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 Objections
Claim 8 and 13-14 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In claims 8 and 13, “the read-out values” should be “
In claim 13, “the method as claim 12” should be “the method as claimed in claim 12.”
In claim 14, “and wherein the value packet is transmitted to the data processing unit” is repetitive and should be removed.
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 6, 12, and 20 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claims 6, 12, and 20, the phrase "preferably" renders the claims indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase (claim 6 – “preferably of approximately 3.3 V or 5 V;” claims 12 and 20 – “preferably a temperature sensor or a moisture sensor”) are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
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.
Claim(s) 1, 16-17, and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Taylor (US 8161826 B1).
Regarding claim 1, Taylor teaches a method for querying sensor values of a pressure sensor sheet (Col 5, lines 54-56 “Pressure sensor arrays according to the present invention may, for example, be advantageously used to measure and map pressure or force concentrations”), wherein the pressure sensor sheet (Figs. 1 and 2, three-layer force sensor array 30) comprises
- a first layer having first conductor tracks(row conductive threads 31 on upper substrate sheet 33),
- a second layer having second conductor tracks extending parallel to one another (column conductive threads 32 on lower substrate sheet 35), and
- a middle layer arranged between the first and second layer (thin central lamination or sheet 37),
wherein the first and second layer are arranged relative to one another such that the first conductor tracks extend perpendicular to the second conductor tracks, and the first and second layer form a common matrix, having lines, formed by the first conductor track, and having columns, formed by the second conductor tracks (Fig. 1, row conductive threads 31, column conductive threads 32),
wherein the lines and the columns of the matrix form intersection points, in which the first and second conductor tracks intersect spaced apart from one another by the middle layer and which are used as sensor points (Col 11, lines 46-52 “as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each crossing point or intersection of a row conductive thread 31 and a column conductive thread 32 forms a piezoresistive sensor element 48 which consists of a small portion of central piezoresistive sheet 37 that is electrically conductively contacted by a row conductive thread and a column conductive thread.”),
wherein an external pressure action changes the distance between the first and second conductor tracks in at least one of the intersection points and wherein this change is detected by means of an electronic circuit and read out as a value (Col 13, lines 46-60 “FIGS. 6B and 6C illustrate the effects of increasing external normal forces or pressures exerted on sensor array 30. As shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C, sensor array 30 is placed with its lower surface 46 supported on a surface S and a force N is exerted perpendicularly downwards on upper surface 47 of the array, resulting in a reaction force U being exerted upwardly by supporting surface S on lower surface 46 of the array. Since central piezoresistive layer 37 is resiliently deformable, the compressive force on it decreases the thickness T of the part of the layer between a row conductive thread 31 and a column conductive thread 32. This reduction in path length through piezoresistive layer 37 between a row conductive thread 31 and a column conductive thread 32 causes the electrical resistance R between the threads to decrease in value.” Col 20, lines 23-27 “Using predetermined scale factors, computer 161 calculates the instantaneous value of electrical resistance of a selected addressed sensor element 88, and from that resistance value, a corresponding normal force instantaneously exerted on the addressed sensor.”),
wherein for the purpose of reading out the value, an electric voltage is applied to the first conductor tracks and the change is determined on the second conductor tracks wherein by means of at least one counter unit, the lines having the first conductor tracks and the columns having the second conductor tracks are cycled through to determine the values at all intersection points individually in succession (Col 20, lines 28-40 “In response to control signals cyclically issued by computer 161, X multiplexer 164 and Y multiplexer 165 are used to cyclically measure the resistance of each force sensor element 88, at a relatively rapid rate of, for example, 3,000 samples per second, enabling computer 161 to calculate the force exerted on each force sensor element 88 at that sampling rate. Measurement system 160 includes an operator interface block 167 which enables values of force or pressures measured by sensor elements 88 to be displayed as numerical values and/or a graph or pressure/force map on the display screen of a computer monitor 168, or outputted to a peripheral device such as a printer, or a network such as the internet, through an I/O block 169.”),
