DETAILED ACTION
1. This office action is in response to U.S. Patent Application No.: 19/207,012 filed on 5/13/2025 with effective filing date 1/19/2022. Claims 1-17 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
2. 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.
3. The factual inquiries 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.
4. Claim(s) 1-3, 6, 9-10, 13-14, & 17, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Torborg US 2020/0287590 A1 in view of Jalali et al. US 2014/0253388 A1.
Per claims 1, 9 & 13, Torborg discloses a method comprising: placing a plurality of anchors within a facility; placing three or more calibration tags at respective predetermined positions within the facility (para: 21, e.g., the deployment of anchors and tags in a facility could include large numbers of anchors and tags, e.g., hundreds of anchors and hundreds of tags. In some examples, each tag's proximity to several anchors is measured frequently, for example, between every two and every 60 seconds); measuring respective distances between each anchor of the plurality of anchors and at least three of the three or more calibration tags anchors (para: 54, e.g. suppose that anchor 102 is the selected anchor for a first UWB coverage island and anchor 214 is the selected anchor for a second UWB coverage island. If tag 212 moves out of the physical radio frequency range of anchor 102 and then into the physical radio frequency range of anchor 214, tag 212 can promptly receive time synchronization information from anchor 214 by listening for UWB transmissions during the time slots designated for distribution of time synchronization information).
Torborg fails to explicitly disclose the remaining claim limitation.
Jalali et al. calculating a respective calculated location of each of the plurality of anchors based on the predetermined positions of the plurality of calibration tags and the measured distances (para: 59-60, e.g. each epoch is a time interval in which all system behaviors take place once. In each epoch, anchors 102, 104, and 106 complete time synchronization, such that each anchor that participates in time synchronization transmits during its assigned time slot); and determining a position of a first movable tag based on respective distances between at least some of the plurality of anchors and the first movable tag and the respective calculated locations of the at least some of the plurality of anchors (para: 64, e.g. the system 100 includes a location tracking server 130 that is connected to the anchor units 115 within the coverage area 110 through a network 135. The location tracking server 130 may receive information from the anchor units 115 to perform various types of calculations).
Therefore, in view of disclosures by Jalali et al., it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to combine Ianni et al. and Jalali et al. in order to determine clock offsets between anchor units configured to track an asset or person based on signals wirelessly transmitted between the anchor units.
Per claims 2, Torborg further teaches the method of claim 1 wherein measuring respective distances comprises ultra-wideband communications (para: 19, e.g. systems, and computer readable media for time-slotted ultra-wide-band (UWB) object tracking).
Per claims 3, Jalali et al. further teaches the method of claim 1, wherein measuring respective distances comprises two-way ranging (para: 64, e.g. the system 100 includes a location tracking server 130 that is connected to the anchor units 115 within the coverage area 110 through a network 135).
Per claims 6, 10 & 14, Jalali et al. further teaches the method of claim 1, wherein a sampling rate at which the position of the first movable tag is determined is based on one or more of the position of the first movable tag, a velocity of the first movable tag, and an acceleration of the first movable tag (para: 15, e.g. a location tracking system includes means for determining clock offsets between anchor units configured to track an asset or person, the determination being based on signals wirelessly transmitted between the anchor units).
5. Claim(s) 4-5, 7-8, 11-12, & 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Torborg US 2020/0287590 A1 in view of Jalali et al. US 2014/0253388 A1 and Xu et al. US 2022/0395724 A1.
Per claims 4, Torborg in view of Jalali et al. fails to teaches the claim limitations.
Xu et al. however teaches the method of claim 1, wherein measuring respective distances comprises time of flight ranging (para: 33, e.g. some examples of any preceding implementation of the second aspect or the second aspect as such, the relative position of the tracked device is estimated by measuring a Time-of-Flight (ToF) for the signal and measuring an Angle-of-Arrival (AoA) for the signal).
Therefore, in view of disclosures by Xu et al., it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to combine Ianni et al., Jalali et al. and Xu et al. in order to determine an anchor position and an anchor orientation of a user equipment. A connection is established with a tracked device. A signal is received from the tracked device to estimate a relative position of the tracked device based on the signal.
Per claims 5, Xu et al. further teaches the method of claim 1, wherein measuring respective distances comprises time difference of arrival ranging (para: 33, e.g. some examples of any preceding implementation of the second aspect or the second aspect as such, the relative position of the tracked device is estimated by measuring a Time-of-Flight (ToF) for the signal and measuring an Angle-of-Arrival (AoA) for the signal).
Per claims 7, 11 & 15, Xu et al. further teaches the method of claim 1 wherein: the first movable tag is one of a plurality of movable tags, and the method further comprises recurrently determining a respective position of each of the plurality of movable tags (para: 65, e.g. The information from the wireless transmissions may be received by the anchor units 115, typically those closest to the tag unit 125, and those anchor units 115 may collect, process, and store the information. For example, one of the anchor units 115 may use the information provided by the tag unit 125 to determine a distance between that anchor unit 115 and the tag unit 125. That distance calculation may be sent to the location tracking server 130 for further processing).
Per claims 8, 12 & 16, Xu et al. further teaches the method of claim 1 wherein the facility comprises a playing area, and the predetermined positions of the plurality of calibration tags comprise predetermined points on the playing area (para: 146 & fig. 6, e.g. a game of ping pong is being placed by user 610 and user 620 on a ping pong table 600. Anchor device 630 is placed at the bottom of a middle leg of ping pong table 600, and anchor device 640 is placed below a corner of ping pong table 600).
Per claim 17, Torborg further teaches the apparatus of claim 13 further comprising: a processor; a memory; wherein the processor and the memory comprise circuits and software for performing the instructions on the machine-readable medium (para: 65, typically those closest to the tag unit 125, and those anchor units 115 may collect, process, and store the information. For example, one of the anchor units 115 may use the information provided by the tag unit 125 to determine a distance between that anchor unit 115 and the tag unit 125. That distance calculation may be sent to the location tracking server 130 for further processing).
Conclusion
6. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Daniel, US 8,249,254 B1 e.g. The present invention is directed to an apparatus, system and method for reporting a player's game plays during a game with input from fans on the player's performance, and more specifically allowing each player to dynamically transmit information regarding the player's game plays to a portable remote terminal or central processor from which real-time statistical information may be obtained and wherein the player, coach(es) and/or other teammates may review the statistical information to formulate and implement appropriate game strategies to be effected on the field or court.
Khan US 2009/0256688 A1, e.g. A method and system for improving the effectiveness of coaches and video game designers for games like soccer, American football, basketball, lacrosse or ice hockey by using RF technology and software. A base station is equipped with a computer programmed with algorithms to track the players and game equipment and thereby produce data of interest to a coach or game designer.
7. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IRFAN HABIB whose telephone number is (571)270-7325. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Th 9AM-7PM.
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/Irfan Habib/ Examiner, Art Unit 2485
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