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 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.
Claims 1-3, and 5-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Song et al. (Wireless battery-free wearable sweat sensor powered by human motion 2020-Previously cited), hereinafter Song, further in view of Emaminejad et al. (US 20180070870-Previously cited), hereinafter Emaminejad, Price (WO 2021079358-Previously cited), and Jung (Flexible Perovskite Solar Cells- 2019), hereinafter Jung. Price (US 20220361810- Previously cited) will be referenced instead of (WO 2021079358).
Regarding claims 1, 10 and 14, Song teaches a self-powered wearable system (see fig.1), comprising: a wearable sensor patch with microfluidic sensor; supporting circuitry communicatively coupled to the wearable sensor patch (see pg. 1, ¶ 2: “Here, we propose a battery-free, fully self-powered wearable system that consists of a highly efficient wearable free standing mode TENG (FTENG), low-power wireless sensor circuitry, and a microfluidic sweat sensor patch on a single flexible printed circuit);
and a motion power component comprising a stator and a slider, wherein the motion power component is configured produces current when the slider moves across the stator (see fig. 1D, slider and stator for motion energy harvesting, i.e., FTENG), and wherein the motion power component further comprises a triboelectric nanogenerator (FTENG) electrically coupled to the stator and the slider (see fig. 1D-F, “Schematic diagram of the FPCB-based FTENG with a grating slider and an interdigital stator”);
and continuously collecting, analyzing, and monitoring human sweat samples over a period of time (see pg. 2, ¶ 1, “a disposable microfluidic sweat sensor patch can continuously perform electrochemical measurements of key biomarkers in sweat (Fig. 1E)”)
Song fails to teach an electrochemical analog front-end (AFE) chip and a voltage current source.
Emaminejad teaches a wearable sweat analysis system (same field of endeavor as the present invention) comprising an AFE chip (¶ [0036], AFE chip 132) to amplify the signal and aid in minimizing high frequency noise and electromagnetic interference and a voltage current source to aid in using Bluetooth commands to control delivery of currents to the test subject (¶ [0060]).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to have modified the device of Song-Price, such that an electrochemical analog front-end (AFE) chip and a voltage current source is included in the supporting circuitry, as taught by Emaminejad, to aid in minimizing high frequency noise and electromagnetic interference, and/or aid in using Bluetooth commands to control delivery of currents to the test subject.
Song-Emaminejad fail to teach a photovoltaic panel electrically coupled to the supporting circuitry, wherein the photovoltaic panel comprises a flexible perovskite solar cell.
Price teaches a wearable device (see abstract) comprises a flexible photovoltaic panel coupled to supporting flexible circuitry (¶ [0037,0060,0101, 0143,0157,0205], “ the device is partially or fully self-powered or self-sustained, wherein the device comprises one or a plurality of power supply unit,” “[t]he PSU may comprise one or a plurality of power supplies for powering the device, units and/or modules, selected from one or a plurality of power generating unit(s) such as one or more energy harvesting unit(s) (EHU(s)) such as solar power unit,” “circuitry may be flexible or conformable and may comprise flexible material such as flexible or thin film or foil material or substrate, for example organic and/or inorganic materials and/or metals including electronically and/or optically insulating, semi-conducting and conducting polymers, non-polymeric inorganic materials and metals and smart materials and combinations thereof,” and “perovskite solar cell and nanocells and arrays thereof”). Additionally, Song teaches “an alternative, energy can be harvested from renewable, portable, and sustainable sources such as solar light, biofluids, and human motion to power future wireless wearable electronics.” (see Introduction, second paragraph)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to have modified the device of Song, such that a photovoltaic panel is electrically coupled to the supporting circuitry, as taught by Price, because providing solar energy harvesting aids in reducing charging time and/or battery replacement, improving wearability, and avoiding short operation distance (¶ 2 of the Introduction in Song, “Battery-free systems . . . could suffer from short operation distance” of Song).
Song-Emaminejad-Price require a flexible perovskite solar cell (¶[0143] of Price), but fails to disclose that it is formed comprising a hole transport layer, an electron transport layer, and an encapsulation layer configured to inhibit moisture ingress during wear and exposure to sweat.
Jung teaches a flexible perovskite solar cell construction. (abstract). The cell comprises a hole transport layer, an electron transport layer, and an encapsulation layer configured to inhibit moisture (see Introduction and High Moisture Permeability of Plastic Flexible Substrates, “especially the electron transport layer (ETL), like TiO2, ZnO, and SnO2, should be formed at a low temperature of below 150°C in plastic-based F-PSCs, which is a non-trivial challenge to achieving high efficiency,” “Owing to the use of PEDOT:PSS as an organic hole-transport layer (HTL),” “ the ionic nature of perovskite crystals makes them inherently vulnerable to moisture as well as oxygen, resulting in the degradation and phase transition of the perovskite,” and “To relieve concerns about the stability issue, flexible film packaging employing a gas-barrier encapsulating function ”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to have modified the system of Song-Emaminejad-Price, such that the cell comprises a hole transport layer, an electron transport layer, and an encapsulation layer, as taught by Jung, because the modification requires a perovskite solar cell, but details of the cell are not provided. Jung is therefore relied upon to teach the construction of a flexible perovskite solar cell.
