DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species I, claims 16-25 and 34-26 in the reply filed on 5/6/26 is acknowledged.
Response to Amendment
Receipt is acknowledged of applicant’s amendment filed on 5/9/26. Claims 1-15, 26-33, and 37-38 are canceled. Claims 16, 17, 21, 34 amended. Claims 16-25, 34-36 are pending and an action on the merits is as follows.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 16-25, 34-36 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a2 as being anticipated by Raczynski US Publication No. 2015/0118362.
Re Claim 16, Raczynski discloses a method of providing a two dimensional (2D) barcode ,comprising:
determining a set of payload data including a set of static data and a set of dynamic data (P14, P15, P42);
generating a 2D barcode symbol which includes an encoded version of the set of static data, wherein the 2D barcode symbol includes redundant space (Figs. 1 2a, 2b, 3);
designating at least part of the redundant space as a dynamic region which is adapted to store the set of dynamic data (P15, P42-43, Figs. 1 2a, 2b, 3) ;
and printing the 2D barcode symbol using a static ink and an encoded version of the set of the dynamic data on the dynamic region using a dynamic ink which changes states responsive to at least one environmental condition, such that the set of dynamic data is in one of a plurality of states, wherein the set of dynamic data is readable by a reader of the 2D barcode symbol and the set of static data is readable by the reader of the 2D barcode symbol when the set of dynamic data is in each one of the plurality of states (P41-P44).
Re Claim 17, Raczynski discloses the method of Claim 16, wherein the at least one environmental factor condition is selected from the group consisting of temperature, time, radiation, light, and toxic chemicals (P42, P45).
Re Claim 18, Raczynski discloses the method of Claim 17, wherein the dynamic ink is responsive to time and temperature (P12, P14, P19, P42, P45).
Re Claim 19, Raczynski discloses the method of Claim 17, wherein the dynamic ink is responsive to freezing (P43, P45, P48, P53).
Re Claim 20, Raczynski discloses the method of Claim 17, wherein the dynamic ink permanently changes in response to the at least one environmental condition factor (P43, P49).
Re Claim 21. Raczynski discloses the method of Claim 17, wherein the dynamic ink transitions from a first state to a second state in response to the occurrence of the environmental condition and returns to the first state when the environmental condition is no longer occurring (P41) .
Re Claim 22, Raczynski discloses the method of Claim 16, wherein the redundant space includes at least one of a plurality of unused bits, a padding region, and an error detection and correction region (P19, p21, P42, Figs. 1 2a, 2b, 3).
Re Claim 23, Raczynski discloses the method of Claim 16, wherein the redundant space includes at least one of a format information region, a version information region, and a reference data region (P19, p21, P42, Figs. 1 2a, 2b, 3).
Re Claim 24, Raczynski discloses the method of Claim 16, wherein a non-privileged reader is capable of reading the static data and cannot read the dynamic data of the 2D barcode symbol (P12, P19, P21, P44).
Re Claim 25. Raczynski discloses the method of Claim 24, wherein only privileged readers are capable of reading the dynamic data of the 2D barcode symbol (P12, P21, P44).
Re Claim 34. Raczynski discloses a method of providing a two dimensional (2D) barcode, comprising: determining a set of payload data including a set of static data and a set of dynamic data, wherein the set of dynamic data has a first state and a second state; generating a 2D barcode symbol which includes an encoded version of the set of static data, a dynamic region which is adapted to store an encoded version of the set of dynamic data, and error detection and correction data; and printing the 2D barcode symbol using a static ink and an encoded set of the dynamic data on the dynamic region using a dynamic ink which changes color state responsive to at least one environmental condition, such that the set of dynamic data is in one of the first state and the second state, wherein the error detection and correction data accommodates for changes in the set of dynamic data in the dynamic region such that the 2D barcode symbol is readable by a reader and produces a first output when the set of dynamic data is in the first state and the 2D barcode symbol is readable by a reader and produces a second output when the set of dynamic data is in the second state(P14-15, P42-44, Figs. 1 2a, 2b, 3).
Re Claim 35, Raczynski discloses the method of Claim 34, wherein the dynamic region is provided in a padding region (P19, p21, P42, Figs. 1 2a, 2b, 3).
Re Claim 36, Raczynski discloses the method of Claim 34, wherein the dynamic region is provided at an end of a data region (P19, p21, P42, Figs. 1 2a, 2b, 3).
Conclusion
The following reference is cited but not relied upon :
Sandvick discloses food safety device for placement on a product is disclosed.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SONJI N JOHNSON whose telephone number is (571)270-5266. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-9pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven Paik can be reached at 5712722404. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
SONJI N. JOHNSON
Examiner
Art Unit 2876
/SONJI N JOHNSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876
Prosecution Insights