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 .
Response to Amendment
The following is a final office action in response to the communication filed on 08/24/26. Claims 1-3 and 5-8 have been amended. Claim 3 has been cancelled, and claims 9-21 have been added. Claims 1-3 and 5-21 are currently pending and have been examined.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments and remarks filed on 08/24/2026 have been fully considered.
Applicant’s amendments overcome the objections to the claims.
Applicant’s amendments and arguments overcome each and every 35 U.S.C. §112(b) rejection of the claims.
Applicant’s arguments tying the invention to a practical application and technical improvement in the method measuring three-dimensional radio waves overcome the 35 U.S.C. §101 rejection of the claims.
Applicant’s amendment to claim 5 to positively recite the step of sequentially directing the directional antenna resolves the contingent-limitation interpretation and overcomes the 35 U.S.C. §102 rejection of claims 5-7. A new rejection under 35 U.S.C. §103 is provided below.
Applicant’s arguments provided for the 35 U.S.C. §103 rejections of claims 1-4 and 8 have been considered but are not persuasive.
(A) Applicant argues, “First, the rejection acknowledges that Kakushi does not describe the calculation circuitry recited in Claim 1, and that Kakushi finds the direction with the strongest signal rather than a range in which the received value is above a predefined threshold. That acknowledgment reaches two of the three features emphasized above,” (from remarks page 21).
As to point (A), Examiner respectfully disagrees. In response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986).
(B) Applicant argues, “Second, the recitation that the plurality of different points is "positioned on a plane orthogonal to a reference straight line extending in a horizontal direction" is not suggested by Kakushi. The rejection supplies it by asserting that "all measurements made by the directional antenna in a particular hemisphere will pass through a plurality of different points positioned on a plane orthogonal to a reference straight line" and that "[a]t least a fraction of measured points will necessarily fulfill this condition." No portion of Kakushi is cited for that proposition, and Kakushi contains none. What Kakushi describes is a search for the orientation at which the output of the antenna 10 is strongest (see Kakushi, [0014]), and a repetition of that search at successive places to which the device 1 is moved (see Kakushi, [0015], [0024]). That a directional antenna can be pointed in many directions does not amount to a description of a plurality of different points positioned on a plane orthogonal to a reference straight line extending in a horizontal direction, to each of which the directional antenna is sequentially directed and at each of which the reception power or C/N value, the azimuth angle, and the elevation angle are measured,” (from remarks page 21).
As to point (B), Examiner respectfully disagrees. Applicant asserts that Kakushi does not teach directing the antenna to a plurality of points positioned on a plane orthogonal to a straight reference line. Examiner respectfully notes that the claims do not require calculating such a plane or the position of points on the plane. Kakushi is directed to measuring a plurality of points in a local area to find a local maximum value. A plane fitting the description of claim 1 may be defined through which the measured points of Kakushi will pass. Therefore, the points measured by Kakushi fulfill the mathematical description required by claim 1.
(C) Applicant argues, “Third, Kakushi does not describe the recited output. The display Kakushi describes presents the strength of the radio wave detected by the antenna 10 so that the user can find the orientation at which the received radio wave is strongest (see Kakushi, [0038]). Kakushi does not describe outputting a range on an X-Y plane extracted from a calculated approximate curved surface by displaying that range on a display device,” (from remarks page 22).
As to point (C), Examiner respectfully disagrees. In response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986).
(D) Applicant argues, “Park does not remedy the deficiencies of Kakushi. Park describes an apparatus for forward beamforming in a frequency division duplex base station that uses an array antenna. A multichannel receiver 201 down-converts and digitizes data received through the array antenna, a searcher 203 detects the multipaths, and an arrival angle range estimator 204 divides a base station sector into a plurality of angle areas, estimates the received signal power for each angle area, and designates as the angle-of-arrival range each angle area whose estimated power exceeds a predetermined threshold value; the estimated range is transferred to a forward beamforming weight controller 207 (see Park, Fig. 2, multichannel receiver 201, searcher 203, arrival angle range estimator 204, and forward beamforming weight controller 207). Park illustrates the estimation with a sector divided into seven angle areas (see Park, Fig. 3).
“Park does not describe or reasonably suggest the amended claim features. First, Park's angle areas are angular divisions of a base station sector in a single angular dimension; Park does not describe an elevation angle, and does not describe an X-Y plane on which a measured azimuth angle is a value of an X-axis and a measured elevation angle is a value of a Y-axis. Second, the power Park compares against the threshold is not a value measured by a directional antenna directed to a point, but a value computed for each angle area by averaging the power of an inner product of the beamforming weight steering that angle area and an array response vector of the user signal (see Park, Fig. 2, arrival angle range estimator 204). Third, Park does not describe calculating an approximate curved surface corresponding to either the reception power or C/N value at a position of each of a plurality of different points on such an X-Y plane, and does not describe extracting a range on such an X-Y plane from such a surface. Park designates an angle area, not a range on a plane extracted from a calculated surface,” (from remarks page 22-23).
As to point (D), Examiner respectfully disagrees. In response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986). Park is used to show that distinguishing an angle of arrival of a received signal through comparison to a threshold is known in the art and would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill. Applicant’s arguments do not address the Examiner’s reasoning for why it would have been obvious to combine Kukushi and Park.
(E) Applicant argues, “Qu does not remedy the deficiencies of Kakushi and Park. Qu describes synthesizing the transmitting and receiving patterns of an airborne forward looking radar antenna so that ground clutter is suppressed (see Qu, Abstract; see Qu, page 1). The antenna Qu considers is a rectangular planar phased array of M rows by N columns of omnidirectional elements spaced half a wavelength apart, in which the azimuth angle and the elevation angle locate a direction relative to the array (see Qu, page 3, Fig. 1). Qu expresses the transmitting pattern of that array as a closed-form function of azimuth and elevation computed from the excitation currents of the array elements, the magnitude and phase of which determine the radiation pattern (see Qu, page 3, Eq. (2); see Qu, page 4, Eq. (4)). Qu then selects those excitation currents by convex optimization: a uniform grid of elevation samples is used to write upper bounds on the sidelobe levels in stated angular regions, a unit-gain equality constraint fixes the response in the direction of the desired signal, and further upper bounds are imposed in the directions of strong reflection patches (see Qu, page 4, Eq. (5); see Qu, page 5, Eq. (6)). Figure 3 plots the transmitting pattern so synthesized, with elevation in degrees and azimuth in degrees as the two horizontal axes and the pattern level in decibels as the vertical axis, and Qu presents it to show that a fixed deep notch of 60 dB below the mainlobe was obtained in one direction (see Qu, page 7; see Qu, page 7, Fig. 3).
