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 .
Response to Arguments
Claims 1, 11, 20, and 23 have been amended.
Claims 1-3, 5-6, 8-15, 17-21, and 23 are pending.
1. Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claim(s) have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
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.
Claims 1-2, 6, 8-12, 17-21, 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Alathur et al. (US 20230328495, hereinafter, “Alathur”) in view of REILY et al. (US 20200264835, hereinafter, “REILY”), and further in view of Huang et al. (US 20160198319, hereinafter, “Huang”).
Claim 1. Alathur teaches: A method for establishing a device connection for wireless communications, the method comprising: - See Fig. 1-2
receiving, via one or more processors of a first electronic device, - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0038], (processors) a signal to initiate a wireless connection process; - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0040], (“The controller 50 initiates an operation (e.g., connection) between BT device 20 and additional BT devices”)
accessing the first user-defined priority list to determine a group of pairing electronic devices and a prioritized order of the pairing electronic devices in the group; - See Fig. 2, ¶ [0044 – 0045], (“the paired device list 100 is arranged in terms of top-down priority…the paired device list 100 includes (additional) BT device 30 and (additional) BT device 40, along with further additional BT devices X, Y, Z…the paired device list 110 is prioritized based on at least one of…a user-defined priority”)
transmitting a connection request to one or more of the pairing electronic devices in the group, - See Fig. 2, ¶ [0045], (“the paired device list 110 is prioritized in order to control connection between the BT device 20 and paired, additional BT devices, e.g., BT device 30, BT device 40, etc…the paired device list 110 is arranged in terms of top-down priority…the paired device list 110 is prioritized based on at least one of…a user-defined priority”) one at a time according to the prioritized order in the first user-defined priority list; - See Fig. 3, ¶ [0060], (“If decision D3 is a no…the controller 50 is configured to select between the highest RSSI device (e.g., BT device 30) and the next-highest RSSI device (e.g., BT device 40) based on a BT connection hierarchy. In certain cases, the hierarchy of BT connection is defined by the list…¶ [0061], (“after selecting an additional BT device for connection, the controller 50 attempts to establish a BT connection between the first BT device 20 and the selected additional device, e.g., BT device 30, BT device 40 or another BT device from list 110.”, The controller selects the next device based on priority hierarchy and transmits the next connection attempt to that next device one at a time.) and
establishing a wireless communication link between the first electronic device and a second electronic device that lacks the sensor, wherein the second electronic device is one of the pairing electronic devices in the group that is first to respond to the connection request. – See Fig. 2-3, ¶ [0060], (“…the controller 50 is configured to select between…(e.g., BT device 30) and…(e.g., BT device 40) based on a BT connection hierarchy…the hierarchy of BT connection is defined by the list…¶ [0061], (“the controller 50 attempts to establish a BT connection between the first BT device 20 and the selected additional device, e.g., BT device 30, BT device 40 or another BT device from list 110.”, The controller attempts to establish a connection with the selected device. One device from the list is contacted at a time, the first device to respond is the device that becomes connected.); ¶ [0036], (“(e.g., first BT device 20) include, but are not limited to, a headphone, a headset…”)
Alathur does not explicitly teach:
receiving a sensor measurement of user activity from a sensor of the first electronic device that includes one or more of an accelerometer, a speed sensor, or a position sensor, the sensor measurement including one or more of acceleration measured by the accelerometer, speed measured by the speed sensor, or orientation measured by the position sensor;
selecting a first user-defined priority list from a set of different user-defined priority lists based on the sensor measurement that is received;
However, REILY teaches:
receiving a sensor measurement of user activity from a sensor of the first electronic device that includes one or more of an accelerometer, a speed sensor, or a position sensor, - in ¶ [0041], (“the headphones 102 include…movement detecting devices and circuitry (e.g., accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, etc.), geolocation…”); ¶ [0056],(“ the headphones use information collected from sensors…on the headphones and/or the user device to determine the user's environment or otherwise trigger an activity.”) the sensor measurement including one or more of acceleration measured by an accelerometer, speed measured by a speed sensor, or orientation measured by a position sensor; - See Fig. 6-7, ¶ [0041], (“The movement detecting circuitry is configured to use devices such as an accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, or the like to detect whether the user wearing the headphones is moving (e.g., walking, running etc.) or is at rest and/or the direction the user is looking or facing…detect a head position of the user”, This confirms sensor-based measurements (acceleration, speed, or orientation) are used to detect user activity.); ¶ [0079], (“Many types of triggers could be used for launching an activity…potential triggers include…speed, inferred activity type (e.g., exercising”)
