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 § 102
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 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.
Claims 1-3, 8-10, 12, and 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Modifi (US 2017/0207659).
Regarding claims 1 and 16, Mofidi discloses the claimed apparatus and related method comprising ([0006] - [0017], [0047], [0053] - [0057]; figures 2, 5):
a signal generation circuit (oscillator 222, 522) configured to generate a carrier signal for wireless transmission of output power and output data, the carrier signal associated with a first fundamental component having a particular frequency, a particular phase, and a first amplitude associated with a maximum supported power level for the output power (e.g. driver circuit 224,524 that drives transmit coil 214,514 at a resonant frequency at a power level sufficient for changing the battery [0047], [0053],); and
a power control circuit (e.g. control circuit 530) configured to generate, based on timing control data corresponding to a target power level for the output power that is lower than the maximum supported power level for the output power (e.g. control signals 523 and 525 that are adjusted to reduce the amount of peak power wirelessly transmitted; [0057]), a time-adjusted version of the carrier signal that maintains an amplitude of the carrier signal and adjusts a timing profile of the carrier signal such that a second fundamental component associated with the time-adjusted version of the carrier signal has the particular frequency, the particular phase, and a second amplitude lower than the first amplitude and associated with the target power level for the output power (e.g. reducing the magnitude of the wireless charging field 505 and using amplitude shift keying modulation as taught in [0008], [0011], [0057]).
Regarding claims 2 and 17, Modifi additionally disclose wherein the carrier signal includes a series of pulses generated at the particular frequency; and the timing profile of the carrier signal is adjusted for the time-adjusted version of the carrier signal by skipping a sub-series of pulses from the series of pulses, the sub- series of pulses having a frequency lower than the particular frequency (e.g. removal of unwanted frequencies by filter and matching circuit 226 as taught in [0047]).
Regarding claim 3 and 18, Modifi discloses wherein the carrier signal includes a series of pulses generated at the particular frequency; and the timing profile of the carrier signal is adjusted for the time-adjusted version of the carrier signal by symmetrically shortening a sub-series of pulses from the series of pulses, the sub-series of pulses having a frequency lower than or equal to the particular frequency (e.g. removal of unwanted frequencies by filter and matching circuit 226 as taught in [0047]).
Regarding claim 8, Modifi additionally discloses wherein the power control circuit is configured to generate the time-adjusted version of the carrier signal in a manner that modulates the output data onto the time-adjusted version of the carrier signal by causing the second fundamental component to have: for a first binary value of the output data, the second amplitude associated with the target power level; and for a second binary value of the output data, a third amplitude lower than the second amplitude associated with the target power level (e.g. 100% amplitude shift keying modulation as taught in [0056]).
Regarding claim 9, Modifi additionally discloses wherein: the third amplitude is a non-zero amplitude used within an amplitude shift keying (ASK) modulation protocol to implement the modulating of the output data onto the time-adjusted version of the carrier signal; and the third amplitude is associated with an additional timing profile of the carrier signal distinct from the timing profile of the carrier signal that causes the second fundamental component to have the second amplitude (e.g. ASK modulation protocol as taught in [0056]).
Regarding claim 10, Modifi additionally discloses 10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the third amplitude is an amplitude of zero that is used within an on-off keying (OOK) modulation protocol to implement the modulating of the output data onto the time-adjusted version of the carrier signal (e.g. 100% amplitude shift keying modulation as taught in [0056]) with a zero amplitude as taught in [0056]).
Regarding claim 12, Modifi additionally discloses a storage facility configured to maintain a plurality of timing control datasets corresponding to a plurality of different target power levels for the output power; wherein: the plurality of timing control datasets includes a particular timing control dataset for the timing control data corresponding to the target power level, and as part of the generating of the time-adjusted version of the carrier signal, the power control circuit selects and accesses the particular timing control dataset from the storage facility (e.g. storage medium as taught in [0081]).
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 6-7 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Modifi in view of Mesken (US 2016/0044427).