a) a first switch unit is actuated as provided by the at least one counter unit and the electric voltage is applied to a single one of the first conductor tracks, b) a second switch unit is repeatedly actuated as provided by the at least one counter unit and the changes in the second conductor tracks are individually determined in succession, wherein all changes determined on the second conductor tracks are converted by a single analog-to-digital converter (ADC) (Col 20, lines 13-23 “As shown in FIG. 26, individual force sensor elements 88 are addressed by connecting one terminal of a current or voltage source controlled by DAC 163 to a selected one of X-row conductors 51-l-51-m by an X multiplexer 164, and connecting the other terminal of the source to a selected one of Y-column conductors 52-l-52-m by a Y multiplexer 165. Sensor interface module 162 also included an Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) 166 which measures the voltage drop or current through a sensor element 88 resulting from application of a test current or voltage, and inputs the measured value to computer 161.”), and
steps a) and b) are repeated in that in step a), the first switch unit is actuated as provided by the at least one counter unit in order to apply the electric voltage to a single different one of the first conductor tracks, wherein steps a) and b) are repeated until all lines and all columns of the matrix have been cycled through (Col 20, lines 28-34 “In response to control signals cyclically issued by computer 161, X multiplexer 164 and Y multiplexer 165 are used to cyclically measure the resistance of each force sensor element 88, at a relatively rapid rate of, for example, 3,000 samples per second, enabling computer 161 to calculate the force exerted on each force sensor element 88 at that sampling rate.”).
Regarding claim 16, Taylor teaches a pressure sensor unit for querying sensor values of a pressure sensor sheet (Col 5, lines 54-56 “Pressure sensor arrays according to the present invention may, for example, be advantageously used to measure and map pressure or force concentrations”), wherein the pressure sensor sheet (Figs. 1 and 2, three-layer force sensor array 30) comprises
- a first layer having first conductor tracks extending parallel to one another (row conductive threads 31 on upper substrate sheet 33),
- a second layer having second conductor tracks extending parallel to one another (column conductive threads 32 on lower substrate sheet 35), and
- a middle layer arranged between the first and second layer (thin central lamination or sheet 37),
wherein the first and second layer are arranged relative to one another such that the first conductor tracks extend perpendicular to the second conductor tracks, and the first and second layer form a common matrix, having lines, formed by the first conductor tracks, and having columns, formed by the second conductor tracks (Fig. 1, row conductive threads 31, column conductive threads 32),
wherein the lines and the columns of the matrix form intersection points, in which the first and second conductor tracks intersect spaced apart from one another by the middle layer and which are used as sensor points (Col 11, lines 46-52 “as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each crossing point or intersection of a row conductive thread 31 and a column conductive thread 32 forms a piezoresistive sensor element 48 which consists of a small portion of central piezoresistive sheet 37 that is electrically conductively contacted by a row conductive thread and a column conductive thread.”),
wherein an external pressure action changes the distance between the first and second conductor tracks in at least one of the intersection points and wherein this change is detectable by means of an electronic circuit and able to be read out as a value (Col 13, lines 46-60 “FIGS. 6B and 6C illustrate the effects of increasing external normal forces or pressures exerted on sensor array 30. As shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C, sensor array 30 is placed with its lower surface 46 supported on a surface S and a force N is exerted perpendicularly downwards on upper surface 47 of the array, resulting in a reaction force U being exerted upwardly by supporting surface S on lower surface 46 of the array. Since central piezoresistive layer 37 is resiliently deformable, the compressive force on it decreases the thickness T of the part of the layer between a row conductive thread 31 and a column conductive thread 32. This reduction in path length through piezoresistive layer 37 between a row conductive thread 31 and a column conductive thread 32 causes the electrical resistance R between the threads to decrease in value.” Col 20, lines 23-27 “Using predetermined scale factors, computer 161 calculates the instantaneous value of electrical resistance of a selected addressed sensor element 88, and from that resistance value, a corresponding normal force instantaneously exerted on the addressed sensor.”),
