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
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hyland et al. (US. Pub. No. 2012/0071094 A1; hereinafter “HYLAND”) in view of Blanchard et al. (US. Pub. No. 2016/0224929 A1; hereinafter “BLANCHARD”).
Regarding claim 1, HYLAND teaches a communication system (see HYLAND, fig. 1) comprising:
a plurality of stacked containers having conductivity (see HYLAND, para. [0026], stacked containers, para. [0028], fig. 2, metallic layers 13, 15); and
a plurality of electric field communication terminals (see HYLAND, fig. 2, modems 10, 20), wherein the plurality of stacked containers includes a first container that containing a sensing terminal (see HYLAND, para. [0026], first stacked bottom container, temperature sensor, para. [0058]), the sensing terminal that acquires sensing data (see HYLAND, para. [0026,58], temperature sensor), the plurality of electric field communication terminals includes:
a first electric field communication terminal positioned to an inner side of the first container in which the sensing terminal is contained (see HYLAND, fig. 6, transmitter 53, para. [0044]), and
a second electric field communication terminal positioned to an outer side of one of the first container or a second container of the plurality of stacked containers (see HYLAND, fig. 6, receiver 58, para. [0044]), and
the first electric field communication terminal is configured to:
perform electric field coupling with the first container of the plurality of stacked containers (see HYLAND, para. [0026]), and
transmit the first electric field communication terminal transmits the sensing data from the sensing terminal to the second electric field communication terminal via at least one container of the plurality of stacked containers (see HYLAND, fig. 1, para. [0026]).
HYLAND is silent to teaching that wherein the first electric field communication terminal attached to an inner side; and the second electric field communication terminal attached to an outer side.
In the same field of endeavor, BLANCHARD teaches a system wherein the first electric field communication terminal attached to an inner side; and the second electric field communication terminal attached to an outer side (see BLANCHARD, fig. 3, cargo 204, CDSU 100, para. [0060], affixed inside, affixed outside).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the teaching of HYLAND with the teaching of BLANCHARD in order to provide efficient and cost-effective systems for tracking shipping goods (see BLANCHARD, para. [0004]).
Regarding claim 2, the combination of HYLAND and BLANCHARD teaches the communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first electric field communication terminal is further configured to:
construct an electric field communication network by establishment of a connection with the second electric field communication terminal, and reconstruct the electric field communication network based on a change in the established connection (see HYLAND, fig. 6, para. [0047-49]).
Regarding claim 3, the combination of HYLAND and BLANCHARD teaches the communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first electric field communication terminal is further configured to:
construct an electric field communication network by establishment of a connection with the second electric field communication terminal, and reconstruct the electric field communication network based on a connection between some electric field communication terminals of the plurality of electric field communication terminals that is no longer established (see HYLAND, para. [0026-27]).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of HYLAND and BLANCHARD teaches the communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first electric field communication terminal is further configured to
construct an electric field communication network by establishment of a connection with the second electric field communication terminal, and reconstruct the electric field communication network based on at least one container of the plurality of stacked containers that is no longer included (see HYLAND, para. [0026-27]).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of HYLAND and BLANCHARD teaches the communication system according to claim 1, wherein the second electric field communication terminal is configured to one of directly or indirectly transmit the sensing data from the first electric field communication terminal to an external network (see HYLAND, para. [0026-27,59]).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of HYLAND and BLANCHARD teaches the communication system according to claim 5, wherein the second electric field communication terminal is further configured to transmit the sensing data to the external network via a gateway device (see HYLAND, para. [0026-27,59]).
Regarding claim 7, the combination of HYLAND and BLANCHARD teaches the communication system according to claim 1,
wherein the plurality of electric field communication terminals includes a plurality of second electric field communication terminals (se BLANCHARD, fig. 4, 5, para. [0063-64]),
the plurality of second electric field communication terminals comprises the second electric field communication terminal (see BLANCHARD, fig. 4,5, 100, 212, 210),
the plurality of electric field communication terminals is configured to:
determine a third determines one electric field communication terminal of the plurality of second electric field communication terminals as a master device (see BLANCHARD, para. [0063], master 200); and
determine a fourth determines the other electric field communication terminal of the plurality of second electric field communication terminals as a first slave device (see BLANCHARD, para. [0063], tag 212), and
the master device is configured to transmit transmits the sensing data received by the first slave device from the sensing terminal to an external network (see HYLAND, fig. 1, para. [0026], BLANCHARD, para. [0050]).
Regarding claim 8, the combination of HYLAND and BLANCHARD teaches the communication system according to claim 7, wherein the first electric field communication terminal is further configured to construct an electric field communication network by establishment of a connection with the second electric field communication terminal, and reconstruct the electric field communication network by a change of the master device (see HYLAND, para. [0026-27,59]).
Regarding claim 9, the combination of HYLAND and BLANCHARD teaches the communication system according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of electric field communication terminals is further configured to determine the master device based on communication reliability from each second electric field communication terminal of the plurality of second electric field communication terminals to the external network (see HYLAND, para. [0049]).
Regarding claim 10, the combination of HYLAND and BLANCHARD teaches the communication system according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of second electric field communication terminals is at different positions in a stacking direction of the plurality of stacked containers (see HYLAND, para. [0026-27,59]).
Regarding claim 11, the combination of HYLAND and BLANCHARD teaches the communication system according to claim 7 wherein the first slave device is further configured to relay the sensing data from a second slave device to the master device (see HYLAND, para. [0026-27,59]).
Regarding claim 12, the combination of HYLAND and BLANCHARD teaches the communication system according claim1, wherein the first electric field communication terminal of the plurality of electric field communication terminals includes an antenna to face the containers and the antenna is configured to generate dielectric polarization in a dielectric between the first electric field communication terminal and the first container (see HYLAND, fig. 2, 11, 12).
Regarding claim 13, HYLAND teaches a communication method comprising:
transmitting, by a first electric field communication terminal, sensing data from a sensing terminal to a second electric field communication terminal via at least one container of a plurality of stacked containers (see HYLAND, fig. 1, para. [0026]),
wherein the plurality of stacked containers includes a first container containing the sensing terminal (see HYLAND, para. [0026], first stacked bottom container, temperature sensor, para. [0058]),
the sensing terminal acquires the sensing data (see HYLAND, para. [0026], first stacked bottom container, temperature sensor, para. [0058]),
performing, by the first electric field communication terminal, electric field coupling with the first container of the plurality of stacked containers in such a manner as to perform the electric field coupling with the container (see HYLAND, fig. 6, transmitter 53, para. [0044]).
HYLAND is silent to teaching that wherein the first electric field communication terminal is attached to an inner side of the first container in which the sensing terminal is contained, and the second electric field communication terminal is attached to an outer side of at least one of the first container or a second container of the plurality of stacked containers.
In the same field of endeavor, BLANCHARD teaches a method wherein the first electric field communication terminal is attached to an inner side of the first container in which the sensing terminal is contained, and the second electric field communication terminal is attached to an outer side of at least one of the first container or a second container of the plurality of stacked containers (see BLANCHARD, fig. 3, cargo 204, CDSU 100, para. [0060], affixed inside, affixed outside).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the teaching of HYLAND with the teaching of BLANCHARD in order to provide efficient and cost-effective systems for tracking shipping goods (see BLANCHARD, para. [0004]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-13 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
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WEN WU HUANG whose telephone number is (571)272-7852. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10-6.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Wesley Kim can be reached at (571) 272-7867. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WEN W HUANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2648