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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-10 and 13-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) & (a)(2) as being anticipated by Sawada et al. (US 2021/0005331 A1, hereinafter Saw).
Regarding claims 1, 16 and 17, Saw discloses an information providing system, method and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute a process performed in an information providing system, the process comprising:
circuitry configured to (see para. 0136);
connect, via a network, to a plurality of first managing systems (i.e. field devices/network devices) (see fig. 1, elements 100 and para. 0026), each of the plurality of first managing systems including a respective sensor managing apparatus (see fig. 1, element 100 and para. 0026), and a plurality of sensors connected to the respective sensor managing apparatus, and installed in a plurality of spaces, each of the plurality of first managing systems being configured to manage measurement information measured by the plurality of sensors connected to the respective sensor managing apparatus, the respective sensor managing apparatus being configured to acquire each piece of measurement information from each of the plurality of sensors connected to the respective sensor managing apparatus, (see abstract, para. 0006, 0011 and 0036, figure 2 discloses the composition of a sensor apparatus which is an example of a network device or field device 100);
receive, from each of the first managing systems, a plurality of pieces of measurement information acquired from each of the plurality of sensors connected to the respective sensor managing apparatus, each piece of measurement information having a sensor ID attached thereto, the sensor ID identifying a sensor that has measured the piece of measurement information (see abstract, fig. 2, element 104 and para. 0006);
store each of the plurality of pieces of measurement information received from each of the first managing systems in a memory in association with a corresponding sensor ID attached to the piece of measurement information (see abstract);
acquire, from the memory, based on association information in which each sensor ID is associated with space information specifying a space, a plurality of pieces of measurement information corresponding to a space for which environment information is to be generated, the plurality of pieces of measurement information being stored in association with sensor IDs of sensors installed in the space (see abstract, fig. 2, element 210 and para. 0007, 0026);
generate environment information of the specified space based on the acquired plurality of pieces of measurement information (see para. 0043, 0077); and
provide the generated environment information to a transmission destination (see para. 0007, 0036, 0079).
Regarding claim 2, Saw discloses the information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to acquire the space information corresponding to the received measurement information, by connecting, via the network, to a second managing system (see fig. 1, elements 100 and 145).
Regarding claim 3, Saw discloses the information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to generate the environment information with respect to the specified space, in response to receiving an output request from the transmission destination (see para. 0026, 0028, 0050).
Regarding claim 4, Saw discloses the information providing system according to claim 3, wherein the output request includes information designating the space, and the circuitry is further configured to generate the environment information with respect to the designated space in the output request (see para. 0028, 0084, 0129).
Regarding claim 5, Saw discloses the information providing system according to claim 3, wherein the circuitry is further configured to generate the environment information according to an attribute of a user specified in the output request (see para. 0028, 0130).
Regarding claim 6, Saw discloses the information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to generate the environment information including a warning, in response to determining that the received measurement information satisfies a predetermined condition (see para. 0033, 0091 and 0148).
Regarding claim 7, Saw discloses the information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:
store, in a predetermined storage destination, the environment information with respect to the specified space, and provide the environment information stored in the predetermined storage destination to the transmission destination that has made an output request, in response to determining that the output request is received from the transmission destination via a web browser (see abstract and para. 0061).
Regarding claim 8, Saw discloses the information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:
register the specified space, a timing of transmitting the environment information with respect to the specified space (see para. 0033, 0052), and the transmission destination to which the environment information with respect to the specified space is to be transmitted (see para. 0058-0059);
generate, at the registered timing, the environment information with respect to the registered specified space, and transmit, at the registered timing, the generated environment information to the registered transmission destination (see para. 0116).
Regarding claim 9, Saw discloses the information providing system according to claim 8, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:
generate the environment information including a warning, in response to determining that the received measurement information satisfies a predetermined condition (see para. 0121 and 0148), and the providing includes transmitting the generated environment information including the warning to the registered transmission destination (see para. 0033, 0090).
Regarding claim 10, Saw discloses the information providing system according to claim 8, wherein the circuitry is further configured to transmit the environment information with respect to the registered specified space, via an e-mail application or a messaging application (see para. 0128 and 0061).
Regarding claim 13, Saw discloses the information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the specified space includes an object on which each of the plurality of sensors is installed (see para. 0077 and 0003).
Regarding claim 14, Saw discloses the information providing system according to claim 13, wherein the space includes a space in an architectural structure (i.e. place of installation) or a space in a vehicle (see para. 0003, 0077).
Regarding claim 15, Saw discloses the information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the measurement information includes carbon dioxide concentration, a temperature, a humidity, an airflow, a dust amount, an odor, a sound volume, or an illuminance (see para. 0043).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-12 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-17 have been 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.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MANUEL A RIVERA VARGAS whose telephone number is (571)270-7870. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00-6:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Shelby Turner can be reached at 571-272-6334. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MANUEL A RIVERA VARGAS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2857
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