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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 07 May 2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The amendments filed 07 May 2026 have been entered. Claims 1 – 19 and 21 are pending. It is noted that Claim 4 is listed as “currently amended”, but Claim 4 appears to be the same recitation as that filed on 11 December 2025. Appropriate correction is required for the status identifier. Based on the arguments and amendments to claims 1 and 13, the previously-applied rejection under 35 U.S.C. 101 is withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
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.
Claims 1 – 2, 5 - 7, 13, 15 – 16, 19, and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kang et. al. (United States Patent Application Publication 2019/0387985 A1) in view of Chandrasekhar et. al., (“An iPhone Application for Blood Pressure Monitoring via the Oscillometric Finger Pressing Method”), hereinafter Chandrasekhar, further in view of Zhang et. al., (“Motion Artifact reduction for Wrist-Worn Photoplethysmograph Sensors Based on Different Wavelengths”)
Regarding Claims 1 and 21, Kang discloses
For Claim 1:
A display device ([Abstract]; Fig 10A and 10B) comprising:
For Claim 21:
An electronic device ([Abstract]; Fig 10A and 10B) comprising:
For both Claim 1 and Claim 21, Kang discloses:
a display panel (Fig 10B, “main body” 1010 holding “display 1040”) configured to display an image and a photo-sensor configured to sense incident light (Kang: Fig 10A and 10B; “pulse wave sensor” 1030, “detector” 1032, [0129] “pulse wave sensor 1030 mounted on a rear surface of the main body 1010…”; [0006] “pulse wave sensor…to emit light…and detect the light…”);
a pressure sensor disposed on one surface of the display panel (Kang: Fig 10A and 10B; “pulse wave sensor” 1030, [0129] “pulse wave sensor 1030 mounted on a rear surface of the main body 1010…”)(Examiner notes that the sensor is disposed on the rear surface of the display panel, which is the “main body” 1010 that holds display 1040. Further, the “pulse wave sensor” can be broadly interpreted to sense pressure, as it is a sensor that indirectly measures pressure using the processor based on the sensed light and a conversion signal) and configured to sense a pressure applied via a portion of a user’s body ([0006] “processor…obtain a conversion signal…a contact pressure between the object and the pulse wave sensor, based on the multi-wavelength pulse wave signals”; [0133] “an object (e.g., finger)); and
a processor ([0132] “processor” 120) configured to:
generate a pulse wave signal according to an amount of incident light sensed by the photo-sensor ([0083] “FIG. 4 illustrates pulse wave signals having red, green, and blue wavelengths R, G, and B which are measured from an object…”; [0085] “…obtain an oscillometric envelope by using the multi-wavelength pulse wave signals and the conversion signal.”)(Examiner notes that the pulse wave signals are based on the amount of red, green, and blue light that is detected) in response to determining that a pressure measurement value corresponding to the pressure ([0075] “reference contact pressure value…and…compared with a measured contact pressure value while a user is in contact with the pulse wave sensor 110”) is within a pressure request ([0061] “output an identification mark indicating a…range of reference contact pressure values on the graph…may include a line for by connecting points…connecting maximum values in the range of reference contact pressure values…connecting minimum values in the range of reference contact pressure values”; [0075] “a range of reference contact pressure values”, “compared…”; [0132] “…determines that contact state is not normal by comparing…”)(Examiner notes that the processor can determine if the “contact state” is “Not normal”, or outside the reference contact pressure that is requested of the user, which means that it can determine the opposite, or “normal” within the reference contact values.)
obtaining an additional optical signal using the photo-sensor ([0083] “FIG. 4 illustrates pulse wave signals having red, green, and blue wavelengths R, G, and B which are measured from an object…”) while the pressure sensor senses the pressure ([0075] “reference contact pressure value…and…compared with a measured contact pressure value while a user is in contact with the pulse wave sensor 110”)
generate blood pressure information based on the pulse wave signal ([0003] “estimating blood pressure using pulse wave measurements without a cuff”; [0094 – 0097] “measuring blood pressure…”; Figs 6A – 6C)
Kang does not specifically disclose range corresponding to a pressure interval and determine whether a portion of the pulse wave signal corresponds to an unstable detection signal; regenerate the portion of the pulse wave signal by obtaining an additional optical signal using the photo-sensor while the pressure sensor sense the pressure within the pressure interval; update the pulse wave signal based on the regenerated portion; updated pulse wave signal. Kang broadly discloses at [0061] that there can be a user interface graphical communication of lines depicting a “a line formed by connecting maximum values in the range of reference contact pressure values, or a line formed by connecting minimum values in the range of reference contact pressure values.”
Chandrasekhar teaches an iPhone application for measuring blood pressure with oscillometric measurements from a finger press on a phone screen, given provided contact pressure cues on the screen in user interface panels during measurement. Specifically for Claim 1, Chandrasekhar teaches within a pressure request range corresponding to a pressure interval (Figure 1(a) and (d), solid diagonal lines, caption :”…pressing to increase the pressure within the two target blue lines”; Maximum pressure boundary line ranges from about 60 mmHg to 180 mmHg+ over time, and the Minimum pressure boundary line ranges from 0 mmHg to 180 mmHg over time. The jagged measured pressure is shown within the boundary lines)(Examiner notes that the specific pressure request range appears to be delineated by a linearly-increasing window of about 60 mmHg between the maximum and the minimum for the solid line boundary. The pressure interval that is measured is a jagged line within that boundary range, or corresponding to it by graphical association.).
Kang discloses at [0061] a graph “formed by connecting maximum [and minimum] values in the range of reference contact pressure values” to guide users for appropriate applied contact pressure during measurement, which is broadly what Chandrasekhar specifically teaches -- a graphical representation with specific numbers for the pressure request range and the corresponding pressure interval shown. Chandrasekhar provides a motivation to combine at [Page 3, 2nd Full Paragraph] with “The user…presses to keep the finger pressure within the target blue lines until enough data have been obtained.” A person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing data of the claimed invention would recognize that having a visual means on the screen to cue the required pressure interval range and duration to a user pressing their finger thereon would be useful for obtaining enough appropriate data for which the pulse wave characteristics can be calculated accurately.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the pulse wave measurement device with lines showing a range of reference contact pressure values broadly disclosed by Kang with Chandrasekhar’s taught graphical panel on the display showing the target contact pressure threshold lines around a pressure tracing, creating a single pulse wave measurement device with intuitive user communication for obtaining blood pressure data with an appropriate quantity of accurate pulse wave data for calculations.
