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 .
Claims 1-20 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
No IDSs have been received by the Office.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
As to claims 1-20, the limitations as currently written do not reflect the invention that is described in the Specification. Looking at figs. 7A & 7B and associated text, the method requires a user device experiencing a login failure and not being able to enter the correct login credentials. The user, from the user device, than issues a credential reset request to the networking device. These steps are missing from the claims as currently written. The networking device only forwards the credential reset request once it receives it from the user device. In addition, the limitations recite “a networking device credential information reset request” which implies that the credential information reset request is for the networking device. More accurately, the networking device credential information reset request is read as the user credential information reset request for the networking device. Not all credentials of the networking device are reset, just the credentials for the user requesting the reset.
As to claims 1, 8, and 14, the limitation “the first networking device that is configured to cause…” present in each of the independent claims is not a positive recitation of the limitation. It is not clear if the second credential information is actually reset.
As to claims 1, 8, and 14, it appears, from the limitations as currently written, that the first networking device operates in an autonomous manner. The first networking device issues the credential information reset authorization request and resets the second credential information without user interaction. The Specification requires a user to initiate and change credential information reset request from a user device.
As to claim 2, 9, and 15, it is not clear how the first networking device communicates with the credential information reset authorization device without an internet connection.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-20 would be allowed once the 35 USC 112(b) rejections are remedied. The Examiner could find no prior art reference, either alone or in combination, that reasonably teach the claim limitations as interpreted. The closest prior art found by the Examiner include US PG Pub. No. 2011/0107400 to Shankaranarayanan does concern the resetting of a user password in a network system using 3 parties, but is silent as to the specific order and authorizations required by the instant application with the handing off of the request from the networking device to the networking credential reset authorization device to the administrator device and receiving by the credential information reset authorization device, the admin credential to authorize the credential reset. US PG Pub. No. 2013/0198824 to Hitchcock is also concerned with user credential resets, but similarly lacks the specificity of the instant application.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM S POWERS whose telephone number is (571)272-8573. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-17:30.
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/WILLIAM S POWERS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2496