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 .
Claim Status
Claims 17-36 are pending. Claims 1-16 are previously canceled. Claims 17 and 30 are amended. Claims 18-29 and 31-36 are previously presented.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 6/2/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to arguments that secondary reference WAFFENSCHMIDT does not disclose the amended recitations of independent claims 17 and 30, it is respectfully submitted that WAFFENSCHMIDT is not relied upon to show the amended recitations, as WAFFENSCHMIDT is only relied upon to teach the recitation “the magnetic isolation sheet and the circuit board are fixedly connected together to form an annular plate body”. The majority of the amended recitations are disclosed in primary reference BADINSKI as described in the rejection below, and Applicant has not specifically commented on or argued against the relevant portions of BADINSKI relied upon in the rejection. Newly found reference DAI is relied upon to teach the amended recitation “the first coil has a reverse charging mode during which the power supply provides power to an external device including a phone”, and newly found reference LEE is relied upon to teach the amended recitations “the power supply management module includes a voltage drop regulation circuit, a protection circuit, and an electrical measurement circuit” as described in the rejection. It is submitted that BADINSKI as modified by TIAN, WAFFENSCHMIDT, DAI, and LEE teaches the wearable device as applied to independent claim 17 and the wearable system as applied to independent claim 30.
Claim Objections
Claims 17, 19, 30, and 34 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 17, line 20, “flexibility” may be considered a relative term which renders the claim indefinite.
In claim 19, line 2, the recitations “the magnetic isolation sheet are accommodated inside the annular-shaped wearing member” and “the power supply…is located at an inner side of the magnetic isolation sheet” are already recited in independent claim 17, and therefore fail to further limit claim 17.
In claim 30, line 23, “flexibility” may be considered a relative term which renders the claim indefinite.
In claim 34, line 2, the recitations “the magnetic isolation sheet are accommodated inside the annular-shaped wearing member” and “the power supply…is located at an inner side of the magnetic isolation sheet” are already recited in independent claim 30, and therefore fail to further limit claim 30.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 17, 19-23, 26-30, and 32-36 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over BADINSKI (Pub. No.: US 2015/0220109; cited in previous office action) in view of TIAN (Pub. No.: US 2022/0115918; cited in previous office action), WAFFENSCHMIDT (Pub. No.: US 2012/0057322; cited in previous office action), DAI (Pub. No.: US 2020/0083737 A1), and LEE (Pub. No.: US 2020/0144860 A1).
Regarding claim 17, BADINSKI discloses a wearable device (610, Fig. 6; ¶ 0004: a wearable computing device (WCD) in the shape of a ring), comprising:
an annular-shaped wearing member (612, Fig. 6);
a power supply (280, Fig. 2; 680, Fig. 6);
a circuit board (¶ 0187: FIG. 4 is an exploded view 400 showing an exemplary WCD 410 (e.g., WCD 110) illustrating a battery 480 and a flexible circuit 415 which are configured to fit inside a housing 412 of the WCD 410. It is recognized by the present disclosure that a human being's finger can come in various different sizes and so should the WCD 410. In order to reduce the cost of manufacturing different sizes of printed circuits, in some embodiments, the modules 210-270 (of FIG. 2) are formed on a flexible or rigid-flex printed circuit (FPC) board, an example 500 of which is shown as FPC 515 in FIG. 5. In particular, one or more embodiments provide that the FPC 515 and the battery 480 are not specific to a ring size, and that the same circuitry and/or battery can fit a multitude of sizes; ¶ 0199: FIG. 12F is a perspective view of the internal housing 1212 with a portion of the external potting 1214 removed and showing one or more components 1230 and printed circuit board (PCB) 1240. The components and PCB can be constructed as flex circuits, thereby allowing the components 1230 and PCB 1240 to be geometrically configured within the ring shaped internal space 1220. The PCB 1240 can be any type of flexible material clear to those of skill, such as polyimide, PEEK, etc. Additionally, the PCB could be rigid-flex whereby panels of RF4 are connected together with a flexible substrate);
a wireless charging module (comprising at least coil 640, Fig. 6; ¶ 0179: FIG. 6 shows an exploded view 600 of such alternative embodiment of WCD with the inductive charging mechanism including the charging coil 640);
a first coil (640, Fig. 6);
wherein the first coil is accommodated inside the annular-shaped wearing member (¶ 0162: the WCD 110 can include a processor module 210, a plurality of sensor modules 220, a status indicator module 230, a power generation and management module 240; ¶ 0173: As shown in the example of FIG. 3A, the modules configured to face the exterior window 120 of the WCD 110 can include parts from the status indicator module 230, the power generation and management module 240; ¶ 0179: the power generation and management module 240 can include electromagnetic induction charging coil so that a WCD (e.g., ring 610) can be charged using an inductive charger. FIG. 6 shows an exploded view 600 of such alternative embodiment of WCD with the inductive charging mechanism including the charging coil 640, as well as battery 680, housing 612, and rigid-flex PCBA 615…. Additionally or alternatively, to avoid multiple sized coils mounted to the edge of the ring, the coil can be placed on the inner or outer sides of the ring by positioning the coil beneath a window in the metal housing of the ring), a laying surface of