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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: Electronic Blood Pressure Watch Device.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because line 8 of the amended abstract should have the word –and—before “a length of the first airbag”. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Paragraph 115, Line 1: The word “embodiments” should be singular or the word “another” should be changed to –other--.
Paragraph 135, Line 1: Should this refer to Figure 14?
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 13, 14, 20-23, 26, 28, 29, and 32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin [US 2020/0085319] (supplied by applicant) in view of Johnson [US 2020/0272106] (supplied by applicant).
For claim 13, the electronic device (Title: Wearable Device) comprising a watch body (No. 20), a first strap, and second strap (Figs. 5 and 6) taught by Lin includes the following claimed subject matter, as noted, 1) the claimed sensor is met by the air pressure sensor (No. 14), and 2) the claimed processor is met by the processor (No. 15), a first airbag (No. 30) is disposed on the first strap (No. 12), a length of a first airbag is different from a second airbag (see Figs. 5 and 6). However, there is no mention of a first magnet disposed on the first strap close to a mounting part of the first strap, a second magnet disposed on the second strap close to a mounting part of the second strap, the second magnetic pole of the second magnet is different from the first magnetic pole of the first strap, and in response to the sensor detecting a magnetic field of the first magnetic pole or the second magnetic pole, determine that the first strap or the second strap is disposed on the watch body.
Using a sensor to detect magnetic poles in a watch strap has been taught in the prior art. The identification of bands taught by Johnson also teaches an electronic wrist device that can identify an individual band or strap based on a magnetic source (No. 190) mounted on said strap. A detector (No. 170) is mounted in the housing (No. 102) of the electronic device close to a mounting part of the strap (Figs. 6-8). When multiple bands are used having different magnetic sources, the identification element can include an arrangement of the magnets (e.g., different north-south orientations) that is distinct from the arrangement of another identification element of a different band (Paragraph 50). Thereby, the electronic device can identify the band and perform the corresponding actions. Furthermore, the Johnson reference can use the identification element to indicate a type, model, color, or other characteristic of the band (Paragraph 58).
The Johnson reference presents plain evidence that magnetic sensors and magnets can and have been used to identify different watch bands. And the Lin reference teaches different airbags that are used with its watch straps. The different airbags could easily be identified using the magnetic sensors of Johnson. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the claimed invention to use the magnetic sensor and identification elements of Johnson in the system of Lin for the purpose of easily identifying which strap or airbag is being used.
For claim 14, Figures 5 and 6 of Lin depict different airbags while the Johnson device also teaches different straps and bands to be used with its device.
For claim 20, if the detector (No. 170) of Johnson does not detect the identification element (No. 190), then the strap is not disposed on the watch body.
For claims 21-23, Figures 4A and 4B of Lin depict two separate strap bodies (No. 12) connected to two sides of the watch body, while the airbag (No. 30) is disposed on an inner surface of both strap bodies and the watch body. The Johnson reference teaches the magnet disposed on a part that is close to the watch body (Figs. 6-8).
For claim 26, paragraph 50 of Lin details different lengths of different bladders.
For claim 28, the electronic device (Title: Wearable Device) comprising a watch body (No. 20), a first strap, and a first airbag and second airbag (Figs. 5 and 6) taught by Lin includes the following claimed subject matter, as noted, 1) the claimed sensor is met by the air pressure sensor (No. 14), and 2) the claimed processor is met by the processor (No. 15), a first airbag (No. 30) is disposed on the first strap (No. 12), a length of a first airbag is different from a second airbag (see Figs. 5 and 6). However, there is no mention of a first magnet disposed on the first strap close to a mounting part of the first strap, a second magnet disposed on the second strap close to a mounting part of the second strap, the second magnetic pole of the second magnet is different from the first magnetic pole of the first strap, and in response to the sensor detecting a magnetic field of the first magnetic pole or the second magnetic pole, determine that the first strap or the second strap is disposed on the watch body.
The claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reasons and rationale as is mentioned in the rejection of claim 13 above.
For claim 29, Figures 5 and 6 of Lin depict different airbags while the Johnson device also teaches different straps and bands to be used with its device.
For claim 32, the electronic device (Title: Wearable Device) comprising a watch body (No. 20), a first strap, and a first airbag and second airbag (Figs. 5 and 6) taught by Lin includes the following claimed subject matter, as noted, 1) the claimed sensor is met by the air pressure sensor (No. 14), and 2) the claimed processor is met by the processor (No. 15), a first airbag (No. 30) is disposed on the first strap (No. 12), a length of a first airbag is different from a second airbag (see Figs. 5 and 6). However, there is no mention of a first magnet disposed on the first strap close to a mounting part of the first strap, a second magnet disposed on the second strap close to a mounting part of the second strap, the second magnetic pole of the second magnet is different from the first magnetic pole of the first strap, and in response to the sensor detecting a magnetic field of the first magnetic pole or the second magnetic pole, determine that the first strap or the second strap is disposed on the watch body.
The claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reasons and rationale as is mentioned in the rejection of claim 13 above.
The claimed cover is mentioned in the preamble of the claim and is therefore given no patentable weight by the Examiner.
Claims 24, 25, and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin in view of Johnson as applied to claim 13 above, and further in view of Jin et al [CN 207780519] (supplied by applicant).
For claim 24, nowhere in the Lin or Johnson references is there any mention of a cover disposed on the strap.
Covers have been used on watch straps and specifically on straps that have magnetic detectors. The watch wear detection structure taught by Jin includes a magnet (No. 30) disposed in part of a watch band (No. 20) that is to be detected by a Hall effect sensor (No. 40) disposed in the watch body (No. 10) in order to detect and output the wearing condition of the smart watch. A cover (No. 23) is disposed for closing a notch that holds the magnet. This cover can be made of the same material and color as the wristband so as to not affect the appearance.
The Jin reference shows that a magnetic detector and magnet similar to that of Johnson can use a cover in order to disguise the appearance of the magnet held therein. Also, the cover can provide security and prevents the magnet from falling out of the strap. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a cover to secure the identification element of Johnson for the purpose of providing some sort of security in addition to preserving the appearance of the strap.
For claim 25, Figure 2 of Jin depicts the magnet (No. 30) disposed within the cover (No. 23). This cover is attached to the strap which is then attached to the watch body.
For claim 27, the sensor of Jin is a Hall effect sensor (No. 40).
Claims 15-19, 30, and 31 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The Lin reference does include an air pump (No. 13) and communication hole (No. 31), and the prior are does mention using covers in conjunction with watch straps; however, the prior art does not use the cover and air pump to obtain test data and compare the test data with preset data to determine whether the airbag or the cover is disposed on the strap. Also, the air pump of Lin does not detect whether the first strap or the second strap is disposed on the watch body based on test data gathered by the processor using the air pump. The Zheng et al [US 2023/0157553] reference does gather wrist circumference; however, this is not used to determine whether the strap is selected correctly or incorrectly. And while the Yuan [U.S. 2024/0398246] reference does allow the user to input wrist circumference, the priority date of Yuan does not pre-date the priority date of the current application.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Seo et al [US 2016/0223992] uses a Hall effect sensor to detect a watch strap.
Zhou [US 2023/0255501] teaches a watch strap for a blood pressure measurement.
Tokko [US 2024/0041337] is a blood pressure measurement device for a watch body.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN A. TWEEL JR whose telephone number is (571)272-2969. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-4.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Davetta W Goins can be reached at 571-272-2957. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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JAT
5/29/2026
/JOHN A TWEEL JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2689
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