Ex Parte Neuhauser et al

Patent Trial and Appeal Board

Jan 28, 2016

11084545 (P.T.A.B. Jan. 28, 2016)

UNITED STA TES p A TENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
APPLICATION NO. FILING DATE
111084,545 03/18/2005
81905 7590 02/01/2016
Hanley, Flight & Zimmerman, LLC (Nielsen)
150 S. Wacker Dr. Suite 2200
Chicago, IL 60606
FIRST NAMED INVENTOR
Alan R. Neuhauser
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
www .uspto.gov
ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. CONFIRMATION NO.
20271/ARB137US01 9398
EXAMINER
PEREZ GUTIERREZ, RAFAEL
ART UNIT PAPER NUMBER
2642
NOTIFICATION DATE DELIVERY MODE
02/01/2016 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):
jflight@hfzlaw.com
mhanley@hfzlaw.com
docketing@hfzlaw.com
PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
Ex parte ALAN R. NEUHAUSER, JAMES M. JENSEN, JACK C.
CRYSTAL, JACK K. ZHANG, and DANIEL W. PUGH
Appeal2014-002769
Application 11/084,545 1
Technology Center 2600
Before ROBERT E. NAPPI, ELENI MANTIS MERCADER, and STACY
B. MARGOLIES, Administrative Patent Judges.
MARGOLIES, Administrative Patent Judge.
DECISION ON APPEAL
1 According to Appellants, the real party in interest is Arbitron Inc. Appeal
Br. 2.
Appeal2014-002769
Application 11/084,545
STATEMENT OF THE CASE
Appellants appeal under 35 U.S.C. § 134(a) from the Examiner's
Final Rejection of claims 1-18, which constitute all the claims pending in
the application. We have jurisdiction under 35 U.S.C. § 6(b ).
We reverse.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is directed to gathering data related to consumers'
usage of publications. See Abstract and Spec. i-f 6.
Claim 1 is illustrative of the subject matter on appeal and is
reproduced below:
1. A method of programming a data gathering system
affixed to a publication and operative to gather data concerning
physical usage of the publication, said method comprising the
steps of:
receiving first data in a portable monitor configured to be
carried on the person of a respondent from the data gathering
system, wherein the first data indicates that the data gathering
system is within communicating range of the portable monitor;
and
communicating second data from the portable monitor to
the data gathering system after the portable monitor receives the
first data, the second data comprising programming data for
controlling operation of the data gathering system.
2
Appeal2014-002769
Application 11/084,545
REFRENCES AND REJECTION
The Examiner rejected claims 1-18 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being
unpatentable over Barsness et al. (US 7,103,848 B2; Sept. 5, 2006) and
Furmidge et al. (US 7,259,690 Bl; Aug. 21, 2007). Final Act. 5-11.
ISSUE
The issue is whether the Examiner erred in finding that Barsness
teaches "a data gathering system affixed to a publication and operative to
gather data concerning physical usage of the publication," as recited in
independent claims 1 and 2 and similarly recited in independent claim 3.
ANALYSIS
Appellants argue that neither Barsness nor Furmidge teaches a method
of programming "a data gathering system affixed to a publication and
operative to gather data concerning physical usage of the publication." App.
Br. 10-11 (emphasis removed). Specifically, Appellants argue that the
standard definition of "affixed" implies a physical coupling of some sort,
and that the specification provides that the affixing of the data gathering
system to the publication is physical. See App. Br. 11-12. Appellants argue
that Barsness's e-reader processor circuitry (the data gathering system) is not
"affixed" to an e-document existing only as data (the publication). App. Br.
11. Appellants also argue that Furmidge' s handheld reader for a utility
meter has nothing to do with the reading of publications, and does not solve
the deficiencies of Barsness. App. Br. 13-14. In response, the Examiner
maintains that "affixed" can mean connected/attached/coupled, and that
Barsness' s data gathering system and publication are affixed to one another
in that they are all part of thee-reader. See Ans. 4.
3
Appeal2014-002769
Application 11/084,545
We do not agree with the Examiner's reasoning. The Examiner fails
to cite any evidence establishing that the ordinary meaning of "affixed" to
one of ordinary skill in the art includes connected or coupled in the broad
sense of circuitry running software that monitors the electronic document to
which the circuitry is purportedly affixed. See Ans. 4---6. Appellants cite
definitions for "affixed" that require some type of physical attachment. See
App. Br. 12. Similarly, the following definitions from Merriam-Webster's
Collegiate Dictionary incorporate the notion of a physical attachment:
1. to attach physically <~a stamp to a letter>
2. to attach in any way: ADD, APPEND <~a signature to a
document>
3. IMPRESS <~ed my seal>
MERRIAM-WEBSTER'S COLLEGIATE DICTIONARY (I Ith ed. 2005). The
specification likewise uses the word "affixed" to connote a physical
coupling. See Spec. i-fi-1 46, 50, 54, 68, 83, and 86. Moreover, the
specification consistently and exclusively describes the data gathering
system as being physically attached to the publication for which it is
gathering data. See, e.g., i1 44 ("In the various embodiments described,
publications are fitted with one or more electronic devices ... operable to
gather useful information about how the fitted publications are used.");
Figs. 1-7.
