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 office action is in response to communication filed 12/04/25.
Response to Amendment
The examiner acknowledges the amendment of claims 28,34.36, the cancellation of claims 1-27,31-32,35, and 39-40.
Response to Arguments
Regarding applicant’s argument regarding the estimation of the charge time, the reference of Fan et al. teaches determine whether a first increase in a total energy of at least one positioning activation reference signal burst was performed below a granularity threshold and calculate a charge time of an ambient tag based upon a first iteration (col. 5 lines 19-39, col. 6 lines 37-51).
Regarding applicant’s argument regarding the limitation of transmitting a request to a session control unit to increase or decrease a periodicity of at least one positioning activation reference signal burst, it is the examiner position that the reference of Austin teaches the processing of the signal backscattered from the tag is processed by the processor (14) and the processor determined when the RFID is stationary or moving transmit and a request to a session control unit to decrease or increase a periodicity of the at least one positioning activation reference signal burst (paragraph 035, 043).
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.
Claim(s) 28-30,33,36-38, and 41 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fan et al. US Patent 9551780 in view of Austin US Patent Application Publication 20140285324.
Regarding claim 28, Fan et al. teaches an apparatus comprising: at least one processor (col. 3 lines 65-col. 4 line 14); and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor (col. 4 lines 4-14), cause the apparatus at least to: determine whether a back-scatter (the use of the energy from the energy from the signal receive from the reader to power the tag for generating a repose represents backscatter, see US 20170336428, paragraph 028) signal for at least one known tag identifier was received for each of at least one positioning activation reference signal burst (col. 5 lines 6-18;25-29); determine whether more than one back-scatter signal for the at least one known tag identifier was received for the first of the at least one positioning activation reference signal burst (col. 5 lines 52-55, col. 7 lines 1-8); determine whether a first increase in a total energy of at least one positioning activation reference signal burst was performed below a granularity threshold and calculate a charge time of an ambient tag based upon a first iteration (col. 5 lines 19-39, col. 6 lines 37-51). Fan et al. is silent on teaching executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to: transmit a request to a session control unit to increase or decrease a periodicity of the at least one positioning activation reference signal burst. Austin in an analogous art teaches the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to: transmit a request to a session control unit to decrease or increase a periodicity of the at least one positioning activation reference signal burst (paragraph 043).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the system of Fan et al. as disclosed by Austin because such modification represents an improvement over the system Fan et al. by allowing the location of the tag to be updated on a regular basis as needed.
Regarding claim 29, Fan et al. teaches the at least one memory and the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to: transmit a request to a session control unit to increase a total energy of the at least one positioning activation reference signal burst (col. 6 lines 12-26).
Regarding claim 30, Fan et al. teaches the at least one memory and the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to: transmit a request to a session control unit to decrease a total energy of the at least one positioning activation reference signal burst (col. 6 lines 12-26).
Regarding claim 33, Fan et al. teaches the at least one memory and the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to: transmit a request to a session control unit for positioning activation reference signal burst refinement (calibration, col. 5 lines 40-51).
Regarding claim 36, Fan et al. teaches a method comprising: determining, by a user equipment reader, whether a back-scatter signal scatter (the use of the energy from the energy from the signal receive from the reader to power the tag for generating a repose represents backscatter, see US 20170336428, paragraph 028) for at least one known tag identifier was received for each of at least one positioning activation reference signal burst (col. 5 lines 6-18;25-29); determining, by the user equipment reader, whether more than one back-scatter signal for the at least one known tag identifier was received for the first of the at least one positioning activation reference signal burst (col. 5 lines 52-55, col. 7 lines 1-8); determining, by the user equipment reader, whether a first increase in a total energy of at least one positioning activation reference signal burst was performed below a granularity threshold (col. 5 lines 19-39, col. 6 lines 37-51);-and calculating, by the user equipment reader, a charge time of an ambient tag based upon a first iteration (col. 5 lines 19-39, col. 6 lines 37-51). Fan et al. is silent on teaching transmitting a request to a session control unit to increase or decrease a periodicity of the at least one positioning activation reference signal burst. Austin in an analogous art teaches the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to: transmit a request to a session control unit to decrease or increase a periodicity of the at least one positioning activation reference signal burst (paragraph 043).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the system of Fan et al. as disclosed by Austin and transmitting a request to a session control unit to increase or decrease a periodicity of the at least one positioning activation reference signal burst.
Regarding claim 37, Fan et al. teaches transmitting, by the user equipment reader, a request to a session control unit to increase a total energy of the at least one positioning activation reference signal burst (col. 6 lines 12-26).
Regarding claim 38, fan et al. teaches transmitting, by the user equipment reader, a request to a session control unit to decrease a total energy of the at least one positioning activation reference signal burst (col. 6 lines 12-26).
Regarding claim 41, Fan et al. teaches the at least one memory and the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to: transmit a request to a session control unit for positioning activation reference signal burst refinement (calibration, col. 5 lines 40-51).
Claim(s) 34 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. US Patent Application Publication 20240023020 in view of Austin US Patent Application Publication 20140285324.
Regarding claim 34, Wang et al. teaches an apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: perform a first determination as to whether a first energy level of a positioning activation reference signal burst is above a first threshold at a passive ambient Internet of things tag to charge and back-scatter an intentional discharge response by monitoring back-scattered signals from the ambient Internet of things tag and based on at least one of the first determination or the second determination not being fulfilled, request a session control unit to at least one of: increase a total energy of the positioning activation reference signal (095,103-0104). Wang is silent on teaching perform a second determination as to whether a first periodicity of a positioning activation reference signal is above a second threshold at the passive ambient Internet of things tag to charge and back-scatter the intentional discharge response. Wang teaches repeat performing the first determination. performing the second determination, and the requesting until at least one back-scattered intentional discharge from a known tag is generated by providing multiple feedback regarding energy state (paragraph 0107-0109). Austin in an analogous art teaches determining of a positioning activation reference signal (paragraph 037) and teaches changing the periodicity of the transmission of the integration signal based on whether the RFID tag is stationary or moving (paragraph 043, 050,056) and further inherently affecting the charging of the RFID tag.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the system of Wang et al. as disclosed by Austin because such modification represents an improvement over the system of Wang by ensuring the RFID tag is adequately supplied with power and further improving the reliability of the system.
Claim(s) 35 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. US Patent Application Publication 20240023020 in view of Austin US Patent Application Publication 20140285324 and further in view of Stewart et al. US Patent 8,872,633.
Regarding claim 35, Wang in view of Austin is silent on teaching repeat performing the first determination, performing the second determination, and the requesting until at least one back-scattered intentional discharge from a known tag is generated. Austin in an analogous art teaches repeating the steps performed for locating the RFID tags (fig.5, col. 7 lines 26-35).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the system of Wang in view of Austin as disclosed by Stewart because such modification represents an improvement over the system of Wang in view of Austin by providing the means for all the RFID tags in the interrogation field to respond and be located.
Conclusion
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/VERNAL U BROWN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2686