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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 (and similar claims 16 and 17) states in lines 7-11, “generate…a light transmission condition for transmitting the first spatial light signal including the transmission signal toward a first address…control the light transmitting device…to transmit the first spatial light signal”. Claim 1 also states in lines 20-22, “generate the transmission signal including the first address”. How many instances of generating the same transmission signal is occurring?
Furthermore, the last 4 lines of the claim states “generate the transmission signal including the first address and generate the transmission signal including the first address and the second address”. How many times is the transmission signal being generated with the same first address information?
Claims 2-11 and 13-15 are also rejected via dependency.
Claim 12 states “the communication control device according to claim 1, a light transmitting device that transmits a first spatial light signal…a light receiving device that receives a second spatial light signal”. Claim 12 depends on claim 1 which already claims such components and relevant functions. Is claim 12 claiming a completely different communication device than the one claimed in claim 12?
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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1, 10, 12, 16 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shin (US 2009/0022496) in view of Tanaka (US 2015/0295740).
Regarding claim 1, Shin teaches a communication control device that controls a light transmitting device transmitting a first spatial light signal and a light receiving device receiving a second spatial light signal transmitted from a communication target (Fig. 2, transmitting device outputs XID command and receiving device receives XID response within primary device; paragraph [0037]), the communication control device comprising: a memory storing instructions: and a processor connected to the memory and configured to execute the instructions to; generate, according to a transmission signal, a light transmission condition for transmitting the first spatial light signal including the transmission signal toward a first address and control the light transmitting device in such a way as to transmit the first spatial light signal toward the first address based on the light transmission condition (Fig. 2, transmitting XID command; paragraph [0037], The primary device transmits an XID command to the secondary device…; paragraph [0036], The inner configuration is constituted of an address field, a format identifier, a source address, a destination device address, a slot number, transmission of information, etc.); acquire a reception signal included in the second spatial light signal from the light receiving device that has received the second spatial light signal, analyze the reception signal and extract a second address, the second address being included in the reception signal (Fig. 2, reception signal XID response; paragraph [0037], the secondary device receiving the XID command transmits an XID response to the primary device…; the response frame comprises such addresses); and generate the transmission signal including the first address and generate the transmission signal including the first address and the second address according to a result of analyzing the reception signal (paragraph [0041], the XID command frame and the XID response frame, which include the above described components, comprise 46 bytes, respectively. The device discovery frame procedure is performed in such a manner that, if the XID command frame is transmitted from the primary device to the corresponding secondary device, the corresponding secondary device receiving the XID command frame transmits the XID response frame to the primary device).
Shin doesn’t teach transmitting and receiving in transmission coordinate systems.
Tanaka teaches transmitting and receiving in transmission coordinate systems (paragraph [0038], the average coordinates of pluralities of trajectory coordinates accumulated by the accumulation unit 122 are referred to as “receiving average coordinates”, and the average coordinates of pluralities of trajectory coordinates in the transmitting device 110 are referred to as “transmitting average coordinates”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the communication method taught by Shin and incorporate using transmission coordinate systems as taught by Tanaka in order to properly detect the position of the communicating signals.
Regarding claim 10, Shin in view of Tanaka teaches the communication control device according to claim 1, wherein Shin teaches the processor is configured to execute the instructions to generate the transmission signal including an identifier of the communication control device (Fig. 2 in XID command teaches this using the Source Device Address field).
Regarding claim 12, Shin in view of Tanaka teaches a communication device (taught by Shin in claim 1) comprising: the communication control device according to claim 1, a light transmitting device that transmits a first spatial light signal under control of the communication control device; and a light receiving device that receives a second spatial light signal transmitted from a communication target to output a reception signal included in the received second spatial light signal to the communication control device (the transmitting and receiving devices and its respective functions are taught by Shin within claim 1).
