DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
In the present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, claims 1-20 have been considered and examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 03/19/2025, 06/23/2025, and 01/21/2026 are in compliance with the provision of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by Examiner.
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 4 and 12-20 are 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 4 lacks antecedent basis for “the mask” in the limitations of “wherein the respective unit cells, the substrate layer, the ground plane layer and the mask are flexible, resulting in the device capable of being curved to facilitate wearing of the device by a user.”
Claim 12 lacks antecedent basis for “the unit cells” in the limitations of “wherein the unit cells alter a radiation pattern of the redirected wireless radio frequency signals relative to the transmitted wireless radio frequency signals, to operate the device, at least in part, as a service tag that encodes device information in the radiation pattern.”
Claim 13 lacks antecedent basis for “the passive metasurface” in the limitations of “respective unit cells that redirect transmitted wireless radio frequency signals, transmitted by a transmitter and impinging on the passive metasurface, as reflected wireless radio frequency signals back for receiving by the receiver.”
Claims 14-17 are rejected because of being dependent on the rejected claim 13.
Claim 18 lacks antecedent basis for “the respective unit cells” and “the mask layer” in the limitations of “a substrate layer beneath the respective unit cells; a ground plane layer beneath the substrate layer; and a coupling configured for interchangeably attaching a mask to the device above the unit cells, wherein when the mask is coupled to the device via the coupling, the mask layer protects the unit cells from physical damage, in conjunction with altering an appearance of the device.”
Claims 19-20 are rejected because of being dependent on the rejected claim 18.
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 1-8, 11-15, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gomez et al. (Gomez – US 2015/0109106 A1) in view of Cho et al. (Cho – US 2024/0248366 A1) and Allen et al. (Allen – US 2024/0310561 A1).
As to claim 1, Gomez discloses a device, comprising:
respective unit cells (Gomez: FIG. 1-2 the one or more container 107) configured to redirect transmitted wireless radio frequency signals (Gomez: [0020]-[0021], and FIG. 1-2 the wearable device 101 comprising a body 106 and one or more container 107: wearable device 101 can comprise a body 106, and one or more container 107. In this embodiment wherein wearable device 101 can be in a form of a bracelet, body 106 can be the predominant portion of wearable device 101 that wraps around the wrist of a user), received at the respective unit cells from a transmitter (Gomez: [020], [0028]-[0029], [0041], FIG. 7 the reader 701 and , and FIG. 13: Electronic data on RFID tag 104 waits to be read. Antenna 103 of multiple RFID reader 701 can broadcast an electromagnetic energy to communicate with RFID tag 104 for each of said RFID 100. In one embodiment, multiple RFID system 700 can follow the radio regulations of ITU-R (International Telecommunications Union for Radio Communication). Thus, multiple RFID system 700 can use radio waves and frequency ranges that are reserved for RFID technology. As such, multiple RFID reader 701 can be used in scanning a plurality of RFIDs 100. Each of said RFIDs 100 can comprise a card information 1001. After every RFIDs 100 are scanned, each of said card information 1001 can then be stored within a device memory 902. Screen 801 can display at least a portion of each of said card information 1001), as redirected wireless radio frequency signals to a receiver (Gomez: [0020], [0028]-[0029], [0041], FIG. 7 the reader 701, and FIG. 13: Antenna 103 can be a communication device that transmits and receives data signals. As such, RFID tag 104 can be a transponder. Transponder can be a radar transmitter-receiver device that can automatically transmit data signals when triggered with a designated signal. RFID tag 104 can contain payment card information such as card number, card type, and other card identifier, in one embodiment. Base 105 can be any material that holds antenna 103 and RFID tag 104 together. Base 105 can be used to be able to physically attach RFID 100 to any desired object), and
a mask layer above the respective unit cells (Gomez: [0021]-[0025] and FIG. 1-4: wearable device 101 can comprise a body 106, and one or more container 107. In this embodiment wherein wearable device 101 can be in a form of a bracelet, body 106 can be the predominant portion of wearable device 101 that wraps around the wrist of a user. Body 106 can be made of any material, which can include but are not limited to metal, plastics, rubber, silicon, leather, and/or fabrics. Body 106 can be a flat flexible material that can allow container 107 to be mounted onto body 106. Thus, container 107 can be slid onto body 106. As such, container 107 can be detachable and re-attachable from body 106. In such embodiment, body 106 and container 107 can be interchangeable, allowing a user to combine different designs to personalize wearable device 101), wherein the mask layer augments an appearance of the device (Gomez: [0008], [0024], and FIG. 3: FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of wearable device 101, wherein a plurality of RFIDs 100 can be embedded within body 106. In this embodiment, body 106 can be made from water resistant materials that include, but are not limited to, silicone, plastics, and/or rubber material. This can ensure that RFID 100 can be securely and permanently attached within body 106. Moreover, RFID 100 can be protected from corrosion or scratches. Furthermore, body 106 in this embodiment can be utilized as RFID's 100 protection from exposure to harsh conditions such as hard impacts, extreme temperatures, and moisture exposure).
Gomez does not explicitly disclose a substrate layer beneath the respective unit cells; and a ground plane layer beneath the substrate layer.
