DETAILED ACTION
1. Claims 1-21 are pending in this examination. (claim 8-12 have been withdrawn)
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
2. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
3. 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 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.
Election/Restrictions
4. Applicant’s election without traverse of 1-17, and 13-20 and claims 8-12 are currently withdrawn in the reply filed on 10/01/2025 is acknowledged.
Response to Arguments
5. Applicant's arguments have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
6.1. The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
6.2. Claims 1-7, and 13-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Patent Application No. 20060156415 to Rubinstein et al (“Rubinstein”) in view of US Patent Application No. 20100075604 to Lydon et al (“Lydon”), and in view of US Patent No. 10266131 issued to Eling et al (“Eling”).
As per claim 1, Rubinstein discloses a computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software comprising instructions operable when executed to perform operations, the operations comprising: detecting a signal indicating an accessory is coupled to an accessory port ([0061], The authentication module 252 operates to evaluate whether a particular accessory device (or authentication device) that couples to the port interface 256 is authentic and thus permitted to interoperate with the electronic device, also see [0080], figs. 2b, 6 and associated texts).
in response to the signal, determining whether the accessory is authorized to operate with the accessory port ([0061], The authentication module 252 operates to evaluate whether a particular accessory device (or authentication device) that couples to the port interface 256 is authentic and thus permitted to interoperate with the electronic device. The port interface 256 can provide power and a communication bus 258 to the accessory device (or authentication device). The authorization table 254 stores authentication information that is utilized by the authentication module 252 to evaluate whether certain accessory devices (or authentication devices) are authentic, also see [0082].); and
in response to a determination that the accessory is authorized to operate with the accessory port ([0081]-[0082], the decision 616 determines that access to certain features on the host device have not been authorized, operation 620 of the accessory device, if any, is prevented from using the certain features of the host device. Indeed, in one embodiment, the host device can prevent any operation of the accessory device. As an example, the host device could prevent communication with the accessory device and/or cease supplying power to the accessory device, also see ([0061]-[0062]).
Furthermore, Rubinstein discloses electrical power ([0063], If the electronic device determines that the authentication device 300 is authorized, then the controller 302 can enable a boost converter 208 using an enable signal (EN). Once enabled, the boost converter 308, which receives an input voltage on the power line (PIN) from the port connector 306, can output a boosted output voltage on a power line (POUT) to a USB connector 310, also see fig. 3 and associated texts); but does not explicitly disclose however in the same field of endeavor, Lydon discloses transferring electrical power to the accessory ([0070], [0072]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Rubinstein with the teaching of Lydon by including the feature of power, in order for Rubinstein’s system to allow connect to the authorized accessory by providing power supplies. If the authentication failed then disconnect power supplies to prevent unauthorized access.
Rubinstein and Lydon do not explicitly disclose however in the same field of endeavor, Eling discloses port located on an exterior surface of a vehicle (col. 8, lines 5-11 and fig. 2 and associated texts).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Rubinstein with the teaching of Lydon/Eling by including the feature of port lactation, in order for Rubinstein’s system to enhance consumer or operator experiences. Such external systems may include, for example, external power systems or consumer electronics, such as smartphones. A control system for a vehicle is provided. The system includes a Universal Serial Bus Type-C (USB) port configured to receive a plug of a wired connection to an external system for the transfer of at least one of power or data. The system further includes a processor coupled to the USB port and configured to at least facilitate the transfer of the at least one of power or data between the vehicle and the external system via the USB port (Eling, abstract).
As per claim 2, the combination of Rubinstein, Lydon and Eling discloses the non-transitory storage media of claim 1, the operations further comprising: in response to a determination that the accessory is not authorized to operate with the accessory port, withholding electrical power from the accessory (Rubinstein, [0082] the host device may not notify the accessory device but might instead permit the accessory device to access the one or more features of the host device that are authorized. In any case, when the decision 616 determines that access to certain features on the host device have not been authorized, operation 620 of the accessory device, if any, is prevented from using the certain features of the host device. Indeed, in one embodiment, the host device can prevent any operation of the accessory device. As an example, the host device could prevent communication with the accessory device and/or cease supplying power to the accessory device).
