DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 3, and 16-17 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claims 1 and 16 a comma “,” need to be added at the end of the limitation “determine/determining distance information between the second plurality of pairs of antennas based on the determined first one-way phase information, antenna branch phase response data, and the absolute clock offset data”.
Regarding claim 3, the claim recites “s” and “ms”, these abbreviations need to be spelled out.
Regarding claim 17, the claim needs to recite all the limitations of claim 1.
Appropriate correction is required.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 15 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims and overcome the Claim Objections set forth in this Office action.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2, 4-14, and 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kari (WO2021064295A1).
Regarding claim 1, the cited reference Kari discloses a method for determining at least one distance between pairs of antennas, each antenna relating to a radio unit, the method comprising performing self-measurements via at least a portion of the antennas at selected first time intervals, and determining self-measurement phase information for each antenna participating in the self-measurements (Fig. 5 and Page 10 lines 29-33, page 11 lines 6-8, page 28-29), performing first two-way transmissions between a first plurality of the pairs of antennas at the first time intervals, and determining first two-way phase information for each pair of antennas participating in the first two-way transmissions, obtaining information regarding clock rates and Doppler frequencies for the first plurality of pairs of antennas, determining antenna branch phase response data for the antennas of the first plurality of pairs of antennas and absolute clock offset data between the radio units associated with the first plurality of pairs of antennas using the self-measurement phase information, the first two-way phase information, and the information regarding clock rates and Doppler frequencies (page 10, line 29, page 11, line 8, page 25, line 25 - page 27, line 18; Fig. 5; a distance variable is determined based on two-way phase information), performing first one-way transmissions between a second plurality of pairs of antennas at selected second time intervals, and determining first one-way phase information for each pair of antennas participating in the first one-way transmissions, determining distance information between the second plurality of pairs of antennas based on the determined first one-way phase information, antenna branch phase response data, and the absolute clock offset data (page 23, lines 8-9 page 25, lines 3-5, Fig. 4; distance variables are determined based on time synchronization signals), performing second two-way transmissions between a third plurality of the pairs of antennas at selected third time intervals, and determining second two-way phase information for each pair of antennas participating in the second two-way transmissions, tracking the clock offset changes between the radio units based on the second two- way phase information and the information regarding clock rates and Doppler frequencies (page 20, lines 20-21, page 22, line 33 for multiple two-way measurement cycles), performing second one-way transmissions between the second plurality of pairs of antennas at selected fourth time intervals, and determining second one-way phase information for each pair of antennas participating in the second one-way transmissions (page 23, linse 8-9 - page 25, line 3, and Fig. 4; distance variables are determined based on time synchronization signals), and updating the distance information between the second plurality of pairs of antennas based on the determined second one-way phase information, the tracked clock offset changes and the antenna branch phase response data (page 27, line 19, page 28, line 26; measurement cycles are repeated to update said distance variables).
Regarding claim 2, the cited reference Kari discloses wherein the first time intervals are longer than the second and third time intervals, preferably wherein the second time intervals are longer than the third time intervals, and the third time intervals are longer than the fourth time intervals (page 17, lines 30-32 - page 18, lines 6-7).
Regarding claim 4, the cited reference Kari discloses wherein the first two- way transmissions and first one-way transmissions are utilized to determine distance information and
absolute clock offset data comprising resolved integer ambiguity (page 27, lines 4-18).
Regarding claim 5, the cited reference Kari discloses wherein transmitting radio units transmit at least one signal within a predetermined time slot and in predetermined order (page 8, lines 18-20).
Regarding claim 6, the cited reference Kari discloses wherein the second plurality of pairs of antennas comprises all pairs of antennas between which distances are to be determined (page 20, lines 20-21 and page 22, line 33).
Regarding claim 7, the cited reference Kari discloses wherein at least a first portion of the antennas are fixed, and at least a second portion of antennas are movable (page 27, lines 19-20 and page 28, line 26).
Regarding claim 8, the cited reference Kari discloses wherein the method additionally comprises performing at least two sets of preliminary two-way transmissions between the first plurality of the pairs of antennas at an initiation step, and determining preliminary sets of two-way phase information for each pair of antennas participating in the preliminary two-way transmissions (page 7, line 32 and page 8, line 16).
Regarding claim 9, the cited reference Kari discloses wherein the method comprises determining the information regarding preliminary clock rates for the radio units associated with the first plurality of pairs of antennas based on the two sets of preliminary two-way phase information (page 7, line 32 and page 8, line 16).
Regarding claim 10, the cited reference Kari discloses wherein the method comprises determining the information regarding Doppler frequencies for the first plurality of the pairs of antennas based on the two sets of preliminary two-way phase information (page 7, line 32 and page 8, line 16).
Regarding claim 11, the cited reference Kari discloses wherein the third plurality of pairs of antennas comprises less pairs of antennas than the first or second plurality of pairs of antennas, wherein the third plurality of pairs of antennas comprises at least one antenna per radio unit (page 20, lines 20-21 and page 22, line 33).
Regarding claim 12, the cited reference Kari discloses wherein the third plurality of pairs of antennas comprises at least one antenna per each radio unit that is associated with antennas comprised in the first plurality of antennas (page 20, lines 20-21 and page 22, line 33).
Regarding claim 13, the cited reference Kari discloses wherein the first two- way transmissions and the first one-way transmissions are each carried out utilizing at least three different frequencies with selected differences between the frequencies, preferably wherein the at least three frequencies span a selected frequency range, such as at least over 200 MHz, more preferably over 500 MHz (page 16, lines 15-20).
Regarding claim 14, the cited reference Kari discloses wherein the second two- way transmissions and the second one-way transmissions are carried out utilizing less frequencies than the first two-way transmissions and the first one-way transmissions, advantageously only one to two frequencies (page 16, lines 15-20).
Regarding claim 16, the claim is drawn to a method performing substantially the same features of the method of claim 1. Therefore, the claim is subject to the same rejection as claim 1.
Regarding claim 17, the cited reference Kari discloses a computer program product comprising program code means adapted to run on the processor of an arrangement (page 11) and perform substantially the same features of the method of claim 1. Therefore, the claim is subject to the same rejection as claim 1.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ABDELILLAH ELMEJJARMI whose telephone number is (571)270-1656. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Fri: 8AM-5PM EST.
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Respectfully submitted,
/ABDELILLAH ELMEJJARMI/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2462
Prosecution Insights