“Such disclosure of Qu does not correspond to or suggest the amended claim features. First, the vertical axis of Qu's Fig. 3 is the level of the pattern the array transmits, computed from the excitation currents the optimization selected. It is not a reception power or a carrier-to- noise ratio value of a radio wave received by a directional antenna, as amended Claim 1 recites. Qu's array is moreover built from omnidirectional elements (see Qu, page 3), whereas amended Claim 1 recites measuring what a directional antenna receives.
“Second, Qu measures nothing. The pattern value is evaluated from the excitation currents by Eq. (2), so the elevation and azimuth values along Qu's horizontal axes are arguments of a synthesized function rather than an azimuth angle and an elevation angle measured with respect to each of a plurality of different points to which an antenna has been directed. Qu has no plurality of different points positioned on a plane orthogonal to a reference straight line extending in a horizontal direction, and Qu's uniform grid of elevation samples exists only to write the sidelobe constraints, not to collect measurements (see Qu, page 4),” (from remarks page 23-24).
As to point (E), Examiner respectfully disagrees. In response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986). Qu is used to show that making an azimuth-elevation-power plot is known in the art and would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill. Applicant’s arguments do not address the Examiner’s reasoning for why it would have been obvious to combine Kukushi and Qu.
(F) Applicant argues, “Third, Qu calculates no approximate curved surface. The plotted pattern is the exact pattern of the array for the excitation currents chosen, not a surface approximating values measured at the positions of a plurality of different points,” (from remarks page 23-24).
As to point (F), Examiner respectfully disagrees. Applicant argues that Qu teaches plotting an exact rather than an approximate curved surface. Examiner notes that Qu performs data processing in MATLAB. As evidence by MATLAB documentation (see “Creating 3-D Plots” on MATLAB Help Center, https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/visualize/creating-3-d-plots.html with WayBack Machine Publication date of Dec. 5, 2021 having the link: https://web.archive.org/web/20211205134156/https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/visualize/creating-3-d-plots.html), 3D plots in MATLAB use discrete points as input, and then a continuous surface approximating those discrete points is generated in the plot. Fig. 3 of Qu shows that such plots were known and practiced in the art.
(G) Applicant argues, “Fourth, the thresholds in Qu run in the opposite direction from the recited extraction. The sidelobe bounds of Eqs. (5) and (6) constrain the synthesis so that the pattern stays below the specified levels, and the result Qu reports for Fig. 3 is a notch, a minimum in a single direction (see Qu, pages 4, 5, and 7). Qu never extracts, from a calculated surface, a range on the X-Y plane in which the value of the Z-axis is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and Qu never outputs any such range by displaying it on a display device,” (from remarks page 24).
As to point (G), see point (E).
(H) Applicant argues, “Moreover, Claim 4 has been canceled and its subject matter incorporated into amended Claim 1, which now recites "output circuitry configured to output, by displaying on a display device, a diagram indicating the range on the X-Y plane extracted by the extraction circuitry in a color different from that of other ranges." The only basis the Office Action gave for that subject matter, when it stood as Claim 4, was Qu's Fig. 3, on the reasoning that "[e]ach power level is plotted using a different color, and thus each color is mathematically equivalent to a threshold value," so that "[r]anges above each threshold are thus given by the plot."
“Figure 3 of Qu is a single monochrome mesh surface (see Qu, page 7, Fig. 3). It carries no color-coded level bands, no color scale, and no legend, and Qu's text describes Fig. 3 only as showing the two-dimensional radiation pattern of the planar array in which a fixed deep notch is obtained in one direction. The color premise is not present in Qu,” (from remarks page 24-25).
As to point (H), Examiner respectfully disagrees. Applicant argues that Qu shows only a monochrome mesh surface. Examiner respectfully notes that the original version of Qu shows the color of the mesh as proportional to surface height, and that the image was converted to grayscale by the USTPO filing system.
(I) Applicant argues, “Therefore, Kakushi, Park and Qu do not describe or reasonably suggest the above- emphasized features recited in Claim 1.
“Accordingly, it is respectfully submitted that proper prima facie cases of obviousness cannot be maintained against Claim 1, and proper prima facie cases of obviousness cannot be maintained against Claims 3 and 8 for substantially similar reasons and, as to Claim 3, for the additional reasons set forth above. Claim 4 is canceled, and the rejection of Claim 4 is accordingly moot. Withdrawal of the rejections is respectfully requested.
“Regarding the rejection of Claim 2 under 35 U.S.C. § 103, the rejection is respectfully overcome. Li does not remedy the deficiencies of Kakushi, Park, and Qu with respect to the features recited in Claim 1, from which Claim 2 depends. Thus, a proper prima facie case of obviousness cannot be maintained against Claim 2. Withdrawal of the rejection is respectfully requested.
“Further, a proper prima facie case of obviousness cannot be maintained against new Claims 9-21 because of their respective dependencies from Claims 1 and 5,” (from remarks page 25).
As to point (I), see points (A) – (H).