Regarding claim 6, Modifi discloses the claimed invention as disclosed above except the express mention of an external headpiece included in a cochlear implant system; wherein the cochlear implant system further includes an internal cochlear implant configured to receive the wireless transmission of output power and output data from the external headpiece when the internal cochlear implant is implanted within a recipient of the cochlear implant system and the external headpiece is external to the recipient. Meskens discloses that it was well known in the art of power consumption control to include the devices in a cochlear implant system (e.g. as shown in Figure 1) comprising a headpiece configured to be worn externally by a recipient of the cochlear implant system (e.g. external module 102) and to provide a wireless transmission of output power and output data and a cochlear implant configured to be implanted within the recipient and to receive the wireless transmission from the headpiece (e.g. internal module 104 that communicates via RF link 130). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to include the cochlear implant system of Meskens in the device of Modifi since such a modification would provide the system with the predictable results of a reliable means of controlling the power in a cochlear implant system.
Regarding claim 7, Meskens additionally discloses wherein the external headpiece is an integrated headpiece that includes, together with the signal generation circuit and the power control circuit, a sound processing circuit configured to generate, based on input audio data, the output data wirelessly transmitted to the internal cochlear implant by way of the wireless transmission (e.g. filtered audio as shown in power smoothing circuit of figure 1C).
Regarding claim 15, Mofidi discloses the claimed apparatus and related method comprising ([0006] - [0017], [0047], [0053] - [0057]; figures 2, 5):
a signal generation circuit (oscillator 222, 522) configured to generate a carrier signal for wireless transmission of output power and output data, the carrier signal associated with a first fundamental component having a particular frequency, a particular phase, and a first amplitude associated with a maximum supported power level for the output power (e.g. driver circuit 224,524 that drives transmit coil 214,514 at a resonant frequency at a power level sufficient for changing the battery [0047], [0053],); and
a power control circuit (e.g. control circuit 530) configured to generate, based on timing control data corresponding to a target power level for the output power that is lower than the maximum supported power level for the output power (e.g. control signals 523 and 525 that are adjusted to reduce the amount of peak power wirelessly transmitted; [0057]), a time-adjusted version of the carrier signal that maintains an amplitude of the carrier signal and adjusts a timing profile of the carrier signal such that a second fundamental component associated with the time-adjusted version of the carrier signal has the particular frequency, the particular phase, and a second amplitude lower than the first amplitude and associated with the target power level for the output power (e.g. reducing the magnitude of the wireless charging field 505 and using amplitude shift keying modulation as taught in [0008], [0011], [0057]).
Modifi does not disclose the system above included in a cochlear implant system comprising a headpiece configured to be worn externally by a recipient of the cochlear implant system and to provide a wireless transmission of output power and output data and a cochlear implant configured to be implanted within the recipient and to receive the wireless transmission from the headpiece. Meskens discloses that it was well known in the art of power consumption control to include the devices in a cochlear implant system (e.g. as shown in Figure 1) comprising a headpiece configured to be worn externally by a recipient of the cochlear implant system (e.g. external module 102) and to provide a wireless transmission of output power and output data and a cochlear implant configured to be implanted within the recipient and to receive the wireless transmission from the headpiece (e.g. internal module 104 that communicates via RF link 130). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to include the cochlear implant system of Meskens in the device of Modifi since such a modification would provide the system with the predictable results of a reliable means of controlling the power in a cochlear implant system.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-5, 11 and 19-20 are 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claims 4, 5, 19, and 20, the closest prior art of record, Modifi, does not include skipping a first sub-series of pulses from the series of pulses, the first sub- series of pulses having a first frequency lower than the particular frequency, and symmetrically shortening a second sub-series of pulses from the series of pulses along with the other elements of the claims.
Regarding claim 11, the closest prior art of record, Modifi, does not disclose a first delayed version and a second delayed version of the carrier signal, and generating, based on the selected first and second delayed versions of the carrier signal, the time-adjusted version of the carrier signal along with the other elements of the claims.
Conclusion
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/Amanda K Hulbert/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3792