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 .
Priority
Although Applicant claim benefits of the provisional applications 63/074,290 filed 09/03/2020 and 63/239,464 filed 09/01/2021, the drawings, specification and claims of the provisional applications are different to the current application, therefore, the current application will not be entitled to the benefits of an earlier filling date. The effective filing date of the current application is 09/01/2022.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 04/11/2025 and 01/13/2026 have been considered by the examiner.
Response to Arguments
Regarding the allowable subject matter, there was no allowable subject matter previously mentioned in the Non-Final Office Action mailed 03/20/2025. Claim 8 was rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bellows, US Pub. No. 2014/0054378 in view of Kuroki et al, JP-2009033486-A and further in view of Chen et al, CN110545122A.
Applicant' s arguments, see Remarks, filed 09/22/2025, with respect to objections to Drawings have been fully considered and are persuasive. The objection to Drawings has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1 and 5-9 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Applicants argued that “Bellows' sequential switching does not show or suggest a true reconfigurable reader
antenna that selects an antenna dynamically, specifically where "an antenna [is] selected from the antenna array is configured to activate one of a plurality of independent radiating beams in the azimuth plane, the selection being made based on a position of the RFID tag so that an optimum radiating beam is activated" as recited in claim 1.
Bellows doesn't cure this defect and only teaches cycling through antennas sequentially [0024], [0027]) as well - not optimizing beam activation dynamically.
Kuroki's teaching of selection by position applies in a different architecture and requires substantial modification of Bellows' system. The combination is not a simple substitution; it fundamentally changes Bellows' system design and does not teach or suggest the amended antenna selection process.
Claim 5: The action takes the position that says Bellows discloses high gain, ISM band coverage, and circular polarization, but Bellows mentions only the possibility of circular polarization and does not disclose an integrated system with high gain, ISM band, circular polarization combined in a reconfigurable antenna array as claimed. These features are not inherent in Bellows' configuration and require undue experimentation to achieve simultaneously.
Claim 6: Kuroki's controller is tied to its own antenna system and not Bellows'. Integrating such a controller in Bellows would not be a straightforward combination but a redesign of Bellows' architecture.
Claim 7: Kuroki describes a specialized control structure for tag proximity detection, not a generalizable method of diverting interrogating signals in Bellows' sequential-switch architecture, as claimed.
Claim 8: Kuroki does not disclose machine learning selection based on RSSI in the manner required by Claim 8. Kuroki describes algorithmic control, but not specifically an ML model trained on RSSI data.
Claim 9: Bellows mentions resonance at 915 MHz, not operation across the entire 902-928 MHz band. The claim requires a defined operating band, which Bellows does not clearly disclose. ”
The arguments are moot because claims 1 and 5-9 are now being rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tajin et al, NPL “Pattern Reconfigurable UHF RFID Reader Antenna Array” as explained below.
Claim Objections
Claim 10 is objected to because of the following informalities: “wherein a length of the antennas is between a range λ0/3 < L <λ0/2” should define what λ0 is. Examiner suggests amend the claim as “wherein a length of the antennas is between a range λ0/3 < L <λ0/2, wherein λ0 is wavelength of a resonant frequency”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tajin et al, NPL “Pattern Reconfigurable UHF RFID Reader Antenna Array” (hereinafter Tajin).
Regarding claim 1, Tajin discloses the following:
a reconfigurable reader antenna in communication with a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with a user, the reconfigurable reader antenna comprising:
four identical patch antennas that form an antenna array (fig. 11),
wherein an antenna selected from the antenna array is configured to activate one of a plurality of independent radiating beams in the azimuth plane (page 187371, Section IV – Conclusion, para 1), the selection being made based on a position of the RFID tag so that an optimum radiating beam is activated (page 187371, Section IV – Conclusion, para 1); and
a radio frequency (RF) feed connected to an input port of a single-pole, four-throw switch (fig. 11, page 187367, Section II - Antenna Design, Simulation And Fabrication, para 1),
wherein the switch comprises at least four Subminiature version A (SMA) ports and the SMA ports are connected to each of the antennas (fig. 5, page 187367, Section II - Antenna Design, Simulation And Fabrication, para 1).
Regarding claim 2, Tajin discloses wherein each of the antennas comprise at least two FR4 sheets connected by shorting pins, with a layer of air between the sheets (figs. 1, 8, page 187369, Section C - Antenna Fabrication).
Regarding claim 3, Tajin discloses wherein each of the SMA ports are connected to each of the FR4 sheets (figs. 1, 8, page 187369, Section C - Antenna Fabrication).
Regarding claim 4, Tajin discloses wherein each of the antennas forms a side of an open cube (fig. 12).
Regarding claim 5, Tajin discloses wherein each antenna has a high gain, covers ISM band, and is circularly polarized (page 187371, Section IV – Conclusion, para 1).
Regarding claim 6, Tajin discloses the reconfigurable reader antenna of claim 1, further comprising a controller that controls signals of the switch (control circuit, page 187367, Section II - Antenna Design, Simulation And Fabrication, para 1).
Regarding claim 7, Tajin discloses wherein an interrogating signal to the switch is diverted to one of the antennas depending on a control signal combination (page 187367, Section II - Antenna Design, Simulation And Fabrication, para 1).
Regarding claim 8, Tajin discloses wherein a machine learning algorithm is used to select the antenna based on RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) data (page 187371, Section IV - Conclusion, para 2).
Regarding claim 9, Tajin discloses wherein an operating band of the reconfigurable reader antenna is 902-928 MHz (page 187365, Abstract),.
Regarding claim 10, Tajin discloses wherein a length of the antennas is between a range λ0/3 < L <λ0/2 (page 187368, Section A - Single Antenna Array Element Design, para 2).
Citation of Pertinent Art
Akiguchi et al, US-20070229280-A1 – selecting an antenna based on the position of the RFID tag
Reis et al, US-5640151-A – selecting an antenna based on the highest signal strength
Kametani, JP-2008244675-A – selecting an antenna based on the position of the RFID tag
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 ANH N HO whose telephone number is (571)272-4657. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dameon Levi can be reached at (571)272-2105. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DAMEON E LEVI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2845
/ANH N HO/Examiner, Art Unit 2845