Barsness discloses a system that gathers data concerning usage of
electronic documents (see, e.g., Barsness at 6:65-7:9, 7:48-56, and 9:3-22),
but does not teach the claimed data gathering system "affixed to a
publication" that gathers data concerning physical usage of the publication.
Rather, Barsness teaches an apparatus such as an e-book reader with a
processor running software that monitors usage of electronic documents
4
Appeal2014-002769
Application 11/084,545
displayed on the reader. See Barsness at 1 :31--40, 3: 19--20, 4:25-57, 9:3 7-
39, and Figs. 1-2, 4. Barsness thus does not teach "a data gathering system
affixed to a publication and operative to gather data concerning physical
usage of the publication," as recited in independent claims 1 and 2 and
similarly recited in independent claim 3. Nor does Furmidge teach this
claim limitation. Accordingly, we do not sustain the Examiner's rejection of
claims 1-18.
DECISION
We reverse the Examiner's rejection of claims 1-18 under
35 U.S.C. § 103.
REVERSED
Jagr
5
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67IT:QWV05
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~:
11re·brile \(,)a-•fe.,brJ(- 2: characterized by
ease and friendliness (an - manner> syn see GRACIOUS - af·fa·bil·
;.N \.a-fa-'bl.-fa-te\ n - af.fa·blY \-ble\ adv
at.fair \»-'fer\ 1: (ME efere, fr. AF afaire. fr. a faire to do] (14c) 1 a pl
.· commercial, profe5slonal, public, or persollal business b : MATI'BR,
CoNC.ERN 2; a procedU1'e1 action, or occasion only vaguely 5_pecified;
d1so : an object or collection of objects only vaguely specified (their
house was a 2~story -·» 3 alvo af~faire a : a romantic: or passionate
. attachment fypically ofllmited duration: LIAISON 2b b: a matter oc·
-casioning public anxiety, controver'.)y, or scandal: C...o\SE
'at.feel \'a-,fekt\ fl [M.E, fr. AF, fr. L tif.fectus, fr. c.it)'icereJ (14c) 1 obs
• Ffil!LIN<.1-, .AFFECI'ION 2. ~ the conscious subjective aspect of au emo~
tion considered apart from bodily changes; also : a set of observable
ri:tanifestatious of a subjectively experienced emotion (patients , ..
showed perfectly normai reactions and -...s -Oliver Sacks) usage
see EFFECT
•af.fect \ b : to act upon (as a person or a person's mind
or feelings) so as to effect a response : INFUJENCE usage see EFFECl'
_c af.fect•abll-i·W \-,fek-ta-'bi-!;He.\ 11 -- aMect·ab!e \-'fek-ta·b~l\
~ ··.· .. ~·
syn AFFECr, INFLUENCE, TOUCH_. lMPRESS, ST.RilCS, SWAY mean to
produce or have au effect upon. Af~FECr implies tl1e action of a 5tii,nu-
lu• that can produce a response or reaction (the slght qffected her to
tears). INFLUENCE implies a ·torce that brings about a change (as in
nature or behavior) (our he.liefs are inf/uersced by our upbringing);
".roucH JtiaY carry a vivid suggestion of close contact and may connote
stirring, arousing, l,)r banning (plants touched by frost) - aMect.ed·IY adv - af·fect·ed-ness fl .
aHect-ing \2-'fek-H11, a·\ aclj (1720) : evoking a .strong emotional re-
sponse syn see MOVING --· af,fect·ing·IY \-tiQ-le\ adv
at,fec-tion \g-'fek-sh<>n\ n [ME, fr. AF ajfection, fr. L affection-, .affec-
··fio, fr. "1]1eerel (l3c) 1 : a.moderate feeling or emotion 2: tender at-
tachment : .FONDNESS 3 a (1) : a
bodily condition (2): DISEASE, MALADY b: ATIRlBUTE·(shape and
weight are ~s of bodies) 4 obs : PARTIALITY, PREJUDICE 5 : the
feeling, aspect (as in pleasure) of consciousness B a : PROPENSITY,
:r>lSPOSITION b archaic : AFFECTATION 1 7 ~ the action of affecting
~o;. . '; the state of being affected syn see PEELING ....:.. af.fec.tion•less
.\~fas\ adi
af.·f~c·tiOn•al \<>·'fek-shn~I. -sha-n'l\a-'fek-sh(g-)n<>t\ arij (15c) 1 obs : INCLINED, ms-
' POSED 2 : having affection or warm regard; LOVJNG (~friends) 3
'. .. motivated by affection: TENDER<- care>:..... af.tec•tion·ate·lY adv
af,fec-ti.oned \-sh<>r 2 : expressing emotion <~~ language) - af.fec-tive•lY adv -
:·at-fec•tiv .. i~ty \,a~1fek- - aMecf.less-
.. · n~~s·it ·
af.:ffen•pin-scher \'a-fan-,pln-ch;ir\ n [G, fr . .Affe oµe + P!nscher, a breed
.,
:. ~e~, tan., or gray coat, erect ears, large round eyes1 and bu.::hy eyebrows,
; ·Chin tu.ft, and muBtache ·
af·ffer-ent \'a-.f~-r~nt, -,fer-nt\ adj [L afferent-, afferen.s, prp.
