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 .
The instant application having application No. 18/987,716 of WOLFE et al. for “NFC Tag-based Container Alerting System” filed December 19, 2024 has been examined.
Drawings
Drawings Figures 1-11 submitted on December 19, 2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.121(d).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102/103
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.
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.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by the Prior Art of BERGER et al. (U.S. Publication No. US 2009/0322510 A1) hereinafter “Berger”.
As to claim 1, Berger discloses a system for tracking transported items ( shown in Figures 3-5 and described in Paragraphs 0250 and 0252), the system comprising: a. at least one container fitted with an alarm device configured to produce an alarm (During the container closing process, a PADD is used by the person closing and sealing the container (i.e., arming the shipping container), described in Paragraph 0254, see also Paragraphs 0116-0117); b. an arming device at a loading location (Persons along the path between origin [i.e. loading location] and destination are provided with handheld portable arm/disarm devices ("PADDs") for arming and disarming the Seals of the shipping containers, as necessary, shown in Figure 3 and described in Paragraph 0250 and 0447); and c. a disarming device at an unloading location (A PADD also is used to disarm the Seal for opening of the shipping container, either when the shipping container arrives at the destination [i.e. disarming device at an unloading location], described in Paragraph 0254 and 0447); d. wherein the alarm device is configured to be armed by the arming device and disarmed by the disarming device (handheld portable arm/disarm devices ("PADDs") for arming and disarming the Seals of the shipping containers, described in Paragraph 0250, 0254 and 0447), and while armed, will activate an alarm if the container is opened (described in Paragraph 0495); and e. wherein the arming device is configured to collect information related to the contents of the container (described in Paragraphs 0080, 0247 and 0254-0255), and the disarming device is configured to collect information identifying the user who operates the disarming device(described in Paragraphs 0080, 0247 and 0254-0255), such that the collected information is used to link the contents of the container to the identity of the user who operates the disarming device (described in Paragraphs 0080, 0247 and 0254-0255).
As to claim 2, Berger’s disclosure as set forth above in claim 1, further Berger discloses wherein the arming device and disarming device use NFC to arm and disarm the alarm device, and wherein the arming device and disarming device comprise an application selected from the group consisting of a smartphone application and a computer-based NFC read/write application (RFID, "active" and "passive," is employed in certain types of container seals, described in Paragraph 0035).
As to claim 3, Berger’s disclosure as set forth above in claim 2, further Berger discloses wherein the arming device and disarming device are the same device (Persons along the path between origin and destination are provided with handheld portable arm/disarm devices ("PADDs") for arming and disarming the Seals of the shipping containers [i.e. arming device and disarming device are the same device], described in Paragraph 0250).
As to claim 4, Berger’s disclosure as set forth above in claim 2, further Berger discloses wherein the arming device and disarming device are also configured to collect a unique container identification, said unique container identification being used to link the contents of the container to the identity of the user who operates the disarming device across a plurality of containers (unique ID of the RSN of the Seal--with both a unique identification of the shipping container and a unique identification of the contents of the shipping container comprising the shipment number--including any identification of reference documents pertaining to the contents of the shipping container. This information is communicated from the PADD, via a gateway, to a central database server and accessed and used by the application server at a customer's location [i.e. the arming device and disarming device are also configured to collect a unique container identification, said unique container identification being used to link the contents of the container to the identity of the user who operates the disarming device across a plurality of containers], described in Paragraph 0254).
As to claim 5, Berger’s disclosure as set forth above in claim 4, further Berger discloses wherein the alarm includes a component selected from the group consisting of an audible sound, a visual indication, and a tactile vibration (an alarm popup may be displayed, described in Paragraphs 0493-0494 and or example, use status, security alarms, and a last reported location. The type of sound is user-selectable, described in Paragraph 0540).
