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 .
Notice of Amendment
In response to the amendment filed on 7/31/2025, amended claims 1, 3, 10, and 16 and cancelled claims 4, 13, and 19 are acknowledged. Claims 1-3, 5-12, 14-18, and 20 remain pending. The following new and reiterated grounds of rejection are set forth:
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-12, 14-18, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Perkins et al. (US Publication No. 2020/0337162 A1) (previously cited), further in view of Grena et al. (US Publication No. 2022/0079521 A1) (previously cited).
Regarding claim 1, Perkins et al. discloses a wearable leader sensor node for determining body posture, the wearable sensor leader node comprising:
a processor (14301, 14401) (see Figures 143-144);
an orientation sensor (14311, 14411) coupled to the processor (see Figures 143-144 and [0905] – “For example, the positioning system 14311 may include magnetometers, gyroscopes, accelerometers, optical sensors, cameras, global positioning system (GPS) receivers, inertial positioning systems, or the like. The positioning system 14311 may be used to determine spatial parameters of the device 14300, such as the location of the device 14300 (e.g., geographical coordinates of the device), measurements or estimates of physical movement of the device 14300, an orientation of the device 14300, or the like”);
a memory (14302, 14402) coupled to the processor (see Figures 143-144);
an ultra-wide-band, UWB, transceiver (14304, 14404) coupled to the processor (see Figures 143-144 and [0900] – “The one or more communications channels 14304 may also include ultra-wideband interfaces, which may include any appropriate communications circuitry, instructions, and number and position of suitable UWB antennas to facilitate localization of a wirelessly locatable tag (or other device with similar functionality), as described herein”);
at least two antennas coupled to the UWB transceiver (see [0227] – “In some cases, the same antenna(s) are used for transmitting and detecting UWB signals. In some cases, the antenna(s) used for transmitting UWB signals are different from the antenna(s) used for detecting UWB signals. The antenna(s) may be operably coupled to one or more transmitters, receivers, processing units, or the like that may be used to generate transmitted signals and/or process detected signal”);
wherein the processor is configured to:
transmit a first UWB signal via the ultra-wide band transceiver to a wearable follower sensor node (13600a-g, 13700a-b, 13800a-e, 13850a-d) (see [0227] – “In some cases, the same antenna(s) are used for transmitting and detecting UWB signals. In some cases, the antenna(s) used for transmitting UWB signals are different from the antenna(s) used for detecting UWB signals. The antenna(s) may be operably coupled to one or more transmitters, receivers, processing units, or the like that may be used to generate transmitted signals and/or process detected signal”);
receive a second UWB signal from the follower sensor node transmitted in response to receiving the first UWB signal (see [0227] – “In some cases, the same antenna(s) are used for transmitting and detecting UWB signals. In some cases, the antenna(s) used for transmitting UWB signals are different from the antenna(s) used for detecting UWB signals. The antenna(s) may be operably coupled to one or more transmitters, receivers, processing units, or the like that may be used to generate transmitted signals and/or process detected signal”);
determine a time-of-flight value of a signal transmitted between the wearable leader sensor node and the wearable follower sensor node from the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal (see [0825] – “As described previously, each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be able to determine a relative distance to the electronic device 13610 using a time of flight (ToF), angle of arrival (AoA), time difference of arrival (TDOA) received signal strength indication (RSSI), triangulation, synthetic aperture, and/or any other similar techniques, one or more of which may be implemented using a UWB wireless system”);
determine an angle of arrival value of the second UWB signal (see [0825] – “As described previously, each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be able to determine a relative distance to the electronic device 13610 using a time of flight (ToF), angle of arrival (AoA), time difference of arrival (TDOA) received signal strength indication (RSSI), triangulation, synthetic aperture, and/or any other similar techniques, one or more of which may be implemented using a UWB wireless system”), wherein a reference axis is determined from the orientation sensor (see [0827] – “In some cases, each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f includes an accelerometer, magnetometer, or other element that is configured to determine a device orientation, which may be used to determine a relative location of each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f. In some cases, the accelerometer, magnetometer, or other element that is configured to determine a device orientation provides additional information about the position of the user's body including torso or shoulder twist”); and
determine a value representing a body posture from the time-of-flight value and the angle-of-arrival value (see [0821] – “As described below with respect to FIGS. 136A-136C, 137A-137B, 138A-138B, and 139, wireless tags may be strategically positioned along a body of a user and used to monitor and correct potentially problematic posture issues to help avoid chronic physical ailments”).
