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
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) 1-4, 6-10, 14, 16, 20-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kojima (US 20210174328) in view of Tkachenko (US 2014/0316561) and Li (US 20210342770)
Kojima discloses
1. A detection system for detecting RFID tags, the detection system comprising:
a cabinet having a door (41) movable between a closed state and an open state;
an RFID reader system; and
at least one internal reader antenna (11) connected to the RFID reader system arranged inside said cabinet, and configured for reading RFID tags within said cabinet,
wherein the detection system further comprises at least one external reader antenna (12) connected to the RFID reader system arranged outside said cabinet, and configured for reading RFID tags outside said cabinet, the RFID reader system being configured to detect RFID tags having been moved out from said cabinet based on the readings made by both the at least one internal reader antenna and the at least one external reader antenna, wherein the RFID reader system detects one or more RFID tags having been moved out from said cabinet based on a first reading from the at least one internal reader antenna of the RFID tag, prior to the door being moved into an open state, and a subsequent second reading from the at least one external reader antenna of the RFID tag, after the door has been moved to the closed state (Kojima, par. 151-152, 156-157, 180-181, 195-199)
Kojima discloses a shielding plate is provided between any two of the first, second, and third antennas for shielding radio waves emitted from the respective first, second, and third antennas (par. 44, 54) and door 41 of the article storage 40 may be formed of a transparent electromagnetic shielding material or a transparent radio wave absorbing material. When the door 41 is formed of an electromagnetic shielding material or a radio wave absorbing material, the isolation can secured between the first antenna 11 and the second antenna 12 (par. 154, 162-163)
In addition, Kojima discloses that the management device 3 can determine that the article 6 to which the tag 7 is attached has been removed from the article storage 40 when the tag’s status changes from a status of a higher experienced RSSI with internal antenna 11 to a status of higher RSSI with external antenna 12 (Figs. 17, par. 180-182)
Kojima is silent to
wherein each reading from the at least one internal reader antenna is stored in a historic inventory list, which is consulted by the RFID reader system when at least one detected RFID tag in the subsequent second reading from the at least one external reader antenna of the RFID tag does not match any RFID tag in the first reading from the at least one internal antenna, and
wherein the RFID reader system determines whether the at least one detected RFID tag in the subsequent second reading which does not match any RFID tag in the first reading, meets at least one secondary condition for identification of the RFID tag as a product removed from the cabinet.
Tkachenko discloses the external reader 160 and internal reader 150 are used for initial inventory (par. 80) and further discloses:
[0074] … Once the door is opened and then returned to closed, the processor 170 can trigger the locking mechanism 112 to lock the door and then poll the remaining RFID tags within the vending machine 102--via the RFID reader 160 and the radio antenna 150--and compares a previous inventory with the latest inventory to identify items selected by the patron. The processor 170 can then retrieve a price for each of the selected items--such as from data coded into each RFID tagged, from data stored locally in memory in the vending machine 102, or from data received from a remote database--sum the current prices for the selected items, and bill the authenticated payment mechanism accordingly. For example, the processor 170 can cooperate with the wireless communication module 142 to access a remote database of RFID serial numbers and related product details, and the processor 170 can pass a disjoint of a previous set of RFID tag serial numbers and a current set of RFID tag serial numbers to the remote database to collect corresponding real-time prices for the items selected by the patron … The processor 170 can thus cooperate with a remote server or computer network to identify items removed from the vending machine 102 and to bill the patron accordingly. See also Figs. 3-4, par. 18, 87-88. As can be seen, per the combined teachings, all internal and external antennas participate in the inventory process. The vending machine can determine the which items have been removed for purchase (i.e. disjoint list, Tkachenko, par. 74, 82) and transmit the purchased item list and initial inventory to the server. Alternately, the vending machine can send initial and final inventories to the server for it to determine which items have been removed for purchase (Tkachenko, par. 74).
Tkachenko further discloses the vending kit 100 includes readers and antennas that can be installed on the outside and inside of the vending machine (Tkachenko, par. 13, 60-63). The vending kit 100 can additionally or alternatively include a capacitive or optical proximity sensor … a forward facing camera 192 adjacent to the display 130 outside or inside the machine can be used to read barcodes and to identify items from the captured images (par. 26, 34, 64). The system is configured, with the help of machine learning and all readers and sensors, to verify and confirm that products are removed for purchasing in order to generate a correct final inventory and to appropriately charge the customer for the taken products (Tkachenko, par. 64-65, 82). Li is example which teaches that trainable readers and sensors are used to confirm and ensure accurate identification of items (par. 59-61, 65, 74, 79).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date the invention was made to combine the prior art teachings to enable a more effective inventory management. It is further noted that the prior art also recognize that when tags are not appropriately positioned (i.e. causing communication blockage), the system may not be able to read them reliably (Kojima, par. 11-12; Tkachenko, par. 25), which suggests that the system may encounter discrepancies or reading problems when the item is read by different antennas and reader including RFID, cameras, and barcode readers installed inside or outside the machine. The system is configured to verify with the help of machine learning to verify that products are removed for purchasing in order to appropriately charge the customer for the taken products (Tkachenko, par. 26, 64-65).
