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 .
Claim Objections
Claims 5-6, 8, 17 are objected to because of the following informalities: in claim 5, line 7, the recitation “signa” should be changed to --signal-- Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-19 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.
As to claim 1, it is not clear as to what “a time base” at line 2 actually refers to.
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)(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, 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kuo (US 2013/0171953 A1).
As to claim 1, Kuo discloses a radio frequency communication device comprising: a clock signal generator 10 (see at least figure 1) configured to deliver a clock signal (CLK_H and/or CLK_L), based on a time base 102 common to a communication mode (see paragraph [0019] which discloses “active wireless communications”) and to a standby mode (see paragraph [0019] which discloses “standby status”; see also paragraph [0016] which discloses “standby mode”), from a first reference signal STB and a second reference signal SOSC.
As to claim 19, Kuo discloses the device is of BLUETOOTH®, BLUETOOTH® LOW ENERGY, or IEEE 802.15.4 type. See paragraphs [0004], [0017].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 15, 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuo (US 2013/0171953 A1).
As to claim 15, Kuo fails to disclose that the frequency of the clock signal to be obtained is 32 kHz, the frequency of the communication mode clock signal is 4 MHz, and the frequency of the second reference signal is 32 MHz, and the frequency of the first reference signal is in the range from 16 to 60 kHz. Those skilled in the art would recognize that these claimed limitations do not involve any inventive concept. They merely depend on arbitrary frequency values of clock signals and reference signals. In addition, the specification of the instant application fails to disclose any unexpected results obtained from the fact that the frequency of the clock signal to be obtained is 32 kHz, the frequency of the communication mode clock signal is 4 MHz, and the frequency of the second reference signal is 32 MHz, and the frequency of the first reference signal is in the range from 16 to 60 kHz. Therefore, it would have been obvious, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Kuo as claimed, in order to yield predictable results such as improving design flexibilities.
As to claim 18, Kuo discloses the first reference signal STB and the second reference signal SOSC are separate signals (see figure 2), but fails to disclose that the first reference signal STB and the second reference signal SOSC have different frequency accuracies. Those skilled in the art would recognize that these claimed limitations do not involve any inventive concept. They merely depend on arbitrary frequency accuracies of the first reference signal STB and the second reference signal SOSC. In addition, the specification of the instant application fails to disclose any unexpected results obtained from the fact that the first reference signal STB and the second reference signal SOSC have different frequency accuracies. The examiner takes Official Notice that utilizing a first reference signal and a second reference signal having different frequency accuracies is known in the art. Therefore, it would have been obvious, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Kuo as claimed, in order to yield predictable results such as improving design flexibilities.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-14, 16-17 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
As to claims 2-14, 16-17, the prior art of record fail to disclose, or render obvious, the clock signal generator comprises an accumulator circuit configured to: in the communication mode, be driven by a communication mode clock signal originating from the second reference signal, and be incremented according to a parameter of the communication mode; and in the standby mode, be driven by a standby mode clock signal originating from the first reference signal, and be incremented according to a parameter of the standby mode.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Lu (US 2006/0205373 A1); Ibrahim (US 2006/0270348 A1); Moon (US 2020/0169300 A1); Sano (EP 0851593 A2) disclose standby mode in Bluetooth device.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NGUYEN THANH VO whose telephone number is (571)272-7901. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8-5.
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/NGUYEN T VO/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2646
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