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 .
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 – Scope of Enablement
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, because the specification, while being enabling for a limited scope based on the teachings in the application, does not reasonably provide enablement for the full scope recited in the claims. The specification does not enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the invention commensurate in scope with these claims.
MPEP 2164.08 states: “The Federal Circuit has repeatedly held that ‘the specification must teach those skilled in the art how to make and use the full scope of the claimed invention without ‘undue experimentation’.” In re Wright, 999 F.2d 1557, 1561, 27 USPQ2d 1510, 1513 (Fed. Cir. 1993).
Scope of the Claims and Teachings of the Application.
Claim 1 recites:
the extension station transmits the transmission signal by setting, in a phase shifter or by switching a switch, a phase difference for performing beamforming in a specific direction on a basis of the beam control signal included in the optical signal.
In other words, the claim recites setting a phase difference for beamforming with either a phase shifter or a switch. Each alternative will be discussed in turn.
Beamforming with Phase Shifters.
FIG. 2 illustrates a beamforming unit 25 including plural phase shifters 252 controlled by a control unit 251 and driving plural antennas 253.
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In other words, the application teaches the use of plural phase shifters (three in FIG. 2), each receiving a transmission signal, each controlled by the control unit 251, and each driving an antenna 253. See also:
[0044] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a first configuration example of the beamforming unit 25. The beamforming unit 25 illustrated in FIG. 2 includes a control unit 251, n (n is an integer of 2 or more) phase shifters 252-1 to 252-n, and n antennas 253 to 253-n. One antenna 253 is attached to each of the phase shifters 252.
In contrast, the claim recites “a phase shifter”, which has a scope that includes transmitting a signal using a single phase shifter. The application does not appear to teach how to make and use this scope.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the application teaches the use of plural antennas 253 corresponding to the plural phase shifters 252 and the plural transmission signals (e.g., see FIG. 2). See also:
[0047] The antennas 253 to 253-n convert a transmission signal having a phase that has been adjusted by the phase shifters 252-1 to 252-n into a wireless signal and radiate the wireless signal.
The claim does not require plural antennas being driven by the plural phase shifters. This has a scope that does not include the plural antennas. The application does not appear to teach how to make and use this scope of the claim.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the application teaches the use of a control unit to receive the beam control signal and produce separate control signals for each of the phase shifters. See also:
[0066] The beamforming unit 25 forms a beam on the basis of the beam control signal output from the demultiplexing unit 23 and radiates the transmission signal after the frequency conversion using a wireless signal (step S109). Here, as a specific operation of the beamforming unit 25, the beamforming unit 25 illustrated in FIG. 2 will be described as an example. The control unit 251 controls rotation amounts of the phase adjusted by the respective phase shifters 252-1 to 252-n according to the input beam control signal.
In other words, the control unit performs particular functionality on the beam control signal to control the phase shifters. The claim does not require the control unit or its functionality. The application does not appear to teach how to make and use this scope of the claim.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the application teaches using plural transmission signals input to the plurality of phase shifters (e.g., see FIG. 2). This is not required by the claim, resulting in a scope that does not include the transmission signals input to the phase shifters. The application does not appear to teach how to make and use this scope of the claim.
Beamforming by Switching a Switch.
The claim alternatively recites setting a phase difference by “switching a switch”. This has a broad scope that is not limited to any particular kind of switching, or any particular switch, or any other structure of functions associated with the switch. FIG. 3 appears to illustrate the beamforming unit 25 corresponding to this claimed embodiment.
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As can be seen in FIG. 3, beamforming unit 25 includes a control switch 254 and a passive beamforming unit 255. The control switch 254 has a transmission signal input and a beam control signal input. The beam control signal input controls the output port on which the transmission signal is connected. See also:
[0051] The control switch 254 is a switch capable of switching connection between an input port and output ports according to an input beam control signal S.sub.Ti. A transmission signal is input to the input port. Ports of the passive beamforming unit 255 are connected to the respective output ports. The control switch 254 includes one input port and m output ports SW-1 to SW-m. The output ports SW-1 to SW-m of the control switch 254 correspond one-to-one to the beam control signals S.sub.T1 to S.sub.Tm. For example, in a case where the beam control signal S.sub.T1 is input as a beam control signal, the control switch 254 connects the input port and an output port SW-1. As a result, a transmission signal is output from the output port SW-1 of the control switch 254.
