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 .
Claim Status
Claims 1-14 are pending.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 1-11 (Group I) have been elected for examination.
Claims 12-14 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected Invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 05-14-2026.
Applicant’s traversal of the restriction requirement has been considered but is not persuasive.
Applicant generally asserts that the claimed subject matter is sufficiently related such that examination of all claims would not impose a serious search and examination burden. However, the restriction requirement was made because the claims are directed to distinct inventions requiring examination in different areas of prior art and requiring materially different searches.
As previously set forth, the Examiner maintains that the inventions as claimed are distinct because the claims are directed to different inventive concepts having separate classification and search considerations. Examination of one group would not necessarily encompass a complete examination of the other group(s), and separate searches would be required to properly examine the differing claimed subject matter.
The Applicant has failed to demonstrate that the claimed inventions are obvious variants or obvious alternatives of one another and has not specifically addressed the distinctions identified in the restriction requirement. Nor has Applicant demonstrated that the separate inventions are not independent or distinct as required under 35 U.S.C. § 121 and MPEP § 803. Accordingly, the traversal is not persuasive, and the restriction requirement is maintained.
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) 1-4 and 6-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LANDRY (US Patent 11,275,982) in view of STEINER (US Pub. 2021/0327224).
Regarding claim 1,
Landry teaches an information reading apparatus comprising:
a box which suppresses outside leakage of radio waves (col. 1:26-28 teach a reading enclosure having a Faraday cage including a cage floor and a cage hood hinged to the cage floor);
a housing unit disposed in the box and housing a plurality of articles in a predetermined arrangement (col. 5:57-58 teaches a container having a large number of RFID tagged items positioned within the container);
at least one reading antenna disposed in the box for reading information from a radio tag shaped like a plate and attached to each of the plurality of articles at a predetermined position (see col. 4:1-49, in particular col. 4:5-11 teaches, “A first antenna 30a is oriented with a transmission axis directed from a ceiling of the cage hood downward in a direction substantially normal to a plane of the cage floor. A second antenna 30b is oriented with a transmission axis directed essentially sideways in the cage hood.”); and
a control unit performing reading processing of reading information from the radio tag in the housing unit utilizing the at least one reading antenna (see col. 5:1-31, in particular, col. 5:22-31 teaches “The RFID reader and antennas may be any conventional or future developed RFID hardware. In one example the RFID reader is an Alien F800 reader and the antennas are SensThys SensRF 1010 antennas. RFID readers typically have the onboard processing capacity and software to generate a listing of RFID tag numeric identifiers detected in the read cycle and then export this list of detected RFID tags to a conventional laptop or desktop computer, which will utilize the list with conventional object tracking software.”), wherein
(a) the housing unit houses the plurality of articles (fig. 2) and a pair of opposing inner surfaces among a plurality of inner surfaces of the housing unit; and (b) a first distance between either one of the pair of inner surfaces and an inner surface of the box opposed by an outer surface of the housing unit corresponding to the either one of the pair of inner surfaces is longer than a second distance between other inner surfaces among the plurality of inner surfaces of the housing unit other than the pair of inner surfaces and inner surfaces of the box opposed by outer surfaces of the housing unit corresponding to the other inner surfaces (col. 2:21-col. 3:3 and col. 4:56-col. 5:21 teaches that the housing unit is positioned within the enclosure such that opposing side surfaces of the housing unit are spaced apart from opposing inner side surfaces of the enclosure hood, while the bottom surface of the housing unit is positioned directly upon or adjacent the cage floor 5, thereby teaching that a first distance between opposing inner surfaces of the box and corresponding outer surfaces of the housing unit is greater than a second distance between other surfaces of the housing unit and corresponding inner surfaces of the box).
Landry fails to expressly teach a plate surface of the radio tag attached to each of the plurality of articles is orthogonal to an opposing direction of a pair of opposing inner surfaces among a plurality of inner surfaces of the housing unit
STEINER teaches in [0014]-[0017]; FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B, RFID tags attached to surfaces of objects within a container, wherein the RFID tags are planar/plate-like and arranged on surfaces of the objects in differing angular orientations relative to the RFID antenna and surrounding structures. Steiner further teaches repositioning and orienting tagged objects relative to RFID antennas to improve RFID readability and mitigate signal shadowing effects (see [0013]; [0017]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to modify the RFID-tagged articles of Landry to utilize the planar RFID tag orientations taught by Steiner, including arranging the tagged articles, or disposing the tags on the articles such that the plate surfaces of the RFID tags are oriented orthogonally relative to opposing enclosure surfaces, in order to improve RFID readability, reduce signal shadowing, and improve tag detection reliability for densely packed RFID-tagged items, as taught by Steiner (see [0013]-[0017]).