o a,lfe1m to bnng to. fr. ad- + Jerre to bear - more at BEAR] (ta. 1847)
~ bea1ing or conducting iriward~ specif~ conveying ;mpulses tOward the
4 .cr,ntral nervous system - cmnpare EFFERENT ........... at~fe.r .. ent·fY adv
t anatomical part (as a nerve)
=: . al;U·ance \a-'fi:an(t)s\ n. [ME, fr. AF, fr. ajffer to pledge. trust, fr. ML
;: · (.,,l,
4
... 1ifare to. pleuge, fr. 1. ad- + VL >jidare to t.rnst - more at FIJ\.NCB]
!!:':'' ' . c) archaic : TRUST, CONFIDENCE
I
=· ....•... · ... ff ..•ance V! ~anced; -an. c·i.ng (1555) : to solemnl~· promise (oneself o.r ;: ~other) lU ma_rriage : BET.ROTH . ;~-·
: a,.,f!,ant \»·'fi-ant\ n (F, tr. prp. of affier, fr. OF] (1807) : one who
: 5J'.~~rs to an affidavlt; b1m1dly : PEPONENT
< ~"1\0!0nado var of AFICTONADO
'' . aMt·da-vit \,a-fo-'dli .. vot\ n [ML, he has made an oath, fr. IV,l'idare]
:: · {1593) : a swom statement in writing made esp. under oatlJ. or on affir-
~: .matton before an authorized maghtrate. or offker
:::
afebrile ~ afflict 21
1 af.f!l·l·ate \•-'fi-le-,at\ vb -at·ed; -at·ing [MI, alfiliarns pp. of affi/iare
to adopt as a son, fr.Lad-+ Jilim son - more at FEMINmEJ vt (1761)
·1 a : to b1ir:g or recejve lnto close crn:mection as a member or branch
b : to associate as a member <~s herself with the focal club·, 2 : to
trace the 01ig,in of~ vi : to conned or assodate oneself ~ coi'raTNE :_ __
af.fif.i•a.tion \-,fi-ie·'a-sh-on\" · ·
2af.til-i·ate \o-'fi-le-;>t, -,at\ n (1879) : an affiliated person or organlza-
ti.cn
af.fil·i·at0 ed \-le-,a·t~d.\ a4f (1795) : closely associated with another typ-
ically in a dependent or subordinate position iis related] (ca. 1509)
: a relative by marriage : IN-LAW
2affine adj[[. affini.i·, adj.] (1918) : of, relating to, or being a t.nmsforma·
tion (as a tnwslation, a rotation, or a uniform stretching) that carries
straight Jines into straight lines and parallel lines into parallel lines but
may alter distance between points and angles between: lines<- geom-
etry) -· aM!ne•IY adv ·
aMined \a-'ffad, :>·\ aclj (1597) 1 : joined. in a close relationship : CON'
NECTBD 2 : bound by obligation
af.fin·MY \"·'fi-ng..te\ 11, pl ·lies [..\.IE affmiie .. fr. AF or L; AF a/finite, fr.