Chandrasekhar does not particularly teach determine whether a portion of the pulse wave signal corresponds to an unstable detection signal; regenerate the portion of the pulse wave signal by obtaining an additional optical signal using the photo-sensor while the pressure sensor sense the pressure within the pressure interval; update the pulse wave signal based on the regenerated portion; updated pulse wave signal. As cited above, Kang does disclose obtaining an additional optical signal using the photo-sensor ([0083] “FIG. 4 illustrates pulse wave signals having red, green, and blue wavelengths R, G, and B which are measured from an object…”) while the pressure sensor senses the pressure ([0075] “reference contact pressure value…and…compared with a measured contact pressure value while a user is in contact with the pulse wave sensor 110”), and Kang in view of Chandrasekhar teaches while the pressure sensor senses the pressure within the pressure interval, as described above. But the outcome of regenerating the portion of the pulse wave signal is not specifically disclosed by Kang or the combination of Kang and Chandrasekhar.
Zhang teaches a PPG sensor algorithm framework for motion artifact removal from a pulse wave signal by identifying motion artifacts in a default green signal and reconstructing the pulse wave signal using a portion from the reference infrared wavelength signal. Specifically for Claim 1, Zhang teaches determine whether a portion of the pulse wave signal corresponds to an unstable detection signal (Fig. 7, “MA” in “CWT of green PPG”; Fig. 9c, “original corrupted PPG signal…”; [Page 3, Bottom] “…we propose to use a PPG signal recorded by green light as the main channel for HR detection));
regenerate the portion of the pulse wave signal by obtaining an additional optical signal using the photo-sensor (Fig. 7, “CWT of IR PPG”, ”CWT after normalized subtraction” to “CWT of reconstructed signal”; Figure 1.; [Page 3, Bottom] “…a PPG signal channel recorded by IR light as the motion reference…“; Fig. 7, Fig. 9) during the recording of the pulse wave signal that corresponded to the unstable detection signal (Fig. 7 and Fig. 9, measurements at the IR and green wavelengths taken during the same time period.)(Examiner notes that original optical signal from the PPG is take at the same time period as while the pressure sensor senses the pressure within the pressure interval, so an additional optical signal taken at the same time as the other optical signal(s) would also be at that same time as while the pressure sensor senses the pressure within the pressure interval.);
update the pulse wave signal based on the regenerated portion (Fig. 7, “CWT of reconstructed signal”; Fig. 9C “…corresponding reconstructed signal…”);
updated pulse wave signal (Fig. 7, “CWT of reconstructed signal”; Fig. 9C “…corresponding reconstructed signal…”);
Kang in view of Chandrasekhar and Zhang both disclose and teach systems that measure pulse wave signals using PPG light sensors, Kang in view of Chandrasekhar with a PPG sensor (Kang: [0050] “(PPG) signal…may include an infrared wavelength, a red wavelength, a green wavelength, a blue wavelength…”), and Zhang with the PPG signal sensors measuring at least a green wavelength and infrared wavelength. Zhang provides a motivation to combine at [Page 3, Bottom] with “ we propose to use a PPG signal recorded by green light as the main channel for HR detection and a PPG signal channel recorded by IR light as the motion reference. Typically, both are available in PPG sensors…” and [Page 3, 1st Full Paragraph] “In order to improve the effectiveness of motion recording during micromotions, a photoelectric motion reference originating from the same source of the MA is chosen instead of an accelerometer…” A person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would recognize that using a reference wavelength of PPG data to determine signal portion issues in the default wavelength due to motion artifacts would be useful to correct the default waveform using data from the same sensor source (which would be affected by the same motion artifacts) instead of a secondary sensor, allowing for more effective identification and isolation of the noise from the signal. This signal could then be used for more accurate calculations, such as in the blood pressure calculations of Kang (and Kang in view of Chandrasekhar).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the multicolor PPG sensing light for sensing a pulse wave signal disclosed by Kang with the green PPG measurement as the default optical signal and reference signal IR light for signal reconstruction of motion artifact sections of the pulse wave signal disclosed by Zhang, creating a single blood pressure measurement system that can use a reference wavelength of light from its PPG sensor to strategically remove motion artifacts from the pulse wave signal for more accurate bio-information detection.
Regarding Claim 13, Kang discloses A method for measuring blood pressure ([Abstract]), the method comprising:
sensing, via a pressure sensor ([0118] “pulse wave sensor”; [0006] “obtain a contact pressure…pulse wave sensor…multi-wavelength pulse wave signals)(Examiner notes that the “pulse wave sensor” can be broadly interpreted to sense pressure, as it is a sensor that indirectly measures pressure using the processor based on the sensed light and a conversion signal) of a display device panel (Fig 10A and 10B; “pulse wave sensor” 1030, [0129] “pulse wave sensor 1030 mounted on a rear surface of the main body 1010…”)(Examiner notes that the sensor that measures pressure is disposed on the rear surface of the display panel, which is the “main body” 1010 that holds display 1040.), a pressure applied via a portion of a user’s body ([0006] “processor…obtain a conversion signal…a contact pressure between the object and the pulse wave sensor, based on the multi-wavelength pulse wave signals”; [0133] “an object (e.g., finger)”;
generating a pulse wave signal according to an amount of light sensed by a photo-sensor ([0118] “pulse wave sensor”) of a display device ([0083] “FIG. 4 illustrates pulse wave signals having red, green, and blue wavelengths R, G, and B which are measured from an object…”; [0085] “…obtain an oscillometric envelope by using the multi-wavelength pulse wave signals and the conversion signal.”)(Examiner notes that the pulse wave signals are based on the amount of red, green, and blue light that is detected in response to determining that a pressure measurement value corresponding to the pressure ([0075] “reference contact pressure value…and…compared with a measured contact pressure value while a user is in contact with the pulse wave sensor 110”) is within a pressure request ([0061] “output an identification mark indicating a…range of reference contact pressure values on the graph…may include a line for by connecting points…connecting maximum values in the range of reference contact pressure values…connecting minimum values in the range of reference contact pressure values”; [0075] “a range of reference contact pressure values”, “compared…”; [0132] “…determines that contact state is not normal by comparing…”)(Examiner notes that the processor can determine if the “contact state” is “Not normal”, or outside the reference contact pressure that is requested of the user, which means that it can determine the opposite, or “normal” within the reference contact values.)
