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 .
Examiner Note
Upon further searching, the Instant Specification states “once a RFID tag is read during an inventory scan, the RFID Reader, for example, a shelf, may place a “claim” on the RFID tag. A “claim” may have different weights, for example, a strong claim, medium claim, or a weak claim, based on the strength of signal transmitted and/or detected, for example. At block 702, if a RFID tag is read by a shelf during an inventory cycle when the power is at the lowest level, for example, set to ¼ Watt. Detection at this power level by the shelf may result in a strong claim on the RFID tag. For example, shelf 1 reads RFID tag A during a first inventory scan at ¼ Watt, then RFID tag A is given a likely strong claim to presence of a product associated with RFID tag A on or proximal to shelf 1” (Instant Specification: ¶ 0055). United States Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0063476 A1 to Nair (“Nair”) clearly teaches “the lower the power used to read an RFID tag, the higher the tag location confidence. High power reads ensure inventory accuracy, while low power reads allow location accuracy… a location confidence is computed for each location ID and for each tag involved. The location confidence is computed based on the number of reads, an average RSSI, a max RSSI and the handheld reader's power level at the time of a tag read. The tag location is deducted from the location ID having the highest location confidence value” (Nair: ¶¶ 0037-0041). While the responsive signal of Nair may not be the same, the practice of assigning a weight/confidence value to a signal based on the received signal strength in order to determine location is known. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized the adaptation of assigning weights/confidence values based on a received signal strength as disclosed by Nair to the RFID systems and received signal strengths as taught by High and Russell for the predicted result of improved systems and methods for tracking inventory using RFID readers.
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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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over United States Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0270631 A1 to High et al. (“High”) in view of United States Patent No. 9,477,938 B1 to Russell et al. (“Russell”) and United States Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0063476 A1 to Nair (“Nair”).
As per claim 1, the claimed subject matter that is met by High includes:
a system, comprising (High: Figs. 1 and 2):
a first radio frequency identification (RFID) storage container comprising a control unit and at least one shelf having an array of antennas therein, configured to (High: ¶¶ 0016 “a first layer 100 of a mat 103 can contain a grid of RFID readers or associated antennas 102 … The grid of RFID readers or associated antennas 102 can include multiple different RFID readers 102 within one or more antennas or can include a single RFID reader with multiple antennas… the storage location can be a shelving unit, a cabinet, a storage unit or any other storage location and the mat 103 can be placed on a shelf or base of the storage location… the grid/array of sensors and RFID readers or associated antennas can be integrally formed with a support surface of the storage location (e.g., integrally formed with a shelf)” and 0037 “the object location detection system 250 can be implemented in a pantry. Products can be disposed in the pantry of a user. The mat 103 can be disposed in the pantry and can be configured to receive the products on a top of the mat 103”):
emit, via the array of antennas, a first electromagnetic signal (High: ¶ 0017 “Physical objects 108 can be disposed on top of the mat 103. An RFID tags 110 encoded with identifiers associated with the physical objects can be disposed on the physical objects 108. The grid of RFID readers or associated antennas 102 can detect the RFID tags 110 disposed on the physical objects 108. Each of the RFID readers in the gird of RFID readers 102 can detect RFID tags within a specified distance of the RFID reader”);
receive, from one or more RFID tags associated with one or more corresponding products stored on the least one shelf, a responsive signal from one or more RFID devices upon corresponding receipt of the first electromagnetic signal (High: ¶ 0017 “The RFID readers can decode the identifier from the RFID tag and can determine a signal strength of the transmission from the RFID tag in response to being read based on a proximity of the RFID tag to the RFID readers or associated antennas. For example, an RFID reader in the grid of RFID readers 102 can detect a stronger signal strength emitted by an RFID tag disposed on a physical object which is disposed closer to the RFID reader or an antenna associated with the RFID reader. Alternatively, the RFID reader can detect a weaker signal strength emitted by a RFID tag disposed on a physical object which is disposed farther away from the RFID reader or an antenna associated with the RFID reader”); and
monitoring a first signal strength to the responsive signal from the one or more RFID devices indicating a location of the one or more corresponding products (High: ¶¶ 0017 “an RFID reader in the grid of RFID readers 102 can detect a stronger signal strength emitted by an RFID tag disposed on a physical object which is disposed closer to the RFID reader or an antenna associated with the RFID reader. Alternatively, the RFID reader can detect a weaker signal strength emitted by a RFID tag disposed on a physical object which is disposed farther away from the RFID reader or an antenna associated with the RFID reader”, 0020 “The controller 114 can determine the location of the RFID tag from which the identifier was decoded, by determining the location of the RFID reader which detected the RFID tag at the highest signal strength or by estimating distances from each of the RIFD readers or associated antennas to the reader RFID tag based on the signal strengths of the transmission received by the RFID readers from the RFID tag” and 0026 “grid of RFID readers or associated antennas 102 can detect the RFID tags disposed on the physical objects. Each of the RFID readers in the grid of RFID readers 102 can detect RFID tags 110 within a specified distance of the RFID reader. The RFID readers can decode the identifier from the RFID tags 110. The RFID readers can also detect a signal strength of the RFID tag based on proximity of the RFID tags 110 to the RFID readers or associated antennas. For example, an RFID reader in the grid of RFID readers 102 can detect a stronger signal strength emitted by a RFID tags 110 disposed on a physical object 108 which is disposed closer to the RFID reader or associated antenna. Alternatively, the RFID reader can detect a weaker signal strength emitted by a RFID tags 110 disposed on a physical object 108 which is disposed farther away from the RFID readers or associated antennas 102” and 0029 “controller 114 can determine the location of the RFID tag 110 from which the identifier was decoded, by determining the location of the RFID reader which detected the RFID tag 110 at the highest signal strength or based on triangulation using the signal strengths to estimate a distance of the physical object from each of the RFID readers or associated antennas to the RFID tag disposed on the physical object that is read by the RFID readers” and 0042 “The first RFID reader can detect a greater signal strength of the RFID tag disposed on the salt container than the second RFID reader when the salt container is disposed at the first location”);
High fails to specifically teach 1.) transmit, via the control unit, a first RFID emission signal to the at least one shelf of the RFID storage container and 2.) assign a first weight to each responsive signal. The Examiner provides Russell to teach and disclose claimed feature 1.