As per claim 3, the combination of Rubinstein, Lydon and Eling discloses the non-transitory storage media of claim 1, the operations further comprising transferring electrical power to the accessory at a first level prior to determining whether the accessory is authorized, wherein the electrical power transferred to the accessory in response to the determination that the accessory is authorized is at a second level greater than the first level (Rubinstein, [0063], The controller 302 can couple to a port connector 306 which in turn can connect to the electronic device. The port connector 306 can provide power from the electronic device to the controller 302 and a boost converter 308 over a power line (PIN). Additionally, the controller 302 can communicate with the electronic device through the port connector 306 by way of transmit and receive communication lines (TX, RX). Through such communication, the electronic device can determine whether the authentication device 300 is authorized for use with the electronic device. If the electronic device determines that the authentication device 300 is authorized, then the controller 302 can enable a boost converter 208 using an enable signal (EN). Once enabled, the boost converter 308, which receives an input voltage on the power line (PIN) from the port connector 306, can output a boosted output voltage on a power line (POUT) to a USB connector 310. For example, the input voltage can be 3.3 Volts and the boosted output voltage can be 5.0 Volts. The USB connector 310 also receives a pair of differential data lines (D+, D-) from the port connector 306 to allow data transmission between the electronic device and an accessory device that can be coupled to the USB connector 310, also see fig. 3 and associated texts).
As per claim 4, the combination of Rubinstein, Lydon and Eling discloses the non-transitory storage media of claim 1, the operations further comprising establishing a wireless connection with the accessory, wherein the determination of whether the accessory is authorized to operate with the accessory port is based at least on the wireless connection with the accessory (Rubinstein, [0082], [0121], note: para. 0082 discloses wired link, which could be implement as a wired/wireless link as discloses).
As per claim 5, the combination of Rubinstein, Lydon and Eling discloses the non-transitory storage media of claim 1, wherein the signal comprises accessory data, the operations further comprising analyzing the accessory data, wherein the determination of whether the accessory is authorized to operate with the accessory port is based at least on analyzing the accessory data, and wherein analyzing the accessory data comprises analyzing whether a set of attributes of the accessory meet a predetermined condition (Lydon, [0116]-[0118]). The motivation regarding the obviousness of claim 1 is also applied to claim 5.
As per claim 6, the combination of Rubinstein, Lydon and Eling discloses the non-transitory storage media of claim 1, wherein the signal indicating the accessory is coupled to the accessory port is a first signal, and wherein determining whether the accessory is authorized to operate with the accessory port comprises detecting a second signal comprising accessory data (Lydon, [0010], [0034]). The motivation regarding the obviousness of claim 1 is also applied to claim 6.
As per claim 7, the combination of Rubinstein, Lydon and Eling discloses the non-transitory storage media of claim 6, wherein the first signal is detected using a first communication channel, and wherein the second signal is detected using a second communication channel (Rubinstein, [0063], also see fig. 3 and associated texts).
As per claim 13, the combination of Rubinstein, Lydon and Eling discloses a system, comprising: an accessory port to couple with an accessory; and a processor to detect a signal comprising an indication of an interaction between the accessory and the accessory port, wherein the processor comprises instructions operable when executed to perform operations, the operations comprising: determining whether the accessory is authorized to operate with the accessory port (Rubinstein, [0061], The authentication module 252 operates to evaluate whether a particular accessory device (or authentication device) that couples to the port interface 256 is authentic and thus permitted to interoperate with the electronic device, also see [0080], figs. 2b, 6 and associated texts), and
in response to a determination that the accessory is authorized to operate with the accessory port (Rubinstein, [0081]-[0082], the decision 616 determines that access to certain features on the host device have not been authorized, operation 620 of the accessory device, if any, is prevented from using the certain features of the host device. Indeed, in one embodiment, the host device can prevent any operation of the accessory device. As an example, the host device could prevent communication with the accessory device and/or cease supplying power to the accessory device),
permitting the accessory port to transfer electrical power to the accessory (Rubinstein, [0063], If the electronic device determines that the authentication device 300 is authorized, then the controller 302 can enable a boost converter 208 using an enable signal (EN). Once enabled, the boost converter 308, which receives an input voltage on the power line (PIN) from the port connector 306, can output a boosted output voltage on a power line (POUT) to a USB connector 310, also see fig. 3 and associated texts).
Furthermore, Rubinstein discloses electrical power ([0063], If the electronic device determines that the authentication device 300 is authorized, then the controller 302 can enable a boost converter 208 using an enable signal (EN). Once enabled, the boost converter 308, which receives an input voltage on the power line (PIN) from the port connector 306, can output a boosted output voltage on a power line (POUT) to a USB connector 310, also see fig. 3 and associated texts); but does not explicitly disclose however in the same field of endeavor, Lydon discloses transferring electrical power to the accessory ([0070], [0072]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Rubinstein with the teaching of Lydon by including the feature of power, in order for Rubinstein’s system to allow connect to the authorized accessory by providing power supplies. If the authentication failed then disconnect power supplies to prevent unauthorized access.
