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 .
DETAILED OFFICE ACTION
Status of Claims
Claims 1-11 and 13-20 are pending examination.
Claim 12 is Allowed .
Reason of Allowance
1. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Prior art made of record fails to teach the limitations underlined within the independent claims mentioned below.
Regarding claim 12, A signal processor configured to compensate for phase noise in a received digital signal, the signal processor comprising: a first path of a phase noise compensator configured to compute a phase delay of the received digital signal and generate a phase-noise-compensated digital signal by applying to the received digital signal the phase delay computed; and a second path of the phase noise compensator, the second path including: a first stage of the second path configured to compute the phase delay of the received digital signal and generate a partially phase-noise-compensated digital signal by applying to the received digital signal the phase delay computed; and a second stage of the second path coupled to the first stage, the second stage configured to (i) compute a set of components of the partially phase-noise-compensated digital signal, (ii) determine, on a per-component basis, a respective phase distortion for components of the set of components computed, (iii) compute a set of corrected components by applying, on the per-component basis, the respective phase distortion determined, and (iv) generate a further phase-noise-compensated digital signal based on the set of corrected components computed; the signal processor further configured to compensate for the phase noise using the first path or the second path based upon a threshold of the phase noise in the received digital signal.
As per claim 12, KAMIYA ( USPUB 20180019835) teaches A signal processor configured to compensate for phase noise in a received digital signal (FIG . 1 and Paragraph [0009]- “…compensating phase noise in a MIMO communications system, there is a proposal that when MIMO communication is performed between two wireless stations (sites) performing bidirectional communication, measurement of a phase shift is performed based on phase measurement on the forward channel so as to calculate a phase correction to the backward channel based on the measured phase shift and apply the calculated phase correction to the backward channel…” AND Paragraph [0045]), the signal processor comprising: a first path of a phase noise compensator configured to compute a phase delay of the received digital signal and generate a phase-noise-compensated digital signal by applying to the received digital signal the phase delay computed ( Paragraphs [0047-0049] AND [0050-0053]- “… two stages of compensation are performed such that the received signal is compensated first for the phase shift resulting from the phase noise independently arising at each of the multiple receiving antennas, then compensated for interference, and thereafter compensation for the residual phase noise containing phase noise at the transmitting antennas is performed. As a result, it is possible to compensate for deterioration due to independent phase noise at each antenna, and realize high-capacity data communication by combined use of multilevel transmission and line-of-sight MIMO transmission….Here, φ.sub.1.sup.(T), φ.sub.2.sup.(T) are phase noise caused by transmitting antennas #1, #2 and represented by phase rotators 802. h.sub.11, h.sub.21, h.sub.12, h.sub.22 denote impulse responses of four transmission paths 804 in MIMO transmission, θ denotes the phase rotation by the delay difference between the transmission paths and is represented by phase rotators 805…”); and a second path of the phase noise compensator, the second path including: a first stage of the second path configured to compute the phase delay of the received digital signal and generate a partially phase-noise-compensated digital signal by applying to the received digital signal the phase delay computed ( Paragraphs [0048-0049]- “…two stages of compensation are performed such that the received signal is compensated first for the phase shift resulting from the phase noise independently arising at each of the multiple receiving antennas, then compensated for interference, and thereafter compensation for the residual phase noise containing phase noise at the transmitting antennas is performed. As a result, it is possible to compensate for deterioration due to independent phase noise at each antenna, and realize high-capacity data communication by combined use of multilevel transmission and line-of-sight MIMO transmission…”); and a second stage of the second path coupled to the first stage, the second stage configured to (i) compute a set of components of the partially phase-noise-compensated digital signal( Paragraphs [0048-0049]- “…two stages of compensation are performed such that the received signal is compensated first for the phase shift resulting from the phase noise independently arising at each of the multiple receiving antennas, then compensated for interference, and thereafter compensation for the residual phase noise containing phase noise at the transmitting antennas is performed. As a result, it is possible to compensate for deterioration due to independent phase noise at each antenna, and realize high-capacity data communication by combined use of multilevel transmission and line-of-sight MIMO transmission…”),
Within analogous art, Ezra M. Ip et al. ( NPL Doc: “Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing,” 03rd February 2010, JOURNAL OF LIGHTWAVE TECHNOLOGY, Pages 502-517.) teaches (ii) determine, on a per-component basis, a respective phase distortion for components of the set of components computed( Page 507- Col. 2- “…When an insufficient oversampling rate is used, aliasing by the A/D causes signal cancellation in the frequency domain. The resulting noise enhancement leads to unacceptable power penalty [14], [15]. Fig. 5 shows the equalizer length required to overcome residual CD with 2-dB power penalty. For oversampling rates of 3/2 or higher, the residual CD compensated increases linearly with , but for symbol-rate sampling, the maximum tolerable residual CD only reaches an asymptote, as the combination of phase distortion and aliasing causes signal cancellation….”), (iii) compute a set of corrected components by applying, on the per-component basis, the respective phase distortion determined( Page 515- Col. 1- “…the signal maintains its shape throughout transmission except for distortion by amplifier noise. Hence, the received or transmitted signal is a good estimate of the signal profile through the channel, and it is possible to compensate nonlinearity by derotating the received (or transmitted) signal by a phase proportional to its instantaneous amplitude. Nonlinear derotation (NLD) was studied in [52], where it was found that compensating half the nonlinear mean phase shift reduces NLPN variance by 6 dB. In practice, submarine channels that use low-dispersion fibers and near-perfect dispersion compensation after every span to keep accumulated dispersion within a symbol are well modeled as “zero dispersion,”…”), and (iv) generate a further phase-noise-compensated digital signal based on the set of corrected components computed( Page 515- Col. 2- “…other DSP operation required is laser phase noise compensation. In practice, if BP does not take into account all the parameters of the channel, such as unknown PMD in the fiber, a linear equalizer can be inserted following BP to compensate the residual effects. Since BP (including its NLD approximation) is only concerned with the electric field, it is a universal compensation algorithm independent of the modulation format, which is applicable to both SC and OFDM formats, and can even be used for WDM signals. Simplified versions of Fig. 20 have been employed. For example, transmitter-side NLD was studied in [60], receiver-side NLD was studied in [61], while Lowery [62] showed that performance can be further improved by splitting NLD between the transmitter and the receiver….”);
But does not teach the limitations as mentioned within the claim: “the signal processor further configured to compensate for the phase noise using the first path or the second path based upon a threshold of the phase noise in the received digital signal.”