However, it has been known in the art of radio frequency communication to implement a substrate layer beneath the respective unit cells; and
a plane layer beneath the substrate layer, as suggested by Cho, which discloses a substrate layer (Cho: FIG. 1 the spacer 106) beneath the respective unit cells (Cho: Abstract, [0021]-[0024], [0027]-[0029], [0035]-[0037], and FIG. 1: The metasurface-based active retroreflector comprises two active metasurfaces; namely, an upper or top metasurface 105 separated from a lower or bottom metasurface 107 by a spacer 106 (e.g., an optically transparent region or space imparting an appropriate separation distance, space, or gap between the upper/top 105 and lower/bottom 107 metasurfaces)); and
a plane layer beneath the substrate layer (Cho: Abstract, [0021]-[0024], [0027]-[0029], [0035]-[0037], FIG. 1, and FIG. 6: various embodiments are directed to a retroreflector comprising an optically transparent region, substrate, or spacer configured to pass the incident optical beam to an upper metasurface, the upper metasurface having a plurality of sub-wavelength scale resonators formed thereat and configured to spatially modify a local phase of an optical beam passing therethrough so as to distribute a wavefront of that optical beam on a lower metasurface, the lower metasurface disposed above a reflector (e.g., a mirror) and having a plurality of sub-wavelength scale resonators formed thereat and configured to spatially modify a local phase of the optical beam passing therethrough such that when reflected back through the lower metasurface by the reflector a wavefront of the reflected optical beam is focused on the focal plane of the upper metasurface, the upper metasurface being further configured to spatially modify a local phase of the reflected optical beam passing therethrough to provide a retroreflected optical beam); and
a mask layer above the respective unit cells (Cho: Abstract, [0021]-[0024], [0027]-[0029], [0035]-[0037], FIG. 1, and FIG. 6: when the top 104 and bottom 105 metasurfaces are activated by applying a bias voltage to a top metasurface associated with an electro-optic film 104 (such as with respect to the bottom metasurface 105), an input optical beam 101 incident on the retroreflector will be converted into a spherical beam and distributed (optionally focused) onto the surface of the bottom metasurface 107 after propagating through the spacer 106. The top metasurface 105 is embedded in the electro-optic film 104 and is configured to convert the shape of the wavefront of the input optical beam from flat to spherical by spatially changing the local phase of the transmitted beam).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Gomez and Cho, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the wearable device of Gomez to include a substrate layer beneath the respective unit cells; and a plane layer beneath the substrate layer, as suggested by Cho. The motivation for this is to implement a known alternative design for generating responding signals using metasurface.
The combination of Gomez and Cho does not explicitly disclose a ground plane layer beneath the substrate layer.
However, it has been known in the art of radio frequency communications to implement a ground plane layer beneath the substrate layer, as suggested by Allen, which discloses a ground plane layer beneath the substrate layer (Allen: [0008], [0045]-[0046] and FIG. 1 the ground plane 110: The first fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106a and the second fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface are configured to operate with a ground plane 110 operatively coupled to the substrate 108. The ground plane has a reflective surface 112 to a signal wavefront 114 (shown as 114a, 114b). The retroreflective apparatus 100 (e.g., 100a) may include a circuit element 115 that may be fabricated on or next to the retroreflective metasurface 102); and
a mask layer above the respective unit cells (Allen: Abstract, [0045]-[0048], [0053], [0065]-[0068], [0071], [0077], FIG. 1 the first fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106a and the second fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106b, and FIG. 3 : The first fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106a has a first pattern having a first associated periodicity, and the second fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface has a second pattern having a second associated periodicity), wherein the mask layer augments an appearance of the device (Allen: Abstract, [0045]-[0048], [0053], [0065]-[0068], [0071], [0077], FIG. 1 the first fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106a and the second fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106b, and FIG. 5-9).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Gomez, Cho, and Allen, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the wearable device of Gomez and Cho to include a ground plane layer beneath the substrate layer, as suggested by Allen. The motivation for this is to implement a known alternative design for generating radio responding signals using metasurface.
As to claim 2, Gomez, Cho, and Allen disclose the limitations of claim 1 further comprising the device of claim 1, wherein the mask layer is substantially transparent (Cho: [0007]-[0008], [0023]-[0024], [0027]-[0028], [0030]-[0031], and FIG. 1 the electro-optic film 104 and the top metasurface 105: the upper or top metasurface 105 is embedded in a substantially transparent electro-optic substrate or film 104. A reflector (e.g., a frequency selective mirror) is positioned behind or under the lower or bottom metasurface 107 so as to reflect light back toward the lower or bottom metasurface 107 and Allen: [0057], [0084], [0086], [0103], and FIG. 1-9: In a stacked retroreflective hybrid metasurface configuration (202), the top layer 206 is made to be transparent at one frequency (210) and retroreflective (212) at another frequency. The bottom layer 208 then functions as the ground plane, and at the frequency (212) that the top layer 206 is retroreflective, and it (208) is retroreflective at the frequency (210) that the top layer (206) is transparent. In this configuration, the hybrid metasurface structure behaves as a retroreflector at two independent frequencies (and potentially angles), and the entire surface area of the metastructure is used for both frequencies of operations, allowing for high efficiency. This configuration may be particularly useful for dual-band operation because the top layer can then be both retroreflective at one operating frequency and transparent at another) to the transmitted wireless radio frequency signals and the redirected wireless radio frequency signals (Gomez: [0020], [0028]-[0029], [0041], FIG. 7 the reader 701, and FIG. 13: Antenna 103 can be a communication device that transmits and receives data signals. As such, RFID tag 104 can be a transponder. Transponder can be a radar transmitter-receiver device that can automatically transmit data signals when triggered with a designated signal. RFID tag 104 can contain payment card information such as card number, card type, and other card identifier, in one embodiment. Base 105 can be any material that holds antenna 103 and RFID tag 104 together. Base 105 can be used to be able to physically attach RFID 100 to any desired object).
As to claim 3, Gomez, Cho, and Allen disclose the limitations of claim 1 further comprising the device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to be a wearable device (Gomez: Abstract, [0020]-[0023], and FIG. 1 the wearable device 101 comprising a body 106 and one or more container 107: wearable device 101 can comprise a body 106, and one or more container 107. In this embodiment wherein wearable device 101 can be in a form of a bracelet, body 106 can be the predominant portion of wearable device 101 that wraps around the wrist of a user).