the first coil is arranged along a circumferential direction of the annular-shaped wearing member (¶ 0179: the coil can be placed on the inner or outer sides of the ring by positioning the coil beneath a window in the metal housing of the ring), and the first coil is configured to sense magnetic field lines passing through the laying surface of the first coil and to generate an induced current, the first coil is electrically connected to the power supply (¶ 0269: the case can utilize inductive charging to charge the WCD. In this regard, the case can include an induction coil subjected to a predetermined current to produce a magnetic field. A corresponding induction coil within the housing of the WCD can be subjected to the magnetic field to produce a current that can charge the onboard battery in accordance with know electromagnetic principles), the annular-shaped wearing member includes a first annular shaped housing (1512, Fig. 15B) and a second annular shaped housing (1514, Fig. 15B) connected to each other (¶ 0181: shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is an alternative design of the housing for the WCD where the ring includes an outer ring 812a, an inner ring 812b; ¶ 0210: the WCD includes a housing 1510 that includes an internal housing 1512 and an external housing 1514), the first annular shaped housing and the second annular shaped housing are enclosed to form an accommodation cavity, and the accommodation cavity is configured to accommodate the circuit board (¶ 0211: Once the housings 1512-1514 are assembled and the PCB 1540 and components 1550 are assembled within space defined between the housings 1512-414), wherein the circuit board has flexibility (¶ 0187: see above), forming a first arc-shaped plate body adapted to the shape of the annular-shaped wearing member (as shown in Fig. 4, flexible circuit board 415 is “adapted to the shape”; ¶ 0199: components and PCB can be constructed as flex circuits, thereby allowing the components 1230 and PCB 1240 to be geometrically configured within the ring shaped internal space 1220), wherein the power supply is electrically connected to the circuit board (¶ 0182: the battery can be a lithium cell integrated directly with the flexible PCB), wherein the power supply is in a shape of an arc plate (e.g., power supply 480 is arc shaped as shown in Fig. 4; ¶ 0187: FIG. 4 is an exploded view 400 showing an exemplary WCD 410 (e.g., WCD 110) illustrating a battery 480 and a flexible circuit 415 which are configured to fit inside a housing 412 of the WCD 410), wherein the wireless charging module includes the first coil for wireless power transfer, wherein the first coil has a forward charging mode during which the power supply receives power (¶ 0179: the power generation and management module 240 can include electromagnetic induction charging coil so that a WCD (e.g., ring 610) can be charged using an inductive charger; ¶ 0269: A corresponding induction coil within the housing of the WCD can be subjected to the magnetic field to produce a current that can charge the onboard battery in accordance with know electromagnetic principles), wherein the wearable device is a smart finger ring (¶ 0155: The present disclosure describes a wearable computing device (WCD) that enables a wearable fitness monitor(s)/computer(s) which is suitable for prolonged usage with accurate results. The WCD can be in the form of a ring that can be worn on the finger of a human (or animal) user) comprising the power supply in a form of an energy storage component (¶ 0187: see above), wherein the circuit board comprising a power supply management module (240, Fig. 2; ¶ 0175: WCD 110 can include the power generation and management module 240 for recharging the battery 280; ¶ 0181: the power generation and management module 240 can include thermoelectric generator (TEG) modules; as shown in Fig. 8, thermogenerators 840 are located on circuit board 815, and since the power generation and management module 240 includes the thermogenerators 840, it follows that the power generation and management module 240 is also located on the circuit board 815), wherein the power supply management module is connected between the power supply and the first coil, to realize an electrical connection between the first coil and the power supply (¶ 0179: the power generation and management module 240 can include electromagnetic induction charging coil so that a WCD (e.g., ring 610) can be charged using an inductive charger. FIG. 6 shows an exploded view 600 of such alternative embodiment of WCD with the inductive charging mechanism including the charging coil 640, as well as battery 680), wherein the power supply management module includes a charging circuit (¶ 0175: WCD 110 can include the power generation and management module 240 for recharging the battery 280; ¶ 0181: the power generation and management module 240 can include thermoelectric generator (TEG) modules so that a WCD (e.g., WCD 710, 810) can be charged by the difference between the body temperature and the ambient temperature).
BADINSKI fails to disclose a magnetic isolation sheet;
the first coil is located at an outer side of the magnetic isolation sheet; and
the magnetic isolation sheet is accommodated inside the annular-shaped wearing member,
the magnetic isolation sheet forms a second arc-shaped plate body adapted to the shape of the annular-shaped wearing member, the magnetic isolation sheet and the circuit board are fixedly connected together, adapted to the shape of the annular-shaped wearing member, the first coil is located on an outer surface of the magnetic isolation sheet and is electrically connected to the power supply, the accommodation cavity is configured to accommodate the magnetic isolation sheet, wherein the power supply is located on the inner side of the magnetic isolation sheet; and wherein the power supply is adapted to the shape of the magnetic isolation sheet.