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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
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.
2. Claims 1,13 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C 103(a) as being unpatentable over KAMIYA ( USPUB 20180019835) in view of Ezra M. Ip et al. ( NPL Doc: “Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing,” 03rd February 2010, JOURNAL OF LIGHTWAVE TECHNOLOGY, Pages 502-517.) .
As per claim 1, KAMIYA teaches A signal processor configured to compensate for phase noise in a received digital signal( FIG . 1 and Paragraph [0009]- “…compensating phase noise in a MIMO communications system, there is a proposal that when MIMO communication is performed between two wireless stations (sites) performing bidirectional communication, measurement of a phase shift is performed based on phase measurement on the forward channel so as to calculate a phase correction to the backward channel based on the measured phase shift and apply the calculated phase correction to the backward channel…” AND Paragraph [0045]) , the signal processor comprising: a first stage of a phase noise compensator configured to compute a phase delay of the received digital signal and generate a partially phase-noise-compensated digital signal by applying to the received digital signal the phase delay computed ( Paragraphs [0047-0049] AND [0050-0053]- “… two stages of compensation are performed such that the received signal is compensated first for the phase shift resulting from the phase noise independently arising at each of the multiple receiving antennas, then compensated for interference, and thereafter compensation for the residual phase noise containing phase noise at the transmitting antennas is performed. As a result, it is possible to compensate for deterioration due to independent phase noise at each antenna, and realize high-capacity data communication by combined use of multilevel transmission and line-of-sight MIMO transmission….Here, φ.sub.1.sup.(T), φ.sub.2.sup.(T) are phase noise caused by transmitting antennas #1, #2 and represented by phase rotators 802. h.sub.11, h.sub.21, h.sub.12, h.sub.22 denote impulse responses of four transmission paths 804 in MIMO transmission, θ denotes the phase rotation by the delay difference between the transmission paths and is represented by phase rotators 805…”) ; and a second stage of the phase noise compensator coupled to the first stage, the second stage configured to (i) compute a set of components of the partially phase-noise-compensated digital signal ( Paragraphs [0048-0049]- “…two stages of compensation are performed such that the received signal is compensated first for the phase shift resulting from the phase noise independently arising at each of the multiple receiving antennas, then compensated for interference, and thereafter compensation for the residual phase noise containing phase noise at the transmitting antennas is performed. As a result, it is possible to compensate for deterioration due to independent phase noise at each antenna, and realize high-capacity data communication by combined use of multilevel transmission and line-of-sight MIMO transmission…”) ,
KAMIYA does not explicitly teach (ii) determine, on a per-component basis, a respective phase distortion for components of the set of components computed, (iii) compute a set of corrected components by applying, on the per-component basis, the respective phase distortion determined, and (iv) generate a further phase-noise-compensated digital signal based on the set of corrected components computed. However, within analogous art, Ezra M. Ip et al. teaches (ii) determine, on a per-component basis, a respective phase distortion for components of the set of components computed ( Page 507- Col. 2- “…When an insufficient oversampling rate is used, aliasing by the A/D causes signal cancellation in the frequency domain. The resulting noise enhancement leads to unacceptable power penalty [14], [15]. Fig. 5 shows the equalizer length required to overcome residual CD with 2-dB power penalty. For oversampling rates of 3/2 or higher, the residual CD compensated increases linearly with , but for symbol-rate sampling, the maximum tolerable residual CD only reaches an asymptote, as the combination of phase distortion and aliasing causes signal cancellation….”) , (iii) compute a set of corrected components by applying, on the per-component basis, the respective phase distortion determined ( Page 515- Col. 1- “…the signal maintains its shape throughout transmission except for distortion by amplifier noise. Hence, the received or transmitted signal is a good estimate of the signal profile through the channel, and it is possible to compensate nonlinearity by derotating the received (or transmitted) signal by a phase proportional to its instantaneous amplitude. Nonlinear derotation (NLD) was studied in [52], where it was found that compensating half the nonlinear mean phase shift reduces NLPN variance by 6 dB. In practice, submarine channels that use low-dispersion fibers and near-perfect dispersion compensation after every span to keep accumulated dispersion within a symbol are well modeled as “zero dispersion,”…”) , and (iv) generate a further phase-noise-compensated digital signal based on the set of corrected components computed ( Page 515- Col. 2- “…other DSP operation required is laser phase noise compensation. In practice, if BP does not take into account all the parameters of the channel, such as unknown PMD in the fiber, a linear equalizer can be inserted following BP to compensate the residual effects. Since BP (including its NLD approximation) is only concerned with the electric field, it is a universal compensation algorithm independent of the modulation format, which is applicable to both SC and OFDM formats, and can even be used for WDM signals. Simplified versions of Fig. 20 have been employed. For example, transmitter-side NLD was studied in [60], receiver-side NLD was studied in [61], while Lowery [62] showed that performance can be further improved by splitting NLD between the transmitter and the receiver….”) .
