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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 06/25/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The following is an office action in response to applicant’s amendment filed, in connection with an RCE, on 06/25/2026 for response of the final office action mailed on 03/25/2026. Independent Claim 6 is amended. Claims 6-8 are pending in the application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to Claims 6-8, as amended, have been fully considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KANG et al. (US 20140342670 A1), hereinafter KANG in view of and further in view of SINGH et al. (US 20190246232 A1), hereinafter SINGH and YIM et al. (US 20170289329 A1), hereinafter, YIM.
Regarding Claim 6, KANG teaches a wireless connection device comprising circuitry configured to (KANG, FIG. 1, ¶0106-0107 first device that may include a short-range communication unit):
acquire a wireless signal to recognize a presence of a terminal (KANG, ¶0132, the second device 200 may broadcast advertisement information including identifier information and capability information in the form of an advertising packet (e.g., to the outside environment) by simultaneously using the BLE communication method); FIG. 3, ¶0145 second device includes a smartphone 200-4/ “terminal” and may transmit the advertisement information to the first device 100 through a touch code), wherein the wireless signal includes terminal state information ((KANG, ¶0130 state information indicating a current state of the second device 200 may include information about an active or inactive state (“terminal state information”); see also ¶0147 data packet of advertisement information broadcasted);
determine that the terminal state information corresponds to a working state of the terminal indicating that a user is using the terminal (KANG, FIG. 3, ¶0145 second device includes a smartphone 200-4/ “terminal” and may transmit the advertisement information to the first device 100 through a touch code, “indication user is using terminal”); and
establish a wireless connection with the terminal using a predetermined protocol (KANG, establish a wireless connection; see also ¶0116 [t]he second device 200 may advertise identifier information of the second device 200 and capability information about a communication method (i.e. a “predetermined protocol”) supported by the second device 200 through a plurality of communication methods; communication methods may include a BLE method),
wherein the wireless connection device further comprises a terminal position sensor configured to acquire terminal position information of a plurality of terminals (KANG, ¶0182-0184, FIG. 6, device scan of a plurality of terminals; FIG. 27, ¶0380; FIG. 28, ¶0381, first device comprises a sensing unit 120. . .¶0389 which may include a position sensor 126),
wherein the circuitry is further configured to determine that the terminal position information satisfies a predetermined condition (KANG, ¶0390, [t]he sensing unit 120 may detect occurrence of a predetermined event / ”a predetermined condition” of triggering a device scan), and
wherein the wireless connection is established with the terminal, in response to determining that the terminal state information corresponds to the working state and to determining that the terminal position information satisfies the predetermined condition (KANG, ¶0130, connection between first device and second device is established when the mobile device is in an active state /“working state” and ¶0051, position of mobile device is within a predetermined range/in set proximity/range; see also ¶0388, the communication unit 110 may request a communication connection or negotiation request for determined a communication method from the second device 200 based on the information broadcasted by the second device 200),
wherein the terminal position information includes at least one of a position of the terminal, a change in position of the terminal relative to the wireless connection device, or a distance from the terminal to the wireless connection device (KANG, ¶0217, e.g. when the second device 200 including a magnetic substance is a 70 W 5'' loud speaker, the magnetic magnitude (B) measured by the magnetic sensor may increase if the distance between the first device 100 and the loud speaker is within 10 cm), . . . .[and]
wherein the circuitry is further configured to select the terminal among the plurality of terminals, as having the terminal position information that satisfies the predetermined condition (KANG ¶0011, [i]n the detecting of the second device may include switching a plurality of communication units/”plurality of terminals” in an inactive state to an active state based on the occurrence of the predetermined event/“predetermined condition”, and receiving from the second device the identifier information and the capability information through the plurality of communication units/ “plurality of terminals” that are switched to the active state), . . .
KANG does not explicitly teach the terminal position sensor is configured to acquire, as the terminal position information for each of the plurality of terminals, a first distance from the wireless connection device to the terminal at a first time, and a second distance from the wireless connection device to the terminal at a second time after a predetermined unit time has elapsed from the first time.
