DETAILED ACTION
Summary
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This is a first Office Action on the merits.
Claims 16-35 are currently pending.
Claim Objections
Claims 16, 24, 27, and 30 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 16, line 14, please amend “the determined divide ratio as applicable counter” to recite “the determined divide ratio as an applicable counter”;
In claim 16, line 15, please amend “storing the current counter value of the applicable counted as BLF indicator value” to recite “storing a current counter value of the applicable counter as a BLF indicator value”;
In claim 24, line 19, please amend “determined divide ratio as applicable counter” to recite “determined divide ratio as an applicable counter”;
In claim 24, line 20, please amend “storing the current counter value of the applicable counter as BLF indicator value” to recite “storing a current counter value of the applicable counter as a BLF indicator value”;
In claim 27, line 2, please add a colon to the end of the line;
In claim 30, line 16, please amend “the determined divide ratio as applicable counter” to recite “the determined divide ratio as an applicable counter”;
In claim 30, line 17, please amend “storing the current counter value of the applicable counter as BLF indicator value” to recite “storing a current counter value of the applicable counter as a BLF indicator value”;
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 16-35 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 16, line 12, recites the limitation “determining the divide ratio”. It is unclear if the divide ratio being determined in line 12 is referring to either of the first divide ratio and the second divide ratio as recited in line 8 of the claim. For purposes of examination, “determining the divide ratio” has been interpreted as “determining one of the first divide ratio and the second divide ratio as a determined divide ratio”.
Claim 16, line 13, recites the limitation “the counter associated with the determined divide ratio”. It is unclear whether “the counter” refers to “the first counter” or “the second counter”. For purposes of examination, “selecting, from the first and the second counter, the counter associated with the determined divide ratio” has been interpreted as “selecting the first counter as an applicable counter when the determined divide ratio is the first divide ratio, and selecting the second counter as the applicable counter when the determined divide ratio is the second divide ratio”.
Claim 24, line 12, recites the limitation “determining the divide ratio”. It is unclear if the divide ratio being determined in line 12 is referring to either of the first divide ratio and the second divide ratio as recited in line 8 of the claim. For purposes of examination, “determining the divide ratio” has been interpreted as “determining one of the first divide ratio and the second divide ratio as a determined divide ratio”.
Claim 24, line 18, recites the limitation “the counter associated with the determined divide ratio”. It is unclear whether “the counter” refers to “the first counter” or “the second counter”. For purposes of examination, “selecting, from the first and the second counter, the counter associated with the determined divide ratio” has been interpreted as “selecting the first counter as an applicable counter when the determined divide ratio is the first divide ratio, and selecting the second counter as the applicable counter when the determined divide ratio is the second divide ratio”.
Claim 30, line 12, recites the limitation “determining the divide ratio”. It is unclear if the divide ratio being determined in line 12 is referring to either of the first divide ratio and the second divide ratio as recited in line 8 of the claim. For purposes of examination, “determining the divide ratio” has been interpreted as “determining one of the first divide ratio and the second divide ratio as a determined divide ratio”.
Claim 30, line 15, recites the limitation “the counter associated with the determined divide ratio”. It is unclear whether “the counter” refers to “the first counter” or “the second counter”. For purposes of examination, “selecting, from the first and the second counter, the counter associated with the determined divide ratio” has been interpreted as “selecting the first counter as an applicable counter when the determined divide ratio is the first divide ratio, and selecting the second counter as the applicable counter when the determined divide ratio is the second divide ratio”;
Claims 17-23, 25-29, and 30-35 are rejected by dependence.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
KIM, KR 101133140, teaches a method and apparatus for obtaining backscatter link frequency from an RFID tag [0024]-[0052].
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LAURA A GUDORF whose telephone number is (571)270-7607. If the Examiner cannot be reached by telephone, she can be reached through the following e-mail address: laura.gudorf@uspto.gov. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 6:00-4:00 PM.
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/LAURA A GUDORF/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876