It is noted Perkins et al. does not specifically teach the angle of arrival is determined with respect to a reference axis determined from the orientation sensor. However, Grena et al. teaches the angle of arrival is determined with respect to a reference axis determined from the orientation sensor (see [0048] – “Similarly, control circuitry 12 of tag 10 may, if desired, determine the orientation of tag 10 relative to device 40 by determining a phase difference associated with signals 38 received by antennas 28 in tag 10. The phase difference may be used to determine an angle of arrival of signals 38 received by tag 10” and [0070] – “For example, angle of arrival measurement techniques may be used to determine the azimuth angle and/or elevation angle of tag 10 relative to a given axis of device 40 (e.g., relative to a longitudinal axis or other suitable axis of device 40) based on signals 38”). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Perkins et al. to include the angle of arrival is determined with respect to a reference axis determined from the orientation sensor, as disclosed in Grena et al., so as to determine the relative orientation of the wearable leader sensor node relative to another device (see Grena et al.: [0048]).
Regarding claim 2, Perkins et al. discloses the processor is configured to determine the body posture by comparison of the time-of-flight value and the angle of arrival value with a predetermined time-of-flight value and angle-of- arrival value stored in the memory (see [0825] – “As described previously, each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be able to determine a relative distance to the electronic device 13610 using a time of flight (ToF), angle of arrival (AoA), time difference of arrival (TDOA) received signal strength indication (RSSI), triangulation, synthetic aperture, and/or any other similar techniques, one or more of which may be implemented using a UWB wireless system” and [0829] – “The position of the user 13605 in FIG. 136B may represent a nominal or an ideal posture position. As shown in FIG. 136B, an ideal goal location of each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be determined with respect to a datum or reference, here represented by the reference plane 13604 depicted in FIG. 136B…Reference or ideal position data may be stored in computer-readable memory for use by the posture-measurement system 13601”).
Regarding claim 3, Perkins et al. discloses the processor is configured for the follower sensor node to:
transmit the first UWB signal via the ultra-wide band transceiver comprising a follower node ID (see [0186] – “The beacon may include the public key of the tag and optionally other information such as a tag identifier, a last reported location, a time since a last direct connection to another device, or the like”);
receive a second UWB signal from the follower sensor node having the follower node ID (see [0186] – “The beacon may include the public key of the tag and optionally other information such as a tag identifier, a last reported location, a time since a last direct connection to another device, or the like”);
determine a time-of-flight value of a signal transmitted between the wearable leader sensor node and the follower sensor node from the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal (see [0825] – “As described previously, each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be able to determine a relative distance to the electronic device 13610 using a time of flight (ToF), angle of arrival (AoA), time difference of arrival (TDOA) received signal strength indication (RSSI), triangulation, synthetic aperture, and/or any other similar techniques, one or more of which may be implemented using a UWB wireless system”);
determine an angle of arrival of the second UWB signal from the wearable follower sensor node (see [0825] – “As described previously, each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be able to determine a relative distance to the electronic device 13610 using a time of flight (ToF), angle of arrival (AoA), time difference of arrival (TDOA) received signal strength indication (RSSI), triangulation, synthetic aperture, and/or any other similar techniques, one or more of which may be implemented using a UWB wireless system”); and
determine a value representing a body posture from the time-of-flight values and the angle-of-arrival values determined between the sensor leader node and the follower nodes (see [0821] – “As described below with respect to FIGS. 136A-136C, 137A-137B, 138A-138B, and 139, wireless tags may be strategically positioned along a body of a user and used to monitor and correct potentially problematic posture issues to help avoid chronic physical ailments”).
