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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and TrademarkOffice
`Address; COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`
`16/279,214
`
`02/19/2019
`
`NAGANORI SHIRAKATA
`
`731456.504
`
`6931
`
`Seed IP Law Group LLP/Panasonic (PIPCA)
`701 5th Avenue, Suite 5400
`Seattle, WA 98104
`
`GELIN,JEAN ALLAND
`
`ART UNIT
`
`2643
`
`PAPER NUMBER
`
`NOTIFICATION DATE
`
`DELIVERY MODE
`
`06/24/2019
`
`ELECTRONIC
`
`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
`
`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e-mail address(es):
`USPTOeAction @ SeedIP.com
`
`pairlinkdktg @seedip.com
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`
`
`Application No.
`Applicant(s)
`16/279,214
`SHIRAKATAetal.
`
`Office Action Summary Art Unit|AIA (FITF) StatusExaminer
`JEAN A GELIN
`2643
`Yes
`
`
`
`-- The MAILING DATEofthis communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available underthe provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply betimely filed after SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing
`date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133}.
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, evenif timely filed, may reduce any earned patent term
`adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
`
`Status
`
`1)[¥] Responsive to communication(s)filed on 02/19/2019.
`C) A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
`
`2a)(] This action is FINAL. 2b))This action is non-final.
`3)() An election was made bythe applicant in responseto a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
`4) Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the meritsis
`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparfe Quayle, 1935 C.D. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
`
`6 7
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`1-6 is/are pending in the application.
`5)
`Claim(s)
`5a) Of the above claim(s)__ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`C] Claim(s} _is/are allowed.
`Claim(s) 1-6 is/are rejected.
`8) ( Claim(s)__ is/are objected to.
`9)
`(4 Claim(s)
`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you maybeeligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.
`
`) ) ) )
`
`Application Papers
`10)() The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11}(¥] The drawing(s)filed on 02/19/2019 is/are: a)[¥j accepted or b)() objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`12)(¥) Acknowledgmentis made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`Certified copies:
`c)L) None of the:
`b)L) Some**
`a)) All
`1.4} Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.1) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.1) Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been receivedin this National Stage
`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`* See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
`
`Attachment(s)
`
`1)
`
`Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`
`Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`2)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3) (J Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`(7) Other:
`
`4)
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20190617
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/279,214
`Art Unit: 2643
`
`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Notice of Pre-AlA or AIA Status
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`1.
`
`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined
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`under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
`
`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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`2.
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`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 madein this Office action:
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`A person shall be entitled to a patent unless —
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`(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use,
`on sale or otherwiseavailable to the public before the effectivefiling date of the claimed
`invention.
`
`3.
`
`Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Koji
`
`(JP Appl. No. 2011-139864).
`
`Regarding claims 1, 6, Koji teaches a control apparatus for a radio device(figs.
`
`1-4), the apparatus comprising: M intra-body communication circuits (M is an integer
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`equal to or greater than 1) (i.e., associated with the control unit 8 [001 7]-[0022)
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`connected to N/(9a-9c) seats (N is an integer equal to or greater than 2 and greater
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`than M) aligned mutually in contact, the M intra-body communication circuits performing
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`intra-body communication with a radio device possessed by a user who is in contact
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`with one of the N seats through the user (i.e., user 8a seats on seat Ya in
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`communication transmitter 2 and receiver 5 [001 7]-[0022], [0029]-[0031], and [0034]-
`
`[0035]); and a position estimating circuit that estimates a position of the radio device in
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`the N seats in accordance with a reception level of a signal received from the
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`radio device through the intra-body communication (i.e., the user who hasreceived the
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/279,214
`Art Unit: 2643
`
`Page 3
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`operation signal can determine the seat in which the user is sitting, and can identify the
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`operation unit (operation switch) operated by the identification code... and determine
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`the seat of the operator [001 1]-[0012], [0024], [0034]-[0037)).
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`Regarding claim 2, Koji teaches the position estimating circuit estimates the
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`position of the radio device in accordance with a difference among reception levels at
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`the M intra-body communication circuits ([0013], [0024}]).
`
`Regarding claim 3, Koji teaches a user interface (Ul) control circuit that controls a
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`UI of the radio device in accordance with the position estimated of the radio device
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`([0018], [0028], [0061)).
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`Regarding claim 4, Koji teaches a radio circuit that performs radio communication
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`with the radio device, wherein the UI control circuit controls the UI of the radio device
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`through the radio communication ([0018], [0028], [0061]).
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`Regarding claim 5, Koji teaches the radio device and a position of a specified
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`seat for the user are mutually associated (i.e., 2b is associated to 9b [0030]-[0031));
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`the position estimating circuit estimates a distance between a position of a seat
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`connected to the intra-body communication circuit that is being in intra-
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`body communication with the radio device and the position of the specified seat,
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`whichis associated with the radio device ([0013], [0024]); and the UI control circuit
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`controls a UI of the radio device in accordance with the distance ([0013], [0018], 0024],
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`and [0028)]).
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/279,214
`Art Unit: 2643
`
`Page 4
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`Conclusion
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`4.
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
`
`examiner should be directed to JEAN ALLAND GELIN whosetelephone number is
`
`(571)272-7842. The examiner can normally be reached on MON-FR 9-6 PM.
`
`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:/Avww.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
`
`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's
`
`supervisor, JINSONG HU can be reached on 571-272-3971. The fax phone number for
`
`the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
`
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`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/279,214
`Art Unit: 2643
`
`/JEAN A GELIN/
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2643
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`Page 5
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