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 .
This action is in response to the filing of 7/29/2024. Claims 1-7 are pending and have been considered below.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1,5-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Suzuki et al. (US 2025/0219723).
Regarding claims 1 and 6:
Suzuki discloses a system and method for a control station (figures; abstract) comprising:
a memory configured to store instructions (figs 1-6; figure 6 [storage 34]); and
a processor configured to execute instructions (para 76; 36 in fig 6) to:
acquire, from a first satellite being tracked, information pertaining to a position of the first satellite in three-dimensional space in a case where the control station is unable to communicate with any other control stations via a communication network (para 98, partially reproduced herein with emphasis {..the position information acquisition unit 44 acquires position information of the satellite station 40…}; figure 9 [step 103]; fig 9 [step 104 no direct communication with destination station]para 105 {position of the own satellite station (own position) from the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 44}; para 108); and
control an orientation of an antenna based on the information pertaining to the position of the first satellite in the three-dimensional space (para 79 {… satellite station specification unit 361 adjusts a direction of the antenna unit 31 of the own station in the detected direction in such a manner that the first communication with the satellite station 40 can be performed}; para 136 {directions of the antenna units 31 and 41 of the both are adjusted…}; figures; para 230; and see throughout the disclosure).
Regarding claim 5:
Suzuki discloses all of the subject matter as described above and further discloses a processing system (fig 1; figures 2-7) comprising: the control station according (30 in figs 1,4,6) to claim 1; and the first satellite configured to communicate with the control station (40 in figs 1-4,7; and see throughout the disclosure).
Regarding claim 7:
Suzuki discloses all of the subject matter as described above for claim 1, and further discloses a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program causing a computer system included in a control station, to execute the steps as above (para 70,92; figure 6 [block 34, 341]; para 262,263; and throughout), thus claim 7 is rejected with similar rationale under teachings of prior art as in claim 1 above.
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 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suzuki et al. (US 2025/0219723) in view of Enano (US 2021/0184349).
Regarding claim 4:
Suzuki discloses all of the subject matter as described above and adjust the adjust the direction of antenna (para 79,136; figs), except for specifically teaching that control the orientation of the antenna by controlling rotation about an axis for adjusting an azimuth angle of the antenna and rotation about an axis for adjusting an elevation angle of the antenna.
However, Enano in the same field of endeavor discloses a system and method for satellite communication wherein the processor is configured to control the orientation of the antenna by controlling rotation about an axis for adjusting an azimuth angle of the antenna and rotation about an axis for adjusting an elevation angle of the antenna (figure 2; para 28,36 [azimuth, elevation control motors]; figs 3-7; para 48-51, 67; and throughout the disclosure).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use teachings of Enano in Suzuki in order to acquire communication satellite (signal) accurately adjust an azimuth angle (AZ), an elevation angle (EL) of mutually different axes [34] (KSR: Combining Prior Art Elements According to Known Methods to Yield Predictable Results).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3 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.
Oliveira et al. (WO 2021/225655) discloses a system and method for multi user satellite communication to external satellites.
Junqi Pang (Optimization Design and Application of Positioning Search Technology Based on Satellite Navigation System; IEEE Explore; 2022; 6 pages)
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HIRDEPAL SINGH whose telephone number is (571)270-1688. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00-5:00 M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Hannah S Wang can be reached on (571) 272-9018. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HIRDEPAL SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2631
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