Regarding claim 5, Perkins et al. discloses the processor is further configured in a calibration step for each body posture to store the time-of-flight values and the angle-of arrival values in the memory (see [0829] – “A nominal position of each of the other wireless tags 13600c-13600f may be specified in terms of a reference offset or delta with respect to the reference plane 13604. The reference offset of each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be determined on a user-by-user basis as each user's body is unique and the nominal, normal, or ideal position of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may vary from user-to-user depending on muscle mass, body fat content, and other physical body features. Other techniques may also be used to determine the reference or ideal position of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f including, for example, local coordinate values with respect to a datum origin, working envelopes, or other spatial constraining techniques. Reference or ideal position data may be stored in computer-readable memory for use by the posture-measurement system 13601” and [0846] – “In some implementations, one or more of the wireless tags are preprogrammed or otherwise configured to track a particular region of the user's body. For example, a wireless tag may be preprogrammed or otherwise configured to be positioned along a user's left shoulder region. Similarly, a wireless tag may be preprogrammed or otherwise configured to be positioned along a user's middle back, lumbar, leg, arm, head, or other region of the user's body. The preprogramming or configuration of the wireless tag may include a calibration or other set of coded values that may facilitate the use of the wireless tag in a particular body position”).
Regarding claim 6, Perkins et al. discloses further configured to determine a user action from a comparison of the measured time-of- flight values and the angle-of arrival values with reference time-of-flight values and the angle- of arrival values (see [0825] – “As described previously, each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be able to determine a relative distance to the electronic device 13610 using a time of flight (ToF), angle of arrival (AoA), time difference of arrival (TDOA) received signal strength indication (RSSI), triangulation, synthetic aperture, and/or any other similar techniques, one or more of which may be implemented using a UWB wireless system” and [0843] – “A position-monitoring system may be configured to track location data for one or more wireless tags over a period of time in order to identify an activity type. Example activity types include, for example, a weight lifting activity, a running activity, a biking activity, a sport activity (e.g., basketball, football, soccer), a yoga activity, a rowing activity, or other type of physical activity”).
Regarding claim 7, Perkins et al. discloses a radio frequency, RF, transceiver coupled to the processor wherein the processor is further configured to transmit the determined body posture value via the RF transceiver to a further device configured to indicate to a user a required change in body posture (see [0853] – “The animation or computer-simulated avatar may be used to help diagnose or identify potential issues with a user's posture. The location information obtained from the wireless tags may also be used to generate other graphical feedback or information that is presented to the user. In one example, the location information is used to determine an amount of deviation from a nominal or ideal posture. The amount of deviation may correspond to an amount of time or number of deviations in which the user's posture exceeded a threshold with respect to the nominal or ideal posture. In some cases, the deviation or other measurement metric is displayed graphically on a histogram, bar graph, chart, or other graphical representation” and [0917] – “Generally, the wireless interface may communicate via, without limitation, radio frequency, optical, acoustic, and/or magnetic signals and may be configured to operate over a wireless interface or protocol. Example wireless interfaces include radio frequency cellular interfaces, fiber optic interfaces, acoustic interfaces, Bluetooth interfaces, infrared interfaces, USB interfaces, Wi-Fi interfaces, TCP/IP interfaces, network communications interfaces, or any conventional communication interfaces”).
Regarding claim 8, Perkins et al. teaches the further device is configured to indicate the required change in body posture (see [0831] – “A visual representation of the measured deviation including for example, the tilt plane 13606, may be provided to the user through a graphical user interface of the electronic device 13610 using another computer generated display” and [0852] – “As discussed previously, an indicia of the deviation or posture event may be provided to the user. In one example, the results of the posture measurement are displayed on an electronic device through a graphical user interface or other similar technique. As discussed previously, a tilt plane or other similar reference may be displayed, which may indicate the type and degree or extent of the deviation. In some cases, an anatomical representation of the user's body is displayed and one or more of the regions of the user's body are identified as being deviated from an ideal or nominal posture. The graphical user interface may also display a description of the problem and corrective actions or other diagnostic information to the user”) but does not specifically teach the required change in body posture is determined from a difference between a measured angle-of-arrival value and a predetermined angle-of-arrival value (see [0071] – “Device 40 may take action (e.g., may display an image similar to the screen of FIG. 4) when control circuitry 42 determines based on signals 38 that tag 10 is within a predetermined threshold distance from device 40 and/or when the angle of arrival of signals 38 indicates that device 40 is pointing towards tag 10 (e.g., when the azimuth angle and/or elevation angle between tag 10 and the longitudinal axis or other axis of device 40 is less than a predetermined threshold angle)”). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Perkins et al. to include the required change in body posture is determined from a difference between a measured angle-of-arrival value and a predetermined angle-of-arrival value, as disclosed in Grena et al., so as to monitor and correct potentially problematic posture issues to help avoid chronic physical ailments (see Perkins et al.: [0821]).
