DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
1. 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.
2. Claims 1, 2, 11, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kahn et al. (previously cited in Office Action 4/15/2025) in view of Gao et al. (previously cited in Office Action 10/1/2025).
Regarding claim 1, Kahn et al. discloses an electronic device (see Fig. 8, sections 0086-0099) comprising:
a display (block 870, see section 0097) configured to display a screen;
a memory (block 820); and
at least one processor (block 810); and
communication circuitry (block 885);
wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to:
acquire, via the communication circuitry, sleep data (as disclosed in sections 0026-0027 and 0043) from an external electronic device (sensors); and
determine a sleep phase (sleep state as disclosed in sections 0027 and 0043), based on sleep data (from the sensors).
Kahn et al. does not specifically disclose responsive to detecting an unlocking attempt for the electronic device, and the sleep phase comprising a designated sleep phase or later, block unlocking or perform unlocking according to whether unlocking configuration based on biometric recognition is made.
However, Gao et al. also discloses detecting whether a user is in a sleep state/phase (as disclosed in section 0032) and while the user is in a sleep state/phase (as disclosed in sections 0038-0039 and 0048), responsive to detecting an unlocking attempt for an electronic device (as disclosed in section 0038), block unlocking (preventing unlocking as disclosed in sections 0038-0039 and 0048) or perform unlocking according to whether unlocking configuration based on biometric recognition is made (by performing unlocking when the unlocking information matches the preset reference unlocking information as disclosed in section 0038, wherein the unlocking is based on biometric recognition information such as fingerprint information, see section 0026). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to modify the method/device of Kahn et al. with the prevention of unlocking during a sleep state as taught by Gao et al. since Gao et al. states preventing unlocking during a sleep state improves information security for the user (see section 0048).
Regarding claim 2, Kahn et al. discloses the processor is configured to configure different alert strengths (different sound volumes as disclosed in section 0057) according to the sleep phase.
Regarding claims 11 and 12, the claimed method includes features corresponding to the above rejections of claims 1 and 2, which is applicable hereto.
3. Claims 5, 7, 10, 15, 17, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kahn et al. (previously cited in Office Action 4/15/2025) in view of Gao et al. (previously cited in Office Action 10/1/2025), and in further view of Watanabe et al. (previously cited in Office Action 4/15/2025).
Regarding claims 5, 7, 10, 15, 17, and 20, Kahn et al. and Gao et al. do not specifically disclose determining the sleep phase as a first sleep phase; and responsive to a sound mode configuration comprising a sound mode or a vibrate mode, changing the sound mode configuration to a mute mode. Kahn et al. and Gao et al. also do not disclose responsive to changing the sleep phase from a second sleep phase or later to a first sleep phase or a sleep-entering phase, maintaining an operation mode of the second sleep phase or later, or changing the operation mode to an operation mode of the first sleep phase or the sleep entering phase, according to whether there is a wake-up alarm configured after a current time point. Khan et al. and Gao et al. further do not disclose changing the operation mode to an operation mode of a phase before a sleep entering phase in case that a user wakes up during the sleep phase, and maintaining an operation mode at a current time point in case that a user does not wake up during the sleep phase.
However, Watanabe et al. discloses identifying an operation mode of an electronic device (by controlling a stimulation device as disclosed in sections 0068-0071) based on a determined sleep phase (determined sleep state as disclosed in sections 0065-0067) in a process very similar to that of Kahn et al. Watanabe et al. further discloses determining the sleep phase as a first sleep phase (awakening or wake-up phase as disclosed in section 0085); and responsive to a sound mode configuration comprising a sound mode or a vibrate mode (as disclosed in sections 0061, 0075 and 0087), changing the sound mode configuration to a mute mode (by stopping the alarm as disclosed in sections 0085 and 0087). Watanabe et al. also discloses (see section 0085) responsive to changing the sleep phase from a second sleep phase (sleeping) or later to a first sleep phase (awakening or wake-up phase as disclosed in section 0085) or a sleep-entering phase, changing the operation mode to an operation mode of the first sleep phase (by stopping the alarm as disclosed in section 0085) or the sleep entering phase, according to whether there is a wake-up alarm configured (wake-up alarm set time as disclosed in section 0085) after a current time point. Watanabe et al. further discloses changing the operation mode (by stopping the alarm as disclosed in sections 0085-0087) to an operation mode of a phase before a sleep entering phase (awake phase) in case that a user wakes up during the sleep phase, and maintaining an operation mode at a current time point in case that a user does not wake up during the sleep phase (by stopping the alarm/stimulus until the wake-up set time has arrived as disclosed in sections 0085-0087).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to modify the method/device of Kahn et al. and Gao et al. with the different sleep phase operations as disclosed by Watanabe et al. since Watanabe et al. discloses the operations enable a difference in an awakening level promoted by a stimulus among individuals to be suppressed leading to comfortable awakening and an improved level of satisfaction with sleep (see sections 0134-0135).
Allowable Subject Matter
4. Claims 21 and 22 are allowable over prior art references.
5. Claims 3, 4, 8, 9, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, and 23 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.
Conclusion
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/CURTIS B ODOM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2631 February 3, 2026