obtaining an additional optical signal via the photo-sensor ([0078] “the pulse wave signal receiver 310 may remove noise from the multi-wavelength pulse wave signal by filtering or may normalize the pulse wave signal…”, “obtain a pulse wave direct current (DC) signal of each wavelength…low-pass filter”)(Examiner notes that the pulse wave signals are filtered by “each wavelength”, such that the signal at each “wavelength” shows what amount of light is present.) in response to analyzing the pressure interval as a regeneration pressure interval ([0066] “…in the case in which the bioinformation measurement value falls outside the normal range, and a total number of times the bio-information measurement value falls outside the normal range during a predetermined period of time is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the processor 120 may determine to perform calibration.”; [0132] “…a contact state is not normal by comparing the reference contact pressure at each measurement time with the contact pressure obtained based on the conversion signal…”; [0075]; [0121] “may measure bio-information, such as blood pressure, based on the obtained oscillometric envelope”; [0093 – [0094])(Examiner notes that the system determines if the raw contact pressure signal is “not normal” and outputs an alarm in case. If not, it defaults to analyzing the raw contact signal for blood pressure, which begins with the regeneration, or cleaning the signal by filtering. Therefore, the raw contact signal in the correct contact pressure zone is interpretated as the regeneration pressure interval. This process would include the overall signal, which also includes the portion.) while the pressure sensor senses the pressure within the pressure interval ([0075] “reference contact pressure value…and…compared with a measured contact pressure value while a user is in contact with the pulse wave sensor 110”)
generating blood pressure information based on the pulse wave signal ([0093 – 0097] “measuring blood pressure…”; [0093 – 0094] “diastolic blood pressure”, “systolic blood pressure”; [0132], [0075], Fig 3; [0078] “upon receiving the multi-wavelength pulse wave signal…”).
Kang does not specifically disclose range corresponding to a pressure interval and determining whether a portion of the pulse wave signal corresponds to an unstable detection signal; regenerating the portion of the pulse wave signal by obtaining an additional optical signal via the photo-sensor in response to analyzing the pressure interval as a regeneration pressure interval while the pressure sensor sense the pressure within the pressure interval; updating the pulse wave signal based on the regenerated portion; updated pulse wave signal. Kang broadly discloses at [0061] that there can be a user interface graphical communication of lines depicting a “a line formed by connecting maximum values in the range of reference contact pressure values, or a line formed by connecting minimum values in the range of reference contact pressure values.”
Chandrasekhar teaches within a pressure request range corresponding to a pressure interval (Figure 1(a) and (d), solid diagonal lines, caption :”…pressing to increase the pressure within the two target blue lines”; Maximum pressure boundary line ranges from about 60 mmHg to 180 mmHg+ over time, and the Minimum pressure boundary line ranges from 0 mmHg to 180 mmHg over time. The jagged measured pressure is shown within the boundary lines)(Examiner notes that the specific pressure request range appears to be delineated by a linearly-increasing window of about 60 mmHg between the maximum and the minimum for the solid line boundary. The pressure interval that is measured is a jagged line within that boundary range, or corresponding to it by graphical association.).
The motivation to combine kang with Chandrasekhar for Claim 13 is the same as that described in more detail above for Claims 1/21. In summary, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the pulse wave measurement device with lines showing a range of reference contact pressure values broadly disclosed by Kang with Chandrasekhar’s taught graphical panel on the display showing the target contact pressure threshold lines around a pressure tracing, creating a single pulse wave measurement device with intuitive user communication for obtaining blood pressure data with an appropriate quantity of accurate pulse wave data for calculations.
Chandrasekhar does not particularly teach determine whether a portion of the pulse wave signal corresponds to an unstable detection signal regenerating the portion of the pulse wave signal by obtaining an additional optical signal via the photo-sensor in response to analyzing the pressure interval as a regeneration pressure interval while the pressure sensor sense the pressure within the pressure interval; updating the pulse wave signal based on the regenerated portion; updated pulse wave signal. As cited above, Kang does disclose obtaining an additional optical signal using the photo-sensor ([0083] “FIG. 4 illustrates pulse wave signals having red, green, and blue wavelengths R, G, and B which are measured from an object…”) while the pressure sensor senses the pressure ([0075] “reference contact pressure value…and…compared with a measured contact pressure value while a user is in contact with the pulse wave sensor 110”), and Kang in view of Chandrasekhar teaches while the pressure sensor senses the pressure within the pressure interval, as described above. But the outcome of regenerating the portion of the pulse wave signal is not specifically disclosed by Kang or the combination of Kang and Chandrasekhar.
The motivation to combine Kang in view of Chandrasekhar with Zhang is the same as that described in more detail above for Claims 1/21. In summary, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the multicolor PPG sensing light for sensing a pulse wave signal disclosed by Kang with the green PPG measurement as the default optical signal and reference signal IR light for signal reconstruction of motion artifact sections of the pulse wave signal disclosed by Zhang, creating a single blood pressure measurement system that can use a reference wavelength of light from its PPG sensor to strategically remove motion artifacts from the pulse wave signal for more accurate bio-information detection.
Regarding Claim 2, Kang in view of Chandrasekhar, further in view of Zhang discloses as described above, The display device of claim 1. For the remainder of Claim 2, Kang discloses wherein the processor ([0132] “processor” 120) is further configured to:
analyze the pressure interval as a regeneration section ([0075] – [0076] “a range”; [[0132] “contact pressure is not normal…comparing…reference contact pressure…”; [0121] “may measure bio-information…based on the obtained oscillometric envelope”; [0093 – [0094])(Examiner notes that this is broadly interpreted as the pressure interval is any raw data contained between the upper and lower bounds of the contact pressure. The disclosed system determines if the raw contact pressure signal is “not normal” and outputs an alarm in case. If not, it defaults to analyzing the raw contact signal for blood pressure, which begins with the regeneration, or cleaning the signal by filtering. Therefore, the raw contact signal in the correct contact pressure zone is interpretated as the regeneration section.);and
regenerate the pulse wave signal according to an amount of light sensed by the photo-sensor ([0078] “the pulse wave signal receiver 310 may remove noise from the multi-wavelength pulse wave signal by filtering or may normalize the pulse wave signal…”, “obtain a pulse wave direct current (DC) signal of each wavelength…low-pass filter”)(Examiner notes that the pulse wave signals are filtered by “each wavelength”, such that the signal at each “wavelength” shows what amount of light is present. Also, Examiner notes that regenerating can be broadly interpreted as when the raw data is moved to the next step of analysis, processing the raw signal into a new, cleaner version of the signal for analysis.) corresponding to the pressure interval ([0075] “…a range…(e.g., a minimum value, a maximum value…”); [0132] “contact pressure is not normal…comparing…reference contact pressure…;)(Examiner notes that the system determines if the raw contact pressure signal is “not normal” and outputs an alarm in case. If not, it defaults to analyzing the raw contact signal for blood pressure, which begins with the regeneration, or cleaning the signal by filtering.)