Regarding claim 2,
Landry modified by Steiner teaches an antenna for external communication, the antenna being disposed inside the box and used to communicate wirelessly with external equipment outside the box, wherein the box is provided with a hole portion with an opening width of λ2/4 or more and less than λ1/4, where λ1 is a wavelength of a radio wave from the at least one reading antenna, and λ2 is a wavelength of a radio wave from the antenna for external communication (Landry teaches an information reading apparatus comprising a Faraday cage that suppresses outside leakage of radio waves, including cage hood 10 and cage floor 5 (see col. 1:26-28); RFID antennas and an RFID reader configured for communication with external systems via cable 36 and associated communication hardware (col. 5:32-49]); and controlling RF leakage from the enclosure through use of RF shielding fabric, conductive grounding, tight sealing arrangements, and minimizing RF leakage paths (col. 3:4-66).
Landry fails to expressly teach that the box is provided with a hole portion having an opening width of λ2/4 or more and less than λ1/4, where λ1 is a wavelength of a radio wave from the reading antenna and λ2 is a wavelength of a radio wave from an external communication antenna.
Before the effective filing date of the invention it would have been obvious to construct the dimension of the communication aperture/opening in the RF shielded enclosure according to known RF shielding and waveguide aperture sizing principles relative to the operating wavelengths involved in order to permit desired communication frequencies while suppressing undesired RF leakage, since such wavelength-dependent aperture sizing constitutes a known design consideration in RF shielding systems.
Regarding claim 3,
Landry teaches that at least one reading antenna comprises a plurality of reading antennas, the plurality of reading antennas respectively operates as at least one of an antenna transmitting a signal to the radio tag and an antenna receiving a signal from the radio tag, the control unit performs the reading processing for each transmission and reception pattern that is a selection pattern for the reading antenna used for transmission and reception, and the transmission and reception pattern includes a pattern in which the same reading antenna is used for transmission and reception, and a pattern in which different reading antennas are used for transmission and reception (Landry teaches an information reading apparatus including a plurality of reading antennas disposed within a Faraday enclosure (see Abstract; col. 4:1-50). Landry teaches that the plurality of reading antennas operate with different transmission axes and orientations, including antennas 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d positioned at differing orientations within the enclosure (see col. 4:1--31). Landry further teaches that the RFID reader performs RFID read cycles using the antennas, wherein the read cycle process is repeated using additional antennas connected to the RFID reader (col. 4:56-col. 5:21) and teaches embodiments utilizing one or more RFID readers with multiple antennas and varying antenna configurations (see col. 4:1 – col.5:52).
Regarding claim 4,
Steiner teaches that based on a result of a comparison between a predetermined threshold corresponding to transmit power for a signal transmitted via the at least one reading antenna and a received signal strength of a signal received from a radio tag, the control unit determines whether the radio tag that is a source of the received signal is housed in the box, and the transmit power and the predetermined threshold are set according to the number of radio tags previously determined to be housed in the box (Steiner teaches an RFID system configured to determine whether RFID-tagged objects are located within a designated scanning region or outside the scanning region (see [0043]-[0045]; [0049]-[0054]). Steiner teaches that RFID antennas determine ranges to RFID-tagged objects and determine whether the objects are located within the scanning zone based on signal characteristics including signal strength, phase, and time-of-flight (see [0049]; [0052]). Steiner further teaches that RFID signals outside the designated region are ignored while objects determined to be within the scanning zone are processed as part of a transaction (see [0043]-[0055]. While Steiner does not expressly disclose comparing a received signal strength to a predetermined threshold corresponding to transmit power, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to utilize predetermined signal strength thresholds corresponding to transmit power in order to determine whether a tag is located within the intended scanning zone, since threshold-based RSSI processing represents a known and predictable technique for determining RFID tag proximity and location).
Regarding claim 6,
Steiner teaches at least one outside-box antenna disposed outside the box to communicate wirelessly with a radio tag, wherein the at least one reading antenna comprises at least one inside-box antenna, and the control unit performs reading processing of reading information from a radio tag utilizing the at least one inside-box antenna and the at least one outside-box antenna, and determines whether the radio tag that is a source of the received signal is housed in the box based on a received signal strength of a signal received by the at least one inside-box antenna from a radio tag and a received signal strength of a signal received by the at least one outside-box antenna from a radio tag (Steiner teaches RFID antennas associated with kiosk scanning zones and additionally teaches RFID signal interactions involving objects both within and outside designated kiosk regions (see [0038]-[0043]). Steiner further teaches that RFID antennas determine whether RFID-tagged objects are within a designated scanning zone based on signal measurements including signal strength and distance determinations (see [0043]-[0045]; [0049]-[0052]). Steiner additionally teaches that RFID signals from outside kiosk regions may be ignored and that shield walls are utilized to separate internal and external RFID environments (see [0040]-[0043])).