L a_t]lnita.'{~ fr. affini.i; hordeiing on, related by marT.iaget fr. ad-..·+ finis
end, border] (I4c) 1 : relationship by marriage 2 a : sympathy
marked by co=u.nity of interest : Kll<-SH!P b {l): an attraction to or
liking for something (people with an ~ to darkness -Mark Twain)

(2) : an attractive force between substance• or particles that causes
them to ente.r into and re1nain ll1 chemical combination c : a person
esp. of the opposite sex having a particular attractlon for ·one 3 a
: likeness based on relationship or causal connection (found an ~be­
tween the teller of a tale and t.he craftsman ----Mary McCarthy) (this
investigation, with affinities to a. case history, a P'YChoanalysis, a detec-
tive story ---Oliver Sacks) b : a relation between biological gi·oups in-
volving resemblance in structural plan and indicating a common origin
syn set> ATI'RACTION
alfinity card n (1979) : a credit card which is issued in affiliation with a
participoting organization (as a charity or an airline) and the use of
which earns a benefit for foe organization or the cardholder ·
affinity chromatography n (1970) : chromatography in w.hich a mac-
romolecule (as a proteln) ls isolated and purlfied by pa'5lng it in solu-
tion through a coiumn treated witl1 a sulxltance having a ligand for
which the macro.molecuie has an affinity that causes it to be retained
on the column
affinity group n (1970) : a group of people having a common inte.:rest
or goa! or acting together for a specific purpose (as for a chartered
tour)
af·flrm \<>·'f"rm\ vb !ME aflermen, fr, AF afermer, .fr. L
2 : to asseLt (as-a Judgment or decree) as -valid or confirrned 3 : to ex ..
press dedication to < .-v life> ~ vl 1 : to testify or de dare by affirma-
tion as distinguished. from swearing an oath 2 : to uphold a judgment
or decree of a lower court syn see ASSERT·-- af·ffrm .. able \~-1f~r~n10-
b;,l\ adj --- af.fir-mance \<>-'far-mgn(t)s\ rs
af0flr•ma 0tion \,a·far-'ma·shGn\ n (15c) 1 a : the act of affirming b
~ something affirmed : a positive assertion 2 ~ a solemn declaration
made under the penalties of perjury by a person who conscientiou5:ly
declines taldng an oath ·
1af.fir-ma•ti\le \<>·'far-m;i.-tiv\ ac(J (15c) 1 : asserting a predicate of a
subject .2 : asserting that the fact is so 3 : !'OSlTIVE <~· approach>
4 : favoring or supporting a proposition or motion - af.tir·ma•tive·IY
adv 2affirmatlve fl (15c) 1 : an expression (as the woid yes) of affirmation
Ol' assent 2 : an affirmative proposition. 3 : the side that upholds the
proposition stated ln a debate · ·
affirmative action n (1965) : an ac.th·e effort to improve the em.plo.y-
ment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and
women; aLw : a similar effo1t to promote the rights or progress of other
dfaadvantaged persons
1 af.fix \a-'fiks, a·\ vt [L ef}1xus, pp. of a}figere to faqten to, fr. ad··+ figere
to fasten -- more at FIX] (1533) 1 : to attach physically<~ a stamp to
a letter) 2 : to attach in any way : ADD, APPEND <~a sign.a.tu.re to a
document.) 3 : IMPRESS <~ed my seal) syn see FASTEN - af.fix·
able \-'f!k·sa-b~l\ adj - aMix·a·liori \,a-,fik-'sa-shan\ n - aMiX"
ment \g·'fik-sm~;it, a-\ n ··
2aMiX \'a-,fiks\ 11 (1612) 1 : one or more sounds or letters occurring as
a bound fom1 attac.hed to the beginning or end of a word, base. or
phrase or inserted within a word or base and serving to produce a de-
rivative word or an .lnflectional form ·2 : APPENDA.GE --- af.f!x-a!
\-,fik·s~l\ or af.fix·i·al \a-'fik-se-:>l\ adj
af.fJa .. tus \;i·'fHi-t~s, a-\ n. [L) act of blowing or breathing on, fr. afftm-e
to blow on. fr. ad .. +flare to blow - nwre at BLOW] (1660): a divine
imp:.ttting of knowledge or powei·: INSPIRATION
aMlict \o-'flikt\ vt [l\-rn, fr. L affiictus, pp. of afflfgere to ca>.t down, fr.
ad· + fiigere to strike ·- more at PROFLIGATE] (14c) 1 ubs a '. !JUM-
BLE b : OVERTHROW 2 a : to dl.stress so severely as to cause pernis-
tent suffering .or anguish <~ed with artlnitis) b : TROUBLE, INJTJlUl
syn AFFl.JCT, TRY, Tf..'lRMENT, l'ORTURE1 RACK mean to inflict 011 a
person somet.hing that is hard to bear. AFFLICf is a general te1m and
applies to the causing of pain or suffering or of acUte anrsoyance, em-
b.arrassment, or any dMress (ills that qt)'iict the eldei·!y). TRY suggests
imposin~ somethlng th.at strains the powers of endurance or of self::
contml\abut \"\kitten, F table \gr\ further \a\ a•h \a\ ace \a\ mop, mar
\au\out \ch\chin \e\bet \e\easy \g\go \i\hit \i\ke \j\job
\JJ\ sing \o\ go \o\ law \6i\ boy \th\ thin \th\ tb.e \ii\ foot \it\ foot
\y\ yet \zh\ vision, beige \ls,", re, re, Y\ see Guide to Pronunciation·