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 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wiser et al., (US 9,184,698 B1) in view of Bulovic et al., (US 6,297,495 B1).
Regarding claim 1, Wiser et al., disclose a wireless Internet of Things (loT) device for detecting light exposure, comprising:
a light sensor (a light sensor 164, Fig. 1 or a light-sensitive element 322, Fig. 3) that detects an intensity of light (col.7, “a light sensor 164 that is configured to detect an intensity of incident light”, and col.12, “The light-sensitive element 322 may be a photodiode that generates a photocurrent proportionate to the intensity of incident light”); an integrated circuit (150/332), wherein the integrated circuit includes an oscillating circuit (154, Fig.1 or 334, Fig.3) that is coupled to the light sensor (164, col.8, lines 8-9, “The controller 150 can include a light-referenced oscillator 154 that is calibrated based on an input from light sensor 164”) to output a frequency value (col.13, lines 2-4 “the adjustable oscillator 334 generates an output signal 336 with a periodically varying waveform, such as a series of pulses”) for the detected intensity of light (col.13, lines 10-14, “The controller 332 receives the signal 326 from the detection circuit 320 (e.g., a series of pulses with frequency fREF based on the intensity modulation of incident light); and at least one harvesting antenna (142, Fig.1) that harvests an ambient radio frequency (RF) (col.7, lines 9-10, “a radio-frequency energy-harvesting antenna 142 can capture energy from incident radio radiation”) wherein energy harvested by the harvesting antenna is used to power the IC (see Fig.1 and col.7, lines 9-10, “The power supply 140 is configured to harvest ambient energy to power the controller 150 and sensor electronics 160. For example, a radio-frequency energy-harvesting antenna 142 can capture energy from incident radio radiation”).
Wiser et al., do not disclose the organic active layer that detects an intensity of light as claimed. Bulovic et al., disclose a light sensor (an organic photosensitive optoelectronic device 400, Fig.4 or 600, Fig.6) having an organic active layer (403, Fig.4 or 603, Fig. 6) that detects an intensity of light (col. 13, lines 14-17, “Since the organic photosensitive optoelectronic devices may be desired for widely varying ambient radiation conditions, for example, with respect to the intensity of incident radiation”). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Wiser et al., by utilizing the teaching of Bulovic et al., to increase efficiency and voltage capabilities, and thus, improving the sensor’s ability to detect environmental light exposure.
Regarding claim 2, Wiser et al., in view of Bulovic et al., as discussed in claim 1, Wiser et al., disclose further comprising: an energy harvester (146, Fig.1) coupled to that least one harvesting antenna (142, see Fig.1); and an energy storage coupled to the energy harvester and adapted to store harvested energy (col.7, lines 34-35, “The 146 can include one or more energy storage devices to mitigate high frequency variations in the ambient energy gathering antenna 142”), wherein the stored harvested energy powers the IC (see Fig.1 and col.7, lines 23-25, “A rectifier/regulator 146 can be used to condition the captured energy to a stable DC supply voltage 141 that is supplied to the controller 150”).
Regarding claim 5, Wiser et al., in view of Bulovic et al., as discussed in claim 1, Wiser et al., , do not disclose the light sensor further comprising: a protective layer overlaid on the organic active layer as claimed. Bulovic et al., disclose (Fig.4B) a protective layer (4A05) overlaid on the organic active layer (403). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the proposed system of Wiser et al., in view of Bulovic et al., to improve the sensor, so that the system more effectively detects light exposure.
Regarding claims 8 and 9, Wiser et al., in view of Bulovic et al., as discussed in claim 1, Wiser et al., disclose a substrate (130, Fig. 1), wherein the light sensor (164) and the IC (150) are disposed on the substrate (see Fig.1), wherein the substrate is mechanically flexible (col.5, line 28, “A substrate 130 is embedded in the polymeric material 120”, and col.6, line 5, “the polymeric material 120 may have properties (e.g., flexibility)”).
Regarding claim 19, Wiser et al., in view of Bulovic et al., as discussed in claim 1, Wiser et al., disclose that the output frequency value varies directly with the detected intensity of light (col.13, lines 10-14, “an output signal 336 with a periodically varying waveform, such as a series of pulses”, showing that the brighter the detected light, the more frequency the output pulses occur).
4. Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wiser et al., in view of Bulovic et al., and further in view of Kong et al., (US 2024/0030888 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Wiser et al., in view of Bulovic et al., as discussed in claim 1, do not disclose an interdigital interface that supplies a bias to the light sensor, wherein the bias changes with the detected intensity of light as claimed. Kong et al., disclose an interdigital interface (paragraph [0071], “ interdigital transducers at the two terminals includes 50 metal electrodes”) that supplies a bias to a light sensor (“applied voltage… generated by the piezoelectric phenomenon”, [0070]), wherein the bias changes with the detected intensity of light ([0072], “the natural frequency of the system changes by the interference with the boundaries and the adjacent interdigital transducer”, “FIG. 10 shows frequency response characteristics”). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Wiser et al., in view of Bulovic et al., by utilizing the teaching of Kong et al., to have higher sensitivity for the light sensor.
5. Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wiser et al., in view of Bulovic et al., and further in view of Fang et al., (US 2024/0196635).
Regarding claim 6, Wiser et al., in view of Bulovic et al., as discussed in claim 1, do not disclose the organic active layer being a blend of N-type and P-type organic materials as claimed. Fang et al., disclose an organic active layer (330, [0106]) being a blend ([0106], “vacuum-deposited in the same chamber”), of N-type and P-type organic materials ([0106], “the p-type and n-type semiconductors of the photosensitive layer 330”). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the proposed system of Wiser et al., in view of Bulovic et al., by utilizing the teaching of Fang et al., to increase sensitivity of the active layer, producing a better signal for the integrated circuit.
6. Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wiser et al., in view of Bulovic et al., and further in view of Rodriquez et al., (US 2017/0179199 A1).
Regarding claim 7, Wiser et al., in view of Bulovic et al., as discussed in claim 1, do not disclose do not disclose the organic active layer being applied using any one of: spin-coating, slot-die coating, blade coating, spray coating, inkjet printing, and flexographic printing as claimed. Rodriquez et al., disclose an organic active layer (paragraphs [0007], and [0050], “one of the active and top contact layers of organic photodiodes”) being applied using any one of: spin-coating, slot-die coating, blade coating, spray coating, inkjet printing, and flexographic printing ([0050], “slot-die”, or “inkjet printing”). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the proposed system of Wiser et al., in view of Bulovic et al., by utilizing the teaching of Rodriquez et al., to provide different sensor designs, improving the sensor’s ability to detect environmental light exposure.
7. Claims 3, 10, 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wiser et al., in view of Bulovic et al., and further in view of Yehezkely et al., (US 2020/0228124 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Wiser et al., in view of Bulovic et al., as discussed in claim 1, do not disclose a communication protocol as claimed. Yehezkely et al., disclose a transmitter antenna (620, Fig.6) that transmits the frequency value (paragraph [0052], “the transmit antenna 620 is used for wireless communication to transmit frequency data of the IoT tag 600”) via a communication protocol (paragraph [0053], “a low energy (power) communication protocol”). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Wiser et al., in view of Bulovic et al., by utilizing the teaching of Yehezkely et al., to provide a compact design and low power system.
Regarding claims 10 and 11, Wiser et al., in view of Bulovic et al., as discussed in claim 1, do not disclose the wireless loT device being a battery- less wireless tag as claimed. Yehezkely et al., disclose the wireless loT device being a battery- less wireless tag ([0043], “the IoT tag 200 is battery-less” and [0052], “the IoT tag 600 does not include any external DC power source, such as a battery”); Yehezkely et al., also disclose the at least one harvesting antenna operating at a frequency band including any one of: a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) frequency band, an Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) frequency band, a frequency modulation (FM) band, and a cellular frequency band (paragraph [0053], harvesting antenna connects to the integrated circuit 605 which operates using a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communication protocol). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Wiser et al., in view of Bulovic et al., by incorporating the system into the wireless loT device, as taught by Yehezkely et al., to provide a compact design and low power system.
Response to Arguments
8. Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claims have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
9. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MAI THI NGOC TRAN whose telephone number is (571)272- 3456. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 9:00-5:30pm.
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/M.T.T./Examiner, Art Unit 2878
/THANH LUU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2878
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