Regarding claim 9, Perkins et al. discloses a posture measurement apparatus comprising the wearable leader sensor node claim 1 (see rejection above) wirelessly coupled to a plurality of wearable follower sensor nodes, each wearable follower sensor node comprising:
a processor (14301, 14401) (see Figures 143-144);
a memory (14302, 14402) coupled to the processor (see Figures 143-144);
an ultra-wide-band, UWB, transceiver (14304, 14404) coupled to the processor (see Figures 143-144 and [0900] – “The one or more communications channels 14304 may also include ultra-wideband interfaces, which may include any appropriate communications circuitry, instructions, and number and position of suitable UWB antennas to facilitate localization of a wirelessly locatable tag (or other device with similar functionality), as described herein”)
an antenna coupled to the UWB transceiver (see [0227] – “In some cases, the same antenna(s) are used for transmitting and detecting UWB signals. In some cases, the antenna(s) used for transmitting UWB signals are different from the antenna(s) used for detecting UWB signals. The antenna(s) may be operably coupled to one or more transmitters, receivers, processing units, or the like that may be used to generate transmitted signals and/or process detected signal”);
wherein the wearable follower sensor node processor is configured to:
receive a first UWB signal via the ultra-wide band transceiver from the wearable leader sensor node (see [0227] – “In some cases, the same antenna(s) are used for transmitting and detecting UWB signals. In some cases, the antenna(s) used for transmitting UWB signals are different from the antenna(s) used for detecting UWB signals. The antenna(s) may be operably coupled to one or more transmitters, receivers, processing units, or the like that may be used to generate transmitted signals and/or process detected signal”);
transmit a second UWB signal to the wearable leader sensor node in response to receiving the first UWB signal (see [0227] – “In some cases, the same antenna(s) are used for transmitting and detecting UWB signals. In some cases, the antenna(s) used for transmitting UWB signals are different from the antenna(s) used for detecting UWB signals. The antenna(s) may be operably coupled to one or more transmitters, receivers, processing units, or the like that may be used to generate transmitted signals and/or process detected signal”).
Regarding claim 10, Perkins et al. discloses in a posture measurement system comprising a wearable sensor leader node, the wearable sensor leader node comprising a UWB transceiver coupled to at least two antennas and an orientation sensor and one or more wearable sensor follower nodes each comprising a UWB transceiver coupled to one antenna, a method of determining a body posture comprising:
transmitting a first UWB signal from the wearable sensor leader node to the one or more wearable follower sensor nodes (13600a-g, 13700a-b, 13800a-e, 13850a-d) (see [0227] – “In some cases, the same antenna(s) are used for transmitting and detecting UWB signals. In some cases, the antenna(s) used for transmitting UWB signals are different from the antenna(s) used for detecting UWB signals. The antenna(s) may be operably coupled to one or more transmitters, receivers, processing units, or the like that may be used to generate transmitted signals and/or process detected signal”);
receiving a second UWB signal by the wearable sensor leader node from each follower sensor node transmitted in response to receiving the first UWB signal (see [0227] – “In some cases, the same antenna(s) are used for transmitting and detecting UWB signals. In some cases, the antenna(s) used for transmitting UWB signals are different from the antenna(s) used for detecting UWB signals. The antenna(s) may be operably coupled to one or more transmitters, receivers, processing units, or the like that may be used to generate transmitted signals and/or process detected signal”);