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 08/24/2026 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement has been considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1, 3, 5, 7-12, 14-19 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kakushi in view of Park et al. (US-20030048760-A1; hereinafter Park) and Qu (Qu, Yi & Liao, Guisheng & Zhu, Sheng-Qi & Liu, Xiang-Yang. (2008). Pattern Synthesis of Planar Antenna Array via Convex Optimization for Airborne Forward Looking Radar. Progress in Electromagnetics Research-pier - PROG ELECTROMAGN RES. 84. 1-10; hereinafter Qu), as evidenced by “Creating 3-D Plots” (MATLAB Help Center, https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/visualize/creating-3-d-plots.html with WayBack Machine Publication date of Dec. 5, 2021 having the link: https://web.archive.org/web/20211205134156/https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/visualize/creating-3-d-plots.html; hereinafter MATLAB).
Regarding claim 1, Kakushi discloses [Note: what Kakushi fails to disclose is strike-through]
A radio wave status output device (see translation at least [0001]; “This invention relates to a radio wave detection device.”) comprising:
measurement circuitry configured to measure (see translation at least [0038]; “the strength of the radio waves detected by the antenna 10”), in a case where a directional antenna is sequentially directed to each of a plurality of different points (see translation at least [0007]; “an information processing device that, with respect to a single radio wave source detected by the directional antenna at multiple locations, determines the direction of the radio wave source as seen from each location based on the orientation of the directional antenna obtained at the multiple locations”) positioned on a plane orthogonal to a reference straight line extending in a horizontal direction (Examiner notes that all measurements made by the directional antenna in a particular hemisphere will pass through a plurality of different points positioned on a plane orthogonal to a reference straight line.), each reception power or a carrier-to-noise ratio C/N value of a radio wave (see translation at least [0038]; “the strength of the radio waves detected by the antenna 10 can be displayed on a display device.”) received by the directional antenna (see translation at least [0011]; “Antenna 10 is a directional antenna that exhibits strong sensitivity in a specific direction.”);
angle measurement circuitry configured to measure an azimuth angle (see translation at least [0007]; “More preferably, the drive mechanism of the base in this radio wave detection device is a two-axis rotation mechanism. More specifically, the compass determines the orientation of the directional antenna by the angle between true north and the direction towards which the directional antenna is pointed by the base's drive mechanism.”) and an elevation angle of the directional antenna (see translation at least [0007]; “Furthermore, the above-described radio wave detection device may also be configured to include a tilt measuring device, which is provided on the directional antenna or base, and is used to determine the tilt of the directional antenna. In this radio wave detection device, the information processing device determines the height of a radio wave source detected by a directional antenna based on the tilt of the directional antenna and the location of the radio wave source.”) in the case where the directional antenna is sequentially directed to each of the plurality of different points (see translation at least [0015]; “However, when searching for radio wave sources at multiple locations while moving the radio wave detection device 1, the orientation of the base 20 itself and the inclination of the mounting surface of the base 20 may change from one search location to another. Therefore, the rotation angle around the first axis 31 (e.g., yaw angle) and the rotation angle around the second axis 32 (e.g., pitch angle) do not necessarily coincide with the angle of the antenna 10 relative to the reference direction (hereinafter referred to as the "azimuth angle") and the elevation angle. Therefore, for each search location, it is necessary to measure the reference azimuth and horizontal direction at that location and determine the azimuth and elevation angles of the antenna 10 based on the obtained reference azimuth and horizontal direction.”);
extraction circuitry configured to extracta direction in which the value value of other directions (see translation at least [0014]; “The detection of the radio wave source is performed by identifying the direction in which the radio waves received by antenna 10 are strongest. Radio wave sources are detected using methods such as human operation or automated control. For example, as will be described later, the output of the antenna 10 may be displayed on a display device, and the user of the radio wave detection device 1 may monitor the output display and give instructions to the control device 33 to control the drive mechanism 30 so that the antenna 10 is pointed in the direction in which the output is strongest. Furthermore, as will be described later, the output of the antenna 10 may be processed by the information processing device 60, and the information processing device 60 may instruct the control device 33 to operate the drive mechanism 30, thereby automatically controlling the system to find the orientation of the antenna 10 that yields the strongest output. If a radio wave source is detected, the direction of the radio wave source as seen from the position of the radio wave detection device 1 can be determined by identifying the orientation of the antenna 10 at that time.”); and
output circuitry configured to output, by displaying on a display device, the direction extracted by the extraction circuitry (see translation at least [0038]; “As an example, it is conceivable that the control device 33 of the drive mechanism 30 of the base 20 can receive instructions to control the direction of the antenna 10 by operating an input device, and that the strength of the radio waves detected by the antenna 10 can be displayed on a display device. With this configuration, the user can control the drive mechanism 30 by giving instructions to the control device 33 while checking the radio wave strength displayed on the display device, and find the direction of the antenna 10 that receives the strongest radio waves.”)
However, Kakushi does not teach calculation circuitry configured to calculate an approximate curved surface corresponding to either the reception power or C/N value at a position of each of the plurality of different points on an X-Y plane, based on an assumption that the azimuth angle and the elevation angle measured by the angle measurement circuitry with respect to each of the plurality of different points are a value of an X-axis and a value of a Y- axis, respectively, and that the reception power or the C/N value measured by the measurement circuitry is a value of a Z-axis. Furthermore, Kakushi teaches finding the direction with the strongest signal, rather than a location range where the signal is higher than a predefined threshold, and Kakushi does not teach display a range on the X-Y plane in a color different from that of other ranges.
Kakushi discloses a radio wave detection device, and Park is directed to an apparatus for forward beamforming using feedback of multipath information. Park teaches:
A radio wave device (see at least [0050]; “FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for forward beamforming of an adaptive array antenna base station in accordance with the present invention.”) comprising:
measurement circuitry configured to measure a received radio wave (see at least [0052] – [0053]; “[0052] In the multichannel receiver 201, a data received through an array antenna is down-converted to a baseband and then digitized. [0053] The searcher 203 detects the multipaths.”);
calculation circuitry configured to calculate an approximate function corresponding to reception power at a plurality of different points (see at least [0054]; “The arrival angle range estimator 204 divides a sector into a plurality of angle areas and estimates a signal AOA range. The signal AOA range is estimated by measuring the received signal power for the respective angle areas…”) ;
extraction circuitry configured to extract, from the approximate function calculated by the calculation circuitry, an angle range in which the power is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (see at least [0054]; “The signal AOA range is estimated by measuring the received signal power for the respective angle areas and comparing the measured power with a predetermined threshold value.”); and
output circuitry configured to output the angle range extracted by the extraction circuitry (see at least [0054]; “The estimated AOA range is transferred to the forward beamforming weight controller 207.”).
