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 .
This action is in response to applicant’s amendment/arguments filed on 06/08/2026. This action is made FINAL.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-2, 8-9 and 15-16 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 1-2, 8-9 and 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over IPCOM000268050D (Selectively Relaying Messages on a Mobile Device for a Trusted Contact Based on Metadata) (hereinafter IPCOM000268050D) in view of Anantharaman et al. (US 2018/0343165 A1).
Claim 1. IPCOM000268050D discloses A computer-implemented method (read as a mechanism that sends a message … Device A creates a Bluetooth Personal Area Network (PAN) (2nd and 4th paragraphs). Devices used to form a Bluetooth Personal Area Network (PAN) must include computer and software in order to function and perform as expected. Flowchart shown in the figure), the method comprising:
receiving an opt-in from a user to re-broadcast a signal of a wireless network via an internet-of-things (IoT) device of the user (read as When an app identifies the lack of a data connection, the app asks the user whether the user wants to send via a third party. If the user would like to send via a third party… (3rd paragraph));
receiving contextual and technical attributes of the IoT device (read as Device A broadcasts a Bluetooth* low energy (LE) request containing the user's ID (contact info) hash and the app for which info is to be relayed. Device A creates a Bluetooth Personal Area Network (PAN) ad-hoc connection with a potential proxy device (Device B) (3rd and 4th paragraphs));
identifying metadata of the wireless network (read as transmitting metadata to confirm the app and size of payload (4th paragraph)); and
responsive to determining, based on analysis of the received contextual and technical attributes and the identified metadata (read as transmitting metadata to confirm the app and size of payload (4th paragraph)), that use of the IoT device to re-broadcast the signal is beneficial to the wireless network (the term “use” renders this clause as intended use),
IPCOM000268050D does not explicitly disclose
re-broadcasting the signal via the IoT device and granting access to the wireless network via the IoT device,
wherein the determining comprises determining that re-broadcast of the signal by the IoT device results in a positive range extension of the wireless network.
However, in the related field of endeavor Anantharaman et al. disclose: … a refrigerator 180 is an example of an IoT device and has a wireless communication link 182 to the second AP 135 [0036]… a client device 170 may move to a position 172 in which it would be beneficial for the refrigerator to take on a relay role for the local network. In the relay role, the refrigerator 180 may provide a wireless coverage area and establish a wireless communication link 175 to the client device 170. The refrigerator 180 may alter its configuration so that it can use its upstream wireless communication link 182 [0038]. The idea, of an IoT devices being configured to extend the coverage of a wireless communication system, is clearly disclosed by Anantharaman et al.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, at the time the invention was filed, to modify the teaching of IPCOM000268050D with the teaching of Anantharaman et al. in order to enhance connectivity as a result of adding IoT devices to the local network (Anantharaman et al. [0003]).
Claim 2. The method of claim 1, the combination of IPCOM000268050D and Anantharaman et al. teaches,
further comprising:
responsive to determining that the IoT device has ceased to re-broadcast the signal, denying access to the wireless network via the IoT device (IPCOM000268050D: read as If a selected proxy device refuses to relay the message, the system notifies the user. At this point, the solution drops the PAN ad-hoc connection (6th paragraph)).
Claim 8. IPCOM000268050D discloses A computer system, the computer system comprising:
one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage medium, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more tangible storage medium for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, wherein the computer system is capable of performing a method (read as a mechanism that sends a message … Device A creates a Bluetooth Personal Area Network (PAN) (2nd and 4th paragraphs). Devices used to form a Bluetooth Personal Area Network (PAN) must include computer and software in order to function and perform as expected. ) comprising:
receiving an opt-in from a user to re-broadcast a signal of a wireless network via an internet-of-things (IoT) device of the user (read as When an app identifies the lack of a data connection, the app asks the user whether the user wants to send via a third party. If the user would like to send via a third party… (3rd paragraph))
receiving contextual and technical attributes of the IoT device (read as Device A broadcasts a Bluetooth* low energy (LE) request containing the user's ID (contact info) hash and the app for which info is to be relayed. Device A creates a Bluetooth Personal Area Network (PAN) ad-hoc connection with a potential proxy device (Device B) (3rd and 4th paragraphs));
identifying metadata of the wireless network (read as transmitting metadata to confirm the app and size of payload (4th paragraph)); and
responsive to determining, based on analysis of the received contextual and technical attributes and the identified metadata (read as transmitting metadata to confirm the app and size of payload (4th paragraph)), that use of the IoT device to re-broadcast the signal is beneficial to the wireless network (the term “use” renders this clause as intended use),
IPCOM000268050D does not explicitly disclose
re-broadcasting the signal via the IoT device and granting access to the wireless network via the IoT device,
wherein the determining comprises determining that re-broadcast of the signal by the IoT device results in a positive range extension of the wireless network.