determining a reference axis from the orientation sensor (see [0827] – “In some cases, each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f includes an accelerometer, magnetometer, or other element that is configured to determine a device orientation, which may be used to determine a relative location of each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f. In some cases, the accelerometer, magnetometer, or other element that is configured to determine a device orientation provides additional information about the position of the user's body including torso or shoulder twist”);
determining a time-of-flight value of a signal transmitted between the wearable leader sensor node and the wearable follower sensor node from the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal (see [0825] – “As described previously, each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be able to determine a relative distance to the electronic device 13610 using a time of flight (ToF), angle of arrival (AoA), time difference of arrival (TDOA) received signal strength indication (RSSI), triangulation, synthetic aperture, and/or any other similar techniques, one or more of which may be implemented using a UWB wireless system”);
determining an angle of arrival of the second UWB signal (see [0825] – “As described previously, each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be able to determine a relative distance to the electronic device 13610 using a time of flight (ToF), angle of arrival (AoA), time difference of arrival (TDOA) received signal strength indication (RSSI), triangulation, synthetic aperture, and/or any other similar techniques, one or more of which may be implemented using a UWB wireless system”); and
determining a value representing a body posture from the time-of-flight value and the angle-of-arrival value (see [0821] – “As described below with respect to FIGS. 136A-136C, 137A-137B, 138A-138B, and 139, wireless tags may be strategically positioned along a body of a user and used to monitor and correct potentially problematic posture issues to help avoid chronic physical ailments”).
It is noted Perkins et al. does not specifically teach the angle of arrival is determined with respect to a reference axis determined from the orientation sensor. However, Grena et al. teaches the angle of arrival is determined with respect to a reference axis determined from the orientation sensor (see [0048] – “Similarly, control circuitry 12 of tag 10 may, if desired, determine the orientation of tag 10 relative to device 40 by determining a phase difference associated with signals 38 received by antennas 28 in tag 10. The phase difference may be used to determine an angle of arrival of signals 38 received by tag 10” and [0070] – “For example, angle of arrival measurement techniques may be used to determine the azimuth angle and/or elevation angle of tag 10 relative to a given axis of device 40 (e.g., relative to a longitudinal axis or other suitable axis of device 40) based on signals 38”). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Perkins et al. to include the angle of arrival is determined with respect to a reference axis determined from the orientation sensor, as disclosed in Grena et al., so as to determine the relative orientation of the wearable leader sensor node relative to another device (see Grena et al.: [0048]).
Regarding claim 11, Perkins et al. discloses determining the body posture value by comparison of the time-of-flight value and the angle of arrival value with a predetermined time-of-flight value and angle-of-arrival value (see [0825] – “As described previously, each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be able to determine a relative distance to the electronic device 13610 using a time of flight (ToF), angle of arrival (AoA), time difference of arrival (TDOA) received signal strength indication (RSSI), triangulation, synthetic aperture, and/or any other similar techniques, one or more of which may be implemented using a UWB wireless system” and [0829] – “The position of the user 13605 in FIG. 136B may represent a nominal or an ideal posture position. As shown in FIG. 136B, an ideal goal location of each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be determined with respect to a datum or reference, here represented by the reference plane 13604 depicted in FIG. 136B…Reference or ideal position data may be stored in computer-readable memory for use by the posture-measurement system 13601”).
