DETAILED ACTION
Status of the Application
This office action is a non-final rejection in response to the filing of the RCE on 08/14/2025. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 08/14/2025 has been entered.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 08/14/2025 was filed after the mailing date of the Notice of Allowance on 05/21/2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Crouch, US Patent Application Publication (US 2010/0259447 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Crouch discloses a method comprising: receiving, by a wireless power transmitter (RDA, see par. [0007]) of a wireless power system (10),
one or more beacon signals transmitted from a wireless power receiver of the wireless power system (see Figs 1-13; par. [0083]);
adding, by the wireless power transmitter, phases for each port of the wireless power receiver based upon the one or more beacon signals (see par. [0087]);
generating, by the wireless power transmitter, a high power signal based on adding of the phases (see Figs 1-13; par. [0088]-[0089]); and
transmitting, by the wireless power transmitter, the high power signal to the wireless power receiver (see Figs 1-13; par. [0090]).
Regarding Claim 2, Crouch discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the high power signal based on the addition of the phases targets all antennas of an array of the wireless power receiver equally (see Figs 1-13 and par. [0090]).
Regarding Claim 3, Crouch discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the high power signal being based on adding of the phases reduces a specific focus of the high power signal to below a power on any port of the wireless power receiver (see Figs 1-13; par. [0053],[0059]).
Regarding Claim 4, Crouch discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the power transmitter adds the phases for each port independently (see Figs 1-13; par. [0090]-[0091]).
Regarding Claim 5, Crouch discloses the method of claim 1, wherein a device to be charged comprises the wireless power receiver (see Figs 1-13; abstract; par. [0013]-[0016], [0099],[0102]).
Regarding Claim 6, Crouch discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the wireless power transmitter raises a power of the high power signal based on the addition of the phases (see Figs 1-13; par. [0072],[0074]-[0075]).
Regarding Claim 7, Crouch discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the wireless power transmitter lowers a power of the high power signal based on the addition of the phases (see the reduction in power in Figs 1-13; par.[0053],[0059],[0078]).
Regarding Claim 8, Crouch discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the wireless power receiver includes an array of antennas that transmits the one or more beacons to drive a power of the high power signal in the wireless power system (see Figs 1-13; par.[0086]-[0090]).
Regarding Claim 9, Crouch discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the one or more beacons are received from different antenna of an array of antennas of the wireless power receiver (see Figs 1-13; par.[0086]-[0090]).
Regarding Claim 10, Crouch discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the wireless power transmitter determines the relative location a distance between the wireless power transmitter and the wireless power receiver based upon the one or more beacon signals (see Figs 1-13; par.[0008],[0035],[0086]-[0090],[0093]).
Regarding Claim 11, Crouch discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the wireless power transmitter determines a delta of the one or more beacons to determine whether the one or more beacons are different enough for resolution (see Figs 1-13; par.[0078],[0086]-[0090]).
Regarding Claim 12, Crouch discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the wireless power transmitter utilizes a delta of the one or more beacons to determine the relative location a distance between the wireless power receiver and the wireless power transmitter (see Figs 1-13; par.[0008],[0035],[0078],[0086]-[0090],[0093]).
Regarding Claim 13, Crouch discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the wireless power transmitter changes a power for the high power signal based on the relative location a distance of between the wireless power receiver and the wireless power transmitter (see Figs 1-13; par.[0086]-[0090]).
Regarding Claim 14, Crouch discloses a method comprising:
receiving, by a wireless power transmitter (RDA, see par. [0007]) of a wireless power system (10), one or more beacon signals transmitted from a wireless power receiver of the wireless power system (see Figs 1-13; par. [0083]);
determining, by the wireless power transmitter, a delta of the one or more beacons (see par. [0078],[0086]-[0090]);
determining, by the wireless power transmitter, a relative location distance between the wireless power transmitter and the wireless power receiver utilizing the delta of the one or more beacons (see Figs 1-13; par.[0008],[0035],[0078],[0086]-[0090],[0093]);
generating, by the wireless power transmitter, a high power signal based on the relative location distance; and transmitting, by the wireless power transmitter, the high power signal to the wireless power receiver (see Figs 1-13; par.[0008],[0035],[0078],[0086]-[0090],[0093]).
Regarding Claim 15, Crouch discloses the method of claim 14, wherein the wireless power transmitter determines the delta of the one or more beacons to determine whether the one or more beacons are different enough for resolution (see Figs 1-13; par.[0078],[0086]-[0090]).
Regarding Claim 16, Crouch discloses the method of claim 14, wherein the wireless power transmitter raises a power of the high power signal based on the relative location a distance of between the wireless power receiver and the wireless power transmitter (see Figs 1-13; par. [0072],[0074]-[0075]).
Regarding Claim 17, Crouch discloses the method of claim 14, wherein the wireless power transmitter lowers a power of the high power signal based on the relative location a distance of between the wireless power receiver and the wireless power transmitter (see the reduction in power in Figs 1-13; par.[0053],[0059],[0078]).
Regarding Claim 18, Crouch discloses the method of claim 14, wherein the wireless power receiver includes an array of antennas that transmits the one or more beacons to drive a power of the high power signal in the wireless power system (see Figs 1-13; par.[0086]-[0090]).
Regarding Claim 19, Crouch discloses the method of claim 14, wherein the one or more beacons are received from different antenna of an array of antennas of the wireless power receiver (see Figs 1-13; par.[0086]-[0090]).
Regarding Claim 20, Crouch discloses the method of claim 14, wherein a device to be charged comprises the wireless power receiver (see Figs 1-13; abstract; par. [0013]-[0016], [0099],[0102]).
Examiner Note
7. The examiner cites particular columns and lines numbers in the references as applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested that, in preparing responses, the applicant fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner.
Conclusion
8. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Please see the cited prior art in the PTO-892 form attached.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALFONSO PEREZ BORROTO whose telephone number is (571) 270-1714. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F (9am-4pm).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Rexford Barnie can be reached on (571) 272-7492. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ALFONSO PEREZ BORROTO/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836