Louzir, Ali et al.

Patent Trials and Appeals Board

Dec 17, 2019

14405592 - (D) (P.T.A.B. Dec. 17, 2019)

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
Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
www.uspto.gov
APPLICATION NO. FILING DATE FIRST NAMED INVENTOR ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. CONFIRMATION NO.
14/405,592 12/04/2014 Ali Louzir PF120026 1014
24498 7590 12/17/2019
Vincent E. Duffy
THOMSON Licensing
19868 Collins Road
CANYON COUNTRY, CA 91351
EXAMINER
KUMAR, SHAILENDRA
ART UNIT PAPER NUMBER
2471
NOTIFICATION DATE DELIVERY MODE
12/17/2019 ELECTRONIC
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
following e-mail address(es):
Patricia.Verlangieri@InterDigital.com
mike.pugel@eurekovation.com
vincent.duffy@technicolor.com
PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
Ex parte ALI LOUZIR, JEAN-YVES LE NAOUR,
DOMINIQUE LO HINE TONG, PHILIPPE MINARD, and
JEAN-LUC ROBERT
Appeal 2019-001188
Application 14/405,592
Technology Center 2400
Before MICHAEL J. STRAUSS, ADAM J. PYONIN, and
SCOTT RAEVSKY, Administrative Patent Judges.
RAEVSKY, Administrative Patent Judge.
DECISION ON APPEAL
Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 134(a), Appellant1 appeals from the
Examiner’s decision to reject claims 1–10. We have jurisdiction under
35 U.S.C. § 6(b).
We affirm.

1 We use the word “Appellant” to refer to “Applicant” as defined in
37 C.F.R. § 1.42(a). Appellant identifies the real party in interest as
Thomson Licensing. Appeal Br. 3.
Appeal 2019-001188
Application 14/405,592

2
CLAIMED SUBJECT MATTER
The claims are directed to a signal transmission and reception device
in a MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) system. See Spec., Abstract,
pg. 1, line 6. Claim 1, reproduced below, is illustrative of the claimed
subject matter:
1. A device for the transmission and/or reception of signals
in a MIMO system comprising:
a MIMO module comprising N inputs/outputs to deliver
or receive N signals, N being greater than or equal to 2;
an antenna system to transmit or receive said N signals,
wherein the antenna system comprises at least one multi-
sector antenna, with M angular sectors in a horizontal plane
capable of selectively receiving and/or transmitting said N
signals in one or more of said M angular sectors, said M
angular sectors not overlapping each other and together forming
a global angular sector of 360 degrees, where M>N,
wherein the device further comprises a switching device,
mounted between the MIMO module and the antenna system,
to connect P angular sectors of the at least one multi-sector
antenna, with 1≤P