TIAN discloses the wearable device further comprises a magnetic isolation sheet (505, Figs. 3 & 5; ¶ 0046: the wireless power receiving system 125 includes a receiver coil 170 disposed on a shielding 505);
the first coil (170, Figs. 3 & 5) is located at an outer side of the magnetic isolation sheet (as shown in Fig. 5, first coil 170 can be considered as located at an outer side of magnetic isolation sheet 505; ¶ 0046-0048); and
the magnetic isolation sheet is accommodated inside the wearing member, (420, Fig. 5; ¶ 0043: FIG. 4 depicts a sideview of an exterior of the smartwatch 100 having a wireless power receiving system. For ease of illustration, the watch band 130 or other connection mechanism is omitted for clarity. As depicted in FIG. 4, the smartwatch 100 includes a watch body 145 having a top cover 410, a housing 420), the magnetic isolation sheet forms a second arc-shaped plate body adapted to the shape of the wearing member (as shown in Figs. 3 & 5, magnetic isolation sheet 505 is “arc-shaped”, and since it is located within the wearing member, it is “adapted to the shape of the wearing member” within the broadest reasonable interpretation; ¶ 0070: it is noted that the shielding 505, the adhesive layer 540 and the receiver coil 170 may be annular in shape), the magnetic isolation sheet and the circuit board are fixedly connected together (¶ 0045: the housing 420 along with the bottom cover 430 define an interior volume 502 that allows multiple electronic components to be disposed therein. In one example, a printed circuit board (PCB) 550 is disposed in the interior volume 502; the components are “fixedly connected together” within the housing), adapted to the shape of the wearing member (since the components are located within the wearing member, they are “adapted to the shape of the wearing member” within the broadest reasonable interpretation), the first coil (170) is located on an outer surface of the magnetic isolation sheet (¶ 0048: the shielding 505 covers an entire top surface of the receiver coil 170 and/or the adhesive layer adhesive layer 540. The structure of the receiver coil 170 configured to be shielded under the shielding 505) and is electrically connected to the power supply (520, Fig. 5; ¶ 0027: receiver coil 170 may further be configured to supply power to components inside the watch body 145, including one or more energy storages, such as rechargeable batteries; ¶ 0039: charging and communication system 117 may each include one or more energy storages, such as energy storages 119 configured to receive and store power generated from the wireless power receiving system 125. In one example, the energy storage 119 may be a battery 520 of FIG. 5), wherein the power supply (520) is located on the inner side of the magnetic isolation sheet (as shown in Fig. 5).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to include a magnetic isolation sheet as disclosed in TIAN inside the annular-shaped wearing member of BADINSKI, such that the accommodation cavity is configured to accommodate the magnetic isolation sheet, and such that the power supply is “adapted to the shape of” the magnetic isolation sheet,
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the magnetic isolation sheet in order to prevent the electromagnetic energy directed toward the wearable device from heating or otherwise affecting the electronic components, and redirect the electromagnetic energy in a direction away from the electronic components (TIAN, ¶ 0046).
BADINSKI as modified by TIAN fails to disclose the magnetic isolation sheet and the circuit board are fixedly connected together to form an annular plate body.
WAFFENSCHMIDT discloses the magnetic isolation sheet and the circuit board are fixedly connected together to form a [plate body] (¶ 0013: Located on top of the spiral coil 20, a softmagnetic layer 14 provides magnetic shielding; ¶ 0014: mobile device 10 further includes a printed circuit board 26 that contains, in addition to the functional circuits of the mobile device, additional electronics for a power receiver; ¶ 0030: a layer of softmagnetic shielding material is laminated to one selected from the group consisting of the inductive receiver coil and a printed circuit board; providing the magnetic isolation sheet 14 laminated to circuit board 26 as shown in Figure 1 would “form a plate body”). Applying the concept of the magnetic isolation sheet and circuit board fixed to form a plate body as disclosed in WAFFENSCHMIDT, to the annular magnetic isolation sheet and circuit board arrangement of BADINSKI as modified by TIAN, teaches the magnetic isolation sheet and the circuit board are fixedly connected together to form an annular plate body.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the magnetic isolation sheet and the circuit board are fixedly connected together in order to reduce thickness for a compact design.
BADINSKI fails to disclose the first coil has a reverse charging mode during which the power supply provides power to an external device including a phone.
DAI discloses wherein the first coil has a reverse charging mode during which the power supply provides power to an external device including a phone (¶ 0037: In view of a problem that, currently a receive end device that supports wireless charging in the industry can only receive electric energy, but cannot output wireless electric energy, and this affects user experience, the embodiments of the present invention artfully provide a wireless charging and discharging device. The wireless charging and discharging device may be used both as a wireless charging receiving device to receive electric energy provided by a wireless charging cradle device, and as a wireless charging cradle device to charge an external wireless charging receiving device, namely, support a reverse wireless discharging function; ¶ 0044: In a scenario of FIG. 2, an electronic device is a wireless charging receiving device. The wireless charging receiving device may wirelessly obtain electric energy from the wireless charging and discharging device, to implement wireless charging. For example, the wireless charging receiving device may be a computer, a smartphone).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the reverse charging mode in order to provide increased user convenience (DAI, ¶ 0004-0005).
BADINSKI fails to disclose the power supply management module includes a voltage drop regulation circuit, a protection circuit, and an electrical measurement circuit.
LEE discloses the power supply management module includes a voltage drop regulation circuit (500, Figs. 1 & 4; ¶ 0020: FIG. 4 presents a detailed wiring diagram of an example of a battery charging control circuit 500. The battery charging control circuit regulates the voltage and current coming from the wireless receiving control circuit (indicated as VDD in FIG. 2) and outputs the regulated voltage and current as VBAT…to the battery protection circuit 600), a protection circuit (690, Figs. 1 & 5; ¶ 0021: If any fault such as overcharge, over-discharge, overcurrent or short-circuit is detected, the logic control circuit 690 will control the MOSFET turn-off and disconnect the battery and system load), and an electrical measurement circuit (part of 600, Figs. 1 & 5; ¶ 0021: protection circuit 600 connects to a battery via connective pads B+B− and to the system load at P+P− to continuously monitor the battery (button cell/coin cell)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include a voltage drop regulation circuit, a protection circuit, and an electrical measurement circuit in order to prevent power supply damage and extend the total life span of the power supply.