wherein for the purpose of reading out the value, an electric voltage is able to be applied to the first conductor tracks and the change is determinable on the second conductor tracks wherein the pressure sensor unit comprises at least one counter unit for cycling through the lines having the first conductor tracks and for cycling through the columns having the second conductor tracks to read out the values at all intersection points (Col 20, lines 28-40 “In response to control signals cyclically issued by computer 161, X multiplexer 164 and Y multiplexer 165 are used to cyclically measure the resistance of each force sensor element 88, at a relatively rapid rate of, for example, 3,000 samples per second, enabling computer 161 to calculate the force exerted on each force sensor element 88 at that sampling rate. Measurement system 160 includes an operator interface block 167 which enables values of force or pressures measured by sensor elements 88 to be displayed as numerical values and/or a graph or pressure/force map on the display screen of a computer monitor 168, or outputted to a peripheral device such as a printer, or a network such as the internet, through an I/O block 169.”),
the pressure sensor unit comprises at least one first switch unit for applying the electric voltage to the first conductor tracks, the pressure sensor unit comprises at least one second switch unit for determining the change at the second conductor tracks, the pressure sensor unit comprises a single analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for converting the changes determined at the second conductor tracks into the values, by means of the at least one first switch unit and as provided by the at least one counter unit, the electric voltage is applicable in succession to the first conductor tracks, wherein the electric voltage is applied in each case to only a single one of the first conductor tracks, by means of the at least one second switch unit and as provided by the at least one counter unit, upon application of the electric voltage to one of the first conductor tracks, in each case the changes of the second conductor tracks are individually determinable in succession and wherein the determined changes of all second conductor tracks are convertible in the single analog-to-digital converter (ADC) (Col 20, lines 13-23 “As shown in FIG. 26, individual force sensor elements 88 are addressed by connecting one terminal of a current or voltage source controlled by DAC 163 to a selected one of X-row conductors 51-l-51-m by an X multiplexer 164, and connecting the other terminal of the source to a selected one of Y-column conductors 52-l-52-m by a Y multiplexer 165. Sensor interface module 162 also included an Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) 166 which measures the voltage drop or current through a sensor element 88 resulting from application of a test current or voltage, and inputs the measured value to computer 161.”).
Regarding claim 17, Taylor teaches the pressure sensor unit as claimed in claim 16, wherein the at least one counter unit is software controlled (Col 20, lines 28-34 “In response to control signals cyclically issued by computer 161, X multiplexer 164 and Y multiplexer 165 are used to cyclically measure the resistance of each force sensor element 88, at a relatively rapid rate of, for example, 3,000 samples per second, enabling computer 161 to calculate the force exerted on each force sensor element 88 at that sampling rate.”).
Regarding claim 19, Taylor teaches the pressure sensor unit as claimed in claim 16, wherein two counter units are provided, wherein a first counter unit of these counter units cycles through the lines and a second counter unit of these counter unit cycles through the columns (Col 20, lines 13-18 “As shown in FIG. 26, individual force sensor elements 88 are addressed by connecting one terminal of a current or voltage source controlled by DAC 163 to a selected one of X-row conductors 51-l-51-m by an X multiplexer 164, and connecting the other terminal of the source to a selected one of Y-column conductors 52-l-52-m by a Y multiplexer 165.”).
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) 2-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taylor (US 8161826 B1) in view of Cheng (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmcj.2016.01.007).
Regarding claim 2, Taylor teaches the method as claimed in claim 1. However, Taylor fails to explicitly disclose cycling through the columns in chronological succession.
Cheng teaches textile-based surface pressure mapping. Cheng discloses wherein adjacent columns are cycled through in chronological succession (pg 100 [6] “A field-programmable gate array (FPGA) controls the ultra-fast switch array and ADCs to drive the matrix and sample data from it. Each matrix column (ith from n) is switched on by enabling one switch and disabling the rest. The voltages on the m rows are then mainly related to pressure asserted to the m cross-sections on the ith column. These voltages are then passed to multiplexers and further fed into ADCs. At the next time step, the (i+1)-th column is switched on and the readouts from ADCs now represent the pressure asserted to the (i+1)-th column. By sweeping from the 1st to the nth column, an nxm pressure image is generated.).