The passive beamforming unit 255 has plural input ports connected to the plural output ports of the control switch 254. See:
[0052] The passive beamforming unit 255 is a functional unit capable of performing beamforming by applying a specific phase difference to output beams from respective antennas 256-1 to 256-N according to the input port. The passive beamforming unit 255 includes m input ports and N (N is an integer of 1 or more) output ports. The passive beamforming unit 255 is, for example, a beamforming circuit, a reflector, a lens, or the like.
[0054] In a case where a signal is input to a certain first port, the beamforming circuit outputs signals having the same amplitude and linearly inclined phases from the N second ports. In the beamforming circuit, the inclination of the phase varies depending on the first port. The beamforming circuit can form a beam in a direction corresponding to the first port to which a transmission signal is input.
In other words, the passive beamforming unit 255 generates a predetermined phase difference to output beams from respective antennas 256 based on the input port.
In summary, the application teaches the use of particular structure with particular functionality (see FIG. 3), while the claim broadly recites achieving the desired results by “switching a switch”. In other words, the claim has a scope that includes a switch, and requires none of the other structure in FIG. 3, to achieve the desired functionality. The application does not appear to teach the full scope of the claim.
Remaining Claims.
Dependent claims 2-6 depend from claim 1 and recite additional functionality without adding the limitations to address the issues raised above.
Independent claims 7 and 8 recite a base station device and system, each with an extension station have language analogous to the last paragraph of claim 1, and having a similarly broad scope.
The Claims do not Recite the Particular Structure, Materials, or Steps.
As discussed above, the application teaches how to make and use the invention using particular structure, materials, and steps to implement extension station and the functionality/method for signal transmission and the setting of a phase difference, while the claims have a much broader scope. When considering the teachings of the application and the scope of the claims, as discussed above, see MPEP 2173.05(g), 4th paragraph:
… Further, without reciting the particular structure, materials or steps that accomplish the function or achieve the result, all means or methods of resolving the problem may be encompassed by the claim. Ariad Pharmaceuticals., Inc. v. Eli Lilly & Co., 598 F.3d 1336, 1353, 94 USPQ2d 1161, 1173 (Fed. Cir. 2010) (en banc). Unlimited functional claim limitations that extend to all means or methods of resolving a problem may not be adequately supported by the written description or may not be commensurate in scope with the enabling disclosure, both of which are required by 35 U.S.C. 112(a) and pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph. In re Hyatt, 708 F.2d 712, 714, 218 USPQ 195, 197 (Fed. Cir. 1983); Ariad, 598 F.3d at 1340, 94 USPQ2d at 1167. …
This supports a finding that the broad scope of the claims is not commensurate with the teachings in the disclosure.
No Teaching of a General Case for the Full Scope of the Claims.
The Examiner also notes that there is no teaching of an apparatus/method with the broad scope recited in the claims. In particular, there is no teaching of a general case that can perform the functionality of the extension station without requiring the particular structures and steps taught in the application and discussed above.
If such a general case were contemplated or discovered by the inventors, its disclosure and a description of its operation would be expected as part of the application in order to support broad claims, such as claim 1. This is particularly true because, as discussed above, the embodiments that are disclosed in the application require fairly complex and particular structures and functionality/methods. These structures and functionality/methods would be unnecessary if a general case had been known by the inventors, and yet the application does not include a disclosure of a general case. This supports a conclusion that the scope of the claims is not commensurate with the teachings of the application.
Other Considerations.
The nature of the invention is optical transmission and reception within wireless communication devices and methods. The components used in the various embodiments were known to one of ordinary skill. For example, one or ordinary skill would be familiar with components such as E/O and O/E converters, optical multiplexers, optical demultiplexers, switches, phase shifters, controllers, and antennas. in the context of the invention. Therefore, no teachings of how to make these individual components is required.
