UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`
`
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`PO. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 2231371450
`www.uspto.gov
`
`15/453,481
`
`03/08/2017
`
`TAKENORI SAKAMOTO
`
`731156.593
`
`1344
`
`S eed IP Law Group LLP/Panas on1e
`701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 5400
`Seattle, WA 98104
`
`CHAUDRY' MUJTABA M
`
`ART UNIT
`
`2112
`
`PAPER NUMBER
`
`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`02/15/2019
`
`ELECTRONIC
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`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
`
`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above—indicated "Notification Date" to the
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`following e—mail address(es):
`US PTOeACtion @ SeedIP .Com
`
`pairlinkdktg @ seedip .eom
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`Off/09 A0170” Summary
`
`Application No.
`15/453,481
`Examiner
`MUJTABA M CHAUDRY
`
`Applicant(s)
`SAKAMOTO, TAKENORI
`Art Unit
`AIA Status
`2112
`Yes
`
`- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet wit/7 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 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply be timely filed after SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing
`date of this communication.
`|f 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).
`
`Status
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`1). Responsive to communication(s) filed on 11/5/2018.
`[:1 A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
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`2a). This action is FINAL.
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`2b) C] This action is non-final.
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`3)[:] An election was made by the applicant in response to a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
`; 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
`closed in accordance with the practice under Expat/7e Quay/e, 1935 CD. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
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`Disposition of Claims*
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`5)
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`Claim(s) fl is/are pending in the application.
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`5a) Of the above claim(s)
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`is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`E] Claim(s)
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`is/are allowed.
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`Claim(s) fl is/are rejected.
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`[:1 Claim(s) _ is/are objected to.
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`) ) ) )
`
`6 7
`
`8
`
`
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`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement
`[j Claim(s)
`9
`* If any claims have been determined aflowabte. 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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`http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPeredback@uspto.gov.
`
`Application Papers
`10)[:] The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`
`11)[:] The drawing(s) filed on
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`is/are: a)D accepted or b)l:] 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).
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`12):] 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)D All
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`b)I:J Some”
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`c)C] None of the:
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`1.[:] Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
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`2.[:] Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
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`3.[:] Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
`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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`1) C] Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
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`2) E] Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date_
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3) C] Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`4) CI Other-
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`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
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`Office Action Summary
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`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20190212
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/453,481
`Art Unit: 2112
`
`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Applicants’ response filed 11/5/2018 has been considered.
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`—
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`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the
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`first inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
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`— Claims 1—6 are pending. Independent claims 1 and 6 currently amended.
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`—
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`Prior rejections are maintained.
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`Application is pending.
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`Applicants’ arguments filed ll/5/2018 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
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`Response to Arguments
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`The Examiner notes that the current amendments do not significantly alter the scope of
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`the independent claims. Therefore the prior art rejections are maintained in view of remarks
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`made herein.
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`Applicants contend Richardson (prior art) does not teach or suggest, “. . .control circuitry,
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`which in operation, updates an iteration number N of the decoding process for each time the
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`turbo equalization process is performed, N being an integer equal to or greater than 1, updating
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`the iteration number N including determining the iteration number N based on a number of times
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`the equalization process is performed; and decoding circuitry, which in operation, receives the
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`equalized signal and repeats the decoding process on the equalized signal by the iteration number
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`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/453,481
`Art Unit: 2112
`
`Page 3
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`N or less and outputs the decoded signal to the equalization circuitry...” Emphasis reflect current
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`amendments.
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`The Examiner respectfully disagrees and would like to point out that the added limitation
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`does not substantially alter the scope of the claim. In the interview Figures 5—7 of the current
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`application were discussed. Particularly Figure 7 of the present application shows a specific
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`relation between the number of equalizations and the number of decoding. The Examiner would
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`to point out that the data shown in Figure 7 is not reflected in the claims. The current amendment
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`simply states to update the iterations based on the equalization which is already taught by
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`Richardson (i.e., Figure 4, paragraphs 0038, 0053, 0055, 0056, 0059, 0061 and 0078). The
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`relationship between the decoder and the ISI detector (equalization) is apparent from Figure 4
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`and related text. For example, Richardson states, “When implementing the invention in the
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`context of a turbo equalizer or soft 181 detector, the extrinsic information fed back from the
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`decoder to the ISI detector and/or the extrinsic information delivered to the decoder from the ISI
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`detector should, and in some implementations is, temporarily frozen, e. g., temporarily not
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`updated immediately after the reinitialization. After several message passing iterations following
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`the reinitialization and freezing operation, the feedback information from the decoder is once
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`again supplied to the ISI detector (i.e., updated) and/or the extrinsic information feed back to the
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`decoder from the ISI detector is once again enabled.” Therefore Richardson teaches to update the
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`iterations for the decoding based on the equalizations. The Examiner would like to point out that
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`these processes are linked in iterative decoding system of Richardson.
