Response to Amendment
This action is responsive to applicant’s amendment and remarks received on 01/08/2026. Claims 2-20 have been presented for examination. Claims 2-20 have been examined.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
Claims 2-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hong (Pub. No.: 2018/0207480 A1) in view of Saigh (Pub. No.: 2017/0224214 A1) and Lochmann (Pub. No.: 2021/0052966 A1).
1) In regard to claim 2, Hong discloses the claimed protection system (fig. 3), comprising:
a structure having an inner and outer surface (fig. 3a: 300 and fig. 3b: 300);
haptic devices positioned with respect to one or both of the inner and outer surface, the haptic devices configured to selectively generate haptic signals (figs. ¾: 306/330 and ¶0092) according to predetermined patterns that may be sensed by a wearer of the protection system (¶0092).
Hong does not explicitly disclose the predetermined patterns comprise haptic signals generated at different predetermined times on different haptic devices and wherein the predetermined patterns correspond to a physical position of the protection system in relation to a zone variably dependent on another person or object.
However, Saigh discloses it has been known for a wearable device to provide haptic signals with predetermined patterns (¶0039 discloses the haptic signal may indicate height, right, left, front, back etc.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the claimed invention was filed to allow the system of Hong to provide haptic signals with different patterns, as taught by Saigh.
One skilled in the art would be motivated to modify Hong as described above in order to allow the wearable device to provide a plurality of messages to the wearer of the device.
Furthermore, Lochmann discloses it is known for a wearable device to have a pattern correspond to a physical position of the wearable system in relation to a zone variably dependent on another person or object (¶0013-¶0014).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the claimed invention was filed to allow the system of Hong to provide a position of a zone via the system, as taught by Lochmann.
One skilled in the art would be motivated to modify Hong as described above in order to pass information from a player to a coach, as taught by Lochmann (¶0003).
2) In regard to claim 3 (dependent on claim 2), Hong, Saigh and Lochmann further disclose the protection system of claim 2, wherein the haptic devices are embedded in one or more soft members spaced apart from the inner surface (Saigh fig. 3 shows the haptic devices are embedded in the soft member).
3) In regard to claim 4 (dependent on claim 2), Hong, Saigh and Lochmann further disclose the protection system of claim 2, wherein the predetermined patterns individually correspond to selectable instructions for the wearer of the protection system (Saigh ¶0039).
4) In regard to claim 5 (dependent on claim 2), Hong, Saigh and Lochmann further disclose the protection system of claim 2, further comprising a wireless receiver (Hong fig. 4: 320), operatively coupled to the haptic devices, configured to receive a signal and output an output signal (Hong ¶0127-¶0128) configured to cause the haptic devices to generate the haptic signals according to a selected one of the predetermined patterns (Saigh ¶0039 and ¶0141).
5) In regard to claim 6 (dependent on claim 5), Hong, Saigh and Lochmann further disclose the protection system of claim 5, wherein the wireless receiver is configured to output the output signal based, at least in part, on a proximity to an external reference point (Hong ¶0127-¶0128).
6) In regard to claim 7 (dependent on claim 5), Hong, Saigh and Lochmann further disclose the protection system of claim 5, wherein the wireless receiver is configured to output the output signal based, at least in part, on a command received from a processor via a wireless transmitted configured to communicate with the wireless receiver (Hong ¶0127-¶0128).
7) In regard to claim 8, claim 8 is rejected and analyzed with respect to claim 2 and the references applied.
8) In regard to claim 9 (dependent on claim 8), claim 9 is rejected and analyzed with respect to claim 5 and the references applied.
9) In regard to claim 10 (dependent on claim 9), Hong, Saigh and Lochmann further disclose the system of claim 9, wherein individual ones of the predetermined patterns correspond to instructions for the wearer of the protective apparatus and further comprising: a user interface, operatively coupled to the processor, configured to:
present instructions to a user related to the wearer of the protective apparatus; and
receive a selection of one of the instructions, wherein the processor is configured to cause the haptic devices to deliver the haptic signals according to one of the predetermined patterns corresponding to the one of the instructions as selected (Lochmann ¶0038).
10) In regard to claim 11 (dependent on claim 10), Hong, Saigh and Lochmann further disclose the system of claim 10, further composing the wireless transmitter (fig. 2: 222 and ¶0077).
11) In regard to claim 12 (dependent on claim 11), Hong, Saigh and Lochmann further disclose the system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to cause the haptic devices to generate one of the predetermined patterns based on a location of the wireless transmitter (Lochmann ¶0013-¶0014).
12) In regard to claim 13 (dependent on claim 12), Hong, Saigh and Lochmann further disclose the system of claim 12, wherein the location of the wireless transmitter is relative to an external reference point (Lochmann ¶0013-¶0014).
13) In regard to claim 14 (dependent on claim 12), Hong, Saigh and Lochmann further disclose the system of claim 12, wherein the location is based on a location on a sporting field (Lochmann ¶0013-¶0014).
14) In regard to claim 15, claim 15 is rejected and analyzed with respect to claim 2 and the references applied.
15) In regard to claim 16 (dependent on claim 15), Hong, Saigh and Lochmann further disclose the method of claim 15, further comprising:
communicating wirelessly between a wireless receiver of the protection system and a wireless transmitter operatively coupled to the processor to communicatively couple the processor with the haptic devices (Lochmann ¶0038).
16) In regard to claim 17 (dependent on claim 16), Hong, Saigh and Lochmann further disclose the method of claim 16, wherein individual ones of the predetermined patterns correspond to instructions for the wearer of the protection system and further comprising: presenting, on a user interface operatively coupled to the processor, instructions to a user related to the wearer of the protection system; and receiving, with the user interface, a selection of one of the instructions; wherein causing the haptic devices to deliver the haptic signals is according to one of the predetermined patterns corresponding to the one of the instructions as selected (Lochmann ¶0038).
17) In regard to claim 18 (dependent on claim 17), Hong, Saigh and Lochmann further disclose the method of claim 17, wherein causing the haptic devices to generate one of the predetermined patterns is based on a location of the wireless transmitter (Lochmann ¶0013-¶0014).
18) In regard to claim 19 (dependent on claim 18), Hong, Saigh and Lochmann further disclose the method of claim 18, wherein the location of the wireless transmitter is relative to an external reference point (Lochmann ¶0013-¶0014).
19) In regard to claim 20 (dependent on claim 18), Hong, Saigh and Lochmann further disclose the method of claim 18, wherein the location is based on a location on a spotting field (Lochmann ¶0013-¶0014).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments with respect to the priority data, based solely on the date of the reference, has been considered but are moot because the examiner has provided a copy of the document.
Conclusion
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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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 mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CURTIS J KING whose telephone number is (571)270-5160. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 6:00 - 2:00 EST.
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/CURTIS J KING/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2685