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teaching of Ezra M. Ip et al. within the modified teaching of the MIMO demodulating apparatus and method, and line-of-sight wireless communications system mentioned by KAMIYA because the Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing mentioned by Ezra M. Ip et al. provides a method and system for implementation of nonlinear model for the joint compensation for impairment within optical fiber communication system .
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one in the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to the Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing mentioned by Ezra M. Ip et al. within the MIMO demodulating apparatus and method, and line-of-sight wireless communications system mentioned by KAMIYA for implementation of nonlinear model for the joint compensation for impairment within optical fiber communication system .
As per claim 13, KAMIYA teaches A method for compensating for phase noise in a received digital signal( FIG . 1 and Paragraph [0009]- “…compensating phase noise in a MIMO communications system, there is a proposal that when MIMO communication is performed between two wireless stations (sites) performing bidirectional communication, measurement of a phase shift is performed based on phase measurement on the forward channel so as to calculate a phase correction to the backward channel based on the measured phase shift and apply the calculated phase correction to the backward channel…” AND Paragraph [0045]), the method comprising: computing a phase delay of the received digital signal( Paragraph [0083]- “…impulse responses of the transmission paths through MIMO transmission channels 803 for horizontal polarization. θ denotes phase rotation by the delay difference between transmission paths…”); generating a partially phase-noise-compensated digital signal by applying to the received digital signal the phase delay computed( Paragraphs [0047-0049] AND [0050-0053]- “… two stages of compensation are performed such that the received signal is compensated first for the phase shift resulting from the phase noise independently arising at each of the multiple receiving antennas, then compensated for interference, and thereafter compensation for the residual phase noise containing phase noise at the transmitting antennas is performed. As a result, it is possible to compensate for deterioration due to independent phase noise at each antenna, and realize high-capacity data communication by combined use of multilevel transmission and line-of-sight MIMO transmission….Here, φ.sub.1.sup.(T), φ.sub.2.sup.(T) are phase noise caused by transmitting antennas #1, #2 and represented by phase rotators 802. h.sub.11, h.sub.21, h.sub.12, h.sub.22 denote impulse responses of four transmission paths 804 in MIMO transmission, θ denotes the phase rotation by the delay difference between the transmission paths and is represented by phase rotators 805…”); computing a set of components of the partially phase-noise-compensated digital signal( Paragraphs [0048-0049]- “…two stages of compensation are performed such that the received signal is compensated first for the phase shift resulting from the phase noise independently arising at each of the multiple receiving antennas, then compensated for interference, and thereafter compensation for the residual phase noise containing phase noise at the transmitting antennas is performed. As a result, it is possible to compensate for deterioration due to independent phase noise at each antenna, and realize high-capacity data communication by combined use of multilevel transmission and line-of-sight MIMO transmission…”);
KAMIYA does not explicitly teach determining, on a per-component basis, a respective phase distortion for components of components of the set of components computed; computing a set of corrected components by applying, on the per-component basis, the respective phase distortion determined; and generating a further phase-noise-compensated digital signal based on the set of corrected components computed.
However, within analogous art, Ezra M. Ip et al. teaches determining, on a per-component basis, a respective phase distortion for components of components of the set of components computed ( Page 507- Col. 2- “…When an insufficient oversampling rate is used, aliasing by the A/D causes signal cancellation in the frequency domain. The resulting noise enhancement leads to unacceptable power penalty [14], [15]. Fig. 5 shows the equalizer length required to overcome residual CD with 2-dB power penalty. For oversampling rates of 3/2 or higher, the residual CD compensated increases linearly with , but for symbol-rate sampling, the maximum tolerable residual CD only reaches an asymptote, as the combination of phase distortion and aliasing causes signal cancellation….”) ; computing a set of corrected components by applying, on the per-component basis, the respective phase distortion determined ( Page 515- Col. 1- “…the signal maintains its shape throughout transmission except for distortion by amplifier noise. Hence, the received or transmitted signal is a good estimate of the signal profile through the channel, and it is possible to compensate nonlinearity by derotating the received (or transmitted) signal by a phase proportional to its instantaneous amplitude. Nonlinear derotation (NLD) was studied in [52], where it was found that compensating half the nonlinear mean phase shift reduces NLPN variance by 6 dB. In practice, submarine channels that use low-dispersion fibers and near-perfect dispersion compensation after every span to keep accumulated dispersion within a symbol are well modeled as “zero dispersion,”…”); and generating a further phase-noise-compensated digital signal based on the set of corrected components computed ( Page 515- Col. 2- “…other DSP operation required is laser phase noise compensation. In practice, if BP does not take into account all the parameters of the channel, such as unknown PMD in the fiber, a linear equalizer can be inserted following BP to compensate the residual effects. Since BP (including its NLD approximation) is only concerned with the electric field, it is a universal compensation algorithm independent of the modulation format, which is applicable to both SC and OFDM formats, and can even be used for WDM signals. Simplified versions of Fig. 20 have been employed. For example, transmitter-side NLD was studied in [60], receiver-side NLD was studied in [61], while Lowery [62] showed that performance can be further improved by splitting NLD between the transmitter and the receiver….”) .
