DETAILED ACTION
This is in response to applicant's communication filed on 11/08/2023 wherein:
Claim 1-7 are pending.
Claim 3-4 are amended.
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.
Claim 1-3 and 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mao et al. (CN-111601244-A).
Regarding claim 1, Mao discloses a target object management system comprising:
a first device (Fig. 1 – first positioning module 11 connected with LoRa communication module 12) attached to a target object (terminal 10 – i.e. target object) and configured to transmit and receive data to and from an access point in a predetermined first communication range by a communication system of a low power wide area (LPWA) (Abstract, Fig. 1 page 8 ln 4-11, page 8 ln 27-28 – “In the present invention, LoRa is a low power consumption local area network wireless standard”, Page 12 ln 2-6 disclose the first location module communicating with LoRa base station – i.e. access point);
a second device (Fig. 1 – second positioning module 13) attached to the target object and configured to transmit and receive data to and from a predetermined terminal in a second communication range narrower than the first communication range of the first device by a communication system different from the LPWA (abstract, Fig. 1, page 8 ln 12-16, and page 12 ln 7-12 disclose second positioning module using RFID to communicate with RFID base station located in chamber which is shorter range than the LoRa); and
a management server configured to detect a position of the target object from a first installation position at which the access point is installed and a second installation position at which the terminal is installed, wherein the management server is configured to manage first identification information for identifying the first device and second identification information for identifying the second device in association with each other (page 12 ln 12-16 : “wherein: the server is configured to determine the position of the positioning terminal based on the received RFID information when the positioning terminal is in the room; determining the position of the positioning terminal based on the received LoRa information in the case of the positioning terminal outside the room”, which indicated that the server associating LoRa location information and RFID location information with the same terminal 10).
Regarding claim 2, Mao discloses the target object management system according to claim 1, wherein the second device is a radio frequency identification (RFID), and the terminal is a reader/writer (abstract, Fig. 1, page 8 ln 12-16, and page 12 ln 7-12 disclose second positioning module using RFID to communicate with RFID base station located in chamber).
Regarding claim 3, Mao discloses the target object management system according to claim 1, wherein the access point is disposed in each area to be detected, and the terminal is disposed at a location to be detected in the area (Page 12 ln 2-6 : ”at least one LoRa base station 30 located outdoor, the first locating module is adapted to communicate with the corresponding LoRa base station; the LoRa base station is adapted to transmit the LoRa information including the first positioning information to the server only if the positioning terminal is located outdoors”).
Regarding claim 6, Mao discloses a target object management server (page 12 – server 20) in which a first device (Fig. 1 – first positioning module 11 connected with LoRa communication module 12) and a second device (Fig. 1 – second positioning module 13) are attached to a target object (terminal 10 – i.e. target object), and an access point configured to transmit and receive data to and from the first device in a predetermined first communication range by a communication system of a low power wide area (LPWA) (Abstract, Fig. 1 page 8 ln 4-11, page 8 ln 27-28 – “In the present invention, LoRa is a low power consumption local area network wireless standard”, Page 12 ln 2-6 disclose the first location module communicating with LoRa base station – i.e. access point) is connected through an information communication network to a terminal configured to transmit and receive data to and from the second device in a second communication range narrower than the first communication range of the first device by a communication system different from the LPWA (abstract, Fig. 1, page 8 ln 12-16, and page 12 ln 7-12 disclose second positioning module using RFID to communicate with RFID base station located in chamber which is shorter range than the LoRa);
wherein the target object management server is configured to manage first identification information for identifying the first device and second identification information for identifying the second device in association with each other, and detect a position of the target object from a first installation position at which the access point is installed and a second installation position at which the terminal is installed (page 12 ln 12-16 : “wherein: the server is configured to determine the position of the positioning terminal based on the received RFID information when the positioning terminal is in the room; determining the position of the positioning terminal based on the received LoRa information in the case of the positioning terminal outside the room”, which indicated that the server associating LoRa location information and RFID location information with the same terminal 10).
Regarding claim 7, Mao discloses a target object management method comprising:
a step of, via a first device (Fig. 1 – first positioning module 11 connected with LoRa communication module 12) attached to a target object (terminal 10 – i.e. target object), transmitting and receiving data to and from an access point in a predetermined first communication range by a communication system of a low power wide area (LPWA) (Abstract, Fig. 1 page 8 ln 4-11, and page 8 ln 27-28 – “In the present invention, LoRa is a low power consumption local area network wireless standard”, Page 12 ln 2-6 disclose the first location module communicating with LoRa base station – i.e. access point);
a step of, via a second device (Fig. 1 – second positioning module 13) attached to the target object, transmitting and receiving data to and from a predetermined terminal in a second communication range narrower than the first communication range of the first device by a communication system different from the LPWA (abstract, Fig. 1, page 8 ln 12-16, and page 12 ln 7-12 disclose second positioning module using RFID to communicate with RFID base station located in chamber which is shorter range than the LoRa);
a step of, via a management server, detecting a position of the target object from a first installation position at which the access point is installed and a second installation position at which the terminal is installed; and a step of, via the management server, managing first identification information for identifying the first device and second identification information for identifying the second device in association with each other (page 12 ln 12-16 : “wherein: the server is configured to determine the position of the positioning terminal based on the received RFID information when the positioning terminal is in the room; determining the position of the positioning terminal based on the received LoRa information in the case of the positioning terminal outside the room”, which indicated that the server associating LoRa location information and RFID location information with the same terminal 10).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4-5 are 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.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DUNG HONG whose telephone number is (571)270-7928. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, JINSONG HU, can be reached on (571) 272-3965. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DUNG HONG/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2643