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 .
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 12, and 13 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 1, line 12 of the page, “DC offset” should read --the DC offset--.
In claim 12, lines 27-28 of the page, “preamble phase” should read --a preamble phase--.
In claim 13, line 1 of page 3, “DC offset” should read --the DC offset--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 13-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 13 recites the limitation "the preamble phase" in line 39 of page 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 14-20 are rejected for inheriting the indefiniteness of parent claim 13.
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 1-10, 12-15, and 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Venkatasubramanian et al (USP 8,953,716).
Regarding claim 1, Venkatasubramanian’s Fig. 3 shows a method of removing a DC offset from an input signal, the method comprising:
receiving the input signal (ADC Output) having a first phase (from time T1 to time T3; see col. 5, lines 8-14) and a second phase (from time T3 onwards; see col. 5, lines 14-21);
applying a high pass filter (350) to the input signal, wherein a transfer function of the high pass filter has a pole coefficient that determines a pole frequency of the high pass filter (see col. 4, lines 45-60), comprising:
selecting a first pole coefficient of the high pass filter for the first phase (see col. 4, lines 57-60; and col. 5, lines 8-11),
estimating the DC offset of the input signal during the first phase (see col. 5, lines 11-14),
and
selecting a second pole coefficient of the high pass filter for the second phase (see col. 5, lines 14-16), wherein the first pole coefficient and the second pole coefficient are selected such that the first pole frequency is higher than the second pole frequency (see col. 4, lines 15-20 and col. 5, lines 10-11; the cutoff frequencies are selected in sequence with the first one being the highest); and
removing the DC offset from the input signal (see col. 5, lines 17-20).
As to claim 2, Venkatasubramanian’s Fig. 3 shows the method according to claim 1, further comprising using a look up table to select the pole coefficient of the high pass filter (see col. 4, lines 57-60).
As to claim 3, Venkatasubramanian’s Fig. 3 shows the method according to claim 2, wherein using a look up table to determine the pole coefficient of the high pass filter comprises selecting the pole coefficient based on a time parameter, preferably wherein the time parameter is a time instant, a time index or a time interval (estimating the DC offset is an iterative process wherein selecting cutoff frequencies is done in a timed sequence; see fig. 4).
As to claims 6-9, Venkatasubramanian discloses the cited limitations (see col. 4, lines 25-30).
As to claim 4, Venkatasubramanian’s Fig. 3 shows the method of claim 1, wherein the pole coefficient is a value between 0 and 1 (the coefficients can take on any value in order to achieve the desired cutoff frequency including fractional values; see col. 4, lines 57-60).
As to claim 5, Venkatasubramanian’s Fig. 3 shows the method according to claim 1, wherein the first phase comprises a predetermined duration (from time T1 to time T3; see col. 5, lines 8-14), and selecting the first pole coefficient for the first phase comprises selecting the first pole coefficient such that estimating the DC offset is completed within the predetermined duration (from time T2 to time T3; see col. 5, lines 11-14).
As to claim 10, Venkatasubramanian’s Fig. 3 shows the method according to claim 1, further comprising using at least one of a state machine, a logic sequencer, a timing controller and a systems controller to control the selection of the pole coefficient (gear mechanism 360 can be any of these things since it is a programmable circuit module; see col. 4, lines 25-30).
As to claim 12, Venkatasubramanian’s Fig. 3 shows the method according to claim 1, wherein the first phase is preamble phase (since it comes first) and the second phase is a payload phase (since the first DC offset estimate has been subtracted from the input already).
As to claim 13, this claim is rejected for the same reasons as claim 1.
As to claim 14, Venkatasubramanian’s Fig. 3 shows the apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the high pass filter has a time varying pole frequency (by changing the pole coefficients at different time intervals; see col. 4, lines 45-60).
As to claim 15, Venkatasubramanian’s Fig. 3 clearly shows the apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the high pass filter (350) is a first order high pass filter or a higher order high pass filter.
As to claim 17, Venkatasubramanian’s Fig. 3 shows the apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a memory device configured to store a look up table (not shown but implied; see col. 4, lines 57-60).
As to claim 18, Venkatasubramanian’s Fig. 3 shows the apparatus according to claim 17, wherein an input to the look up table comprises a time parameter (see col. 3, lines 56-67) and an output of the look up table comprises the pole coefficient (see col. 4, lines 57-60).
As to claim 19, Venkatasubramanian’s Fig. 3 shows the apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising at least one of a state machine, a logic sequencer, a timing controller and a systems
controller (gear mechanism 360 can be any of these things since it is a programmable circuit module; see col. 4, lines 25-30).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 11 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.
Claims 16 and 20 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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/WILLIAM HERNANDEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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