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 the method of Taylor to include cycling through the columns in chronological succession as disclosed in Cheng to generate an nxm pressure image that represents the pressure distribution and its change over time (Cheng pg 100 [6]- pg 101 [1]).
Regarding claim 3, Taylor teaches the method as claimed in claim 1. However, Taylor fails to specifically disclose cycling through the lines in chronological succession.
Cheng teaches textile-based surface pressure mapping. Cheng discloses wherein adjacent lines are cycled through in chronological succession (pg 100 [6] “A field-programmable gate array (FPGA) controls the ultra-fast switch array and ADCs to drive the matrix and sample data from it. Each matrix column (ith from n) is switched on by enabling one switch and disabling the rest. The voltages on the m rows are then mainly related to pressure asserted to the m cross-sections on the ith column. These voltages are then passed to multiplexers and further fed into ADCs. At the next time step, the (i+1)-th column is switched on and the readouts from ADCs now represent the pressure asserted to the (i+1)-th column. By sweeping from the 1st to the nth column, an nxm pressure image is generated.).
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 the method of Taylor to include cycling through the lines in chronological succession as disclosed in Cheng to generate an nxm pressure image that represents the pressure distribution and its change over time (Cheng pg 100 [6]- pg 101 [1]).
Claim(s) 4, 6, 11-12, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taylor (US 8161826 B1) in view of Thompson (WO 2020051639 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Taylor teaches the method as claimed in claim 1. However, Taylor fails to disclose cycling though the lines and/or columns in a predetermined sequence differing from their sequence of arrangement. Thompson teaches an addressing circuit comprising a switching circuit configured to selectively address an intersection between a selected row conductor and a selected column conductor for connection to a measuring circuit.
Thompson discloses, wherein the lines and/or the columns are cycled through in a predetermined sequence which differs from the sequence of the arrangement of the lines and/or the columns (Fig. 1; [0057] “According to some embodiments, circuit 100 may also allow for multiple un-adjacent columns 108 to be selected. In this case, the unselected columns 1 10 on either side of each selected column 101 must be connected to voltage buffers 1 14, with each selected column 101 being connected to a transimpedance amplifier 112. According to some embodiments, this may be implemented by patching a single voltage buffer 114 to each side of a given selected column 101, to act as a fence on either side of the selected column 101.” [0079] “Figure 5, an addressing algorithm 300, which may be implemented by controller 122”).
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 the method of Taylor to include cycling though the lines and/or column in a predetermined sequence differing from the sequence of arrangement as disclosed in Thompson to address discrete elements at particular intersections to advantageously scan continuous or semi-continuous sensor materials without introducing crosstalk, with a lower component count than some previous systems, and/or being easier to implement than some previous systems (Thompson [0020, 0060]).
Regarding claim 6, Taylor teaches the method as claimed in claim 1. However, Taylor fails to specify DC voltage. Thompson discloses, wherein a DC voltage is applied, preferably of approximately 3.3 V or 5 V ([0072] “Source voltage 113 may be a DC voltage, square wave, sine wave, or any signal that could be generated by a function generator. The voltage may be as low as zero volts, or as high as 1000V, depending on the lowest resistance of taxels 109 and the requirement of the material being used.”).
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 the method of Taylor to include DC voltage as disclosed in Thompson so that the controller may drive the buffers and switch units (Thompson [0072]).