Regarding claim 12, Perkins et al. discloses transmitting the first UWB signal from the wearable leader sensor node to a plurality of wearable follower sensor nodes (see [0227] – “In some cases, the same antenna(s) are used for transmitting and detecting UWB signals. In some cases, the antenna(s) used for transmitting UWB signals are different from the antenna(s) used for detecting UWB signals. The antenna(s) may be operably coupled to one or more transmitters, receivers, processing units, or the like that may be used to generate transmitted signals and/or process detected signal”);
receiving by the wearable leader sensor node a plurality of second UWB signals from each of the follower sensor nodes transmitted in response to receiving the first UWB signal by each of the respective follower sensor nodes (see [0227] – “In some cases, the same antenna(s) are used for transmitting and detecting UWB signals. In some cases, the antenna(s) used for transmitting UWB signals are different from the antenna(s) used for detecting UWB signals. The antenna(s) may be operably coupled to one or more transmitters, receivers, processing units, or the like that may be used to generate transmitted signals and/or process detected signal”);
determining a time-of-flight value of a signal transmitted between the wearable leader sensor node and each wearable follower sensor node from the first UWB signal and the respective second UWB signal (see [0825] – “As described previously, each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be able to determine a relative distance to the electronic device 13610 using a time of flight (ToF), angle of arrival (AoA), time difference of arrival (TDOA) received signal strength indication (RSSI), triangulation, synthetic aperture, and/or any other similar techniques, one or more of which may be implemented using a UWB wireless system”);
determining an angle of arrival of the second UWB signal from each of the wearable follower sensor nodes (see [0825] – “As described previously, each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be able to determine a relative distance to the electronic device 13610 using a time of flight (ToF), angle of arrival (AoA), time difference of arrival (TDOA) received signal strength indication (RSSI), triangulation, synthetic aperture, and/or any other similar techniques, one or more of which may be implemented using a UWB wireless system”); and
determining a value representing a body posture from the time-of-flight values and the angle-of-arrival values (see [0821] – “As described below with respect to FIGS. 136A-136C, 137A-137B, 138A-138B, and 139, wireless tags may be strategically positioned along a body of a user and used to monitor and correct potentially problematic posture issues to help avoid chronic physical ailments”).
Regarding claim 14, Perkins et al. discloses in a calibration step determining reference values of the time-of-flight and the angle-of arrival (see [0829] – “A nominal position of each of the other wireless tags 13600c-13600f may be specified in terms of a reference offset or delta with respect to the reference plane 13604. The reference offset of each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be determined on a user-by-user basis as each user's body is unique and the nominal, normal, or ideal position of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may vary from user-to-user depending on muscle mass, body fat content, and other physical body features. Other techniques may also be used to determine the reference or ideal position of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f including, for example, local coordinate values with respect to a datum origin, working envelopes, or other spatial constraining techniques. Reference or ideal position data may be stored in computer-readable memory for use by the posture-measurement system 13601” and [0846] – “In some implementations, one or more of the wireless tags are preprogrammed or otherwise configured to track a particular region of the user's body. For example, a wireless tag may be preprogrammed or otherwise configured to be positioned along a user's left shoulder region. Similarly, a wireless tag may be preprogrammed or otherwise configured to be positioned along a user's middle back, lumbar, leg, arm, head, or other region of the user's body. The preprogramming or configuration of the wireless tag may include a calibration or other set of coded values that may facilitate the use of the wireless tag in a particular body position”).
Regarding claim 15, Perkins et al. discloses determining a user action from a comparison of the measured time-of-flight values and the angle-of arrival values with the reference time-of-flight values and the reference angle-of arrival values (see [0825] – “As described previously, each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be able to determine a relative distance to the electronic device 13610 using a time of flight (ToF), angle of arrival (AoA), time difference of arrival (TDOA) received signal strength indication (RSSI), triangulation, synthetic aperture, and/or any other similar techniques, one or more of which may be implemented using a UWB wireless system” and [0843] – “A position-monitoring system may be configured to track location data for one or more wireless tags over a period of time in order to identify an activity type. Example activity types include, for example, a weight lifting activity, a running activity, a biking activity, a sport activity (e.g., basketball, football, soccer), a yoga activity, a rowing activity, or other type of physical activity”).
