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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
This office acknowledges receipt of the following item(s) from the applicant:
Information Disclosure Statement(s) (IDS) filed on 23 August 2024 and 25 February 2025. The references have been considered.
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.
Claim 19 is 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.
Referring to Claim 19, it is not clear if the first and second antenna are part of the array of antennas or separate from the array. In claim 15 it is claimed there is an array of antennas and then its claimed that the scattering first and second antennas of the array. However, the language in claim 19 makes it seem as if the first and second antenna are separate from the array. It is suggest that the claim be amended to “…the first and second antennas of the array are disposed on the substrate…”
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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 4-7, 9, 11, 12, 15 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tatomirescu et al (Tatomirescu, US PGPub 2017/0373393).
Referring to Claim 1, Tatomirescu teaches a first transmission line configured to convey a first radio-frequency signal (Fig. 1 #106; [0034-0035] and Fig. 17 #1720; [0066]); a first signal coupler configured to couple a portion of the first radio-frequency signal off the first transmission line (Fig. 1 #110/120; [0036-0040]); a second transmission line configured to convey a second radio-frequency signal (Fig. 1 #108; [0034-0035] and Fig. 17 #1720; [0066]); a second signal coupler (Fig. 1 #110/120; [0036-0040]) configured to couple a portion of the second radio-frequency signal off the second transmission line; measurement circuitry configured to generate a first scattering parameter value based on the portion of the first radio-frequency signal and configured to generate a second scattering parameter value based on the portion of the second radio-frequency signal (See at least Fig. 4 [0051-0052] and Fig. 13 [0062]); and one or more processors configured to detect a characteristic of an object based on the first and second scattering parameter values; [0048], [0062-0064] and [0082].
Referring to Claims 2 and 12, Tatomirescu teaches wherein the characteristic comprises a gesture performed by the object; see above citations as well as [0068].
Referring to Claim 4, Tatomirescu teaches wherein the measurement circuitry comprises a power detector; capacitors in [0039].
Referring to Claim 5, Tatomirescu teaches wherein the measurement circuitry comprises an analog-to-digital converter; [0067].
Referring to Claim 6, Tatomirescu teaches wherein the measurement circuitry comprises a comparator; [0116].
Referring to Claim 7, Tatomirescu teaches wherein the first scattering parameter value comprises a first reflection coefficient associated with the first radio-frequency signal and wherein the second scattering parameter value comprises a second reflection coefficient associated with the second radio-frequency signal; [0052].
Referring to Claim 9, Tatomirescu teaches a first antenna communicatively coupled to the first transmission line and configured to transmit the first radio-frequency signal; a second antenna communicatively coupled to the second transmission line and configured to transmit the second radio-frequency signal; and a third antenna communicatively coupled to the third transmission line and configured to transmit the third radio-frequency signal; implicit from Fig. 17 as there are L antennas, which would result in L transmission lines.
Referring to Claim 11, Tatomirescu teaches transmitting, using a first transmission line, a first radio-frequency signal; transmitting, using a second transmission line, a second radio-frequency signal; coupling, using a first signal coupler, a portion of the first radio-frequency signal off the first transmission line; coupling, using a second signal coupler, a portion of the second radio-frequency signal off the second transmission line; measuring, using one or more processors, a first scattering parameter value based on the portion of the first radio-frequency signal and a second scattering parameter value based on the portion of the second radio-frequency signal; and estimating, using the one or more processors, a characteristic of an object based on the first and second scattering parameter values; See citations of Claim 1.
Referring to Claim 15, Tatomirescu teaches a display (Fig. 17 #1708; [0068]); an array of antennas (Fig. 17 #17201-1720L; [0066]); signal couplers (Fig. 1 #110/120; [0036-0040]) communicatively coupled to the antennas in the array; and one or more processors configured to generate, using the signal couplers, a first scattering parameter value associated with a first antenna in the array and a second scattering parameter value associated with a second antenna in the array (See at least Fig. 4 [0051-0052] and Fig. 13 [0062]), and control the display to display an image based on the first and second scattering parameter values; [0068-0070] and citations of claim 1 as well.
Referring to Claim 16, Tatomirescu teaches the one or more processors being further configured to: detect a gesture based on the first and second scattering parameters; and control the display to display the image based on the detected gesture; [0048], [0062-0064] and [0082].
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.
Claim(s) 3, 13, 14 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tatomirescu in view of Gordon et al. (Gordon, US PGPub 2015/0346701).
Referring to Claim 3, Tatomirescu teaches the characteristic, but does not explicitly disclose nor limit it comprises an angular position of the object relative to the wireless circuitry.
However, Gordon teaches monitoring an angular position of the object relative to the wireless circuitry; [0152].
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Tatomirescu with the angular position as taught by Gordon so as to predictably improve the capture the motion of the objects detected by the sensors.
Referring to Claim 13, Tatomirescu teaches estimating the characteristic and the first and second scattering parameters, but does not explicitly disclose nor limit it further comprises estimating the gesture based on a change in the first and second scattering parameters over time.
However, Gordon teaches estimating the gesture based on a change over time; [0092] and [0169-0170].
Therefor it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Tatomirescu by capturing gestures over time as taught by Gordon so as to predictably improve the capture the motion of the objects detected by the sensors in real time.
Referring to Claim 14, Tatomirescu as modified by Gordon teaches wherein the characteristic comprises an angular position of the object relative to the wireless circuitry; see Claim 3 above.
Referring to Claim 17, Tatomirescu as modified by Gordon teaches the one or more processors being further configured to: estimate an angular position of an object based on the first and second scattering parameters; [0152] of Gordon as translating the scattering parameters into positional information would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tatomirescu as modified by Gordon in view of Doylend et al. (Doylend, US PGPub 2017/0184450).
Referring to Claim 18, Tatomirescu as modified by Gordon teaches the array of antennas and estimating angular position of the object, but does not explicitly disclose nor limit it is configured to form a signal beam, the one or more processors being further configured to: adjust a direction of the signal beam based on the estimated angular position of the object.
However, Doylend teaches the array of antennas is configured to form a signal beam, the one or more processors being further configured to: adjust a direction of the signal beam based on the estimated angular position of the object; [0021].
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing to modify Tatomirescu as modified by Gordon with the beam steering as taught by Doylend so as to predictably increase the precision of spatial mapping the gestures.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8, 10 and 20 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WHITNEY T MOORE whose telephone number is (571)270-3338. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday from 7am-4pm.
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/WHITNEY MOORE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3646
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