As to claim 4, Gomez, Cho, and Allen disclose the limitations of claim 1 further comprising the device of claim 1, wherein the respective unit cells, the substrate layer, the ground plane layer and the mask are flexible, resulting in the device capable of being curved to facilitate wearing of the device by a user (Gomez: Abstract, [0020]-[0023], and FIG. 1 the wearable device 101 comprising a body 106 and one or more container 107: wearable device 101 can comprise a body 106, and one or more container 107. In this embodiment wherein wearable device 101 can be in a form of a bracelet, body 106 can be the predominant portion of wearable device 101 that wraps around the wrist of a user and Allen: [0049], [0055], [0059], [0092], and FIG. 5-9: the fragmented or pixelated array metasurface provides a flexible configuration for the design of sub-unit patterns of the metasurface that can be optimized for various retroreflection angles of operation).
As to claim 5, Gomez, Cho, and Allen disclose the limitations of claim 1 further comprising the device of claim 1, wherein the mask layer contains visible information (Gomez: [0008], [0024], and FIG. 3: FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of wearable device 101, wherein a plurality of RFIDs 100 can be embedded within body 106. In this embodiment, body 106 can be made from water resistant materials that include, but are not limited to, silicone, plastics, and/or rubber material. This can ensure that RFID 100 can be securely and permanently attached within body 106. Moreover, RFID 100 can be protected from corrosion or scratches. Furthermore, body 106 in this embodiment can be utilized as RFID's 100 protection from exposure to harsh conditions such as hard impacts, extreme temperatures, and moisture exposure and Allen: Abstract, [0045]-[0048], [0053], [0065]-[0068], [0071], [0077], FIG. 1 the first fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106a and the second fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106b, and FIG. 5-9).
As to claim 6, Gomez, Cho, and Allen disclose the limitations of claim 5 further comprising the device of claim 5, wherein the visible information comprises at least one of: a logo, a brand identifier, an alphanumeric name, a service mark, an icon, an image, or a symbol (Gomez: [0008], [0024], and FIG. 3: FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of wearable device 101, wherein a plurality of RFIDs 100 can be embedded within body 106. In this embodiment, body 106 can be made from water resistant materials that include, but are not limited to, silicone, plastics, and/or rubber material. This can ensure that RFID 100 can be securely and permanently attached within body 106. Moreover, RFID 100 can be protected from corrosion or scratches. Furthermore, body 106 in this embodiment can be utilized as RFID's 100 protection from exposure to harsh conditions such as hard impacts, extreme temperatures, and moisture exposure and Allen: Abstract, [0045]-[0048], [0053], [0065]-[0068], [0071], [0077], FIG. 1 the first fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106a and the second fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106b, and FIG. 5-9).
As to claim 7, Gomez, Cho, and Allen disclose the limitations of claim 5 further comprising the device of claim 5, wherein the visible information corresponds to descriptive functionality information related to characteristics of the device (Gomez: [0008], [0020]-[0024], [0027], [0030], and FIG. 3: FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of wearable device 101, wherein a plurality of RFIDs 100 can be embedded within body 106. In this embodiment, body 106 can be made from water resistant materials that include, but are not limited to, silicone, plastics, and/or rubber material. This can ensure that RFID 100 can be securely and permanently attached within body 106. Moreover, RFID 100 can be protected from corrosion or scratches. Furthermore, body 106 in this embodiment can be utilized as RFID's 100 protection from exposure to harsh conditions such as hard impacts, extreme temperatures, and moisture exposure and Allen: Abstract, [0045]-[0048], [0053], [0065]-[0068], [0071], [0077], FIG. 1 the first fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106a and the second fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106b, and FIG. 5-9).
As to claim 8, Gomez, Cho, and Allen disclose the limitations of claim 5 further comprising the device of claim 5, wherein the visible information is customizable, with a representation of the visible information accessible via a shared platform (Allen: [0043], [0077]-[0099], [0107], and FIG. 5-9: Some references, which may include various patents, patent applications, and publications, are cited in a reference list and discussed in the disclosure provided herein. The citation and/or discussion of such references is provided merely to clarify the description of the present disclosure and is not an admission that any such reference is “prior art” to any aspects of the present disclosure described herein. In terms of notation, “[n]” corresponds to the nth 10 reference in the list. All references cited and discussed in this specification are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties and to the same extent as if each reference was individually incorporated by reference).
As to claim 11, Gomez, Cho, and Allen disclose the limitations of claim 1 further comprising the device of claim 1, wherein the mask layer is based on at least one of: permittivity of a selected material, or thickness of the selected material, to determine, at least in part, performance metrics of the device that determine a radiation pattern of the redirected wireless radio frequency signals (Cho: Abstract, [0021]-[0024], [0027]-[0029], [0035]-[0037], FIG. 1, and FIG. 6: various embodiments are directed to a retroreflector comprising an optically transparent region, substrate, or spacer configured to pass the incident optical beam to an upper metasurface, the upper metasurface having a plurality of sub-wavelength scale resonators formed thereat and configured to spatially modify a local phase of an optical beam passing therethrough so as to distribute a wavefront of that optical beam on a lower metasurface, the lower metasurface disposed above a reflector (e.g., a mirror) and having a plurality of sub-wavelength scale resonators formed thereat and configured to spatially modify a local phase of the optical beam passing therethrough such that when reflected back through the lower metasurface by the reflector a wavefront of the reflected optical beam is focused on the focal plane of the upper metasurface, the upper metasurface being further configured to spatially modify a local phase of the reflected optical beam passing therethrough to provide a retroreflected optical beam and Allen: Abstract, [0045]-[0048], [0053], [0065]-[0068], [0071], [0077], FIG. 1 the first fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106a and the second fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106b, and FIG. 3 : The first fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106a has a first pattern having a first associated periodicity, and the second fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface has a second pattern having a second associated periodicity).