However, in the related field of endeavor Anantharaman et al. disclose: … a refrigerator 180 is an example of an IoT device and has a wireless communication link 182 to the second AP 135 [0036]… a client device 170 may move to a position 172 in which it would be beneficial for the refrigerator to take on a relay role for the local network. In the relay role, the refrigerator 180 may provide a wireless coverage area and establish a wireless communication link 175 to the client device 170. The refrigerator 180 may alter its configuration so that it can use its upstream wireless communication link 182 [0038]. The idea, of an IoT devices being configured to extend the coverage of a wireless communication system, is clearly disclosed by Anantharaman et al.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, at the time the invention was filed, to modify the teaching of IPCOM000268050D with the teaching of Anantharaman et al. in order to enhance connectivity as a result of adding IoT devices to the local network (Anantharaman et al. [0003]).
Claim 9. The computer system of claim 8, the combination of IPCOM000268050D and Anantharaman et al. teaches,
wherein the method further comprises:
responsive to determining that the IoT device has ceased to re-broadcast the signal, denying access to the wireless network via the IoT device (IPCOM000268050D: read as If a selected proxy device refuses to relay the message, the system notifies the user. At this point, the solution drops the PAN ad-hoc connection (6th paragraph)).
Claim 15. IPCOM000268050D discloses A computer program product, the computer program product comprising:
one or more computer-readable tangible storage medium (the term “computer-readable tangible storage medium” is considered as non-transitory as described in [0016] of the specifications) and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more tangible storage medium, the program instructions executable by a processor capable of performing a method (read as a mechanism that sends a message … Device A creates a Bluetooth Personal Area Network (PAN) (2nd and 4th paragraphs). Devices used to form a Bluetooth Personal Area Network (PAN) must include computer and software in order to function and perform as expected by executing the flowchart shown in the figure), the method comprising:
receiving an opt-in from a user to re-broadcast a signal of a wireless network via an internet-of-things (IoT) device of the user (read as When an app identifies the lack of a data connection, the app asks the user whether the user wants to send via a third party. If the user would like to send via a third party… (3rd paragraph))
receiving contextual and technical attributes of the IoT device (read as Device A broadcasts a Bluetooth* low energy (LE) request containing the user's ID (contact info) hash and the app for which info is to be relayed. Device A creates a Bluetooth Personal Area Network (PAN) ad-hoc connection with a potential proxy device (Device B) (3rd and 4th paragraphs));
identifying metadata of the wireless network (read as transmitting metadata to confirm the app and size of payload (4th paragraph)); and
responsive to determining, based on analysis of the received contextual and technical attributes and the identified metadata (read as transmitting metadata to confirm the app and size of payload (4th paragraph)), that use of the IoT device to re-broadcast the signal is beneficial to the wireless network (the term “use” renders this clause as intended use),
IPCOM000268050D does not explicitly disclose
re-broadcasting the signal via the IoT device and granting access to the wireless network via the IoT device,
wherein the determining comprises determining that re-broadcast of the signal by the IoT device results in a positive range extension of the wireless network.
However, in the related field of endeavor Anantharaman et al. disclose: … a refrigerator 180 is an example of an IoT device and has a wireless communication link 182 to the second AP 135 [0036]… a client device 170 may move to a position 172 in which it would be beneficial for the refrigerator to take on a relay role for the local network. In the relay role, the refrigerator 180 may provide a wireless coverage area and establish a wireless communication link 175 to the client device 170. The refrigerator 180 may alter its configuration so that it can use its upstream wireless communication link 182 [0038]. The idea, of an IoT devices being configured to extend the coverage of a wireless communication system, is clearly disclosed by Anantharaman et al.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, at the time the invention was filed, to modify the teaching of IPCOM000268050D with the teaching of Anantharaman et al. in order to enhance connectivity as a result of adding IoT devices to the local network (Anantharaman et al. [0003]).
Claim 16. The computer program product of claim 15, the combination of IPCOM000268050D and Anantharaman et al. teaches,
wherein the method further comprises:
responsive to determining that the IoT device has ceased to re-broadcast the signal, denying access to the wireless network via the IoT device (IPCOM000268050D: read as If a selected proxy device refuses to relay the message, the system notifies the user. At this point, the solution drops the PAN ad-hoc connection (6th paragraph)).
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 MOHAMMED RACHEDINE whose telephone number is (571)272-9249. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeanette J. Parker can be reached at (571)270-3647. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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MOHAMMED . RACHEDINE
Examiner
Art Unit 2649
/MOHAMMED RACHEDINE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2646
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