Both Kakushi and Park use devices to determine the direction of received radio waves. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device used in Kakushi to output a range at which the received power is greater than a threshold value, as taught by Park. One of ordinary skill would be motivated to include a range rather than a single value in order to adapt to the needs of specific applications, such as the forward beamforming application taught by Park (see Park at least [0058]; “The forward beamformer and modulator 206 transmits a user pilot signal by sequentially using a plurality of beamforming weights steering the estimated AOA range at different time areas, and transmits the data channel signal using the selected beamforming weight.”).
However, neither Kakushi nor Park explicitly teach an approximate curved surface corresponding to either the reception power or C/N value at a position of each of the plurality of different points on an X-Y plane, based on an assumption that the azimuth angle and the elevation angle measured by the angle measurement circuitry with respect to each of the plurality of different points are a value of an X-axis and a value of a Y- axis, respectively, and that the reception power or the C/N value measured by the measurement circuitry is a value of a Z-axis, and displaying the range on the X-Y plane extracted by the extraction circuitry in a color different from that of other ranges.
Kakushi discloses a radio wave detection device, and Qu is directed to simulation of transmitting and receiving patterns for forward looking radar. Qu teaches:
an approximate curved surface corresponding transmitted power at a position of each of a plurality of different points on an X-Y plane, based on an assumption that the azimuth angle and the elevation angle are a value of an X-axis and a value of a Y- axis, respectively, and that the reception power is a value of a Z-axis, with a range higher than a threshold shown in a color different than that of other ranges (see at least Fig. 3, reproduced below. Each power level is plotted using a different color, and thus each color marks out a range within the plot. A predetermined threshold value, as taught by Park, would thus have a range indicated in the plot by a different color than any other Z-axis value. As evidenced by MATLAB, surface plots are generated from discrete points and approximated by the displayed surface. Qu teaches the use of MATLAB, see page 6.).
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Qu shows that plotting power with the axes as defined in the claim (elevation, azimuth and power) is known in the art. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the output format used in Kakushi to include a 3D power plot as taught by Qu. Doing so would require importing the data points measured by Kakushi into a software able to make a 3D surface plot (Qu teaches the use of MATLAB, see page 6). One of ordinary skill would be motivated to include a 3D surface plot in order to display results in a manner familiar and informative to those in the art, as demonstrated by Qu.
Regarding claim 3, Kakushi in view of Park and Qu teaches the radio wave status output device according to claim 1. Qu further teaches:
wherein the extraction circuitry extracts ranges on the X-Y plane in which the value of the Z-axis is equal to or greater than each of a plurality of thresholds, the plurality of thresholds including the predetermined threshold (see again Qu Fig. 3, reproduced above. Each power level is plotted using a different color, and thus each color is mathematically equivalent to a threshold value. Ranges above each threshold are thus given by the plot.).
It would be obvious to combine Kakushi and Qu for the reasons given regarding claim 1.
Regarding claim 5, Kakushi discloses [Note: what Kakushi fails to disclose is strike-through]
A radio wave status output method (see translation at least [0009]; “This diagram shows a method for searching for radio wave sources using a radio wave detection device…”) comprising:
sequentially directing a directional antenna to each of a plurality of different points (see translation at least [0007]; “an information processing device that, with respect to a single radio wave source detected by the directional antenna at multiple locations, determines the direction of the radio wave source as seen from each location based on the orientation of the directional antenna obtained at the multiple locations”) positioned on a plane orthogonal to a reference straight line extending in a horizontal direction (Examiner notes that all measurements made by the directional antenna in a particular hemisphere will pass through a plurality of different points positioned on a plane orthogonal to a reference straight line.);
measuring, for each of the plurality of different points to which the directional antenna is directed, each reception power or a carrier-to-noise ratio C/N value of a radio wave (see translation at least [0038]; “the strength of the radio waves detected by the antenna 10 can be displayed on a display device.”) received by the directional antenna (see translation at least [0011]; “Antenna 10 is a directional antenna that exhibits strong sensitivity in a specific direction.”);
measuring, for each of the plurality of different points to which the directional antenna is directed (see translation at least [0015]; “However, when searching for radio wave sources at multiple locations while moving the radio wave detection device 1, the orientation of the base 20 itself and the inclination of the mounting surface of the base 20 may change from one search location to another. Therefore, the rotation angle around the first axis 31 (e.g., yaw angle) and the rotation angle around the second axis 32 (e.g., pitch angle) do not necessarily coincide with the angle of the antenna 10 relative to the reference direction (hereinafter referred to as the "azimuth angle") and the elevation angle. Therefore, for each search location, it is necessary to measure the reference azimuth and horizontal direction at that location and determine the azimuth and elevation angles of the antenna 10 based on the obtained reference azimuth and horizontal direction.”), an azimuth angle (see translation at least [0007]; “More preferably, the drive mechanism of the base in this radio wave detection device is a two-axis rotation mechanism. More specifically, the compass determines the orientation of the directional antenna by the angle between true north and the direction towards which the directional antenna is pointed by the base's drive mechanism.”) and an elevation angle of the directional antenna (see translation at least [0007]; “Furthermore, the above-described radio wave detection device may also be configured to include a tilt measuring device, which is provided on the directional antenna or base, and is used to determine the tilt of the directional antenna. In this radio wave detection device, the information processing device determines the height of a radio wave source detected by a directional antenna based on the tilt of the directional antenna and the location of the radio wave source.”);
extracting, a direction in which the value value of other directions (see translation at least [0014]; “The detection of the radio wave source is performed by identifying the direction in which the radio waves received by antenna 10 are strongest. Radio wave sources are detected using methods such as human operation or automated control. For example, as will be described later, the output of the antenna 10 may be displayed on a display device, and the user of the radio wave detection device 1 may monitor the output display and give instructions to the control device 33 to control the drive mechanism 30 so that the antenna 10 is pointed in the direction in which the output is strongest. Furthermore, as will be described later, the output of the antenna 10 may be processed by the information processing device 60, and the information processing device 60 may instruct the control device 33 to operate the drive mechanism 30, thereby automatically controlling the system to find the orientation of the antenna 10 that yields the strongest output. If a radio wave source is detected, the direction of the radio wave source as seen from the position of the radio wave detection device 1 can be determined by identifying the orientation of the antenna 10 at that time.”); and
outputting, by displaying on a display device, the direction extracted by the extraction circuitry (see translation at least [0038]; “As an example, it is conceivable that the control device 33 of the drive mechanism 30 of the base 20 can receive instructions to control the direction of the antenna 10 by operating an input device, and that the strength of the radio waves detected by the antenna 10 can be displayed on a display device. With this configuration, the user can control the drive mechanism 30 by giving instructions to the control device 33 while checking the radio wave strength displayed on the display device, and find the direction of the antenna 10 that receives the strongest radio waves.”)