Regarding claim 16, Perkins et al. discloses a non-transitory computer readable media comprising a computer program comprising computer executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method of determining body posture comprising:
transmitting a first UWB signal from a wearable sensor leader node to one or more wearable follower sensor nodes (see [0227] – “In some cases, the same antenna(s) are used for transmitting and detecting UWB signals. In some cases, the antenna(s) used for transmitting UWB signals are different from the antenna(s) used for detecting UWB signals. The antenna(s) may be operably coupled to one or more transmitters, receivers, processing units, or the like that may be used to generate transmitted signals and/or process detected signal”);
receiving a second UWB signal by the wearable sensor leader node from each follower sensor node transmitted in response to receiving the first UWB signal (see [0227] – “In some cases, the same antenna(s) are used for transmitting and detecting UWB signals. In some cases, the antenna(s) used for transmitting UWB signals are different from the antenna(s) used for detecting UWB signals. The antenna(s) may be operably coupled to one or more transmitters, receivers, processing units, or the like that may be used to generate transmitted signals and/or process detected signal”);
determining a time-of-flight value of a signal transmitted between the wearable leader sensor node and the wearable follower sensor node from the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal (see [0825] – “As described previously, each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be able to determine a relative distance to the electronic device 13610 using a time of flight (ToF), angle of arrival (AoA), time difference of arrival (TDOA) received signal strength indication (RSSI), triangulation, synthetic aperture, and/or any other similar techniques, one or more of which may be implemented using a UWB wireless system”);
determining an angle of arrival of the second UWB signal (see [0825] – “As described previously, each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be able to determine a relative distance to the electronic device 13610 using a time of flight (ToF), angle of arrival (AoA), time difference of arrival (TDOA) received signal strength indication (RSSI), triangulation, synthetic aperture, and/or any other similar techniques, one or more of which may be implemented using a UWB wireless system”), wherein a reference axis is determined from the orientation sensor (see [0827] – “In some cases, each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f includes an accelerometer, magnetometer, or other element that is configured to determine a device orientation, which may be used to determine a relative location of each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f. In some cases, the accelerometer, magnetometer, or other element that is configured to determine a device orientation provides additional information about the position of the user's body including torso or shoulder twist”); and
determining a value representing a body posture from the time-of-flight value and the angle-of-arrival value (see [0821] – “As described below with respect to FIGS. 136A-136C, 137A-137B, 138A-138B, and 139, wireless tags may be strategically positioned along a body of a user and used to monitor and correct potentially problematic posture issues to help avoid chronic physical ailments”).
It is noted Perkins et al. does not specifically teach the angle of arrival is determined with respect to a reference axis determined from the orientation sensor. However, Grena et al. teaches the angle of arrival is determined with respect to a reference axis determined from the orientation sensor (see [0048] – “Similarly, control circuitry 12 of tag 10 may, if desired, determine the orientation of tag 10 relative to device 40 by determining a phase difference associated with signals 38 received by antennas 28 in tag 10. The phase difference may be used to determine an angle of arrival of signals 38 received by tag 10” and [0070] – “For example, angle of arrival measurement techniques may be used to determine the azimuth angle and/or elevation angle of tag 10 relative to a given axis of device 40 (e.g., relative to a longitudinal axis or other suitable axis of device 40) based on signals 38”). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Perkins et al. to include the angle of arrival is determined with respect to a reference axis determined from the orientation sensor, as disclosed in Grena et al., so as to determine the relative orientation of the wearable leader sensor node relative to another device (see Grena et al.: [0048]).
Regarding claim 17, Perkins et al. discloses computer executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the steps of determining the body posture value by comparison of the time-of- flight value and the angle of arrival value with a predetermined time-of-flight value and angle-of-arrival value (see [0825] – “As described previously, each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be able to determine a relative distance to the electronic device 13610 using a time of flight (ToF), angle of arrival (AoA), time difference of arrival (TDOA) received signal strength indication (RSSI), triangulation, synthetic aperture, and/or any other similar techniques, one or more of which may be implemented using a UWB wireless system” and [0829] – “The position of the user 13605 in FIG. 136B may represent a nominal or an ideal posture position. As shown in FIG. 136B, an ideal goal location of each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be determined with respect to a datum or reference, here represented by the reference plane 13604 depicted in FIG. 136B…Reference or ideal position data may be stored in computer-readable memory for use by the posture-measurement system 13601”).
