DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of Claims
2. This communication is responsive to Application No. 19/097,960 filed on April 02, 2025. Claims 1-20 are subject to examination.
Information Disclosure Statement (IDS)
3. The IDS submitted 04/02/25 has been entered and considered by the Examiner.
Claim Objections/Suggestions
4. Following claims are objected to because of the following informalities:
in claim 1, “fourier” (line 2) should be replaced with “Fourier” and “a fast fourier transform operation” (line 4) should be replaced with “a FFT operation”; similar objection applies to claim 11;
in claim 9, “dataor” (the last line) should be replaced with “data or”; and
in claim 18, “fourier” (line 3) should be replaced with “Fourier”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Interpretations
5. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. –An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
6. This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: “a FFT reorder buffer memory configured to store” and “a FFT buffer controller configured to control/convert” in claims 1, 11-12 and 19, “a fast fourier transform (FFT) processor configured to receive/output” in claims 1 and 11, and “a transmitter configured to transmit” and “a receiver configured to receive/perform/reorder/generate” in claim 18.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If Applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, Applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
7. 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.
8. Claims 8-10 and 12-15 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 pre-AIA the Applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 8 recites “combined first status data or combined second status data” in lines 5-6. It is not clear whether said “combined first status data or combined second status data” is different from or the same as said “combined first status data… combined second status data” as recited in lines 2-4 of claim 7. Hence, renders claim 8 and its dependent claims indefinite.
Claim 12 recites “symbols with the natural order” in line 2. It is not clear whether said “symbols with the natural order” is different from or the same as said “symbols with a natural order” as recited in line 3 of claim 11. Hence, renders claim 12 and its dependent claims indefinite.
Reason for Allowance
9. Regarding claims 1, 11 & 18, Prathapan (US 2023/0385369 A1) teaches in Figure 5 a FFT processor (501 “FFT Logic”), a FFT reorder memory (511 “Bit Reversed Address Generator”, 504B “Circular Shift” & 520 “Local Memory”) and a FFT controller (530 “Circular Shift” & 550 “DMA Logic”). Nazarathy (US 9,503,284 B2) teaches in Figure 6A a FFT with circular shift (52 “FFT” & 57 “Circ Shift”). Lim (US 2013/0077714 A1) teaches in Figure 9 a FFT with circular shift (S906 “Convert a Plurality of Parallel Signals to Signal of Frequency Domain (FFT)” & S912 “Circular-Shift”). Chuppala (US 2024/0291703 A1) teaches in Figure 1 a FFT (110 “Serail FFT”) and in Figure 3 a natural order (“Original Digit Order”) and a bit-reversed order (“Reversed Digit Order”). Wang (US 2010/0091904 A1) teaches in Figure 1 a transmitter (12) and receiver (14).
However, the prior art of record fails to disclose said FFT reorder buffer memory (Figures 3-5, 7-8, 12 & 14: 2300), said FFT buffer controller (Figures 3, 5-8, 12-14 & 20: 2400) and said receiver (Figures 1 & 3: 2000) as claimed in “combination” with “the corresponding structure, material or act described in the Applicant’s specification as performing the entire claimed function and [or] equivalents thereof” where applicable under 35 U.S.C 112(f).
Conclusion
10. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the Examiner should be directed to SHAWKAT M. ALI whose telephone number is (571) 270-1639. The Examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday 8:30AM-3:30PM ET.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, Applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO AIR at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the Examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s Supervisor, SAM K. AHN can be reached on (571) 272-3044. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SHAWKAT M ALI/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2633