However, Kakushi does not teach calculating an approximate curved surface corresponding to either the reception power or C/N value at a position of each of the plurality of different points on an X-Y plane, based on an assumption that the azimuth angle and the elevation angle measured by the angle measurement circuitry with respect to each of the plurality of different points are a value of an X-axis and a value of a Y- axis, respectively, and that the reception power or the C/N value measured by the measurement circuitry is a value of a Z-axis. Furthermore, Kakushi teaches finding the direction with the strongest signal, rather than a location range where the signal is higher than a predefined threshold, and Kakushi does not teach display a range on the X-Y plane in a color different from that of other ranges.
Kakushi discloses a radio wave detection device, and Park is directed to an apparatus for forward beamforming using feedback of multipath information. Park teaches:
measuring a received radio wave (see at least [0052] – [0053]; “[0052] In the multichannel receiver 201, a data received through an array antenna is down-converted to a baseband and then digitized. [0053] The searcher 203 detects the multipaths.”);
calculating an approximate function corresponding to reception power at a plurality of different points (see at least [0054]; “The arrival angle range estimator 204 divides a sector into a plurality of angle areas and estimates a signal AOA range. The signal AOA range is estimated by measuring the received signal power for the respective angle areas…”) ;
extracting, from the approximate function calculated by the calculation circuitry, an angle range in which the power is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (see at least [0054]; “The signal AOA range is estimated by measuring the received signal power for the respective angle areas and comparing the measured power with a predetermined threshold value.”); and
outputting the extracted range (see at least [0054]; “The estimated AOA range is transferred to the forward beamforming weight controller 207.”).
Both Kakushi and Park use devices to determine the direction of received radio waves. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device used in Kakushi to output a range at which the received power is greater than a threshold value, as taught by Park. One of ordinary skill would be motivated to include a range rather than a single value in order to adapt to the needs of specific applications, such as the forward beamforming application taught by Park (see Park at least [0058]; “The forward beamformer and modulator 206 transmits a user pilot signal by sequentially using a plurality of beamforming weights steering the estimated AOA range at different time areas, and transmits the data channel signal using the selected beamforming weight.”).
However, neither Kakushi nor Park explicitly teach an approximate curved surface corresponding to either the reception power or C/N value at a position of each of the plurality of different points on an X-Y plane, based on an assumption that the azimuth angle and the elevation angle measured by the angle measurement circuitry with respect to each of the plurality of different points are a value of an X-axis and a value of a Y- axis, respectively, and that the reception power or the C/N value measured by the measurement circuitry is a value of a Z-axis, and displaying the range on the X-Y plane extracted by the extraction circuitry in a color different from that of other ranges.
Kakushi discloses a radio wave detection device, and Qu is directed to simulation of transmitting and receiving patterns for forward looking radar. Qu teaches:
an approximate curved surface corresponding transmitted power at a position of each of a plurality of different points on an X-Y plane, based on an assumption that the azimuth angle and the elevation angle are a value of an X-axis and a value of a Y- axis, respectively, and that the reception power is a value of a Z-axis, with a range higher than a threshold shown in a color different than that of other ranges (see at least Fig. 3, reproduced below. Each power level is plotted using a different color, and thus each color marks out a range within the plot. A predetermined threshold value, as taught by Park, would thus have a range indicated in the plot by a different color than any other Z-axis value. As evidenced by MATLAB, surface plots such as the one in Qu Fig. 3 are generated from discrete points and approximated by the displayed surface.).
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Qu shows that plotting power with the axes as defined in the claim (elevation, azimuth and power) is known in the art. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the output format used in Kakushi to include a 3D power plot as taught by Qu. Doing so would require importing the data points measured by Kakushi into a software able to make a 3D surface plot (Qu teaches the use of MATLAB, see page 6). One of ordinary skill would be motivated to include a 3D surface plot in order to display results in a manner familiar and informative to those in the art, as demonstrated by Qu.
Regarding claim 7, Kakushi in view of Park and Qu teaches the radio wave status output method according to claim 5. The remaining limitations of claim 7 are analogous to those of claim 3 and are rejected for similar reasons.