Claims 10 and 14 differ from claim 1 in that sweat is induced via iontophoresis using a current source within the supporting circuitry powered by the wearable photovoltaic panel, which Song and Price fail to teach.
Emaminejad teaches a sweat sensing device formed on a printed circuit, that further includes a microcontroller, an iontophoresis circuit, a sensing circuit, and an electrode array (abstract). Emaminejad further teaches that iontophoresis aids in stimulating local sweat secretion that provides sufficient sweat analyte levels that are regarded as the gold standard for diagnosing certain diseases, allows for continuous analyte monitoring via sweat analysis, and extracts sweat that accurately describes physiological parameters (¶ [0004] of Emaminejad).
As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to have modified the system of Song-Price- Emaminejad-Jung, such that sweat is induced via iontophoresis using a current source within the supporting circuitry powered by the wearable, as taught by Emaminejad, to aid in stimulating local sweat secretion that provides sufficient sweat analyte levels that are regarded as the gold standard for diagnosing certain diseases, allows for continuous analyte monitoring via sweat analysis, and extracts sweat that accurately describes physiological parameters. The purpose of Song is to measure the analytes for health monitoring, the addition of iontophoresis would allow for continuous monitoring by inducing sweat.
Regarding claims 2, Song teaches the wearable sensor patch further comprises a microfluidic sweat sensor patch (see fig. 1a and Fabrication of microfluidic sensor patch).
Regarding claim 3, Song teaches wherein the supporting circuitry further comprises: a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) (see fig. 1F, PMIC) and a Bluetooth low energy programmed system on a chip (BLE) module.
Regarding claim 4, Jung teaches wherein the perovskite solar cell comprises a p-i-n architecture in an inverted planar configuration in which the hole transport layer is disposed between (i) a transparent conductive layer supported by a flexible substrate (see Emerging Flexible Photovoltaics for Pioneering a New Market and fig. 7C, “semitransparent F-PSC without TCO was realized by utilizing highly conductive n-PEDOT:PSS as both the bottom and top transparent electrodes. The n-PEDOT:PSS was stacked onto Spiro-OMeTAD by using a stamp-transfer process with PDMS” indicating that the hole transport layer (Spiro-OMeTAD) is sandwiched between a transparent electrode and a substrate, e.g. glass, PET), and (ii) a perovskite photoactive layer (fig. 7C and 12C, further sandwiched by the perovskite layer), and in which the electron transport layer is disposed on an opposite side of the perovskite photoactive layer from the hole transport layer (fig. 7C and 12C, the ZnO electron transport layer is disposed on the other side of the perovskite layer with the Spiro-OMeTAD hole transport layer adjacent).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to have modified the system of Song-Emaminejad-Price, such that the cell is in a p-i-n architecture, as taught by Jung, because the modification requires a perovskite solar cell, but details of the cell are not provided. Jung is therefore relied upon to teach the construction of a flexible perovskite solar cell.
Regarding claims 5 and 15, Song teaches wherein the triboelectric nanogenerator is a free standing triboelectric nanogenerator (FTENG) (see fig. 1D) and wherein the stator and the slider are an interdigital stator and a grating patterned slider (fig. 1D, FTENG consists of an interdigital stator and a grating-patterned slider).
Regarding claims 6 and 20, Song teaches a user interface wherein the user interface wirelessly receives sample data collected by the wearable sensor patch (see pg.1, ¶ 2, “The integrated Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) module allows sensor data to be conveniently transmitted to a mobile interface for health status tracking during exercise”(emphasis added)).
Regarding claim 7, Song-Price teach wherein at least one of the photovoltaic panel, power component, and supporting circuitry supply a stable voltage to the wearable sensor patch for a period of time (see pg.1, ¶ 2 of Song, self-powered wearable device that is powered by movement integrated in supporting circuitry modified with the solar panel of Price to arrive at the claimed invention).
Regarding claim 8, Song fails to teach wherein the at least one of the photovoltaic panel and motion power component supply the battery with power and where the power supplied by the photovoltaic panel and motion power component is stored in the battery. In this case, Song teaches that the energy harvested, using the motion power component, from motion is stored in a capacitor (see Results, Design of the FWS3. See fig. 1E-F).
