DETAILED ACTION (EXR DKT# 110)
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.
(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) 1-6, 8-9, and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 as being anticipated by Hull et al. (2016/0254844), hereinafter "Hull".
As to claim 1, Hull discloses A device for sampling one or more indicators, the device (102) comprising:
a system on a chip (SoC), [0043]: "...the size of a grain of rice (and with the antenna, capacitor, integrated circuit, this might instead be the size of a quarter)...";
an antenna (201) for harvesting electromagnetic energy (see [0043], [0045], wherein the energy is managed by the SoC and stored in an accumulator (battery / capacitor); and
an electrode (see [0045]:"sensors" / inherently) positioned adjacent to the one or more indicators,
wherein the SoC utilizes the electrode to sample information from the one or more indicators and transmit the information by the antenna, (see [0050]).
As to claim 2, Hull discloses The device of claim 1, wherein the antenna is made of at least one conductive pattern printed onto a thin flexible insulating substrate. See [0121].
As to claim 3, Hull discloses The device of claim 1, wherein the antenna is designed to receive and transmit radio-frequency (RF) signals in a short-range communication protocol. See [0055].
As to claim 4, Hull discloses The device of claim 3, wherein the antenna is adapted to receive RF signals in a plurality of RF bands for harvesting electromagnetic energy. See [0006]-[0009].
As to claim 5, Hull discloses The device of claim 1, wherein the accumulator comprises one or more of an on-die capacitor, at least one external capacitor, and at least one rechargeable battery. See [0044].
As to claim 6, Hull discloses The device of claim 1, wherein the SoC comprises: a harvester (not shown); a controller (230); a transceiver (205); and a probe (206). See Fig 2, [0047]-[0048].
As to claim 8, Hull discloses The device of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to manage power levels of the harvester and generate and prepare data packets for transmission. See [0050].
As to claim 9, Hull discloses The device of claim 6, wherein the controller utilizes the transceiver for communicating BLE protocols via the antenna. See [0049]-[0050], [0055].
As to claim 15, Hull discloses The device of claim 1, wherein a controller compiles transmission representing temperature and/or humidity measurements over time and transmits the information to a server. See Fig 3, [0083]-[0087].
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.
Claim(s) 7 and 11-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hull.
As to claim 7, Hull discloses The device of claim 6, fails to disclose yet examiner takes official notice that it was known in the art wherein the controller is partitioned into multiple power domains each comprising a set of gates powered by a common power supply, wherein only one power domain is turned on during execution and such would be a design choice obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention in order to allow multiple functions.
As to claim 11, Hull discloses The device of claim 6, fails to disclose yet examiner takes official notice that it was known in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention wherein the probe comprises circuitry configured to measure and digitize electrical properties sensed by the electrode in order to make it usable to a computer. Before the effective filing date of the instant invention it would have been obvious to modify Hull wherein the probe comprises circuitry configured to measure and digitize electrical properties sensed by the electrode in order to make it usable to a computer.
As to claim 12, Hull discloses The device of claim 11, fails to disclose yet examiner takes official notice that it was known in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention wherein the electrical properties are at least one of the following: voltage; current; resistance; capacitance; induction; and light transparency as they have proven reliable. Before the effective filing date of the instant invention it would have been obvious to modify Hull wherein the electrical properties are at least one of the following: voltage; current; resistance; capacitance; induction; and light transparency for reliability.
As to claim 13, Hull discloses The device of claim 1, fails to disclose yet examiner takes official notice that it was known in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention wherein the electrode comprises one or more of a photovoltaic sensor, a dielectric sensor, an inductor, and a penetrating conductor as they have proven reliable. Before the effective filing date of the instant invention it would have been obvious to modify Hull wherein the electrode comprises one or more of a photovoltaic sensor, a dielectric sensor, an inductor, and a penetrating conductor for reliability.
As to claim 14, Hull discloses The device of claim 1, fails to disclose yet examiner takes official notice that it was known in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention wherein the electrode is attached to at least one indicator used for recording temperature or humidity over a predetermined time and displaying visual results in order to make the data usable to a computer. Before the effective filing date of the instant invention it would have been obvious to modify Hull wherein the probe comprises circuitry configured to measure and digitize electrical properties sensed by the electrode in order to make it usable to a computer.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hull as applied to claim 6 above, and further in view of Yeh et al. (2021/0361940) hereinafter "Yeh".
As to claim 10, Hull discloses The device of claim 6, is silent to yet in an analogous art Yeh discloses wherein the harvester is configured to regulate and provide power into multiple DC voltage levels for operation of SoC and its subcomponents. See [0397]-[0398]. Before the effective filing date of the instant invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Hull wherein the harvester is configured to regulate and provide power into multiple DC voltage levels for operation of SoC and its subcomponents, as taught by Yeh for the purpose of improving efficiency by providing appropriate power levels.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Goldberg et al. (12,678,067) provide for a sampling device (2) in col 70 lines 33-55. See also cols 67-68, 73, etc.
Biondolillo (2024/0291512) provides for a sampling device (100) in Fig 2. See [0017]-[0027], etc.
Williams et al. (2018/0108974) provide for sampling device (intelligent transponder). See [0006], [0095], [0103], etc.
Dvorsky et al. (11,159,205) provide for a sampling device (102 / 500). See col 4 lines 8-54, etc.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LESTER KINCAID whose telephone number is (571)272-7922. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th: 7-5.
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, Yuwen Pan can be reached at 571-272-7855. 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.
LESTER G. KINCAID
Primary Patent Examiner
Art Unit 2649
/LESTER G KINCAID/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2649
Prosecution Insights