Regarding claim 19, BADINSKI as modified by TIAN, WAFFENSCHMIDT, DAI, and LEE teaches the power supply and the magnetic isolation sheet are accommodated inside the annular-shaped wearing member (BADINSKI, ¶ 0162, 0179; the modification of BADINSKI with TIAN would provide the magnetic isolation sheet of TIAN inside the annular-shaped wearing member of BADISNKI), and the power supply is electrically connected to the first coil (BADINSKI, ¶ 0179, 0269) and is located at an inner side of the magnetic isolation sheet (TIAN, as shown in Fig. 5, power supply 520 and first coil 170 are on opposite sides of magnetic isolation sheet 505; ¶ 0046-0048).
Regarding claim 20, BADINSKI as modified by TIAN, WAFFENSCHMIDT, DAI, and LEE teaches the wearable device as applied to claim 19 but fails to teach the laying surface of the first coil is the outer surface of the magnetic isolation sheet, and the first coil is formed by winding a wire along an edge of the outer surface of the magnetic isolation sheet.
TIAN further discloses the laying surface of the first coil is the outer surface of the magnetic isolation sheet, and the first coil is formed by winding a wire along the outer surface of the magnetic isolation sheet (¶ 0046-0048, ¶ 0052). Winding the wire along “an edge of” the outer surface would not provide new or unexpected results, and constitutes an obvious rearrangement of parts.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the first coil and magnetic isolation sheet arranged as recited in order to prevent the electromagnetic energy directed toward wearable device from heating or otherwise affecting the electronic components, and redirect the electromagnetic energy in a direction away from the electronic components (TIAN, ¶ 0046).
Regarding claim 21, BADINSKI as modified by TIAN, WAFFENSCHMIDT, DAI, and LEE teaches the wearable device as applied to claim 19, and BADKINSKI further discloses the wearable device further comprises an auxiliary circuit board (¶ 0187, 0192, 0199); wherein the auxiliary circuit board is electrically connected to the first coil, the laying surface of the first coil is an outer surface of the auxiliary circuit board, and the first coil is formed by winding a wire along the outer surface of the auxiliary circuit board (¶ 0179, 0269).
BADINSKI as modified by TIAN, WAFFENSCHMIDT, DAI, and LEE fails to teach the magnetic isolation sheet is mounted to an inner surface of the auxiliary circuit board, and the first coil is formed by winding a wire along an edge of the outer surface of the auxiliary circuit board.
TIAN further discloses the magnetic isolation sheet is mounted to an inner surface of the auxiliary circuit board (¶ 0045-0046). Furthermore, winding the wire along “an edge of” the outer surface would not provide new or unexpected results, and constitutes an obvious rearrangement of parts.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the first coil and magnetic isolation sheet arranged as recited in order to prevent the electromagnetic energy directed toward wearable device from heating or otherwise affecting the electronic components, and redirect the electromagnetic energy in a direction away from the electronic components (TIAN, ¶ 0046).
Regarding claim 22, BADINSKI as modified by TIAN, WAFFENSCHMIDT, DAI, and LEE teaches the wearable device as applied to claim 21 but fails to teach a projection of the first coil on the inner surface of the auxiliary circuit board is at least partially located within a projection of the magnetic isolation sheet on the inner surface of the auxiliary circuit board.
TIAN further discloses a projection of the first coil on the inner surface of the auxiliary circuit board is at least partially located within a projection of the magnetic isolation sheet on the inner surface of the auxiliary circuit board (¶ 0048).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the first coil, auxiliary circuit board, and magnetic isolation sheet arranged as recited in order to prevent the electromagnetic energy directed toward wearable device from heating or otherwise affecting the electronic components, and redirect the electromagnetic energy in a direction away from the electronic components (TIAN, ¶ 0046).
Regarding claim 23, BADINSKI discloses the annular-shaped wearing member comprises a charging portion, the charging portion is made of a non-metallic material, and the first coil is configured to sense the magnetic field lines via the charging portion (¶ 0189, 0203).
Regarding claim 26, BADINSKI discloses the accommodation cavity is configured to accommodate the first coil (¶ 0187, 0189).
Regarding claim 27, BADINSKI discloses the wearable device further comprises a functional component, the circuit board is electrically connected to the first coil, and the functional component is mounted to the circuit board and electrically connected to the circuit board (¶ 0159, 0162, 0167, 0187, 0199, 0269).
Regarding claim 28, BADINSKI discloses the functional component is mounted to an inner surface of the circuit board (¶ 0162, 0167, 0199).
Regarding claim 29, BADINSKI discloses the wearable device is a ring (¶ 0004, 0155).
