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 .
Acknowledgment
This Office Action is responsive to amendment filed on 10/20/2025.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1-7 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Salles et al. (EP 4113361, previously cited) in view of Fiorello et al. (US 2010/0231340, cited by applicant).
Regarding claim 1, Salles teaches an enrollment assistance device (10), for facilitating biometric enrollment of a user of a contactless smartcard (30) including a biometric arrangement (34) and a wireless power transfer arrangement (31), the enrollment assistance device comprising: a carrier (10) having a first surface portion (11) for arrangement of a user device (20) including a wireless power transfer arrangement (22), and a second surface portion (12), space apart from the first surface portion, for arrangement of the contactless smartcard (30); and an electrical conductor (13-15) supported by the carrier and forming a conductor; and the conductor being configured to form a first wireless power transfer link (13) with the wireless power transfer arrangement of the user device when the user device is arrangement on the first surface portion of the carrier, and a second wireless power link (14) with the wireless power transfer arrangement of the contactless smartcard when the contactless smartcard is arranged on the second surface portion of the carrier (figs. 1-4; [0022]-[0072]).
Salles fails to teach the electrical conductor forming a conductor spiral having an innermost revolution starting at a first conductor end and an outermost revolution ending at a second conductor end.
However, Fiorello teaches wireless energy transfer resonator enclosures having an electrical conductor forming a conductor spiral having an innermost revolution starting at a first conductor end and an outermost revolution ending at a second conductor end (fig. 9 and [0202]-[0209]).
In view of Fiorello’s teaching, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Salles by incorporating the teaching as taught by Fiorello since it is just a matter of design option to use an alternative and well-known conducting loop or spiral for power transferring.
Regarding claims 2-5, Salles as modified by Fiorello teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above except for the configurations of the conductor spiral as claimed. However, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Salles and Fiorello to implement the configurations of the conductor spiral as claimed since it is just a matter of design options for the conductor spiral.
Regarding claim 6, Salles as modified by Fiorello teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Both Salles and Fiorello further teach wherein the conductor spiral is printed on the carrier (Salles: fig. 2. Fiorello: fig. 10, [0215] and [0216]).
Regarding claim 7, Salles as modified by Fiorello teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Fiorello further teaches wherein the carrier is provided in the form of a sheet ([0226] and [0547]).
Regarding claim 9, Salles as modified by Fiorello teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Salles further teaches a biometric system comprising: the enrollment assistance device according to claim 1; and the contactless smartcard (30, fig. 1) including the biometric arrangement (34) and the wireless power transfer arrangement (31) ([0022]-[0028] and [0035]); wherein the contactless smartcard is arranged on the second surface portion of the carrier of the enrollment assistance device (fig. 4 and [0062]-[0063]).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Salles as modified by Fiorello as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Vigneron et al. (US 2009/0045963, previously cited).
Regarding claim 8, Salles as modified by Fiorello teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above except for the carrier is cellulose-based.
However, Vigneron teaches the carrier of the RID tag is cellulose-based ([0022]).
In view of Vigneron’s teaching, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Salles and Fiorello by incorporating the teaching as taught by Vigneron since it is just a matter of using an alternative and well-known material for the carrier.
Claim(s) 10-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Salles as modified by Fiorello as applied to claim 9 above, and further in view of Baldwin et al. (US 2016/0294557, previously cited).
Regarding claim 10, Salles as modified by Fiorello teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Salles further teaches a method of enrolling a user having the biometric system according to claim 9, and a user device (20) including a wireless power transfer arrangement (22) arranged to provide an electric field for power transfer adjacent to a backside of the user device, a display (28) arranged on a frontside of the user device, the method comprising the steps of: guiding the user to arrange the user device on the first surface portion of the carrier of the enrollment assistance device comprising in the biometric system, with the backside of the user device facing the first surface portion; transmitting, by the user device to the contactless smartcard arranged on the second surface portion of the carrier; a signal encoding an instruction to the contactless smartcard to start to perform biometric enrollment; and receiving, by the user device from the contactless smartcard arranged on the second surface portion of the carrier (figs. 3, 4 and [0052]-[0072]).
Salles as modified by Fiorello fails to teach after the biometric enrollment has been completed, a signal indicative of completion of the biometric enrollment.
However, Baldwin teaches after the biometric enrollment has been completed, a signal indicative of completion of the biometric enrollment ([0028]).
In view of Baldwin’s teaching, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Salles and Fiorello by incorporating the teaching as taught by Baldwin so as to notify the user when the biometric enrollment is completed.
Regarding 11, Salles as modified by Fiorello and Baldwin teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Salles further teaches the signal encoding the instruction to the contactless smartcard to perform biometric enrollment is transmitted via the conductor spiral comprised in the enrollment assistance device included in the biometric system; and the signal indicating that the enrollment has been completed is received via the conductor spiral comprised in the enrollment assistance device included in the biometric system ([0060]-[0072]).
Regarding claim 12, Salles as modified by Fiorello and Baldwin teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Salles further teaches the steps of: performing a user authentication using the user device; and allowing completion of the biometric enrollment only if the user authentication is successful ([0067] and [0068]).
Regarding claim 13, Salles as modified by Fiorello and Baldwin teaches all subject matter claimed as applied above. Salles further teaches a computer program product comprising program code for, when executed by processing circuitry comprised in the user device (20) including the wireless power transfer arrangement (22) on the backside of the user device and the display (28) on the frontside of the user device, control the user device to carry out the steps of the method according to claim 10 (figs. 3, 4 and [0052]-[0059]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 10/20/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argued to the rejection by arguing that the combination of Salles and Fiorello fails to teach “a single conductor spiral configured to form both the first wireless power transfer link in the first surface portion and the second wireless power transfer link in the second surface portion”. Examiner respectfully disagrees.
Claim 1 does not call for “a single conductor spiral” as argued. Therefore, it is believed that the combination of Salles and Fiorello is proper and therefore the rejection is maintained.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Tuyen Kim Vo whose telephone number is (571)270-1657. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs: 8AM-6:30PM.
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/TUYEN K VO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876