It would have also been obvious, based on the fact that other types of readers/scanners and sensors are additionally installed, that when a tag is read by the internal antenna (first reading) but not matching with the external antenna (second reading) due to nonfunctional antenna, or RFID item, or the RFID being blocked by hand or object associated with the user, metal, etc., the tag can still meet a secondary condition by using the camera/optical sensor for identifying the item using the captured images of the item. It’s true that the final inventory is to be compared to the initial inventory. However, as discussed above, the system is configured, with the help of machine learning and all readers and sensors, to verify and confirm that products are removed for purchasing in order to generate a correct final inventory and to appropriately charge the customer for the taken products (Tkachenko, par. 26, 32, 64-65, 74, 79-82).
2.1, further comprising a sensor connected to the RFID reader system and configured to determine when the door is in the closed state and the open state, respectively (par. 157, 197)
3.2, wherein the RFID reader system is configured to detect RFID tags having been moved out from said cabinet based on the readings made by both the at least one internal reader antenna and the at least one external reader antenna when the door has been determined to be in the closed state (Kojima, par. 151-152, 156-157, 180-181, 195-199).
4.1, wherein each external reader antenna is configured to isolate signals between the inside of the cabinet and the outside of the cabinet (Kojima, par. 44, 54, 66, 154, 162-163)
6.1, wherein the cabinet is an RF attenuating cabinet, and wherein the door and walls of the cabinet are RF attenuating (Kojima, par. 44, 54, 66, 154, 162-163)
7.6, wherein the door and walls of the cabinet have RF attenuation of at least 10 dB (Kojima, par. 44, 54, 66, 154, 162-163)
8.1, wherein the RFID reader system is configured only to use readings from the at least one external reader antenna when signal strength exceeds a predetermined threshold value (see discussion regarding claim 1 above.)
9.1, wherein the at least one external reader antenna is arranged on a front side of the cabinet (Kojima, Figs. 16-21).
10.1, wherein the at least one external reader antenna is arranged on at least one of: the door, a door handle, a payment terminal holder, above the door, or any combination thereof (Kojima, Figs. 16-21)
13.1, wherein the door is provided with a window covered with an electromagnetic interference film (Kojima, par. 44, 54, 66-68, 154-155, 162-163)
14.1, wherein the first reading from the at least one internal reader antenna of said RFID tag is from a time period just prior to the movement of the door to the open state, during which no other openings of the door have been made (Kojima, par. 195: antenna can read tag regardless of door state and is capable of reading tag prior to the movement of the door).
Re claims 16, see discussion regarding claims above.
Re claim 20-21, wherein determining whether the RFID tag read in the second reading by the external reader antenna meets at least one secondary condition comprises at least one of: determining whether a signal strength of the second reading is above a predetermined threshold; and determining whether an estimated distance of the read RFID tag relative to the cabinet is below a predetermined threshold (see discussion regarding claim 1 above; it is noted that the claims do not define what the predetermined values are; thus the strength threshold to be low; and the distance threshold to be long distance in the distance range for communication).
Claim(s) 11-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kojima (US 20210174328) / Tkachenko (US 2014/0316561) in view of McIntyre (US 20140225713)
Re claim 11.1, Kojima is silent to wherein the at least one external reader antenna is a directional antenna.
McIntyre discloses directional and omni-directional antennas are well known (abstract, par. 22-23)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date the invention was made to incorporate the teachings of McIntyre to provide desirable characteristics (i.e. gain, direction) exhibited by the antennas.
12.1, wherein the at least one internal reader antenna is configured to provide directional and omnidirectional coverage (McIntyre, abstract, par. 22-23).