Regarding claim 8 Kakushi discloses [Note: what Kakushi fails to disclose is strike-through]
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (see translation at least [0037]; “The information processing device 60 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, which is a calculation means, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 102, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 103, and a storage device 104, which are storage means.) storing computer executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform processing comprising (see translation at least [0037]; “ROM 103 stores data such as programs and pre-configured settings, and CPU 101 can directly read programs and data from ROM 103 and execute processing.”):
sequentially directing a directional antenna to each of a plurality of different points (see translation at least [0007]; “an information processing device that, with respect to a single radio wave source detected by the directional antenna at multiple locations, determines the direction of the radio wave source as seen from each location based on the orientation of the directional antenna obtained at the multiple locations”) positioned on a plane orthogonal to a reference straight line extending in a horizontal direction (Examiner notes that all measurements made by the directional antenna in a particular hemisphere will pass through a plurality of different points positioned on a plane orthogonal to a reference straight line.);
measuring, for each of the plurality of different points to which the directional antenna is directed, each reception power or a carrier-to-noise ratio C/N value of a radio wave (see translation at least [0038]; “the strength of the radio waves detected by the antenna 10 can be displayed on a display device.”) received by the directional antenna (see translation at least [0011]; “Antenna 10 is a directional antenna that exhibits strong sensitivity in a specific direction.”);
measuring, for each of the plurality of different points to which the directional antenna is directed (see translation at least [0015]; “However, when searching for radio wave sources at multiple locations while moving the radio wave detection device 1, the orientation of the base 20 itself and the inclination of the mounting surface of the base 20 may change from one search location to another. Therefore, the rotation angle around the first axis 31 (e.g., yaw angle) and the rotation angle around the second axis 32 (e.g., pitch angle) do not necessarily coincide with the angle of the antenna 10 relative to the reference direction (hereinafter referred to as the "azimuth angle") and the elevation angle. Therefore, for each search location, it is necessary to measure the reference azimuth and horizontal direction at that location and determine the azimuth and elevation angles of the antenna 10 based on the obtained reference azimuth and horizontal direction.”), an azimuth angle (see translation at least [0007]; “More preferably, the drive mechanism of the base in this radio wave detection device is a two-axis rotation mechanism. More specifically, the compass determines the orientation of the directional antenna by the angle between true north and the direction towards which the directional antenna is pointed by the base's drive mechanism.”) and an elevation angle of the directional antenna (see translation at least [0007]; “Furthermore, the above-described radio wave detection device may also be configured to include a tilt measuring device, which is provided on the directional antenna or base, and is used to determine the tilt of the directional antenna. In this radio wave detection device, the information processing device determines the height of a radio wave source detected by a directional antenna based on the tilt of the directional antenna and the location of the radio wave source.”);
extracting, a direction in which the value value of other directions (see translation at least [0014]; “The detection of the radio wave source is performed by identifying the direction in which the radio waves received by antenna 10 are strongest. Radio wave sources are detected using methods such as human operation or automated control. For example, as will be described later, the output of the antenna 10 may be displayed on a display device, and the user of the radio wave detection device 1 may monitor the output display and give instructions to the control device 33 to control the drive mechanism 30 so that the antenna 10 is pointed in the direction in which the output is strongest. Furthermore, as will be described later, the output of the antenna 10 may be processed by the information processing device 60, and the information processing device 60 may instruct the control device 33 to operate the drive mechanism 30, thereby automatically controlling the system to find the orientation of the antenna 10 that yields the strongest output. If a radio wave source is detected, the direction of the radio wave source as seen from the position of the radio wave detection device 1 can be determined by identifying the orientation of the antenna 10 at that time.”); and
outputting, by displaying on a display device, the direction extracted by the extraction circuitry (see translation at least [0038]; “As an example, it is conceivable that the control device 33 of the drive mechanism 30 of the base 20 can receive instructions to control the direction of the antenna 10 by operating an input device, and that the strength of the radio waves detected by the antenna 10 can be displayed on a display device. With this configuration, the user can control the drive mechanism 30 by giving instructions to the control device 33 while checking the radio wave strength displayed on the display device, and find the direction of the antenna 10 that receives the strongest radio waves.”)
However, Kakushi does not teach calculating an approximate curved surface corresponding to either the reception power or C/N value at a position of each of the plurality of different points on an X-Y plane, based on an assumption that the azimuth angle and the elevation angle measured by the angle measurement circuitry with respect to each of the plurality of different points are a value of an X-axis and a value of a Y- axis, respectively, and that the reception power or the C/N value measured by the measurement circuitry is a value of a Z-axis. Furthermore, Kakushi teaches finding the direction with the strongest signal, rather than a location range where the signal is higher than a predefined threshold, and Kakushi does not teach display a range on the X-Y plane in a color different from that of other ranges.
Kakushi discloses a radio wave detection device, and Park is directed to an apparatus for forward beamforming using feedback of multipath information. Park teaches:
measuring a received radio wave (see at least [0052] – [0053]; “[0052] In the multichannel receiver 201, a data received through an array antenna is down-converted to a baseband and then digitized. [0053] The searcher 203 detects the multipaths.”);
calculating an approximate function corresponding to reception power at a plurality of different points (see at least [0054]; “The arrival angle range estimator 204 divides a sector into a plurality of angle areas and estimates a signal AOA range. The signal AOA range is estimated by measuring the received signal power for the respective angle areas…”) ;
extracting, from the approximate function calculated by the calculation circuitry, an angle range in which the power is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (see at least [0054]; “The signal AOA range is estimated by measuring the received signal power for the respective angle areas and comparing the measured power with a predetermined threshold value.”); and
outputting the extracted range (see at least [0054]; “The estimated AOA range is transferred to the forward beamforming weight controller 207.”).
Both Kakushi and Park use devices to determine the direction of received radio waves. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device used in Kakushi to output a range at which the received power is greater than a threshold value, as taught by Park. One of ordinary skill would be motivated to include a range rather than a single value in order to adapt to the needs of specific applications, such as the forward beamforming application taught by Park (see Park at least [0058]; “The forward beamformer and modulator 206 transmits a user pilot signal by sequentially using a plurality of beamforming weights steering the estimated AOA range at different time areas, and transmits the data channel signal using the selected beamforming weight.”).
However, neither Kakushi nor Park explicitly teach an approximate curved surface corresponding to either the reception power or C/N value at a position of each of the plurality of different points on an X-Y plane, based on an assumption that the azimuth angle and the elevation angle measured by the angle measurement circuitry with respect to each of the plurality of different points are a value of an X-axis and a value of a Y- axis, respectively, and that the reception power or the C/N value measured by the measurement circuitry is a value of a Z-axis, and displaying the range on the X-Y plane extracted by the extraction circuitry in a color different from that of other ranges.