Regarding claim 30, BADINSKI discloses a wearable system (¶ 0021: a system, comprising: a wearable computing device), comprising:
a wearable device (610, Fig. 6; ¶ 0004: a wearable computing device (WCD) in the shape of a ring); and
an electronic device (comprising 2610 and 2620, Figs. 26A, 26C, and 26D; ¶ 0267: a mobile device 2610 can be received within a case 2620. The mobile device 2610 can be electrically connected to the case 2620 via a port 2610a on the mobile device 2610 and a connector 2620a on the case 2620);
wherein the wearable device comprises:
an annular-shaped wearing member (612, Fig. 6; or 2650, Figs. 26B and 26D; ¶ 0269: FIG. 26B shows a WCD 2650) with an outer annular surface (2680, Fig. 26B; ¶ 0269: housing 2680);
a power supply (280, Fig. 2; 680, Fig. 6);
a circuit board (¶ 0187: FIG. 4 is an exploded view 400 showing an exemplary WCD 410 (e.g., WCD 110) illustrating a battery 480 and a flexible circuit 415 which are configured to fit inside a housing 412 of the WCD 410. It is recognized by the present disclosure that a human being's finger can come in various different sizes and so should the WCD 410. In order to reduce the cost of manufacturing different sizes of printed circuits, in some embodiments, the modules 210-270 (of FIG. 2) are formed on a flexible or rigid-flex printed circuit (FPC) board, an example 500 of which is shown as FPC 515 in FIG. 5. In particular, one or more embodiments provide that the FPC 515 and the battery 480 are not specific to a ring size, and that the same circuitry and/or battery can fit a multitude of sizes; ¶ 0199: FIG. 12F is a perspective view of the internal housing 1212 with a portion of the external potting 1214 removed and showing one or more components 1230 and printed circuit board (PCB) 1240. The components and PCB can be constructed as flex circuits, thereby allowing the components 1230 and PCB 1240 to be geometrically configured within the ring shaped internal space 1220. The PCB 1240 can be any type of flexible material clear to those of skill, such as polyimide, PEEK, etc. Additionally, the PCB could be rigid-flex whereby panels of RF4 are connected together with a flexible substrate);
a wireless charging module (comprising at least coil 640, Fig. 6; ¶ 0179: FIG. 6 shows an exploded view 600 of such alternative embodiment of WCD with the inductive charging mechanism including the charging coil 640); and
a first coil (640, Fig. 6; ¶ 0269: A corresponding induction coil within the housing of the WCD);
wherein the first coil is accommodated inside the annular-shaped wearing member (¶ 0162: the WCD 110 can include a processor module 210, a plurality of sensor modules 220, a status indicator module 230, a power generation and management module 240; ¶ 0173: As shown in the example of FIG. 3A, the modules configured to face the exterior window 120 of the WCD 110 can include parts from the status indicator module 230, the power generation and management module 240; ¶ 0179: the power generation and management module 240 can include electromagnetic induction charging coil so that a WCD (e.g., ring 610) can be charged using an inductive charger. FIG. 6 shows an exploded view 600 of such alternative embodiment of WCD with the inductive charging mechanism including the charging coil 640, as well as battery 680, housing 612, and rigid-flex PCBA 615…. Additionally or alternatively, to avoid multiple sized coils mounted to the edge of the ring, the coil can be placed on the inner or outer sides of the ring by positioning the coil beneath a window in the metal housing of the ring; ¶ 0269: A corresponding induction coil within the housing of the WCD), a laying surface of the first coil is arranged along a circumferential direction of the annular-shaped wearing member (¶ 0179: the coil can be placed on the inner or outer sides of the ring by positioning the coil beneath a window in the metal housing of the ring), the first coil is electrically connected to the power supply (¶ 0179: the power generation and management module 240 can include electromagnetic induction charging coil so that a WCD (e.g., ring 610) can be charged using an inductive charger. FIG. 6 shows an exploded view 600 of such alternative embodiment of WCD with the inductive charging mechanism including the charging coil 640, as well as battery 680), the annular-shaped wearing member includes a first annular shaped housing (1512, Fig. 15B) and a second annular shaped housing (1514, Fig. 15B) connected to each other (¶ 0181: shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is an alternative design of the housing for the WCD where the ring includes an outer ring 812a, an inner ring 812b; ¶ 0210: the WCD includes a housing 1510 that includes an internal housing 1512 and an external housing 1514), the first annular shaped housing and the second annular shaped housing are enclosed to form an accommodation cavity, and the accommodation cavity is configured to accommodate the circuit board (¶ 0211: Once the housings 1512-1514 are assembled and the PCB 1540 and components 1550 are assembled within space defined between the housings 1512-414), wherein the circuit board has flexibility (¶ 0187: see above), forming a first arc-shaped plate body adapted to the shape of the annular-shaped wearing member (as shown in Fig. 4, flexible circuit board 415 is “adapted to the shape”; ¶ 0199: components and PCB can be constructed as flex circuits, thereby allowing the components 1230 and PCB 1240 to be geometrically configured within the ring shaped internal space 1220), wherein the power supply is electrically connected to the circuit board (¶ 0182: the battery can be a lithium cell integrated directly with the flexible PCB), wherein the power supply is in a shape of an arc plate (e.g., power supply 480 is arc shaped as shown in Fig. 4; ¶ 0187: FIG. 4 is an exploded view 400 showing an exemplary WCD 410 (e.g., WCD 110) illustrating a battery 480 and a flexible circuit 415 which are configured to fit inside a housing 412 of the WCD 410), wherein the wireless charging module includes the first coil for wireless power transfer, wherein the first coil has a forward charging mode during which the power supply receives power (¶ 0179: the power generation and management module 240 can include electromagnetic induction charging coil so that a WCD (e.g., ring 610) can be charged using an inductive charger; ¶ 0269: A corresponding induction coil within the housing of the WCD can be subjected to the magnetic field to produce a current that can charge the onboard battery in accordance with know electromagnetic principles), wherein the wearable device is a smart finger ring (¶ 0155: The present disclosure describes a wearable computing device (WCD) that enables a wearable fitness monitor(s)/computer(s) which is suitable for prolonged usage with accurate results. The WCD can be in the form of a ring that can be worn on the finger of a human (or animal) user) comprising the power supply in a form of an energy storage component (¶ 0187: see above), wherein the circuit board comprising a power supply management module (240, Fig. 2; ¶ 0175: WCD 110 can include the power generation and management module 240 