As to claim 12, Gomez, Cho, and Allen disclose the limitations of claim 1 further comprising the device of claim 1, wherein the unit cells alter a radiation pattern of the redirected wireless radio frequency signals relative to the transmitted wireless radio frequency signals, to operate the device, at least in part, as a service tag that encodes device information in the radiation pattern (Cho: Abstract, [0021]-[0024], [0027]-[0029], [0035]-[0037], FIG. 1, and FIG. 6: various embodiments are directed to a retroreflector comprising an optically transparent region, substrate, or spacer configured to pass the incident optical beam to an upper metasurface, the upper metasurface having a plurality of sub-wavelength scale resonators formed thereat and configured to spatially modify a local phase of an optical beam passing therethrough so as to distribute a wavefront of that optical beam on a lower metasurface, the lower metasurface disposed above a reflector (e.g., a mirror) and having a plurality of sub-wavelength scale resonators formed thereat and configured to spatially modify a local phase of the optical beam passing therethrough such that when reflected back through the lower metasurface by the reflector a wavefront of the reflected optical beam is focused on the focal plane of the upper metasurface, the upper metasurface being further configured to spatially modify a local phase of the reflected optical beam passing therethrough to provide a retroreflected optical beam and Allen: Abstract, [0045]-[0048], [0053], [0065]-[0068], [0071], [0077], FIG. 1 the first fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106a and the second fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106b, and FIG. 3 : The first fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106a has a first pattern having a first associated periodicity, and the second fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface has a second pattern having a second associated periodicity).
As to claim 13, Gomez discloses a metasurface, comprising:
respective unit cells (Gomez: FIG. 1-2 the one or more container 107) that redirect transmitted wireless radio frequency signals (Gomez: [0020]-[0021], and FIG. 1-2 the wearable device 101 comprising a body 106 and one or more container 107: wearable device 101 can comprise a body 106, and one or more container 107. In this embodiment wherein wearable device 101 can be in a form of a bracelet, body 106 can be the predominant portion of wearable device 101 that wraps around the wrist of a user), transmitted by a transmitter (Gomez: [020], [0028]-[0029], [0041], FIG. 7 the reader 701 and , and FIG. 13: Electronic data on RFID tag 104 waits to be read. Antenna 103 of multiple RFID reader 701 can broadcast an electromagnetic energy to communicate with RFID tag 104 for each of said RFID 100. In one embodiment, multiple RFID system 700 can follow the radio regulations of ITU-R (International Telecommunications Union for Radio Communication). Thus, multiple RFID system 700 can use radio waves and frequency ranges that are reserved for RFID technology. As such, multiple RFID reader 701 can be used in scanning a plurality of RFIDs 100. Each of said RFIDs 100 can comprise a card information 1001. After every RFIDs 100 are scanned, each of said card information 1001 can then be stored within a device memory 902. Screen 801 can display at least a portion of each of said card information 1001), as reflected wireless radio frequency signals back for receiving by the receiver (Gomez: [0020], [0028]-[0029], [0041], FIG. 7 the reader 701, and FIG. 13: Antenna 103 can be a communication device that transmits and receives data signals. As such, RFID tag 104 can be a transponder. Transponder can be a radar transmitter-receiver device that can automatically transmit data signals when triggered with a designated signal. RFID tag 104 can contain payment card information such as card number, card type, and other card identifier, in one embodiment. Base 105 can be any material that holds antenna 103 and RFID tag 104 together. Base 105 can be used to be able to physically attach RFID 100 to any desired object);
a mask that covers the respective unit cells (Gomez: [0021]-[0025] and FIG. 1-4: wearable device 101 can comprise a body 106, and one or more container 107. In this embodiment wherein wearable device 101 can be in a form of a bracelet, body 106 can be the predominant portion of wearable device 101 that wraps around the wrist of a user. Body 106 can be made of any material, which can include but are not limited to metal, plastics, rubber, silicon, leather, and/or fabrics. Body 106 can be a flat flexible material that can allow container 107 to be mounted onto body 106. Thus, container 107 can be slid onto body 106. As such, container 107 can be detachable and re-attachable from body 106. In such embodiment, body 106 and container 107 can be interchangeable, allowing a user to combine different designs to personalize wearable device 101).
Gomez does not explicitly disclose respective unit cells that redirect transmitted wireless radio frequency signals, transmitted by a transmitter and impinging on the passive metasurface, as reflected wireless radio frequency signals back for receiving by the receiver; and a substrate layer beneath the respective unit cells; and a ground plane layer beneath the substrate layer, wherein the respective unit cells alter the reflected wireless radio frequency signals relative to the transmitted wireless radio frequency signals based on respective characteristics of the respective unit cells to encode information, corresponding to performance metrics of metasurface, in the reflected wireless radio frequency signals.