Regarding claim 7,
Steiner teaches that the control unit determines whether the radio tag that is a source of the received signal is housed in the box based on a magnitude relationship between the received signal strength of the signal received by the at least one inside-box antenna from a radio tag and the received signal strength of the signal received by the at least one outside-box antenna from a radio tag (Steiner teaches determining whether RFID-tagged objects are within designated scanning regions using signal measurements including signal strength and distance determinations (see [0043]-[0052]). Steiner further teaches comparing RFID signal conditions associated with objects positioned within and outside kiosk regions and selectively processing or ignoring signals accordingly (see [0043]-[0055])).
Regarding claim 8,
Steiner teaches a control board comprising: the control unit; and the at least one outside-box antenna, wherein the control board is installed outside the box (Steiner teaches RFID systems including computing devices and RFID control hardware associated with kiosk structures and RFID antennas (see [0057]-[0060]). Steiner further teaches RFID antennas associated with kiosk infrastructure and shielded kiosk regions (see [0037]-[0043]). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to position a control board including control circuitry and antenna-related circuitry outside a shielded enclosure in order to simplify maintenance, reduce shielding complexity, and improve accessibility of control electronics).
Regarding claim 9,
Steiner teaches at least one inside-box antenna operates as an antenna transmitting a signal to a radio tag and as an antenna receiving a signal from a radio tag, the at least one outside-box antenna operates as an antenna receiving a signal from a radio tag, and the control unit determines whether the radio tag that is a source of the received signal is housed in the box based on a magnitude of a difference between the received signal strength of the signal received by the at least one inside-box antenna from a radio tag and the received signal strength of the signal received by the at least one outside-box antenna from a radio tag (Steiner teaches RFID antennas configured to transmit excitation signals and receive identifier signals from RFID tags (see [0014]; [0047]-[0052]). Steiner further teaches determining object location relative to scanning regions based on signal strength and other signal characteristics (see [0049]; [0052]). Steiner additionally teaches processing RFID signals associated with objects both within and outside designated kiosk regions (see [0043]-[0055]. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time to determine whether a tag is housed within an enclosure based upon a difference between received signal strengths associated with different antenna locations, since differential signal-strength comparison represents a known and predictable RFID localization and range-detection technique).
Claim(s) 10 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LANDRY (US Patent 11,275,982) in view of STEINER (US Pub. 2021/0327224) and further in view of KAMO (US Pub. 2016/0093944).
Regarding claim 10,
The combined teachings of Landry and Steiner teach the apparatus according to claim 9, but fails to further teach: a control board comprising: the control unit; a reception unit receiving a signal from the at least one inside-box antenna; and a switch switching on and off a connection between the at least one inside-box antenna and the reception unit, wherein the control board is installed outside the box, the at least one outside-box antenna is wiring connecting the reception unit and the switch, and the control unit determines whether the radio tag that is a source of the received signal is housed in the box based on the magnitude of the difference between the received signal strength of the signal received by the at least one inside-box antenna from a radio tag (Steiner teaches an RFID system configured to determine whether RFID-tagged objects are located within designated scanning zones based on signal characteristics including signal strength, time-of-flight, and phase information (see [0043]-[0055]). Steiner further teaches processing signals associated with objects located within and outside designated kiosk regions and selectively processing or ignoring such signals accordingly (see [0043]-[0055]).)
Landry and Steiner fail to expressly teach a switch switching on and off a connection between an antenna and a reception unit.
KAMO teaches a radar system including transmitting antennas, receiving antennas, selector circuits, detector circuitry, and controller circuitry configured to selectively switch antenna operational configurations (see [0039]-[0048]). Kamo further teaches selector circuits configured to selectively utilize different antenna subsets and selectively process signals from differing receiving antennas (see [0039]-[0047]). In particular, Kamo expressly teaches that “a mechanism configured to turn on and off the actual receiving function of the receiving antennas 215 may be provided” and that such mechanism serves as a selector circuit (see [0048]). Kamo additionally teaches circuit boards and control circuitry located external to the antenna structures and interconnected by wiring (see [0030]-[0042]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to incorporate Kamo’s selective antenna switching arrangement into the combined teachings of Landry/Steiner in order to selectively enable and disable antenna reception paths during comparative signal-strength determination processing, for the purpose of improving localization accuracy and reducing unwanted signal reception from outside monitored regions.
Regarding claim 11,
Kamo teaches that the control board is installed on an upper surface of the box in a placed state (Kamo teaches mounting and positioning control circuitry and associated mounting structures on upper portions of the radar device assembly, including a mount 241 positioned on the top of cover 24 and associated control circuitry/circuit boards mounted relative thereto (see [0030]-[0032]). Kamo additionally teaches that the radar device and associated circuitry are mounted adjacent upper windshield structures via bracket arrangements (see [0027]-[0031]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5 is 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DIONNE PENDLETON whose telephone number is (571)272-7497. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9a-5pm.
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/DIONNE PENDLETON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2689
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