Appeal No. 2006-0406
Application 09/497,865
select the strongest beam signal. Chiba does not disclose using
the element corresponding to the strongest signal for
transmission. Since Chang shares one of the co-inventors of the
present application and is assigned to the real party in interest
in this case, we assume that appellants would inform the Office
if one skilled in the art would have recognized that the circuit
was intended to be used to provide retrodirectivity.
We agree with the examiner that it would have been obvious
to combine an azimuth scanned antenna as taught by Karlsson with
the specific DBF circuit taught by Chang given the teachings of
the advantages of using DBF and mounting an antenna array flat on
the top of a van in Chiba. Chiba also discloses "locking onto a
strongest signal having a corresponding element" (claim 1 and
similar limitations in all independent claims) which suggests
that the circuit in Chang would determine the strongest signal.
The main issue is the interpretation of the limitations
"a digital receiver determining signal strengths for the coded
element signals and locking onto a strongest signal having a
corresponding element, so that the corresponding element can be
used for transmission" (claim 1 and similar limitations in
claim 7, 21, and 37) and "determining signal strengths for the
coded element signals and determining a strongest signal of the
signal strengths and a corresponding element, and transmitting a
transmit beam using the corresponding element" (claim 13 and a
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