DETAILED ACTION
Summary
Claims 1-2, 5-22 are pending in the application. Claims 21-22 are rejected under 35 USC 112(a).
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 .
Claim Objections
Claims 7 and 22 objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 7 recites “receive, using an electrical sensor an electrical component” in line 14. It should recite “receive, using an electrical sensor, an electrical component”.
Claim 22 recites “the a first plurality of different frequencies” in line 3. It should recite “the first plurality of different frequencies”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 21-22 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim 21 recites “the first electrical stimulation signal includes a first plurality of different frequencies” and “the acoustic stimulation signal includes a second plurality of different frequencies”. Neither limitation is supported by the originally filed specification. While the specification states that respective signals can have different frequencies ([0032]), nothing suggests that the respective stimulation signals includes (i.e. is composed of) multiple frequencies. Furthermore, while [0038] states that electrical signals can be applied with different frequencies, this suggests that different signals with different frequences are capable of being applied to the target, not that a single signal is composed of multiple frequencies. Therefore, claim 21 contains new matter.
Claim 22 recites “the first plurality of different frequencies of the electrical stimulation signal are configured to cause the electrical stimulation signal to propagate through different body parts based on a capacitance or resistance of the different body parts”. This is not supported by the originally filed specification. [0038] suggests that the electrical signals propagate through different body parts regardless of the frequency, and the different capacitance/resistance just changes the measured electrical signal. Therefore, claim 22 contains new matter.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-2, and 5-20 allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 1 recites “A wearable device for stimulation or analysis of biological systems or implantable objects, the wearable device comprising: a substrate material; a plurality of integrated electroacoustic sensor-actuators disposed on the substrate material and operable to generate a cross-domain electro-acoustic stimulation signal directed to a target area, individual electroacoustic sensor-actuators of the plurality of integrated electroacoustic sensor-actuators include: an acoustic actuator operable to generate an acoustic component of the electro-acoustic stimulation signal; an electrical actuator operable to generate an electrical component of the electro-acoustic stimulation signal; an acoustic sensor operable to detect an acoustic component of a response to the electro-acoustic stimulation signal; and an electrical sensor operable to detect an electrical component of the response to the electro-acoustic stimulation signal”. This is not taught by the prior art without the benefit of improper hindsight.
Cheatham, III teaches a garment system which uses both acoustic actuators/sensors and electrical actuators/sensors [0108]+[0130]-[0132]+[0135]-[0136]. However, these actuators/sensors are arranged as individual components of the garment (Fig. 9, 108+108’+108”+910). Nothing in Cheatham suggest integrating the disparate sensors/actuators into an integrated electroacoustic sensor-actuator, or having a plurality of integrated electroacoustic sensor-actuators in the garment. Goodall teaches a system which obtains motion of a body part (Abstract). While this system contains a sensor assembly with various sensors (Fig 13, 1004), Goodall does not teach the integrated sensor-actuators as claimed. None of the other cited references teach the claimed limitations.
Claim 1 is therefore non-obvious over the prior art, and is allowable. Independent claims 7 and 10 contain similar limitations, and would be allowable for substantially the same reasons. Dependent claims 2, 5-6, 8-9, and 11-20 necessarily contain all the limitations of the allowable independent claim, and would be allowable for substantially the same reasons.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Page 9-10, filed 2/27/2026, with respect to Cheatham failing to teach an “integrated electroacoustic sensor” have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejections under 35 USC 102(a)(1) and 35 USC 103 of claims 1-2, 5-20 has been withdrawn.
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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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.
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/SEAN D MATTSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3798