`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMIVHSSIONER FOR PATENTS
`PO. Box 1450
`Alexandria1 Virginia 22313-1450
`wwwusptogov
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`
`
`
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`15/600,427
`
`05/19/2017
`
`YUKIO OKAZAKI
`
`731156610
`
`4464
`
`Seed IP Law Group LLPflDanasonic
`701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 5400
`Seattle, WA 98104
`
`ALMO, KHAREEM E
`
`ART UNIT
`
`2842
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`PAPER NUIVIBER
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`11/02/2018
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`ELECTRONIC
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`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
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`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
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`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above—indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e—mail address(es):
`US PTOeAction @ SeedIP.com
`
`pairlinkdktg @ seedip.c0m
`
`PTOL—90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`
`
`Applicant(s)
`Application No.
` 15/600,427 OKAZAKI ET AL.
`
`
`AIA (First Inventor to File)
`Art Unit
`Examiner
`Office Action Summary
`
`
`KHAREEM E. ALMO $2213 2842
`-- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLY IS SET TO EXPIRE g MONTHS FROM THE MAILING DATE OF
`THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available under the provisions of 37 CFR1. 136( a).
`after SIX () MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, even if timely filed, may reduce any
`earned patent term adjustment. See 37 CFR 1 .704(b).
`
`In no event, however, may a reply be timely filed
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`Status
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`1)IZI Responsive to communication(s) filed on 5/19/2017.
`El A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
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`2b)|ZI This action is non-final.
`2a)|:l This action is FINAL.
`3)I:I An election was made by the applicant in response to a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
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`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
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`4)|:| Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
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`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quay/e, 1935 CD. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
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`Disposition of Claims*
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`5)IZI Claim(s) M is/are pending in the application.
`5a) Of the above claim(s)
`is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`6)IXI Claim(s)_11 is/are allowed.
`7)|Z| CIaim(s)_1and2is/are rejected.
`8)|Z| Claim(s)_3- 10 is/are objected to.
`
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`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement.
`9)I:I Claim((s)
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
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`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
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`
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`:/'/\W¢W.LISI>I‘.0. ovI’ atentS/init events/
`iindex.‘s orsend an inquiry to PPI-iieedback{®usgtc.00v.
`
`hit
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`Application Papers
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`10)I:l The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)|Xl The drawing(s) filed on 5/19/2017is/are: a)lX| accepted or b)I:I objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
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`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
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`12)IXI Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`Certified copies:
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`a)IZl All
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`b)|:l Some” c)I:l None of the:
`
`1.IXI Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.|:l Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.|:| Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
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`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`** See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
`
`Attachment(s)
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`
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`3) D Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`1) E Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date.
`.
`.
`4) I:I Other'
`2) E InformatIon DIsclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date 3/28/2018 1/3/2018 5/19/2017.
`
`US. Patent and Trademark Office
`PTOL—326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
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`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20181029
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/600,427
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`Page 2
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`Art Unit: 2842
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`1.
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`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined
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`under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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`2.
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`The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that
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`form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
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`A person shall be entitled to a patent unless —
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`(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.
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`3.
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`Claim(s) 1and 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticpated by
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`Goto et al. (US 20160291132).
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`With respect to claim 1, figure 2 of US 20160291132 discloses a radar apparatus
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`(2) comprising: a transmitter (20) including a plurality of circuits that intermittently
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`transmit one or more radar signals, the plurality of circuits being suspended power
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`supplying during a period in which the one or more radar signals are not transmitted;
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`variation detection circuitry (21) that detects process variations of the plurality of circuits;
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`and determination circuitry (23) that determines a startup timing of each of the plurality
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`of circuits in response to the process variations and outputs startup commands in
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`response to the determined startup timings to the plurality of circuits.
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`With respect to claim 2, figure 2 discloses the radar apparatus according to Claim
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`1, comprising temperature detection circuitry (22) that detects a temperature of the
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/600,427
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`Page 3
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`Art Unit: 2842
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`transmitter, wherein the determination circuitry determines the startup timing in
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`response to the process variations and the temperature.
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`Allowable Subject Matter
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`4.
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`Claims 3-10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but
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`would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the
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`base claim and any intervening claims.
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`5.
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`The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject
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`matter:
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`With respect to claim 3, the prior art of record fails to suggest, comprising power
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`source voltage detection circuitry that detects a power source voltage of the transmitter,
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`wherein the determination circuitry determines the startup timing in response to the
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`process variations and the power source voltage.
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`With respect to claim 4, the prior art of record fails to suggest wherein the
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`plurality of circuits includes a baseband circuit and a high-frequency circuit, wherein the
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`determination circuitry sets a startup timing of the high-frequency circuit to be earlier
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`than a startup timing of the baseband circuit.
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`With respect to claim 5, the prior art of record fails to suggest, wherein the
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`determination circuitry sorts operational conditions of the plurality of circuits responsive
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`to the process variations into a higher-speed state, a standard state, and a lower-
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`speed state, sets the startup timing in the higher-speed state to be later than the
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/600,427
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`Page 4
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`Art Unit: 2842
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`startup timing in the standard state, and sets the startup timing in the lower-speed state
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`to be earlier than the startup timing in the standard state.
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`With respect to claim 6, the prior art of record fails to suggest, wherein the
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`transmitter comprises an adjuster that adjusts a modulation error of the one or more
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`radar signals, and wherein the adjuster is powered for the period which the one or more
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`radar signals are not transmitted.
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`With respect to claim 7, the prior art of record fails to suggest, comprising a local
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`oscillator that generates a local signal and a receiver that receives a signal reflected
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`from an object in response to the one or more radar signals that are reflected on the
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`object, wherein the local oscillator and the receiver are powered for the period which the
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`one or more radar signals are not transmitted.
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`With respect to claim 8, the prior art of record fails to suggest, wherein the
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`process variation is a variation in resistance of a resistor included in the circuits.
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`With respect to claim 9, the prior art of record fails to suggest, wherein the
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`process variation is a variation in a threshold value of each of one or more transistors
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`included in the transmitter.
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`With respect to claim 10, the prior art of record fails to suggest, comprising an
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`orthogonal modulator that orthogonally modulates the one or more radar signals.
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`6.
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`7.
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`Claim 11 allowed.
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`The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/600,427
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`Page 5
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`Art Unit: 2842
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`With respect to claim 11, the prior art of record fails to suggest, suspending
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`power supplying during a period in which the one or more radar signals are not
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`transmitted.
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`Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later
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`than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably
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`accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on
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`Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
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`8.
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to KHAREEM E. ALMO whose telephone number is
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`(571 )272—5524. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Fri (8:30-5:00).
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`Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video
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`conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an
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`interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request
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`(AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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`lf attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
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`supervisor, Lincoln Donovan can be reached on (571) 272-1988. The fax phone
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`number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571 -
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`273-8300.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/600,427
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`Page 6
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`Art Unit: 2842
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`Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the
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`Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for
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`published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR.
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`Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only.
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`For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should
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`you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic
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`Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a
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`USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information
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`system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
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`/KHAREEM E. ALMO/
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`Examiner, Art Unit 2842
`/LINCOLN DONOVAN/
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`Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2842
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`