Price teaches that the photovoltaic panel is combined with one or a plurality of energy storage cell(s) (ESC(s)) selected from a capacitor, supercapacitor and rechargeable battery and combination thereof, for storage/accumulation of energy (¶ [0037]). That is, a device comprising a solar panel, capacitor, and battery for storage/accumulation of energy.
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to have modified the system of Song-Emaminejad-Price-Jung, such that a solar panel and a battery are included with a capacitor, as taught by Price, to aid in providing a fully self-powered or self-sustained wearable device (¶ [0037] of Price). This also leads to the added benefit of providing a device capable of charging through multiple sources and being able to stay charges for longer. Song also understands that a plurality of renewable sources can be harvested to power wearable device (see Introduction ¶ [0002]). Additionally, the modification is merely applying a known technique (battery for energy harvesting storage) to improve similar systems (wearable monitoring systems) in the same way. Thus, the combination leads to the storage of power from the renewable sources in both the battery and capacitor.
Regarding claim 9, Song-Price-Jung teach wherein the wearable sensor patch, supporting circuitry, photovoltaic panel, and motion power component are supported on integrated platform leveraging printed circuit board (PCB) technology (see abstract of Song, “we propose a highly robust, mass-producible, and battery-free wearable platform that efficiently extracts power from body motion through a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB)–based freestanding triboelectric nanogenerator (FTENG).” (emphasis added) ; ¶ [0103] of Price, “Output(s), input(s) and connections are suitably provided by rigid or flexible circuit board(s) (e.g. PCB(s)), flex circuits, integrated circuits (ICs including EIC, PIC or HE) or the like, which may include SR-RF ICs such as for SR-RF connectivity, e.g. NFC, BAN or PAN such as Bluetooth™” (emphasis added)).
Regarding claim 11, Song teaches wherein the one or more electrochemical measurements comprise potentiometric measurements (¶ 1 of Design and characterization of microfluidic sweat sensor patch section).
Regarding claims 12 and 15, Song fails to teach wherein the light source comprises an artificial light source.
Price teaches that an energy source, e.g., artificial light, thermal, etc., are incorporated to aid in energy transferring between components and powering components (¶ [0124,0129,0227-0230], it is noted that photovoltaic panels can be powered with both ambient sunlight and artificial light in a location it is being used in). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to have modified the device of Song-Price-Jung, such that artificial light source is provided, as taught by Price, to aid in providing a self-powered or self-sustaining wearable device (¶ [0205] of Price).
Regarding claims 13 and 16, Song-Price-Jung teach collecting power from human movement with a wearable freestanding triboelectric nanogenerator (FTENG) (see fig. 1D of Song) and converting the power collected from the artificial light source into electrical energy with supporting circuity (¶ [0143] of Price) connected to the FTENG (it is noted that the combination of Song-Price leads to the photovoltaic components to incorporated in the PCB of Song and therefore are electrically and mechanically connected via the PCB).
Regarding claim 17, Song-Price teaches wherein the period of operation time is based on a period of charging time from the photovoltaic panel and FTENG component (see fig. 2G of Price, the charge, and therefore charging time, of capacitors dictate how long the wearable device can function).
Regarding claim 18-19, Song-Price teach wherein wearing the wearable device further comprises applying the photovoltaic panels to an exposed area of skin on a human arm or torso (see pg. 5, col. 1-2 of Song, the device can be affixed to the side of the torso and inner part of the arm).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks filed 05/13/2026, with respect to the newly added structure to the perovskite solar cell have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection of claims have been withdrawn. However, the amendments require new grounds of rejection.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Van Hest teaches the full stack may be encapsulated; e.g. isolated from the external environment such as from atmospheric moisture and/or air. The methods disclosed herein may enable the fabrication of at least two new types of full stack perovskite-containing photovoltaic devices: (1) devices utilizing a heterojunction, and (2) devices less sensitive to typical thermal budgeting and solvent compatibility constraints (e.g. a device with its n-type electron transportation layer from the n-i-p architecture and p type hole transportation layer from the p-i-n architecture). US 20190279825
Bullen teaches p-n junctions may be understood to comprise a boundary or interface between two types of semiconductor materials, p-type and n-type. The “p” side may contain an excess of holes, while the “n” side may include an excess of electrons in the outer shells of the electrically neutral atoms there. The solar cells 204 may be encapsulated with one or more films 202 that have high transmissivity to visible light (e.g., 90% transmissivity or greater), are highly moisture resistant, and highly oxygen resistant. US 20210036174
Uchida teaches a perovskite solar cell includes, for example, a transparent electrode, a layer that transports electrons, a light absorbing layer that conducts light absorption and photocharge separation, a layer that transports holes, and a current collecting electrode. A layer containing a perovskite compound (perovskite layer) is used as the light absorbing layer. US 20180226200
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