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`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/453,481
`Art Unit: 2112
`
`Richardson teaches:
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`Page 4
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`“. .
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`. equalization circuitry, which in operation, performs equalization process on
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`the input signal and a decoding signal (i.e., Figure 4, below 181 detector and paragraph
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`0053; The Examiner would like to point out that Richardson teaches the ISI detector is
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`functionally equivalent to the equalization circuitry and it receives two inputs—namely
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`the external input signal 412 and the decoding signal 420);
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`control circuitry, which in operation, updates an iteration number N of the
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`decoding process for each time the turbo equalization process is performed (i.e., Figure 4,
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`counter 406 and paragraphs 0054—0056; The Examiner would like to point out that
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`counter 406 updates each time the turbo equalization process is performed and in the
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`event the decoding iteration is successful, the data is output at 430), N being an integer
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`equal to or greater than 1 (This is inherently true in an iterative decoding scheme),
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`updating the iteration number N including determining the iteration number N based on a
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`number of times the equalization process is performed (i.e., Figure 4 and paragraph 0053—
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`0078); and decoding circuitry, which in operation, receives the equalized signal and
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`repeats the decoding process on the equalized signal by the iteration number N or less
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`and outputs the decoded signal to the equalization circuitry (i.e., Figure 4, paragraphs
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`0038, 0053, 0055, 0056, 0059, 0061 and 0078); and
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`decoding circuitry, which in operation, repeats the decoding process on the
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`equalized signal by the iteration number N or less and outputs the decoded signal to the
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`equalization circuitry (i.e., Figure 4, decoder 404 and paragraph 0055; The Examiner
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`would like to point out that there are two loops in the iterative decoding process
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`described by Richardson—namely the inner decoding loop and the outer decoding
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`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/453,481
`Art Unit: 2112
`
`Page 5
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`communication loop. The inner decoding loop is related to the decoding circuitry which
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`repeats the decoding process on the equalized signal that is received by the ISI detector
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`and then recirculates the signal back to the ISI detector/equalization circuitry as
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`needed). .
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`. ”
`
`Figure 4 of Richardson:
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`FIGURE 4
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`It is the Examiner’s conclusion that the claims of the present application, as presented, are not
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`patentably distinct over Richardson—applied prior art. Applicants are encouraged to formulate
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`claim language that clearly defines the novelty of the application. If Applicants believe an
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`interview might advance prosecution, then they are invited to contact the Examiner with
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`proposed amendments for a discussion. Prior art rejections are maintained in view of remarks
`
`made herein. See prior office action for details.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/453,481
`Art Unit: 2112
`
`Page 6
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`Conclusion
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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. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO
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`MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after
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`the end of the THREE—MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period
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`will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37
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`CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event,
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`however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing
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`date of this final action.
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to MUJTABA M CHAUDRY whose telephone number is
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`(571)272—3817. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday—Friday 9am—5:30pm.
`
`Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in—person, and video conferencing using
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`a USPTO supplied web—based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is
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`encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at
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`http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
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`supervisor, Albert DeCady can be reached on 571—272—3819. The fax phone number for the
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`organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571—273—8300.
`
`Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent
`
`Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications
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`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/453,481
`Art Unit: 2112
`
`Page 7
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`may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished
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`applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR
`
`system, see http://pair—direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR
`
`system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866—217—9197 (toll—free). If you would
`
`like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated
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`information system, call 800—786—9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571—272—1000.
`
`MUJTABA M. CHAUDRY
`
`Primary Examiner
`Art Unit 2112
`
`/MUJTABA M CHAUDRY/
`
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2112
`
`