The application teaches how to arrange these elements with other elements in particular combinations in order to achieve the desired results (e.g., see FIGS. 1-3). These combinations are particular and complex. Nonetheless, one or ordinary skill would know how to make and use the disclosed embodiments of the invention from the teachings of the application.
Furthermore, it would have been obvious that some elements may be modified or replaced with other elements known to have the same or similar functionality, and to make some modifications to the particular structures disclosed.
Similarly, one of ordinary skill would also know how to perform other tasks in the present technological area and related to the invention, such as providing power to components (although power supplies and power specifications are not explicitly taught in the application), and splicing/coupling the electrical and optical components together (although this is not explicitly taught in the application), and managing the temperature of electrical and optical components which are susceptible to performance degradation and undesirable operational variations based on temperature (although this is not explicitly taught in the application), and shielding components from EM interference that can be generated by such devices (although this is not explicitly taught). Although this is not an exhaustive list, the obvious modifications based on the disclosure and the knowledge of one or ordinary skill are nonetheless of a limited scope.
However, these modifications do not address the issues raised above regarding the disparity between the scope of the claims and the teachings of the application.
Experimentation.
As discussed above, the application does not teach the full scope of the claims. As a result, the claims include many possible structures/steps/functions, and not all possibilities within the scope of the claims will produce the desired results or functions.
As a result, if one of ordinary skill were to attempt to make and use the full scope of the claims, it would require making, testing, or otherwise evaluating a large number of possible combination of structures and/or programming to find what works to perform the desired functionality. This results in a practically unlimited number of embodiments that would need to be made, tested, or otherwise evaluated to determine which embodiments are operative and which are inoperative. In other words, this would require almost infinite experimentation.
This supports a finding that undue experimentation would be required to make and use the full scope of the claims.
Conclusion.
After careful consideration the Examiner has concluded that the specification does not enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the invention commensurate in scope with these claims. In other words, the specification fails to teach those skilled in the art how to make and use the full scope of the claimed invention without ‘undue experimentation’.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 - Indefinite
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 4, 6, and 8 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.
Claim 4 recites:
4. The wireless communication method according to claim 3, wherein,
in a case where the transmission signal is in an intermediate frequency band,
the aggregation station generates the optical signal by frequency-multiplexing the beam control signal, the transmission signal, and a signal for frequency conversion and then performing intensity-modulation to a specific wavelength, and
the extension station sets, in a phase shifter or by switching a switch, a phase difference for performing beamforming in the specific direction by directly detecting the optical signal, extracting an electrical signal, then performing frequency-conversion on a frequency of the transmission signal included in the extracted electrical signal on a basis of a signal for the frequency conversion, and acquiring the beam control signal included in the electrical signal.
The ”in a case where” appears to make the remainder of the claim optional when the “case” is not true. It is not clear how to interpret the claim, particularly when the condition is not met. The Examiner suggests rewriting this language to generate transmission signal as an IF band signal in the aggregation station and deleting the “in a case where ...” language.
Claim 6 has been amended to change “beamforming unit” to “beamformer”. It is not clear what particular structure is within the scope of “beamformer” as recited in the claim.
Claim 8 has been amended to change “beamforming unit” to “beamformer”. It is not clear what particular structure is within the scope of “beamformer” as recited in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 - Failure to Further Limit
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph:
Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends.
Claim 4 was rejected under 112(b) above. However, in the interests of compact prosecution, it is also rejected under 112(d) on the grounds that it does not further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends when the conditions in line 2 are not met.
Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 - Obvious
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.
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) 1, 2, 5, 7, and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2019/0267708 (Tennant).
Regarding claim 1, Tennant teaches a wireless communication method in a wireless communication system including an aggregation station and an extension station that performs beamforming according to control of the aggregation station (FIG. 1: radio hub 102 and remote site 112), wherein
the aggregation station transmits an optical signal including at least a beam control signal for controlling beamforming in the extension station and a transmission signal that is data to be transmitted to the extension station via an optical transmission line to perform beamforming control of the extension station (FIG. 1: radio hub 102 transmits to remote site 112 via optical fiber line 110; FIG. 2: radio hub 105 sends beam control signal 220 and transmission data TMOC), and
the extension station transmits the transmission signal by setting, in a phase shifter or by switching a switch, a phase difference for performing beamforming in a specific direction on a basis of the beam control signal included in the optical signal (FIG. 1: one of the Remote Sites 112; FIG. 3: beam former 114 including beam control processor 310 and phase a gain control elements 304, 306).