Regarding claim 11, Taylor teaches the method as claimed in claim 1. While Taylor discloses multiplexers 164 and 165, Taylor does not explicitly disclose each having multiple switch arrays. Thompson discloses wherein the first switch unit comprises multiple switch arrays and wherein the second switch unit comprises multiple switch arrays ([0070] “The input demultiplexer 120 may comprise a switching circuit connected to each row 106 or each row buffer 1 18 to selectively connect the source voltage 1 13 to the row 106 or the row buffer 1 18 as required. According to some embodiments, input demultiplexer 120 and output demultiplexer 1 16 may together comprise a switching circuit. With reference to Figure 4, the input demultiplexer 120 may comprise input intrinsic resistances 122.” [0071] “As for the example shown in Figure 2, the addressing circuit 100 may comprise a controller 122 for controlling functions within the addressing circuit 100. The controller 122 may control selective connection of the voltage source 1 13 to each row 106. The controller 122 may control the input demultiplexer 120 to selectively connect the voltage source 1 13 to each buffer 1 18. The controller 122 may control selective connection of the transimpedance amplifiers 1 12 to adjacent columns 108. The controller 122 may control selective connection of the voltage buffers 1 14 to the columns on either side of the selected columns 101 , being the columns connected to the transimpedance amplifiers 1 12. The controller 122 may control switching of the output demultiplexer 1 16 to control selective connection of the transimpedance amplifiers 1 12 and the buffers 1 18. The controller 122 may be a microcontroller.”).
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 the method of Taylor to include each switch unit having multiple switch arrays as disclosed in Thompson so that the controller may selectively control connections of voltage to buffers and transimpedance amplifiers (Thompson [0071]).
Regarding claim 12, Taylor teaches the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one sensor (Col 5, lines 54-56 “Pressure sensor arrays according to the present invention may, for example, be advantageously used to measure and map pressure or force concentrations”). While it is not explicitly required by the claim, Taylor fails to disclose a temperature or moisture sensor.
Thompson discloses, preferably a temperature sensor or a moisture sensor, is provided, the sensor values of which are determined by means of the second switch unit (readout demultiplexer 116) as provided by the first and second counter unit, wherein the sensor values are determined during the cycling through of the lines and columns as values of a line and column analogously to the values of the intersection points ([0062] “taxels 109 may alternatively be caused to change an electrical characteristic based on application of acceleration, temperature, strain or force. Figures 1 and 2 in general depict an addressing circuit 100 comprising a scanning circuit 150 for a conductor array 102 comprising intersecting row conductors 106 and column conductors 108, forming taxels 109… Addressing circuit 100 of Figures 1 and 2 is configured to measure resistance of taxels 109, while addressing circuit 200 of Figure 3 is configured to measure complex impedance of taxels 109”).
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 the method of Taylor to include a temperature sensor as disclosed in Thompson to measure complex impedance based on temperature, from which resistance, capacitance, inductance, phase and more may be derived (Thompson [0062]).
Regarding claim 20, Taylor teaches the pressure sensor unit as claimed in claim 16, wherein the pressure sensor sheet comprises at least one sensor (Col 5, lines 54-56 “Pressure sensor arrays according to the present invention may, for example, be advantageously used to measure and map pressure or force concentrations”). While it is not explicitly required by the claim, Taylor fails to disclose a temperature or moisture sensor.
Thompson discloses, preferably a temperature sensor or a moisture sensor, and wherein the pressure sensor unit determines sensor data of the at least one sensor ([0062] “taxels 109 may alternatively be caused to change an electrical characteristic based on application of acceleration, temperature, strain or force. Figures 1 and 2 in general depict an addressing circuit 100 comprising a scanning circuit 150 for a conductor array 102 comprising intersecting row conductors 106 and column conductors 108, forming taxels 109… Addressing circuit 100 of Figures 1 and 2 is configured to measure resistance of taxels 109, while addressing circuit 200 of Figure 3 is configured to measure complex impedance of taxels 109”).
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 the method of Taylor to include a temperature sensor as disclosed in Thompson to measure complex impedance based on temperature, from which resistance, capacitance, inductance, phase and more may be derived (Thompson [0062]).
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taylor (US 8161826 B1) in view of Khuri-Yakub (US 20190050618 A1).