However, it has been known in the art of radio frequency communication to implement respective unit cells that redirect transmitted wireless radio frequency signals, transmitted by a transmitter and impinging on the passive metasurface, as reflected wireless radio frequency signals back for receiving by the receiver; and a substrate layer beneath the respective unit cells; and wherein the respective unit cells alter the reflected wireless radio frequency signals relative to the transmitted wireless radio frequency signals based on respective characteristics of the respective unit cells to encode information, corresponding to performance metrics of metasurface, in the reflected wireless radio frequency signals, as suggested by Cho, which discloses respective unit cells that redirect transmitted wireless radio frequency signals, transmitted by a transmitter and impinging on the passive metasurface, as reflected wireless radio frequency signals back for receiving by the receiver; and a substrate layer (Cho: FIG. 1 the spacer 106) beneath the respective unit cells (Cho: Abstract, [0021]-[0024], [0027]-[0029], [0035]-[0037], and FIG. 1: The metasurface-based active retroreflector comprises two active metasurfaces; namely, an upper or top metasurface 105 separated from a lower or bottom metasurface 107 by a spacer 106 (e.g., an optically transparent region or space imparting an appropriate separation distance, space, or gap between the upper/top 105 and lower/bottom 107 metasurfaces)); and
wherein the respective unit cells alter the reflected wireless radio frequency signals relative to the transmitted wireless radio frequency signals based on respective characteristics of the respective unit cells to encode information (Cho: Abstract, [0005]-[0006], [0008]-[0009], [0021]-[0022], [0025], [0032]-[0035], [0057], and FIG. 1 the modulation signal source 102: some embodiments provide a surveillance communications apparatus comprising a signals receiver and encoder configured to encode received signals information to provide thereby an encoded data signal, and a retroreflector as described herein, wherein an electric voltage used to spatially modify a local phase or a transmitted intensity of a reflected optical beam passing through an upper or lower metasurface is modulated in accordance with the encoded data signal), corresponding to performance metrics of metasurface, in the reflected wireless radio frequency signals (Cho: Abstract, [0005]-[0006], [0008]-[0009], [0021]-[0022], [0025], [0032]-[0035], [0057], and FIG. 1 the modulation signal source 10: the upper metasurface configured, in response to an electric voltage imparted thereto, to spatially modify a local phase or a transmitted intensity of the reflected optical beam passing therethrough to provide a frequency-selective retroreflected optical beam).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Gomez and Cho, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the wearable device of Gomez to include respective unit cells that redirect transmitted wireless radio frequency signals, transmitted by a transmitter and impinging on the passive metasurface, as reflected wireless radio frequency signals back for receiving by the receiver; and a substrate layer beneath the respective unit cells; and wherein the respective unit cells alter the reflected wireless radio frequency signals relative to the transmitted wireless radio frequency signals based on respective characteristics of the respective unit cells to encode information, corresponding to performance metrics of metasurface, in the reflected wireless radio frequency signals, as suggested by Cho. The motivation for this is to implement a known alternative design for generating responding signals using metasurface.
The combination of Gomez and Cho does not explicitly disclose a ground plane layer beneath the substrate layer, wherein the respective unit cells alter the reflected wireless radio frequency signals relative to the transmitted wireless radio frequency signals based on respective characteristics of the respective unit cells to encode information, corresponding to performance metrics of metasurface, in the reflected wireless radio frequency signals.
However, it has been known in the art of radio frequency communications to implement a ground plane layer beneath the substrate layer, wherein the respective unit cells alter the reflected wireless radio frequency signals relative to the transmitted wireless radio frequency signals based on respective characteristics of the respective unit cells to encode information, corresponding to performance metrics of metasurface, in the reflected wireless radio frequency signals, as suggested by Allen, which discloses
a ground plane layer beneath the substrate layer (Allen: [0008], [0045]-[0046] and FIG. 1 the ground plane 110: The first fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106a and the second fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface are configured to operate with a ground plane 110 operatively coupled to the substrate 108. The ground plane has a reflective surface 112 to a signal wavefront 114 (shown as 114a, 114b). The retroreflective apparatus 100 (e.g., 100a) may include a circuit element 115 that may be fabricated on or next to the retroreflective metasurface 102), wherein the respective unit cells alter the reflected wireless radio frequency signals relative to the transmitted wireless radio frequency signals based on respective characteristics of the respective unit cells to encode information, corresponding to performance metrics of metasurface, in the reflected wireless radio frequency signals (Allen: [0057], [0084], [0086], [0103], and FIG. 1-9: In a stacked retroreflective hybrid metasurface configuration (202), the top layer 206 is made to be transparent at one frequency (210) and retroreflective (212) at another frequency. The bottom layer 208 then functions as the ground plane, and at the frequency (212) that the top layer 206 is retroreflective, and it (208) is retroreflective at the frequency (210) that the top layer (206) is transparent. In this configuration, the hybrid metasurface structure behaves as a retroreflector at two independent frequencies (and potentially angles), and the entire surface area of the metastructure is used for both frequencies of operations, allowing for high efficiency. This configuration may be particularly useful for dual-band operation because the top layer can then be both retroreflective at one operating frequency and transparent at another).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Gomez, Cho, and Allen, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the wearable device of Gomez and Cho to include a ground plane layer beneath the substrate layer, wherein the respective unit cells alter the reflected wireless radio frequency signals relative to the transmitted wireless radio frequency signals based on respective characteristics of the respective unit cells to encode information, corresponding to performance metrics of metasurface, in the reflected wireless radio frequency signals, as suggested by Allen. The motivation for this is to implement a known alternative design for generating radio responding signals using metasurface.
As to claim 14, Gomez, Cho, and Allen disclose the limitations of claim 13 further comprising the metasurface of claim 13, wherein the metasurface is wearable by a user (Gomez: Abstract, [0020]-[0023], and FIG. 1 the wearable device 101 comprising a body 106 and one or more container 107: wearable device 101 can comprise a body 106, and one or more container 107. In this embodiment wherein wearable device 101 can be in a form of a bracelet, body 106 can be the predominant portion of wearable device 101 that wraps around the wrist of a user).
