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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Group/Species II which includes claims 2-10 on page 3 in the reply filed on June 4, 2026 is acknowledged. However, Applicant’s did not distinctly and specifically point out which group of claims are elected in the apparatus and method.
During a telephone conversation with Caroline Do (Reg. # 47,529) on June 17, 2026 a provisional election was made without traverse to prosecute the invention of Group II and Species II corresponding to claims 2-4. Affirmation of this election must be made by applicant in replying to this Office action. Claims 5-13 are withdrawn from further consideration by the examiner, 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a non-elected invention.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 2/18/25 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawing (s) (e.g. Fig. 3 of the power reception apparatus) is/are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawing (s) must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the power reception apparatus, comprising: a determination unit configured to determine a frequency based on communication with the power transmission apparatus; a measurement unit configured to measure a voltage after the frequency is determined; and a processing unit configured to perform processing related to foreign object detection, wherein the measured voltage is used in the processing must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: a power reception unit configured to wirelessly receive power from a power transmission apparatus; a communication unit configured to communicate with the power transmission apparatus; a determination unit configured to determine a frequency based on communication with the power transmission apparatus; a measurement unit configured to measure a voltage after the frequency is determined; and a processing unit configured to perform processing related to foreign object detection, wherein the measured voltage is used in the processing in claim 2; the measurement unit measures the voltage during a period in which power transmission is limited in claim 3; and the determination unit determines a first frequency and a second frequency based on the communication with the power transmission apparatus, the measurement unit measures a voltage for the first frequency and a voltage for the second frequency, and processing unit performs the processing based on the voltage for the first frequency and the voltage for the second frequency in claim 4.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claim limitation “a determination unit configured to determine a frequency based on communication with the power transmission apparatus;
a measurement unit configured to measure a voltage after the frequency is determined; and a processing unit configured to perform processing related to foreign object detection, wherein the measured voltage is used in the processing"
invokes 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. However, the written description fails to disclose the corresponding structure, material, or acts for performing the entire claimed function and to clearly link the structure, material, or acts to the function. The examiner can’t find the corresponding structure for performing the entire claimed function and it is not clear linkage between the structure and the function. For example, their appears no association between the structure and the function found in the specification. Therefore, the claim is indefinite and is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph.
Applicant may:
(a) Amend the claim so that the claim limitation will no longer be interpreted as a limitation under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph;
(b) Amend the written description of the specification such that it expressly recites what structure, material, or acts perform the entire claimed function, without introducing any new matter (35 U.S.C. 132(a)); or
(c) Amend the written description of the specification such that it clearly links the structure, material, or acts disclosed therein to the function recited in the claim, without introducing any new matter (35 U.S.C. 132(a)).
If applicant is of the opinion that the written description of the specification already implicitly or inherently discloses the corresponding structure, material, or acts and clearly links them to the function so that one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize what structure, material, or acts perform the claimed function, applicant should clarify the record by either:
(a) Amending the written description of the specification such that it expressly recites the corresponding structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function and clearly links or associates the structure, material, or acts to the claimed function, without introducing any new matter (35 U.S.C. 132(a)); or
(b) Stating on the record what the corresponding structure, material, or acts, which are implicitly or inherently set forth in the written description of the specification, perform the claimed function. For more information, see 37 CFR 1.75(d) and MPEP §§ 608.01(o) and 2181.
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 2-4 are 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. Nowhere in the specification as originally disclosed describes the limitation of a power reception apparatus, comprising: a determination unit configured to determine a frequency based on communication with the power transmission apparatus; a measurement unit configured to measure a voltage after the frequency is determined; and a processing unit configured to perform processing related to foreign object detection, wherein the measured voltage.
Claims 3-4 are 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 because the claims are dependent upon base claim 2.
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 2-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by Nakano et al. (US 2013/0027078).
Regarding claim 2, Nakano et al. in [Figs. 6 and 16] discloses a power
reception apparatus, comprising:
a power reception unit [see secondary coil 31] configured to wirelessly receive power from a power transmission apparatus;
a communication unit [see communication control unit 49] configured to communicate with the power transmission apparatus [see 0080 and 0083];
a determination unit [see capacitors 31, 33 and 35, switches 40-43 and main control unit 47 corresponding to the determination unit] configured to determine a frequency based on communication with the power transmission apparatus [see 0080 and 0138-0146];
a measurement unit [see Q value measurement circuit 60 including envelope detection units] configured to measure a voltage after the frequency is determined [see 0075-0078 and see Fig. 21, step S50 obtain the voltage measurement are performed after the output measurement of the testing “frequency” signal in step, S46]; and
a processing unit [see Q value measurement circuit 60 including main control unit see 47] configured to perform processing related to foreign object detection, wherein the measured voltage is used in the processing [see 0079-0082, 0138-0146 and 0163-0172].
Regarding claim 3, Nakano et al. in [Figs. 6 and 16] discloses the power reception apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the measurement unit [see Q value measurement circuit 60 including envelope detection units] measures the voltage during a period in which power transmission is limited [see 0163-0174].
Regarding claim 4, Nakano et al. in [Figs. 6 and 16] discloses the power reception apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the determination unit [see capacitors 31, 33 and 35, switches 40-43 and main control unit 47 corresponding to the determination unit] determines a first frequency and a second frequency based on the communication with the power transmission apparatus, the measurement unit [see Q value measurement circuit 60 including envelope detection units] measures a voltage for the first frequency and a voltage for the second frequency, and the processing unit [see Q value measurement circuit 60 including envelope detection units including main control unit 47] performs the processing based on the voltage for the first frequency and the voltage for the second frequency [see 0163-0173].
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by Tsukamoto (US 2016/0087690).
Regarding claim 2, Tsukamoto in [Fig. 3] discloses a power
reception apparatus in, comprising:
a power reception unit [see power reception antenna 203] configured to wirelessly receive power from a power transmission apparatus [see 0048 and 0052];
a communication unit [see first and second communication units 206a and 215] configured to communicate with the power transmission apparatus;
a determination unit [see matching circuit 204 and control unit 201] configured to determine a frequency based on communication with the power transmission apparatus [see 0053];
a measurement unit [see 206a] configured to measure a voltage after the frequency is determined [see 0058-0060]; and
a processing unit [see control unit 201] configured to perform processing related to foreign object detection, wherein the measured voltage is used in the processing [see 0173].
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TERRENCE RONIQUE WILLOUGHBY whose telephone number is (571)272-2725. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-5:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Rexford Barnie can be reached at 571-272-7492. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TERRENCE R WILLOUGHBY/Examiner, Art Unit 2836 7/25/26
/REXFORD N BARNIE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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