DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
In the present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, claims 4-6, 8-15, and 17-25 have been considered and examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Respond to Applicant’s Arguments/Remarks
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, filed 03/30/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claims 1-20, based solely on the limitations as amended, has been fully considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to the new combination of references including prior art being used in the current rejection (see below for detail) under new grounds of rejection, necessitated by amendment.
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 4-6, 9-10, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hollemans et al. (Hollemans – US 2005/0176463 A1) in view of Aizawa (Aizawa – US 2007/0058031 A1) and Ricci (Ricci – US 2016/0266606 A1).
As to claim 4, Hollemans discloses a method, comprising:
identifying, by a medical device (Hollemans: [0022]-[0024], [0028]-[0031], [0034], FIG. 2-3 the various measuring devices 320, 330, 340,350, and 360), a connector being inserted into a port of the medical device (Hollemans: [0022]-[0024], [0028]-[0031], [0034], FIG. 2-3 the various measuring devices 320, 330, 340,350, and 360: the connector 130 may also be based on a widely known connection technology, such as for example a RS-232 serial connector, an USB connector, or even a PC-Card connector. Advantages of using a RS-232-like connector may be that such connectors are relatively straightforward and very cheap. However, these connectors do not normally provide for specific power supply connections, that may be required to power a key. Power supply connections are standard for the more expensive USB and PC-Card connectors. Besides using these connector types, other means of operatively attaching a key to a device may also be used), the connector comprising a first transceiver (Hollemans: [0005], [0007], [0010]-[0011], [0020]-[0030], FIG. 2-5 the transceiver: According to a first aspect of the invention the method comprises a first step of providing a wireless communication key, comprising a first transceiver conceived for communicating wirelessly with a second transceiver included in the second device, a second step of operatively attaching the wireless communication key to the first device, and a third step of the first device utilizing the attached wireless communication key for establishing wireless communication between the first device and the second device) compatible with a first short-range wireless communication protocol (Hollemans: [0020]-[0026], [0031]-[0032], [0035]-[0049], and FIG. 1-5: The transceiver 110 provides for a wireless connection between itself and a second transceiver (not shown in FIG. 1). Such a wireless connection can be established in several different ways, for example by using a radio interface or by using a light interface, such as for example infra-red (IR). The use of a light interface may work well for very short range and line-of-sight wireless connections. For most situations however, the use of a radio interface may be more suitable or may even be required. As already indicated, the present embodiment uses a radio interface, for which a widely known Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technology may be used, such as for example IEEE 802.11, HomeRF, or ZigBee. For relatively short-range wireless connections, also a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) technology like for example Bluetooth may be used. Also, for security and privacy reasons, the wireless communication may be encrypted);
receiving, by the first transceiver of the connector from a second transceiver of the electronic device (Hollemans: Abstract, [0021]-[0022], [0025]-[0028], and FIG. 2 the endpoint device 210), a first signal of the first short-range wireless protocol, the first signal encoding a pairing request value (Hollemans: Abstract, [0023]-[0024], [0031]-[0032], [0035]-[0049], and FIG. 1-5: FIG. 4 illustrates, in a schematic way, the most important parts of a third embodiment of the system according to the invention, making use of a pair of wireless communication keys. A system 400 comprises a pair of wireless communication keys, namely a key 430 and a key 440. Each of the keys 430 and 440 comprises a respective transceiver 432 and 442. The keys 430 and 440 have been assigned to each other, which implies that the transceivers 432 and 442, contained in the respective keys, are able to establish a wireless connection with each other, provided that both keys get attached to a device. Besides the keys 430 and 440, the system 400 comprises devices 410 and 420, both of them suited for operation with a key. In particular, both devices 410 and 420 comprise a respective control unit 414 and 424 for operating an attached key);
generating, by the connector (Hollemans: FIG. 1 the connector 130), a second signal of a wired protocol, the second signal encoding the pairing request value (Hollemans: [0005]-[0007], [0023], [0032], and FIG. 1-5: The storage 120 may also hold a unique identification of the wireless communication key 100. This identification may be passed over a wireless connection via the interface 150 and the transceiver 110, and may then be used to uniquely identify this particular key 100 in the presence of other such keys. Via the interfaces 160 and 180, this identification may also be accessed by a device to which the key 100 gets attached. Similar to the aforementioned placement of transceiver configuration information in the storage 120, the same interfaces 160 and 180 may also be used to place an unique identification for the key 100 in the storage 120);
identifying, by the medical device analyzing the second signal of the wired protocol, that the pairing request value satisfies a pairing request characteristic (Hollemans: [0005]-[0004], [0022]-[0023], [0026], [0036], and FIG. 1-5: In the case of multiple keys it may also be advantageous if a key contains a unique identification, where this identification may be communicated wirelessly to the endpoint device to which the key has been assigned, and may also be accessed by the device to which the key gets attached. By means of the identification it is possible to uniquely identify a particular key, and to discriminate that key from other such keys also in use. The identification contained in a key may be used by a system for the purpose of identification and/or authorization of a known user or owner of the key);
in response to identifying that the pairing request value satisfies the pairing request characteristic, establishing, by the medical device and the connector via the port, a communication channel with the electronic device (Hollemans: [0022]-[0023], [0026], [0033]-[0036], and FIG. 1-5: The keys 430 and 440 have been assigned to each other, which implies that the transceivers 432 and 442, contained in the respective keys, are able to establish a wireless connection with each other, provided that both keys get attached to a device. Besides the keys 430 and 440, the system 400 comprises devices 410 and 420, both of them suited for operation with a key. In particular, both devices 410 and 420 comprise a respective control unit 414 and 424 for operating an attached key); and
receiving, by the medical device and the connector, via the communication channel, data from the electronic device (Hollemans: [0022]-[0023]: the interface 160 is used for the exchange of data between the key 100 and a device to which the key 100 gets attached. Such data includes data to be transmitted or data received by the transceiver 110, also using the interface 170, [0026]-[0027]: To make this possible, the personal health coach receives the results of various physical measurements pertaining to a user, such as body temperature, body weight, heartbeat, blood pressure, and activities performed, [0033]-[0036], [0050], and FIG. 1-5: A second example concerns the use of a portable audio device equipped for use with a key. With a second such audio device nearby, a pair of keys may be used to wirelessly connect the two audio devices, for example to exchange music. The presence (or absence) of any such keys provides for clear user control and feedback as to which whether the audio devices are able to communicate wirelessly at any particular moment in time).
Hollemans does not explicitly disclose
in response to a sensor of an electronic device being removed from a housing, receiving, by the first transceiver of the connector from a second transceiver of the electronic device, a first signal of the first short-range wireless protocol, the sensor being configured to detect a physiological parameter, the first signal encoding a pairing request value;
receiving, by the medical device from the port, the second signal of the wired protocol; and
identifying, by the medical device analyzing the second signal of the wired protocol, that the pairing request value satisfies a pairing request characteristic.
However, it has been known in the art of wireless communication to implement receiving, by the medical device from the port, the second signal of the wired protocol; and
identifying, by the medical device analyzing the second signal of the wired protocol, that the pairing request value satisfies a pairing request characteristic, as suggested by Aizawa, which discloses receiving, by the medical device from the port, the second signal of the wired protocol; and identifying, by the medical device analyzing the second signal of the wired protocol, that the pairing request value satisfies a pairing request characteristic (Aizawa: Abstract, [0032]-[0033], [0062]-[0065], [0074]-[0078], FIG. 3, and FIG. 6-7: The communication control unit 302 includes a USB Device unit 3021 and a wireless communication unit 3022. The USB Device unit 3021 conforms to the USB standard such as USB 2.0 and controls data communication that uses the USB. The wireless communication unit 3022 conforms to at least IEEE 802.11b and controls data communication that uses a wireless LAN. The USB Device unit 3021 is used for communication with the PC 200. The wireless communication unit 3022 is used for communication with the digital camera 100. In this embodiment, the USB device unit 3021 and the wireless communication unit 3022 are constituted to be capable of operating in parallel. This allows the wireless communication adapter 300 to communicate with the PC 200 using the USB while communicating with the digital camera 100 using the wireless LAN).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Hollemans and Aizawa, 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 wireless communication of Hollemans to include receiving, by the medical device from the port, the second signal of the wired protocol; and identifying, by the medical device analyzing the second signal of the wired protocol, that the pairing request value satisfies a pairing request characteristic, as suggested by Aizawa. The motivation for this is to facilitate wireless communications between electronic devices.