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teaching of Ezra M. Ip et al. within the modified teaching of the MIMO demodulating apparatus and method, and line-of-sight wireless communications system mentioned by KAMIYA because the Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing mentioned by Ezra M. Ip et al. provides a method and system for implementation of nonlinear model for the joint compensation for impairment within optical fiber communication system .
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one in the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to the Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing mentioned by Ezra M. Ip et al. within the MIMO demodulating apparatus and method, and line-of-sight wireless communications system mentioned by KAMIYA for implementation of nonlinear model for the joint compensation for impairment within optical fiber communication system .
As per claim 20, KAMIYA teaches A non-transitory computer-readable medium for compensating for phase noise in a received digital signal( Paragraph [0075]- “ a non-transitory and computer-readable recording medium storing such a program may and should be included in the scope of the present invention. Alternatively, some of phase difference corrector 101, interference compensators 102, phase noise compensators 103,…”) , the non-transitory computer-readable medium having encoded thereon a sequence of instructions which ( Paragraph [0075]- “…some of phase difference corrector 101, interference compensators 102, phase noise compensators 103, signal determiners 104 and phase rotators 105 may be configured by hardware while the others may be realized as functional components by software….”) , when loaded and executed by at least one processor ( Paragraph [0105]- “… computer program that causes a computer to execute the steps from Steps 1200 to 1207 shown in FIG. 15 may be prepared, and loaded on the memory of the computer so that the CPU of the computer can run the program to realize MIMO demodulating apparatus 500….”) , causes the at least one processor to: compute a phase delay of the received digital signal ( Paragraph [0083]- “…impulse responses of the transmission paths through MIMO transmission channels 803 for horizontal polarization. θ denotes phase rotation by the delay difference between transmission paths…”) ; generate a partially phase-noise-compensated digital signal by applying to the received digital signal the phase delay computed( Paragraphs [0047-0049] AND [0050-0053]- “… two stages of compensation are performed such that the received signal is compensated first for the phase shift resulting from the phase noise independently arising at each of the multiple receiving antennas, then compensated for interference, and thereafter compensation for the residual phase noise containing phase noise at the transmitting antennas is performed. As a result, it is possible to compensate for deterioration due to independent phase noise at each antenna, and realize high-capacity data communication by combined use of multilevel transmission and line-of-sight MIMO transmission….Here, φ.sub.1.sup.(T), φ.sub.2.sup.(T) are phase noise caused by transmitting antennas #1, #2 and represented by phase rotators 802. h.sub.11, h.sub.21, h.sub.12, h.sub.22 denote impulse responses of four transmission paths 804 in MIMO transmission, θ denotes the phase rotation by the delay difference between the transmission paths and is represented by phase rotators 805…”);
compute a set of components of the partially phase-noise-compensated digital signa( Paragraphs [0048-0049]- “…two stages of compensation are performed such that the received signal is compensated first for the phase shift resulting from the phase noise independently arising at each of the multiple receiving antennas, then compensated for interference, and thereafter compensation for the residual phase noise containing phase noise at the transmitting antennas is performed. As a result, it is possible to compensate for deterioration due to independent phase noise at each antenna, and realize high-capacity data communication by combined use of multilevel transmission and line-of-sight MIMO transmission…”);
KAMIYA does not explicitly teach determine, on a per-component basis, a respective phase distortion for components of components of the set of components computed; compute a set of corrected components by applying, on the per-component basis, the respective phase distortion determined; and generate a further phase-noise-compensated digital signal based on the set of corrected components computed.
However, within analogous art, Ezra M. Ip et al. teaches determine, on a per-component basis, a respective phase distortion for components of components of the set of components computed ( Page 507- Col. 2- “…When an insufficient oversampling rate is used, aliasing by the A/D causes signal cancellation in the frequency domain. The resulting noise enhancement leads to unacceptable power penalty [14], [15]. Fig. 5 shows the equalizer length required to overcome residual CD with 2-dB power penalty. For oversampling rates of 3/2 or higher, the residual CD compensated increases linearly with , but for symbol-rate sampling, the maximum tolerable residual CD only reaches an asymptote, as the combination of phase distortion and aliasing causes signal cancellation….”) ; compute a set of corrected components by applying, on the per-component basis, the respective phase distortion determined ( Page 515- Col. 1- “…the signal maintains its shape throughout transmission except for distortion by amplifier noise. Hence, the received or transmitted signal is a good estimate of the signal profile through the channel, and it is possible to compensate nonlinearity by derotating the received (or transmitted) signal by a phase proportional to its instantaneous amplitude. Nonlinear derotation (NLD) was studied in [52], where it was found that compensating half the nonlinear mean phase shift reduces NLPN variance by 6 dB. In practice, submarine channels that use low-dispersion fibers and near-perfect dispersion compensation after every span to keep accumulated dispersion within a symbol are well modeled as “zero dispersion,”…”); and generate a further phase-noise-compensated digital signal based on the set of corrected components computed( Page 515- Col. 2- “…other DSP operation required is laser phase noise compensation. In practice, if BP does not take into account all the parameters of the channel, such as unknown PMD in the fiber, a linear equalizer can be inserted following BP to compensate the residual effects. Since BP (including its NLD approximation) is only concerned with the electric field, it is a universal compensation algorithm independent of the modulation format, which is applicable to both SC and OFDM formats, and can even be used for WDM signals. Simplified versions of Fig. 20 have been employed. For example, transmitter-side NLD was studied in [60], receiver-side NLD was studied in [61], while Lowery [62] showed that performance can be further improved by splitting NLD between the transmitter and the receiver….”) .