The claimed subject matter that is met by Russell includes:
a first radio frequency identification (RFID) storage container comprising a control unit and at least one shelf having an array of antennas therein, configured to (Russell: column 2, line 54 through column 3, line 21 “inventory items that move throughout an inventory system or are used in connection with the inventory system are each tagged with an RFID tag. The RFID tag uniquely identifies the particular inventory item. This association of RFID tag to inventory item is stored and used to track the location of the inventory item. A mobile reading device, including an autonomous movement device (e.g., an autonomous mobile drive unit or an unmanned aerial vehicle) and an RFID reader, moves throughout the inventory system to different locations and reads the RFID tags to identify the inventory items. The inventory items are stowed within inventory structures (e.g., inventory holders, sets of stowage lockers, rows of inventory holders, etc.) at the different locations. An antenna through which the RFID reader reads the RFID tags is either included with the mobile reading device or is included with the inventory structure”, column 28, lines 8-40):
transmit, via the control unit, a first RFID emission signal to the at least one shelf of the RFID storage container (Russell: column 28, lines 41-56 “the process 1200 initiates the first antenna. In some examples, this may include sending a signal to the first antenna instructing it to begin to transmit RF energy and receive RF energy”);
emit, via the array of antennas, a first electromagnetic signal in response to receipt of the first RFID emission signal (Russell: column 28, lines 41-56 “the process 1200 initiates the first antenna. In some examples, this may include sending a signal to the first antenna instructing it to begin to transmit RF energy and receive RF energy”);
receive, from one or more RFID tags associated with one or more corresponding products, a responsive signal from one or more RFID devices upon corresponding receipt of the first electromagnetic signal (Russell: column 2, lines 30-53 “RFID reader may be configured to transmit radio frequency (RF) energy in the form of RF signals (e.g., an interrogator signal) and receive RF energy in the form of RF signals (e.g., authentication replies) from the RFID tags”); and
High teaches a system and method for tracking inventory using RFID readers. Russell teaches a comparable system and method for tracking inventory using RFID readers that was improved in the same way as the claimed invention. Russell offers the embodiment of transmit, via the first container control unit, a first RFID emission signal to the first container shelf of the first RFID storage container. One of ordinary skill in the before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized the adaptation of the initial transmitting step as disclosed by Russell to the RFID system as taught by High for the predicted result of improved systems and methods for tracking inventory using RFID readers. No additional findings are seen to be necessary.
High and Russell fail to specifically teach 2.) assign a first weight to the responsive signal. The Examiner provides Nair to teach and disclose claimed feature 2.
The claimed subject matter that is met by Nair includes:
assign a first weight to a responsive signal (Nair: ¶¶ 0037-0041 “the lower the power used to read an RFID tag, the higher the tag location confidence. High power reads ensure inventory accuracy, while low power reads allow location accuracy… a location confidence is computed for each location ID and for each tag involved. The location confidence is computed based on the number of reads, an average RSSI, a max RSSI and the handheld reader's power level at the time of a tag read. The tag location is deducted from the location ID having the highest location confidence value”).
High and Russell teach systems and methods for tracking inventory using RFID readers. Nair teaches a comparable system and method for tracking inventory using RFID readers that was improved in the same way as the claimed invention. Nair offers the embodiment of assign a first weight to a responsive signal. High teaches determining a location of a tag based on the received signal strength of a tag from an antenna. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized the adaptation of assigning weights/confidence values based on the received signal strength as disclosed by Nair to the RFID systems and received signal strengths as taught by High and Russell for the predicted result of improved systems and methods for tracking inventory using RFID readers. No additional findings are seen to be necessary.
Conclusion
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/A. Hunter Wilder/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3627