Regarding claim 5, Taylor teaches method as claimed in claim 1, wherein before all lines and all columns of the matrix are cycled through again, the first and second switch unit are actuated such that an electric voltage is not applied to any of the lines (Col 20, lines 28-34 “In response to control signals cyclically issued by computer 161, X multiplexer 164 and Y multiplexer 165 are used to cyclically measure the resistance of each force sensor element 88”). However, the method of Taylor fails to disclose none of the columns connected to the ADC.
Khuri-Yakub teaches a biometric sensing device that combines sensing with an actuator for two way communication between a finger on a surface and the device. Khuri-Yakub discloses and none of the columns is connected to the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) ([0225] “The receive control circuit 1060 can switch off the ADC 1045 or put it in standby mode so that the receive side circuits are inactive, in order to make the ADC 1045 idle when waiting for reflections to subside between consecutive measurements.”).
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 the method of Taylor to include none of the columns connected to the ADC as disclosed in Khuri-Yakub to make the sensor more efficient from a power consumption standpoint (Khuri-Yakub [0225]).
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taylor (US 8161826 B1) in view of Davalos (US 11903690 B2).
Regarding claim 7, Taylor teaches the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lines and/or the columns are cycled through at a frequency (Col 20, lines 28-34 “In response to control signals cyclically issued by computer 161, X multiplexer 164 and Y multiplexer 165 are used to cyclically measure the resistance of each force sensor element 88, at a relatively rapid rate”). However, Taylor fails to disclose a frequency of at least 16MHz.
Davalos teaches devices, systems, and methods for monitoring lesion or treated area in a tissue, including an electrical conductivity probe with an impedance sensor array. Davalos discloses a frequency of at least 16 MHz (Col 9, lines 57-67 “the devices and systems can contain an electrical conductivity sensor, which can contain an impedance sensor or impedance sensor array. The electrical conductivity sensor can be configured to measure both low-frequency (α region) impedance and high-frequency (β region) impedance. The electrical conductivity sensor can be integrated with or operatively coupled to an electrical conductivity probe and/or be integrated with or operatively coupled to a treatment probe. In embodiments, the frequency is between 0.0001 Hz and 100 GHz”).
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 the method of Taylor to include a frequency of at least 16 MHz as disclosed in Davalos to measure impedance between points to discern characteristics of particular regions of a medium (Davalos Col 9, lines 59-67).
Claim(s) 8-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taylor (US 8161826 B1) in view of Markison (US 20180054663 A1).
Regarding claim 8, Taylor teaches the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the read-out values of all intersection points (Col 20, lines 23-27 “Using predetermined scale factors, computer 161 calculates the instantaneous value of electrical resistance of a selected addressed sensor element 88, and from that resistance value, a corresponding normal force instantaneously exerted on the addressed sensor”). However, Taylor fails to disclose storing values as a common value packet.
Markison teaches a method for obtaining foot force data that is created by sampling, in accordance with a sampling signal, data from pressure sensing elements of a shoe sensor system. Markison discloses are stored as a common value packet ([0092] “For each sample interval (e.g., sample 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), the processing module 30 of the shoe sensor system correlates the foot force data 46 and the 3D foot data 48 to produce the correlated data 52. The correlation of the data 46 and 48 may be an aggregation of the data on a per sampling interval. For example, a data packet for sample 1 includes the foot force data 46 sampled from each of the pressure sensing elements taking during sampling interval 1, an ID for each of the pressure sensing element tied to their respective data, the 3D foot data from the accelerometer sampled during sampling interval 1, and an ID for the accelerometer tied to its data.”).
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 the method of Taylor to include storing data across multiple sensing points as a common value packet as disclosed in Markison to more easily transmit the data from all of the pressure sensing elements from a particular sampling interval along with associated metadata (Markison [0093]).
