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 application filed on April 25, 2024. Claims 1-20 are currently pending in the application.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 4/25/2024 are acknowledged and are acceptable.
Claim Objections
Claims 11 and 20 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claims 11 and 20, line 1, "A digital drink coaster device patent" appears to be a typographical error and should be corrected to "A digital drink coaster device".
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 10-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claims 10 and 19 define A digital drink coaster device comprising/comprised of a mobile application. However, based on the specification, it is unclear that the device directly contains or runs the mobile app (e.g., it’s pre-installed, or the app runs natively on the coaster device, like in a smart device with an OS). According to the specification, the mobile application is not embedded in or installed on the device, but merely linked via QR code, thus the device is not made up of the mobile application. A QR code is just a pointer or link — it doesn’t make the mobile application part of the device itself.
The applicant may amend the claim to recite, “A digital drink coaster device comprising/comprised of … a QR code that links to a mobile application”, in order to resolve the 112(b) issue.
Claims 11-18 and 20 depend from claims 10 and 19, respectively, and are therefore rejected for the same reasons.
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.
Claims 1, 2, and 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Wallace et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2019/0063988; hereinafter as "Wallace").
As per claim 1, Wallace discloses a digital drink coaster device (e.g., fig. 1: a beverage coaster 102 with integrated electronics) comprising:
a body comprised of a top surface (302) and a bottom surface (304) (see e.g., fig. 3A; para. [0032]; also see figs. 1-2; para. [0027] & [0030]);
a display screen positioned on the top surface (see e.g., para. [0018]: “The coaster may also support an indication of the weight on a related display. The display may be on a user interface of the coaster and/or of a computing device, or similar”; fig. 2, para. [0025]-[0026]: “The user interface 118 may also (or alternatively) comprise a light, such as a light emitting diode, that can provide feedback to a user. The light may emanate from the perimeter of the beverage coaster 102, from underneath the beverage coaster 102, from the top of the beverage coaster 102, or from some other location or portions of the beverage coaster 102, or similar. The light source may be mounted to a surface of the beverage coaster 102.”); and
a battery (para. [0021]: “The power system 110 may include one or more batteries to provide power to the components within the beverage coaster 102.”).
As per claim 2, claim 1 is incorporated and Wallace discloses: wherein the display screen is comprised of an LED screen (e.g., para. [0025]: “The user interface 118 may also (or alternatively) comprise a light, such as a light emitting diode, that can provide feedback to a user.”).
As per claim 6, claim 1 is incorporated and Wallace discloses: wherein the bottom surface is comprised of a grip area (e.g., fig. 3B, para. [0034]: “As illustrated, one or more feet 306 extend through apertures 308 in the bottom surface 304 to allow the feet 306 to extend therethrough. The feet 306 may be outfitted with a non-slip pad 310 at the distal end that is selected to inhibit the beverage coaster 300 from sliding across a surface.”).
As per claim 7, claim 6 is incorporated and Wallace discloses: wherein the grip area is comprised of a non-slip material (e.g., para. [0034]: “The non-slip pad 310 may be formed of any suitable material, but in some embodiments, may be formed of an elastomer, such as rubber, plastic, a rubberized polymer, a combination of materials, or other such non-slip material.”).
As per claim 8, claim 7 is incorporated and Wallace discloses: wherein the non-slip material is comprised of a raised or a recessed texture (see e.g., figs. 3B, 4A & 4B; para. [0034] & [0037]).
As per claim 9, claim 1 is incorporated and Wallace discloses: A digital drink coaster device further comprised of a button that turns the display screen on or off (see e.g., fig. 2; para. [0025]: “the user interface 118 may comprise a button (such as 202 of FIG. 2).”; para. [0026]: “The button 202 may be used to turn on and turn off the device.”).
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 of this title, 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 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wallace in view of MacDonald et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2007/0182710; hereinafter as "MacDonald").
As per claim 3, claim 1 is incorporated and Wallace discloses that the upper surface of the beverage coaster 200 may be waterproof or liquid absorbent material (para. [0036]), but does not explicitly disclose: wherein the display screen is comprised of a waterproof screen.
However, in the same field of endeavor, MacDonald discloses: wherein the display screen is comprised of a waterproof screen (e.g., para. [0030] & [0045]: “The display device 205 is designed for extreme temperature operation, and is UV and water resistant.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wallace to incorporate the teachings of MacDonald to provide a waterproof display screen. Doing so allows the display system to withstand extreme conditions for the intended application, such as the retail restaurant or other food service establishment, as recognized by MacDonald (para. [0030]).
As per claim 4, claim 1 is incorporated and Wallace discloses that the upper surface of the beverage coaster 200 is comprised of a protective layer (para. [0036]), but does not explicitly disclose: wherein the display screen is comprised of a protective layer.