for recharging the battery 280; ¶ 0181: the power generation and management module 240 can include thermoelectric generator (TEG) modules; as shown in Fig. 8, thermogenerators 840 are located on circuit board 815, and since the power generation and management module 240 includes the thermogenerators 840, it follows that the power generation and management module 240 is also located on the circuit board 815), wherein the power supply management module is connected between the power supply and the first coil, to realize an electrical connection between the first coil and the power supply (¶ 0179: the power generation and management module 240 can include electromagnetic induction charging coil so that a WCD (e.g., ring 610) can be charged using an inductive charger. FIG. 6 shows an exploded view 600 of such alternative embodiment of WCD with the inductive charging mechanism including the charging coil 640, as well as battery 680), wherein the power supply management module includes a charging circuit (¶ 0175: WCD 110 can include the power generation and management module 240 for recharging the battery 280; ¶ 0181: the power generation and management module 240 can include thermoelectric generator (TEG) modules so that a WCD (e.g., WCD 710, 810) can be charged by the difference between the body temperature and the ambient temperature);
wherein the electronic device comprises a second coil (¶ 0269: the case can utilize inductive charging to charge the WCD. In this regard, the case can include an induction coil subjected to a predetermined current to produce a magnetic field);
wherein in a case that the outer annular surface partially abuts against the electronic device, the first coil and the second coil are disposed opposite to each other, and the first coil and the second coil that are in an energized state generate magnetic field lines in a same direction (¶ 0269: FIG. 26B shows a WCD 2650 including an RF antenna 2660 and charging circuitry 2670. The RF antenna 2640 can be disposed within the housing 2680 and can receive the RF signal emitted by the case 2620 and convert it to a current that can be used to charge the WCD battery (not shown). This can advantageously allow the user to charge the WCD without removing the WCD from the finger. As shown in FIG. 26D, the charging can occur whenever the WCD is in close proximity to the case, such as when a user talking on the phone or merely handling the phone. In another implementation, the case can utilize inductive charging to charge the WCD. In this regard, the case can include an induction coil subjected to a predetermined current to produce a magnetic field. A corresponding induction coil within the housing of the WCD can be subjected to the magnetic field to produce a current that can charge the onboard battery in accordance with know electromagnetic principles).
BADINSKI fails to disclose the wearable device comprises a magnetic isolation sheet;
the first coil is located at an outer side of the magnetic isolation sheet; and
the magnetic isolation sheet is accommodated inside the annular-shaped wearing member,
the magnetic isolation sheet forms a second arc-shaped plate body adapted to the shape of the annular-shaped wearing member, the magnetic isolation sheet and the circuit board are fixedly connected together, adapted to the shape of the annular-shaped wearing member, the first coil is located on an outer surface of the magnetic isolation sheet, the accommodation cavity is configured to accommodate the magnetic isolation sheet, wherein the power supply is located on the inner side of the magnetic isolation sheet; and wherein the power supply is adapted to the shape of the magnetic isolation sheet.
TIAN discloses the wearable device comprises a magnetic isolation sheet (505, Figs. 3 & 5; ¶ 0046: the wireless power receiving system 125 includes a receiver coil 170 disposed on a shielding 505);
the first coil (170, Figs. 3 & 5) is located at an outer side of the magnetic isolation sheet (as shown in Fig. 5, first coil 170 can be considered as located at an outer side of magnetic isolation sheet 505; ¶ 0046-0048);
wherein the magnetic isolation sheet is accommodated inside the wearing member (420, Fig. 5; ¶ 0043: FIG. 4 depicts a sideview of an exterior of the smartwatch 100 having a wireless power receiving system. For ease of illustration, the watch band 130 or other connection mechanism is omitted for clarity. As depicted in FIG. 4, the smartwatch 100 includes a watch body 145 having a top cover 410, a housing 420), the magnetic isolation sheet forms a second arc-shaped plate body adapted to the shape of the wearing member (as shown in Figs. 3 & 5, magnetic isolation sheet 505 is “arc-shaped”, and since it is located within the wearing member, it is “adapted to the shape of the wearing member” within the broadest reasonable interpretation; ¶ 0070: it is noted that the shielding 505, the adhesive layer 540 and the receiver coil 170 may be annular in shape), the magnetic isolation sheet and the circuit board are fixedly connected together (¶ 0045: the housing 420 along with the bottom cover 430 define an interior volume 502 that allows multiple electronic components to be disposed therein. In one example, a printed circuit board (PCB) 550 is disposed in the interior volume 502; the components are “fixedly connected together” within the housing), adapted to the shape of the wearing member (since the components are located within the wearing member, they are “adapted to the shape of the wearing member” within the broadest reasonable interpretation), the first coil (170) is located on an outer surface of the magnetic isolation sheet (¶ 0048: the shielding 505 covers an entire top surface of the receiver coil 170 and/or the adhesive layer adhesive layer 540. The structure of the receiver coil 170 configured to be shielded under the shielding 505) and is electrically connected to the power supply (520, Fig. 5; ¶ 0027: receiver coil 170 may further be configured to supply power to components inside the watch body 145, including one or more energy storages, such as rechargeable batteries; ¶ 0039: charging and communication system 117 may each include one or more energy storages, such as energy storages 119 configured to receive and store power generated from the wireless power receiving system 125. In one example, the energy storage 119 may be a battery 520 of FIG. 5), wherein the power supply (520) is located on the inner side of the magnetic isolation sheet (as shown in Fig. 5).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to include a magnetic isolation sheet as disclosed in TIAN inside the annular-shaped wearing member of BADINSKI, such that the accommodation cavity is configured to accommodate the magnetic isolation sheet, and such that the power supply is “adapted to the shape of” the magnetic isolation sheet.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the magnetic isolation sheet in order to prevent the electromagnetic energy directed toward the wearable device from heating or otherwise affecting the electronic components, and redirect the electromagnetic energy in a direction away from the electronic components (TIAN, ¶ 0046).