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Taylor/Markison discloses the method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the value packet is transmitted to a data processing unit (Markison: [0061] “The wireless communication transceiver 29 of the computing device 25 and the wireless communication transceivers 34 of the shoe sensor systems 16 are of a like transceiver type (e.g., Bluetooth, WLAN, ZigBee, etc.). The transceivers 34 communicate directly with transceiver 29 to share gathered data by the respective shoe sensor systems 16 and/or to receiving instructions from the computing device 25. In addition to or in the alternative, the transceivers 34 communicate gathered data between them and one of the transceivers 34 communicates the collective data to the transceiver 29.” [0093] “The processing module then links the first foot force data point with the first three-dimensional foot data point for the first sampling interval. The linking includes aggregation, aggregation and encryption, aggregation and scrambling, forward error correction such as Reed Solomon, and/or common packet identifiers. For example, the data from each of the pressure sensing elements 20 and the accelerometer 22 is transmitted in its own data packet that includes the data, an ID of the device associated with the data, and a sampling interval indicator (e.g., a sampling interval number, a clock count, a timestamp, etc.). The processing module links the foot force data points and the 3D foot data for each of the other sampling intervals in a similar manner.”).
Claim(s) 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taylor (US 8161826 B1) in view of Thompson (WO 2020051639 A1), and in further view of Markison (US 20180054663 A1).
Regarding claim 13, the combination of Taylor/Thompson discloses the method as claim 12, wherein the read-out values of all intersection points (Taylor: Col 20, lines 23-27 “Using predetermined scale factors, computer 161 calculates the instantaneous value of electrical resistance of a selected addressed sensor element 88, and from that resistance value, a corresponding normal force instantaneously exerted on the addressed sensor”). However, the combination of Taylor/Thompson fails to disclose storing values as a common value packet.
Markison discloses are stored as a common value packet and wherein the sensor values are stored in the common value packet ([0092] “For each sample interval (e.g., sample 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), the processing module 30 of the shoe sensor system correlates the foot force data 46 and the 3D foot data 48 to produce the correlated data 52. The correlation of the data 46 and 48 may be an aggregation of the data on a per sampling interval. For example, a data packet for sample 1 includes the foot force data 46 sampled from each of the pressure sensing elements taking during sampling interval 1, an ID for each of the pressure sensing element tied to their respective data, the 3D foot data from the accelerometer sampled during sampling interval 1, and an ID for the accelerometer tied to its data.”).
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 the combination of Taylor/Thompson to include storing data across multiple sensing points as a common value packet as disclosed in Markison to more easily transmit the data from all of the pressure sensing elements from a particular sampling interval along with associated metadata (Markison [0093]).
Regarding claim 14, the combination of Taylor/Thompson/Markison discloses the method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the value packet is transmitted to a data processing unit and wherein the value packet is transmitted to the data processing unit (Markison: [0061] “The wireless communication transceiver 29 of the computing device 25 and the wireless communication transceivers 34 of the shoe sensor systems 16 are of a like transceiver type (e.g., Bluetooth, WLAN, ZigBee, etc.). The transceivers 34 communicate directly with transceiver 29 to share gathered data by the respective shoe sensor systems 16 and/or to receiving instructions from the computing device 25. In addition to or in the alternative, the transceivers 34 communicate gathered data between them and one of the transceivers 34 communicates the collective data to the transceiver 29.” [0093] “The processing module then links the first foot force data point with the first three-dimensional foot data point for the first sampling interval. The linking includes aggregation, aggregation and encryption, aggregation and scrambling, forward error correction such as Reed Solomon, and/or common packet identifiers. For example, the data from each of the pressure sensing elements 20 and the accelerometer 22 is transmitted in its own data packet that includes the data, an ID of the device associated with the data, and a sampling interval indicator (e.g., a sampling interval number, a clock count, a timestamp, etc.). The processing module links the foot force data points and the 3D foot data for each of the other sampling intervals in a similar manner.”).
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taylor (US 8161826 B1) in view of Markison (US 20180054663 A1), and in further view of Sarrafzadeh (US 20140157911 A1).
Regarding claim 10, the combination of Taylor/Markison discloses the method as claimed in claim 8. However, the combination of Taylor/Markison fails to disclose a self-learning algorithm.
