable by in part the power supplied by the power supply (see col 14, ln 1-7; the portable electronic device includes Bluetooth low energy (BLE) hardware or other hardware to make the portable electronic device a Bluetooth enabled or Bluetooth Smart device. The physical object includes a Bluetooth device and a battery (such as a button cell) so that the two enabled Bluetooth devices (e.g., the portable electronic device and the physical object) wirelessly communicate with each other and exchange information).
LIU further discloses and the first receiver being configured to receive the distance-measurement waves transmitted by the first transmitter (see abstract; receiver antennas can be used to determine a location of a target transmitter without synchronizing or connecting together the units);
a first position calculation unit configured to calculate a position of the first receiver on the basis of the distance calculated by the fist distance calculation unit, and a position of the first transmitter detected by a position detector (see ¶[0017]-[0019] and [0025] and Figs. 4-6; detect a position of a transmitter based on time difference of arrival of signals. Data can also be input into the localization algorithm, such as positional coordinates of the TDOA units, and, in particular, receivers in each unit 120, 122, which can be pre-stored in a memory 184. The resultant estimated position of the target transmitter can be stored in memory 184 or output to a user, as is well understood in the art. Use one receiver (e.g., receiver 110) on the unit as a reference and determine a time when a first peak (or leading edge or other characteristics of the signal that carries timing information, as is understood in the art, but for simplicity, the first peak is often used herein as an example) is detected. It can then determine when the other receivers (e.g., receiver 112) on the same unit received the same first peak. The TDOA information can then be calculated by subtracting the time between when the first receiver received the first peak and the second receiver received the first peak. If there are other receivers in the unit 120, they can likewise be used to detect the first peak and the TDOA information can be calculated by subtracting the time that the first peak was received by the reference receiver from the time when the first peak was received by the other receivers. Examiner Note: this disclosure teaches that any position of a receiving or transmitting unit can be known using a reference receiver and transmitter); and
a storage processing unit configured to store the position of the first receiver, which was calculated by the first position calculation unit, in a storage unit as a position of the electric power apparatus (see Fig. 1 and ¶[0019]; output position data. The resultant estimated position of the target transmitter can be stored in memory 184 or output to a user, as is well understood in the art. By accepting either the TDOA raw data or the TDOA information, the controller 182 either computes everything or allows some of the processing to occur locally on the units).
Claim 10 (Currently Amended)
The combination of LIU and LYREN discloses the indoor position information processing device according to claim 9.
LIU further discloses further comprising: a second distance calculation unit provided in the terminal, which is movable within the building, the second distance calculation unit being configured to calculate a distance between a second transmitter and the first receiver on the basis of distance-measurement waves that are transmitted by the second transmitter configured to transmit the distance-measurement waves and received by the first receiver (see again ¶[0029]; one or more processing units. See again ¶[0017]-[0019] and [0025] and Figs. 4-6; detect a position of a transmitter based on time difference of arrival of signals. Data can also be input into the localization algorithm, such as positional coordinates of the TDOA units, and, in particular, receivers in each unit 120, 122, which can be pre-stored in a memory 184. The resultant estimated position of the target transmitter can be stored in memory 184 or output to a user, as is well understood in the art. Use one receiver (e.g., receiver 110) on the unit as a reference and determine a time when a first peak (or leading edge or other characteristics of the signal that carries timing information, as is understood in the art, but for simplicity, the first peak is often used herein as an example) is detected. It can then determine when the other receivers (e.g., receiver 112) on the same unit received the same first peak. The TDOA information can then be calculated by subtracting the time between when the first receiver received the first peak and the second receiver received the first peak. If there are other receivers in the unit 120, they can likewise be used to detect the first peak and the TDOA information can be calculated by subtracting the time that the first peak was received by the reference receiver from the time when the first peak was received by the other receivers. Examiner Note: this disclosure teaches that any position of a receiving or transmitting unit can be known using a reference receiver and transmitter); and
a first detection unit configured to detect a position of the second transmitter on the basis of the distance calculated by the second distance calculation unit and the position of the electric power apparatus (see ¶[0023]-[0024]; 1) the transmitters whose positions are tracked could be any radio-frequency transmitters such as those designed for wireless communications (for example, a WiFi transmitter or a cellular transmitter. Emphasis added. Track multiple transmitters).
Claim 11 (Currently Amended)
LIU discloses an indoor position information processing method (see abstract; multiple time-difference-of-arrival units can be used in indoor, outdoor (or a combination thereof) applications) performed by a computer of an indoor position information processing device (see ¶[0016] and [0029]; the controller can include a microcontroller or a microprocessor and an associated programmable chip, such as an FPGA. A processing unit can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), processor in an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or any other type of processor), the indoor position information processing method comprising: calculating a distance between a first transmitter and a first receiver on the basis of distance-measurement waves that are transmitted by the first transmitter and received by the first receiver (see again ¶[0016]; the controller 132 can include one or more integrated circuits and can perform distance/time calculations on the TDOA measurements) attached to an electric power apparatus provided in a building (see ¶[0005] and [0023]; time difference of arrival can be applied to provide robust localization. Unfortunately, connecting the receivers using cables is costly, especially for structures that are already constructed, such as when the TDOA is used within enclosed structures (e.g., malls, buildings, etc. Easy installation: each unit can be mounted on a wall or the ceiling of a building without requiring synchronization among the distributed receiver units nor long cables to connect the distributed receive antennas), wherein the first transmitter is configured to transmit the distance-measurement waves (see abstract and ¶[0016]; a target transmitter. The controller 132 can include one or more integrated circuits and can perform distance/time calculations on the time distance of arrival (TDOA) measurements (the result of such calculations will be called hereafter TDOA information or TDOA data) or pass through the TDOA measurements unchanged), the first transmitter being provided in a terminal which is movable within a building (see ¶[0004]; Uplink-Time Difference of Arrival, is a wireless location technology that relies on sensitive receivers typically located at the cell towers to determine the location of a mobile phone), and wherein the first receiver is embedded in an electric power apparatus (see ¶[0033]; communication media can use an electrical, optical, RF, or other carrier).