Regarding Claim 5, Kang in view of Chandrasekhar, further in view of Zhang discloses The display device of claim 1, as described above. For the remainder of Claim 5, Kang discloses wherein a first area of the display panel is configured to display ([0105] “visually provide a user….through a display”; Fig 10B, “main body” 1010 holding “display 1040”)(Examiner notes that visually presenting information in a display requires using at least an area of the display.) a first image of values of the pulse wave signal generated based on the pressure interval via a first user interface ([0059] “output interface 210…output the multiwavelength pulse wave signal detected by the pulse wave sensor 110”; [0105] “visually provide a user with measurement result…extracted contact pressure value information…through the display”; [0075] “a range”)
Kang does not specifically disclose and a second area of the display panel is configured to display a second image of the pressure request range and the pressure measurement value via a second user interface. However, Kang broadly discloses that the “output interface is not limited thereto” the description of the layout in [0075], “and may visually display the identification mark in various shapes or through voice and the like.”
Chandrasekhar teaches an iPhone application for measuring blood pressure with oscillometric measurements from a finger press on a phone screen, given provided contact pressure cues on the screen in user interface panels during measurement. Specifically for Claim 5, Chandrasekhar teaches a second area of the display panel (Fig 1(a), Area 1 is at top “PPG in volts vs Time in seconds”, Area 2 is in the middle “Pressure in mmHg vs Time in seconds”) is configured to display a second image of the pressure request range (Figure 1(a) and (d), solid diagonal lines, caption :”…pressing to increase the pressure within the two target blue lines”) and the pressure measurement value (Figure 1(a) and (d), jagged line between the solid diagonal lines) via a second user interface (Figure 1(a) and (d) with two panels of interfaces for the user data visible, and a third rectangle interface for finger placement.)(Examiner notes that the second user interface is a second visual panel on the screen. Based on Applicant’s disclosure at described at [0039], [0040] and Figs 6 and 7, a “user interface” is the image layout that is presented on the panel of a display device.)
Chandrasekhar provides a motivation to combine at [Page 3, 2nd Full Paragraph] with “The user…presses to keep the finger pressure within the target blue lines until enough data have been obtained.” A person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing data of the claimed invention would recognize that having a visual means on the screen to cue the required pressure and duration to a user pressing their finger thereon would be useful for obtaining enough appropriate data for which the pulse wave characteristics can be calculated accurately.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the pulse wave measurement device with a range of reference contact pressure disclosed by Kang with Chandrasekhar’s second image panel on the display showing the target contact pressure around a pressure tracing, creating a single pulse wave measurement device with intuitive user communication for obtaining blood pressure data with an appropriate quantity of accurate pulse wave data for calculations.
Regarding Claim 6, Kang in view of Chandrasekhar, further in view of Zhang discloses as described above, The display device of claim 5. For the remainder of Claim 6, Kang discloses wherein the pressure request range ([0075] “a range of reference contact pressure values…”) includes a first requested pressure ([0075] “…(e.g., a minimum value…”) and a second requested pressure higher than the first requested pressure ([0075] “…(e.g., a maximum value…”), and further includes the first requested pressure and the second requested pressure ([0075] “the output interface 210 may output a predetermined mark… at a point on the graph which corresponds to the reference contact pressure value of each measurement time. …output interface 21 may display lines, each of which is formed by connecting minimum values, maximum values… so that a range of reference contact pressure values may be identified easily at each measurement time.”)
Kang does not specifically disclose the second image. However, Kang broadly discloses that the “output interface is not limited thereto” the description of the layout in [0075], “and may visually display the identification mark in various shapes or through voice and the like.”
Chandrasekhar teaches the second image (Fig 1(a), Image 1 is at top “PPG in volts vs Time in seconds”, Image 2 is in the middle “Pressure in mmHg vs Time in seconds”) further includes the first requested pressure and the second requested pressure (Figure 1(a) and (d), solid diagonal lines, caption :”…pressing to increase the pressure within the two target blue lines”)
The motivation for Claim 6 to combine Kang with Chandrasekhar is the same as that described in more detail in Claim 5. In summary, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the pulse wave measurement device with a range of reference contact pressure disclosed by Kang with Chandrasekhar’s second image panel on the display showing the target contact pressure around a pressure tracing, creating a single pulse wave measurement device with intuitive user communication for obtaining blood pressure data with an appropriate quantity of accurate pulse wave data for calculations.
Regarding Claims 7 and 19, Kang in view of Chandrasekhar, further in view of Zhang discloses as described above, The display device of claim 1 and The method of claim 13, respectively. For the remainder of Claims 7 and 19, Kang discloses
Claim 7:
wherein the processor ([0091] “processor 120”) is further configured to:
generate a peak detection signal using a peak value of the pulse wave signal (Fig 5b; [0093] “maximum peak of the oscillometric envelope OW”)(Examiner notes that OW is “Oscillometric Waveform”);
calculate a pressure value corresponding to the peak value (Fig 5B; [0093] “the bio-information measurer 350 may extract, as the feature values, an amplitude value MA or a contact pressure value MP of a maximum peak of the oscillometric envelope OW”); and
Claim 19:
generating a peak detection signal using peak values of the pulse wave signal (Fig 5b; [0093] “maximum peak of the oscillometric envelope OW”; [0103] “peak-to-peak amplitude”)(Examiner notes that OW is “Oscillometric Waveform”);;
calculating a pressure value corresponding to a peak value of the peak detection signal (Fig 5B; [0093] “the bio-information measurer 350 may extract, as the feature values, an amplitude value MA or a contact pressure value MP of a maximum peak of the oscillometric envelope OW”);
For the remainder of both Claims 7 and 19, Kang discloses,
calculate a diastolic blood pressure (Fig 5B, “DP”; [0093 – 0094] “may calculate, as diastolic blood pressure (DBP), the contact pressure value DP…in a predetermined ratio to the contact pressure value MP.), a systolic blood pressure (Fig 5B, “SP”; [0093 – 0094] “calculate, as systolic blood pressure (SBP), the contact pressure value SP…in a predetermined ratio to the contact pressure value MP”), and a mean blood pressure (Fig 5B; [0093 – 0094] “calculate, as mean arterial pressure (MAP), the contact pressure value MP of the maximum peak of the oscillometric envelope OW.”) according to the pressure value (Fig 5B; [0094] “contact pressure value MP of the maximum peak of the oscillometric envelope OW”).