Regarding claim 16, Shin teaches a communication control method of controlling a light transmitting device transmitting a first spatial light signal and a light receiving device receiving a second spatial light signal transmitted from a communication target (Fig. 2, transmitting device outputs XID command and receiving device receives XID response within primary device; paragraph [0037]), the method executed by a computer comprising: generating, according to a transmission signal, a light transmission condition for transmitting the first spatial light signal including the transmission signal toward a first address and controlling the light transmitting device in such a way as to transmit the first spatial light signal toward the first address based on the light transmission condition (Fig. 2, transmitting XID command; paragraph [0037], The primary device transmits an XID command to the secondary device…; paragraph [0036], The inner configuration is constituted of an address field, a format identifier, a source address, a destination device address, a slot number, transmission of information, etc.); acquire a reception signal included in the second spatial light signal from the light receiving device that has received the second spatial light signal, analyze the reception signal and extract a second address, the second address being included in the reception signal (Fig. 2, reception signal XID response; paragraph [0037], the secondary device receiving the XID command transmits an XID response to the primary device…; the response frame comprises such addresses); and generate the transmission signal including the first address and generate the transmission signal including the first address and the second address according to a result of analyzing the reception signal (paragraph [0041], the XID command frame and the XID response frame, which include the above described components, comprise 46 bytes, respectively. The device discovery frame procedure is performed in such a manner that, if the XID command frame is transmitted from the primary device to the corresponding secondary device, the corresponding secondary device receiving the XID command frame transmits the XID response frame to the primary device).
Shin doesn’t teach transmitting and receiving in transmission coordinate systems.
Tanaka teaches transmitting and receiving in transmission coordinate systems (paragraph [0038], the average coordinates of pluralities of trajectory coordinates accumulated by the accumulation unit 122 are referred to as “receiving average coordinates”, and the average coordinates of pluralities of trajectory coordinates in the transmitting device 110 are referred to as “transmitting average coordinates”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the communication method taught by Shin and incorporate using transmission coordinate systems as taught by Tanaka in order to properly detect the position of the communicating signals.
Regarding claim 17, Shin teaches a non-transitory recording medium storing a program for controlling a light transmitting device transmitting a first spatial light signal and a light receiving device receiving a second spatial light signal transmitted from a communication target (Fig. 2, transmitting device outputs XID command and receiving device receives XID response within primary device; paragraph [0037]), the program for causing a computer to execute the processing of: generating, according to a transmission signal, a light transmission condition for transmitting the first spatial light signal including the transmission signal toward a first address and controlling the light transmitting device in such a way as to transmit the first spatial light signal toward the first address based on the light transmission condition (Fig. 2, transmitting XID command; paragraph [0037], The primary device transmits an XID command to the secondary device…; paragraph [0036], The inner configuration is constituted of an address field, a format identifier, a source address, a destination device address, a slot number, transmission of information, etc.); acquire a reception signal included in the second spatial light signal from the light receiving device that has received the second spatial light signal, analyze the reception signal and extract a second address, the second address being included in the reception signal (Fig. 2, reception signal XID response; paragraph [0037], the secondary device receiving the XID command transmits an XID response to the primary device…; the response frame comprises such addresses); and generate the transmission signal including the first address and generate the transmission signal including the first address and the second address according to a result of analyzing the reception signal (paragraph [0041], the XID command frame and the XID response frame, which include the above described components, comprise 46 bytes, respectively. The device discovery frame procedure is performed in such a manner that, if the XID command frame is transmitted from the primary device to the corresponding secondary device, the corresponding secondary device receiving the XID command frame transmits the XID response frame to the primary device).
Shin doesn’t teach transmitting and receiving in transmission coordinate systems.
Tanaka teaches transmitting and receiving in transmission coordinate systems (paragraph [0038], the average coordinates of pluralities of trajectory coordinates accumulated by the accumulation unit 122 are referred to as “receiving average coordinates”, and the average coordinates of pluralities of trajectory coordinates in the transmitting device 110 are referred to as “transmitting average coordinates”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the communication method taught by Shin and incorporate using transmission coordinate systems as taught by Tanaka in order to properly detect the position of the communicating signals.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-9, 11 and 13-15 are 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. See the notice of reference cited (PTO-892).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PRANESH K BARUA whose telephone number is (571)270-1017. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Sat: 11-8pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, David Payne can be reached on 5712723024. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PRANESH K BARUA/Examiner, Art Unit 2635