As to claim 15, Gomez, Cho, and Allen disclose the limitations of claim 13 further comprising the metasurface of claim 13, wherein the mask establishes an appearance of the metasurface (Gomez: Abstract, [0020]-[0023], and FIG. 1 the wearable device 101 comprising a body 106 and one or more container 107: wearable device 101 can comprise a body 106, and one or more container 107. In this embodiment wherein wearable device 101 can be in a form of a bracelet, body 106 can be the predominant portion of wearable device 101 that wraps around the wrist of a user and Allen: [0057], [0084], [0086], [0103], and FIG. 1-9: In a stacked retroreflective hybrid metasurface configuration (202), the top layer 206 is made to be transparent at one frequency (210) and retroreflective (212) at another frequency. The bottom layer 208 then functions as the ground plane, and at the frequency (212) that the top layer 206 is retroreflective, and it (208) is retroreflective at the frequency (210) that the top layer (206) is transparent. In this configuration, the hybrid metasurface structure behaves as a retroreflector at two independent frequencies (and potentially angles), and the entire surface area of the metastructure is used for both frequencies of operations, allowing for high efficiency. This configuration may be particularly useful for dual-band operation because the top layer can then be both retroreflective at one operating frequency and transparent at another).
As to claim 17, Gomez, Cho, and Allen disclose the limitations of claim 13 further comprising the metasurface of claim 13, wherein the mask comprises visible information (Gomez: [0008], [0024], and FIG. 3: FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of wearable device 101, wherein a plurality of RFIDs 100 can be embedded within body 106. In this embodiment, body 106 can be made from water resistant materials that include, but are not limited to, silicone, plastics, and/or rubber material. This can ensure that RFID 100 can be securely and permanently attached within body 106. Moreover, RFID 100 can be protected from corrosion or scratches. Furthermore, body 106 in this embodiment can be utilized as RFID's 100 protection from exposure to harsh conditions such as hard impacts, extreme temperatures, and moisture exposure and Allen: Abstract, [0045]-[0048], [0053], [0065]-[0068], [0071], [0077], FIG. 1 the first fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106a and the second fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106b, and FIG. 5-9).
Claims 9-10, 16, and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gomez et al. (Gomez – US 2015/0109106 A1) in view of Cho et al. (Cho – US 2024/0248366 A1) and Allen et al. (Allen – US 2024/0310561 A1) and further in view of Boulby (Boulby – US 2020/0042977 A1).
As to claim 9, Gomez, Cho, and Allen disclose the limitations of claim 1 except for the claimed limitations of the device of claim 1, wherein the mask layer is attachable and detachable from the device.
However, it has been known in the art of wearable device to implement wherein the mask layer is attachable and detachable from the device, as suggested by Boulby, which discloses wherein the mask layer is attachable and detachable from the device (Boulby: Abstract, [0039], [0055], [0058], [0064]-[0067], [0073], FIG. 1-3 the upper body 106, FIG. 5-6, and FIG. 9-10: Some aspects of the present invention and examples provide the advantage that the device may be disassembled to allow a tag to be removed and replaced).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Gomez, Cho, Allen and Boulby, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the wearable device of Gomez, Cho, and Allen to include wherein the mask layer is attachable and detachable from the device, as suggested by Boulby. The motivation for this is to implement a known alternative design for attaching a circuitry within a wearable device.
As to claim 10, Gomez, Cho, Allen and Boulby disclose the limitations of claim 9 further comprising the device of claim 9, wherein the mask layer comprises a first interchangeable mask layer, and further comprising a second interchangeable mask layer that is attachable and detachable from the device (Boulby: Abstract, [0039], [0055], [0058], [0064]-[0067], [0073], FIG. 1-3 the upper body 106, FIG. 5-6, and FIG. 9-10: Some aspects of the present invention and examples provide the advantage that the device may be disassembled to allow a tag to be removed and replaced).
As to claim 16, Gomez, Cho, Allen and Boulby disclose the limitations of claim 13 further comprising the metasurface of claim 13, wherein the mask is interchangeable with at least one other mask (Boulby: Abstract, [0039], [0055], [0058], [0064]-[0067], [0073], FIG. 1-3 the upper body 106, FIG. 5-6, and FIG. 9-10: Some aspects of the present invention and examples provide the advantage that the device may be disassembled to allow a tag to be removed and replaced).