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teaching of Ezra M. Ip et al. within the modified teaching of the MIMO demodulating apparatus and method, and line-of-sight wireless communications system mentioned by KAMIYA because the Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing mentioned by Ezra M. Ip et al. provides a method and system for implementation of nonlinear model for the joint compensation for impairment within optical fiber communication system .
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one in the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to the Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing mentioned by Ezra M. Ip et al. within the MIMO demodulating apparatus and method, and line-of-sight wireless communications system mentioned by KAMIYA for implementation of nonlinear model for the joint compensation for impairment within optical fiber communication system .
3. Claims 2,3,4.5 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C 103(a) as being unpatentable over KAMIYA ( USPUB 20180019835) in view of Ezra M. Ip et al. ( NPL Doc: “Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing,” 03rd February 2010, JOURNAL OF LIGHTWAVE TECHNOLOGY, Pages 502-517.) in further view of AGAZZI et al. ( USPUB 20170317759).
As per claim 2, Combination of KAMIYA and Ezra M. Ip et al. teach claim 1,
Combination of KAMIYA and Ezra M. Ip et al. does not explicitly teach wherein the first stage includes a clock phase detector and wherein the clock phase detector is configured to compute the phase delay of the received digital signal.
Within analogous art, AGAZZI et al. teaches wherein the first stage includes a clock phase detector and wherein the clock phase detector is configured to compute the phase delay of the received digital signal ( Paragraph [0081]- “…Phase and Frequency Detector 274 computes a phase error as a difference between the square magnitude of the (complex) samples of the received signal sampled at instances T/4 before and T/4 after a center of the eye (as shown in FIG. 3b). Phase and Frequency Detector 274 thereby generates a substantially sinusoidal tone at a frequency corresponding to the difference frequency between a local sampling clock at the receiver and a transmit clock at the transmitter. …”) .
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teaching of AGAZZI et al. within the combined modified teaching of the MIMO demodulating apparatus and method, and line-of-sight wireless communications system mentioned by KAMIYA and the Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing mentioned by Ezra M. Ip et al. because the Coherent transceiver architecture mentioned by AGAZZI et al. provides a method and system for implementation of clock and timing circuity within digital data signal transmission system.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one in the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to the Coherent transceiver architecture mentioned by AGAZZI et al. within the combined modified teaching of the MIMO demodulating apparatus and method, and line-of-sight wireless communications system mentioned by KAMIYA and the Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing mentioned by Ezra M. Ip et al. for implementation of clock and timing circuity within digital data signal transmission system.
As per claim 3, Combination of KAMIYA and Ezra M. Ip et al. teach claim 1,
Combination of KAMIYA and Ezra M. Ip et al. does not explicitly teach wherein the first stage is further configured to derive a phase offset from the phase delay computed and to generate the phase-noise-compensated signal by applying the phase offset derived to the received digital signal.
Within analogous art, AGAZZI et al. teaches wherein the first stage is further configured to derive a phase offset from the phase delay computed and to generate the phase-noise-compensated signal by applying the phase offset derived to the received digital signal ( Paragraphs [0091-0093]- “…The estimated residual phase error is inputted to the integrator block 458-a and proportional block 458-b to perform frequency offset estimation and phase offset estimation respectively. The frequency offset estimated by the integrator block 458-a is used as feedback to achieve frequency offset compensation in block 453 and may also provide feedback to coarse carrier recovery block 162….”) .
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teaching of AGAZZI et al. within the combined modified teaching of the MIMO demodulating apparatus and method, and line-of-sight wireless communications system mentioned by KAMIYA and the Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing mentioned by Ezra M. Ip et al. because the Coherent transceiver architecture mentioned by AGAZZI et al. provides a method and system for implementation of clock and timing circuity within digital data signal transmission system.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one in the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to the Coherent transceiver architecture mentioned by AGAZZI et al. within the combined modified teaching of the MIMO demodulating apparatus and method, and line-of-sight wireless communications system mentioned by KAMIYA and the Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing mentioned by Ezra M. Ip et al. for implementation of clock and timing circuity within digital data signal transmission system.
As per claim 4, Combination of KAMIYA and Ezra M. Ip et al. teach claim 1,
Combination of KAMIYA and Ezra M. Ip et al. does not explicitly teach wherein the first stage includes a clock phase interpolator and wherein the clock phase interpolator is configured to generate the partially phase-noise-compensated digital signal.
Within analogous art, AGAZZI et al. teaches wherein the first stage includes a clock phase interpolator and wherein the clock phase interpolator is configured to generate the partially phase-noise-compensated digital signal ( Paragraph [0076]- “…the Interpolator 164 may accommodate a wide range of interpolation factors. These interpolation factors can be changed by configuration, but they remain fixed during the transceiver operation on a given channel. In addition to accommodating this wide range of sampling rate conversions, the Interpolator 164 compensates for the relatively small and random frequency difference between the local receive clock and the baud rate of the received signal under the control of Timing Recovery 166. This means that, once the Timing Recovery 166 has acquired synchronization, the local receive clock will be identical in frequency to the baud clock of the incoming signal, and the Interpolator 164 will adjust its interpolation factor (under the control of Timing Recovery 166) to provide the correct sampling rate conversion….”) .