FIG. 1 is reproduced for reference.
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See also:
[0033] The solution concerns a system and method in which a remote phased array antenna in an RF communication system is fully implemented using an optical fiber communication link (in some cases consisting of only a single optical fiber) to concurrently communicate both analog RF signals (e.g., receive and/or transmit RF signals), and digital control data (e.g., beamforming and/or antenna operation status data) between the remote antenna and a radio hub location. More particularly, the optical fiber link is used to communicate an RF drive signal from radio equipment (e.g., a radio transmitter or transceiver) at a radio hub to the remote phased array antenna. Using the same optical fiber link, antenna beam control signal data for controlling the phased array can be communicated to the phased array antenna, from an antenna control unit (ACU) at the radio hub.
This teaches sending both control data and RF signals for transmission. It would have been obvious that the RF signals are or can be “data” as recited in the claim. See also the discussion of the RF transceiver 104 in FIG. 2 (discussed below).
FIG. 2 illustrates a more detailed embodiment of the radio hub.
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In particular, the antenna control unit 202 produced beamforming control signals 203a that are converted to optical signals by optical modulator (POT) 218. The RF transceiver 104 controls the optical modulator 208 to modulate an optical signal. The outputs of the modulator 208 and POT 218 are combined at Mux 216 and transmitted to the remote site. See also:
[0048] As shown in FIG. 2, the O/E-E/O conversion interface 106 can include an optical modulator 208, an optical source 206 (e.g., a laser source), and a photodetector 210. The RF transceiver 104 can be a conventional RF transceiver unit that is capable of transmit and receive operations within a predetermined frequency range. Depending on the particular communication application, a transmitter or receiver can sometimes be used in place of the transceiver. In some scenarios the RF transceiver can be configured for communicating digital data or symbols using RF signals in accordance with a conventional RF modulation scheme. For example, the RF signals transmitted and/or received by the RF transceiver can involve the use of amplitude shift keying (ASK), frequency shift keying (FSK), and/or phase shift keying (PSK), without limitation.
[0049] The optical modulator 208 can be an electro-optical (E/O) conversion device which modulates an analog RF transmit signal from the transceiver 104 onto a continuous wave optical carrier provided by the optical source 206. Optical modulators are well-known and therefore will not be described here in detail. However, it will be appreciated that the optical modulator 208 which is used for this purpose is advantageously selected to comprise a linear modulator so that the characteristics of the analog RF transmit signal are accurately applied to the optical carrier. For example, the linear modulator can impress the frequency, waveform and modulation features of the RF transmit signal upon the optical carrier. In this regard it should be noted that the analog RF transmit signal can itself be a modulated signal (e.g., an RF signal which has been modulated in accordance with a conventional RF modulation scheme such as ASK, FSK and/or PSK).
[0054] As shown in FIG. 2, the digital beamforming control signals 203a are communicated to a protocol optical transceiver (POT) 218. The POT 218 is described below in greater detail. However, it should be understood that the POT 218 will include a suitable opto-electronic and/or electro-optic interface (O/E-E/O). Here, the digital beamforming control signals are used to modulate an optical carrier to produce a control signal modulated optical carrier (CSMOC) 220 comprising digital data. In some scenarios, the CSMOC 220 can be coupled to optical multiplexer 216, where WDM can be used facilitate concurrent communication of both the TMOC and CSMOC on the same optical fiber. The multiplexed arrangement shown in FIG. 2 can be convenient as it facilitates communication of all payload and control signals on a common optical fiber link comprising a single optical fiber.
