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 § 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)(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.
Claim(s) 1 and 16-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ho (U.S. PG-PUB NO. 2021/0344109).
-Regarding claim 1, Ho discloses a body area network (FIG. 1A), comprising: a first array of magnetically coupled resonators configured to propagate magneto-inductive (MI) surface waves (metamaterial textile 110, FIG. 1B ); wherein the first array of magnetically coupled resonators comprises a plurality of MI elements (sensor 1, sensor 2, FIG. 3A); and wherein the first array of magnetically coupled resonators creates a flexible magnetic metamaterial path for wireless communication using the MI surface waves (paragraph 83).
-Regarding claim 16, Ho further discloses a second array of magnetically coupled resonators, wherein the second array of magnetically coupled resonators comprises a plurality of MI elements (FIG. 2A; paragraph 90).
-Regarding claim 17, Ho further discloses the first array of magnetically coupled resonators is integrated into a first clothing textile and the second array of magnetically couple resonators is integrated into a second clothing textile (FIG. 2A; paragraph 90).
-Regarding claim 18, Ho further discloses the first array of magnetically coupled resonators and the second array of magnetically coupled resonators are separated by a clothing transition between the first clothing textile and the second clothing textile (FIG. 2A; paragraph 90).
-Regarding claim 19, Ho further discloses the MI surface waves generate a wireless communication link across the clothing transition (FIG. 2A; paragraph 90).
-Regarding claim 20, Ho further discloses the MI surface waves generate a wireless communication link between the first array of magnetically coupled resonators and at least one object (paragraph 90).
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.
Claim(s) 2-5 and 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ho (U.S. PG-PUB NO. 2021/0344109) in view of Wen (U.S. PG-PUB NO. 2022/0248958).
-Regarding claim 2, Ho is silent to teaching that the plurality of MI elements is tuned to near field communication (NFC) bandwidths. However, the claimed limitation is well known in the art as evidenced by Downey.
In the same field of endeavor, Wen teaches the plurality of MI elements is tuned to near field communication (NFC) bandwidths (WON protocol is used to provide near-field wireless communication, paragraph 69).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Ho with the teaching of Wen in order to provide a robust wireless power, signal and control mechanism.
-Regarding claim 3, the combination further discloses the first array of magnetically coupled resonators is configured to generate NFC-based MI surface waves (Wen, paragraph 69).
-Regarding claim 4, the combination further discloses the body area network utilizes pairing and security of NFC protocol (Wen, paragraph 73).
-Regarding claim 5, the combination further discloses at least one NFC enabled sensor connected to the first array of magnetically coupled resonators (Ho, metamaterial textile 110, FIG. 1B; Wen, paragraph 69).
-Regarding claim 21, the combination further discloses the body area network is associated with a first person and the MI surface waves generate a wireless communication link between the body area network and an external array of magnetically coupled resonators associated with a second person (Wen, system for interfacing an in-body medical device with an external network, FIG. 1-4).
Claim(s) 6-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ho (U.S. PG-PUB NO. 2021/0344109) in view of Wen (U.S. PG-PUB NO. 2022/0248958) and further in view of Shin (U.S. PG-PUB NO. 2010/0278156).
-Regarding claim 6, the combination is silent to teaching that a time-division, multiple access protocol is implemented to interrogate the at least one NFC enabled sensor. However, the claimed limitation is well known in the art as evidenced by Shin.
In the same field of endeavor, Shin teaches a time-division, multiple access protocol is implemented to interrogate the at least one NFC enabled sensor (TDMA, paragraph 27).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of the combination with the teaching of Shin in order to avoid inter-node collision at the time of transmitting data.
-Regarding claim 7, the combination further discloses an NFC enabled reader (Wen, WON server, FIG. 4).
-Regarding claim 8, the combination further discloses the NFC enabled reader is a mobile device (Wen, cellular telephone 54A, FIG. 1).
Claim(s) 9-13, 22 and 23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ho (U.S. PG-PUB NO. 2021/0344109) in view of Downey (U.S. PG-PUB NO. 2021/0153802).
-Regarding claim 9, Ho is silent to teaching that each of the plurality of MI elements comprises a flexible planar coil. However, the claimed limitation is well known in the art as evidenced by Downey.
In the same field of endeavor, Downey discloses a flexible planar coil (antenna 720, FIG. 7I; paragraph 59).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Ho with the teaching of Downey in order to provide the flexible body is configured to bend for maximum comfort to the user.
-Regarding claim 10, the combination further discloses the flexible planar coil is cut out of copper (Downey, copper, paragraph 59).
-Regarding claim 11, the combination further discloses each of the plurality of MI elements comprises a ground layer that minimizes spectral uncertainly due to a human body's parasitic effect (Downey, metallisation layer 730, paragraph 60).
-Regarding claim 12, the combination further discloses the ground layer includes at least one slot perpendicular to the flexible planar coil (Downey, see FIG. 7I).
-Regarding claim 13, the combination further discloses the ground layer is cut out of aluminum foil (Downey, Aluminum, paragraph 61).
-Regarding claims 22 and 23, although the combination does not disclose the plurality of MI elements is connected in series or parallel, the claimed limitation is well known in the art. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to connect in series or in parallel based on design preference.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14, 15 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Cited references do not teach the allowable subject matter or the claimed limitations, inter alia, the first array of magnetically coupled resonators is integrated into a first clothing textile by stacking the flexible planar coil on the ground layer and adhering the ground layer to the first clothing textile using a heat press process.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PING Y HSIEH whose telephone number is (571)270-3011. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jennifer Mehmood can be reached at (571) 272-2976. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PING Y HSIEH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2664