`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria1 Virginia 22313- 1450
`wwwnsptogov
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`APPLICATION NO.
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` F ING DATE
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`FIRST NAMED INVENTOR
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`ATTORNEY DOCKET NO.
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`
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`CONF {MATION NO.
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`12/867, 121
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`08/11/2010
`
`Takashi Umeda
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`MAT— 103 92US
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`7758
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`52473
`7590
`mm
`W
`RATNERPRESTIA —
`PO. BOX 980
`TRAN, PABLON
`VALLEY FORGE, PA 19482-0980
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`PAPER NUMBER
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`ART UNIT
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`2649
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`MAIL DATE
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`12/28/2012
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`PAPER
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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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`PTOL—90A (Rev. 04/07)
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`

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`Office Action Summary
`
`Application No.
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`Applicant(s)
`
`
` 12/867,121 UMEDA ET AL.
`Examiner
`Art Unit
`PABLO TRAN
`2649
`
`-- 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 3 MONTH(S) OR THIRTY (30) DAYS,
`WHICHEVER IS LONGER, FROM THE MAILING DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available under the provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a).
`In no event however may a reply be timely filed
`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).
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`Status
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`1)IZI Responsive to communication(s) filed on 10 Sthember 2012.
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`2a)IZI This action is FINAL.
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`2b)|:l This action is non-final.
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`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)|:l 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)|Zl Claim(s) 1-16is/are pending in the application.
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`5a) Of the above claim(s) _ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`6)I:l Claim(s) _ is/are allowed.
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`7)|Xl Claim(s) 1-_16 is/are rejected.
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`8)I:l Claim(s) _ is/are objected to.
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`9)I:I Claim((s)
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`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement.
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`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway
`program at a participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
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`httn:,I/www usntq. quwua'ertslanr events/
`h/Indexis or send an inquiry to PPeredback us Emmi.
`
`Application Papers
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`10)I:I The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
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`11)|:I The drawing(s) filed on _ is/are: a)I:I accepted or b)I:I objected to by the Examiner.
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`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
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`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)I:| Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
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`a)|:| All
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`b)|:l Some * c)I:I None of:
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`1.I:I Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
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`2.|:l Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No. _
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`3.I:I 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)).
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`* See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
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`
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`Attachment(s)
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`1) I] Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
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`2) D Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date
`US. Patent and Trademark Office
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`3) I] Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date.
`4) D Other:
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`PTOL-326 (Rev. 09-12)
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`Office Action Summary
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`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20121217
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 12/867,121
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`Page 2
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`Art Unit: 2649
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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`1.
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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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`(b) the invention was patented or described in a printed publication in this or a foreign country or in
`public use or on sale in this country, more than one year prior to the date of application for patent in
`the United States.
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`2.
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`Claims 1-3 and 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(b) as being anticipated by
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`Yasuda (US Pat No. 6,934,523).
`
`As per claim 1, Yasuda discloses a reception device that selectively receives an
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`analog broadcast signal and a digital broadcast signal, the device comprising an
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`oscillation unit (see fig. 3/no. 53 & 56) operable to output an oscillator signal; a
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`frequency conversion unit (see fig. 3/no. 54, 58 & 64) operable to output an IF signal
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`based on the oscillator signal outputted from the oscillation unit and a reception signal;
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`a filter unit (see fig. 3/no. 55, 61 & 67-68) connected to an output side of the frequency
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`conversion unit; and a control unit (see col. 1/ln. 61-65, col. 5/ln. 1-10) operable to
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`control a frequency of the oscillator signal outputted from the oscillation unit, wherein
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`the control unit controls the frequency of the oscillator signal to be within a reception
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`frequency band when receiving the digital broadcast signal (see abstract, also see
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`search report); and the frequency of the oscillator signal to be outside the reception
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 12/867,121
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`Page 3
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`Art Unit: 2649
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`frequency band when receiving the analog broadcast signal (see abstract, also see
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`search report).
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`As per claim 2, Yasuda discloses the oscillation unit outputs the oscillator signal
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`configured by a first local signal and a second local signal respectively having phases
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`that are perpendicular to each other, the frequency conversion unit outputs the IF
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`signal including a first IF signal and a second IF signal, the frequency conversion unit
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`includes a first frequency converter operable to convert the reception signal into the
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`first IF signal using the first local signal outputted from the oscillation unit; and a
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`second frequency converter operable to convert the reception signal into the second IF
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`signal using the second local signal outputted from the oscillation unit, and the filter unit
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`includes a first filter connected to an output side of the first frequency converter; and a
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`second filter connected to an output side of the second frequency converter (see fig. 3,
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`col. 2/In. 36-col. 3/In. 3).