The control and data signals can be multiplexed (i.e., WDM) onto the same optical fiber. See:
[0054] As shown in FIG. 2, the digital beamforming control signals 203a are communicated to a protocol optical transceiver (POT) 218. The POT 218 is described below in greater detail. However, it should be understood that the POT 218 will include a suitable opto-electronic and/or electro-optic interface (O/E-E/O). Here, the digital beamforming control signals are used to modulate an optical carrier to produce a control signal modulated optical carrier (CSMOC) 220 comprising digital data. In some scenarios, the CSMOC 220 can be coupled to optical multiplexer 216, where WDM can be used facilitate concurrent communication of both the TMOC and CSMOC on the same optical fiber. The multiplexed arrangement shown in FIG. 2 can be convenient as it facilitates communication of all payload and control signals on a common optical fiber link comprising a single optical fiber.
FIG. 3 illustrates a more detailed embodiment of the remote site including a demux 301 that separates signals for the beam control processor 310 and signals for the antenna array 120.
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In particular, there is a beam control processor 310 to control the antennas, and the beam former 114 acts in response to the control signals from the antenna control unit 202. See also:
[0058] Coordination of the phase and gain adjustments applied to the signals associated with each antenna element 120 can be implemented by a suitable control system. In some scenarios, the antenna control unit 202 can function cooperatively with a separate computing system remote from the antenna control unit 202 and/or a further control component included in the TTDS 108 and/or the ASPS 113. For example, these separate computing systems can comprise a TTD photonic control unit (TTD-PCU) 204 and/or BCP 310. The BCP 310 can comprise a microprocessor, controller, application specific circuit, programmable logic device, digital signal processor, or other circuit programmed to facilitate the beam forming control functions. A control device as described herein may be a digital controller, an analog controller or circuit, an integrated circuit (IC), a microcontroller, formed from discrete components, or the like.
[0060] In both the transmit and receive direction the phase and amplitude control which is applied to each of the n channels can be individually specified by the BCP 310 in response to control signals received from antenna control unit 202. More particularly, the phase and gain adjustments applied to signals associated with each antenna element 120 can be controlled independently of the other channels so that each channel may have a slightly different phase and/or gain adjustment
FIG. 4 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the remote site. Tennant also teaches that it was known to use phase shifters to steer the angle of an array of antenna elements. See:
[0082] The main methods to steer any frequency to a desired angle on an array of antenna elements is to apply a true time delay (TTD) or a phase shifter. It is known that applying a TTD to a signal results in a change in the amount of time required to propagate the signal over some distance. To achieve a steered angle θ.sub.0, the change in phase given by a TTD is then given by:
FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment. See also FIG. 5 for a more detailed embodiment of a beam former. FIG. 9 illustrates an angled wavefront relative to the antenna array and the corresponding time delay.
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Regarding claim 2, Tennant teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein
the aggregation station generates the optical signal by performing wavelength division multiplexing by intensity-modulating the beam control signal and the transmission signal to different wavelengths (FIG. 2: Mux 216), and
the extension station sets, in a phase shifter or by switching a switch, a phase difference for performing beamforming in the specific direction by demultiplexing the optical signal according to a wavelength and acquiring the beam control signal included in the optical signal (FIG. 3: demux 301, 302).
Tennant at FIG. 2 illustrates the use of an optical modulator 208 for data, optical transmitter (POT) 218 for beamforming control, and an optical mux 216. Furthermore, Tennant teaches that it was known to use intensity modulation. See:
[0049] The optical modulator 208 can be an electro-optical (E/O) conversion device which modulates an analog RF transmit signal from the transceiver 104 onto a continuous wave optical carrier provided by the optical source 206. Optical modulators are well-known and therefore will not be described here in detail. However, it will be appreciated that the optical modulator 208 which is used for this purpose is advantageously selected to comprise a linear modulator so that the characteristics of the analog RF transmit signal are accurately applied to the optical carrier. For example, the linear modulator can impress the frequency, waveform and modulation features of the RF transmit signal upon the optical carrier. In this regard it should be noted that the analog RF transmit signal can itself be a modulated signal (e.g., an RF signal which has been modulated in accordance with a conventional RF modulation scheme such as ASK, FSK and/or PSK).
To the extent it is not explicit, it would have been obvious that the optically modulated signals can be implemented in a known manner, such as intensity modulator.
FIG. 3 illustrates the use of a demux 301 to separate the data and beamforming control signals. FIG. 3 also illustrates the beam control processor 310. See a more detailed discussion in claim 1.