Regarding claim 18, Perkins et al. discloses computer executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the steps of:
transmitting the first UWB signal from the wearable leader sensor node to a plurality of wearable follower sensor nodes (see [0227] – “In some cases, the same antenna(s) are used for transmitting and detecting UWB signals. In some cases, the antenna(s) used for transmitting UWB signals are different from the antenna(s) used for detecting UWB signals. The antenna(s) may be operably coupled to one or more transmitters, receivers, processing units, or the like that may be used to generate transmitted signals and/or process detected signal”);
receiving by the wearable leader sensor node a plurality of second UWB signals from each of the follower sensor nodes transmitted in response to receiving the first UWB signal by each of the respective follower sensor nodes (see [0227] – “In some cases, the same antenna(s) are used for transmitting and detecting UWB signals. In some cases, the antenna(s) used for transmitting UWB signals are different from the antenna(s) used for detecting UWB signals. The antenna(s) may be operably coupled to one or more transmitters, receivers, processing units, or the like that may be used to generate transmitted signals and/or process detected signal”);
determining a time-of-flight value of a signal transmitted between the wearable leader sensor node and each wearable follower sensor node from the first UWB signal and the respective second UWB signal (see [0825] – “As described previously, each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be able to determine a relative distance to the electronic device 13610 using a time of flight (ToF), angle of arrival (AoA), time difference of arrival (TDOA) received signal strength indication (RSSI), triangulation, synthetic aperture, and/or any other similar techniques, one or more of which may be implemented using a UWB wireless system”);
determining an angle of arrival of the second UWB signal from each of the wearable follower sensor nodes (see [0825] – “As described previously, each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be able to determine a relative distance to the electronic device 13610 using a time of flight (ToF), angle of arrival (AoA), time difference of arrival (TDOA) received signal strength indication (RSSI), triangulation, synthetic aperture, and/or any other similar techniques, one or more of which may be implemented using a UWB wireless system”); and
determining a value representing a body posture from the time-of-flight values and the angle-of-arrival values (see [0821] – “As described below with respect to FIGS. 136A-136C, 137A-137B, 138A-138B, and 139, wireless tags may be strategically positioned along a body of a user and used to monitor and correct potentially problematic posture issues to help avoid chronic physical ailments”).
Regarding claim 20, Perkins et al. discloses computer executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the steps of determining reference values of the time-of-flight and the angle-of arrival in a calibration step (see [0829] – “A nominal position of each of the other wireless tags 13600c-13600f may be specified in terms of a reference offset or delta with respect to the reference plane 13604. The reference offset of each of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may be determined on a user-by-user basis as each user's body is unique and the nominal, normal, or ideal position of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f may vary from user-to-user depending on muscle mass, body fat content, and other physical body features. Other techniques may also be used to determine the reference or ideal position of the wireless tags 13600a-13600f including, for example, local coordinate values with respect to a datum origin, working envelopes, or other spatial constraining techniques. Reference or ideal position data may be stored in computer-readable memory for use by the posture-measurement system 13601” and [0846] – “In some implementations, one or more of the wireless tags are preprogrammed or otherwise configured to track a particular region of the user's body. For example, a wireless tag may be preprogrammed or otherwise configured to be positioned along a user's left shoulder region. Similarly, a wireless tag may be preprogrammed or otherwise configured to be positioned along a user's middle back, lumbar, leg, arm, head, or other region of the user's body. The preprogramming or configuration of the wireless tag may include a calibration or other set of coded values that may facilitate the use of the wireless tag in a particular body position”).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 7/31/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues neither Perkins nor Grena teach or suggest the limitation “wherein the angle of arrival is determined with respect to a reference axis determined from the orientation sensor”. The Examiner respectfully disagrees and notes that Perkins describes each tag including an orientation sensor (e.g. accelerometer, magnetometer, etc.) to determine a device orientation and a relative location of each of the wireless tags (see [0827]). Similarly, Grena describes tag (10) and device (40) each including orientation sensors (20, 48) (see [0024] and [0042]). Grena further describes angle of arrival measurement techniques to determine the relative orientation of tag (10) and device (40) (see [0048]), specifically the azimuth angle and/or elevation angle of tag 10 relative to a given axis of device 40 (e.g., relative to a longitudinal axis or other suitable axis of device 40) based on signals 38 (see [0070]). The given axis of the device 40, as described by Grena, is analogous to the claimed “reference axis determined from the orientation sensor”. Thus, the combined teachings of Perkins and Grena teach the limitation “wherein the angle of arrival is determined with respect to a reference axis determined from the orientation sensor”.
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 DEVIN B HENSON whose telephone number is (571)270-5340. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7 AM ET - 5 PM ET.
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, Robert (Tse) Chen can be reached at (571) 272-3672. 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.
/DEVIN B HENSON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3791