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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to applicant’s national stage entry of 3/24/2023. Claims 17-36 are pending and rejected. Claims 1-16 are cancelled.
Priority
Applicant’s claim of priority as a national stage 371 application of application of PCT/EP2021/077403 filed 10/05/2021 which claims priority to application EP20200106.1 filed 10/05/2020 in the EPO is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the second paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim(s) 24 is/are rejected under 35 U. S. C. 112 second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which applicant regards as the invention.
Applicant is claiming exemplary language creating ambiguity on the scope of the claims regarding whether the shape is required.
Claim 24- final line: “such as an oval or drop shape.”
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 17, 18-19, 23, 26, 27, 28 29, 30-33 34-35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gold et al. ‘496 (US3) which discloses all the claimed elements including:
(re: cl 17) A beverage font lens comprising a housing accommodating (#10a Fig. 7; ¶90-lens display on tap handle):
a customer display panel embedded in the housing and visible through a first window (#16b Fig. 7 ; ¶91-“ Display screen 16a is configured to be facing the bartender or server when tap handle 16a is attached to a spigot, while display screen 16b is configured to be facing the customer.”);
an operator display panel embedded in the housing and visible through a second window opposite the first window (#16a fig. 7; ¶91-bartender display screen);
and a microcontroller unit configured to cause display of information on the customer display panel and the operator display panel (¶84-“central controller 36 includes a personal computer, but those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize other controllers 36 that can coordinate the images on multiple tap handles 10 at the same time.”; ¶63-“ As discussed in more detail below, it is contemplated that a central controller 36 can control a plurality of tap handles 10 at the same time and coordinate the images displayed by the plurality of tap handles 10.”).
(re: cl 18) wherein the microcontroller unit comprises a first interface and a second interface (¶71- “or tap handle 10 can be preprogrammed so that no programming is necessary once attachment portion 14 is attached to a spigot.”; ¶63-“ As discussed in more detail below, it is contemplated that a central controller 36 can control a plurality of tap handles 10 at the same time and coordinate the images displayed by the plurality of tap handles 10.”).
(re: cl 19) wherein the customer display panel is connected to the first interface and the operator display panel is connected to the second interface (¶71-“or tap handle 10 can be preprogrammed so that no programming is necessary once attachment portion 14 is attached to a spigot.”; 63-“ As discussed in more detail below, it is contemplated that a central controller 36 can control a plurality of tap handles 10 at the same time and coordinate the images displayed by the plurality of tap handles 10.”).
(re: cl 23) wherein the microcontroller unit is configured for wireless transmission of data or connected to a RF module for wireless communication (¶84-“tap handles 10 that are configured to communicate with each other through a central controller 36 and/or directly through their respective wireless antennas 28”).
(re: cl 26) wherein the first window, the second window or both the first window and second window comprise a material that is transparent to: a) the radio-frequencies commonly used in radio-frequency identification (RFID) systems, b) the frequency range(s) typically used for WiFi and/or for Bluetooth, or c) both a) and b) (¶61-wireless and Bluetooth communication to tap handles).
(re: cl 27) wherein the beverage font lens is configured for being mounted on a beverage font of a beverage dispensing system comprising one or more beverage containers (¶89-“kegs attached to the spigots. “).
(re: cl 28) wherein the microcontroller unit is configured for wirelessly receiving information related to said one or more beverage containers (¶89-kegs attached to the spigots; ¶89-“Central controller 36 can also be used to determine when kegs need to be changed. In an embodiment, each tap handle 10 can transmit data to central controller 36 indicating the volume of beverage left in the kegs attached to the spigots. Central controller 36 can then be used to coordinate and optimize keg changes.”).
(re: cl 29) wherein the only wiring to the beverage font lens is for receiving electric power (¶68-AC & battery source power to the kegs; ¶84-“tap handles 10 that are configured to communicate with each other through a central controller 36 and/or directly through their respective wireless antennas 28”).
(re: cl 30) wherein the information is received from: a) a cloud server, b) one or more electronic devices, or c) both a cloud server and one more electronic devices (¶61-“tap handle 10 includes a secure digital (“SD”) card reader 26 that is configured to receive an SD card containing the images to be displayed on display screen 16. Alternatively or additionally, tap handle 10 can include a wireless antenna 28 that receives images wirelessly. Wireless antenna 28 can cause the images to be displayed in real-time as they are wirelessly received, or can cause the images to be stored on a storage device 30 contained within tap handle 10. Wireless antenna 28 can operate, for example, via a wireless internet connection, a Bluetooth connection, a Zigbee connection, a radio-frequency identification (“RFID”) connection, a cellular connection, a beacon connection, a near field communication (“NFC”) connection, or any other wireless connection known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Tap handle 10 can also include a universal serial bus (“USB”) port 32 that is configured to receive a USB storage device containing the images to be displayed on display screen. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize other methods and apparatuses for transferring images to tap handle 10 to be displayed on display screen 16.”).