As per claim 5, Combination of KAMIYA and Ezra M. Ip et al. and AGAZZI et al. teach claim 3,
Combination of KAMIYA and Ezra M. Ip et al. does not explicitly teach wherein the clock phase interpolator includes a filter associated with a plurality of coefficients and wherein the first stage is further configured to compute a coefficient of the plurality of coefficients based on the phase delay computed.
Within analogous art, AGAZZI et al. teaches wherein the clock phase interpolator includes a filter associated with a plurality of coefficients and wherein the first stage is further configured to compute a coefficient of the plurality of coefficients based on the phase delay computed ( Paragraphs [0087-0089]- “…Interpolator 164 processes the input samples 281 by convolving an input data word formed by a series of samples 281 with a set (P.sub.INDEX) of interpolation filter coefficients retrieved from the interpolation coefficients table 285 to produce output samples 295 at an output data rate specified by clock 290. The set (P.sub.INDEX) of interpolation filter coefficients are selected and retrieved from the interpolation coefficients table 285 in accordance with the desired output data rate specified by the clock 290 via a table index 292 generated based on the output clock rate….”) .
As per claim 14, Combination of KAMIYA and Ezra M. Ip et al. teach claim 13,
Combination of KAMIYA and Ezra M. Ip et al. does not explicitly teach further comprising deriving a phase offset from the phase delay computed and generating the phase-noise-compensated signal by applying the phase offset derived to the received digital signal.
Within analogous art, AGAZZI et al. teaches further comprising deriving a phase offset from the phase delay computed and generating the phase-noise-compensated signal by applying the phase offset derived to the received digital signal ( Paragraphs [0091-0093]- “…The estimated residual phase error is inputted to the integrator block 458-a and proportional block 458-b to perform frequency offset estimation and phase offset estimation respectively. The frequency offset estimated by the integrator block 458-a is used as feedback to achieve frequency offset compensation in block 453 and may also provide feedback to coarse carrier recovery block 162….”) .
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teaching of AGAZZI et al. within the combined modified teaching of the MIMO demodulating apparatus and method, and line-of-sight wireless communications system mentioned by KAMIYA and the Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing mentioned by Ezra M. Ip et al. because the Coherent transceiver architecture mentioned by AGAZZI et al. provides a method and system for implementation of clock and timing circuity within digital data signal transmission system.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one in the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to the Coherent transceiver architecture mentioned by AGAZZI et al. within the combined modified teaching of the MIMO demodulating apparatus and method, and line-of-sight wireless communications system mentioned by KAMIYA and the Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing mentioned by Ezra M. Ip et al. for implementation of clock and timing circuity within digital data signal transmission system.
4. Claims 7 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C 103(a) as being unpatentable over KAMIYA ( USPUB 20180019835) in view of Ezra M. Ip et al. ( NPL Doc: “Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing,” 03rd February 2010, JOURNAL OF LIGHTWAVE TECHNOLOGY, Pages 502-517.) in further view of Pagnanelli ( USPUB 20180062623 ).
As per claim 7, Combination of KAMIYA and Ezra M. Ip et al. teach claim 1,
Combination of KAMIYA and Ezra M. Ip et al. does not explicitly teach wherein the second stage is further configured to compute the set of components using a frequency-based decomposition method and to generate the further phase-noise-compensated digital signal using an inverse of the frequency-based decomposition method.
Within analogous art, Pagnanelli teaches wherein the second stage is further configured to compute the set of components using a frequency-based decomposition method and to generate the further phase-noise-compensated digital signal using an inverse of the frequency-based decomposition method ( Paragraphs [0068-0069]- “…perform only a frequency decomposition function, and the digital resampling circuit is implemented as a standalone resampling interpolator that performs both polynomial estimation and rate buffering. In an alternate variation, the digital band limiting circuits are bandpass interpolation filters that perform both frequency decomposition and polynomial estimation, and the digital resampling circuit performs rate buffering. …” AND Paragraphs [0096-0097]- “…performs a frequency decomposition function, such that the center frequency and bandwidth of each digital filtering element determines the portion of the input signal spectrum (i.e., sub-band) which is converted by its associated processing branch (e.g., branch 110A-C, 120A-C or 130A-C). Preferably, the frequency decomposition function (i.e., conventionally referred to as signal analysis) does not occur within analog input filters because the transfer functions required for signal analysis are difficult or impractical to realize in the analog domain, especially at high frequencies….”) .
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teaching of Pagnanelli within the combined modified teaching of the MIMO demodulating apparatus and method, and line-of-sight wireless communications system mentioned by KAMIYA and the Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing mentioned by Ezra M. Ip et al. because the Apparatuses And Methods For Sample-Rate Conversion mentioned by Pagnanelli provides a method and system for implementation of discrete signal processing within digital communication system .
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one in the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to the Apparatuses And Methods For Sample-Rate Conversion mentioned by Pagnanelli within the combined modified teaching of the MIMO demodulating apparatus and method, and line-of-sight wireless communications system mentioned by KAMIYA and the Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing mentioned by Ezra M. Ip et al. for implementation of discrete signal processing within digital communication system .
