DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 3/23/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
This office action is in response to communications filed 3/23/2026. Claims 1 and 4 are amended. Claim 2 is cancelled. Claims 1 and 3-4 are pending in this action.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 3/23/2026 have been fully considered but moot in view of new grounds of rejection.
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 1 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ahrony (of record) in view of Fujishima et al. (US5734836, hereinafter Fujishima).
Regarding claim 1, Ahrony discloses a transmission apparatus (i.e., dual transmitter 24, see Ahrony, at least at Fig. 1, and related text) comprising:
processing circuitry configured to generate data for transmission (see Ahrony, at least at [0042], [0047], Fig. 1, and other related text); and
a first transmitter coupled to the processing circuitry (i.e., transmitter 36A, see Ahrony, at least at [0041]-[0042], Fig. 1, and other related text) and configured to establish a first transmission path (see Ahrony, at least at [0041]-[0047], Fig. 1, and other related text) to a receiving apparatus (dual receiver 28, see Ahrony, at least at Fig. 1, and related text); and
a second transmitter coupled to the processing circuitry (i.e., transmitter 36B, see Ahrony, at least at [0041]-[0042], Fig. 1, and other related text) and configured to establish a second transmission path to the receiving apparatus (see Ahrony, at least at [0041]-[0047], Fig. 1, and other related text), wherein
the processing circuitry is further configured to switch between a first mode and a second mode (see Ahrony, at least at [0047], [0066]-[0067], and other related text),
in the first mode, first data transmitted via the first transmission path is identical to second data transmitted via the second transmission path (see Ahrony, at least at abstract, [0023]-[0028], and other related text), and
in the second mode, the first data is different from the second data (see Ahrony, at least at abstract, [0023]-[0028], and other related text),
wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to control a transmission timing of at least one the first data and the second data (see Ahrony, at least at [0058]-[0059], [0079]-[0081], and other related text).
Ahrony does not specifically disclose the processing circuitry controls the transmission timing according to a difference between a first time until the first data arrives at the receiving apparatus through the first transmission path since the transmission apparatus transmits the first data and a second time until the second data arrives at the receiving apparatus through the second transmission path since the transmission apparatus transmits the second data.
In an analogous art relating to a system for transmitting data, Fujishima discloses processing circuitry that controls transmission timing according to a difference between a first time until a first data arrives at a receiving apparatus through a first transmission path since a transmission apparatus transmits the first data and a second time until a second data arrives at the receiving apparatus through a second transmission path since the transmission apparatus transmits the second data (see Fujishima, at least at col 2, lines 50-64, col 3, lines 38-59, col 4, line 62 – col 5, line 12, col 5, lines 23-61, and other related text).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of the invention to modify the system of the system of Ahrony to include the limitations as taught by Fujishima for the advantage of providing a more efficient system for transmitting data.
Regarding claim 4, Ahrony in view of Fujishima discloses a receiving apparatus (i.e., dual transmitter 24, see Ahrony, at least at Fig. 1, and related text) comprising:
processing circuitry configured to decode data to be received (see Ahrony, at least at [0013], [0042]-[0047], Fig. 1, and other related text); and
a first receiver (receiver 52A, see Ahrony, at least at [0041]-[0044], Fig. 1, and other related text) coupled to the processing circuitry and configured to establish a first reception path to a transmission apparatus (see Ahrony, at least at [0041]-[0047], Fig. 1, and other related text); and
a second receiver (receiver 52B, see Ahrony, at least at [0041]-[0044], Fig. 1, and other related text) coupled to the processing circuitry and configured to establish a second reception path to the transmission apparatus (see Ahrony, at least at [0041]-[0047], Fig. 1, and other related text), wherein
the processing circuitry is further configured to switch between a first mode and a second mode (see Ahrony, at least at [0047], [0066]-[0067], and other related text),
in the first mode, first data received via the first reception path is identical to second data received via the second reception path (see Ahrony, at least at abstract, [0023]-[0028], and other related text), and
in the second mode, the first data is different from the second data (see Ahrony, at least at abstract, [0023]-[0028], and other related text);
wherein at least one of the first data and the second data is transmitted at a timing controlled by the transmission apparatus that transmitted at least one of the first data and the second data (see Ahrony, at least at [0058]-[0059], [0079]-[0081], and other related text), and
transmission timing is controlled according to a difference between a first time until a first data arrives at a receiving apparatus through a first transmission path since a transmission apparatus transmits the first data and a second time until a second data arrives at the receiving apparatus through a second transmission path since the transmission apparatus transmits the second data (see Fujishima, at least at col 2, lines 50-64, col 3, lines 38-59, col 4, line 62 – col 5, line 12, col 5, lines 23-61, and other related text).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ahrony (of record), as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Zhuang (of record).
Regarding claim 3, Ahrony in view of Fujishima discloses wherein the first transmitter and the receiving apparatus include a plurality of first antennas to establish the first transmission path, and the second transmitter and the receiving apparatus include a plurality of second antennas to establish the second transmission path (see Ahrony, at least at Fig. 1 and related text), but does not specifically disclose the first transmitter and the second transmitter each including a plurality of antennas.
In an analogous art relating to a system for data transmission, Zhuang discloses a first transmitter and a second transmitter, each including multiple antennas (see Zhuang, at least at [0013], and other related text).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of the invention to modify the system of the system of Ahrony in view of Fujishima to include the limitations as taught by Zhuang for the advantage of providing a more efficient system for transmitting data.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHENEA DAVIS whose telephone number is (571)272-9524 and whose email address is CHENEA.SMITH@USPTO.GOV. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm.
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/CHENEA DAVIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2421
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