However, in the analogous art, SINGH discloses the terminal position sensor is configured to acquire, as the terminal position information for each of the plurality of terminals (see *) , a first distance from the wireless connection device to the terminal at a first time (SINGH, FIG. 4A, at 410 410, the first device may determine the position of each of the one or more second devices by determining a distance from each of the one or more second devices to the first device; ¶0061, at time t.sub.0 (“a first time”), the first device 302a determines that the first transmitting device 304a is 20 feet away), and a second distance from the wireless connection device to the terminal at a second time after a predetermined unit time has elapsed from the first time (SINGH, ¶0061 at time t.sub.1 (“a second time”), the first device 302a determines that the first transmitting device 304a is 10 feet away; ¶0063 ); (*see also SINGH, ¶0012, receive at least one signal from one or more second device [and] determine a position of each of the one or more second devices relative to the first device; FIG. 3, ¶0044 plurality of terminals; Using the received tracking signals 303a, 303b, 303c, the first device 302a may determine a position of each of the transmitting devices 304a, 304b, 304c relative to the first device 302a; ¶0057determine the position of each of the transmitting devices 304a, 304b, 304c by determining a respective distance to each of the transmitting devices 304a, 304b, 304c .
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine KANG’s short-range wireless communication method for communicating data between devices and SINGH’s method for short range communication. The motivation would be to determine distances of transmitting devices/ terminals [SINGH, ¶0058].
KANG and SINGH do not explicitly teach the predetermined condition is satisfied when the circuitry determines that the terminal position information of the terminal indicates a greatest decreasing distance to the wireless connection device per unit time, among the plurality of terminals, based on a difference between the first distance and the second distance.
However, in the analogous art, YIM explicitly discloses the predetermined condition is satisfied when the circuitry determines that the terminal position information of the terminal indicates a greatest decreasing distance to the wireless connection device per unit time, among the plurality of terminals, based on a difference between the first distance and the second distance (YIM, ¶0445, as a result of checking the period of time during step S2602 (“per unit time”), [and] . . . at S2604, as a result of measuring a distance between other terminals currently connected thereto, the controller 180 may preferentially select a terminal located closest to the terminal, interpreted to correspond to a “greatest decreasing distance”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine KANG’s short-range wireless communication method for communicating data between devices and SINGH’s method for short range communication with YIM’s mobile terminal and method to detect the operation states of a plurality of other devices. The motivation would be to enhance network stability, and enhance security, device efficiency, user convenience, and the like. [YIM, ¶0287, ¶0310].
Regarding Claim 7, KANG, SINGH and YIM teach Claim 6.
KANG further teaches the wireless connection device is a wireless speaker to establish a short-range wireless communication as the wireless connection, with a mobile phone as the terminal (KANG, ¶0107-0108, first device 100 / “wireless connection device” first device may contain a short range communication unit and my include a sound output unit, interpreted to correspond to a “wireless speaker”; FIG. 3, ¶0145 second device includes a smartphone 200-4/ “terminal”; first device and second device communicate via BLE (a short range wireless connection).
Regarding Claim 8, KANG, SINGH and YIM teach Claim 6.
KANG further teaches the working state indicates that a screen of the terminal is being displayed (KANG ¶0390, [t]he sensing unit 120 may detect occurrence of a predetermined event of triggering a device scan. For example, the sensing unit 120 may detect an event of unlocking a lock screen, i.e., screen of smart phone is awake / in active state / i.e. “being displayed”).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
ONOZAWA (US 20070149124 A1): ¶0009, a wireless communication device capable of implementing wireless connection;¶0108 a single UWB host carries on with processing while communicating wirelessly sequentially with a plurality of UWB devices; ¶0109, host (e.g. television) determines the distances between the television 18 and the digital cameras 19-22 and decides an order of connection based on that distance information; ¶0121 distance determination see also CLM 2.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRACY L WILLIAMS whose telephone number is 571-270-7694. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 8:30-5:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ayman Abaza can be reached at 571-270-0422. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TRACY L WILLIAMS/Examiner, Art Unit 2465 /CHRISTOPHER T WYLLIE/Examiner, Art Unit 2465
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