As per claim 17, Combination of KAMIYA and Ezra M. Ip et al. teach claim 13,
Combination of KAMIYA and Ezra M. Ip et al. does not explicitly teach wherein computing the set of components includes applying a frequency-based decomposition method and wherein generating a further phase-noise-compensated digital signal includes applying an inverse of the frequency-based decomposition method.
Within analogous art, Pagnanelli teaches wherein computing the set of components includes applying a frequency-based decomposition method and wherein generating a further phase-noise-compensated digital signal includes applying an inverse of the frequency-based decomposition method ( Paragraphs [0068-0069]- “…perform only a frequency decomposition function, and the digital resampling circuit is implemented as a standalone resampling interpolator that performs both polynomial estimation and rate buffering. In an alternate variation, the digital bandlimiting circuits are bandpass interpolation filters that perform both frequency decomposition and polynomial estimation, and the digital resampling circuit performs rate buffering. …” AND Paragraphs [0096-0097]- “…performs a frequency decomposition function, such that the center frequency and bandwidth of each digital filtering element determines the portion of the input signal spectrum (i.e., sub-band) which is converted by its associated processing branch (e.g., branch 110A-C, 120A-C or 130A-C). Preferably, the frequency decomposition function (i.e., conventionally referred to as signal analysis) does not occur within analog input filters because the transfer functions required for signal analysis are difficult or impractical to realize in the analog domain, especially at high frequencies….”) .
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teaching of Pagnanelli within the combined modified teaching of the MIMO demodulating apparatus and method, and line-of-sight wireless communications system mentioned by KAMIYA and the Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing mentioned by Ezra M. Ip et al. because the Apparatuses And Methods For Sample-Rate Conversion mentioned by Pagnanelli provides a method and system for implementation of discrete signal processing within digital communication system .
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one in the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to the Apparatuses And Methods For Sample-Rate Conversion mentioned by Pagnanelli within the combined modified teaching of the MIMO demodulating apparatus and method, and line-of-sight wireless communications system mentioned by KAMIYA and the Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing mentioned by Ezra M. Ip et al. for implementation of discrete signal processing within digital communication system .
5. Claims 9 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C 103(a) as being unpatentable over KAMIYA ( USPUB 20180019835) in view of Ezra M. Ip et al. ( NPL Doc: “Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing,” 03rd February 2010, JOURNAL OF LIGHTWAVE TECHNOLOGY, Pages 502-517.) in further view of HWANG et al. ( USPUB 20110080978).
As per claim 9, Combination of KAMIYA and Ezra M. Ip et al. teach claim 1,
Combination of KAMIYA and Ezra M. Ip et al. does not explicitly teach wherein the second stage is further configured to determine, on the per-component basis, the respective phase distortion by removing modulation and amplifier noise from the partially phase-noise-compensated digital signal.
Within analogous art, HWANG et al. teaches wherein the second stage is further configured to determine, on the per-component basis, the respective phase distortion by removing modulation and amplifier noise from the partially phase-noise-compensated digital signal ( Paragraph [0068]- “…the advance-level FO estimation and compensation procedure does not require the step of squaring the input carrier signal to remove the phase modulation, the noise would not be amplified because of squaring. Hence the FO estimation error of the output corrected carrier signal is reduced….”) .
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teaching of HWANG et al. within the combined modified teaching of the MIMO demodulating apparatus and method, and line-of-sight wireless communications system mentioned by KAMIYA and the Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing mentioned by Ezra M. Ip et al. because the Multi-stage frequency offset estimation and compensation method and its circuit mentioned by HWANG et al. provides a method and system for implementation of frequency offset estimation and compensation within digital communication system.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one in the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to the Multi-stage frequency offset estimation and compensation method and its circuit mentioned by HWANG et al. within the combined modified teaching of the MIMO demodulating apparatus and method, and line-of-sight wireless communications system mentioned by KAMIYA and the Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing mentioned by Ezra M. Ip et al. for implementation of frequency offset estimation and compensation within digital communication system.
As per claim 19, Combination of KAMIYA and Ezra M. Ip et al. teach claim 13,
Combination of KAMIYA and Ezra M. Ip et al. does not explicitly teach wherein determining, on the per-component basis, the respective phase distortion includes removing modulation and amplifier noise from the partially phase-noise-compensated digital signal.
Within analogous art, HWANG et al. teaches wherein determining, on the per-component basis, the respective phase distortion includes removing modulation and amplifier noise from the partially phase-noise-compensated digital signal ( Paragraph [0068]- “…the advance-level FO estimation and compensation procedure does not require the step of squaring the input carrier signal to remove the phase modulation, the noise would not be amplified because of squaring. Hence the FO estimation error of the output corrected carrier signal is reduced….”) .
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teaching of HWANG et al. within the combined modified teaching of the MIMO demodulating apparatus and method, and line-of-sight wireless communications system mentioned by KAMIYA and the Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing mentioned by Ezra M. Ip et al. because the Multi-stage frequency offset estimation and compensation method and its circuit mentioned by HWANG et al. provides a method and system for implementation of frequency offset estimation and compensation within digital communication system.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one in the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to the Multi-stage frequency offset estimation and compensation method and its circuit mentioned by HWANG et al. within the combined modified teaching of the MIMO demodulating apparatus and method, and line-of-sight wireless communications system mentioned by KAMIYA and the Fiber Impairment Compensation Using Coherent Detection and Digital Signal Processing mentioned by Ezra M. Ip et al. for implementation of frequency offset estimation and compensation within digital communication system.