While the combination of Hollemans and Aizawa discloses the first signal encoding a pairing request value, the combination of the combination of Hollemans and Aizawa does not explicitly disclose in response to a sensor of an electronic device being removed from a housing, receiving, by the first transceiver of the connector from a second transceiver of the electronic device, a first signal of the first short-range wireless protocol, the sensor being configured to detect a physiological parameter.
However, it has been known in the art of medical devices to implement in response to a sensor of an electronic device being removed from a housing, receiving, by the first transceiver of the connector from a second transceiver of the electronic device, a first signal of the first short-range wireless protocol, the sensor being configured to detect a physiological parameter, as suggested by Ricci, which discloses in response to a sensor of an electronic device being removed from a housing (Ricci: FIG. 1), receiving, by the first transceiver of the connector from a second transceiver of the electronic device, a first signal of the first short-range wireless protocol, the sensor being configured to detect a physiological parameter (Ricci: Abstract, [0008]-[0009], [0014], [0090], [0093]-[0095], [0105], [0123]-[0126], and FIG. 1-4 the body 104 and the shell 108 of the wearable device 100: The body 104 and the shell 108 may optionally include any number of sensors 180A 180N. The sensors may be arranged in a variety of locations. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1E, the body 104 may include sensors 180 arranged to contact the user's skin. The sensors may comprise gyroscopic sensors, heart rate monitors, temperature sensors, glucose sensors, blood oxygen sensors, or any other desired sensor. Information from the sensors may be collected and stored in the memory. The sensors may include proximity sensors that detect the presence or proximity of a shell 108 in proximity to the housing 106 of the body 104).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Hollemans, Aizawa, and Ricci, 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 wireless communication of Hollemans and Aizawa to include in response to a sensor of an electronic device being removed from a housing, receiving, by the first transceiver of the connector from a second transceiver of the electronic device, a first signal of the first short-range wireless protocol, the sensor being configured to detect a physiological parameter, as suggested by Ricci. The motivation for this is to selectively implement different features of a wearable device for particular activity.
As to claim 5, Hollemans, Aizawa, and Ricci disclose the limitations of claim 4 further comprising the method of claim 4, further comprising: activating, by the medical device, the connector in response to the connector being inserted into the port (Hollemans: Abstract, [0005], [0022]-[0024], [0052], and FIG. 1-2: A key does not itself have to contain a power source, such as for example a battery, for operating the transceiver contained in the key. Instead, the power required for operating the transceiver may have to be supplied by the device to which the key gets attached).
As to claim 6, Hollemans, Aizawa, and Ricci disclose the limitations of claim 5 further comprising the method of claim 5, wherein activating the connector is further in response to the medical device being activated (Hollemans: Abstract, [0005], [0022]-[0024], [0052], and FIG. 1-2: A key does not itself have to contain a power source, such as for example a battery, for operating the transceiver contained in the key. Instead, the power required for operating the transceiver may have to be supplied by the device to which the key gets attached).
As to claim 9, Hollemans, Aizawa, and Ricci disclose the limitations of claim 4 further comprising the method of claim 4, wherein the first signal further comprises a security key provided by the electronic device, wherein the second signal further comprises the security key (Hollemans: Abstract, [0023]-[0024], [0031]-[0032], [0035]-[0049], and FIG. 1-5: FIG. 4 illustrates, in a schematic way, the most important parts of a third embodiment of the system according to the invention, making use of a pair of wireless communication keys. A system 400 comprises a pair of wireless communication keys, namely a key 430 and a key 440. Each of the keys 430 and 440 comprises a respective transceiver 432 and 442. The keys 430 and 440 have been assigned to each other, which implies that the transceivers 432 and 442, contained in the respective keys, are able to establish a wireless connection with each other, provided that both keys get attached to a device. Besides the keys 430 and 440, the system 400 comprises devices 410 and 420, both of them suited for operation with a key. In particular, both devices 410 and 420 comprise a respective control unit 414 and 424 for operating an attached key and Aizawa: Abstract, [0032]-[0033], [0062]-[0065], [0074]-[0078], FIG. 3, and FIG. 6-7: The communication control unit 302 includes a USB Device unit 3021 and a wireless communication unit 3022. The USB Device unit 3021 conforms to the USB standard such as USB 2.0 and controls data communication that uses the USB. The wireless communication unit 3022 conforms to at least IEEE 802.11b and controls data communication that uses a wireless LAN. The USB Device unit 3021 is used for communication with the PC 200. The wireless communication unit 3022 is used for communication with the digital camera 100. In this embodiment, the USB device unit 3021 and the wireless communication unit 3022 are constituted to be capable of operating in parallel. This allows the wireless communication adapter 300 to communicate with the PC 200 using the USB while communicating with the digital camera 100 using the wireless LAN), and
wherein establishing the communication channel further comprises establishing the communication channel with the electronic device, in response to verifying the security key is a valid security key (Hollemans: [0005]-[0004], [0022]-[0023], [0026], [0036], and FIG. 1-5: In the case of multiple keys it may also be advantageous if a key contains a unique identification, where this identification may be communicated wirelessly to the endpoint device to which the key has been assigned, and may also be accessed by the device to which the key gets attached. By means of the identification it is possible to uniquely identify a particular key, and to discriminate that key from other such keys also in use. The identification contained in a key may be used by a system for the purpose of identification and/or authorization of a known user or owner of the key).
As to claim 10, Hollemans, Aizawa, and Ricci disclose the limitations of claim 4 further comprising the method of claim 4, wherein the first transceiver comprises an antenna satisfying a power characteristic, a wavelength characteristic, or a frequency characteristic associated with the short-range wireless communication protocol (Hollemans: [0020], [0035]-[0036], and FIG. 1-4 the transceiver 110: The transceiver 110 provides for a wireless connection between itself and a second transceiver (not shown in FIG. 1). Such a wireless connection can be established in several different ways, for example by using a radio interface or by using a light interface, such as for example infra-red (IR). The use of a light interface may work well for very short range and line-of-sight wireless connections. For most situations however, the use of a radio interface may be more suitable or may even be required. As already indicated, the present embodiment uses a radio interface, for which a widely known Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technology may be used, such as for example IEEE 802.11, HomeRF, or ZigBee. For relatively short-range wireless connections, also a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) technology like for example Bluetooth may be used. Also, for security and privacy reasons, the wireless communication may be encrypted).
As to claim 13, Hollemans, Aizawa, and Ricci disclose the limitations of claim 5 further comprising the method of claim 5, further comprising:
activating, by the medical device, the connector by outputting power to the connector via the port (Hollemans: Abstract, [0005], [0022]-[0024], [0052], and FIG. 1-2: A key does not itself have to contain a power source, such as for example a battery, for operating the transceiver contained in the key. Instead, the power required for operating the transceiver may have to be supplied by the device to which the key gets attached).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hollemans et al. (Hollemans – US 2005/0176463 A1) in view of Aizawa (Aizawa – US 2007/0058031 A1) and Ricci (Ricci – US 2016/0266606 A1), and further in view of Siedenburg et al. (Siedenburg – US 2021/0106228 A1).
As to claim 8, Hollemans, Aizawa, and Ricci disclose the limitations of claim 4 further comprising the method of claim 4, the wired protocol comprises a universal serial bus (USB) protocol (Aizawa: Abstract, [0032]-[0033], [0062]-[0065], [0074]-[0078], FIG. 3, and FIG. 6-7: The communication control unit 302 includes a USB Device unit 3021 and a wireless communication unit 3022. The USB Device unit 3021 conforms to the USB standard such as USB 2.0 and controls data communication that uses the USB. The wireless communication unit 3022 conforms to at least IEEE 802.11b and controls data communication that uses a wireless LAN. The USB Device unit 3021 is used for communication with the PC 200. The wireless communication unit 3022 is used for communication with the digital camera 100. In this embodiment, the USB device unit 3021 and the wireless communication unit 3022 are constituted to be capable of operating in parallel. This allows the wireless communication adapter 300 to communicate with the PC 200 using the USB while communicating with the digital camera 100 using the wireless LAN), except for the claimed limitations of wherein the short-range wireless communication protocol comprises a near field communication (NFC) protocol.
