Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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
2. This office action is in response to the filing with the office dated 06/27/2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
3. The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 06/27/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections – 35 U.S.C. 112
4. Claims 23-27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for claiming two statutory categories of invention in a single claim recitation. A single claim which claims both an apparatus and the method steps of using the apparatus is indefinite. Ex parte Lyell, 17 USPQ2d 1548 (Bd. Pat. App. & Inter. 1990). Such a claim is directed to neither a “process” nor a “machine,” but rather embraces or overlaps two different statutory classes of invention. MPEP § 2173.05(p).
Claim 23 recites “A method for calibrating a characterization device according to claim 1”.
Claims 24-27 are rejected due to their dependency on claim 23.
Appropriate correction to the claim language is required.
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claim 1 is allowed.
6. Claims 2-22 and 28 are allowed as being dependent on the independent claim.
7. The following is an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance: In related art, Getman et al (US 2008/0042658 A1) teaches, A method for manufacturing-side calibration of a measuring device for capacitive fill level measurement of a medium, wherein at least one probe unit of the measuring device is activated with an electrical, alternating voltage of a predeterminable frequency. As a function of the frequency of the activating signal, a conductivity range is determined, within which the fill level measurement is essentially independent of a change of the electrical conductivity of the medium; for such conductivity range, at least a first reference matching between a predeterminable, first fill-level value and a first capacitance value belonging to the first fill-level value is produced; and the first reference matching between the first fill-level value and the first capacitance value is recorded. Additionally, the invention relates to a corresponding measuring device.
Wang et al (US 2013/0328572 A1) teaches, A diagnostic Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) procedure is applied to measure values of impedance-related parameters for one or more sensing electrodes. The parameters may include real impedance, imaginary impedance, impedance magnitude, and/or phase angle. The measured values of the impedance-related parameters are then used in performing sensor diagnostics, calculating a highly-reliable fused sensor glucose value based on signals from a plurality of redundant sensing electrodes, calibrating sensors, detecting interferents within close proximity of one or more sensing electrodes, and testing surface area characteristics of electroplated electrodes. Advantageously, impedance-related parameters can be defined that are substantially glucose-independent over specific ranges of frequencies. An Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) enables implementation of the EIS-based diagnostics, fusion algorithms, and other processes based on measurement of EIS-based parameters.
teaches,
Goldfine et al (US 6486673 B1) teaches, A dielectrometer with a sensor face that carries an excitation electrode driven with a varying voltage. At least two sensing electrodes and a guard electrode are also carried by the sensor face. The sensing electrodes are adapted for single or multiple penetration depth measurements into a test material. The guard electrode surrounds the sensing electrodes and is at about the same voltage as the sensing electrodes.
Hansen et al (US 6433560 B1) teaches, A combination fluid condition monitor and fluid level sensor having an excitation electrode divided into two segments disposed closely spaced and parallel to current sensing electrode. For the fluid condition monitoring mode function both segments of the excitation electrode are commonly excited sequentially at high and low frequencies and the currents sensed in the sensing electrode employed to compute the difference in impedance for determining the fluid condition. For the level sensing mode function a mode switching circuit grounds one of the excitation electrode segments and excites the other then grounds the other segment and excites the one segment and the resultant currents ratioed to determine the amount of electrode immersed in fluid and hence the fluid level.
Goldfine et al (US 6380747 B1) teaches, A method is disclosed for processing, optimization, calibration, and display of measured dielectrometry signals. A property estimator is coupled by way of instrumentation to an electrode structure and translates sensed electromagnetic responses into estimates of one or more preselected properties or dimensions of the material, such as dielectric permittivity and ohmic conductivity, layer thickness, or other physical properties that affect dielectric properties, or presence of other lossy dielectric or metallic objects. A dielectrometry sensor is disclosed which can be connected in various ways to have different effective penetration depths of electric fields but with all configurations having the same air-gap, fluid gap, or shim lift-off height, thereby greatly improving the performance of the property estimators by decreasing the number of unknowns. The sensor geometry consist of a periodic structure with, at any one time, a single sensing element that provides for multiple wavelength within the same sensor footprint.
Cited prior art neither individually nor in combination, fails to teach, anticipate or render obvious, “A device for characterizing a medium MUT by capacitance spectroscopy, comprising: an excitation electrode and a measurement electrode, each having a determined geometry and intended to be arranged relative to one another so as to form a capacitor, a reference electrode having a determined geometry and defining a reference electrical potential V.sub.g, control electronics configured to apply an electrical potential V.sub.d to the excitation electrode, and an electronic measurement circuit having a virtual ground V.sub.0 directly connected to the measurement electrode; wherein: The excitation, measurement and reference electrodes are intended to be arranged relative to one another and relative to the medium MUT intended to be characterised according to an arrangement such that: The control electronics are configured to make the electrical potential V.sub.d at the excitation electrode vary over time with a pulsation co selected so that the medium MUT intended to be characterised is at least partially electrically-conductive, The excitation and measurement electrodes are arranged so as to enable a first electric current, denoted i.sub.1-i.sub.g, to circulate therebetween via the medium MUT, and The excitation and reference electrodes are arranged so as to enable a second electric current, denoted i.sub.g, to circulate therebetween via the medium MUT; So that at least one amongst the following capacitive couplings is created: a capacitive coupling C.sub.dm between the excitation electrode and the medium MUT, a capacitive coupling C.sub.ms between the measurement electrode and the medium MUT, and a capacitive coupling C.sub.mg between the reference electrode and the medium MUT; wherein the electronic measurement circuit is configured to measure physical quantities representative of a current, denoted i.sub.3, originating from the excitation electrode and reaching the measurement electrode; The characterisation device further comprises: a calculation unit configured to calculate at least one amongst an equivalent electric capacitance value, denoted C.sub.x, and an equivalent conductance value, denoted G.sub.x, between the excitation and measurement electrodes, at least from the physical quantities measured by the measurement electronic circuit; and a processing unit configured to process each value which, amongst the values of the equivalent electric capacitance C.sub.x and the equivalent conductance G.sub.x, has been calculated by the calculation unit, to determine at least one amongst a capacitance value C.sub.m of the medium MUT at the measurement electrode and a capacitance value C.sub.mm of the medium MUT at the reference electrode and/or at least one amongst a conductance value G.sub.m of the medium MUT at the measurement electrode and a conductance value G.sub.mm of the medium MUT at the reference electrode, by solving a system of at least one equation built based on a modelling of the electrical behaviour of a characterisation system comprising at least the characterisation device, each equation interconnecting: a determined one of the values which, amongst the values of the equivalent electric capacitance C.sub.x and the equivalent conductance G.sub.x, has been calculated by the calculation unit, at least that one amongst the capacitance C.sub.m of the medium MUT at the measurement electrode and the capacitance C.sub.mm of the medium MUT at the reference electrode is to be determined, at least the highest value amongst a value of the capacitive coupling C.sub.dm created between the excitation electrode and the medium MUT, a value of the capacitive coupling C.sub.ms created between the measurement electrode and the medium MUT and a value of the capacitive coupling C.sub.mg created between the reference electrode and the medium MUT, a pulsation value ω of the electrical potential V.sub.d at the excitation electrode, and a conductivity r of the medium MUT to be characterised, at least one amongst the characterization device and the characterization system having been calibrated beforehand for said determined geometries of the electrodes and said arrangement” (as recited in the independent claim 1).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SURESH RAJAPUTRA whose telephone number is (571) 270-0477. The examiner can normally be reached between 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
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/SURESH K RAJAPUTRA/Examiner, Art Unit 2858
/EMAN A ALKAFAWI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2858 1/28/2026