Regarding claim 5, Tennant teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein
the extension station performs beamforming in the specific direction by controlling a rotation amount of a phase in a plurality of phase shifters according to the beam control signal, or performs beamforming in the specific direction by switching connection of a switch such that the transmission signal is input to a port capable of performing beamforming in the specific direction according to the beam control signal (FIG. 3: antenna array 120).
Tennant teaches beamforming and to steer the antenna array by controlling the phase shifters. See:
[0082] The main methods to steer any frequency to a desired angle on an array of antenna elements is to apply a true time delay (TTD) or a phase shifter. It is known that applying a TTD to a signal results in a change in the amount of time required to propagate the signal over some distance. To achieve a steered angle θ.sub.0, the change in phase given by a TTD is then given by:
[0133] As with the optical carrier portion of the receive ELMOC signal, the optical sideband portion will also be combined in the n channel optical combiner 814. However, in the case of the n optical sideband signals, the phase offsets respectively introduced in each of the ROCs 803 will result in a controlled combing operation that facilitates beam steering in the receive direction. Phased array techniques to facilitate such beamforming are well known in the art and therefore will not be described here in detail. Likewise, gain offsets respectively introduced in each of the n ROCs can be used for receive channel beam shaping operations (e.g. sidelobe suppression and beam shaping) in accordance with known phased array techniques.
This is within the scope of performing “beamforming in the specific direction by controlling a rotation amount of a phase in a plurality of phase shifters according to the beam control signal”. See also the more detailed dicussion in claim 1.
Regarding claim 7, Tennant teaches a base station device in a wireless communication system including an aggregation station and an extension station that performs beamforming according to control of the aggregation station (FIG. 1: radio hub 102 and remote site 112), the base station device comprising:
an aggregation station that transmits an optical signal including at least a beam control signal for controlling beamforming in the extension station and a transmission signal that is data to be transmitted to the extension station via an optical transmission line to perform beamforming control of the extension station (FIG. 1: radio hub 102 transmits to remote site 112 via optical fiber line 110; FIG. 2: radio hub 105 sends beam control signal 220 and transmission data TMOC); and
an extension station that transmits the transmission signal by setting, in a phase shifter or by switching a switch, a phase difference for performing beamforming in a specific direction on a basis of the beam control signal included in the optical signal (FIG. 1: one of the Remote Sites 112; FIG. 3: beam former 114 including beam control processor 310 and phase a gain control elements 304, 306).
This is a device corresponding to the method of claim 1. See claim 1 for a more detailed discussion of the art.
Regarding claim 8, Tennant teaches a wireless communication system comprising an aggregation station and an extension station that performs beamforming according to control of the aggregation station (FIG. 1: radio hub 102 and remote site 112), wherein
the aggregation station transmits an optical signal including at least a beam control signal for controlling beamforming in the extension station and a transmission signal that is data to be transmitted to the extension station via an optical transmission line to perform beamforming control of the extension station (FIG. 1: radio hub 102 transmits to remote site 112 via optical fiber line 110; FIG. 2: radio hub 105 sends beam control signal 220 and transmission data TMOC), and
the extension station includes a beamformer configured to transmit the transmission signal by setting, in a phase shifter or by switching a switch, a phase difference for performing beamforming in a specific direction on a basis of the beam control signal included in the optical signal (FIG. 1: one of the Remote Sites 112; FIG. 3: beam former 114 including beam control processor 310 and phase a gain control elements 304, 306).
This is a system corresponding to the method of claim 1. See claim 1 for a more detailed discussion of the art.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the art as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US 2011/0158644 (Cavaliere).
Regarding claim 3, Tennant teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein
the aggregation station generates the optical signal by frequency-multiplexing the beam control signal and the transmission signal and then performing intensity-modulation to a specific wavelength (FIG. 2: Mux 216), and
the extension station sets, in a phase shifter or by switching a switch, a phase difference for performing beamforming in the specific direction by directly detecting the optical signal, extracting an electrical signal, and then acquiring the beam control signal included in the extracted electrical signal (FIG. 3: demux 301, 302).
