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 .
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 06/20/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 1-15 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.
Claims 1-15 recites the limitation "the at least one ADC circuit" in claim 1, lines 14-15. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 1-15 recites the limitation "the first pin" in claim 1, lines 22-23. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 1-15 recite “…wherein the at least one digital control circuit is configured, in a first mode of operation: to selectively provide an analog signal received via the signal input and the reference input to the ADC circuit; to capture a digital value corresponding to the analog signal using the at least one ADC circuit; and to compare the captured digital value with at least one programmable threshold value…” in claim 1, lines 11-17. However, the specification, page 11 describes “A comparison unit 57 then compares the received digital value with a corresponding threshold value provided by the controller 52 and provides a corresponding digital status signal indicating the result of the comparison back to the controller 52”. According to the specification and figure 1, the comparison is performed by a comparison unit 57, which is in the monitoring circuit unit 54, not by the digital control circuit. Therefore, claim 1 is not clear as the claim and the specification appear to be different.
Claims 1-15 recite “…second mode of operation: to disconnect at least parts of the ADC circuit from the first and the second connection pin; and to capture or provide a respective digital value from or to at least one of the first pin and the second connection pin using the respective GPIO circuit” in claim 1, lines 18-23, which is not clear of how the at least one digital control circuit operating in a second mode to capture or provide a respective digital value when disconnected from the ADC circuit.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Oster (US 11,070,283 B2) discloses a system for calibrating a payload of a satellite, the payload includes a multichannel transmitter or receiver comprising an antenna, one analogue processing chain per channel and a set of digital integrated circuits, the system comprising a calibration device configured to: acquire for all the channels of the transmitter or of the receiver, a digitized calibration signal, set a reference channel and, for each of the other channels, determine a relative complex gain between the channel and the reference channel, for a plurality of frequencies of the calibration signal, correct the relative complex gain of a relative gain of the antenna of the satellite between the channel and the reference channel, estimate a relative delay, estimate a relative phase difference for the set of frequencies, deliver a correction of the relative gain, phase difference and delay of the channel with respect to the reference channel for a set of frequencies.
Nickel et al. (US 9,084,124 B2) teach a wireless electronic device contains at least one adjustable antenna tuning element for use in tuning the operating frequency range of the device; the antenna tuning element includes radio-frequency switches, continuously/semi-continuously adjustable components such as tunable resistors, inductors, and capacitors, and other load circuits that provide desired impedance characteristics; a test system that is used for performing passive radio-frequency (RF) testing on antenna tuning elements in partially assembled devices is provided; the tester is used to gather scattering parameter measurements from the antenna tuning element; the test host may be used to ensure that power and appropriate control signals are being supplied to the antenna tuning element so that the antenna tuning element is placed in desired tuning states during testing.
Mallinckrodt (US 5,878,329 A) discloses a cellular communications system having both surface and satellite nodes which are fully integrated for providing service over large areas; two-way adaptive power control and signal quality monitoring and power control responsive thereto are provided for controlling the power output levels of transmitters to the minimum necessary for satisfactory communications; each transmission includes a code representative of the transmitter output power level; receivers compare this code to the received signal strength and adjust their associated transmitter power output level accordingly.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to QUOCHIEN B VUONG whose telephone number is (571)272-7902. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00-06:00PM M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ANTHONY ADDY can be reached at 571-272-7795. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/QUOCHIEN B VUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2645
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