Regarding Claim 15, Kang in view of Chandrasekhar, further in view of Zhang discloses as described above, The display device of claim 13. For the remainder of Claim 15, Kang discloses displaying an image of the pulse wave signal via a first user interface ([0059] “output interface 210…output the multiwavelength pulse wave signal detected by the pulse wave sensor 110”; [0105] “visually provide a user with measurement result…”); and displaying an image of the pressure measurement value ([0075] “measured contact pressure value while a user in in contact with the pulse wave sensor 110”) and a pressure request range ([0075] “range of reference contact pressure values”) corresponding to the pressure measurement value ([0075] “the output interface 210 may output a predetermined mark… at a point on the graph which corresponds to the reference contact pressure value of each measurement time. …output interface 21 may display lines, each of which is formed by connecting minimum values, maximum values… so that a range of reference contact pressure values may be identified easily at each measurement time.”)
Kang does not specifically disclose via a second user interface. However, Kang broadly discloses that the “output interface is not limited thereto” the description of the layout in [0075], “and may visually display the identification mark in various shapes or through voice and the like.”
Chandrasekhar teaches displaying an image of the pressure measurement value (Figure 1(a) and (d), jagged line between the solid diagonal lines) and a pressure request range (Figure 1(a) and (d), solid diagonal lines, caption :”…pressing to increase the pressure within the two target blue lines”) corresponding to the pressure measurement value via a second user interface (Fig 1(a), Image 1 is at top “PPG in volts vs Time in seconds”, Image 2 is in the middle “Pressure in mmHg vs Time in seconds”; Figure 1 caption: caption :”…pressing to increase the pressure within the two target blue lines” (solid diagonal lines)).
The motivation for Claim 15 to combine Kang with Chandrasekhar is the same as that described in more detail in Claim 5. In summary, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the pulse wave measurement device with a range of reference contact pressure disclosed by Kang with Chandrasekhar’s second image panel on the display showing the target contact pressure around a pressure tracing, creating a single pulse wave measurement device with intuitive user communication for obtaining blood pressure data with an appropriate quantity of accurate pulse wave data for calculations.
Regarding Claim 16, Kang in view of Chandrasekhar, further in view of Zhang discloses as described above, The display device of claim 15. For the remainder of Claim 16, Kang does not specifically disclose further comprising displaying an image of the regeneration pressure interval via the first user interface However, Kang broadly discloses that the “output interface is not limited thereto” the description of the layout in [0075], “and may visually display the identification mark in various shapes or through voice and the like.”
Chandrasekhar teaches further comprising displaying an image of the regeneration pressure interval via the first user interface (Figure 1(a) and (d), jagged line between the solid diagonal lines shown above in Area 1 “PPG in volts vs Time in seconds, concurrently; [Page 1, Bottom] - [Page 3, Top] “...Spatial averaging followed by band-pass…filtering of the red video channel is applied to extract the blood volume oscillations”)
The motivation for Claim 16 to combine Kang with Chandrasekhar is the same as that described in more detail in Claim 5. In summary, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the pulse wave measurement device with a range of reference contact pressure disclosed by Kang with Chandrasekhar’s second image panel on the display showing the target contact pressure around a pressure tracing, creating a single pulse wave measurement device with intuitive user communication for obtaining blood pressure data with an appropriate quantity of accurate pulse wave data for calculations.
Claims 3 - 4 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kang (US 2019/0387985 A1) in view of Chandrasekhar (“An iPhone Application for Blood Pressure Monitoring via the Oscillometric Finger Pressing Method”), and Zhang et. al., (“Motion Artifact reduction for Wrist-Worn Photoplethysmograph Sensors Based on Different Wavelengths”), further in view of Kwon et. al. (United States Patent Application Publication 2017/0095168 A1).
Regarding Claims 3 and 14, Kang in view of Chandrasekhar, further in view of Zhang discloses as described above, The display device of claim 2 (See citation above), wherein the processor ([0091] “processor 120”) is further configured to, and The method of claim 13, respectively. For the remainder of Claims 3 and 14, Kang discloses
generate a peak detection signal using peak values of the pulse wave signal (Fig 5b; [0093] “maximum peak of the oscillometric envelope OW”; [0103] “peak-to-peak amplitude”)(Examiner notes that OW is “Oscillometric Waveform”); and
determine the pressure interval as the regeneration section ([0075] – [0076] “a range”; [[0132] “contact pressure is not normal…comparing…reference contact pressure…”)(Examiner notes that this is broadly interpreted as the pressure interval is any raw data contained between the upper and lower bounds of the contact pressure. The disclosed system determines if the raw contact pressure signal is “not normal” and outputs an alarm in case. If not, it defaults to analyzing the raw contact signal for blood pressure, which begins with the regeneration, or cleaning the signal by filtering. Therefore, the raw contact signal in the correct contact pressure zone is interpretated as the regeneration section);
Kang does not specifically disclose when a number of peak values of the peak detection signal that exceed at least one threshold is two or more.
Kwon teaches determine the pressure interval as the regeneration section (Fig 11, Shaded area “Recommended Range of Tactile Pressure”; Fig 6, [0067] “filter…”)(Again, Examiner notes that this is broadly interpreted as the pressure interval is any raw data contained between the upper and lower bounds of the contact pressure. Regeneration is broadly interpreted as when the raw data is moved to the next step of analysis, processing the raw signal into a cleaner version of the signal for analysis) when a number of peak values of the peak detection signal that exceed at least one threshold is two or more (Fig 11, Shaded area “Recommended range of tactile pressure” measured peaks shown)(Examiner notes that there are at least 4 peaks above 80 mmHg in the top signal tracing of the section, which can broadly be a graphical threshold, showing that at least 2 peak values exceed a threshold when the pressure interval is represented as the regeneration section. At least one common threshold for the data in this interval is having at least 2 peaks greater than 80 mmHg).