BADINSKI as modified by TIAN fails to disclose the magnetic isolation sheet and the circuit board are fixedly connected together to form an annular plate body.
WAFFENSCHMIDT discloses the magnetic isolation sheet and the circuit board are fixedly connected together to form a [plate body] (¶ 0013: Located on top of the spiral coil 20, a softmagnetic layer 14 provides magnetic shielding; ¶ 0014: mobile device 10 further includes a printed circuit board 26 that contains, in addition to the functional circuits of the mobile device, additional electronics for a power receiver; ¶ 0030: a layer of softmagnetic shielding material is laminated to one selected from the group consisting of the inductive receiver coil and a printed circuit board; providing the magnetic isolation sheet 14 laminated to circuit board 26 as shown in Figure 1 would “form a plate body”). Applying the concept of the magnetic isolation sheet and circuit board fixed to form a plate body as disclosed in WAFFENSCHMIDT, to the annular magnetic isolation sheet and circuit board arrangement of BADINSKI as modified by TIAN, teaches the magnetic isolation sheet and the circuit board are fixedly connected together to form an annular plate body.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the magnetic isolation sheet and the circuit board are fixedly connected together in order to reduce thickness for a compact design.
BADINSKI fails to disclose the first coil has a reverse charging mode during which the power supply provides power to an external device including a phone.
DAI discloses wherein the first coil has a reverse charging mode during which the power supply provides power to an external device including a phone (¶ 0037: In view of a problem that, currently a receive end device that supports wireless charging in the industry can only receive electric energy, but cannot output wireless electric energy, and this affects user experience, the embodiments of the present invention artfully provide a wireless charging and discharging device. The wireless charging and discharging device may be used both as a wireless charging receiving device to receive electric energy provided by a wireless charging cradle device, and as a wireless charging cradle device to charge an external wireless charging receiving device, namely, support a reverse wireless discharging function; ¶ 0044: In a scenario of FIG. 2, an electronic device is a wireless charging receiving device. The wireless charging receiving device may wirelessly obtain electric energy from the wireless charging and discharging device, to implement wireless charging. For example, the wireless charging receiving device may be a computer, a smartphone).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the reverse charging mode in order to provide increased user convenience (DAI, ¶ 0004-0005).
BADINSKI fails to disclose the power supply management module includes a voltage drop regulation circuit, a protection circuit, and an electrical measurement circuit.
LEE discloses the power supply management module includes a voltage drop regulation circuit (500, Figs. 1 & 4; ¶ 0020: FIG. 4 presents a detailed wiring diagram of an example of a battery charging control circuit 500. The battery charging control circuit regulates the voltage and current coming from the wireless receiving control circuit (indicated as VDD in FIG. 2) and outputs the regulated voltage and current as VBAT…to the battery protection circuit 600), a protection circuit (690, Figs. 1 & 5; ¶ 0021: If any fault such as overcharge, over-discharge, overcurrent or short-circuit is detected, the logic control circuit 690 will control the MOSFET turn-off and disconnect the battery and system load), and an electrical measurement circuit (part of 600, Figs. 1 & 5; ¶ 0021: protection circuit 600 connects to a battery via connective pads B+B− and to the system load at P+P− to continuously monitor the battery (button cell/coin cell)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include a voltage drop regulation circuit, a protection circuit, and an electrical measurement circuit in order to prevent power supply damage and extend the total life span of the power supply.
Regarding claim 32, BADINSKI as modified by TIAN, WAFFENSCHMIDT, DAI, and LEE teaches the wearable system as applied to claim 30, and BADINSKI further discloses the electronic device comprises a rear cover (housing 2620 in Fig. 26A has a rear cover), the second coil is mounted to an inner side of the rear cover (¶ 0269).
BADINSKI fails to disclose a winding center of the second coil is perpendicular to the rear cover.
TIAN further discloses a winding center of the second coil (115, Fig. 1) is perpendicular to the rear cover (as shown in Fig. 1; ¶ 0027, 0042).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the winding center of the second coil perpendicular to the rear cover in order to maximize wireless power transfer efficiency and/or enable proper energy transfer to the wearable device.
Regarding claim 33, BADINSKI as modified by TIAN, WAFFENSCHMIDT, DAI, and LEE teaches the wearable system as applied to claim 32, and BADINSKI further discloses in a case that the outer annular surface partially abuts against the electronic device, the first coil and the second coil are disposed opposite to each other (¶ 0179, 0269).
BADINSKI as modified by TIAN, WAFFENSCHMIDT, DAI, and LEE fails to teach the winding center of the first coil is parallel or coincident with the winding center of the second coil.
