DETAILED ACTION
This office action response to the communication filed on 02/27/2024.
Claims 1-9 are presented for examination.
Notice of 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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (lDSs) submitted on December 08, 2025; July 31, 2025; and February 27, 2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1-2, and 5 -6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over MORI et al. (International Publication No. JP2000241523A, hereinafter "D1'').
As per Claim 1, D1 discloses a terminal comprising:
a reception unit configured to receive information indicating an orbit or a position of a (satellite) flying object ([see, page 4, lines 5-20, mobile unit U, which is a terminal, receives a positioning signal from the flying object]) that relays a communication with a base station ([see, page 3, lines 15-20, the positioning radio wave relayed by the ground station, such as base station]); and
a control unit configured to perform time or frequency synchronization (i.e., page 2, lines 15-25, synchronization of the time clock) in the communication with the base station relayed by the (satellite) flying object ([see, page 2, lines 15-25, page 5, lines 10-17, transmit a positioning signal from the relay station (satellite relays positioning signal) and use the relay station as the flying object S. mobile radio positioning system shown in FIG. 7, the flying object S is an airship having the area A as its communication / broadcasting service area. the positioning signal is transmitted from three ground stations B1, B2, and B3, and the transmitted radio waves include, in addition to the synchronization signal (synchronization from base station), position information and time information of the ground station, identification information of the flying object, and the like]), based on the information indicating the orbit or the position of the (satellite) flying object ([see, page 5, lines 15-25, based on the U receives the positioning radio wave directly from the flying object, calculated from the position information of the moving object from the arrival time difference between the positioning radio wave from the flying object]).
As per Claim 2, D1 discloses the terminal as claimed in claim 1, and D1 further discloses wherein the information indicating the orbit or the position of the (satellite) flying object includes at least one of
an altitude of the (satellite) flying object or the orbit,
a change rate of the altitude of the (satellite) flying object or the orbit,
the position of the (satellite) flying object ([see, pages 3, lines 1-10; page 4, lines 1-20, page 6, lines 1-10, the positioning signal includes the synchronization signal, position information and time information including the identification information of the flying object and its altitude]),
a radius or a diameter of the orbit,
a semi-major axis and an eccentricity of the orbit,
a shape of the orbit,
a period of the orbit,
a reference point of the orbit,
a reference position of the (satellite) flying object at a reference time,
a velocity of the (satellite) flying object , or
a change rate of the velocity of the (satellite) flying object , and
the reception unit receives information that explicitly indicates which information is to be transmitted among the information indicating the orbit or the position of the (satellite) flying object ([see, page 8, lines 5-20, mobile unit U, which is a terminal, receives a positioning signal from the flying object]).
As per Claim 5, D1 discloses a base station comprising:
a reception unit configured to receive information indicating an orbit or a position of a (satellite) flying object that relays a communication with a terminal from the (satellite) flying object ([see, page 3, lines 5-15, indicates receives the positioning radio wave information directly from the flying object relayed by the ground station for moving terminals]); and
a transmission unit configured to transmit the information indicating the orbit or the position of the (satellite) flying object to the terminal ([see, page 2, lines 1-5, shows the time information sent from a plurality of (satellite) flying object indicated to evaluate (calculate) transmitted time information for position is obtained the position of an orbiting satellite]).
As per Claim 6, D1 discloses a communication method performed by a terminal ([see, page 4, lines 30-35, mobile unit U, which is a terminal]), the communication method comprising:
receiving information indicating an orbit or a position of a (satellite) flying object ([see, page 4, lines 5-20, mobile unit U, which is a terminal, receives a positioning signal from the flying object]) that relays a communication with a base station ([see, page 3, lines 15-20, the positioning radio wave relayed by the ground station, such as base station]); and
performing time or frequency synchronization (i.e., page 2, lines 15-25, synchronization of the time clock) in the communication with the base station relayed by the (satellite) flying object ([see, page 2, lines 15-25, page 5, lines 10-17, transmit a positioning signal from the relay station (satellite relays positioning signal) and use the relay station as the flying object S. mobile radio positioning system shown in FIG. 7, the flying object S is an airship having the area A as its communication / broadcasting service area. the positioning signal is transmitted from three ground stations B1, B2, and B3, and the transmitted radio waves include, in addition to the synchronization signal (synchronization from base station), position information and time information of the ground station, identification information of the flying object, and the like]), based on the information indicating the orbit or the position of the (satellite) flying object ([see, page 5, lines 15-25, based on the U receives the positioning radio wave directly from the flying object, calculated from the position information of the moving object from the arrival time difference between the positioning radio wave from the flying object]).
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 of this title, 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.
Claims 3 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MORI et al. (International Publication No. JP2000241523A, hereinafter "D1''), in view of Matsumoto et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0018531), (“D2”, hereinafter).
