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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to applicant’s amendment and remarks received on December 12, 2025. Claims 12-16 and 18-23 are now pending in the application. Claims 14, 18, 20, and 23 have been amended. Claim 17 has been canceled.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim 23 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Goya et al. (Japanese Publication No. JP2020137019A; machine translation obtained from Espacenet, hereinafter as "Goya").
As per claim 23, Goya discloses a transmission method (Figs. 1, 5, 6) of transmitting sensor information (e.g., para. [0014]-[0016], [0022] & [0037]: “As shown in FIG. 2, a sensor device 20a is attached to the subject 10, for example, on the abdomen. The sensor device 20a measures biological information of the subject 10 (body orientation, respiratory rate, body temperature, etc.).”) from a sensor device (figs. 1-2: sensor devices 20a-1, 20a-2, ..., 20a-N and the sensor devices 20b-1, 20b-2, ..., 20b) by way of a terminal device (repeater 30) to a server device (server device 40) (e.g., para. [0019]: “The repeater 30 receives biological information from the sensor devices 20a-1, 20a-2, . . . , 20a-N as sensor data, aggregates this sensor data, and transmits it to the server device 40 every predetermined time (for example, every 5 seconds).”), the transmission method comprising:
transmitting, when the sensor information has been transmitted by a connection type from the sensor device, the sensor information to the server device by the terminal device having established communication with the sensor device (e.g., para. [0018], [0026]-[0027], [0040] & [0046]-[0047], [0054]: “When the low-power communication method is BLE, in the first operation mode, broadcast data that can be received by the repeater is transmitted, a connection is established with the repeater that received the data, and sensor data is transmitted.”); and
transmitting, when the sensor information has been transmitted by a broadcast type, the sensor information to the server device by any of the terminal devices having received the sensor information (e.g., para. [0018], [0026]-[0027], [0043], [0050]-[0051] & [0055]: “In the second operation mode, broadcast data that can be received by surrounding devices is transmitted, and a connection is established with one of the devices that received the data, and sensor data is transmitted thereto.”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14-16 and 18-22 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: None of the prior art, alone or in combination teaches and/or fairly suggests the limitations as claimed. Specifically, the prior art fails to disclose the server device determining a state of a subject based on the terminal device that has transmitted the sensor information transmitted by the connection type, as required by independent claim 14.
Response to Arguments
In the amendment dated December 12, 2025, independent claim 14 has been amended to include the allowable subject matter of claim 17. Independent method claim 23, however, has not been amended to incorporate the allowable subject matter. Accordingly, claim 14 and its dependent claims (15-16 and 18-22) are allowed, while the rejection of claim 23 is maintained.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Refer to PTO-892, Notice of References Cited for a listing of analogous art.
Takaoka et al. (Japanese Publication No. JP2014099770A) discloses a system and method for efficient data collection performed by a node device within a network.
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 extension fee 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 date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ADNAN AZIZ whose telephone number is (571) 270-7536, (Fax: 571-270-8536). The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday (9am - 6pm Eastern Time).
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/ADNAN AZIZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2687 adnan.aziz@uspto.gov
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