Kakushi discloses a radio wave detection device, and Qu is directed to simulation of transmitting and receiving patterns for forward looking radar. Qu teaches:
an approximate curved surface corresponding transmitted power at a position of each of a plurality of different points on an X-Y plane, based on an assumption that the azimuth angle and the elevation angle are a value of an X-axis and a value of a Y- axis, respectively, and that the reception power is a value of a Z-axis, with a range higher than a threshold shown in a color different than that of other ranges (see at least Fig. 3, reproduced below. Each power level is plotted using a different color, and thus each color marks out a range within the plot. A predetermined threshold value, as taught by Park, would thus have a range indicated in the plot by a different color than any other Z-axis value. As evidenced by MATLAB, surface plots such as the one in Qu Fig. 3 are generated from discrete points and approximated by the displayed surface.).
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Qu shows that plotting power with the axes as defined in the claim (elevation, azimuth and power) is known in the art. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the output format used in Kakushi to include a 3D power plot as taught by Qu. Doing so would require importing the data points measured by Kakushi into a software able to make a 3D surface plot (Qu teaches the use of MATLAB, see page 6). One of ordinary skill would be motivated to include a 3D surface plot in order to display results in a manner familiar and informative to those in the art, as demonstrated by Qu.
Regarding claim 9, Kakushi in view of Park and Qu teaches the radio wave status output device according to claim 1. Kakushi further teaches:
wherein the reference straight line extends in the horizontal direction from the directional antenna toward one of the plurality of different points (see at least Fig. 5(A), reproduced below, where the measurement vector pointing to the measured dot is sufficient to define a plane as described in claim 1).
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Fig. 5(A) of Kakushi
Regarding claim 10, Kakushi in view of Park and Qu teaches the radio wave status output device according to claim 1. Kakushi further teaches:
wherein the measurement circuitry and the angle measurement circuitry are further configured to repeat the measurement with respect to a further point positioned on the plane in a case where a number of samples of the plurality of different points on the X-Y plane is insufficient for the calculation circuitry to calculate the approximate curved surface (see translation at least [0018]; “The information processing device 60 acquires the output of the antenna 10 and determines whether or
not a radio wave source has been detected (whether or not the output of the antenna 10 has reached its maximum)… The information processing
device 60 then analyzes the relationship between the orientation of the antenna 10 and its output, and sends an instruction to the control device 33 to operate the drive mechanism 30 so that the output is maximized.”).
It would have been obvious to represent the data gathered by Kakushi as a curved surface for the reasons given regarding claim 1.
Regarding claim 11, Kakushi in view of Park and Qu teaches the radio wave status output device according to claim 1. Kakushi further teaches:
further comprising a memory configured to store the reception power or the C/N value measured by the measurement circuitry and the azimuth angle and the elevation angle measured by the angle measurement circuitry (see translation at least [0036]; “The data storage unit 64 stores information such as the geographical location of the radio wave detection device 1 identified by the location identification function 61, various information acquired by the radio wave source location identification function 62 to identify the geographical location of the radio wave source and information on the geographical location of the identified radio wave source, and
various information acquired by the radio wave source height identification function 63 to identify the height of the radio wave source and information on the height of the identified radio wave source.” See also [0014]; “Furthermore, as
will be described later, the output of the antenna 10 may be processed by the information processing device 60, and the information processing device 60 may instruct the control device 33 to operate the drive mechanism 30, thereby automatically controlling the system to find the orientation of the antenna 10 that yields the strongest output.”).
Kakushi does not explicitly state that the reception power is stored in memory. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to store measured power values along with other measured values in order to perform the identification of a local maximum power as taught by Kakushi in [0014].
Regarding claim 12, Kakushi in view of Park and Qu teaches the radio wave status output device according to claim 1. Kakushi further teaches:
further comprising the directional antenna (see at least Fig. 1, antenna 10) and a fixing unit (see at least Fig. 1, base 20), wherein the directional antenna is fixed to the fixing unit (see translation at least [0013]; “Returning to Figures 1 and 2, the base 20 is a support member that supports the antenna 10.”).
Regarding claim 14, Kakushi in view of Park and Qu teaches the radio wave status output device according to claim 3. Qu further teaches:
wherein the plurality of thresholds further includes a second threshold greater than the predetermined threshold, and the extraction circuitry is further configured to extract, from the approximate curved surface, a second range on the X-Y plane in which the value of the Z-axis is equal to or greater than the second threshold (see again Fig. 3 of Qu, where in the original color version the surface is color-coded by the Z-axis value, starting with blue, then cyan, green, yellow, orange and, finally, red).
It would have been obvious to combine Kakushi and Qu for the reasons given regarding claim 1.
Regarding claim 15, Kakushi in view of Park and Qu teaches the radio wave status output device according to claim 14. Qu further teaches:
wherein the diagram indicates the second range on the X-Y plane in a color different from that of the range on the X-Y plane and different from that of the other ranges (see again Fig. 3 of Qu, where in the original color version the surface is color-coded by the Z-axis value, starting with blue, then cyan, green, yellow, orange and, finally, red).
It would have been obvious to combine Kakushi and Qu for the reasons given regarding claim 1.
Regarding claim 16, Kakushi in view of Park and Qu teaches the radio wave status output device according to claim 1. Kakushi further teaches:
wherein the measurement circuitry, the angle measurement circuitry, the calculation circuitry, the extraction circuitry, and the output circuitry include a processor configured to execute a program stored in a memory (see translation at least [0037]; “The information processing device 60 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, which is a calculation means, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 102, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 103, and a storage device 104, which are storage means.
RAM 102 is the main memory and is used as working memory when the CPU 101 performs calculations. ROM 103 stores data such as programs and pre-configured settings, and CPU 101 can directly read programs and data from ROM 103 and execute processing. The storage device 104 is a means for storing programs and data.”).
