DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Amendment
This Office Action is responding to applicant’s amendment filed on 3/2/2026. Claims 1-60 and 74-83 have been cancelled. Claims 84 is newly added. Claims 61-62, 65, 67, and 72-73 have been amended.
Response to Arguments
The 112 rejection have been withdrawn in view of applicant’s amendment.
Regarding the Neuenhahn or Longinotti-Buitoni alone or in combination in 102/103 rejections, applicant remarked that neither disclose comparison of input data and device data now recited in independent claim 61. In response, claim 61, as amended, recites the processor compares input data to device data….AND/OR, such recitation includes alternative form of the recitation which requires only one of the alternative form. The claims, as amended, have been carefully considered and deem not allowable in view of the interpretation in the rejection below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(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.
Claims 61-72 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Neuenhahn et al (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2015/0297437 A1).
Regarding independent claim 16, Figures 1a-1b discloses applicant’s claimed compression therapy arrangement (110) comprising:
a compression garment (112) adapted to exert external pressure on a body portion (114);
a mobile communication device (124);
at least one sensor device (116) associated with the compression garment (112) and having at least one pressure sensor (118, 123) capable of producing at least one pressure signal (wireless signals119, 125) indicative of the external pressure and a transmitter linked to the at least one sensor device and operable to transmit therapy signals (paragraph 0276) corresponding to the pressure signals to the mobile communication device (124),
wherein the mobile communication device (124) has a processor operable to process therapy signals and further comprising a display (130’, see paragraph 0276),
wherein the display (130’) is linked to the processor and is operable to generate a perceptible signal corresponding to the external pressure, wherein the signal includes a vibrational representation (paragraph 0367 discloses an alarm) of the external pressure; and
a storage (133, paragraph 0287) capable of storing pressure data corresponding to a plurality of external pressure values corresponding to a plurality of pressure signals and wherein the display (130) is operable to display a graph (paragraph 0047, 0119) representing the pressure data;
the pressure sensor (118) comprises at least one capacitor (paragraph 0234) having a capacity dependent on the external pressure (paragraph 0234); and
an input device (132’) linked to the processor (128) and operable to input external data, the transmitter (evaluation device 126 analyzes data and compare data), transmitted by the transmitter and is further operable to enable operation of the processor (128) for controlling the display (130’) to display a graphic representation signals (119, 125) received from the transmitter (evaluation device 126) and derived from signals of the sensor device (116) depending on a result of the comparison (paragraphs 0373, 0385-0386, 0395, 0401, 0406, 0414, 0429, 0434, 0447).
Regarding claim 62, Neuenhahn reference, presented above, discloses applicant’s claimed compression therapy arrangement (110), comprising all features as recited in thse claims, wherein the pressure sensor is flexible or soft.
Regarding claim 63, Neuenhahn reference, presented above, discloses applicant’s claimed compression therapy arrangement (110), wherein the at least one capacitor (paragraph 0120 & 0233) is integrated into an electric circuit (processor 128 inherently having resistors/inductors, thereby inclusive of RC/LC circuitry) further comprising a resistance and/or inductance, such as a RC circuit or a LC circuit, and wherein the pressure signal is determined based on a frequency analysis (evaluation system 126).
Regarding claim 64, Neuenhahn reference, presented above, discloses applicant’s claimed compression therapy arrangement (110), wherein said sensor device comprises a position sensor (attitude sensor 118, abstract).
Regarding claim 65, Neuenhahn reference, presented above, discloses applicant’s claimed compression therapy arrangement (110), wherein the transmitter is operable to transmit to the mobile communication (124) a position signal derived from the position sensor (paragraph 0147, 0266).
Regarding claim 66, Neuenhahn reference, presented above, discloses applicant’s claimed compression therapy arrangement (110), wherein the processor (128) is operable to identify muscle pump activity units from measured data (paragraphs 0065, 0348-0359, 0402, 0432, 0444, 0446, 0518, 0520).
Regarding claim 67, Neuenhahn reference, presented above, discloses applicant’s claimed compression therapy arrangement (110), wherein the input (132’) is linked to the processor (128) and wherein the processor (128) is operable to compare input target data with progress data derived from the stored data, wherein the stored data includes the stored pressure data and stored activity data, and wherein the processor (128) is operable to enable processor functions, which include control of the display (130’) to display items depending on a result of the comparison between the input target data and the progress data.
Regarding claim 68, Neuenhahn reference, presented above, discloses applicant’s claimed compression therapy arrangement (110), wherein the transmitter is operable to transmit pressure data to an external web server (paragraph 0280 discloses smart phone which is access to and capability of external web server).
Regarding claim 69, Neuenhahn reference, presented above, discloses applicant’s claimed compression therapy arrangement (110), wherein the processor (128) is operable to receive web data from an external web server and to control the display device (130’) to display a graphic representation of the information content of the web data, together with a graphic representation of the pressure data, or the external data, and wherein the processor (128) is further operable to receive usage data indicative of the period of usage of the compression garment, to compare the usage data to respective target data, to transmit data to one external hosts, and to divide data for transmission to the at least one external host (Figure 1b illustrates evaluation device 126 and monitoring device 116 operable to receive data and transmit data and analyze/divide data to external host 124)).
Regarding claim 70, Neuenhahn reference, presented above, discloses applicant’s claimed compression therapy arrangement (110), wherein the compression garment comprises at least one compression sleeve (paragraph 0018).
Regarding claim 71, Neuenhahn reference, presented above, discloses applicant’s claimed compression therapy arrangement (110), comprising at least two spaced apart pressure sensors (118, 122’), wherein each of the pressure sensors is associated with a corresponding subpart of the compression garment (112), wherein one of the pressure sensors is arranged in a distal portion (Figure 1b illustrates sensor 118 is located at one end of unit 117) of the compression garment (112), wherein another of the pressure sensors is arranged in a proximal portion (Figure 1b illustrates sensor 118 is located at other end of unit 117) of the compression garment (112).
Regarding claim 72, Neuenhahn reference, presented above, discloses applicant’s claimed method for operating a compression therapy arrangement according to claim 61, wherein a therapy signal is transmitted to the mobile communication device (paragraph 0276 discloses wireless technology, hence, the signal is transmitted to the mobile communication device).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 73 and 84 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Neuenhahn et al (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2015/0297437 A1), and further in view of Longinotti-Buttoni et al (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2015/0040282 A1).
Regarding claims 73 and 84, Neuenhahn reference, presented above, discloses applicant’s claimed compression therapy arrangement (110) including the processor (128).
Neuenhahn does not disclose the processor is operable to execute an executable code, wherein the code encodes an identifier of the compression garment and wherein the code is scannable such that the identifier is obtainable through scanning of the code, and wherein the code is a QR code, wherein the code is attached to the compression garment.
However, Longinotti-Buttoni teaches an analogous compression garment including a QR code (43, paragraphs 0212 & 0234).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Neuenhahn’s compression garment to attach a QR code on compression garment, taught by Longinotti-Buttoni, as such visual QR code promotes/trigger marketing/purchasing of the garment product.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CAMTU TRAN NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-4799. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Rachael E Bredefeld can be reached at 571-270-5237. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/CAMTU T NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 3786