However, it has been known in the art of wireless communication to implement wherein the short-range wireless communication protocol comprises a near field communication (NFC) protocol, as suggested by Siedenburg, which discloses wherein the short-range wireless communication protocol comprises a near field communication (NFC) protocol (Siedenburg: Abstract, [0050], [0058], and FIG. 3 the communication interface 170: The communication interface 176 may be one or more wireless interfaces and one or more wireline interfaces that allow for both short-range communication and long-range communication to one or more networks or to one or more remote devices. Such wireless interfaces may provide for communication under one or more wireless communication protocols, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (e.g., an institute of electrical and electronic engineers (IEEE) 802.11 protocol), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), cellular communications, near-field communication (NFC), and/or other wireless communication protocols).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Hollemans, Aizawa, Ricci, and Siedenburg, 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 wireless communication of Hollemans, Aizawa, and Ricci to include implement wherein the short-range wireless communication protocol comprises a near field communication (NFC) protocol, as suggested by Siedenburg. The motivation for this is to facilitate wireless communications between devices using a known alternative communication protocol, e.g. near-field communication.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hollemans et al. (Hollemans – US 2005/0176463 A1) in view of Aizawa (Aizawa – US 2007/0058031 A1), and Ricci (Ricci – US 2016/0266606 A1), and further in view of Zeung et al. (Zeung – US 2024/0168574 A1).
As to claim 11, Hollemans, Aizawa, and Ricci disclose the limitations of claim 4 further comprising in response to the user selection, performing an action comprising receiving data indicative of a physiological parameter from the electronic device (Ricci: Abstract, [0008]-[0009], [0014], [0090], [0093]-[0095], [0105], [0123]-[0126], and FIG. 1-4 the body 104 and the shell 108 of the wearable device 100: The body 104 and the shell 108 may optionally include any number of sensors 180A 180N. The sensors may be arranged in a variety of locations. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1E, the body 104 may include sensors 180 arranged to contact the user's skin. The sensors may comprise gyroscopic sensors, heart rate monitors, temperature sensors, glucose sensors, blood oxygen sensors, or any other desired sensor. Information from the sensors may be collected and stored in the memory. The sensors may include proximity sensors that detect the presence or proximity of a shell 108 in proximity to the housing 106 of the body 104), except for the claimed limitations of the method of claim 4, wherein establishing the communication channel further comprises: presenting, via a display of the medical device, a notification indicating whether the electronic device is authenticated; receiving a user selection via user input to an input device of the medical device; and in response to the user selection, performing an action comprising receiving data indicative of a physiological parameter from the electronic device.
However, it has been known in the art of wireless communication to implement wherein establishing the communication channel further comprises: presenting, via a display of the medical device, a notification indicating whether the electronic device is authenticated; receiving a user selection via user input to an input device of the medical device; and in response to the user selection, performing an action comprising receiving data indicative of a physiological parameter from the electronic device, as suggested by Zeung, which discloses
wherein establishing the communication channel (Zeung: [0039]-[0048], and FIG. 2: The APP1 of the first host computer 11 exchanges information with the second host computer 12 through the dongle 14 and the custom communication channel, said information including a phone name, a type of phone operation system (OS), a computer (i.e. first host computer 11) name, universal unique identification (UUID) and other information required in the pairing) further comprises:
presenting, via a display of the medical device (Zeung: FIG. 1 the first host computer 11), a notification indicating whether the electronic device is authenticated (Zeung: [0046]: After the pairing is successful, messages regarding success of pairing are respectively shown on the first host computer 11 and the second host computer 12 to inform the user);
receiving a user selection via user input to an input device of the medical device (Zeung: [0071]-[0076] and FIG. 4 the cursor 41csr: When detecting a cursor 41crs entering a mirroring range (i.e. a region showing the smartphone 42) of the smartphone 42 in the first screen 41sc, the APP1 intercepts a first event signal from the mouse device 43 and transfers the intercepted first event signal to the smartphone 42 via the dongle 44 such that the mouse device 43 is able to control operation of the smartphone 42); and
in response to the user selection, performing an action comprising receiving data indicative of a physiological parameter from the electronic device (Zeung: [0071]-[0076] and FIG. 4 the cursor 41csr: after the cursor 41crs enters the mirroring range of the smartphone 42 on the first screen 41sc and when the APP1 detects the first event signal is an object dragging (e.g., using the cursor 41crs selecting an icon of the smartphone 42 and moving the mouse device 42 in order to move the icon within the mirroring range), the APP1 sends a switch command to the dongle 44 to cause the dongle 44 to directly transfer a dragging signal associated with the object dragging to the smartphone 42 without passing the notebook computer 41. In this aspect, the movement signal is also transferred to the smartphone 42 to drag an object on the smartphone 42).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Hollemans, Aizawa, Ricci, and Zeung, 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 wireless communication of Hollemans, Aizawa, and Ricci to include wherein establishing the communication channel further comprises: presenting, via a display of the medical device, a notification indicating whether the electronic device is authenticated; receiving a user selection via user input to an input device of the medical device; and in response to the user selection, performing an action comprising receiving data indicative of a physiological parameter from the electronic device, as suggested by Zeung. The motivation for this is to facilitate wireless communications between electronic devices.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hollemans et al. (Hollemans – US 2005/0176463 A1) in view of Aizawa (Aizawa – US 2007/0058031 A1), and Ricci (Ricci – US 2016/0266606 A1), and further in view of Virtanen et al. (Virtanen – US 2023/0140973 A1) and Campbell et al. (Campbell – US 2019/0020970 A1).
As to claim 12, Hollemans, Aizawa, and Ricci disclose the limitations of claim 4 except for the claimed limitations of the method of claim 4, wherein the electronic device comprises a sensor bundle comprising the sensor, the sensor bundle comprising electrodes utilized to capture data representing electrical signals indicative of an electrical activity of a heart of an individual, and
wherein the method further comprises determining that the electronic device has been removed from the housing by determining that a third transceiver of the housing has received, from the second transceiver of the electronic device, a third signal indicating that the electronic device is within a threshold distance of the housing.
However, it has been known in the art of medical devices to implement wherein the electronic device comprises a sensor bundle comprising the sensor, the sensor bundle comprising electrodes utilized to capture data representing electrical signals indicative of an electrical activity of a heart of an individual, as suggested by Virtanen, which discloses wherein the electronic device comprises a sensor bundle comprising the sensor, the sensor bundle comprising electrodes utilized to capture data representing electrical signals indicative of an electrical activity of a heart of an individual (Virtanen: Abstract, [0006], [0037]-[0039], [0052]-[0053], and FIG. 3-6: the electronics device 60 communicates via a connection 28 to a separate monitoring device 20, which here has a display device 22 for displaying ECG data 24 and respiratory data 26 collected by the system 30. The connection 28 may be physical, such as wires within a wire harness, and/or wireless, for example using a protocol known in the art (e.g., Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi, or others). The electronics device 60 and/or monitoring device 20 may also communicate with additional devices or systems, such as a central monitoring station or an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) known in the art, for example to display, archive, and/or further process the information collected by the system 30).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Hollemans, Aizawa, Ricci, and Virtanen, 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 wireless communication of Hollemans, Aizawa, and Ricci to include wherein the electronic device comprises a sensor bundle comprising the sensor, the sensor bundle comprising electrodes utilized to capture data representing electrical signals indicative of an electrical activity of a heart of an individual, as suggested by Virtanen. The motivation for this is to implement a portable medical device for monitoring various conditions of a patient.
The combination of Hollemans, Aizawa, Ricci, and Virtanen does not explicitly disclose wherein the method further comprises determining that the electronic device has been removed from the housing by determining that a third transceiver of the housing has received, from the second transceiver of the electronic device, a third signal indicating that the electronic device is within a threshold distance of the housing.
However, it has been known in the art of electronic devices to implement wherein the method further comprises determining that the electronic device has been removed from the housing by determining that a third transceiver of the housing has received, from the second transceiver of the electronic device, a third signal indicating that the electronic device is within a threshold distance of the housing, as suggested by Campbell, which discloses wherein the method further comprises determining that the electronic device has been removed from the housing by determining that a third transceiver of the housing has received, from the second transceiver of the electronic device, a third signal indicating that the electronic device is within a threshold distance of the housing (Campbell: Abstract, [0054], FIG. 1-3, and FIG. 9: once closure 120 is removed from bottle 110 or beverage container 100 in an open configuration, communication chip 130 may transmit data to corresponding communication chip 220 of mobile device 200 if mobile device 200 is within a predetermined distance, such as, for example, 10 cm or 20 cm. As discussed previously, communication chip 130 may transmit data or provide access to content on server 260 through network 250 to mobile device 200).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Hollemans, Aizawa, Ricci, Virtanen, and Campbell, 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 wireless communication of Hollemans, Aizawa, Ricci, and Virtanen to include wherein the method further comprises determining that the electronic device has been removed from the housing by determining that a third transceiver of the housing has received, from the second transceiver of the electronic device, a third signal indicating that the electronic device is within a threshold distance of the housing, as suggested by Campbell. The motivation for this is to implement a known alternative method for determining a removal of electronic devices.