Regarding claim 17, Kakushi in view of Park and Qu teaches the radio wave status output method according to claim 5. The remaining limitations of claim 17 are analogous to those of claim 9 and are rejected for similar reasons.
Regarding claim 18, Kakushi in view of Park and Qu teaches the radio wave status output method according to claim 5. The remaining limitations of claim 18 are analogous to those of claim 10 and are rejected for similar reasons.
Regarding claim 19, Kakushi in view of Park and Qu teaches the radio wave status output method according to claim 5. The remaining limitations of claim 19 are analogous to those of claim 11 and are rejected for similar reasons.
Regarding claim 21, Kakushi in view of Park and Qu teaches the radio wave status output method according to claim 5. Kakushi further teaches:
further comprising determining the X-axis and the Y-axis of the X-Y plane before the directional antenna is sequentially directed to each of the plurality of different points (see translation at least [0014]; “The orientation of the antenna 10 is determined by a
predetermined reference direction and the angle it has with respect to the horizontal direction. As a reference direction (hereinafter referred to as "reference direction"), true north is used, for example.” The predetermined reference direction is visible in Figs. 4 and 5.).
Claims 2 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kakushi in view of Park and Qu, further in view of Alibrahim et al. (F. Alibrahim, M. Inggs, Biased estimators for spinning antenna DOA measurements, IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems 52 (2016); hereinafter Alibrahim).
Regarding claim 2, Kakushi in view of Park and Qu teaches the radio wave status output device according to claim 1 including the predetermined threshold. However, Kakushi does not explicitly teach:
wherein the predetermined threshold is determined based on reception power or a C/N value of a radio wave received by an omni antenna disposed in the vicinity of the directional antenna.
Kakushi discloses a radio wave detection device, and Alibrahim is directed to estimating the direction of arrival of emitters using a spinning directional antenna. Alibrahim teaches:
wherein the threshold is determined based on reception power or a C/N value of a radio wave received by an omni antenna (see at least page 2, col. 2, para. 2; “As shown in Fig. 2, the relative gains of the two antenna channels are adjusted to position the Omni antenna channel gain between the spinning antenna mainlobe and its sidelobe levels [16]; thus, mainlobe detection is declared only when the spinning antenna channel output is greater than the Omni antenna channel output, which in turn must be greater than the levels of the spinning antenna sidelobes and backlobes [16].”) disposed in the vicinity of the directional antenna (see at least Fig. 2, reproduced below, showing the relative gains of the co-located omni and directional antennas).
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Fig. 2 from Alibrahim
Both Kakushi and Alibrahim use directional antennas to determine the direction or angle of arrival of an incident radiofrequency signal. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device used in Kakushi to include an omnidirectional antenna for use in interpreting received signals based on their strengths, as taught by Alibrahim. One of ordinary skill would be motivated to include an omnidirectional antenna in order to distinguish mainlobe detections of the directional antenna (see Alibrahim page 2, col. 2, para. 2, quoted above).
Regarding claim 6, Kakushi in view of Park and Qu teaches the radio wave status output method according to claim 5. The remaining limitations of claim 6 are analogous to those of claim 2 and are rejected for similar reasons.
Claims 13 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kakushi in view of Park, Qu, and Alibrahim, further in view of Matinmikko et al. (M. Matinmikko, M. Mustonen, M. Höyhtyä, T. Rauma, H. Sarvanko and A. Mämmelä, "Distributed and directional spectrum occupancy measurements in the 2.4 GHz ISM band," 2010 7th International Symposium on Wireless Communication Systems, York, UK, 2010, pp. 676-980; hereinafter, Matinmikko).
Regarding claim 13, Kakushi in view of Park, Qu and Alibrahim teaches the radio wave status output device according to claim 2. Alibrahim further teaches:
further comprising the omni antenna (see at least Fig. 1, omnidirectional antenna of the ELINT system), wherein the reception power or the C/N value of the radio wave received by the omni antenna is measured (see at least page 4, col. 1, para. 1; “ELINT systems also have the ability to digitally downconvert the intercepted signals to baseband for fine analysis and to store the signals for offline analysis [13].”).
However, Alibrahim does not explicitly teach taking omni antenna measurements in advance of the sequence of measurements by the directional antenna.
Kakushi discloses a radio wave detection device, and Matinmikko is directed to directional spectrum occupancy measurements. Matinmikko teaches using ambient noise measurements taken in advance to determine a threshold value for subsequent detections (see at least Section II.B, “A subchannel is declared occupied if the measurement is above the threshold, i.e. Dn,a,c,t=1, and otherwise unoccupied, i.e. Dn,a,c,t=0. The threshold can be set e.g. from noise level measurement and by adding a margin.”).
Both Kakushi and Matinmikko use devices to determine the direction of received radio waves. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device used in Kakushi to distinguish true detections from noise by comparing the measurement level to a threshold, as taught by Matinmikko. It would furthermore have been obvious to set this threshold relative to noise measurements taken in advance, as taught by Matinmikko. Using an omnidirectional antenna to gather these noise measurements would have been obvious in light of Matinmikko’s teaching that “Most of the spectrum occupancy measurements in the literature have been conducted by using a single measurement device with an omnidirectional antenna” (see Abs).
Regarding claim 20, Kakushi in view of Park, Qu and Alibrahim teaches the radio wave status output method according to claim 6. The remaining limitations of claim 20 are analogous to those of claim 13 and are rejected for similar reasons.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Li et al. (US-20160011292-A1) is considered relevant because it uses an omnidirectional antenna to determine true detections by directional antennas.
U. M. Khan, R. H. Venkatnarayan and M. Shahzad, "RFMap: Generating Indoor Maps using RF Signals," 2020 19th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Information Processing in Sensor Networks (IPSN), Sydney, NSW, Australia, 2020, pp. 133-144, is considered relevant because it moves directional antennas in fixed angular steps to build a map.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/ASHLEY BROWN RAYNAL/ Examiner, Art Unit 3648
/OLUMIDE AJIBADE AKONAI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3648
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