As to claim 6, Berger’s disclosure as set forth above in claim 1, further Berger discloses wherein the alarm includes a component selected from the group consisting of an audible sound, a visual indication, and a tactile vibration (an alarm popup may be displayed, described in Paragraphs 0493-0494 and or example, use status, security alarms, and a last reported location. The type of sound is user-selectable, described in Paragraph 0540).
As to claim 7, the claim recites a method that parallels the system claim 1. Therefore, the analysis discussed above with respect to claim 1 also applies to claim 7. Accordingly, claim 7 is rejected by the prior art of Berger under the same rationale as set forth above with respect to claim 1.
As to claim 8, the claim recites a method that parallels the system claim 2. Therefore, the analysis discussed above with respect to claim 2 also applies to claim 8. Accordingly, claim 8 is rejected by the prior art of Berger under the same rationale as set forth above with respect to claim 2.
As to claim 9, the claim recites a method that parallels the system claim 3. Therefore, the analysis discussed above with respect to claim 3 also applies to claim 9. Accordingly, claim 9 is rejected by the prior art of Berger under the same rationale as set forth above with respect to claim 3.
As to claim 10, the claim recites a method that parallels the system claim 4. Therefore, the analysis discussed above with respect to claim 4 also applies to claim 10. Accordingly, claim 10 is rejected by the prior art of Berger under the same rationale as set forth above with respect to claim 4.
As to claim 11, the claim recites a method that parallels the system claim 5. Therefore, the analysis discussed above with respect to claim 5 also applies to claim 11. Accordingly, claim 11 is rejected by the prior art of Berger under the same rationale as set forth above with respect to claim 5.
As to claim 12, the claim recites a method that parallels the system claim 6. Therefore, the analysis discussed above with respect to claim 6 also applies to claim 12. Accordingly, claim 12 is rejected by the prior art of Berger under the same rationale as set forth above with respect to claim 6.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The following cited arts are further to show the state of related art.
U.S. Publication No. 2019/0164114 A1 of KADOTANI et al, discloses a locker management device includes a management unit configured to manage a usage status of lockers provided in an autonomous driving vehicle, an acquisition unit configured to acquire a user's use-request for the locker, and a vehicle dispatch control unit configured to dispatch the autonomous driving vehicle to the user. The management unit is configured to determine the locker to be used by the user based on the usage status of the lockers and the use-request acquired by the acquisition unit, and the vehicle dispatch control unit is configured to dispatch the autonomous driving vehicle provided with the locker determined by the management unit to the user.
U.S. Publication No. 2023/0121499 A1 of PAUL et al, discloses a transportation storage system and method includes a vehicle having a platform on a chassis, plural storage containers disposed on the platform, and electronic locksets mounted to the storage containers. Each of the storage containers includes multiple module walls that define a cavity to receive an object, and a container door mounted to the module walls at an access end of the storage container to enclose the cavity when in a closed state. The electronic locksets lock the container doors in the closed state, and provide access to the object within the respective cavity in response to receiving a corresponding unlock signal. The storage containers are oriented on the platform such that the container doors are accessible to an individual that is off-board the vehicle or that is on the platform to extract the object from the cavity or to deposit the object into the cavity.
U.S. Publication No. 2020/0286035 A1 of BERGER et al, discloses a method of securing a container includes inserting, into a seal device at a container, an electronic bolt; reading, by the seal device, a serial number stored in the electronic bolt; communicating, from the seal device, to a user application, insertion of the bolt; scanning, by the user via a handheld device, a barcode on the seal device representative of an identification of the seal device; communicating, from the handheld device to the user application, the identification of the seal device; inputting, by a user at the container via the handheld device, information associated with the container; communicating, from the handheld device to the user application, the information associated with the container; associating, in a database by the user application, the information associated with the container with the bolt serial number and the identification of the seal device; communicating, by the user application, a confirmation to the seal device.
Correspondence
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SISAY YACOB whose telephone number is (571)272-8562. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 10:30-07:00 ET.
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/SISAY YACOB/ February 25, 2026 Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2686