However, in the same field of endeavor, MacDonald discloses: wherein the display screen is comprised of a protective layer (e.g., para. [0030] & [0045]: “The display system is designed specifically to withstand extreme conditions for the intended application, here the retail restaurant or other food service establishment, such as commercial dishwashers, hence the materials for the tray 200 are designed to be water resistant. The materials contemplated for use with the display device to achieve the desired operational conditions may include, for example, engineering thermoplastics, gasketed metals, ultrasonic welding processes and other suitable materials and assemblies.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wallace to incorporate the teachings of MacDonald to provide the display screen comprised of a protective layer. Doing so allows the display system to withstand extreme conditions for the intended application, such as the retail restaurant or other food service establishment, as recognized by MacDonald (para. [0030]).
As per claim 5, claim 4 is incorporated and Wallace in view of MacDonald discloses: wherein the protective layer is comprised of a film or a glass (e.g., para. [0030]: “The materials contemplated for use with the display device to achieve the desired operational conditions may include, for example, engineering thermoplastics, gasketed metals, ultrasonic welding processes and other suitable materials and assemblies.”).
Claims 10-15 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wallace in view of Locke (U.S. Publication No. 2023/0325905).
As per claim 10, Wallace discloses a digital drink coaster device (e.g., fig. 1: a beverage coaster 102 with integrated electronics) comprising:
a body comprised of a top surface (302), a bottom surface (304) (see e.g., fig. 3A; para. [0032]), and a charging port (e.g., para. [0021] & [0030]: “a charging port may be provided that accepts a charging cable to charge the one or more internal batteries from an external power source.”);
a display screen positioned on the top surface (see e.g., para. [0018]: “The coaster may also support an indication of the weight on a related display. The display may be on a user interface of the coaster and/or of a computing device, or similar.”; fig. 2, para. [0025]-[0026]: “The user interface 118 may also (or alternatively) comprise a light, such as a light emitting diode, that can provide feedback to a user. The light may emanate from the perimeter of the beverage coaster 102, from underneath the beverage coaster 102, from the top of the beverage coaster 102, or from some other location or portions of the beverage coaster 102, or similar. The light source may be mounted to a surface of the beverage coaster 102.”);
a battery (para. [0021]: “The power system 110 may include one or more batteries to provide power to the components within the beverage coaster 102.”);
a mobile application (e.g., para. [0076]: “The beverage coaster may be distributed with instructions for downloading a software application to the computing device of the user. The software application may be provided by the beverage company and may therefore be branded to reflect the source of the beverage coaster and the software application, and may further promote recipes or ingredients that feature the beverage company's products.”).
Wallace does not explicitly disclose a digital drink coaster device comprising: a charging dock comprised of a charging contact.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Locke discloses: a digital drink coaster device (e.g., figs. 1-2; para. [0041]-[0042]: an electronic table mat 101 usable as a beverage coaster) comprising: a charging dock comprised of a charging contact (see e.g., fig. 5; para. [0072]: “the electronic table mat system 503 also comprises at least one docking station, such as docking station 507, at which the electronic table mats can normally be kept and charged as required.”; fig. 6; para. [0083]: “One side 605 of the electronic table mat 601 has a docking station charging point 606.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wallace to incorporate the teachings of Locke to provide a charging dock comprised of a charging contact. Doing so allows to place the beverage coaster back in the docking station for charging, as recognized by Locke (para. [0072] & [0122]).
As per claim 11, claim 10 is incorporated and Wallace in view of Locke discloses: wherein the charging contact is comprised of a USB charging contact (see Wallace, e.g., para. [0021]; Locke, e.g., figs. 6-10; para. [0083]-[0087]: discloses a docking station charging point is provided for enabling charging of the electronic table mat; it is obvious that the charging point is a USB charging contact, as USB is standard interface for charging and data transfer in most modern electronic devices, and the charging dock would naturally incorporate such a common and widely accepted port type).
As per claim 12, claim 10 is incorporated and Wallace in view of Locke discloses: wherein the charging port is comprised of a USB port (see Wallace, e.g., para. [0021]; Locke, e.g., figs. 6-10; para. [0083]-[0087]: discloses a docking station charging point is provided for enabling charging of the electronic table mat; it is obvious that the charging point is a USB port, as USB is standard interface for charging and data transfer in most modern electronic devices, and the charging dock would naturally incorporate such a common and widely accepted port type).
As per claim 13, claim 10 is incorporated and Wallace in view of Locke discloses: wherein the charging dock is comprised of a power cord (see Wallace, e.g., para. [0021]; Locke, e.g., figs. 6-10; para. [0083]-[0087]).
As per claim 14, claim 10 is incorporated and Wallace does not explicitly disclose: A digital drink coaster device further comprised of a QR code.
However, Locke discloses: a digital drink coaster device (e.g., figs. 1-2; para. [0041]-[0042]: an electronic table mat 101 usable as a beverage coaster) further comprised of a QR code (e.g., para. [0113]: “Displayed content may include information and/or advertising and may, for example, show a QR code for providing a link to a web site, social network, or playback video/audio material.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wallace to incorporate the teachings of Locke to provide a QR code. Doing so allows a user to scan a QR code on the display screen to facilitate easy and/or quick connection to a web, social, or media content, as recognized by Locke (para. [0113]).
As per claim 15, claim 14 is incorporated and Wallace in view of Locke discloses: wherein the QR code is displayed on the body or by the display screen (see Locke, e.g., para. [0113]).