As to claim 18, Gomez discloses a device, comprising:
a unit cell layer comprising unit cells (Gomez: FIG. 1-2 the one or more container 107) that redirect transmitted wireless radio frequency signals (Gomez: [0020]-[0021], and FIG. 1-2 the wearable device 101 comprising a body 106 and one or more container 107: wearable device 101 can comprise a body 106, and one or more container 107. In this embodiment wherein wearable device 101 can be in a form of a bracelet, body 106 can be the predominant portion of wearable device 101 that wraps around the wrist of a user), received at the unit cells from a transmitter (Gomez: [020], [0028]-[0029], [0041], FIG. 7 the reader 701 and , and FIG. 13: Electronic data on RFID tag 104 waits to be read. Antenna 103 of multiple RFID reader 701 can broadcast an electromagnetic energy to communicate with RFID tag 104 for each of said RFID 100. In one embodiment, multiple RFID system 700 can follow the radio regulations of ITU-R (International Telecommunications Union for Radio Communication). Thus, multiple RFID system 700 can use radio waves and frequency ranges that are reserved for RFID technology. As such, multiple RFID reader 701 can be used in scanning a plurality of RFIDs 100. Each of said RFIDs 100 can comprise a card information 1001. After every RFIDs 100 are scanned, each of said card information 1001 can then be stored within a device memory 902. Screen 801 can display at least a portion of each of said card information 1001), as redirected wireless radio frequency signals to a receiver (Gomez: [0020], [0028]-[0029], [0041], FIG. 7 the reader 701, and FIG. 13: Antenna 103 can be a communication device that transmits and receives data signals. As such, RFID tag 104 can be a transponder. Transponder can be a radar transmitter-receiver device that can automatically transmit data signals when triggered with a designated signal. RFID tag 104 can contain payment card information such as card number, card type, and other card identifier, in one embodiment. Base 105 can be any material that holds antenna 103 and RFID tag 104 together. Base 105 can be used to be able to physically attach RFID 100 to any desired object); and
wherein when the mask is coupled to the device via the coupling (Gomez: [0021]-[0025] and FIG. 1-4: wearable device 101 can comprise a body 106, and one or more container 107. In this embodiment wherein wearable device 101 can be in a form of a bracelet, body 106 can be the predominant portion of wearable device 101 that wraps around the wrist of a user. Body 106 can be made of any material, which can include but are not limited to metal, plastics, rubber, silicon, leather, and/or fabrics. Body 106 can be a flat flexible material that can allow container 107 to be mounted onto body 106. Thus, container 107 can be slid onto body 106. As such, container 107 can be detachable and re-attachable from body 106. In such embodiment, body 106 and container 107 can be interchangeable, allowing a user to combine different designs to personalize wearable device 101), the mask layer protects the unit cells from physical damage (Gomez: [0008], [0024], and FIG. 3: FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of wearable device 101, wherein a plurality of RFIDs 100 can be embedded within body 106. In this embodiment, body 106 can be made from water resistant materials that include, but are not limited to, silicone, plastics, and/or rubber material. This can ensure that RFID 100 can be securely and permanently attached within body 106. Moreover, RFID 100 can be protected from corrosion or scratches. Furthermore, body 106 in this embodiment can be utilized as RFID's 100 protection from exposure to harsh conditions such as hard impacts, extreme temperatures, and moisture exposure).
Gomez does not explicitly disclose a substrate layer beneath the respective unit cells;
a ground plane layer beneath the substrate layer; and
a coupling configured for interchangeably attaching a mask to the device above the unit cells, and
wherein when the mask is coupled to the device via the coupling, the mask layer protects the unit cells from physical damage, in conjunction with altering an appearance of the device.
However, it has been known in the art of radio frequency communication to implement a substrate layer beneath the respective unit cells; and
a plane layer beneath the substrate layer, as suggested by Cho, which discloses a substrate layer (Cho: FIG. 1 the spacer 106) beneath the respective unit cells (Cho: Abstract, [0021]-[0024], [0027]-[0029], [0035]-[0037], and FIG. 1: The metasurface-based active retroreflector comprises two active metasurfaces; namely, an upper or top metasurface 105 separated from a lower or bottom metasurface 107 by a spacer 106 (e.g., an optically transparent region or space imparting an appropriate separation distance, space, or gap between the upper/top 105 and lower/bottom 107 metasurfaces)); and
a plane layer beneath the substrate layer (Cho: Abstract, [0021]-[0024], [0027]-[0029], [0035]-[0037], FIG. 1, and FIG. 6: various embodiments are directed to a retroreflector comprising an optically transparent region, substrate, or spacer configured to pass the incident optical beam to an upper metasurface, the upper metasurface having a plurality of sub-wavelength scale resonators formed thereat and configured to spatially modify a local phase of an optical beam passing therethrough so as to distribute a wavefront of that optical beam on a lower metasurface, the lower metasurface disposed above a reflector (e.g., a mirror) and having a plurality of sub-wavelength scale resonators formed thereat and configured to spatially modify a local phase of the optical beam passing therethrough such that when reflected back through the lower metasurface by the reflector a wavefront of the reflected optical beam is focused on the focal plane of the upper metasurface, the upper metasurface being further configured to spatially modify a local phase of the reflected optical beam passing therethrough to provide a retroreflected optical beam); and
a mask layer above the respective unit cells (Cho: Abstract, [0021]-[0024], [0027]-[0029], [0035]-[0037], FIG. 1, and FIG. 6: when the top 104 and bottom 105 metasurfaces are activated by applying a bias voltage to a top metasurface associated with an electro-optic film 104 (such as with respect to the bottom metasurface 105), an input optical beam 101 incident on the retroreflector will be converted into a spherical beam and distributed (optionally focused) onto the surface of the bottom metasurface 107 after propagating through the spacer 106. The top metasurface 105 is embedded in the electro-optic film 104 and is configured to convert the shape of the wavefront of the input optical beam from flat to spherical by spatially changing the local phase of the transmitted beam).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Gomez and Cho, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the wearable device of Gomez to include a substrate layer beneath the respective unit cells; and
a plane layer beneath the substrate layer, as suggested by Cho. The motivation for this is to implement a known alternative design for generating responding signals using metasurface.
The combination of Gomez and Cho does not explicitly disclose a ground plane layer beneath the substrate layer, and
a coupling configured for attaching a mask to the device above the unit cells, and
wherein when the mask is coupled to the device via the coupling, the mask layer protects the unit cells from physical damage, in conjunction with altering an appearance of the device.