selecting a first user-defined priority list from a set of different user-defined priority lists based on the sensor measurement that is received; - See Fig. 3-5, ¶ [0065], (“A gym activity may be triggered when the user's location indicates the user is at a gym…An airplane activity may be triggered when a sensor on the headphones or user device determines the user is on an airplane.”); ¶ [0068], (“Customizing prioritized lists of sources devices…at least one option…enables a user to prioritize or order source devices to connect to (e.g., pair with) based on the activity. In the work activity, the user may prioritize connections to “work laptop”…In the home activity, the user may prioritize connections to devices at the user's house…In the commute activity, the user prioritizes connections to “smartphone.” When the user switches between activities, the headphones automatically and seamlessly connect to one or more source devices based on the prioritized list associated with the activity.”); ¶ [0079], (“Many types of triggers could be used for launching an activity…potential triggers include…speed, inferred activity type (e.g., exercising”)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Alathur with REILY to include receiving a sensor measurement of user activity including acceleration measured by an accelerometer, speed measured by a speed sensor, or orientation measured by a position sensor, as taught by REILY. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to improve user experience, as suggested by REILY, When the user switches between activities, the headphones automatically and seamlessly connect to one or more source devices based on the prioritized list associated with the activity. - ¶ [0068]
Combination of Alathur and REILY does not explicitly teach:
establishing a wireless communication link between the first electronic device and a second electronic device that lacks the sensor, wherein the second electronic device is one of the pairing electronic devices in the group that is first to respond to the connection request.
However, Huang teaches:
establishing a wireless communication link between the first electronic device - in ¶ [0061], (“the wearable computer 100 may include…accelerometer module 116, which can detect an orientation, velocity, and/or acceleration of the wearable computer 100 as a user moves.”); ¶ [0074], (“When a wireless communication link is established between the wearable computer of the present invention and a non-wearable computer (e.g., a smart phone)”) and a second electronic device that lacks the sensor, wherein the second electronic device is one of the pairing electronic devices in the group that is first to respond to the connection request. – in ¶ [0005], (““wearable computers” or “wearable computing devices” generally refer to computer devices capable of being worn by a person…“Non-wearable computers” or “non-wearable computing devices” generally refer to computer devices that are not configured to be worn by a person…Wearable computers can also include… sensor/display packages…¶ [0008], (“non-wearable computers often lack the sensor packages to adequately detect heart rate…or other body or outside environmental conditions.”)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Alathur and REILY with Huang to include between the first electronic device and a second electronic device that lacks the sensor, as taught by Huang. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to improve user experience, as suggested by Huang, monitor the user and the user's environment, and to supplement or complement the functionality of such non-wearable computers, thereby providing enhanced functionality and convenience to the user. - ¶ [0009]
Claim 2. Combination of Alathur, REILY, and Huang teaches The method of claim 1, - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s).
Alathur teaches:
further comprising one or more of (i) transmitting, by the first electronic device, outgoing data packets to the second electronic device via the wireless communication link, or (ii) receiving, at the first electronic device, incoming data packets from the second electronic device via the wireless communication link. – See Fig. 1, 3, ¶ [0041 - 0042], (“in a transmission mode, the Bluetooth module 70 processes data…transmits the RF signal. In a reception mode, the Bluetooth module 70 converts a received RF signal into a baseband signal…and restores the processed signal to data…additional BT devices 30, 40…are configured to communicate with BT device 20 over Bluetooth.”)
Claim 6. Combination of Alathur, REILY, and Huang teaches The method of claim 1, - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s).
Alathur teaches:
wherein establishing the wireless communication link comprises establishing a bi-directional communication link between the first electronic device and the second electronic device according to a BLUETOOTH protocol. - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0041 - 0042], (“in a transmission mode, the Bluetooth module 70 processes data…transmits the RF signal. In a reception mode, the Bluetooth module 70 converts a received RF signal into a baseband signal…and restores the processed signal to data…additional BT devices 30, 40…are configured to communicate with BT device 20 over Bluetooth.”); ¶ [0061], (“the controller 50 attempts to establish a BT connection between the first BT device 20 and the selected additional device”)
Claim 8. Combination of Alathur, REILY, and Huang teaches The method of claim 1, - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s).