Claims 14 and 18-19 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
Hollemans et al. (Hollemans – US 2005/0176463 A1) in view of Patel (Patel – US 2022/0044802 A1), Virtanen et al. (Virtanen – US 2023/0140973 A1), Tang et al. (Tang – WO 2008/112497 A1), and Zeung et al. (Zeung – US 2024/0168574 A1).
As to claim 14, Hollemans discloses a system, comprising:
an external electronic device (Hollemans: [0025]-[0026], [0028]-[0031], [0034], FIG. 2-3 the various measuring devices 320, 330, 340,350, and 360);
a connector (Hollemans: FIG. 1 the wireless communication key 100) comprising:
a medical device (Hollemans: Abstract, [0021]-[0022], [0025]-[0028], FIG. 2 the endpoint device 210 and FIG. 3 the base station 310) comprising:
a display (Hollemans: [0028]-[0029], and FIG. 3 the display device 312);
a power supply (Hollemans: Abstract, [0005], [0022]-[0024], [0052], and FIG. 1-2: A key does not itself have to contain a power source, such as for example a battery, for operating the transceiver contained in the key. Instead, the power required for operating the transceiver may have to be supplied by the device to which the key gets attached);
a port (Hollemans: FIG. 2-4 the connection 256, 266, 436, and 446) comprising a port circuit associated with the wired protocol, the port circuit being configured to receive the second signal of the wired protocol from the connector (Hollemans: [0022]-[0023], [0026], and FIG. 1-4: The wireless communication key 100 furthermore includes a connector 130, for operatively attaching the key 100 to a device that requires a key for its communication (not shown in FIG. 1). The connector 130 may be realized by means of a dedicated connector, specifically designed for use with a key. However, the connector 130 may also be based on a widely known connection technology, such as for example a RS-232 serial connector, an USB connector, or even a PC-Card connector. Advantages of using a RS-232-like connector may be that such connectors are relatively straightforward and very cheap. However, these connectors do not normally provide for specific power supply connections, that may be required to power a key. Power supply connections are standard for the more expensive USB and PC-Card connectors. Besides using these connector types, other means of operatively attaching a key to a device may also be used); and
a processor (Hollemans: [0025]-[0026], [0036]-[0036], and FIG. 2-4 the control units 414 and 424: This endpoint device 210 comprises a transceiver 212 and a control unit 214 for operating the transceiver 212 and possibly other parts of the endpoint device 210 as well. Besides the endpoint device 210, the system 200 further comprises devices 220, 230, and 240, all of them suited for operation with a wireless communication key. In particular, each of the devices 220, 230, and 240 comprises a respective control unit 224, 234, and 244 for operating an attached key) configured to:
activate the connector by connecting, via the port, the connector to the power supply (Hollemans: Abstract, [0005], [0022]-[0024], [0052], and FIG. 1-2: A key does not itself have to contain a power source, such as for example a battery, for operating the transceiver contained in the key. Instead, the power required for operating the transceiver may have to be supplied by the device to which the key gets attached);
identify the external electronic device being positioned within a threshold distance of the connector (Hollemans: [0006]: In the case of multiple keys it may also be advantageous if a key contains a unique identification, where this identification may be communicated wirelessly to the endpoint device to which the key has been assigned, and may also be accessed by the device to which the key gets attached. By means of the identification it is possible to uniquely identify a particular key, and to discriminate that key from other such keys also in use. The identification contained in a key may be used by a system for the purpose of identification and/or authorization of a known user or owner of the key, [0020]: Such a wireless connection can be established in several different ways, for example by using a radio interface or by using a light interface, such as for example infra-red (IR). The use of a light interface may work well for very short range and line-of-sight wireless connections. For most situations however, the use of a radio interface may be more suitable or may even be required, [0023], [0032], and FIG. 1-4);
in response to the port circuit receiving the second signal encoding the identifier, pairing the external electronic device and the medical device via the connector (Hollemans: [0022]-[0023], [0026], [0033]-[0036], and FIG. 1-5: The keys 430 and 440 have been assigned to each other, which implies that the transceivers 432 and 442, contained in the respective keys, are able to establish a wireless connection with each other, provided that both keys get attached to a device. Besides the keys 430 and 440, the system 400 comprises devices 410 and 420, both of them suited for operation with a key. In particular, both devices 410 and 420 comprise a respective control unit 414 and 424 for operating an attached key);
in response to pairing the external electronic device and the connector, establish, via the port and the connector, a communication channel with the external electronic device; and exchange, via the communication channel, data with the external electronic device (Hollemans: [0022]-[0023]: the interface 160 is used for the exchange of data between the key 100 and a device to which the key 100 gets attached. Such data includes data to be transmitted or data received by the transceiver 110, also using the interface 170, [0026]-[0027]: To make this possible, the personal health coach receives the results of various physical measurements pertaining to a user, such as body temperature, body weight, heartbeat, blood pressure, and activities performed, [0033]-[0036], [0050], and FIG. 1-5: A second example concerns the use of a portable audio device equipped for use with a key. With a second such audio device nearby, a pair of keys may be used to wirelessly connect the two audio devices, for example to exchange music. The presence (or absence) of any such keys provides for clear user control and feedback as to which whether the audio devices are able to communicate wirelessly at any particular moment in time).
Hollemans does not explicitly disclose
an external electronic device configured to be disposed in a housing and comprising:
electrodes;
a first antenna compatible with a radio frequency (RF) protocol and configured to transmit, a first signal of the RF protocol in response to being within a distance of a second antenna of the housing, the first signal encoding an identifier;
a connector comprising: a third antenna configured to receive the first signal of the RF protocol; and a connector circuit configured to generate, in response to the third antenna receiving the first signal of the RF protocol, a second signal of a wired protocol, the second signal encoding the identifier; and
a medical device comprising: an input device; and a processor configured to: present, via the display, an activation notification associated with the connector; and receive an activation selection via user input to the input device.
Hollemans does not explicitly disclose an external electronic device configured to be disposed in a housing.
However, it has been known in the art of medical devices to implement an external electronic device configured to be disposed in a housing, as suggested by Patel, which discloses an external electronic device configured to be disposed in a housing (Patel: Abstract, [0021], FIG. 3-5, and FIG. 7: the system may include one or more cameras 112, one or more microphones, and a plurality of medical devices 116a-116n. In some embodiments, the medical devices may include one, some, or all of a stethoscope, a pulse-oximeter, a blood pressure cuff, a temperature sensors, a blood glucose sensor, a hematocrit sensor, an otoscope, a cold storage chamber, wound care bandages, medications, IV bags, biological supportive fluids, and/or tubes for collecting samples (e.g., saliva, blood, tissue)).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Hollemans and Patel, 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 wireless communication of Hollemans to include an external electronic device configured to be disposed in a housing, as suggested by Patel. The motivation for this is to implement a portable medical case for monitoring various conditions of a patient.
The combination of Hollemans and Patel does not explicitly disclose an external electronic device comprising: electrodes.
However, it has been known in the art of medical devices to implement an external electronic device comprising: electrodes, as suggested by Virtanen, which discloses an external electronic device comprising: electrodes (Virtanen: Abstract, [0006], [0037]-[0039], [0052]-[0053], and FIG. 3-6: the electronics device 60 communicates via a connection 28 to a separate monitoring device 20, which here has a display device 22 for displaying ECG data 24 and respiratory data 26 collected by the system 30. The connection 28 may be physical, such as wires within a wire harness, and/or wireless, for example using a protocol known in the art (e.g., Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi, or others). The electronics device 60 and/or monitoring device 20 may also communicate with additional devices or systems, such as a central monitoring station or an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) known in the art, for example to display, archive, and/or further process the information collected by the system 30).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Hollemans, Patel, and Virtanen, 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 wireless communication of Hollemans and Patel to include an external electronic device comprising: electrodes, as suggested by Virtanen. The motivation for this is to implement a portable medical device for monitoring various conditions of a patient.
The combination of Hollemans, Patel, and Virtanen does not explicitly disclose a first antenna compatible with a radio frequency (RF) protocol and configured to transmit, a first signal of the RF protocol in response to being within a distance of a second antenna of the housing, the first signal encoding an identifier.