This claim is similar to claim 2 except that this claim recites frequency multiplexing the beam control signal and the transmission signal. Tennant teaches WDM, but frequency multiplexing was also known in optical communications. For example, Cavaliere teaches frequency modulation for combining multiple data streams onto a single optical fiber. See:
[0061] FIG. 1 shows a network according to an embodiment of the invention, generally designated 10. The network 10 has an Optical Line Terminal (OLT) 12 which is an edge device of a larger network which may have many OLTs (not shown). The OLT 12 provides communications services to a plurality of users 14, 16, 18 via Subcarrier Multiplexing (SCM). The SCM signal is generated at the OLT 12 in a SCM transmitter 13 by frequency multiplexing an unmodulated optical carrier and an arbitrary number of modulated Radio Frequency (RF) signals, also known as subcarriers, which corresponds to the number of users 14, 16, 18. This is performed according to known techniques and will not be described further. The SCM signal is then passed to a single optical fibre 18 via an OLT circulator 20. The optical fibre 18 is in communication with a user circulator 22 which is in communication with a demodulator 24. The demodulator 24 may be simply a photodiode followed by an electrical amplifier having a linear response. After the SCM signal is demodulated the subcarriers are separated by standard RF techniques with RF band-pass filters or local oscillators followed by low pass filters. Such techniques are known and will not be described further. Once the subcarriers have been separated they are passed to the users 14, 16, 18 by a distributor 26. This may be achieved via radio, cable, optical fibre or copper wire. FIG. 1 also shows the single carrier frequencies 34, 36, 38 that are used for communication with the users 14, 16, 18, and the combined SCM signal 40 which is present in the optic fibre 18.
It would have been obvious that the optical signals in Tennant can be combined in a known manner, such as frequency multiplexing as taught in Cavaliere. In particular, both are in the same technical field (e.g., optical communications) and the results would have been predictable.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 2016/0248485 (Kubo) at FIG. 3 illustrates a system including a base band unit 10 connected to a radio apparatus unit 20, connected by fiber 30.
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The BBU 10 includes mapping and control sections 102, 104. See:
[0028] Each of the constellation mapping sections 102 maps the data sequence input from the S/P conversion section 101 to the I/Q plane using various types of modulation schemes. In addition, as the modulation schemes, for example, it is possible to use BPSK (Binary Phase Shift Keying), QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying), 8PSK (8 Phase Shift Keying), 16QAM (16 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation), 64QAM (64 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) and the like.
[0030] The weight coefficient generation • control section 104 generates antenna weight coefficients of a plurality of antenna elements 205 for each subcarrier to output to the weight multiplying section 105. The antenna weight coefficients are generated for each of the antenna elements 205 and for each of the subcarriers.
The RAU 20 includes plural antennas 205. However, the connection between the BBU and RAU is via P/S 107 and S/P 202 sections. See:
[0034] Each of the P/S conversion sections 107 converts n parallel time-domain signals input from the corresponding IFFT section 106 into a serial time-domain signal to output to the corresponding CP adding section 108. Each of the CP adding sections 108 adds a cyclic prefix (guard interval) to the time-domain signal input from the corresponding P/S conversion section 107 to output to the P/S conversion section 109. The P/S conversion section 109 converts N.sub.T (N.sub.T=4, in FIG. 3) parallel time-domain signals into a serial time-domain signal to output to the electric/optical (E/O) conversion section 110, where N.sub.T is the number of antenna elements.
FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment with a mux 112 and demux 206.
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See:
[0057] The MUX section 112 multiplexes the time-domain signal input from the CP adding section 108 and the antenna weight coefficient information input from the weight coefficient generating section 111 to output to the E/O conversion section 110. For example, the MUX section 112 may multiplex the time-domain signal and the antenna weight coefficient information using an interface such as a CPRI. The E/O conversion section 110 converts the multiplexed signal from the MUX 112 from the electric signal into an optical signal. The E/O conversion section 110 transmits the converted optical signal to the RAU 20 via the optical transmission path 30.
