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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 05/14/2026 was filed after the mailing date of the Non-Final Office Action on 02/09/2026. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 14, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chin US 2010/0158087.
Consider claim 1, Chin discloses A communication device (see FIG. 1), wherein the communications device is a first communications device (see FIG. 1, transmitter 101), and the communications device comprises:
a transmitter (see FIG. 1, transmitter 101), configured to send a first signal to a second communications device (see FIG. 1 and ¶ [0049-0050], wherein transmitter 101 sends data packets i.e. first signal, to a second communication device i.e. receiver 102),
wherein the first signal (see FIG. 2) comprises a symbol sequence corresponding to an original bit sequence (see FIG. 2 and ¶ [0032], [0038-0041], [0043], wherein the data signal comprises a symbol sequence i.e. data payload symbol sequence and the first symbol sequence, is binary sequence i.e. bit sequence) and a symbol sequence corresponding to a first bit sequence (see FIG. 2 and ¶ [0031], [0040] and [0043], wherein the data signal includes a preamble symbols sequence including the third symbol sequence that is binary sequence i.e. bit sequence), and the symbol sequence corresponding to the first bit sequence is located in front of the symbol sequence corresponding to the original bit sequence (see FIG. 2, wherein the preamble symbol sequence is in front of the synchronization frame delimiter i.e. first symbol sequence, and data payload symbol sequence).
Claims 14 and 20 are rejected on the same ground as for claim 1 because of similar scope.
Consider claim 10, Chin discloses wherein the first bit sequence is a preamble (see FIG. 2 and ¶ [0031], [0040] and [0043]).
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, 8-9, 15, and 17-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chin US 2010/0158087 as applied to claims 1 and 14 above, and further in view of Ekbal et al. US 2011/0292820.
Consider claim 2, Chin discloses every claimed limitation in claim 1.
However Chin does not explicitly disclose the first signal is a signal generated by modulating a second bit sequence, and the second bit sequence is determined based on the first bit sequence and the original bit sequence. Ekbal teaches the first signal is a signal generated by modulating a second bit sequence, and the second bit sequence is determined based on the first bit sequence and the original bit sequence (see FIG. 6 and 11, and ¶ [0086], wherein the modulator 1112 modulates data symbols and pilot symbols i.e. second bit sequence, wherein the second bit sequence is determined based on the pilot symbols and data symbols). Ekbal further discloses providing effective technique for exchanging information to accomplish two-way ranging (see ¶ [0009]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the invention of Chin, and to include the first signal is a signal generated by modulating a second bit sequence, and the second bit sequence is determined based on the first bit sequence and the original bit sequence, as taught by Ekbal for the purpose of providing effective technique for exchanging information to accomplish two-way ranging.
Consider claim 3, Ekbal discloses wherein the second bit sequence is a bit sequence generated by performing baseband data encoding on a third bit sequence (see FIG. 11 and ¶ [0086]), and the third bit sequence is determined based on the first bit sequence and the original bit sequence (see FIG. 6); wherein the third bit sequence comprises the original bit sequence and the first bit sequence, and the first bit sequence is located in front of the original bit sequence (see FIG. 6).
Consider claim 8, Ekbal discloses wherein the first signal is a signal used for ultra-low-power communication (see ¶ [0032]).
Consider claim 9, Ekbal discloses wherein the first bit sequence is further used to perform one or more of the following operations identifying the first communications device (see ¶ [0048-0050]).
Claim 15 is rejected on the same ground as for claim 2 because of similar scope.
Claim 17 is rejected on the same ground as for claim 8 because of similar scope.
Claim 18 is rejected on the same ground as for claim 9 because of similar scope.
Claim(s) 6-7 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chin US 2010/0158087 as applied to claims 1 and 14 above, and further in view of Websiter et al. US 8,194,530.
Consider claim 6, Chin discloses every claimed limitation in claim 1.
Chin further discloses wherein the symbol sequence corresponding to the original bit sequence is a first symbol sequence (see FIG. 2 and ¶ [0031]), the symbol sequence corresponding to the first bit sequence is a second symbol sequence (see FIG. 2 and ¶ [0032]).
However Chin does not explicitly disclose the first symbol sequence and the second symbol sequence are generated based on different modulation processes. Websiter teaches the first symbol sequence and the second symbol sequence are generated based on different modulation processes (see col. 1 lines 50-62 and claim 1, wherein the preamble is modulated using a serial of modulation scheme, and payload is modulated using OFDM modulation scheme). Websiter further discloses providing dual package configuration for use in wireless local area networks (see col. 1 lines 13-15). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the invention of Chin, and the first symbol sequence and the second symbol sequence are generated based on different modulation processes, as taught by Websiter for the purpose of providing dual package configuration for use in wireless local area networks.
Consider claim 7, Websiter discloses wherein a modulation scheme corresponding to the first symbol sequence is different from a modulation scheme corresponding to the second symbol sequence; wherein the first symbol sequence comprises a first symbol, the second symbol sequence comprises a second symbol, and a time length of the first symbol is different from a time length of the second symbol (see FIG. 3A-3B and col. 1 lines 50-65).
Claim 16 is rejected on the same ground as for claim 6 because of similar scope.
Claim(s) 11 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chin US 2010/0158087 as applied to claims 1 and 14 above, and further in view of Nabki et al. US 2019/0165829.
Consider claim 11, Chin discloses every claimed limitation in claim 1.
However Chin does not explicitly disclose wherein the first signal is generated through on-off keying (OOK) modulation. Nabki teaches wherein the first signal is generated through on-off keying (OOK) modulation (see ¶ [0006]). Nabki further discloses implementing efficient duty cycling schemes (see ¶ [0006]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the invention of Chin, and wherein the first signal is generated through on-off keying (OOK) modulation, as taught by Nabki for the purpose of implementing efficient duty cycling schemes.
Claim 19 is rejected on the same ground as for claim 11 because of similar scope.
Claim(s) 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chin US 2010/0158087 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Zhu US 2025/0267715.
Consider claim 12, Chin discloses every claimed limitation in claim 1.
However Chin does not explicitly disclose wherein the first bit sequence is determined based on one of the following information: a protocol pre-definition. Zhu teaches wherein the first bit sequence is determined based on one of the following information: a protocol pre-definition (see ¶ [0102], wherein the preamble types may be predefined by a protocol). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the invention of Chin, and wherein the first bit sequence is determined based on one of the following information: a protocol pre-definition, as taught by Zhu for the purpose of further disclosing the details structure of the preamble as disclosed in Chin using the same effective technique of the preamble as disclosed in Zhu.
Consider claim 13, the limitation of claim 13 are not given patentable weight because it depends on the limitation “preset rule” as recited in claim 12, in which the limitation is not chosen for examining, hence not giving patentable weight.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-5 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JANICE N TIEU whose telephone number is (571)270-1888. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00-5:30.
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/JANICE N TIEU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2633
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