However, it has been known in the art of wireless communication to implement a first antenna compatible with a radio frequency (RF) protocol and configured to transmit, a first signal of the RF protocol in response to being within a threshold distance of a second antenna of the housing, the first signal encoding an identifier, as suggested by Tang, which discloses a first antenna compatible with a radio frequency (RF) protocol and configured to transmit, a first signal of the RF protocol in response to being within a threshold distance of a second antenna of the housing, the first signal encoding an identifier (Tang: Abstract, [0032]: wireless device 104 is able to be paired with host device 102 without requiring user input of a pin code. In other words, instead of the user of wireless device 104 being required to enter a pin code, the user brings host device 102 and wireless device 104 in close proximity of one another. In one embodiment, a pin code can be delivered to wireless device 104 from host device 102 over a wireless link provided by the local wireless network, a direct connection if wireless device 104 and host device 102 are physically connected, or another wireless means while the devices are in close proximity. As such, the user does not have to remember and enter an appropriate pin code, thus the pairing can be performed in a substantially automated manner that reduces or eliminates cumbersome and tedious pairing actions that a user would otherwise have to perform. In another embodiment, there is no need for use of a pin code given that the close proximity of the devices provides a level of physical security, [0035], and FIG. 2: In another embodiment, wireless data link 208 could require that wireless device 204 be within about thirty (30) centimeters or one (1) foot of host device 202).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Hollemans, Patel, Virtanen, and Tang, 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 wireless communication of Hollemans, Patel, and Virtanen to include a first antenna compatible with a radio frequency (RF) protocol and configured to transmit, a first signal of the RF protocol in response to being within a threshold distance of a second antenna of the housing, the first signal encoding an identifier, as suggested by Tang. The motivation for this is to prevent unauthorized intruders in pairing process between electronic devices.
The combination of Hollemans, Patel, Virtanen, and Tang does not explicitly disclose a connector comprising: a third antenna configured to receive the first signal of the RF protocol; and a connector circuit configured to generate, in response to the third antenna receiving the first signal of the RF protocol, a second signal of a wired protocol, the second signal encoding the identifier; and
a medical device comprising: an input device; and a processor configured to: present, via the display, an activation notification associated with the connector; and receive an activation selection via user input to the input device.
However, it has been known in the art of wireless communication to implement a connector comprising: a third antenna configured to receive the first signal of the RF protocol; and a connector circuit configured to generate, in response to the third antenna receiving the first signal of the RF protocol, a second signal of a wired protocol, the second signal encoding the identifier; and
a medical device comprising: an input device; and a processor configured to: present, via the display, an activation notification associated with the connector; and receive an activation selection via user input to the input device, as suggested by Zeung, which discloses
a connector comprising: a third antenna configured to receive the first signal of the RF protocol; and a connector circuit configured to generate, in response to the third antenna receiving the first signal of the RF protocol (Zeung: [0039]-[0048], and FIG. 2: The APP1 of the first host computer 11 exchanges information with the second host computer 12 through the dongle 14 and the custom communication channel, said information including a phone name, a type of phone operation system (OS), a computer (i.e. first host computer 11) name, universal unique identification (UUID) and other information required in the pairing), a second signal of a wired protocol ([0010]-[0011], [0033], [0037], [0051], [0058], [0079], and FIG. 1: The dongle 14 is connected to the first host computer 11 using a USB interface, e.g., the connection is completed by inserting a connecting part of the dongle 14 into a USB slot of the first host computer 11. The connection method is known to the art and not a main objective of the present disclosure, and thus details thereof are not described herein), the second signal encoding the identifier; and
a medical device comprising: an input device; and a processor configured to: present, via the display (Zeung: [0071]-[0076] and FIG. 4 the cursor 41csr: When detecting a cursor 41crs entering a mirroring range (i.e. a region showing the smartphone 42) of the smartphone 42 in the first screen 41sc, the APP1 intercepts a first event signal from the mouse device 43 and transfers the intercepted first event signal to the smartphone 42 via the dongle 44 such that the mouse device 43 is able to control operation of the smartphone 42), an activation notification associated with the connector; and receive an activation selection via user input to the input device (Zeung: [0071]-[0076] and FIG. 4 the cursor 41csr: after the cursor 41crs enters the mirroring range of the smartphone 42 on the first screen 41sc and when the APP1 detects the first event signal is an object dragging (e.g., using the cursor 41crs selecting an icon of the smartphone 42 and moving the mouse device 42 in order to move the icon within the mirroring range), the APP1 sends a switch command to the dongle 44 to cause the dongle 44 to directly transfer a dragging signal associated with the object dragging to the smartphone 42 without passing the notebook computer 41. In this aspect, the movement signal is also transferred to the smartphone 42 to drag an object on the smartphone 42).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Hollemans, Patel, Virtanen, Tang, and Zeung, 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 wireless communication of Hollemans, Patel, Virtanen, and Tang to include a connector comprising: a third antenna configured to receive the first signal of the RF protocol; and a connector circuit configured to generate, in response to the third antenna receiving the first signal of the RF protocol, a second signal of a wired protocol, the second signal encoding the identifier; and
a medical device comprising: an input device; and a processor configured to: present, via the display, an activation notification associated with the connector; and receive an activation selection via user input to the input device, as suggested by Zeung. The motivation for this is to facilitate wireless communications between electronic devices.
As to claim 18, Hollemans, Patel, Virtanen, Tang, and Zeung disclose the limitations of claim 14 further comprising the system of claim 14, wherein the RF communication protocol comprises a short-range wireless communication protocol, and wherein the antenna satisfies a power characteristic, a wavelength characteristic, or a frequency characteristic associated with the short-range wireless communication protocol (Hollemans: [0020], [0035]-[0036], and FIG. 1-4 the transceiver 110: The transceiver 110 provides for a wireless connection between itself and a second transceiver (not shown in FIG. 1). Such a wireless connection can be established in several different ways, for example by using a radio interface or by using a light interface, such as for example infra-red (IR). The use of a light interface may work well for very short range and line-of-sight wireless connections. For most situations however, the use of a radio interface may be more suitable or may even be required. As already indicated, the present embodiment uses a radio interface, for which a widely known Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technology may be used, such as for example IEEE 802.11, HomeRF, or ZigBee. For relatively short-range wireless connections, also a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) technology like for example Bluetooth may be used. Also, for security and privacy reasons, the wireless communication may be encrypted).
As to claim 19, Hollemans, Patel, Virtanen, Tang, and Zeung disclose the limitations of claim 14 further comprising the system of claim 14, wherein the first antenna is configured to transmit the first signal to the third antenna over a distance in a range of 4-10 centimeters (Hollemans: [0006]: In the case of multiple keys it may also be advantageous if a key contains a unique identification, where this identification may be communicated wirelessly to the endpoint device to which the key has been assigned, and may also be accessed by the device to which the key gets attached. By means of the identification it is possible to uniquely identify a particular key, and to discriminate that key from other such keys also in use. The identification contained in a key may be used by a system for the purpose of identification and/or authorization of a known user or owner of the key, [0020]: Such a wireless connection can be established in several different ways, for example by using a radio interface or by using a light interface, such as for example infra-red (IR). The use of a light interface may work well for very short range and line-of-sight wireless connections. For most situations however, the use of a radio interface may be more suitable or may even be required, [0023], [0032], and FIG. 1-4 and Tang: Abstract, [0035], and FIG. 2: In another embodiment, wireless data link 208 could require that wireless device 204 be within about thirty (30) centimeters or one (1) foot of host device 202).
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hollemans et al. (Hollemans – US 2005/0176463 A1) in view of Patel (Patel – US 2022/0044802 A1), Virtanen et al. (Virtanen – US 2023/0140973 A1), Tang et al. (Tang – WO 2008/112497 A1), and Zeung et al. (Zeung – US 2024/0168574 A1) and further in view of Siedenburg et al. (Siedenburg – US 2021/0106228 A1).