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`As per claim 3, Yasuda discloses the control unit controls a cutoff frequency of
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`the first filter and the second filter, when receiving the digital broadcast signal, the
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`control unit controls the cutoff frequency of the first filter and the second filter to be a
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`first frequency, and when receiving the analog broadcast signal, the control unit
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`controls the cutoff frequency of the first filter and the second filter to be a second
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`frequency that is higher than the first frequency (see col. 1/In. 61-65, col. 5/In. 1-10).
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`As per claim 6, Yasuda discloses when receiving the digital broadcast signal, the
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`control unit controls a frequency of the first local signal and the second local signal to
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`be a central frequency of the reception frequency band (see abstract).
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 12/867,121
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`Page 4
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`Art Unit: 2649
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`As per claim 7, Yasuda discloses a phase synthesis unit operable to phase-shift
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`and synthesize one or both of the signals outputted from the first filter and the signal
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`outputted from the second filter (see fig. 3, col. 2/ln. 36-col. 3/ln. 3).
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`As per claim 8, Yasuda discloses a first signal output terminal connected to an
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`output side of the first filter; and a second signal output terminal connected to an output
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`side of the second filter, wherein, when receiving the digital broadcast signal, the
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`output signal from the first filter is outputted through the first signal output terminal and
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`the output signal from the second filter is outputted through the second signal output
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`terminal (see fig. 4).
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`As per claim 9, Yasuda discloses another frequency conversion unit connected
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`to an output side of the filter unit, wherein the oscillation unit includes: a reference
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`oscillator operable to output a reference signal; and a phase synchronizing circuit
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`connected to the reference oscillator and provided with a frequency divider/multiplier,
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`the oscillation unit outputs the oscillator signal based on the reference signal, and
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`outputs another oscillator signal obtained by dividing or multiplying using the frequency
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`divider/multiplier based on the reference signal, and the other frequency conversion
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`unit outputs another IF signal based on a signal outputted from the filter unit and the
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`other oscillator signal (see fig. 5).
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 12/867,121
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`Page 5
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`Art Unit: 2649
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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`3.
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`The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all
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`obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
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`(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set
`forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and
`the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the
`invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains.
`Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
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`4.
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`Claims 4-5 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable
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`over Yasuda (US Pat No. 6,934,523) and in view of Patel et al. (hereinafter “Patel”, US
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`Pat No. 5,659,372).
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`As per claim 4, Yasuda does not explicitly discloses that when receiving the
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`analog broadcast signal, the control unit controls the frequency of the first local signal
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`and the second local signal to be a frequency within an adjacent frequency band.
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`However, Patel discloses such teaching (see col. 4/ln. 42-67, also see search report).
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`Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of
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`invention for Yasuda to utilize the teaching of Patel in order to improve the accuracy of
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`the phase tracking in the digital circuitry for synchronizing the digitized final
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`intermediate frequency signal to baseband.
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`As per claim 5, the combination communication system of Yasuda and Patel
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`further discloses that when receiving the analog broadcast signal, the control unit
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`controls a frequency of the first local signal and the second local signal to be the
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`frequency outside the reception frequency band on a side closer to a video carrier
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`frequency in the reception frequency band (see Patel, col. 4/ln. 42-67, also see search
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`report).
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 12/867,121
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`Page 6
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`Art Unit: 2649
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`As per claim 16, the combination communication system of Yasuda and Patel
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`further discloses a demodulator connected to an output side of the reception device; a
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`decoder connected to an output side of the demodulator; and a display unit connected
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`to an output side of the decoder (see Patel, fig. 1).
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`5.
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`Claims 10-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over
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`Yasuda (US Pat No. 6,934,523).
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`As per claims 10-11, Yasuda does not disclose a phase synchronizing circuit as
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`claimed in claim 10 or claim 11. However, such phase synchronizing circuit is well-
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`known in the art (also, see search report). Therefore, it would have been obvious to
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`one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention for Yasuda to utilize such well-
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`known phase synchronizing circuit in order to reduce transitional change of frequency
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`during phase synchronization and reduces time required for phase synchronization.
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`As per claims 12-13, Yasuda does not disclose a reference oscillation divider
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`connected between the reference oscillator and the comparator and operable to divide
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`the signal outputted from the reference oscillator so as to output the reference signal
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`whose frequency is lower than a frequency of the other IF signal to the comparator..
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`However, such reference oscillation divider is well-known in the art (also, see search
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`report). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the
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`time of invention for Yasuda to utilize such well-known reference oscillation divider
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`based upon the system requirements but also to generate the desired receive local
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 12/867,121
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`Page 7
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`Art Unit: 2649
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`oscillator signals, thus improving performance of the receiver, without increasing
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`complexity.
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`6.
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`Claims 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over
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`Yasuda (US Pat No. 6,934,523) and in view of Temerinac et al. (hereinafter
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`“Temerinac”, EP1657917A1).