TIAN further discloses the winding center of the first coil (170, Fig. 1) is parallel or coincident with the winding center of the second coil (115, Fig. 1; as shown in Fig. 1; ¶ 0027, 0042).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the winding center of the first coil parallel or coincident with the winding center of the second coil in order to maximize wireless power transfer efficiency and/or enable proper energy transfer to the wearable device.
Regarding claim 34, BADINSKI as modified by TIAN, WAFFENSCHMIDT, DAI, and LEE teaches the power supply and the magnetic isolation sheet are accommodated inside the annular-shaped wearing member (BADINSKI, ¶ 0162, 0179; the modification of BADINSKI with TIAN would provide the magnetic isolation sheet of TIAN inside the annular-shaped wearing member of BADISNKI), and the power supply is electrically connected to the first coil (BADINSKI, ¶ 0179, 0269) and is located at an inner side of the magnetic isolation sheet (TIAN, as shown in Fig. 5, power supply 520 and first coil 170 are on opposite sides of magnetic isolation sheet 505; ¶ 0046-0048).
Regarding claim 35, BADINSKI as modified by TIAN, WAFFENSCHMIDT, DAI, and LEE teaches the wearable device as applied to claim 34, but fails to teach the laying surface of the first coil is the outer surface of the magnetic isolation sheet, and the first coil is formed by winding a wire along an edge of the outer surface of the magnetic isolation sheet.
TIAN further discloses the laying surface of the first coil is an outer surface of the magnetic isolation sheet, and the first coil is formed by winding a wire along the outer surface of the magnetic isolation sheet (¶ 0046-0048, ¶ 0052). Winding the wire along “an edge of” the outer surface would not provide new or unexpected results, and constitutes an obvious rearrangement of parts.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the first coil and magnetic isolation sheet arranged as recited in order to prevent the electromagnetic energy directed toward wearable device from heating or otherwise affecting the electronic components, and redirect the electromagnetic energy in a direction away from the electronic components (TIAN, ¶ 0046).
Regarding claim 36, BADINSKI as modified by TIAN, WAFFENSCHMIDT, DAI, and LEE teaches the wearable device as applied to claim 34, and BADINSKI further discloses the wearable device further comprises an auxiliary circuit board (¶ 0187, 0192, 0199); wherein the auxiliary circuit board is electrically connected to the first coil, the laying surface of the first coil is an outer surface of the auxiliary circuit board, and the first coil is formed by winding a wire along the outer surface of the auxiliary circuit board (¶ 0179, 0269).
BADINSKI as modified by TIAN, WAFFENSCHMIDT, DAI, and LEE fails to teach the magnetic isolation sheet is mounted to an inner surface of the auxiliary circuit board, and the first coil is formed by winding a wire along an edge of the outer surface of the auxiliary circuit board.
TIAN further discloses the magnetic isolation sheet is mounted to an inner surface of the auxiliary circuit board (¶ 0045-0046). Furthermore, winding the wire along “an edge of” the outer surface would not provide new or unexpected results, and constitutes an obvious rearrangement of parts.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the first coil, auxiliary circuit board, and magnetic isolation sheet arranged as recited in order to prevent the electromagnetic energy directed toward wearable device from heating or otherwise affecting the electronic components, and redirect the electromagnetic energy in a direction away from the electronic components (TIAN, ¶ 0046).
Claim(s) 18, 24-25, and 31 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over BADINSKI in view of TIAN, WAFFENSCHMIDT, DAI, and LEE as applied to claims 17, 19-23, 26-30, and 32-36 above, and further in view of SANCHEZ (Pub. No.: US 2022/0320899; cited in previous office action).
Regarding claim 18, BADINSKI as modified by TIAN, WAFFENSCHMIDT, DAI, and LEE teaches the wearable device as applied to claim 17, and BADINSKI further discloses the annular-shaped wearing member (2650, Figs. 26B & 26D) comprises an outer annular surface (as shown in Figs. 26B & 26D).
BADINSKI fails to disclose a winding center of the first coil passes through the outer annular surface.
SANCHEZ discloses a winding center of the first coil (607a, Fig. 6B) passes through the outer annular surface (¶ 0070-0071).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the winding center of the first coil passes through the outer annular surface in order to maximize wireless power transfer efficiency and/or enable proper energy transfer to the wearable device.
Regarding claim 24, BADINSKI discloses the outer annular surface is provided with a wearing identification, a projection of the first coil on the outer annular surface covers the wearing identification (¶ 0160, 0173, 0179).
Regarding claim 25, BADINSKI discloses the outer annular surface is provided with a wearing identification, a projection of the first coil on the outer annular surface is disposed opposite to the wearing identification (¶ 0160, 0173, 0179).
Regarding claim 31, BADINSKI as modified by TIAN, WAFFENSCHMIDT, DAI, and LEE teaches the wearable system as applied to claim 30, but BADINSKI fails to disclose a winding center of the first coil passes through the outer annular surface.
SANCHEZ discloses a winding center of the first coil (607a, Fig. 6B) passes through the outer annular surface (¶ 0070-0071).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include the winding center of the first coil passes through the outer annular surface in order to maximize wireless power transfer efficiency and/or enable proper energy transfer to the wearable device.
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 MANUEL HERNANDEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-7916. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9a-5p ET.
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/Manuel Hernandez/Examiner, Art Unit 2859 8/17/2026
/DREW A DUNN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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