As to claim15, Hollemans, Patel, Virtanen, Tang, and Zeung discloses the limitations of claim 14 further comprising the system of claim 14, wherein the wired protocol comprises a universal serial bus (USB) protocol (Hollemans: [0022]-[0023], [0026], and FIG. 1-4: The wireless communication key 100 furthermore includes a connector 130, for operatively attaching the key 100 to a device that requires a key for its communication (not shown in FIG. 1). The connector 130 may be realized by means of a dedicated connector, specifically designed for use with a key. However, the connector 130 may also be based on a widely known connection technology, such as for example a RS-232 serial connector, an USB connector, or even a PC-Card connector. Advantages of using a RS-232-like connector may be that such connectors are relatively straightforward and very cheap. However, these connectors do not normally provide for specific power supply connections, that may be required to power a key. Power supply connections are standard for the more expensive USB and PC-Card connectors. Besides using these connector types, other means of operatively attaching a key to a device may also be used and Zeung: [0043]-[0046], [0139]-[0143], and FIG. 1-3: the dongle 14 starts to perform advertising to and pairing with (e.g., supporting Windows Swift Pair and Android Fast Pair) the second host computer 12 when the dongle 14 has been connected to the first host computer 11 via the USB interface to obtain a first pairing record, which is at the system level, of the second host computer 12, e.g., referring to Steps S22-S28 in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3), except for the claimed limitations of the RF communication protocol comprises a near field communication (NFC) protocol.
However, it has been known in the art of wireless communication to implement the RF communication protocol comprises a near field communication (NFC) protocol, as suggested by Siedenburg, which discloses the RF communication protocol comprises a near field communication (NFC) protocol (Siedenburg: Abstract, [0050], [0058], and FIG. 3 the communication interface 170: The communication interface 176 may be one or more wireless interfaces and one or more wireline interfaces that allow for both short-range communication and long-range communication to one or more networks or to one or more remote devices. Such wireless interfaces may provide for communication under one or more wireless communication protocols, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (e.g., an institute of electrical and electronic engineers (IEEE) 802.11 protocol), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), cellular communications, near-field communication (NFC), and/or other wireless communication protocols).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Hollemans, Patel, Virtanen, Tang, Zeung, and Siedenburg, 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 wireless communication of Hollemans, Patel, Virtanen, Tang, and Zeung to include implement the RF communication protocol comprises a near field communication (NFC) protocol, as suggested by Siedenburg. The motivation for this is to facilitate wireless communications between devices using a known alternative communication protocol, e.g. near-field communication.
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hollemans et al. (Hollemans – US 2005/0176463 A1) in view of Patel (Patel – US 2022/0044802 A1), Virtanen et al. (Virtanen – US 2023/0140973 A1), Tang et al. (Tang – WO 2008/112497 A1) and Zeung et al. (Zeung – US 2024/0168574 A1) and further in view of Binier (Binier – US 2011/0021140 A1).
As to claim 17, Hollemans, Patel, Virtanen, Tang, and Zeung disclose the limitations of claim 14 except for the claimed limitations of the system of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to activate the connector further by: receiving, from the connector, a connector identifier; authenticating the connector identifier; and in response to authenticating the connector identifier, connecting the connector to the power supply.
However, it has been known in the art of wireless connections to implement wherein the processor is configured to activate the connector further by: receiving, from the connector, a connector identifier; authenticating the connector identifier; and in response to authenticating the connector identifier, connecting the connector to the power supply, as suggested by Binier, which discloses wherein the processor is configured to activate the connector further by: receiving, from the connector, a connector identifier (Binier: [0027], [0031]-[0032], [0043], [0046] and FIG. 4-5: Each dongle 115 includes a memory 407 and a light emitting diode (LED) 409 or other equivalent status indicator (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display). For example, the LED 409 indicates the pairing status with the corresponding device or sensor 103. In one embodiment, the LED 409 flashes slowly to indicate that the corresponding sensor 103 is in use and flashes quickly to indicate a malfunction, initialization, or other state of the sensor 103. The password and device ID or other pairing authentication information associated with the device/sensor is stored in the dongle memory 407. Similarly, each sensor 103 includes a memory 411, which also stores the password and device ID associated with the device/sensor 103. As a result, plugging the dongle 115 into the sensor hub 101, for instance, immediately triggers a search and automatic pairing of the sensor/device 103 by the wireless module 205 of the sensor hub 101); authenticating the connector identifier ([0045]-[0046], and FIG. 5: Based on the detected sensor or sensors 103a-103m, the sensor hub 101, in step 505, identifies the sensor 103 by, for instance, retrieving a unique device identifier and comparing the identifier against a device lookup table. In one embodiment, the device lookup table may be resident in either the sensor hub 101 or the sensor backend platform 105. In addition or alternatively, the sensor 103 may transmit identifying information (e.g., device name, manufacturer, model number, etc.) to the sensor hub 101 on connection. The sensor hub 101 then, in step 507, obtains sensor configuration information from the sensor backend platform 105 to initiate data collection. The configuration information includes, for instance, frequency, type, and duration of data collection. In certain embodiments, the configuration information may also include device drivers to enable the sensor hub 101 to control the functions of the sensor or device 103); and in response to authenticating the connector identifier, connecting the connector to the power supply (Binier: Abstract, [0027], [0061], and FIG. 1: a dongle 115 includes authentication information (e.g., sensor or device identification number and password) to enable the sensor hub 101 to automatically pair and communicate with a sensor or device 103 corresponding to the dongle 115 via, for instance, short range radio such as Bluetooth, WiFi, or other similar radio frequency protocol. In one example use case, to monitor patient weight, the user plugs a dongle 115 corresponding to a wireless enabled scale into the sensor hub 101. On detecting the dongle 115, the sensor hub 101 retrieves the authentication information stored in the dongle 115 to automatically initiate pairing with the associated wireless scale. The patient does not need to perform any other action, other than plugging the dongle 115 into the sensor hub 101, to initiate pairing with a sensor or device 103, thereby advantageously reducing the need to perform a traditional complex pairing procedure).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Hollemans, Patel, Virtanen, Tang, Zeung, and Binier 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 wireless communication of Hollemans, Patel, Virtanen, Tang, and Zeung to include implement wherein the processor is configured to activate the connector further by: receiving, from the connector, a connector identifier; authenticating the connector identifier; and in response to authenticating the connector identifier, connecting the connector to the power supply, as suggested by Binier. The motivation for this is to perform pairing process between electronic devices.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hollemans et al. (Hollemans – US 2005/0176463 A1) in view of Patel (Patel – US 2022/0044802 A1), Virtanen et al. (Virtanen – US 2023/0140973 A1), Tang et al. (Tang – WO 2008/112497 A1) and Zeung et al. (Zeung – US 2024/0168574 A1) and further in view of Suzuki (Suzuki – US 2018/0150665 A1).
As to claim 20, Hollemans, Patel, Virtanen, Tang, and Zeung disclose the limitations of claim 14 except for the claimed limitations of the system of claim 14, wherein the medical device comprises an ultrasound functionality, a video laryngoscope functionality, a payment system functionality, a smart phone functionality, an employee badge functionality, or RF asset tracking tag functionality.
However, it has been known in the art of wireless connections to implement wherein the medical device comprises an ultrasound functionality, a video laryngoscope functionality, a payment system functionality, a smart phone functionality, an employee badge functionality, or RF asset tracking tag functionality, as suggested by Suzuki, which discloses wherein the medical device comprises an ultrasound functionality, a video laryngoscope functionality, a payment system functionality, a smart phone functionality, an employee badge functionality, or RF asset tracking tag functionality (Suzuki: [0029]-[0035], [0039]-[0044], and FIG. 1-4: When the connector 25 of the connection unit 7 is inserted into the connector 13 of the smartphone 3 as stated above, and then the RFID unit 5 is attached to the connection unit 7, the pattern electrode 27 of the connection unit 7 and the projecting electrode 47 of the RFID unit 5 are connected. As a result, the smartphone 3, the connection unit 7, and the RFID unit 5 can be used integrally and can function as the information-processing device 1. The following describes the operation of this information-processing device 1), an employee badge functionality, or RF asset tracking tag functionality).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Hollemans, Patel, Virtanen, Tang, Zeung, and Suzuki 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 wireless communication of Hollemans, Patel, Virtanen, Tang, and Zeung to include implement wherein the medical device comprises an ultrasound functionality, a video laryngoscope functionality, a payment system functionality, a smart phone functionality, an employee badge functionality, or RF asset tracking tag functionality, as suggested by Suzuki. The motivation for this is to implement a known alternative device in a communication system.
Claims 21 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hollemans et al. (Hollemans – US 2005/0176463 A1) in view of Zeung et al. (Zeung – US 2024/0168574 A1).