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`As per claim 14, Yasuda does not specifically disclose the frequency conversion
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`unit as claimed in claim 14. However, Temerinac discloses such frequency conversion
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`unit (see fig. 1). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art
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`at the time of invention for Yasuda to utilize the frequency conversion unit of Temerinac
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`in order effectively suppresses interference and uses the same standard-independent
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`pre-filtering for both analog and digitally modulated signals.
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`As per claim 15, the combination communication system of Yasuda and
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`Temerinac further discloses the other frequency conversion unit as claimed in claim 15
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`(see Temerinac, fig. 1).
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`7.
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`Applicant's arguments filed on 09/10/12 have been fully considered but they are
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`Response to Arguments
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`not persuasive.
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`The Applicant’s stated that, “Yasuda does not suggest a reception device which
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`selectively receives an analog broadcast signal and a digital broadcast signal.
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`Furthermore, Yasuda does not disclose that the frequency of the oscillator signal is
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 12/867,121
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`Page 8
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`Art Unit: 2649
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`controlled within a reception frequency band when receiving the digital broadcast
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`signal, and the frequency of the oscillator signal is controlled to be outside the
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`reception frequency band when receiving the analog broadcast signal”. In response to
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`the Applicant, as stated in the specification (0003-0004), a conventional reception
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`device (see fig. 11), wherein the reception device when receiving the digital broadcast
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`signal, control unit 13 controls the frequency of the first local signal and the second
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`local signal to be a central frequency of a reception frequency band. With this, control
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`unit 13 causes I signal output terminal 11 to output an I signal as a baseband signal
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`and Q signal output terminal 12 to output a Q signal as a baseband signal. On the
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`other hand, when receiving the analog broadcast signal, reception device 1 controls
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`the frequency of the first local signal and the second local signal to be a frequency that
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`is (central frequency of the reception frequency band.+-.|F frequency), and causes IF
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`signal output terminal 10 to output the IF signal. Also, as stated in the specification, an
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`embodiment of the invention (see fig. 1), when reception device 14 receives the digital
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`broadcast signal, control unit 24 controls the frequency of the first local signal and the
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`second local signal to be kept within a reception frequency band.... On the other hand,
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`when reception device 14 receives the analog broadcast signal, the frequency of the
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`first local signal and the second local signal are controlled to be kept outside the
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`reception frequency band (that is, within an adjacent frequency band excluding a
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`border between the reception frequency band and the adjacent frequency band). With
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`this, control unit 24 causes first frequency converter 18 and second frequency
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`converter 20 to output the signals with the frequency of the difference between the
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 12/867,121
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`Page 9
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`Art Unit: 2649
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`reception frequency band and the local signals, and causes phase synthesis unit
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`22 to synthesize these signals. Yasuda disclose (see col. 1/no. 29-32, and abstract) a
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`single circuit-configured tuner is capable of selectively switching between two operating
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`modes. A radio frequency signal, quadrature-modulated by a base-band digital signal,
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`is captured into a single input terminal and then split into two signals. Each signal is
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`fed into a mixer at each branch circuit block. Each mixer receives an oscillating
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`frequency of a local oscillator. At this time, the oscillating frequency determines the
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`operating mode.
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`In the first operating mode (digital signal), as the oscillating frequency
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`is determined to be equal to the rf signal, the rf signal undergoes quadrature detection,
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`resulting in that the original base-band digital signal is obtained at an output terminal
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`coupled to each mixer, that is, the tuner works as an I/Q detection tuner. On the other
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`hand, in the second operating mode (analog signal), as the oscillating frequency is
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`determined so that the difference between the oscillating frequency and the frequency
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`of the rf signal is to be equal to an IF, the tuner works as an IF tuner (see col. 1/no. 29-
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`32, and abstract). As one of ordinary skill in the art can see that the conventional
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`method, the embodiment method , and Yasuda method are similar as to how the
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`reception device receives an analog and digital broadcast signals. Therefore the
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`rejection is proper.
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`THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time
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`policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
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`A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE
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`MONTHS from the mailing date of this action.
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`In the event a first reply is filed within
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 12/867,121
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`Page 10
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`Art Unit: 2649
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`TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not
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`mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the
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`shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any
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`extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of
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`the advisory action.
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`In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later
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`than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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`Conclusion
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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 Pablo Tran whose telephone number is (571 )272-7898.
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`The examiner normal hours are 9:30 -5:00 (Monday-Friday). If attempts to reach the
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`examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Edward Urban, can
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`be reached at (571)272-7899. The fax phone number for the organization where this
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`application or proceeding is assigned is (571)273-8300.
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`9.
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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 httpr//pair-directauspto.gov. Should
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`You have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 12/867,121
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`Page 11
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`Art Unit: 2649
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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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`June 9, 2012
`
`/Pab|o N Tran/
`
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2618
`
`