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kojima (US 20210174328) / Tkachenko (US 2014/0316561) in view of Markman (US 20220188529)
Re claim 13.1, Kojima is silent to an electromagnetic interference film forming an independent ground plane
Markman discloses Salisbury screen is well known in the art for absorbing EM waves (par. 13-17) and can be used as ground plane and placed on the outside of the walls of a reading zone in which the RFID antennas remain able to interrogate RFID tags and discern RFID tags information in a known multi-read tag polling/response process. A conductive film sheet is can be applied on the outsides of the walls 2, as a ground plane or outer barrier against propagation, as explained further below. Walls 2 include at least inwardly reflective walls 3 at the central reading zone. The reflective walls 3 confine and magnify RF energy coverage the inside reading zone, as generated as well as received by antennas 4 that are provided around the reading zone (e.g., in niches in the sidewalls and optionally the top and/or bottom). The primary coverage area for the antennas is area 5, in and around the reading zone of the portal (par. 37, 52-57).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date the invention was made to incorporate the teachings of Markman by providing a conductive film on the outside of the cabinet, i.e. on the door, for easy installation and maintenance thereby facilitating the shielding and isolating of inner signals from the outside.
Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kojima (US 20210174328) / Tkachenko (US 2014/0316561) in view of Tsnoiladze (EP3722989A1, available in IDS)
Re claim 18.6, Kojima discloses at least a shield plate is provided between the antennas for shielding and isolating radio waves (claims 8, 14, par. 44, 144)
Kojima is silent to the door and walls of the cabinet have RF attenuation in a range of 10-30 dB.
Tsnoiladze discloses [0037] This film filtering electric and/or magnetic waves may be a filter called an “anti-wave filter” by those skilled in the art. This filter can be translucent or transparent. As a guide, we can use a filter marketed by the German company YSHIELD under the reference RDF 72, which attenuates high-frequency radiation by 30 decibels (at 1 gigahertz) and which has a light transmission of 72%.
[0038] According to a particular implementation method, the interface between the door and the interior of the display case is equipped with a seal filtering electric and/or magnetic waves, the seal being connected (electrically) to the electrical ground of the display case.
[0076] To limit the passage of these waves through the display case, it is possible to use an anti-wave filter 102 applied to the translucent or transparent door, this filter 102 preferably being at least partially translucent or transparent. As a guide, we can use the filter marketed by the German company YSHIELD under the reference RDF 72, which attenuates high-frequency radiation by 30 decibels (at 1 gigahertz) and which has a light transmission of 72%.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date the invention was made to incorporate the teachings of Tsnoiladze to effectively ground unwanted signals. It would have also been obvious that the range of attenuation can be achieved by configuring apertures, frequencies, and/or materials.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments have been considered but are moot in view of new ground of rejection.
Applicant argues that Kojima/Tkachenko does not teach the claimed invention directed to consulting the database when at least one detected RFID tag in the subsequent second reading of the external reader antenna does not match any RFID tag in the first reader.
It is respectfully submitted that the system is configured, with the help of machine learning and all readers and sensors, to verify and confirm that products are removed for purchasing in order to generate a correct final inventory and to appropriately charge the customer for the taken products (Tkachenko, par. 26, 32, 64-65, 74, 79-82). It is noted that the prior art also recognize that when tags are not appropriately positioned (i.e. causing communication blockage), the system may not be able to read them reliably (Kojima, par. 11-12; Tkachenko, par. 25), which suggests that the system may encounter discrepancies or reading problems when the item is read by different antennas and reader including RFID, cameras, and barcode readers installed inside or outside the machine.
It would have also been obvious, based on the fact that other types of readers/scanners and sensors are additionally installed, that when a tag is read by the internal antenna (first reading) but not matching with the external antenna (second reading) due to nonfunctional antenna, or RFID item, or the RFID being blocked by hand or object associated with the user, metal, etc., the tag can still meet a secondary condition by using the camera/optical sensor for identifying the item using the captured images of the item. It’s true that the final inventory is to be compared to the initial inventory. However, as discussed above, the system is configured, with the help of machine learning and all readers and sensors, to verify and confirm that products are removed for purchasing in order to generate a correct final inventory and to appropriately charge the customer for the taken products (Tkachenko, par. 26, 32, 64-65, 74, 79-82).
Applicant further argues that unlike Kojima’s dynamic approach, Tkachenko employs a static approach that relies on a comparison of two inventory snapshots taken at different times.
It is respectfully submitted that in Tkachenko, the system includes multiple antennas, readers, and sensors installed inside and outside the machine such that the items’ RFID tags can be tracked when being moved from inside to outside the machine’s door (Tkachenko, par. 32, 56, 59-60; see also Kojima, 18-21). This is contrary to Applicant’s allegation. Since the scanners and readers are installed inside and outside, it would have also been obvious that the RFIDs and barcodes being read need to be looked up against the initial inventory. If an outside RFID reader does not recognize an item which has been read by the inside antenna (Kojima, Fig. 18, step 302, i.e. ANT remain NG), the system aided by the machine learning would cause another antenna or barcode scanner or camera to capture and identify the item.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/THIEN T MAI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876