As per claim 17, claim 10 is incorporated and Wallace in view of Locke discloses: A digital drink coaster device further comprised of a transmitter (see Wallace, fig. 1; para. [0020] & [0024]: the beverage coaster 102 may include a wireless transceiver 116, such as a Bluetooth low energy transceiver).
As per claim 18, claim 10 is incorporated and Wallace in view of Locke discloses: A digital drink coaster device further comprised of a receiver (see Wallace, fig. 1; para. [0020] & [0024]: the beverage coaster 102 may include a wireless transceiver 116, such as a Bluetooth low energy transceiver).
As per claim 19, Wallace discloses a method of using a digital drink coaster device (see e.g., figs. 5-7: flow diagrams showing several processes for using a beverage coaster), the method comprising the following steps:
providing a digital drink coaster device (e.g., fig. 1: a beverage coaster 102 with integrated electronics) comprised of a body (see e.g., fig. 3A; para. [0032]) comprised of a display screen (see e.g., para. [0018]: “The coaster may also support an indication of the weight on a related display. The display may be on a user interface of the coaster and/or of a computing device, or similar.”; fig. 2, para. [0025]-[0026]: “The user interface 118 may also (or alternatively) comprise a light, such as a light emitting diode, that can provide feedback to a user. The light may emanate from the perimeter of the beverage coaster 102, from underneath the beverage coaster 102, from the top of the beverage coaster 102, or from some other location or portions of the beverage coaster 102, or similar. The light source may be mounted to a surface of the beverage coaster 102.”), The beverage coaster may be distributed with instructions for downloading a software application to the computing device of the user. The software application may be provided by the beverage company and may therefore be branded to reflect the source of the beverage coaster and the software application, and may further promote recipes or ingredients that feature the beverage company's products.”);
using the mobile application to select a piece of content to be displayed on the display screen (see e.g., figs. 5-6; para. [0042]-[0044] & [0047]-[0051]);
placing the digital drink coaster device on a surface (e.g., para. [0045]);
pressing a button of the digital drink coaster device to power on the display screen (e.g., para. [0026], [0030] & [0042]); and
placing a drink on a top surface of the digital drink coaster device (e.g., para. [0032]-[0033] & [0045]-[0046]).
Wallace does not explicitly disclose the digital drink coaster device comprised of a charging dock; and the step of removing the digital drink coaster device from the charging dock.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Locke discloses: a digital drink coaster device (e.g., figs. 1-2; para. [0041]-[0042]: an electronic table mat 101 usable as a beverage coaster) comprised of a charging dock (see e.g., fig. 5; para. [0072]: “the electronic table mat system 503 also comprises at least one docking station, such as docking station 507, at which the electronic table mats can normally be kept and charged as required.”; fig. 6; para. [0083]: “One side 605 of the electronic table mat 601 has a docking station charging point 606.”); and
removing the digital drink coaster device from the charging dock (e.g., para. [0072] & [0117]-[0122]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wallace to incorporate the teachings of Locke to provide a charging dock. Doing so allows to simply remove the beverage coaster from the docking station to serve the customer and placing it back for charging, as recognized by Locke (para. [0122]).
As per claim 20, claim 19 is incorporated and Wallace does not explicitly disclose: A method of using a digital drink coaster device further comprised of a step of scanning a QR code which is displayed by the display screen or shown on the body.
However, Locke discloses: a method of using a digital drink coaster device (e.g., figs. 1-2; para. [0041]-[0042]: an electronic table mat 101 usable as a beverage coaster) further comprised of a step of scanning a QR code which is displayed by the display screen or shown on the body (e.g., para. [0113]: “Displayed content may include information and/or advertising and may, for example, show a QR code for providing a link to a web site, social network, or playback video/audio material.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wallace to incorporate the teachings of Locke to provide scanning a QR code which is displayed by the display screen. Doing so allows a user to scan a QR code on the display screen to facilitate easy and/or quick connection to a web, social, or media content, as recognized by Locke (para. [0113]).
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wallace in view of Locke, and further in view of Bridge (U.S. Publication No. 2021/0342960).
As per claim 16, claim 14 is incorporated and Wallace in view of Locke discloses: wherein the QR code directs a user to a website
Wallace in view of Locke does not explicitly disclose: wherein the QR code directs a user to the mobile application when scanned.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Bridge discloses: wherein the QR code directs a user to the mobile application when scanned (e.g., para. [0023]: “a customer 108 may scan a QR code or NFC sticker/tag (Near Field Communication) at a table, or other location associated with the venue. The scanning of the code, sticker and/or tag may then bring up the instant app and give the customer 108 the ability experience the entire restaurant experience(s) described herein, without the need to load the customer App 210.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wallace in view of Locke to incorporate the teachings of Bridge to provide a QR code that directs the user to the mobile application when scanned. Doing so allows extend QR functionality to include launching or linking to mobile apps, as recognized by Bridge (para. [0023]).
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.
Nieraad et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2021/0038001) discloses a drinks coaster comprising a housing which is so designed that a drinking vessel can be placed thereon, and a wireless electronic communication device arranged in the housing.
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/ADNAN AZIZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2687 adnan.aziz@uspto.gov