(re: cl 31) wherein each of the electronic devices is in communication with one or more measuring devices configured for monitoring the beverage dispensing system (¶65-: can be included to measure fluid flow, for example, a flow meter (e.g., a differential pressure, turbine, vortex or electromagnetic flow meter) or an optical sensor (e.g., an infrared, microwave or ultrasonic sensor)).
(re: cl 32) wherein the operator display panel is configured to display operator information related to the beverage dispensing system, said operator information comprising any of the following content: the remaining volume of beverage in the beverage container(s), the type of beverage in the beverage container(s), when a beverage container is connected/disconnected to the beverage font, cleaning alerts, the dispensed volume of beverage from the beverage container(s) throughout a given time interval, or combinations thereof. (¶89-“Central controller 36 can also be used to determine when kegs need to be changed. In an embodiment, each tap handle 10 can transmit data to central controller 36 indicating the volume of beverage left in the kegs attached to the spigots. Central controller 36 can then be used to coordinate and optimize keg changes.” With ¶91-“ In one embodiment, display screen 16a can be used by the bartender or server to program tap handle 10a, and display screen 16b can be used to display the programmed images. Alternatively, display screen 16a can be used to notify the server of certain information regarding the beverage poured out of the corresponding spigot, for example, the name/type of the beverage in the keg attached to the spigot, the price of the beverage, and/or the amount of beverage left in the keg before the keg needs to be changed. “).
(re: cl 33) wherein the operator information is updated automatically and continuously in real-time to reflect a current status of the beverage dispensing system (¶70-“The image change on display screen 16 can be instantaneous as tap handle 10 is pulled to the side, or can occur on a timed delay after tap handle 10 has been pulled to the side and returned to its stationary position. The change on the display can also differ based on a reading from motion device 40 indicating how hard or soft tap handle 10 is pulled, or based on a reading from motion device 40 indicating the amount tap handle 10 is pulled. T").
(re: cl 34) wherein the beverage font lens further comprises an electronic reader configured to wirelessly identify an operator in close proximity to the beverage font (¶61-“RFID”).
(re: cl 35) wherein said wireless identification is based on radio-frequency identification (RFID) (¶61-“RFID”).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Gold et al. ‘496 (US20170174496) in view of Guinn (US20190272708) in which Gold et al. ‘496 discloses the elements previously discussed and
Guinn teaches any elements that Gold et al. ‘496 lacks including:
(re: cl 20) wherein the customer display panel has a higher resolution than the operator display panel. (¶131-“ The system 20 may include one or more validation stations 900. The validation stations 900 may comprise, for example, a housing 902, a processor, a memory, software stored in the memory and executable by the processor, a display device 904 (such as an electric video display such as an LED or LCD display), a media reader 906, and a communication interface.”)
“ one or more interfaces may be provided to indicate to a player the amount that they need to pay to obtain a drink. For example, a “buy drink” button might be displayed on the gaming machine's display 28, such as by the comp validation module 100 (either via direct interface to the display 28 or via the controller 80 of the gaming machine). Upon touching a touch screen associated with the display 28 in the location of that button, the comp validation module 100 may cause information to be displayed to the player which indicates the amount that the player needs to pay to obtain a drink. Of course, other means may be provided for indicating this and related information to the player and for facilitating the player's payment for the drink.”;
¶142-“As illustrated in FIG. 9A, the graphical user interface 1100 might display the option for the patron to select one or more different types of drink vouchers to purchase, such as “Regular” drinks at a first price and “Premium” drinks at a second price. As illustrated, the patron may be permitted to select the number of such vouchers to purchase, such as via player input. Of course, the patron might be presented with various purchasing options other than those which are illustrated.” ;¶143-As illustrated in FIG. 9B, the patron has elected to purchase two (2) Regular drink vouchers and one (1) Premium drink voucher. As illustrated, the graphical user interface 1100 may be updated to show a total price for the drink vouchers and a confirmation from the patron that they wish to purchase/buy the selected vouchers, such as via a “BUY” button 1102).
It 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, for Gold et al. ‘496 to wherein the customer display panel has a higher resolution than the operator display panel as different materials have differing sensor properties and viewing and comparing the tested material with the records of the different types of waste can help identify what material is being tested as taught by Guinn because a customer needs to view the drink options on a high resolution graphical user interface whilst an operator merely needs to validate the transaction on a low resolution led display as one skilled in the art would recognize.