Kwon provides a motivation to combine at [0083] with “when the pressure increases to reach a level that is below or above a predetermined range, the pulse wave velocity may not be calculated accurately” and “for levels of pressure that are not within the recommended range of the finger tactile pressure, the pulse wave velocities may show unstable peaks, rather than a predetermined shape of graph.” A person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing data of the claimed invention would recognize that looking for a number of peaks within a certain threshold would be useful for obtaining “stable” data for which the pulse wave characteristics can be calculated accurately.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the pulse wave measurement device with a range of reference contact pressure disclosed by Kang with Kwon’s teaching of multiple peaks of data within the proper contact pressure range being the data adequate for further analysis, creating a single pulse wave measurement device for obtaining blood pressure data using more stable and accurate pulse wave data for calculations.
Regarding Claim 4, Kang in view of Chandrasekhar and Zhang, further in view of Kwon discloses as described above, The display device of claim 3. For the remainder of Claim 4, Kang discloses wherein a first area of the display panel ([0105] “visually provide a user….through a display”; Fig 10B, “main body” 1010 holding “display 1040”)(Examiner notes that visually presenting information in a display requires using at least an area of the display.) is configured to:
display an image of the pulse wave signal based on a plurality of pressure intervals corresponding to values of sensed pressures via a first user interface ([0059] “output interface 210…output the multiwavelength pulse wave signal detected by the pulse wave sensor 110”; [0100] “predetermined intervals that the request for measuring bio-information is received”; [0105] “visually provide a user with measurement result…extracted contact pressure value information…through the display”)
Kang does not specifically disclose display an image of the regeneration section via the first user interface. Kang does broadly disclose showing the required reference contact pressure range at [0061] “…output an identification mark indicating a reference contact pressure…”, and that the graph of time vs “contact pressure” applied can be displayed concurrently with the reference contact pressure range, as described in [0061].
Kwon teaches display an image of the regeneration section via the first user interface (Fig 11, “regeneration section” shaded; [0085] “blood pressure measuring apparatus 100…include an interface or an application…informs a user of a finger tactile pressure measured”)
Kwon provides a motivation to combine at [0083] with “a graph showing a recommended range of a finger tactile pressure” and “for levels of pressure that are not within the recommended range of the finger tactile pressure…the pulse wave velocity may not be calculated accurately, and a significant relationship between the pulse wave velocity and blood pressure may not be formed.” A person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing data of the claimed invention would recognize that presenting information to the user in graphical form that shows where data are in the proper range for analysis would permit the user to make contact pressure adjustments and see that the data are less noisy, providing greater confidence to users that the blood pressure result from the measurement is reliable.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the Kang’s disclosed pulse wave signal measurement device with a range of reference input contact pressure and a user display with Kwon’s taught graphical form of presenting the pulse wave measurement data with the “recommended range of finger tactile pressure” overlaid on a section of data, creating a single pulse wave signal measurement device for obtaining blood pressure data with user-intuitive data presentation for sections of measured data that have appropriate contact pressure.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kang (US 2019/0387985 A1) in view of Chandrasekhar (“An iPhone Application for Blood Pressure Monitoring via the Oscillometric Finger Pressing Method”), and Zhang et. al., (“Motion Artifact reduction for Wrist-Worn Photoplethysmograph Sensors Based on Different Wavelengths”), further in view of Chandrasekhar et. al., “Smartphone-based blood pressure monitoring via the oscillometric finger-pressing method”, hereinafter Chandrasekhar 2.
Regarding Claim 8, Kang in view of Chandrasekhar, further in view of Zhang discloses as described above, The display device of claim 7. For the remainder of Claim 8, Kang discloses wherein the processor ([0091] “processor 120”) is further configured to:
calculate the diastolic blood pressure (Fig 5B, “DP”; [0093 – 0094] “may calculate, as diastolic blood pressure (DBP),; calculate the systolic blood pressure (Fig 5B, “SP”; [0093 – 0094] “may calculate, as systolic blood pressure (DBP),
Kang does not specifically disclose diastolic blood pressure as being equal to a value in a range of about 60% to about 80% of the pressure value; and systolic blood pressure as being equal to a value in a range of about 120% to about 140% of the pressure value. However, Kang does disclose determining the DP and SP relative to the maximum peak value and mean arterial pressure at [0093] and [004] with “SP and DP located to the left and right of the contact pressure value MP of the maximum peak and having a predetermined ratio (e.g., 0.5 to 0.7) to the contact pressure value MP.”
Chandrasekhar 2 teaches smartphone-based oscillometric blood pressure monitoring performed with a finger-press on the screen, calculating blood pressure values from the pulse wave. Specifically for Claim 8, Chandrasekhar 2 teaches calculate the diastolic blood pressure (Fig 1 including Fig 1(d); D-BP = 60 mmHg) as being equal to a value in a range of about 60% to about 80% of the pressure value (Fig 1 including Fig 1(d); D-BP = 60 mmHg: M-BP = 85 mmHg, which is 60 / 85 = 70.1%) and
calculate the systolic blood pressure as being equal to a value in a range of about 120% to about 140% of the pressure value (Fig 1 including Fig 1(d); S-BP ~ 106 mmHg: M-BP = 85 mmHg, which is 106/ 85 = 125%)
Chandrasekhar 2 provides a motivation to combine at [Page 6, 2nd Full Paragraph] with “The smartphone-based device could measure systolic and diastolic BP with promising accuracy. The device yielded bias and precision errors relative to the automatic arm cuff device that were close to the AAMI (Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation) limits of 5 and 8 mmHg” A person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing data of the claimed invention would recognize that using analysis ratios relative to the highest peak within the window of the pulse wave as taught by Chandrasekhar 2 (in Figure 1(a) and 1(d)) would yield accurate results for a cuffless device close to the recognized AAMI limits.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine pulse wave measurement device with blood pressure calculations based on a conversion factor on a pulse wave signal disclosed by Kang with the particular conversion factor for the measured finger waveform taught by Chandrasekhar 2, creating a single blood pressure measurement device with effective wave conversion factors for calculating accurate blood pressure results.
Claims 9 - 12 and 17 – 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kang (US 2019/0387985 A1) in view of Chandrasekhar (“An iPhone Application for Blood Pressure Monitoring via the Oscillometric Finger Pressing Method”), and Zhang et. al., (“Motion Artifact reduction for Wrist-Worn Photoplethysmograph Sensors Based on Different Wavelengths”), further in view of Nelson et. al., “Noninvasive Measurement of Central Vascular Pressures With Arterial Tonometry: Clinical Revival of the Pulse Pressure Waveform?”.