However, it has been known in the art of radio frequency communications to implement a ground plane layer beneath the substrate layer, and
a coupling configured for attaching a mask to the device above the unit cells, and
wherein when the mask is coupled to the device via the coupling, in conjunction with altering an appearance of the device as suggested by Allen, which discloses a ground plane layer beneath the substrate layer (Allen: [0008], [0045]-[0046] and FIG. 1 the ground plane 110: The first fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106a and the second fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface are configured to operate with a ground plane 110 operatively coupled to the substrate 108. The ground plane has a reflective surface 112 to a signal wavefront 114 (shown as 114a, 114b). The retroreflective apparatus 100 (e.g., 100a) may include a circuit element 115 that may be fabricated on or next to the retroreflective metasurface 102); and
a coupling configured for attaching a mask to the device above the unit cells (Allen: Abstract, [0045]-[0048], [0053], [0065]-[0068], [0071], [0077], FIG. 1 the first fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106a and the second fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106b, and FIG. 3 : The first fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106a has a first pattern having a first associated periodicity, and the second fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface has a second pattern having a second associated periodicity), and
wherein when the mask is coupled to the device via the coupling, in conjunction with altering an appearance of the device (Allen: Abstract, [0045]-[0048], [0053], [0065]-[0068], [0071], [0077], FIG. 1 the first fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106a and the second fragmented or pixelated-array metasurface 106b, and FIG. 5-9).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Gomez, Cho, and Allen, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the wearable device of Gomez and Cho to include a ground plane layer beneath the substrate layer, and
a coupling configured for attaching a mask to the device above the unit cells, and
wherein when the mask is coupled to the device via the coupling, in conjunction with altering an appearance of the device, as suggested by Allen. The motivation for this is to implement a known alternative design for generating radio responding signals using metasurface.
The combination of Gomez, Cho, and Allen does not explicitly disclose a coupling configured for interchangeably attaching a mask to the device.
However, it has been known in the art of wearable device to implement a coupling configured for interchangeably attaching a mask to the device, as suggested by Boulby, which discloses a coupling configured for interchangeably attaching a mask to the device (Boulby: Abstract, [0039], [0055], [0058], [0064]-[0067], [0073], FIG. 1-3 the upper body 106, FIG. 5-6, and FIG. 9-10: The wearable device 100 may further include coupling elements. The coupling elements can be configured in a number of ways. For example, the coupling elements may function to couple together individual frame elements (e.g. side frame elements 104.sub.1-2). In this context the term ‘couple’ includes direct coupling or indirect coupling via a separate component), and
wherein when the mask is coupled to the device via the coupling, the mask layer protects the unit cells from physical damage (Boulby: Abstract, [0039], [0055], [0058], [0064]-[0067], [0073], [0098], FIG. 1-3 the upper body 106, FIG. 5-6, and FIG. 9-10).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Gomez, Cho, Allen and Boulby, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the wearable device of Gomez, Cho, and Allen to include a coupling configured for interchangeably attaching a mask to the device, as suggested by Boulby. The motivation for this is to implement a known alternative design for attaching a circuitry within a wearable device.
As to claim 19, Gomez, Cho, Allen and Boulby discloses the limitations of claim 18 further comprising the device of claim 18, wherein the coupling comprises at least one of: a mechanical coupling, or a magnetic coupling (Allen: [0045], [0053]-[0055], and FIG. 1: A circuit element 115 that may be fabricated on or next to the retroreflective metasurface 102 may include antennas and other inductive or capacitive structures of an RFID circuit, wireless communication system, and the like. Retroreflection is beneficial for RFID devices and applications in having directionality, via the retroreflection, of an interrogated signal provided from an RFID scanner, for example, to the RFID tag and having the retroreflected signal return to the source. Retroreflective responses in a different direction other than normal can provide a larger window of operation of the device, i.e., the angle that the device can operate. Because of the increased transmission efficiency and polarization, the sensitivity of the device can be improved, which may allow for more compact devices to be fabricated and Boulby: Abstract, [0039], [0055], [0058], [0064]-[0067], [0073], FIG. 1-3 the upper body 106, FIG. 5-6, and FIG. 9-10: The wearable device 100 may further include coupling elements. The coupling elements can be configured in a number of ways. For example, the coupling elements may function to couple together individual frame elements (e.g. side frame elements 104.sub.1-2). In this context the term ‘couple’ includes direct coupling or indirect coupling via a separate component).
As to claim 20, Gomez, Cho, Allen and Boulby discloses the limitations of claim 18 further comprising the device of claim 18, wherein the mask is a first mask corresponding to a first appearance of the device when the first mask is coupled to the device via the coupling, and further comprising a second mask corresponding to a second appearance of the device when the second mask is coupled to the device via the coupling (Allen: [0057], [0084], [0086], [0103], and FIG. 1-9: In a stacked retroreflective hybrid metasurface configuration (202), the top layer 206 is made to be transparent at one frequency (210) and retroreflective (212) at another frequency. The bottom layer 208 then functions as the ground plane, and at the frequency (212) that the top layer 206 is retroreflective, and it (208) is retroreflective at the frequency (210) that the top layer (206) is transparent. In this configuration, the hybrid metasurface structure behaves as a retroreflector at two independent frequencies (and potentially angles), and the entire surface area of the metastructure is used for both frequencies of operations, allowing for high efficiency. This configuration may be particularly useful for dual-band operation because the top layer can then be both retroreflective at one operating frequency and transparent at another and Boulby: Abstract, [0039], [0055], [0058], [0064]-[0067], [0073], FIG. 1-3 the upper body 106, FIG. 5-6, and FIG. 9-10: The wearable device 100 may further include coupling elements. The coupling elements can be configured in a number of ways. For example, the coupling elements may function to couple together individual frame elements (e.g. side frame elements 104.sub.1-2). In this context the term ‘couple’ includes direct coupling or indirect coupling via a separate component).
Citation of Pertinent Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure:
Klimt, US 2020/0012912 A1, discloses wearable device with electronically-readable tag.
Padgett et al., US 2011/0209372 A1, discloses wearable bands with interchangeable RFID modules allowing user sizing and personalization.
Casse, US 2016/0254396 A1, discloses metamaterial enhanced thermophotovoltaic converter.
Conclusion
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/QUANG PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2685