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 .
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 15 is 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 15 recites: The beamforming device of claim 14, wherein the beamforming circuit is configured to phase-shift the modulated carrier frequency signal based on a residual beam control signal, wherein the residual beam control signal is determined based on the beam control signal and the delay introduced to the digital data signal and the clock signal by the delaying circuit of the distribution circuit when providing the delayed digital data signal and the delayed clock signal. Such was not located or reasonably suggested in the prior art.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 4-6, 9, 13, 17, 19, and 27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 as being anticipated by Ewen et al. (5130717) hereinafter “Ewen”.
As to claim 1, (Currently Amended) Ewen discloses A distribution device (18) for distribution a digital data signal and an associated clock signal to a plurality of sub-nodes, the distribution device comprising:
an obtaining circuit (40), configured to obtain the digital data signal (34-53), the clock signal (22) and a beam control signal (from 32) indicating a target beam direction for the digital data signal (See Figs 2-3 , col 4 lines 16-65, col 5 lines 47-55);
a delaying circuit (54), configured to, individually for one or more of the plurality of sub-nodes, delay the digital data signal and the clock signal based on the beam control signal, thereby providing a delayed digital data signal and a delayed clock signal (see col 5 line 67 – col 6 line 1); and
a provisioning circuit (60-68), configured to provide the delayed digital data signal and the delayed clock signal to the respective one or more of the plurality of sub-nodes.
As to claim 4, (Currently Amended) Ewen discloses The distribution device of claim 1, wherein the provisioning circuit is further configured to provide the beam control signal (32) to the respective one or more of the plurality of sub-nodes (40). See Fig 2
As to claim 5, (Currently Amended) Ewen discloses The distribution device of claim 1, wherein the digital data signal is obtained on a parallel interface See Fig 1 (each sub-array processor 18).
As to claim 6. (Currently Amended) Ewen discloses A distribution arrangement, comprising;
a distribution device for distribution a digital data signal and an associated clock signal to sub-nodes, the distribution device comprising: an obtaining circuit, a delaying circuit, and a provisioning circuit, (as applied above to claim 1); and
a first plurality (14/18) of the sub-nodes connected to the distribution arrangement (see Fig 1).
As to claim 9, (Currently Amended) Ewen discloses The distribution arrangement of claim 6, wherein at least a first sub-node of a first plurality of sub-nodes is connected to a second plurality of sub-nodes, wherein the first sub-node comprises the distribution device. See Figs 1-2.
As to claim 13, (Currently Amended) Ewen discloses A beamforming device, comprising a distribution arrangement, the distribution arrangement comprising:
a distribution device and a first plurality of the sub-nodes connected to the distribution arrangement (see claim 6 above); and
at least one of the sub-nodes being a leaf-node, the leaf node comprising: a conversion circuit (60) clocked by the delayed clock signal and configured to convert the delayed digital signal to an analog data signal; and a mixing circuit (62) configured to mix the analog data signal with a carrier frequency signal, thereby providing a modulated carrier frequency signal. See Fig 3. Col 6 lines 1-8.
As to claim 17, (Currently Amended) Ewen discloses The beamforming device of claim 13, wherein the leaf-node further comprises: a filtering circuit (inherent) configured to filter the analog data signal; and an amplifier (66) configured to amplify the phase-shifted analog data signal. See Fig 3.
As to claim 19, (Currently Amended) Ewen discloses The beamforming device of claim 13, wherein a relative bandwidth, RBW, of the modulated carrier frequency signal is above 1%, preferably above 3% and more preferably above 5%. Since Ewen discloses the structure claimed, it inherently produces the indicated results.
Claim 27 recites a method corresponding to the apparatus of claim 1. See citations above.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 2-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ewen as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Lim et al. (2009/0128204) hereinafter “Lim”.
As to claim 2. (Currently Amended) Ewen discloses The distribution device of claim 1, is silent to yet in an analogous art Lim discloses a delay locked loop, DLL, configured to align a signal delay to the one or more of the plurality of sub-nodes in relation to a period of the clock signal. See [0016]-[0017], [0090]-[0091]. Before the effective filing date of the instant invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to include a delay locked loop, DLL, configured to align a signal delay to the one or more of the plurality of sub-nodes in relation to a period of the clock signal for the purpose of improving precision / accuracy.