Claim(s) 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Gold et al. ‘496 (US2017/174496) in view of Schlottmann et al. (US20080303746) in which Gold et al. ‘496 discloses the elements previously discussed and
Schlottmann et al. teaches any elements that Gold et al. 496 lacks including:
(re: cl 21) wherein the customer display panel has a frame rate of at least 24 FPS (¶10-motion picture frames 25/25/30 fps).
It 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, for Gold et al. ‘496 to wherein the customer display panel has a frame rate of at least 24 FPS as motion picture frame update rates are standardizes at 25 & 30 FPS and at least 24 is necessary for the human to perceive a smooth motion in moving images as taught by Schlottmann et al..
Claim(s) 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Gold et al. ‘496 (US2017/174496) in view of Schlottmann et al. (US 20080303746) in further view of Takashi et al. (JP2011221114), with citations per the machine translation, in which Gold et al. ‘496 discloses the elements previously discussed and
Schlottmann et al. teaches any elements that Gold et al. ‘496 lacks including:
(re: cl 21) wherein the first interface is configured to support high-speed image data with a frame rate of at least 24 FPS (¶10-motion picture frames 25/25/30 fps).
It 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, for Gold et al. ‘496 to wherein the customer display panel has a frame rate of at least 24 FPS as motion picture frame update rates are standardizes at 25 & 30 FPS and at least 24 is necessary for the human to perceive a smooth motion in moving images as taught by Schlottmann et al..
Takashi et al. teaches any elements that Gold et al. ‘496 lacks including:
and the second interface is configured to support low-speed image data with a frame rate of at most 15 FPS (¶61- “Further, the display device 100 is driven with one frame period Tf constituted by the sensor mode period Ts and the display mode period Td as one unit, and the one frame period Tf in the preferred example is about 66 to 200 msec. The frame rate is 5 to 15 fps.
As a result, it is possible to ensure a display update time suitable for the responsiveness of the electrophoretic layer 20 and to detect an operation on the counter substrate 10 without a time lag. In other words, smooth display rewriting and responsive touch panel operability can both be achieved.“).
It 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, for Gold et al. to the second interface is configured to support low-speed image data with a frame rate of at most 15 FPS as a touchscreen display needs a longer period for the capacitive charge of an operator screen to satisfy its RC time constant to reach its true true/false state than are needed for customer motion displays not needing a touch as taught by Takashi et al..
Claim(s) 24-25, 36 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Gold et al. ‘496 (US2017/174496) in view of Alpmen et al. ‘309 (US20210139309) in which Gold et al. discloses the elements previously discussed and
Alpmen et al. ‘309 teaches any elements that Gold et al. ‘496 lacks including:
(re: cl 24) wherein the housing comprises a rounded outer edge, such as an oval or drop shape (¶94-round display #420 on round housing #405; #420 on #405 fig. 4A).
It 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, for Gold et al. to have a round housing about the window so as to facilitate an operator rotatable controllable flow control rate dial about the housing (¶110-circular dial controlling flow rate; #465-dial) as taught by Alpmen et al. ‘309.
Alpmen et al. ‘309 teaches any elements that Gold et al. ‘496 lacks including:
(re: cl 25) wherein the first window is essentially circular, the second window is essentially circular, or both the first and second windows are essentially circular (¶94-round display #420 on round housing #405; #420 on #405 fig. 4A).
It 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, for Gold et al. ‘496 to have a circular window so as to facilitate an operator rotatable controllable flow control rate dial about the window (¶110-circular dial controlling flow rate; #465-dial) as taught by Alpmen et al.’309.
Gold et al. ‘496 teaches:
(re: cl 36) wherein the beverage font lens comprises a housing accommodating (#16b F7;91);
a customer display panel embedded in the housing and visible through a first window (#16b Fig. 7; ¶91-customer display in housing);
an operator display panel embedded in the housing and visible through a second window opposite the first window (#16a f 7; ¶91-bartender display screen);
And a microcontroller unit configured to cause display of information on the customer display panel and the operator display panel (¶84-“central controller 36 includes a personal computer, but those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize other controllers 36 that can coordinate the images on multiple tap handles 10 at the same time.”).
Alpmen et al. ‘309 teaches any elements that Gold et al. ‘496 lacks including:
a beverage font lens fixedly connected to the beverage font or connected to the beverage font but not on a tapping handle (#420 Fig. 4A; ¶94-lens on housing but in line between handle and spout).
It 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, for Gold et al. ‘496 to access a data set regarding information on the type of waste as different materials have differing sensor properties and viewing and comparing the tested material with the records of the different types of waste can help identify what material is being tested as taught by Alpmen et al. ‘309.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's
disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL E BUTLER whose telephone number is (571)272-6937.
The examiner can normally be reached on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jacob Scott can be reached on 571-270-3415. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/M.E.B/Examiner, Art Unit 3655
/JACOB S. SCOTT/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3655