As to claim 21, Hollemans discloses an adapter device, comprising:
a first transceiver (Hollemans: FIG. 3 the wireless transceiver 313) configured to receive, from an electronic device (Hollemans: [0025]-[0026], [0028]-[0031], [0034], FIG. 2-3 the various measuring devices 320, 330, 340,350, and 360) that has been removed from a housing (Hollemans: FIG. 1-5), the electronic device comprising a sensor (Hollemans: [0020], [0030], [0035]-[0036], and FIG. 1-4: The device 320 comprises a pair of scales for measuring body weight, the device 330 comprises a thermometer for measuring body temperature, the device 340 comprises a blood pressure meter, the device 350 comprises a heartbeat monitor, and the device 360 comprises a set of activity sensors for measuring bodily activities), a first wireless signal encoding an authentication flag (Hollemans: [0005]-[0007], [0023], [0032], and FIG. 1-5: The storage 120 may also hold a unique identification of the wireless communication key 100. This identification may be passed over a wireless connection via the interface 150 and the transceiver 110, and may then be used to uniquely identify this particular key 100 in the presence of other such keys. Via the interfaces 160 and 180, this identification may also be accessed by a device to which the key 100 gets attached. Similar to the aforementioned placement of transceiver configuration information in the storage 120, the same interfaces 160 and 180 may also be used to place an unique identification for the key 100 in the storage 120);
a circuit (Hollemans: [0020]-[0025] and FIG. 1-2: A wireless communication key 100 includes a RF transceiver unit 110. In the present embodiment, an antenna 140 forms an integral part of the transceiver 110. In other embodiments, the antenna 140 and the transceiver 110 may also be separate parts. The transceiver 110 provides for a wireless connection between itself and a second transceiver (not shown in FIG. 1). Such a wireless connection can be established in several different ways, for example by using a radio interface or by using a light interface, such as for example infra-red (IR)) configured to generate, in response to the first transceiver receiving the first wireless signal, a first wired signal encoding the authentication flag (Hollemans: [0005]-[0007], [0023], [0032], and FIG. 1-5: The storage 120 may also hold a unique identification of the wireless communication key 100. This identification may be passed over a wireless connection via the interface 150 and the transceiver 110, and may then be used to uniquely identify this particular key 100 in the presence of other such keys. Via the interfaces 160 and 180, this identification may also be accessed by a device to which the key 100 gets attached. Similar to the aforementioned placement of transceiver configuration information in the storage 120, the same interfaces 160 and 180 may also be used to place an unique identification for the key 100 in the storage 120);
a plug (Hollemans: FIG. 1 the connector 130) configured to:
be inserted into a port of a medical device (Hollemans: [0022] and FIG. 1-5: The connector 130 provides an external interface 160. Within the key 100, the connector 130 also provides an interface 170 to the transceiver 110 and an interface 180 to the storage 120. The external interface 160 may be used to supply power to the key 100. Furthermore, the interface 160 is used for the exchange of data between the key 100 and a device to which the key 100 gets attached. Such data includes data to be transmitted or data received by the transceiver 110, also using the interface 170. The interfaces 160 and 180 provide external access to the storage 120. During manufacture of the key 100, but also afterwards, this external access via the interfaces 160 and 180 may be used for the placement of transceiver configuration information in storage 120, to configure the key 100 with respect to its assignment to a fixed endpoint device or a second key);
output, to the port of the medical device, the first wired signal (Hollemans: [0022] and FIG. 1-5: The connector 130 provides an external interface 160. Within the key 100, the connector 130 also provides an interface 170 to the transceiver 110 and an interface 180 to the storage 120. The external interface 160 may be used to supply power to the key 100. Furthermore, the interface 160 is used for the exchange of data between the key 100 and a device to which the key 100 gets attached. Such data includes data to be transmitted or data received by the transceiver 110, also using the interface 170. The interfaces 160 and 180 provide external access to the storage 120); and
in response to outputting the first wired signal, receive, from the port of the medical device, a second wired signal (Hollemans: [0006]: In the case of multiple keys it may also be advantageous if a key contains a unique identification, where this identification may be communicated wirelessly to the endpoint device to which the key has been assigned, and may also be accessed by the device to which the key gets attached. By means of the identification it is possible to uniquely identify a particular key, and to discriminate that key from other such keys also in use. The identification contained in a key may be used by a system for the purpose of identification and/or authorization of a known user or owner of the key, [0020]: Such a wireless connection can be established in several different ways, for example by using a radio interface or by using a light interface, such as for example infra-red (IR). The use of a light interface may work well for very short range and line-of-sight wireless connections. For most situations however, the use of a radio interface may be more suitable or may even be required, [0023], [0032], and FIG. 1-4);
a second transceiver (Hollemans: FIG. 3 the transceiver 313: In this rejection, Examiner interprets the first transceiver and the second transceiver is the same) configured to:
establish, in response to the plug receiving the second wired signal, a communication channel with the electronic device (Hollemans: [0005]-[0007], [0023], [0032]-[0033], , and FIG. 1-5: The storage 120 may also hold a unique identification of the wireless communication key 100. This identification may be passed over a wireless connection via the interface 150 and the transceiver 110, and may then be used to uniquely identify this particular key 100 in the presence of other such keys. Via the interfaces 160 and 180, this identification may also be accessed by a device to which the key 100 gets attached. Similar to the aforementioned placement of transceiver configuration information in the storage 120, the same interfaces 160 and 180 may also be used to place an unique identification for the key 100 in the storage 120); and
receive, from the electronic device over the communication channel, a second wireless signal (Hollemans: [0022]-[0023]: the interface 160 is used for the exchange of data between the key 100 and a device to which the key 100 gets attached. Such data includes data to be transmitted or data received by the transceiver 110, also using the interface 170, [0026]-[0027]: To make this possible, the personal health coach receives the results of various physical measurements pertaining to a user, such as body temperature, body weight, heartbeat, blood pressure, and activities performed, [0032]-[0036], [0050], and FIG. 1-5: the personal health coach 300 further comprises wireless communication keys 370, 371, and 372. The keys 370, 371, and 372 have all been assigned to the base station 310, which implies that each of the keys is able to establish a wireless communication with the transceiver 313 of the base station 310, provided that such a key gets attached to a suitable device. Each of the keys 370, 371, and 372 holds a unique identification, as already described earlier. Via the identification, each of the keys 370, 371, and 372 has been associated with a respective user of the personal health coach 300, and has been issued to that user).
Hollemans discloses, in an embodiment, both of the medical/electronic device and the electronic device connected to the corresponding transceiver disposed in the corresponding connector via the corresponding port for communications (Hollemans: [0020] and FIG. 1-2 the transceiver 110: The transceiver 110 provides for a wireless connection between itself and a second transceiver (not shown in FIG. 1). Such a wireless connection can be established in several different ways, for example by using a radio interface or by using a light interface, such as for example infra-red (IR). The use of a light interface may work well for very short range and line-of-sight wireless connections. For most situations however, the use of a radio interface may be more suitable or may even be required. As already indicated, the present embodiment uses a radio interface, for which a widely known Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technology may be used, such as for example IEEE 802.11, HomeRF, or ZigBee. For relatively short-range wireless connections, also a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) technology like for example Bluetooth may be used. Also, for security and privacy reasons, the wireless communication may be encrypted), Hollemans does not explicitly disclose a second transceiver configured to: establish, in response to the plug receiving the second wired signal, a communication channel with the electronic device; and receive, from the electronic device over the communication channel, a second wireless signal.
However, it has been known in the art of wireless communication to implement a second transceiver configured to: establish, in response to the plug receiving the second wired signal, a communication channel with the electronic device; and receive, from the electronic device over the communication channel, a second wireless signal, as suggested by Zeung, which discloses a second transceiver (Zeung: FIG. 1 the Wi-Fi connection) configured to: establish, in response to the plug receiving the second wired signal (Zeung: [0043]-[0046], [0081], [0139]-[0143], [0148], [0154], [0167], and FIG. 1-3: The APP1 of the first host computer 11 exchanges information with the second host computer 12 through the dongle 14 and the custom communication channel, said information including a phone name, a type of phone operation system (OS), a computer (i.e. first host computer 11) name, universal unique identification (UUID) and other information required in the pairing), a communication channel with the electronic device; and receive, from the electronic device over the communication channel, a second wireless signal ([0079]-[0084], [0158]-[0160], [0166], [0171]-[0173], FIG. 1 and FIG. 14: the USB peripheral 143 is also used to construct a communication channel (e.g., Wi-Fi connection) between the first host computer 141 and the second host computer 142 to perform the data communication and the mirroring operation as mentioned above, e.g., including cursor position calibration, determining movement according to lookup tables, acquiring screen rotating direction and device rotating direction, which have been described above and thus are not repeated again ).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Hollemans and Zeung, 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 wireless communication of Hollemans to include a second transceiver configured to: establish, in response to the plug receiving the second wired signal, a communication channel with the electronic device; and receive, from the electronic device over the communication channel, a second wireless signal, as suggested by Zeung. The motivation for this is to facilitate wireless communications between electronic devices.
