Prosecution Insights
Last updated: September 17, 2026
Application No. 18/622,763

FINGER WEARABLE DEVICES AND METHODS FOR PRODUCING FINGER WEARABLE DEVICES

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Mar 29, 2024
Priority
Mar 31, 2023 — provisional 63/456,140 +1 more
Examiner
NATNITHITHADHA, NAVIN
Art Unit
3791
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Movano Inc.
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
72%
Grant Probability
Favorable
2-3
OA Rounds
1y 3m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 72% — above average
72%
Career Allowance Rate
707 granted / 989 resolved
+1.5% vs TC avg
Strong +30% interview lift
Without
With
+30.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 8m
Avg Prosecution
25 currently pending
Career history
1025
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
16.0%
-24.0% vs TC avg
§103
32.0%
-8.0% vs TC avg
§102
27.1%
-12.9% vs TC avg
§112
18.5%
-21.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 989 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . Response to Amendment 2. According to the Amendment, filed 08 May 2026, the status of the claims is as follows: Claim 20 is currently amended; and Claims 1-19 are as originally filed. 3. The objection to claim 20 because of minor informalities is withdrawn in view of the Amendment, filed 08 May 2026. Response to Arguments 4. Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, pp. 7-14, filed 08 May 2026, with respect to the rejection of claims 1-6, 15, and 18-20 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by von Badinski et al, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0220109 A1 (“von Badinski”), have been fully considered, and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is discussed below. 5. Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, pp. 14-16, filed 08 May 2026, with respect to the rejection of claims 7-13 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over von Badinski, as applied to claim 1, and further in view of Al-Ali et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication no. 2023/0028745 A1 (“Al-Ali”), and the rejection of claim 16 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over von Badinski, as applied to claim 1, and further in view of Ryan et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0296104 A1 (“Ryan”), have been fully considered, and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is discussed below. Claim Objections 6. Claim 20 is objected to because of the following informalities: In line 17, “the outer circular piece and the inner circular piece” lacks proper antecedent basis, and should be amended to “the outer circular piece and the inner circular piece”. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 7. 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. 8. 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. 9. This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention. 10. Claims 1-13, 15, and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Haverinen et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2024/0081012 A1 (“Haverinen”), in view of Min et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0037932 A1 (“Min”). As to Claim 1, Haverinen teaches the following: A finger wearable device (“ring wearable assembly”) 400 for health monitoring (see “The following relates to wearable devices and data processing, including a process for manufacturing a wearable ring form factor.” in para. [0001]; and see figs. 4, 5A, and 5B), the finger wearable device 110 comprising: an outer circular piece (“outer ring-shaped housing”) 405 (see “For example, the ring wearable assembly 400 may include an outer ring-shaped housing 405, an inner ring-shaped housing 410, and a PCB 425.” in para. [0102]), the outer circular piece 405 having two opposing ends (“outer ring-shaped housing 405” has two opposing ends that correspond to the radial planes of the cylinder on both side ends of the ring, as seen in Fig. 4); an inner circular piece (“inner ring-shaped housing”) 410 (see “For example, the ring wearable assembly 400 may include an outer ring-shaped housing 405, an inner ring-shaped housing 410, and a PCB 425.” in para. [0102]), the inner circular piece 410 having two opposing ends (“inner ring-shaped housing 410” has two opposing ends that correspond to the radial planes of the cylinder on both side ends of the ring, as seen in Fig. 4); sensor electronics (“PCB”) 425 including a printed circuit board (PCB) (“flexible PCB”, not labeled) and electronic components (“electrical components”, not labeled) connected to the PCB 525 (see “The PCB 425 may be a flexible PCB that includes a plurality of sensors or electrical components (e.g., a sensor 430).” in para. [0106]), the sensor electronics 525 encapsulated in a cavity (“cavity”, not labeled) between the outer circular piece 405 and the inner circular piece 410 (see “The ring wearable cross section 500-b depicts a PCB 535 positioned within an internal cavity of the ring