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 .
Election/Restrictions
2. Applicant’s election without traverse of group I, claims 1-11, in the reply filed on December 17, 2025 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
3. 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.
4. Claims 1-3, 5, 8, 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wiser (US 9,654,674 B1) in view of Bulovic et al., (US 6,297,495 B1).
Regarding claim 1, Wiser discloses a device for detecting light exposure, comprising: a light sensor (an image sensor 164, Fig.1, col. 4, lines48-49, “detect the light intensity reaching each individual pixel to form an image”, and col.8, line 20-23, “an image sensor 164 that is configured to image an environment”), an integrated circuit (IC)(150, Fig.1), wherein the integrated circuit (150) includes an oscillating circuit (156, col.9, lines 16-17 “The communication circuit 156 can optionally include one or more oscillators”) that is coupled to the light sensor (164, Fig.1, the controller 150 is connected to the light sensor 164 via interconnects 151 and mage sensor interface 154) to output a frequency value for the detected intensity of light (col.9, lines 24-25, the communication circuit 156 can cause variations in frequency of backscatter radiation, based on the light sensor reading); and at least one harvesting antenna (142, Fig.1) that harvests an ambient radio frequency (RF)(col.7, lines 45-46,“ a radio-frequency energy-harvesting antenna 142 can capture energy from incident radio radiation”, col.7, lines 59-60“the energy harvesting antenna 142 can receive incident radio frequency radiation”).
Wiser does 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, 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 in view of Bulovic et al., as discussed in claim 1, Wiser discloses an energy harvester (146, Fig.1) coupled to that least one harvesting antenna (142); and an energy storage coupled to the energy harvester (146, col.8, lines 4-5 “one or more energy storage devices (e.g., a capacitor, a battery, etc.) can be connected in parallel across the outputs of the rectifier 146”) and adapted to store harvested energy (col.8, lines 2-3, “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 (col.8, lines 6-10, “the one or more energy storage devices (e.g., a capacitor, a battery, etc.) can be connected in parallel across the outputs of the rectifier 146 to regulate the DC supply voltage 141… The controller 150 can be turned on when the DC supply voltage 141 is provided to the controller 150”).
Regarding claim 3, Wiser in view of Bulovic et al., as discussed in claim 1, Wiser discloses a transmitter antenna (170, Fig.1 and col.5, lines 60-61, “The antenna 170 is operated by the controller 150 to communicate information”, and col.9, lines 62-65, “the communication antenna 170… a loop antenna”) that transmits the frequency value (see fig.1, the antenna 170 reads out the resulting set of values across the array, which is the frequency signal) via a communication protocol (“backscatter” which is a form of wireless communication protocol).
Regarding claim 5, Wiser in view of Bulovic et al., as discussed in claim 1, Wiser does 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 Wiser, by utilizing the teaching of Bulovic et al., to improve the sensor, so that the system more effectively detects light exposure.
Regarding claims 8 and 9, Wiser in view of Bulovic et al., as discussed in claim 1, Wiser discloses a substrate (130, Fig.1), wherein the light sensor (164) and the IC (150) are disposed on the substrate (130), wherein the substrate is mechanically flexible (Fig. 1 and col.5, lines 54-55, “A substrate 130 is embedded in the polymeric material 120”, and col.6, lines 63-64, “ the substrate 130 can include separate partitions… enhance flexibility”), and the substrate is a thin film made of any one of: polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyimide (PI), polystyrene (PS), and polyester (col.6, lines 53-55, “The substrate 130 can be a relatively rigid material, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET)”)
5. Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wiser in view of Bulovic et al., and further in view of Kong et al., (US 2024/0030888 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Wiser 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 and Bulovic et al., by utilizing the teaching of Kong et al., to have higher sensitivity for the light sensor.
6. Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wiser in view of Bulovic et al., and further in view of Fang et al., (US 2024/0196635).
Regarding claim 6, Wiser 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 Wiser 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.
7. Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wiser in view of Bulovic et al., and further in view of Rodriquez et al., (US 2017/0179199 A1).
Regarding claim 7, Wiser in view of Bulovic et al., as discussed in claim 1, 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 Wiser 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.
8. Claims 10, 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wiser in view of Bulovic et al., and further in view of Yehezkely et al., (US 2020/0228124 A1).
Regarding claims 10 and 11, Wiser 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 and 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.
Conclusion
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/M.T.T./Examiner, Art Unit 2878
/GEORGIA Y EPPS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2878