Rubinstein and Lydon do not explicitly disclose however in the same field of endeavor, Eling discloses port located on an exterior surface of a vehicle (col. 8, lines 5-11 and fig. 2 and associated texts).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Rubinstein with the teaching of Lydon/ Eling by including the feature of port lactation, in order for Rubinstein’s system to enhance consumer or operator experiences. Such external systems may include, for example, external power systems or consumer electronics, such as smartphones. A control system for a vehicle is provided. The system includes a Universal Serial Bus Type-C (USB) port configured to receive a plug of a wired connection to an external system for the transfer of at least one of power or data. The system further includes a processor coupled to the USB port and configured to at least facilitate the transfer of the at least one of power or data between the vehicle and the external system via the USB port (Eling, abstract).
As per claim 14, the combination of Rubinstein, Lydon and Eling discloses the
system of claim 13, wherein the accessory port comprises a mechanical button or switch, and wherein the interaction comprises triggering the mechanical button or switch when the accessory port is coupled with the accessory (Lydon, [0057]). The motivation regarding the obviousness of claim 13 is also applied to claim 14.
As per claim 15, the combination of Rubinstein, Lydon and Eling discloses the system of claim 13, wherein the accessory port comprises a first node of a communication circuit, wherein the accessory comprises a second node of the communication circuit, and wherein the interaction comprises exchanging information between the first node and the second node (Rubinstein, [0088], [0102], also see figs. 7a-7b and associated texts).
As per claim 16, the combination of Rubinstein, Lydon and Eling discloses the system of claim 13, wherein the interaction comprises measuring an electrical resistance of the accessory (Rubinstein, [0063], also see fig, 3 and associated texts).
As per claim 17, the combination of Rubinstein, Lydon and Eling discloses the system of claim 13, wherein the processor detects the signal via a wireless communication protocol (Rubinstein, [0121], [013]).
As per claim 18, the combination of Rubinstein, Lydon and Eling discloses the system of claim 13, wherein the accessory port comprises a radio frequency sensor, and wherein the interaction comprises the radio frequency sensor detecting a radio frequency signal from the accessory (Lydon, [0055], [0161]). The motivation regarding the obviousness of claim 13 is also applied to claim 18.
As per claim 19, the combination of Rubinstein, Lydon and Eling discloses the system of claim 13, wherein the accessory port comprises a magnetic field sensor, and wherein the interaction comprises the magnetic field sensor detecting a magnetic field of the accessory (Lydon, [0053], [0057], [0126]). The motivation regarding the obviousness of claim 13 is also applied to claim 19.
As per claim 20, the combination of Rubinstein, Lydon and Eling discloses the system of claim 13, wherein the accessory port comprises an optical sensor, wherein the accessory comprises an optical emitter, and wherein the interaction comprises the optical sensor detecting a light from the optical emitter (Lydon, [0053], [0057], [0126]). The motivation regarding the obviousness of claim 13 is also applied to claim 20.
As per claim 21, the combination of Rubinstein, Lydon and Eling discloses the system of claim 13, wherein determining whether the accessory is authorized to operate with the accessory port occurs while no electrical power is being transferred to the accessory via the accessory port (col. 12, lines 50-55). The motivation regarding the obviousness of claim 13 is also applied to claim 21.
7.1. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure as the prior art discloses many of the claim features (See PTO-form 892).
7.2. a). US Patent Application No. 20150331463 to Obie et al., discloses power management contracts for accessory devices are described. In one or more implementations, a power management contract is established for a system including a host computing device and an accessory device based at least in part upon power exchange conditions observed for the system. The power management contracts define operating constraints for power exchange between components of the system, including at least a power exchange direction and current limits. The host computing device and accessory devices are each configured to renegotiate the power management contract to dynamically change operating constraints in “real-time.” Additionally, different power management contracts may be associated with identifying data corresponding to different types of accessory devices.
b). US Patent Application No. 20130232350 to Belesiu et al., discloses accessory device authentication techniques are described. In one or more embodiments, connection of an accessory device to a host computing device is detected. Responsive to the detection, an authentication sequence may occur to verify an identity and/or capabilities of the accessory device. Upon successful authentication of the accessory device, the host device may authorize the accessory device for power exchange interactions with the host device. The host device may then draw supplemental power from a power source associated with the authorized accessory device, such as a battery or power adapter. The host device may also enable the accessory device to obtain and use power supplied by the host device in some scenarios. Power exchange between a host device and an authorized accessory may be managed in accordance with capabilities of the accessory device that are identified during authentication.
Conclusion
8. 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 HARUNUR RASHID whose telephone number is (571)270-7195. The examiner can normally be reached 9 AM to 5PM.
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HARUNUR . RASHID
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2497
/HARUNUR RASHID/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2497