wearable device and system described with reference to FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 4, illustrating the PCB 535 coupled to the inner ring-shaped housing 510. By positioning the PCB 535 in the cavity defined by the inner ring-shaped housing 510 and the outer ring-shaped housing 505 as illustrated in the ring wearable cross section 500-b, sensors of the PCB 535 may be contained within the confines of the inner circumference of the inner ring-shaped housing 510.” in para. [0115]); wherein the outer circular piece 405 and the inner circular piece 410 include attachment features (“compression fit component”, not labeled) … and configured to enable the outer circular piece 405 and the inner circular piece 410 to mate together at the attachment features such that the outer circular piece 405 and the inner circular piece 410 are held together by the attachment features and such that the outer circular piece 405 and the inner circular piece 410 create the cavity (“cavity”) within which the sensor electronics 525 are encapsulated (see “In some examples, the outer ring-shaped housing 405 may be coupled, or attached, to the inner ring-shaped housing 410 with a sealing material (e.g., an adhesive, a welding material, a compression fit component, or the like).” in para. [0109]; and see “The ring wearable cross section 500-b depicts a PCB 535 positioned within an internal cavity of the ring wearable device and system described with reference to FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 4, illustrating the PCB 535 coupled to the inner ring-shaped housing 510. By positioning the PCB 535 in the cavity defined by the inner ring-shaped housing 510 and the outer ring-shaped housing 505 as illustrated in the ring wearable cross section 500-b, sensors of the PCB 535 may be contained within the confines of the inner circumference of the inner ring-shaped housing 510.” in para. [0115]); and an encapsulant (“filler material”, not labeled) in the cavity (“cavity”) between the outer circular piece 405 and the inner circular piece 410 (see “Additionally, or alternatively, the outer ring-shaped housing 405 may be coupled, or attached, to the inner ring-shaped housing 410 based on a filler material that may be injected into the ring wearable device 440 through an aperture of the outer ring-shaped housing 405. In other words, in some implementations, the filler material may be configured to bind the outer ring-shaped housing 405 to the PCB 425 and/or the inner ring-shaped housing 410.” in para. [0109]). Haverinen does not explicitly teach the following: attachment features that are complementary to each other … However, Min teaches the following: an outer circular piece (“outer ring member”) 110 and an inner circular piece (“inner ring member”) 130 include attachment features (“coupling protrusion” and “coupling groove”) 111 and 131 that are complementary to each other (see “Referring to FIG. 3, the inner ring member 130 may be detachably coupled along an inner circumferential surface 110a of the outer ring member 110. In this case, a coupling protrusion 111 which protrudes by a predetermined length toward the center of the outer ring member 110 may be formed in an end portion of the inner circumferential surface 110a of the outer ring member 110. The coupling protrusion 111 of the outer ring member 110 may be placed in a coupling groove 131 formed along either end of an outer circumferential surface 130b of the inner ring member 130. The outer ring member 110 and the inner ring member 130 may be stably coupled to each other through a coupling structure of the outer ring member 110 and the inner ring member 130, that is, the coupling protrusion 111 and the coupling groove 131.” in para. [0048], and see fig. 3). Thus, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the present application was effectively filed to modify Haverinen’s attachment features (“compression fit component”) to include attachment features (“coupling protrusion 111” and “coupling groove 131”) that are complementary to each other, as taught by Min, in order to provide a convenient means of coupling or attachment between the outer circular piece (“outer ring-shaped housing 405”) and the inner circular piece (“inner ring-shaped housing 410”). As to Claim 2, Min teaches the following: the attachment features (“coupling groove”) 131 of the inner circular piece 130 are located at the two opposing ends of the inner circular piece 130 (see fig. 3); and the attachment features (“coupling protrusion”) 111 of the outer circular piece 110 are located at the two opposing ends of the outer circular piece 110 (see fig. 3). As to Claim 3, Min teaches the following: the attachment features (“coupling groove”) 131 of the inner circular piece 130 are located at the two opposing ends of the inner circular piece 130 (see fig. 3); the attachment features (“coupling protrusion”) 111 of the outer circular piece 110 are located at the two opposing ends of the outer circular piece 110 (see fig. 3); and