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 .
Status of the Application
Claims 1-5 have been examined in this application. This communication is the first action on the merits.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 06/12/2024, 01/23/2025 and 04/09/2025 are being considered by the examiner. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97.
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 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 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LONGINOTTI-BUITONI et al. (US 2021/0195732 A1) in view of HEIKKINEN et al. (US 2019/0069403 A1).
Claim 1. LONGINOTTI-BUITONI et al. (LONGINOTTI-BUITONI) calling system that allows a first person to call a second person, the calling system comprising:
a capacitive contact sensor which has fibrous electric conductors and which is to be operated by the first person, the mutual capacitive contact sensor being formable integrally with a garment to be worn by the first person or being attachable to the garment; Figs. 1A-1B, 2, 6A-6E, 8B, 9B; [0019]; [0025]; [0028] – [0030]; [0066]; [0067]; [0334]; [0335]
a first information provision section configured to provide the first person with first information for assisting the first person in operating the mutual capacitive contact sensor; Fig. 1B; [0254] (the intelligent user can work in conjunction with a networking device 45 (e.g., such as, a computer, a smart phone (their own smart phone)); [0304]; [0339](an interactive sensor on the garment configured to transmit an interactive sensor signal to the sensor module when the user's hand activates the interactive sensor wherein the sensor module is configured to control an audio output and/or a visual output in response to the interactive sensor signal); [0362] (a wearable intelligent platform);
a second information provision section configured to provide the second person with second information for calling the second person; Fig. 1B, 2; [0254]; (the intelligent user can work in conjunction with a networking device 45 (e.g., such as, a computer, a smart phone (their own smart phone)), or another cell phone 39); [0258] (activate a call, answer a call, end a call, etc.); [0320] (users offer content to one another; display messages or face images); and
a control section configured to cause the second information provision section to provide the second information in accordance with an operation by the first person for the mutual capacitive contact sensor, so as to execute a calling process of calling the second person. [0254]; [0257]; [0258] (answer a call, end a call, etc.); [0320] (users offer content to one another; display messages or face images); [0362] (a wearable intelligent platform).
LONGINOTTI-BUITONI does not specifically teach that said capacitive contact sensor is a mutual capacitive contact sensor, which is disclosed in HEIKKINEN et al. (HEIKKINEN). (an intelligent garment comprising a multilayer structure incorporating a mutual capacitive sensor) [0055]; cl.2.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify LONGINOTTI-BUITONI to include the recited limitations, as disclosed in HEIKKINEN, for the benefit of protecting and concealing electronics from the environment and environmental conditions, e. g. moisture, dust; and aesthetically avoiding unnecessary thickness of the garment, as specifically stated in HEIKKINEN. [0006]; [0007]
Alternatively, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify LONGINOTTI-BUITONI to include the recited limitations, as disclosed in HEIKKINEN, since the claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements, and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable. The rationale to support a conclusion that the claim would have been obvious is that all the claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination yielded nothing more than predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art. KSR, 550 U.S. at, 82 USPQ2d at 1395; Sakraida v. AG Pro, Inc., 425 U.S. 273, 282, 189 USPQ 449, 453 (1976); Anderson's-Black Rock, Inc. v. Pavement Salvage Co., 396 U.S. 57, 62-63, 163 USPQ 673, 675 (1969); Great Atlantic & P. Tea Co. v. Supermarket Equipment Corp., 340 U.S. 147, 152, 87 USPQ 303, 306 (1950).
Claim 2. The calling system according to claim 1, wherein the control section executes the calling process after the control section has executed: a first acceptance process of accepting selection of the calling process in accordance with a first operation by the first person for the mutual capacitive contact sensor; LONGINOTTI-BUITONI; Fig. 1B; [0254] (the intelligent user can work in conjunction with a networking device 45 (e.g., such as, a computer, a smart phone (their own smart phone)); [0304]; [0339](an interactive sensor on the garment configured to transmit an interactive sensor signal to the sensor module when the user's hand activates the interactive sensor wherein the sensor module is configured to control an audio output and/or a visual output in response to the interactive sensor signal); [0362] (a wearable intelligent platform); and
a second acceptance process of, in accordance with a second operation by the first person for the mutual capacitive contact sensor, accepting selection of execution of the calling process which has selected in the first acceptance process. LONGINOTTI-BUITONI; Fig. 1B, 2; [0254]; (the intelligent user can work in conjunction with a networking device 45 (e.g., such as, a computer, a smart phone (their own smart phone)), or another cell phone 39); [0258] (activate a call, answer a call, end a call, etc.); [0320] (users offer content to one another; display messages or face images).