Regarding Claims 9 and 17, Kang in view of Chandrasekhar, further in view of Zhang discloses as described above, The display device of claim 1 (see citation above in claim 1), and the processor is further configured to calculate ([0081] “conversion signal obtainer 330 may calculate”; [0073] “processor 120 includes…conversion signal obtainer 330”), and The method of claim 13, respectively. For the remainder of Claims 9 and 17, Kang discloses wherein a greatest amplitude in a cycle of the pulse wave signal is a pulse wave maximum value ([0093] “an amplitude MA or a contact pressure value MP of a maximum peak of the oscillometric envelope OW”; Fig 5B)
For the remainder of Claims 9 and 17, Kang does not disclose a second greatest amplitude in the cycle of the pulse wave signal is a reflected pulse wave value, and further comprising calculating a reflected pulse wave ratio as the ratio of the reflected pulse wave value to the pulse wave maximum value.
Nelson teaches noninvasive measurement of blood pressures using the pulse pressure waveform, particularly accounting for the reflected pulse wave (the augmentation pressure) and a ratio index including the reflected pulse wave (augmentation index). Specifically for Claims 9 and 17, Nelson teaches a second greatest amplitude in the cycle of the pulse wave signal is a reflected pulse wave value (Fig 5, “Reflected wave on the second highest peak at the left, “Augmentation pressure” with an upward arrow; “Augmentation pressure is the additional pressure added to the forward wave by the reflected wave”), and further comprising calculating a reflected pulse wave ratio (Fig 5 caption, “Augmentation index”) as the ratio of the reflected pulse wave value to the pulse wave maximum value (Fig 5, “Augmentation index”….ratio between augmentation pressure and central pulse pressure”)
Nelson provides a motivation to combine at [Page 460, Right Column, 2nd full Paragraph] with “They also observed…that the reflection of the cardiac pressure impulse at the level of the peripheral vasculature shapes the peripheral and central pulse waveforms.” A person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing data of the claimed invention would recognize that accounting for the reflected pulse wave and quantifying it in a ratio would be useful for obtaining an accurate blood pressure reading from a pulse wave signal.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the pulse wave measurement device with blood pressure calculations based on a conversion factor on a pulse wave signal disclosed by Kang with the compensatory calculations regarding reflected pulse wave (augmentation pressure) and augmentation index taught by Nelson, creating a single blood pressure measurement device with effective wave conversion factors for calculating accurate blood pressure results in light of reflected pulse waves.
Regarding Claim 10, Kang in view of Chandrasekhar and Zhang, further in view of Nelson discloses as described above, The display device of claim 9. For the remainder of Claim 10, Kang does not disclose wherein the reflected pulse wave ratio includes a first period in which the reflected pulse wave ratio fluctuates within a first range, a second period in which the reflected pulse wave ratio fluctuates within a second range, and a third period in which the reflected pulse wave ratio fluctuates within a third range, and a width of the first range and a width of the third range are smaller than a width of the second range.
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Fig A: Examiner-annotated Nelson Fig 5 for Clams 10 and 11
Nelson teaches wherein the reflected pulse wave ratio (Fig 5, “augmentation index”) includes a first period in which the reflected pulse wave ratio fluctuates within a first range (Fig A: Examiner-annotated Nelson Fig 5, “First Period”), a second period in which the reflected pulse wave ratio fluctuates within a second range (Fig A: Examiner-annotated Nelson Fig 5, “Second Period”), and a third period in which the reflected pulse wave ratio fluctuates within a third range (Fig A: Examiner-annotated Nelson Fig 5, “Third Period”), and a width of the first range (Fig 5, Examiner-annotated Nelson Fig 5, “First Range”)(Examiner notes that the width of the range is the difference between the maximum and second highest value in the region. The first range width is from the peak and the valley of the dicrotic notch.) and a width of the third range (Fig 5, Examiner-annotated Nelson Fig 5, “Third Range”) are smaller than a width of the second range (Fig 5, Examiner-annotated Nelson Fig 5, “Second Range”).
The motivation for Claim 10 to combine Kang with Nelson is similar to that described in Claim 9. In summary, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the pulse wave measurement device with blood pressure calculations based on a conversion factor on a pulse wave signal disclosed by Kang with the compensatory calculations regarding reflected pulse wave (augmentation pressure) and augmentation index taught by Nelson, creating a single blood pressure measurement device with effective wave conversion factors for calculating accurate blood pressure results in light of reflected pulse waves.
Regarding Claim 11, Kang in view of Chandrasekhar and Zhang, further in view of Nelson discloses as described above, The display device of claim 10, wherein the processor ([0091] “processor 120”) is further configured to determine a diastolic blood pressure (Fig 5B, “DP”; [0093 – 0094] “may calculate, as diastolic blood pressure (DBP), the contact pressure value DP…in a predetermined ratio to the contact pressure value MP.), determine a systolic blood pressure (Fig 5B, “SP”; [0093 – 0094] “calculate, as systolic blood pressure (SBP), the contact pressure value SP…in a predetermined ratio to the contact pressure value MP”).
For the remainder of Claim 11, Kang does not disclose analyze the reflected pulse wave ratio to detect a start point in time of the second period; calculate a first pressure value corresponding to the pulse wave signal at the start point in time of the second period; determine a diastolic blood pressure as the first pressure value; calculate a second pressure value corresponding to the pulse wave signal at a start point in time of the third period after the second period; and determine a systolic blood pressure as the second pressure value.
Nelson teaches analyze the reflected pulse wave ratio to detect a start point in time of the second period (Fig 5, Examiner-annotated Nelson Fig 5, “Start 2nd” on the “time” axis, “second range” and augmentation index);
calculate a first pressure value corresponding to the pulse wave signal at the start point in time of the second period (Fig 5, Examiner-annotated Nelson Fig 5, “Start 2nd” on the “time” axis corresponding to “diastolic pressure” at the peak of the dicrotic notch);
determine a diastolic blood pressure as the first pressure value (Fig 5, Examiner-annotated Nelson Fig 5, “Start 2nd” on the “time” axis corresponding to “diastolic pressure”)
calculate a second pressure value corresponding to the pulse wave signal at a start point in time of the third period after the second period (Fig 5, Examiner-annotated Nelson Fig 5, “Start 3rd” on the “time” axis corresponding to “systolic pressure” arrow); and
determine a systolic blood pressure as the second pressure value (Fig 5, Examiner-annotated Nelson Fig 5, “Start 3rd” on the “time” axis corresponding to “systolic pressure” arrow)
The motivation for Claim 10 to combine Kang with Nelson is similar to that described in Claims 9 and 10. In summary, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the pulse wave measurement device with blood pressure calculations based on a conversion factor on a pulse wave signal disclosed by Kang with the compensatory calculations regarding reflected pulse wave (augmentation pressure) and the systolic and diastolic pressures on the wave taught by Nelson, creating a single blood pressure measurement device with effective wave conversion factors for calculating accurate blood pressure results in light of reflected pulse waves.