As to claim 3, (Currently Amended) Ewen discloses The distribution device of claim 1, is silent to yet in an analogous art Lim discloses a DLL configured to adjust a difference in the signal delay between two or more of the plurality of sub-nodes in relation to the period of the clock signal. See [0016]-[0017], [0090]-[0091]. Before the effective filing date of the instant invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to include a DLL configured to adjust a difference in the signal delay between two or more of the plurality of sub-nodes in relation to the period of the clock signal for the purpose of improving precision / accuracy.
Claim(s) 7-8 and 28-29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ewen.
As to claims 7-8, (Currently Amended) Ewen discloses The distribution arrangement of claim 6, is silent on yet the examiner takes official notice that before the effective filing date it was well known in the art for a first plurality of sub-nodes to be located at substantially equal distances from the distribution device (claim 7), and (claim 8) wherein the first plurality of sub-nodes are substantially symmetrically arranged about the distribution device. Before the effective filing date of the instant invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to locate the first plurality of sub-nodes at substantially equal distances from the distribution device (claim 7) and arrange the sub-nodes substantially symmetrically about the distribution device for the purpose of simplifying design calculations.
As to claim Claims 28 and 29 (Currently Amended) Ewen discloses The method of claim 27, is silent on yet the examiner takes official notice that before the effective filing date it was well known in the art to calibrate a first signal delay to adjust for a signal delay to one or more of the plurality of sub-nodes in relation to a period of the clock signal (claim 28) and to calibrate a second signal delay to adjust for a difference in the signal delay between two or more of the plurality of sub-nodes in relation to a period of the clock signal (claim 29) in order to improve the accuracy of the signals.
Claim(s) 14, 18, and 30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ewen as applied to claim 13 above, and further in view of Hajimiri et al. (20200204244) hereinafter “Hajimiri”.
As to claim 14, (Currently Amended) Ewen discloses The beamforming device of claim 13, is silent to yet in an analogous art Hajimiri discloses wherein the leaf-node further comprises a beamforming circuit configured to phase-shift the modulated carrier frequency signal based on the beam control signal. See Figs 3A-C, 15, 17, etc. Before the effective filing date of the instant invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to add a beamforming circuit configured to phase-shift the modulated carrier frequency signal based on the beam control signal as taught by Hajimiri for the purpose of providing further precision.
As to claim 18, (Currently Amended) the combination discloses The beamforming device of claim 14, Ewen further discloses a plurality of beamforming circuits (18) and amplifiers (66), wherein each beamforming circuit (18) is configured to be operatively connected to an antenna element (14). See Figs 1-3.
As to claim 16, (Currently Amended) Ewen discloses The beamforming device of claim 13, is silent to yet in an analogous art Hajimiri discloses a carrier phase-shifting circuit configured to subject the carrier frequency signal to a phase-shift corresponding to the delay introduced to the digital data signal and the clock signal by the delaying circuit when providing the delayed digital data signal and the delayed clock signal prior to the carrier frequency signal being provided to the mixing circuit. See Figs 3A-C, 15, 17, etc. Before the effective filing date of the instant invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to add a carrier phase-shifting circuit configured to subject the carrier frequency signal to a phase-shift corresponding to the delay introduced to the digital data signal and the clock signal by the delaying circuit when providing the delayed digital data signal and the delayed clock signal prior to the carrier frequency signal being provided to the mixing circuit as taught by Hajimiri for the purpose of providing further precision / accuracy.
As to claim 30, (Currently Amended) Ewen discloses The method of claim 27, is silent to yet in an analogous art Hajimiri discloses: for at least one of the sub-nodes, phase-shifting, a carrier frequency signal for subsequent mixing of an analog representation of the associated delayed digital signal, with a phase-shift corresponding to the delay introduced to the digital data signal and the clock signal when providing the delayed digital data signal and the delayed clock signal. See Figs 3A-C, 15, 17, etc. Before the effective filing date of the instant invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art for at least one of the sub-nodes, phase-shifting, a carrier frequency signal for subsequent mixing of an analog representation of the associated delayed digital signal, with a phase-shift corresponding to the delay introduced to the digital data signal and the clock signal when providing the delayed digital data signal and the delayed clock signal as taught by Hajimiri for the purpose of providing further precision / accuracy.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LESTER KINCAID whose telephone number is (571)272-7922. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th: 7-5.
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LESTER G. KINCAID
Primary Patent Examiner
Art Unit 2649
/LESTER G KINCAID/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2649
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