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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kosaka (US 2016/0137380).
Regarding claim 1, Kosaka discloses an opening management system comprising:
a communication section 66 (paragraph 55) configured to communicate with an opening detection device 40 that is attached to a packaging material 20 and detects an opening status of the packaging material (p. 40); and
an information generation section configured to generate setting information with which a predefined process regarding opening detection is performed by the opening detection device (p. 54, p. 55).
Regarding claim 2, Kosaka discloses wherein the setting information includes detection time at which the opening detection device performs the opening detection (p. 54, p. 55), and the predetermined process includes detecting the opening status of the packaging material on or after the detection time and informing if the opening status is an unopened state (p. 57, p. 77).
Regarding claim 3, Kosaka discloses wherein the setting information includes detection frequency at which the opening detection device performs the opening detection (p. 76, p. 77), and the predetermined process includes detecting the opening status of the packaging material at the detection frequency and informing if the opening status is an unopened state (p. 57, p. 77).
Regarding claim 4, Kosaka discloses wherein regular detection in which detection is performed every predetermined time period or continuous detection is set as the detection frequency (p. 46).
Regarding claim 5, Kosaka discloses wherein the setting information includes request frequency at which the opening detection device requests transmission of the setting information (p. 75).
Regarding claim 6, Kosaka discloses wherein when the communication section receives a request of the transmission of the setting information from the opening detection device, the communication section transmits the setting information to the opening detection device (p. 54-p. 55, p. 75).
Regarding claim 7, Kosaka discloses wherein the setting information includes transmission frequency at which the opening detection device transmits the opening status to the communication section (p. 54-p. 55, p. 75).
Regarding claim 8, Kosaka discloses wherein the opening detection device includes a plurality of opening detection devices each of which has ID information (p. 52), the setting information includes the ID information (p. 53), and the communication section is configured to communicate with each of the plurality of opening detection devices (p. 52, p. 53).
Regarding claim 9, Kosaka discloses wherein medicine is stored in the packaging material (p. 39).
Regarding claim 10, Kosaka discloses an opening detection device comprising a communication section 50, 66, configured to communicate with the opening management system 10; and a detection section 44, 42, configured to detect the opening status of the packaging material 20.
Regarding claim 11, Kosaka discloses an informing section configured to inform when a detection result of the detection section is an unopened state (p. 52, p. 76, p. 77).
Regarding claim 12, Kosaka discloses wherein the detection section is configured to detect the opening status of the packaging material on or after detection time included in the setting information (p. 54, p. 55, p. 76, p. 77).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Maijala, Conlon, Mehregany, and Isom disclose medicine usage tracking systems.
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/ANH V LA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2685
ANH V. LA
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2685
Al
June 24, 2026