the attachment features (“coupling groove”) 131 at the two opposing ends of the inner circular piece 130 include protrusions (not labeled, see side of “coupling groove 131”) that create ridges (see fig. 3). As to Claim 4, Min teaches the following: the attachment features (“coupling groove”) 131 of the inner circular piece 130 are located at the two opposing ends of the inner circular piece 130 (see fig. 3); the attachment features (“coupling protrusion”) 111 of the outer circular piece 110 are located at the two opposing ends of the outer circular piece 110 (see fig. 3); and the attachment features (“coupling groove”) 131 at the two opposing ends of the inner circular piece 130 include protrusions (not labeled, see side of “coupling groove 131”) that create ridges (see fig. 3); and the attachment features 131 at the two opposing ends of the outer circular piece 130 include cavities to receive the ridges of the protrusions 111 of the inner circular piece 110 (see fig. 3). As to Claim 5, Min teaches the following: wherein the attachment features 111 and 131 include attachment features 111 at the two opposing ends of the outer circular piece 110 and attachment features 131 at the two opposing ends of the inner circular piece 130 (see fig. 3). As to Claim 6, Min teaches the following: the attachment features 111 of the inner circular piece 130 include protrusions (“coupling protrusion”) that create ridges at the two opposing ends of the inner circular piece 130 (see fig. 3); and the attachment features 131 of the outer circular piece 110 include surfaces at the two opposing ends of the outer circular piece 110 that mate with the ridges at the opposing ends of the inner circular piece 130 (see fig. 3). As to Claim 7, Haverinen teaches the following: wherein the encapsulant (“filler material”, not labeled) is injected into the cavity (“cavity”) after the outer circular piece 405 and the inner circular piece 410 are mated together (see “Additionally, or alternatively, the outer ring-shaped housing 405 may be coupled, or attached, to the inner ring-shaped housing 410 based on a filler material that may be injected into the ring wearable device 440 through an aperture of the outer ring-shaped housing 405. In other words, in some implementations, the filler material may be configured to bind the outer ring-shaped housing 405 to the PCB 425 and/or the inner ring-shaped housing 410.” in para. [0197]; and see “In some examples, the outer ring-shaped housing 505 may include an aperture 540 that is used to inject a filler material into the aperture 540 to at least partially fill a cavity and the apertures 530 of the wearable ring device.” in para. [0120]). As to Claim 8, Haverinen teaches the following: wherein the encapsulant (“filler material”) is injected into the cavity (“cavity”) through a hole (“aperture”) 540 in the inner circular piece 410 (see “In some examples, the outer ring-shaped housing 505 may include an aperture 540 that is used to inject a filler material into the aperture 540 to at least partially fill a cavity and the apertures 530 of the wearable ring device.” in para. [0120]). As to Claim 9, Haverinen teaches the following: wherein the encapsulant (“filler material”) is injected into the cavity (“cavity”) through a hole (“aperture”) 540 in the outer circular piece 405 (see “In some examples, the outer ring-shaped housing 505 may include an aperture 540 that is used to inject a filler material into the aperture 540 to at least partially fill a cavity and the apertures 530 of the wearable ring device.” in para. [0120]). As to Claim 10, Haverinen teaches the following: an injection hole (“one or more of the apertures”) 530 in the inner circular piece 410 and an exhaust hole (“aperture”) 540 in the inner circular piece 410 (see “Apertures 530 (e.g., aperture 530-a, aperture 530, and other apertures) may be included within the inner circumferential surface of the inner ring-shaped housing 510. In some examples, a sealing material 525 may lock the outer ring-shaped housing 505 to the inner ring-shaped housing 510. In some cases, as described herein, the sealing material may include an epoxy, a welding material, a pressure-fit component, and the like. Additionally, or alternatively, the sealing material 525 may include the filler material that is injected into the cavity of the wearable ring device.” in para. [0114]). As to Claim 11, Haverinen teaches the following: wherein the injection hole 530 is located at a first one of the two opposing ends of the inner circular piece 410 and the exhaust hole 540 is at a second one of the opposing ends of the inner circular plastic piece 410 (see fig. 5B). As to Claim 12, Haverinen teaches the following: wherein the encapsulant (“filler material”, not labeled) is injected into the cavity (“cavity”) through the injection hole 530 and gas is exhausted through the exhaust hole 540 (see “Apertures 530 (e.g., aperture 530-a, aperture 530, and other apertures) may be included within the inner circumferential surface of the