As to claim 23, Hollemans and Zeung disclose the limitations of claim 21 further comprising the adapter device of claim 21, wherein the sensor is configured to detect a physiological parameter of a subject (Hollemans: [0022]-[0023]: the interface 160 is used for the exchange of data between the key 100 and a device to which the key 100 gets attached. Such data includes data to be transmitted or data received by the transceiver 110, also using the interface 170, [0026]-[0027]: To make this possible, the personal health coach receives the results of various physical measurements pertaining to a user, such as body temperature, body weight, heartbeat, blood pressure, and activities performed, [0033]-[0036], [0050], and FIG. 1-5: A second example concerns the use of a portable audio device equipped for use with a key. With a second such audio device nearby, a pair of keys may be used to wirelessly connect the two audio devices, for example to exchange music. The presence (or absence) of any such keys provides for clear user control and feedback as to which whether the audio devices are able to communicate wirelessly at any particular moment in time), and wherein the second wireless signal encodes the physiological parameter (Hollemans: [0020] and FIG. 1-5: A wireless communication key 100 includes a RF transceiver unit 110. In the present embodiment, an antenna 140 forms an integral part of the transceiver 110. In other embodiments, the antenna 140 and the transceiver 110 may also be separate parts. The transceiver 110 provides for a wireless connection between itself and a second transceiver (not shown in FIG. 1). Such a wireless connection can be established in several different ways, for example by using a radio interface or by using a light interface, such as for example infra-red (IR). The use of a light interface may work well for very short range and line-of-sight wireless connections. For most situations however, the use of a radio interface may be more suitable or may even be required. As already indicated, the present embodiment uses a radio interface, for which a widely known Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technology may be used, such as for example IEEE 802.11, HomeRF, or ZigBee. For relatively short-range wireless connections, also a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) technology like for example Bluetooth may be used. Also, for security and privacy reasons, the wireless communication may be encrypted and Zeung: Abstract, [0081], [0177], FIG. 1, and FIG. 14: if it is desired to transfer encrypted files between the first host computer 11 and the second host computer 12 via the Wi-Fi connection, the file token is arranged to be transferred via the Bluetooth connection, shown as BT in FIG. 5 in which the first host computer 11 is shown as PC and the second host computer 12 is shown as phone (i.e. the smartphone mentioned above) for illustration purposes. FIG. 5 shows that the file token is transferred via the BT connection, but other data are transferred via the Wi-Fi connection. Because the BT connection is constructed by a standard pairing process, and thus it is already an encrypted channel. The present disclosure uses the encrypted channel to transfer the file token without passing internet, the security of file transmission is effectively increased).
Claim 22 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hollemans et al. (Hollemans – US 2005/0176463 A1) in view of Zeung et al. (Zeung – US 2024/0168574 A1) and further in view of Patel (Patel – US 2022/0044802 A1).
As to claim 22, Hollemans and Zeung disclose the limitations of claim 21 except for the limitations of the adapter device of claim 21, the sensor being a first sensor, wherein the electronic device comprises a sensor bundle comprising the first sensor and a second sensor configured to be disposed in the housing.
However, it has been known in the art of medical devices to implement the sensor being a first sensor, wherein the electronic device comprises a sensor bundle comprising the first sensor and a second sensor configured to be disposed in the housing, as suggested by Patel, which discloses the sensor being a first sensor, wherein the electronic device comprises a sensor bundle comprising the first sensor and a second sensor configured to be disposed in the housing (Patel: Abstract, [0021], FIG. 3-5, and FIG. 7: the system may include one or more cameras 112, one or more microphones, and a plurality of medical devices 116a-116n. In some embodiments, the medical devices may include one, some, or all of a stethoscope, a pulse-oximeter, a blood pressure cuff, a temperature sensors, a blood glucose sensor, a hematocrit sensor, an otoscope, a cold storage chamber, wound care bandages, medications, IV bags, biological supportive fluids, and/or tubes for collecting samples (e.g., saliva, blood, tissue)).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Hollemans, Zeung, and Patel, 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 wireless communication of Hollemans and Zeung to include the sensor being a first sensor, wherein the electronic device comprises a sensor bundle comprising the first sensor and a second sensor configured to be disposed in the housing, as suggested by Patel. The motivation for this is to implement a portable medical case for monitoring various conditions of a patient.
Claim 24 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hollemans et al. (Hollemans – US 2005/0176463 A1) in view of Zeung et al. (Zeung – US 2024/0168574 A1) and further in view of Virtanen et al. (Virtanen – US 2023/0140973 A1).
As to claim 24, Hollemans and Zeung disclose the limitations of claim 21 except for the claimed limitations of the adapter device of claim 21, wherein the sensor comprises electrodes configured to detect an ECG of a subject, and wherein the second wireless signal encodes the ECG.
However, it has been known in the art of medical devices to implement wherein the sensor comprises electrodes configured to detect an ECG of a subject, and wherein the second wireless signal encodes the ECG, as suggested by Virtanen, which discloses wherein the sensor comprises electrodes configured to detect an ECG of a subject, and wherein the second wireless signal encodes the ECG (Virtanen: Abstract, [0006], [0037]-[0039], [0052]-[0053], and FIG. 3-6: the electronics device 60 communicates via a connection 28 to a separate monitoring device 20, which here has a display device 22 for displaying ECG data 24 and respiratory data 26 collected by the system 30. The connection 28 may be physical, such as wires within a wire harness, and/or wireless, for example using a protocol known in the art (e.g., Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi, or others). The electronics device 60 and/or monitoring device 20 may also communicate with additional devices or systems, such as a central monitoring station or an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) known in the art, for example to display, archive, and/or further process the information collected by the system 30).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Hollemans, Zeung, and Virtanen, 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 wireless communication of Hollemans and Zeung to include wherein the sensor comprises electrodes configured to detect an ECG of a subject, and wherein the second wireless signal encodes the ECG, as suggested by Virtanen. The motivation for this is to implement a portable medical device for monitoring various conditions of a patient.
Claim 25 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hollemans et al. (Hollemans – US 2005/0176463 A1) in view of Zeung et al. (Zeung – US 2024/0168574 A1) and further in view of Abbott et al. (Abbott – US 6,671,808 B1).
As to claim 25, Hollemans and Zeung disclose the limitations of claim 21 except for the claimed limitations of the adapter device of claim 21, wherein the plug comprises: a power pin configured to receive power from the medical device; and a data pin that is recessed with respect to the power pin and is configured to output the first wired signal and to receive the second wired signal.
However, it has been known in the art of medical devices to implement wherein the plug comprises: a power pin configured to receive power from the medical device; and a data pin that is recessed with respect to the power pin and is configured to output the first wired signal and to receive the second wired signal, as suggested by Abbott, which discloses wherein the plug comprises: a power pin configured to receive power from the medical device; and a data pin that is recessed with respect to the power pin and is configured to output the first wired signal and to receive the second wired signal (Abbott: Abstract, column 9 lines 17-25, and FIG. 1-4: the USB interface requires four (4) pins 302, and that the pins 302 near the outer periphery of the personal key 200 be longer than that of the inner two pins. When the user inserts the personal key 200 into the input/output port 130, this assures that the power and ground pins 302 are connected before the pins that pass serial data are connected. To achieve this result, pins 302 of different lengths can be selected and used in the personal key 200).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Hollemans, Zeung, and Abbott, 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 wireless communication of Hollemans and Zeung to include wherein the plug comprises: a power pin configured to receive power from the medical device; and a data pin that is recessed with respect to the power pin and is configured to output the first wired signal and to receive the second wired signal, as suggested by Abbott. The motivation for this is to implement a known alternative connector for communications of electronic devices.
Citation of Pertinent Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure:
Forsell, US 2023/0355994 A1, discloses methods and devices for secure communication with and operation of an implant.
Taub et al., US 2022/0409052 A1, discloses medical monitoring systems with cloud communication interface.
Volkerink et al., US 2022/0279449 A1, discloses method and system for automatic power management of portable Internet of Things devices.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP §706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to QUANG PHAM whose telephone number is (571)-270-3668. The examiner can normally be reached 09:00 AM - 05:00 PM.
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/QUANG PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2685
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