While LONGINOTTI-BUITONI does not explicitly teach “a first acceptance process” and “second acceptance process”, LONGINOTTI-BUITONI discloses that the garment communication platform 81 configured to control communications, such as internal communication (e.g. integral to or within any garment or accessory) and external communication to an external communication system 90 (e.g. with a computer, the cloud, etc.), and that said communication platform may be an electronic system, such as a phone that may be embedded in a garment, and may include an application (app) configured to process data [0362], thereby at least suggesting the recited limitations.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify LONGINOTTI-BUITONI to include the recited limitations, as suggested in LONGINOTTI-BUITONI, for the benefit of configuring the sensor manager to pre-process data by implementing functions that include but are not limited to digital filtering of analog and/or digital signals, coding of interactive sensor (touch point) signals, conversion of continuous data into time series data, etc., and to transmit and/or control a signal and to send appropriate feedback to the user based on the signal, such as via a haptic activator or actuator or touch pad on an intelligent wear item, an audio output, a visual interface, etc., as specifically stated in LONGINOTTI-BUITONI. [0363]
Claim 3. The calling system according to claim 2, wherein: the mutual capacitive contact sensor has a contact surface with which the first person is able to make a direct or indirect contact; the calling system includes a storage section that stores a table indicative of a correspondence between a plurality of positions on the contact surface and a plurality of options; the plurality of options include a first option for selecting the calling process and a second option for selecting execution of the calling process; and the control section executes the first acceptance process and the second acceptance process in accordance with a position on the contact surface with which position the first person has made contact and the table. Fig. 1B, 2; [0254]; (the intelligent user can work in conjunction with a networking device 45 (e.g., such as, a computer, a smart phone (their own smart phone)), or another cell phone 39); [0258] (activate a call, answer a call, end a call, etc.); [0320] (users offer content to one another; display messages or face images); [0339] (an interactive sensor on the garment configured to transmit an interactive sensor signal to the sensor module when the user's hand activates the interactive sensor wherein the sensor module is configured to control an audio output and/or a visual output in response to the interactive sensor signal); [0362] (a wearable intelligent platform). Same rationale as applied to claim 2.
Claim 4. The calling system according to claim 2, wherein: after the control section has executed a third acceptance process of, in accordance with a third operation by the first person for the mutual capacitive contact sensor, accepting selection of a calling reason for calling the second person, the control section executes the calling process; and the second information provided in the calling process includes information on the calling reason which has been selected in the third acceptance process. Fig. 1B, 2; [0254]; (the intelligent user can work in conjunction with a networking device 45 (e.g., such as, a computer, a smart phone (their own smart phone)), or another cell phone 39); [0258] (activate a call, answer a call, end a call, etc.); [0320] (users offer content to one another; display messages or face images); [0339] (an interactive sensor on the garment configured to transmit an interactive sensor signal to the sensor module when the user's hand activates the interactive sensor wherein the sensor module is configured to control an audio output and/or a visual output in response to the interactive sensor signal); [0362] (a wearable intelligent platform). Same rationale as applied to claim 2.
Claim 5. The calling system according to claim 1, wherein the mutual capacitive contact sensor is attached to or is formed integrally with at least one selected from the group consisting of a left sleeve and a right sleeve of the garment. LONGINOTTI-BUITONI; Fig. 1A; “41”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Igor Borissov whose telephone number is 571-272-6801. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor Kambiz Abdi can be reached on 571-272-6702. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/IGOR N BORISSOV/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3685 1/16/2026