As per Claim 3, D1 discloses the terminal as claimed in claim 1, and D1 doesn’t appear explicitly disclose: wherein the control unit performs calculation of
a timing advance (TA) value of a service link or
compensation for a Doppler shift, based on the information indicating the orbit or the position of the (satellite) flying object.
However, D2 discloses wherein the control unit performs calculation (i.e., satellite position calculation) of a timing advance (TA) value of a service link or
compensation for a Doppler shift, based on the information indicating the orbit or the position of the (satellite) flying object ([see, [0044-0050], a Doppler shift error calculation section which calculates a Doppler shift error which is an error of a Doppler shift of a frequency of the satellite signal from each of the SPS satellites based on the calculated relative position]).
In view of the above, having the system of D1 and then given the well-established teaching of D2, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the system of D1 as taught by D2. The motivation for doing so would have been to provide capable of locating a position using a satellite positioning system (SPS) results improve the positioning device for locating position of satellite positioning system (SPS) that allowing each SPS satellite to be promptly and efficiently acquired corresponding to the Doppler shift error (D2, [0027]]).
As per Claim 7, D1 discloses the terminal as claimed in claim 2, and D1 doesn’t appear explicitly disclose: wherein the control unit performs calculation of a timing advance value of a service link, or compensation for a Doppler shift, based on the information indicating the orbit, or the position of the (satellite) flying object.
However, D2 discloses wherein the control unit performs calculation (i.e., satellite position calculation) of a timing advance (TA) value of a service link or
compensation for a Doppler shift, based on the information indicating the orbit or the position of the (satellite) flying object ([see, [0044-0050], a Doppler shift error calculation section which calculates a Doppler shift error which is an error of a Doppler shift of a frequency of the satellite signal from each of the SPS satellites based on the calculated relative position]).
In view of the above, having the system of D1 and then given the well-established teaching of D2, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the system of D1 as taught by D2. The motivation for doing so would have been to provide capable of locating a position using a satellite positioning system (SPS) results improve the positioning device for locating position of satellite positioning system (SPS) that allowing each SPS satellite to be promptly and efficiently acquired corresponding to the Doppler shift error (D2, [0027]]).
Claims 4, and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MORI et al. (International Publication No. JP2000241523A, hereinafter "D1''), in view of Baba (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0129206), (“D3”, hereinafter).
As per Claim 4, D1 discloses the terminal as claimed in claim 1, and D1 doesn’t appear explicitly disclose: wherein the control unit assumes that the information indicating the orbit or the position of the (satellite) flying object is valid in a given time range.
However, D3 discloses wherein the control unit assumes that the information indicating the orbit or the position of the (satellite) flying object is valid in a given time range ([see, [0033], received first information indicate the difference between the first information received from the plural positioning information satellites is within a preset allowable satellite time range]).
In view of the above, having the system of D1 and then given the well-established teaching of D3, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the system of D1 as taught by D3. The motivation for doing so would have been to provide acquire the time information results acquiring the time information in a short time to reduce power consumption and improve convenience (D3, [0018]]).
As per Claim 8, D1 discloses the terminal as claimed in claim 2, and D1 doesn’t appear explicitly disclose: Wherein the control unit assumes that the information indicating the orbit or the position of the (satellite) flying object is valid in a given time range.
However, D3 discloses Wherein the control unit assumes that the information indicating the orbit or the position of the (satellite) flying object is valid in a given time range ([see, [0033], received first information indicate the difference between the first information received from the plural positioning information satellites is within a preset allowable satellite time range]).
In view of the above, having the system of D1 and then given the well-established teaching of D3, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the system of D1 as taught by D3. The motivation for doing so would have been to provide acquire the time information results acquiring the time information in a short time to reduce power consumption and improve convenience (D3, [0018]]).
As per Claim 9, D1 discloses the terminal as claimed in claim 3, and D1 doesn’t appear explicitly disclose: wherein the control unit assumes that the information indicating the orbit or the position of the (satellite) flying object is valid in a given time range.
However, D3 discloses wherein the control unit assumes that the information indicating the orbit or the position of the (satellite) flying object is valid in a given time range ([see, [0033], received first information indicate the difference between the first information received from the plural positioning information satellites is within a preset allowable satellite time range]).
In view of the above, having the system of D1 and then given the well-established teaching of D3, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the system of D1 as taught by D3. The motivation for doing so would have been to provide acquire the time information results acquiring the time information in a short time to reduce power consumption and improve convenience (D3, [0018]]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BERHANU BELETE whose telephone number is (571)272-3478. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 7:30am-5pm, Alt. Friday, and EDT.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, JEONG, MOO R. can be reached on (571) 272-9617. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BERHANU D BELETE/
Examiner, Art Unit 2468
/WUTCHUNG CHU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2418