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
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.
Claims 9-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shyu et al. (US 2023/0377448) in view of Kanukurthy et al. (2019/0318606).
Regarding claim 9, Shyu discloses a system (abstract) comprising: head-worn personal protection equipment (PPE) including one or more biometric sensors configured to produce one or more biometric sensor signals (page 3, [0035-0036]).
Shyu discloses all the limitations above but fails to explicitly disclose containing physiological information of a wearer of the PPE; a hardware processor and a memory, the memory including instructions that when performed by the processor, cause the processor to process the physiological information of the one or more biometric sensor signals to determine whether the PPE is worn correctly.
However, Kanukurthy discloses containing physiological information of a wearer of the PPE (page 6, [0051]); a hardware processor and a memory, the memory including instructions that when performed by the processor (fig. 2), cause the processor to process the physiological information of the one or more biometric sensor signals to determine whether the PPE is worn correctly (determine whether one or more self-check criteria for the worker and/or worker environment are satisfied and perform one or more operations based on whether the self-check are satisfied in page 6, [0051]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was first filed to incorporate the features of Kanukurthy within the system of Shyu in order to acknowledge message satisfy self-check criteria thereby improving the reliability of the system.
Regarding claim 10, Shyu and Kanukurthy disclose all the limitations set forth in claim 9 and Kanukurthy further discloses wherein the memory includes instructions that cause the processor to identify a wearer of the PPE using the physiological information of the one or more biometric sensor signals (page 6, [0051]).
Regarding claim 11, Shyu discloses wherein the PPE includes a head mounted display; and
wherein the memory includes instructions that cause the processor to load preferences of the
identified wearer for the head mounted display (page 3, [0034-0035]).
Regarding claim 12, Shyu discloses wherein the one or more biometric sensors include an electrical signal sensor configured to sense at least one of an electroencephalogram (EEG) signal of the wearer or a sensed electromyography (EMG) signal of the wearer (page 7, [0062]); and wherein the memory includes instructions that cause the processor to identify the wearer using the at least one of the sensed EEG signal or the sensed EMG signal (fig. 2; page 7, [0062-0063]).
Regarding claim 13, Shyu and Kanukurthy discloses all the limitations set forth in claim 9 and Kanukurthy discloses wherein the one or more biometric sensors include a video sensor to provide a video signal including image information of the wearer; and wherein the memory includes instructions that cause the processor to: detect at least one of eye movement of the wearer or facial muscle movement of the wearer using the video signal; and generate an indication of compliance in the wearing of the PPE according to the detected eye movement or facial muscle movement (page 5, [0036-0037]).
Regarding claim 14, Shyu discloses wherein the one or more biometric sensors include a blood flow sensor to provide a blood sensor signal containing blood flow information; and wherein the memory includes instructions that cause the processor to: detect blood flow of the wearer using the blood flow sensor signal; and generate an indication of compliance in the wearing of the PPE according to the detected blood flow (fig. 2; page 4, [0045]; page 6, [0056]).
Regarding claim 15, Shyu and Kanukurthy disclose all the limitations set forth in claim 9 and Kanukurthy further discloses wherein the one or more biometric sensors include an electrical signal sensor configured to sense one or more physiological electrical signals of the wearer near the temporal area of the wearer; and wherein the memory includes instructions that cause the processor to generate an indication of compliance in the wearing of the PPE according to the detected physiological electrical signals (page 6, [0051-0052]).
Regarding claim 16, Shyu discloses wherein the electrical signal sensor is configured to sense at least one of an electroencephalogram (EEG) signal of the wearer or an electromyography (EMG) signal of the
wearer; and wherein the memory includes instructions that cause the processor to generate an indication of compliance in the wearing of the PPE according to the at least one of the sensed EEG signal or the sensed EMG signal (page 7, [0062-0063]).
Regarding claim 17, Shyu discloses including a transmitter configured to transmit a wireless
signal indicating one or both of an identifier of the PPE and an indication of compliance in wearing
of the PPE (page 3, [0033-0035]).
Regarding claim 18, Shyu and Kanukurthy disclose all the limitations set forth in claim 1 and Kanukurthy further discloses wherein the PPE is one of safety goggles, a hard hat, or a helmet (page 1, [0003]).
Regarding claim 19, Shyu discloses a receiver configured to receive a wireless signal;
at least one hardware verifier device processor and a verifier device memory, the at least one
verifier device processor operatively coupled to the receiver, and the verifier device memory
including instructions that when performed by the verifier device processor, cause the at least one
verifier device processor to perform operations including: decoding an identifier of personal protection equipment (PPE) included in the received wireless signal and an indication of compliance in wearing of the PPE included in the received wireless signal (fig. 12; page 3, [0033-0035]).
Regarding claim 20, Shyu discloses wherein the verifier device memory further includes instructions that cause the at least one verifier device processor to perform operations including enabling operation of a machine according to the indication of compliance in wearing of the PPE (fig. 1; fig. 12; page 4, [0042-0044]).
Regarding claim 21, Shyu discloses wherein the verifier device memory further includes instructions that cause the at least one verifier device processor to perform operations including: detecting location of the PPE relative to a controlled area; and enabling access to the controlled area according to the indication of compliance in wearing of the PPE (fig. 1; fig. 12; page 3, [0035]).
Regarding claim 22, Shyu discloses wherein the verifier device memory further includes instructions that cause the at least one verifier device processor to perform operations including: decoding an identity of the wearer included in the received wireless; and enabling access to a controlled area according to the identity of the wearer (fig. 1; fig. 12; page 3, [0033-0035]).
Regarding claim 23, Shyu discloses wherein the verifier device memory further includes instructions that cause the at least one verifier device processor to perform operations including tracking location of the PPE using the wireless signal (page 3, [0033-0035]).
Regarding claim 24, Shyu discloses wherein the verifier device memory further includes instructions that cause the at least one verifier device processor to perform operations including:
detecting location of the PPE in a controlled area; and recording the identified PPE being in the controlled area and the indication of compliance in wearing of the PPE in the controlled area (fig. 1; fig. 12, page 3, [0033-0035]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Petrov (US 9,846,483) discloses headset……….state detection.
Brunner et al. (US 2018/0151047) discloses method…….monitoring.
Panneer Selvam (US 2020/0187831) discloses standing desk biometrics.
Russell et al. (US 2018/0067547) discloses virtual reality……..system.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL PREVIL whose telephone number is (571)272-2971. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday from 9:30 AM -6:00 PM.
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DP
February 16, 2026
/DANIEL PREVIL/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2685