DETAILED ACTION
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.
Claims 1-7 and 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claims do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because the claims are directed to abstract idea and mathematical processing. The claims are simply doing processing on signals after the signals are received. There is no useful step done in the claims once the signals are processed. Therefore, the claims are directed to abstract idea.
Claims 8-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to abstract idea without significantly more. The claims recite processing on signals after the signals are received. This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because the claims are claiming a generic wireless communication device that is not adding anything to the way signals are processed. The claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because additional limitation of the claim is simply a generic or general wireless communication device.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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, 8 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Li et al. (USPN 8,498,354).
Regarding claim 1, Li teaches an operation method of a wireless communication device, the operation method comprising: receiving a first signal comprising a first reference signal group [Abstract, first signal is received]; calculating a first residual frequency offset based on the first signal [Abstract, residual offset is computed]; receiving a second signal that is subsequent to the first signal and comprises a second reference signal group [Col. 2, lines 13-32, second signal is received]; compensating a phase of the second signal based on the first residual frequency offset [Col. 2, lines 13-32, phase of second signal is adjusted based on first residual frequency offset]; estimating a first channel based on first characteristics of the first channel, the first reference signal group, and the first signal [Col. 2, lines 33-47, first channel estimation is done]; estimating a second channel based on second characteristics of the second channel, the second reference signal group, and the second signal of which the phase is compensated [Col. 2, lines 33-47, second channel estimation is done]; and calculating a second residual frequency offset based on the first channel estimation and the second channel estimation [Col. 2, lines 13-47, residual frequency offset is determined based on both channel’s estimation].
Regarding claim 8, Li teaches a wireless communication device, comprising: a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) [Fig. 1, 28]; and a processor configured to: receive through the RFIC a first signal comprising a first reference signal group, calculate a first residual frequency offset based on the first signal, receive through the RFIC a second signal that is subsequent to the first signal and comprises a second reference signal group, compensate a phase of the second signal based on the first residual frequency offset, estimate a first channel based on first channel characteristics, the first reference signal group, and the first signal, estimate a second channel based on second channel characteristics, the second reference signal group, and the second signal of which the phase is compensated, and calculate a second residual frequency offset based on the first channel estimation and the second channel estimation [Abstract and Col. 2, lines 13-47].
Regarding claim 15, Li teaches an operation method of a wireless communication device, the operation method comprising: receiving a first signal comprising a first data signal group [Abstract, first signal is received]; calculating a first residual frequency offset based on the first signal [Abstract, residual offset is computed]; receiving a second signal that is subsequent to the first signal and comprises a second data signal group [Col. 2, lines 13-32, second signal is received]; compensating a phase of the second signal based on the first residual frequency offset [Col. 2, lines 13-32, phase of second signal is adjusted based on first residual frequency offset]; estimating a first channel based on first channel characteristics, the first data signal group, and the first signal [Col. 2, lines 33-47, first channel estimation is done]; estimating a second channel based on second channel characteristics, the second data signal group, and the second signal of which the phase is compensated [Col. 2, lines 33-47, second channel estimation is done]; and calculating a second residual frequency offset based on the first channel estimation and the second channel estimation [Col. 2, lines 13-47, residual frequency offset is determined based on both channel’s estimation].
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.
Claims 7 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (USPN 8,498,354) in view of Siti et al. (USPN 9,065,694).
Regarding claims 7 and 14, Li teaches an operation method and a wireless communication device as discussed in rejection of claims 1 and 8.
However, Li does not teach any one of a long training sequence (LTS) and an access address (AA).
Siti teaches any one of a long training sequence (LTS) and an access address (AA) [Col. 8, lines 36-55].
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have LTS so that proper channel estimation can be done.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kim et al. (USPN 11,996,970) and Kim et al. (USPN 11,569,958) teach setting up a synchronizing signal by a first bandwidth part. A reference signal for frequency offset estimation is assigned to resources except resources in which the synchronizing signal is set up based on total bandwidth of the first bandwidth part.
Dezfooliyan et al. (USPN 10,382,244) teaches receiving a reference signal from a transceiver. Time offset of the reference signal in a frequency domain is estimated based on an accumulation of subcarriers before cross-correlation.
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/Chandrahas B Patel/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2464
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