It is noted that any citations to specific, pages, columns, lines, or figures in the prior art references and any interpretation of the reference should not be considered to be limiting in any way. A reference is relevant for all it contains and may be relied upon for all that it would have reasonably suggested to one having ordinary skill in the art. See MPEP 2123.
Allowable Subject Matter
6. Claims 6,8,10,11,15,16 and 18 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.
7. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for objecting the claims as allowable subject matter:
As to claim 6, prior art of record does not teach or suggest the limitation mentioned within claim 6 : “…the second stage includes a slicer and wherein the slicer is configured to: use a modulation technique to estimate a set of symbols from the partially phase-noise-compensated digital signal generated; and generate, based on an inverse of the modulation technique used, an additional digital signal from the set of symbols estimated, wherein the second stage is further configured to: compute an additional set of components of the additional digital signal generated; and compare the set of components computed with the additional set of components computed to determine, on the per-component basis, the respective phase distortion..”
As to claim 8, prior art of record does not teach or suggest the limitation mentioned within claim 8: “…the set of components computed form a set of sub-bands, wherein a sub-band of the set of sub-bands includes at least one component of the set of components computed, the second stage further configured to: determine, on a per-sub-band basis, a sub-band phase distortion based on the phase distortion of the at least one component included therein; and compute the set of corrected components by applying, on the per-component basis, the phase distortion of the sub-band including the component.”
As to claim 10, prior art of record does not teach or suggest the limitation mentioned within claim 10: “wherein the received digital signal is a digital representation of a continuous-time signal that has been sampled at a rate of at least one sample per symbol, and wherein the first stage is further configured to compute the phase delay based on a length of the received digital signal, the length based on the rate.”
As to claim 11, prior art of record does not teach or suggest the limitation mentioned within claim 11: “wherein the phase noise is equalization enhanced phase noise, wherein the first stage is configured to compensate for the equalization enhanced phase noise in part, and wherein the second stage is configured to compensate further for the equalization enhanced phase noise.”
As to claim 15, prior art of record does not teach or suggest the limitation mentioned within claim 15: “wherein applying the phase delay computed further includes computing a coefficient of a plurality of coefficients based on the phase delay computed, the plurality of coefficients associated with a filter, the filter applying the phase delay computed to the received digital signal.”
As to claim 16, prior art of record does not teach or suggest the limitation mentioned within claim 16: “…using a modulation technique to estimate a set of symbols from the partially phase-noise-compensated digital signal generated; generating, based on an inverse of the modulation technique, an additional digital signal from the set of symbols estimated; computing an additional set of components of the additional digital signal generated; and comparing the set of components computed with the additional set of components computed to determine, on the per-component basis, the respective phase distortion.”
As to claim 18, prior art of record does not teach or suggest the limitation mentioned within claim 18: “…forming a set of sub-bands, wherein a sub-band of the set of sub-bands formed includes at least one component of the set of components computed; determining, on a per-sub-band basis, a sub-band phase distortion based on the phase distortion of the at least one component included therein; and computing the set of corrected components by applying, on the per-component basis, the sub-band phase distortion of the sub-bands including the component.”
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Examiner’s Notes
8. The Examiner acknowledges the following prior arts below as pertinent to the current applications claim limitations and inventive concept, although the following prior arts shown below were not relied upon to address the limitations within the claim , they are analogous art mentioning the inventive concept key points on ( Phase compensation , phase delay , digital signal received processing, phase distortion etc.).
1) Wei-Tsung Li et al.," 60-GHz 5-bit Phase Shifter With Integrated VGA Phase-Error Compensation,” 7th March 2013, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MICROWAVE THEORY AND TECHNIQUES, VOL. 61, NO. 3, MARCH 2013, Pages 1224-1233.
2) Israa Slim et al.," Delayed Single-Tap Frequency-Domain Chromatic-Dispersion Compensation," 9th January 2013, IEEE PHOTONICS TECHNOLOGY LETTERS, VOL. 25, NO. 2, JANUARY 15, 2013,Pages 167-169.
3) William Shieh et al.," Equalization-enhanced phase noise for coherent detection systems using electronic digital signal processing," 19th September 2009 , OPTICS EXPRESS 15718,Vol. 16, No. 20, ,Pages 1-9.
4) Giulio Colavolpe et al.," Impact of Phase Noise and Compensation Techniques in Coherent Optical Systems,"12th August 2011, JOURNAL OF LIGHTWAVE TECHNOLOGY, VOL. 29, NO. 18, SEPTEMBER 15, 2011, Pages 2790-2797.
5) Joshi et al. (USPUB 20020064240)
6) Choi et al. (USPUB 20100241931 )
7) Choi et al. (USPUB 20100269013)
8) Hong et al. (USPAT 8656262)
9) SONG JAE HYUNG et al. (CA 2689415)
10) SHEVCHENKO et al. (USPUB 20190245569 )
11) SONG et al. (USPUB 20200059801)
12) KAMIYA et al. (USPUB 20230396476 )
13) Choi et al. ( USPAT 7698621)
Conclusion
9. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Refer to PTO-892, Notice of Reference Cited for a listing of analogous art.
10. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OMAR S ISMAIL whose telephone number is (571)272-9799 and Fax # is (571)273-9799. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9:00am-6:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, David C. Payne can be reached on (571) 272-3024. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571)273-8300.
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/OMAR S ISMAIL/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2635