LIU does not explicitly disclose, but LYREN discloses, the electric power apparatus comprising a power supply, the electric power apparatus being operable by a power supplied by the power supply (see col 14, ln 1-7; the portable electronic device includes Bluetooth low energy (BLE) hardware or other hardware to make the portable electronic device a Bluetooth enabled or Bluetooth Smart device. The physical object includes a Bluetooth device and a battery (such as a button cell) so that the two enabled Bluetooth devices (e.g., the portable electronic device and the physical object) wirelessly communicate with each other and exchange information), and wherein the first receiver being operable by in part the power supplied by the power supply (see again col 14, ln 1-7; the portable electronic device includes Bluetooth low energy (BLE) hardware or other hardware to make the portable electronic device a Bluetooth enabled or Bluetooth Smart device. The physical object includes a Bluetooth device and a battery (such as a button cell) so that the two enabled Bluetooth devices (e.g., the portable electronic device and the physical object) wirelessly communicate with each other and exchange information);
LIU further discloses, and the first receiver being configured to receive the distance-measurement waves transmitted by the first transmitter (see abstract; receiver antennas can be used to determine a location of a target transmitter without synchronizing or connecting together the units);
calculating a position of the first receiver on the basis of the distance calculated by a first distance calculation unit, and a position of the first transmitter (see ¶[0017]-[0019] and [0025] and Figs. 4-6; detect a position of a transmitter based on time difference of arrival of signals. Data can also be input into the localization algorithm, such as positional coordinates of the TDOA units, and, in particular, receivers in each unit 120, 122, which can be pre-stored in a memory 184. The resultant estimated position of the target transmitter can be stored in memory 184 or output to a user, as is well understood in the art. Use one receiver (e.g., receiver 110) on the unit as a reference and determine a time when a first peak (or leading edge or other characteristics of the signal that carries timing information, as is understood in the art, but for simplicity, the first peak is often used herein as an example) is detected. It can then determine when the other receivers (e.g., receiver 112) on the same unit received the same first peak. The TDOA information can then be calculated by subtracting the time between when the first receiver received the first peak and the second receiver received the first peak. If there are other receivers in the unit 120, they can likewise be used to detect the first peak and the TDOA information can be calculated by subtracting the time that the first peak was received by the reference receiver from the time when the first peak was received by the other receivers. Examiner Note: this disclosure teaches that any position of a receiving or transmitting unit can be known using a reference receiver and transmitter); and
storing the position of the first receiver, which was calculated by a first position calculation unit, in a storage unit as a position of the electric power apparatus (see Fig. 1 and ¶[0019]; output position data. The resultant estimated position of the target transmitter can be stored in memory 184 or output to a user, as is well understood in the art. By accepting either the TDOA raw data or the TDOA information, the controller 182 either computes everything or allows some of the processing to occur locally on the units).
Claim 12 (Original)
The combination of LIU and LYREN discloses the indoor position information processing method according to claim 11.
LIU further discloses further comprising: calculating a distance between a second transmitter and the first receiver on the basis of distance-measurement waves that are transmitted by the second transmitter and received by the first receiver (see again ¶[0029]; one or more processing units. See again ¶[0017]-[0019] and [0025] and Figs. 4-6; detect a position of a transmitter based on time difference of arrival of signals. Data can also be input into the localization algorithm, such as positional coordinates of the TDOA units, and, in particular, receivers in each unit 120, 122, which can be pre-stored in a memory 184. The resultant estimated position of the target transmitter can be stored in memory 184 or output to a user, as is well understood in the art. Use one receiver (e.g., receiver 110) on the unit as a reference and determine a time when a first peak (or leading edge or other characteristics of the signal that carries timing information, as is understood in the art, but for simplicity, the first peak is often used herein as an example) is detected. It can then determine when the other receivers (e.g., receiver 112) on the same unit received the same first peak. The TDOA information can then be calculated by subtracting the time between when the first receiver received the first peak and the second receiver received the first peak. If there are other receivers in the unit 120, they can likewise be used to detect the first peak and the TDOA information can be calculated by subtracting the time that the first peak was received by the reference receiver from the time when the first peak was received by the other receivers. Examiner Note: this disclosure teaches that any position of a receiving or transmitting unit can be known using a reference receiver and transmitter); and
detecting a position of the second transmitter on the basis of the calculated distance between the second transmitter and the first receiver and the position of the electric power apparatus (see ¶[0023]-[0024]; 1) the transmitters whose positions are tracked could be any radio-frequency transmitters such as those designed for wireless communications (for example, a WiFi transmitter or a cellular transmitter. Emphasis added. Track multiple transmitters).
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 RICHARD N SCHEUNEMANN whose telephone number is (571)270-7947. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Patricia Munson can be reached at 571-270-5396. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/RICHARD N SCHEUNEMANN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3624