Sarrafzadeh teaches a system including a pressure sensitive material that provides an indication of applied pressure for multiple locations on the material. Sarrafzadeh discloses wherein the stored values are processed in a self-learning algorithm for prognoses of a patient monitoring action (Sarrafzadeh: [0013] “Constructing the manifold may include pre-processing of the set of pressure images, dimension reduction using manifold learning, and exercise recognition using manifold matching.” [0068] “Returning to training process 600 in FIG. 6A, following pre-processing (block 610), sequences of pressure images are transformed into low-dimensional data manifolds in a three-stage process (blocks 615, 620, 625). A pressure image sequence X is mapped to a low dimensional space based on a Local Linear Embedding (LLE) framework, which has various applications in machine learning systems.” [0025] “The manifold representing the sequence of movements may be a first manifold and represents a record of performance of an exercise, and the instructions include instructions for comparing the first manifold to a second manifold to determine progress in performance of the exercise.”).
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 the combination of Taylor/Markison to include processing stored values in a self-learning algorithm for prognoses of patient actions to provide for objective analysis of exercise performance and rehabilitation progress (Sarrafzadeh [0004]).
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taylor (US 8161826 B1) in view of Sarrafzadeh (US 20140157911 A1).
Regarding claim 15, Taylor teaches comprising carrying out the method of claim 1. However, Taylor fails to disclose the pressure sensor sheet being on a bed.
Sarrafzadeh teaches a pressure sensitive material that provides on-bed monitoring of rehabilitative exercises. Sarrafzadeh discloses a method for monitoring a patient lying in a bed ([0047] “monitoring a subject primarily, substantially, or only based on pressure images representing pressure of the subject's body across the bed sheet”), wherein the pressure sensor sheet is arranged on the bed ([0047] “A pressure image is determined from pressure data as provided by a sensor array in the bed sheet”), and transmitting the values to a central or mobile patient monitoring unit ([0062] “Depending on a specific application, processing unit 400 can be implemented as, for example, a portable electronic device, a client computer, or a server computer. Referring to FIG. 4, processing unit 400 includes a central processing unit ("CPU") 402 that is connected to a bus 406. Input/Output ("I/O") devices 404 are also connected to bus 406, and can include a keyboard, mouse, display, and the like.”).
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 the method of Tayler to include the pressure sensor sheet being on a bed as disclosed in Sarrafzadeh for the ability to perform physical therapy exercises in environments other than clinical settings, such as at home, without the need for a caregiver or a camera (Sarrafzadeh [0004, 0046]).
Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taylor (US 8161826 B1) in view of Sandbach (WO 0175924 A1).
Regarding claim 18, Taylor teaches the pressure sensor unit as claimed in claim 16, wherein the at least one counter unit and the at least one first and/or second switch unit are arranged (Col 20, lines 28-29 “In response to control signals cyclically issued by computer 161, X multiplexer 164 and Y multiplexer 165”). However, Taylor fails to disclose a flexprint.
Sandbach teaches a detector constructed from electrically conducting fabric and configured to present a varying electrical characteristic in response to a mechanical interaction. Sandbach discloses on a flexprint or a series of flexprints connected to one another (Pg 8, lines 16-20“Conductive track 201 has a conduction portion 202 and a attachment portion 203. The attachment portion 203 makes physical and electrical contact with a set of conducting warp filaments 101. The conduction portion 202 facilitates electrical connection to external devices. The conducting tracks 201 are applied to the conductive material and an insulating substrate 204 by a printing process, using a conductive ink such as that normally used in flexible printed circuit manufacture.” Fig. 3, track 201, attachment portions 203 and 301 to 306 and 321 to 327).
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 the apparatus of Tayler to include a flexprint or series of flexprints as disclosed in Sandbach so the detector itself remains flexible and all of the advantages of its textile construction may be utilized (Sandbach Pg 3, lines 22-24).
Conclusion
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/M.H./Examiner, Art Unit 3791
/DEVIN B HENSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3791
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