DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Election/Restriction
Applicant’s election without traverse of group II which includes claims 12-17, in the reply filed on 01/26/26 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-11 and 18-30 are withdrawn.
Claims 12-17 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The references listed in the Information Disclosure Statement filed on 05/15/25 have been considered by the examiner (see attached PTO-1449 form or PTO/SB/08A and 08B).
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 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Li et al. (U.S. 20210364625).
For claim 12, Li et al. disclose an ambient Internet of Things (IoT) device, comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, wherein the one or more processors are configured to:
receive a continuous wave (CW) signal for wireless power transfer from a wireless energy transmitter (WET) device (item 110 in Fig. 1) (at least [0011], [0014], [0016], [0020], [0058], [0062]. [0074]-[0075], [0079]-[0080] and [0102]-[0103]. RFID reader 110 transmits, as an activation signal, a CW RF signal. The CW RF signal may be used to energize, i.e., power, a passive tag, e.g., tag 120-1. RFID reader 110 may also modulate the CW RF signal so as to use it to send information to, and to interrogate, RFID tag 120-1 in addition to providing energy for the tag. As noted, an RFID reader usually transmits a strong CW RF signal so as to allow the tag to extract therefrom energy in order to power its internal circuitry and to create by backscattering an information signal that can be received by the reader.);
backscatter and modulate at least the CW signal to produce a modulated CW signal (at least [0011], [0014], [0016], [0020], [0058], [0062]. [0074]-[0075], [0079]-[0080] and [0102]-[0103]. RFID backscattering receiver 210 of RFID detectors 100 receives backscattered RF signals from an RFID tag, e.g., one of RFID tags 120 (FIG. 1) that is activated and singulated by an RFID reader, e.g., RFID reader 110 (FIG. 1), during an RFID interrogation session, via antenna 270. The RFID detector may obtain the indication of the characteristic of the CW RF signal based on the RFID detector's receipt of the CW RF signal transmitted from the tag reader. The characteristic of the CW RF signal that is indicated may be a frequency, e.g., a carrier frequency, and a phase thereof. The RFID detector uses the obtained indication of the characteristic of the CW RF signal to measure the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) for the backscattered signal from the RFID tag.); and
transmit the modulated CW signal to a network entity (RFID detector 100 in Fig. 1) separate from the WET device (RFID reader 110 in Fig. 1) (at least [0011], [0014], [0016], [0020], [0058], [0062]. [0074]-[0075], [0079]-[0080] and [0102]-[0103]. RFID backscattering receiver 210 of RFID detectors 100 receives backscattered RF signals from an RFID tag, e.g., one of RFID tags 120 (FIG. 1) that is activated and singulated by an RFID reader, e.g., RFID reader 110 (FIG. 1)).
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 of this title, 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 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (U.S. 20210364625) in view of Ohara et al. (U.S. 20080150699).
For claim 13, Li et al. do not disclose the ambient IoT device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive a frequency shift indication from the network entity, the frequency shift indication indicating a frequency shift to be applied to the CW signal; and apply the frequency shift to the CW signal to produce the modulated CW signal at a shifted frequency.
In the same field of endeavor, Ohara et al. disclose to receive a frequency shift indication from the network entity, the frequency shift indication indicating a frequency shift to be applied to the CW signal; and apply the frequency shift to the CW signal to produce the modulated CW signal at a shifted frequency (at least [0171]-[0172] and [0213]. When the RFID tag 1 receives the R/W request signal transmitted via the first frequency f.sub.1, the tag response signal is replied using the first frequency f.sub.1. In the reader/writer 2, the phase information acquirer 8A analyzes the preamble section of the received tag response signal to detect .phi..sub.1 that indicates the phase change amount of the tag response signal. Similarly, when the RFID tag 1 receives the R/W request signal transmitted via the first frequency f.sub.2, the tag response signal is replied using the first frequency f.sub.2. In the reader/writer 2, the phase information acquirer 8A analyzes the preamble section of the received tag response signal to detect .phi..sub.2 that indicates the phase change amount of the tag response signal.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the invention of Li et al. as taught by Ohara et al. for purpose of calculating the distance between the reader/writer 2 and the RFID tag 1.
For claim 14, the combination of Li et al. and Ohara et al. disclose the ambient IoT device of claim 13. Ohara et al. disclose wherein the frequency shift is less than a mono-static frequency shift applied to other signals from the network entity backscattered by the ambient IoT device.
Claims 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (U.S. 20210364625) in view of Hasting et al. (U.S. 3967277).
For claim 15, Li et al. do not disclose the ambient IoT device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive a downlink transmission from the network entity, wherein the CW signal is received in a different frequency band than the downlink transmission.
In the same field of endeavor, Ohara et al. disclose to receive a downlink transmission from the network entity, wherein the CW signal is received in a different frequency band than the downlink transmission (claim 11. A receiver for use in radio navigation system which includes a base station for transmitting a continuous wave signal having a first predetermined frequency, a first relay station comprising a first relay station receiver for receiving signals broadcast by said base station, a first modulatable transmitter for generating a first carrier signal having a frequency differing from one-half of said first predetermined frequency by an amount equal to one-half of a second predetermined frequency, means for doubling the frequency of said first carrier signal, means for mixing said doubled first carrier signal with the output of said first relay station receiver to derive a first modulating signal whose frequency is equal to said second predetermined frequency.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the invention of Hasting et al. as taught by Ohara et al. for purpose of determining the location of a mobile station
For claim 16, the combination of Li et al. and Hasting et al. disclose the ambient IoT device of claim 15. Hasting et al. disclose wherein the CW signal is received in a higher frequency band than the downlink transmission (claim 11. A receiver for use in radio navigation system which includes a base station for transmitting a continuous wave signal having a first predetermined frequency, a first relay station comprising a first relay station receiver for receiving signals broadcast by said base station, a first modulatable transmitter for generating a first carrier signal having a frequency differing from one-half of said first predetermined frequency by an amount equal to one-half of a second predetermined frequency, means for doubling the frequency of said first carrier signal, means for mixing said doubled first carrier signal with the output of said first relay station receiver to derive a first modulating signal whose frequency is equal to said second predetermined frequency.)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 17 is 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAI PHUONG whose telephone number is 571-272-7896. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm.
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/DAI PHUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2644