inner ring-shaped housing 510. In some examples, a sealing material 525 may lock the outer ring-shaped housing 505 to the inner ring-shaped housing 510. In some cases, as described herein, the sealing material may include an epoxy, a welding material, a pressure-fit component, and the like. Additionally, or alternatively, the sealing material 525 may include the filler material that is injected into the cavity of the wearable ring device.” in para. [0114]). As to Claim 13, Al-Ali teaches the following: wherein the injection hole 530 and the exhaust hole 540 are located in a sidewall of the inner circular piece 410 (see fig. 5B). As to Claim 15, Haverinen teaches the following: wherein the electronic components (“electrical components”, not labeled) include a curved battery (“battery”) 210 (see “The ring 104 may include a battery 210 (e.g., a rechargeable battery 210). An example battery 210 may include a Lithium-Ion or Lithium-Polymer type battery 210, although a variety of battery 210 options are possible. The battery 210 may be wirelessly charged. In some implementations, the ring 104 may include a power source other than the battery 210, such as a capacitor. The power source (e.g., battery 210 or capacitor) may have a curved geometry that matches the curve of the ring 104.” in para. [0055]), a photodetector (“one or more optical receivers”) 320c (see “The PPG system 235 may also include one or more optical receivers that receive light transmitted by the one or more optical transmitters. An optical receiver may generate a signal (hereinafter “PPG” signal) that indicates an amount of light received by the optical receiver.” in para. [0066]), and two LED banks (“one or more LEDs (e.g., red LEDs, green LEDs)”, not labeled) connected to the PCB 425 (see “In some implementations, the rings 104 (e.g., wearable devices 104) of the system 100 may be configured to collect physiological data from the respective users 102 based on arterial blood flow within the user's finger. In particular, a ring 104 may utilize one or more LEDs (e.g., red LEDs, green LEDs) that emit light on the palm-side of a user's finger to collect physiological data based on arterial blood flow within the user's finger.” in para. [0028], and see fig. 2), wherein the photodetector is attached to the PCB 425 between the two LED banks and one of the two LED banks is attached at an inner surface of the PCB 425 directly opposite from the curved battery 210 and separated from the curved battery 210 by the PCB 425 (see figs. 2 and 4). As to Claim 18, Haverinen teaches the following: wherein the inner circular piece 410 includes a component bay (“cavity”) to receive an electronic component of the sensor electronics 425, wherein the component bay includes a recess below a plane of an outer surface of the inner circular piece 410 (see “A cavity 315 of the ring wearable system 300-a may at least partially be defined by the inner ring-shaped housing 305 and the outer ring-shaped housing 310. As such, the cavity 315 may occupy the space located between the inner ring-shaped housing 305 and the outer ring-shaped housing 310. In some aspects, the method for manufacturing the ring wearable system 300-a may include sliding the PCB within a groove of the inner ring-shaped housing 305 such that the PCB resides in the cavity 315 and the sensors 330 align with the apertures 325.” in para. [0095]; and see fig. 4). As to Claim 19, Haverinen teaches the following: wherein the inner circular piece 410 includes an alignment feature (“first set of locating components”) 420 on an outer surface of the inner circular piece 410, wherein the alignment feature 420 is a protrusion (“protrusions”) on the outer surface of the inner circular piece 410 (see “For example, the inner ring-shaped housing 410 may include a first set of locating components 420 (e.g., detents, grooves, protrusions, or the like) along the inner edges of the inner ring-shaped housing 410.” in para. [0105], and see fig. 4). As to Claim 20, Haverinen teaches the following: A finger wearable device (“ring wearable assembly”) 400 for health monitoring (see “The following relates to wearable devices and data processing, including a process for manufacturing a wearable ring form factor.” in para. [0001]; and see figs. 4, 5A, and 5B), the finger wearable device 110 comprising: an outer circular metal piece (“outer ring-shaped housing”) 405 (see “For example, the ring wearable assembly 400 may include an outer ring-shaped housing 405, an inner ring-shaped housing 410, and a PCB 425.” in para. [0102]), the outer circular metal piece 405 having two opposing ends (“outer ring-shaped housing 405” has two opposing ends that correspond to the radial planes of the cylinder on both side ends of the ring, as seen in Fig. 4); an inner circular plastic piece (“inner ring-shaped housing”) 410 (see “For example, the ring wearable assembly 400 may include an outer ring-shaped housing 405, an inner ring-shaped housing 410, and a PCB 425.” in para. [0102]), the inner circular plastic