DETAILED ACTION
1. This is the first action on the merits relating to U.S. Application Serial No. 19/033,285 filed on January 21, 2025. Currently claims 1-20 remain in the examination.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
2. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
3. Applicant’s claiming benefit of U.S. provisional application is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. 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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
5. 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.
6. Claims 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2011/0221578 A1 to Sekiguchi et al. (hereinafter “Sekiguchi”) in view of US 2023/0206711 A1 to Pinheiro et al. (hereinafter “Pinheiro”).
Regarding claim 1, Sekiguchi discloses an identification system (see paragraph 0002) for multi-signal identification card/badge 10 (see figure 2, paragraphs 0080 and 0151) comprising identification information stored in the storage 11 (see paragraph 082); a first signal device 121/122; a second signal device 123/124 (see paragraph 0083); a sensor in the form of a reader 90 configured to detect signal emitted by the first and second signal devices 121/123 (see paragraph 0080); the processor 912 of the reader 90 (see paragraph 0210 and thereafter) authenticates the card/badge and notifies by the notification device 913. The card 10 is comprised of a power supply device 13 to provide power to the components of the card. The authenticated/authorized user (see paragraph 0156) is permitted to enter the facility, and the entrance as shown in figure 21 can be interpreted as a locating zone.
The teachings of A have been discussed above.
Sekiguchi, however, fails to disclose or suggest of logging the data when the card/badge is detected.
Pinheiro discloses a system comprising an identification badge (see abstract). And the user’s attendance or activity may be logged (see paragraph 0001, 0020, and 0040).
In view of Pinheiro’s disclosure it would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to employe well-known logging of the entry/exit of the badge holder to the teachings of Sekiguchi in order to track the location and activities of the badge/card. Such a modification is well within one ordinary skill in the art would contemplate.
Regarding claim 2, as shown in figure 21 of Sekiguchi, outside of the gate 93 (see paragraph 0206) is an unauthorized zone.
Regarding claims 5, 6, and 10, the first signal device 121 and the second signal device 123 use different protocols (see paragraph figure 2 and 0083). 121/122 make up the first set of device and 123/124 make up the second set.
Regarding claim 9, see the description for claim 1 above. As shown in figure 2, the card/badge has components in right half and left half (or top half and bottom half).
Regarding claim 17, see the description for claim 1 above, which has a method component. As shown in figure 21, the area where the user 94 is located can be called “locating zone, unauthorized zone, or detectability zone.”
Allowable Subject Matter
7. Claims 3, 4, 7, 8, 11-16, and 18-20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
8. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Claims are directed at a system for multi-signal identification, the system comprising:
a multi-signal identification badges associated with a badge identifier, the multi-signal identification badges comprising:
a first signal device;
a second signal device; and
a battery, in electrical connection with the first signal device and the second signal device;
one or more sensors configured to detect signals emitted by the first and second signal devices;
one or more processors configured to:
determine badge identifiers for the multi-signal identification badges;
detect the multi-signal identification badge associated with the badge identifier within one of a plurality of zones of a facility;
determine a type of the one of the plurality of zones; and
log data regarding detection of the multi-signal identification badge if the multi-signal identification badge when the type of zone is a locating zone; and
wherein the one or more processors are further configured to not log data if the type of zone is a non-detectability zone for the multi-signal identification badge associated with the badge identifier.
Such a system is neither disclosed nor suggested by the cited references. This is combination of claims 1 and 3 as an example. The limitations in other objected claims and the method and the device claims are also allowable.
Conclusion
The pertinent prior arts made of record but not relied are listed in the attached form PTO-892. These are considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure. Applicant is respectfully suggested to carefully review these references.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Ahshik Kim whose telephone number is (571)272-2393. The examiner can normally be reached between the hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday thru Friday. Examiner’s fax phone number is (571)273-2393.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Michael G. Lee, can be reached on (571)272-2398. The fax phone number for this Group is (571)273-8300.
Communications via Internet e-mail regarding this application, other than those under 35 U.S.C. 132 or which otherwise require a signature, may be used by the applicant and should be addressed to [ahshik.kim@uspto.gov].
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/AHSHIK KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876
March 12, 2026