Regarding Claim 12, Kang in view of Chandrasekhar and Zhang, further in view of Nelson discloses as described above, The display device of claim 9. For the remainder of Claim 12, Kang discloses wherein the reflected pulse wave ratio is equal to or greater than one ([0066] “in the case in which a bioinformation measurement value falls outside the normal range… number of times previous bio-information measurement values…continuously fall outside a normal range is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the processor 120 may determine to perform calibration...”,”…an example…not limited thereto.”)(Examiner notes that the ratio as recited in this claim and claim 9 from which is depends, should not be able to be greater than one. Claim 9 recites that the “reflected pulse wave ratio” is a ratio of the “reflected pulse wave ratio” to the “pulse wave maximum value”, which could be represented as
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The reflected pulse wave value is the “second greatest amplitude in the cycle” (a smaller number), and the pulse wave maximum is the “greatest amplitude in the cycle” (a bigger number). This indicates that (Reflected Pulse Wave Value) is greater than (Pulse Wave Maximum Value). The “reflected pulse wave ratio” would be
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, which will not yield a ratio larger than 1. Looking to Applicant’s specification at [00193], “an incorrect pulse wave signal PPG corresponds to a reflected pulse wave ratio RI equal to or great than 1”. Therefore, such a measurement would be a sign of a processing error and a threshold for performing a calibration to fix processing errors.), and the processor ([0066] “processor 120”) is further configured to regenerate the pulse wave signal according to a second amount of light sensed by the photo-sensor ([0066] “perform a calibration”; [0067] “calibration…obtain reference information…actual bio-information value…measurement model”)(Examiner notes that performing the calibration would regenerate…according to a second amount of light in that the measurement is re-evaluated relative to additional measurements, which having a different associated light-based signal, would be in a second amount of light.).
Regarding Claim 18, Kang in view of Chandrasekhar and Zhang, further in view of Nelson discloses as described above, The display device of claim 17. For the remainder of Claim 18, Kang discloses further comprising determining that the reflected pulse wave ratio is equal to or greater than 1 ([0066] “in the case in which a bioinformation measurement value falls outside the normal range… number of times previous bio-information measurement values…continuously fall outside a normal range is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the processor 120 may determine to perform calibration...”,”…an example…not limited thereto.”)(Examiner notes interpretation above in Claim 12 where the ratio, as recited in this claim should not be able to be greater than one and information at [00193] in Applicant’s specification. Therefore, such a measurement would be a sign of a processing error and a threshold for performing a calibration to fix processing errors.), wherein the pulse wave signal is regenerated based on the determination ([0066] “perform a calibration”; [0067] “calibration…obtain reference information…actual bio-information value…measurement model”)(Examiner notes that performing the calibration would regenerate… in that the measurement is re-evaluated relative to additional measurements.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 07 MAY 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding 35 U.S.C. 101 Rejections:
Applicant’s arguments In light of the amendments regarding Step 2B of the 35 U.S.C. 101 analysis are convincing at [Page 19, 1st Full Paragraph] with respect to the sensor configuration as claimed that the claims describe an unconventional method to selectively regenerate only those unstable portions by obtaining additional optical signals and updating the signal for improved blood pressure determination using the combination of sensors. Based on the arguments and newly-amended claims 1, 13, and 21, the 35 U.S.C. 101 rejection of Claims 1 – 19 and 21 is withdrawn.
Regarding 35 U.S.C. 103 Rejections:
Applicant argues at [Page 20, “35 U.S.C. 103” section] – [Page 21, Paragraph 1] that Kang discloses filtering or normalizing pulse-wave signals to remove noise as applied globally to the signal and does not involve identifying a specific unstable portion and selectively re-acquiring that portion using new sensor data. It is noted that a portion of the signal does not concretely recite less than entire signal. A portion could recite a 100% “portion” of the signal. As such, by Kang applying global processing and identifying whether or not the signal is “unstable”, the limitation is met. As recited, the limitation does not recite selectively re-acquiring a section of the sensor data less than the entire signal. For a teaching of the argued meaning of the claim limitations of selectively re-acquiring a section of the sensor data less than the entire signal, and in light of the amendments, Kang and Chandrasekhar are combined with Zhang in the 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection above to teach selectively identifying and eliminating portions of motion artifact noise from a wavelength of a PPG pulse wave signal using a reference wavelength of a PPG pulse wave signal. The argument is not persuasive.
Applicant argues at [Page 21, Paragraph 2] that Chandrasekhar does not disclose or suggest determining whether a portion of a pulse-wave signal corresponds to an unstable detection signal, nor regenerating the portion of the pulse wave signal by obtaining an additional optical signal using the photo-sensor while the pressure sensor senses the pressure within the pressure interval.” Chandrasekhar is used in the combination of Kang and Chandrasekhar for its taught contact pressure cues on the screen during measurement that correspond to determining if a pressure measurement is within a within a pressure request range corresponding to a pressure interval. As described above, Zhang is used to teach the limitation by selectively identifying and eliminating portions of motion artifact noise from a wavelength of a PPG pulse wave signal using a reference wavelength of a PPG pulse wave signal. In response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986). The argument is not persuasive.
Applicant argues at [Page 22, Paragraph 1] – [Page 24, Top] that Fanelli does not cure the deficiencies of Kang. Based on the amendments, Fanelli is no longer applied in the 35 U.S.C. 103 rejections above. The argument is moot.
Applicant summarily argues at [Page 25, 1st Full Paragraph] that independent claim 1 is allowable over Kang, Chandrasekhar, and Fanelli, and that Kwon, Chandrasekhar 2, and Nelson do not cure the deficiencies of Kang in the independent claims as affecting claims 1 – 19 and 21. Based on the 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection and discussion of arguments above, the combination of Kang in view of Chandrasekhar, further in view of Zhang disclose the limitations of amended Claims 1, 13, and 21. In response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986). The argument is not persuasive.
Conclusion
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/MELISSA JO MONTGOMERY/Examiner, Art Unit 3791
/JUSTIN XU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3791
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