piece 410 having two opposing ends (“inner ring-shaped housing 410” has two opposing ends that correspond to the radial planes of the cylinder on both side ends of the ring, as seen in Fig. 4); a printed circuit board (PCB) (“PCB”) 525 and electronic components (“electrical components”, not labeled) connected to the PCB 525 (see “The PCB 425 may be a flexible PCB that includes a plurality of sensors or electrical components (e.g., a sensor 430).” in para. [0106]), the PCB 525 and electronic components encapsulated in a cavity (“cavity”, not labeled) between the outer circular metal piece 405 and the inner circular plastic piece 410 (see “The ring wearable cross section 500-b depicts a PCB 535 positioned within an internal cavity of the ring wearable device and system described with reference to FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 4, illustrating the PCB 535 coupled to the inner ring-shaped housing 510. By positioning the PCB 535 in the cavity defined by the inner ring-shaped housing 510 and the outer ring-shaped housing 505 as illustrated in the ring wearable cross section 500-b, sensors of the PCB 535 may be contained within the confines of the inner circumference of the inner ring-shaped housing 510.” in para. [0115]); wherein the outer circular metal piece 405 and the inner circular plastic piece 410 include attachment features (“compression fit component”, not labeled) … and configured to enable the outer circular metal piece 405 and the inner circular plastic piece 410 to mate together at the attachment features such that the outer circular metal piece 405 and the inner circular plastic piece 410 are held together by the attachment features and such that the outer circular piece 405 and the inner circular piece 410 create the cavity (“cavity”) within which the PCB 525 and electronic components are encapsulated (see “In some examples, the outer ring-shaped housing 405 may be coupled, or attached, to the inner ring-shaped housing 410 with a sealing material (e.g., an adhesive, a welding material, a compression fit component, or the like).” in para. [0109]; and see “The ring wearable cross section 500-b depicts a PCB 535 positioned within an internal cavity of the ring wearable device and system described with reference to FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 4, illustrating the PCB 535 coupled to the inner ring-shaped housing 510. By positioning the PCB 535 in the cavity defined by the inner ring-shaped housing 510 and the outer ring-shaped housing 505 as illustrated in the ring wearable cross section 500-b, sensors of the PCB 535 may be contained within the confines of the inner circumference of the inner ring-shaped housing 510.” in para. [0115]); and an encapsulant (“filler material”, not labeled) in the cavity (“cavity”) between the outer circular [metal] piece 405 and the inner circular [plastic] piece 410 (see “Additionally, or alternatively, the outer ring-shaped housing 405 may be coupled, or attached, to the inner ring-shaped housing 410 based on a filler material that may be injected into the ring wearable device 440 through an aperture of the outer ring-shaped housing 405. In other words, in some implementations, the filler material may be configured to bind the outer ring-shaped housing 405 to the PCB 425 and/or the inner ring-shaped housing 410.” in para. [0109]). Haverinen does not explicitly teach the following: attachment features that are complementary to each other … However, Min teaches the following: an outer circular piece (“outer ring member”) 110 and an inner circular piece (“inner ring member”) 130 include attachment features (“coupling protrusion” and “coupling groove”) 111 and 131 that are complementary to each other (see “Referring to FIG. 3, the inner ring member 130 may be detachably coupled along an inner circumferential surface 110a of the outer ring member 110. In this case, a coupling protrusion 111 which protrudes by a predetermined length toward the center of the outer ring member 110 may be formed in an end portion of the inner circumferential surface 110a of the outer ring member 110. The coupling protrusion 111 of the outer ring member 110 may be placed in a coupling groove 131 formed along either end of an outer circumferential surface 130b of the inner ring member 130. The outer ring member 110 and the inner ring member 130 may be stably coupled to each other through a coupling structure of the outer ring member 110 and the inner ring member 130, that is, the coupling protrusion 111 and the coupling groove 131.” in para. [0048], and see fig. 3). Thus, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the present application was effectively filed to modify Haverinen’s attachment features (“compression fit component”) to include attachment features (“coupling protrusion 111” and “coupling groove 131”) that are complementary to each other, as taught by Min, in order to provide a convenient means of coupling or attachment between the outer circular piece (“outer ring-shaped housing 405”) and the inner circular piece (“inner ring-shaped housing 410”). 11. Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Haverinen in view of Min, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Ryan et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0296104 A1 (“Ryan”). As to Claim 16, Haverinen in view of Min does not teach the following: wherein the inner circular piece has two through holes that pass from the inner surface to the outer surface, and wherein battery charging contacts are located within the two through holes, the battery charging contacts being electrically connected to a curved battery in the cavity. However, Ryan teaches the following: an inner circular piece (“fingerband”) 800 (see fig. 8a) has two through holes (“holes in the encapsulation”, not labeled) that pass from an inner surface (not labeled) to an outer surface (not labeled) (see “One system for recharging exposes two or more contacts via holes in the encapsulation. A charging fixture may then make connection to provide charging power using resilient contacts in the fixture.” in para. [0189]), and wherein battery charging contacts (“two or more contacts”) are located within the two through holes (“holes in the encapsulation”, not labeled), the battery charging contacts (“two or more contacts”) being electrically connected to a curved battery (“curved rechargeable battery”) 810 (see fig. 8a) in the cavity (see “One system for recharging exposes two or more contacts via holes in the encapsulation. A charging fixture may then make connection to provide charging power using resilient contacts in the fixture.” in para. [0189]; and see “FIG. 8 shows design drawings illustrates the physical configuration of a fingerband 800 according to an embodiment of the invention. Thus FIG. 8a shows a perspective view of fingerband 800, FIG. 8b a view from the side, and FIG. 8c a view from the end, all showing the internal components embedded in the fingerband elastomer 802. … The fingerband is powered by a curved rechargeable battery 810.” in para. [0221]). Thus, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the present application was effectively filed to modify Haverinen’s finger wearable device (“ring wearable assembly”) 400 to Ryan’s two through holes (“holes in the encapsulation”, not labeled), wherein battery charging contacts (“two or more contacts”) are located within the two through holes (“holes in the encapsulation”, not labeled), the battery charging contacts (“two or more contacts”) being electrically connected to a curved battery (“curved rechargeable battery”) 810, in order to “provide charging power using resilient contacts in the fixture” (see Ryan, para. [0189]). Allowable Subject Matter 12. Claims 14 and 17 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. 13. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: As to Claim 14, neither Haverinen, Min, von Badinski, Al-Ali, nor the prior art of record teaches the finger wearable device of base claim 1, including the following, in combination with all other limitations of the base claim: wherein the PCB includes a first section and a second section, wherein the second section is thinner than the first section and wherein the first section has electronic components attached on both an inner side and an outer side of the PCB and the second section has electronic components attached on only an inner side of the PCB. As to Claim 17, neither Haverinen, Min, von Badinski, Al-Ali, nor the prior art of record teaches the finger wearable device of base claim 1, including the following, in combination with all other limitations of the base claim: the inner circular piece has ridges that form a channel at an outer surface of the inner circular piece; and the outer circular piece has ridges that from a channel at an inner surface of the outer circular piece; wherein the ridges of the inner circular piece are mated with the ridges of the outer circular piece to create the cavity, wherein the ridges of the inner circular piece are mated with the ridges of the outer circular piece around a circumference of the inner circular piece and a circumference of the outer circular piece. Conclusion 14. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NAVIN NATNITHITHADHA whose telephone number is (571)272-4732. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 8:00 am - 4:00 pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jason M Sims can be reached at 571-272-7540. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /NAVIN NATNITHITHADHA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3791 07/20/2026
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 29, 2024
Application Filed
Feb 10, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
May 08, 2026
Response Filed
Jul 22, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
72%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+30.2%)
3y 8m (~1y 3m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
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