US 2009/0002236 (Zhou) teaches an electro optical scanning phased array antenna for pulsed operation. In particular, it teaches the apparatus with a laser 14, an optical modulator 18 with RF input signal 20, plural antennas 12, a controller 42, a time delay loop 26 including a variable time delay element 32, and an optical amplifier 36. See, for example, FIG. 1 and [0028]:
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This optical circuit 26, furthermore, includes a variable time delay element 32, as well as fixed time delay elements made by the optical fibers connecting all the components in the loop. The optical loop circuit 26 also preferably includes an optical amplifier 36 along with an optical device 37 that cleans the optical noise and regulates the polarization in the loop.
Zhou also teaches that it was known to vary phase and time delay. See, for example:
[0004] In order to control the beam direction of the transmission, the previously known scanning antennas have utilized feed networks that vary either the phase or time delay between the feed point for the antenna and the individual antenna array elements. A broadside or undeflected beam occurs when the input signal reaches the individual antenna array elements at the same time and phase. In practice, the beam direction can be variedtheta, degrees off center from the broadside direction by varying the phase or time delay of the signal to the individual antenna elements.
[0005] In order to control the direction of the beam transmission from the antenna, many of the previously known antenna arrays have utilized variable phase networks wherein one network is connected between the signal input to the antenna array and each antenna element. These previously known antennas, however, have not proven wholly satisfactory in operation.
[0006] One disadvantage of utilizing variable phase networks to control the beam direction for the phased antenna array is that the variable phase networks are expensive and this expense increases dramatically as the number of antenna elements increases.
US 2014/0218240 (Kpodzo) teaches a system with an antenna array including both signal attenuation and delay. See, for example, FIG 2 and [0007]:
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[0007] To determine the SOIs from each of the elements in the array, the combined signal of interest and interference signals for each of the antenna array elements and/or the sample of the interference signal may be variably attenuated and/or variably delayed in the RF domain prior to being transformed to the optical domain. The RF variable attenuation and/or variable delay may increase the maximum operational range(s) of delays and/or gain ratios between the combined interference and SOI signals and the interference signal received separately from the signals of interest. The interference signal may be converted to the optical domain and optically phase shifted by -180 degrees (e.g., 180 degrees), which may result in an optically inverted interference signal. The optically inverted interference signal may be variably optically attenuated and/or variably optically time delayed, for example based on a detected output power of the optical portion of the interference cancellation system.
US 4,736,463 (Chavez) teaches an antenna array system. FIG. 4 illustrates a receiver embodiment with signals flowing from the antenna 23 to the receivers 56-60-M via optical dividers and combiners, and FIG. 7 illustrates a transmitter embodiment with signals flowing from the transmitter 218 to the antenna 160-164N via optical dividers and optical combiners. FIG. 6 illustrates a transceiver system with an array of antenna 84-87, a transmitter 80, and receiver 82, with signals flowing through optical combiners/dividers 125-128M, 114-117N and optical time delay network 130, using lasers 102-105N, 132-135M to transmit the optical signals within the apparatus, and using photodiode demodulators 108-111N, 138-141M to receive and convert the signals back to the electrical domain.
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Although not illustrated, it also teaches the use of attenuators. See col. 9, first full para:
(20) Further, it is evident that although the diagrams of FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 show a uniform amplitude weighting for the described beamforming system, special amplitude weightings are easily provided to yield beam patterns with low side lobes by providing appropriate attenuators in the optical fiber lines to achieve optimal signal amplitude weightings on transmit and receive.
US 2011/0124347 (Chen) at FIG. 8 teaches an antenna array:
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It also teaches that it was known to implement the signal processing using a PIC. See, for example, [0176]:
[0176] A variety of the functions described above with respect to the exemplary method are readily carried out by special or general-purpose digital information processing devices acting under appropriate instructions embodied, e.g., in software, firmware, or hardware programming. For example, functional modules of the FLOCS can be implemented as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) constructed with semiconductor technology and may also be implemented with FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), photonic integrated circuits (PIC) or any other suitable hardware blocks. In the case of software instructions, the software is stored in a memory and the stored instructions are carried out by a processor configured to executed the stored instructions.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DARREN WOLF whose telephone number is (571)270-3378. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, KENNETH N. VANDERPUYE can be reached at 571-272-3078. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DARREN E WOLF/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2634
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