REILY further teaches:
wherein selecting the first user-defined priority list from the set comprises determining that the first user-defined priority list is more applicable than another user-defined priority list in the set based on the sensor measurement. - in ¶ [0056], (“headphones use information collected from sensors…to…trigger an activity.”); ¶ [0065], (“A gym activity may be triggered when the user's location indicates the user is at a gym…An airplane activity may be triggered when a sensor on the headphones or user device determines the user is on an airplane.”); ¶ [0068], (“Customizing prioritized lists of sources devices to connect…In the work activity, the user may prioritize connections to “work laptop”…In the home activity, the user may prioritize connections to devices at the user's house”)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Alathur with REILY to include selecting the first user-defined priority list from the set, as taught by REILY. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to improve user experience, as suggested by REILY, When the user switches between activities, the headphones automatically and seamlessly connect to one or more source devices based on the prioritized list associated with the activity. - ¶ [0068]
Claim 9. Combination of Alathur, REILY, and Huang teaches The method of claim 8, - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s).
REILY further teaches:
wherein the sensor measurement is also indicative of a location of the first electronic device. - in ¶ [0065], (“A gym activity may be triggered when the user's location indicates the user is at a gym…An airplane activity may be triggered when a sensor on the headphones or user device determines the user is on an airplane.”)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Alathur with REILY to include the sensor measurement is also indicative of a location of the first electronic device, as taught by REILY. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to improve user experience, as suggested by REILY, When the user switches between activities, the headphones automatically and seamlessly connect to one or more source devices based on the prioritized list associated with the activity. - ¶ [0068]
Claim 10. Combination of Alathur, REILY, and Huang teaches The method of claim 1, - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s).
REILY further teaches:
further comprising determining a time of day, - in ¶ [0079], (“Many types of triggers could be used for launching an activity other than proximity to a geolocation. For example, potential triggers include: time of day”) and
wherein selecting the first user-defined priority list from the set also comprises determining that the first user-defined priority list is more applicable than another user-defined priority list in the set – in ¶ [0068], (“Customizing prioritized lists of sources devices to connect…In the work activity, the user may prioritize connections to “work laptop”…In the home activity, the user may prioritize connections to devices at the user's house”) based on the time of day. - in ¶ [0079], (“Many types of triggers could be used for launching an activity other than proximity to a geolocation. For example, potential triggers include: time of day”)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Alathur with REILY to include determining that the first user-defined priority list is more applicable than another user-defined priority list in the set based on the time of day, as taught by REILY. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to improve user experience, as suggested by REILY, When the user switches between activities, the headphones automatically and seamlessly connect to one or more source devices based on the prioritized list associated with the activity. - ¶ [0068]
Claim 21. Combination of Alathur, REILY, and Huang teaches The method of claim 1, - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s).
REILY further teaches:
further comprising: receiving edits to the first user-defined priority list from an input device of the first electronic device; - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0019], (“providing, via the user interface, a capability for the user to create a prioritized list of source devices the audio output device should establish a wireless connection with...”); ¶ [0068], (“the application allows the user to create a customized, prioritized list of source devices for the headphones to establish wireless connections with based on the activity…In an example, at least one option on the interface screen 300 enables a user to prioritize or order source devices to connect to (e.g., pair with)…the user may prioritize connections to “work laptop” followed by “tablet.” If “work laptop” is not available, the headphones may connect to the “tablet” …When the user switches between activities, the headphones automatically and seamlessly connect to one or more source devices based on the prioritized list associated with the activity.”) and
communicating the first user-defined priority list that is edited with at least a third electronic device that lacks the input device. – See Fig. 1, ¶ [0068 - 0069], (“Customizing prioritized lists of sources devices to connect to may replace the functionality of headphones automatically connecting to the most recently used user device…When the user switches between activities, the headphones automatically and seamlessly connect to one or more source devices based on the prioritized list associated with the activity…the application also allows the user to identify devices which the headphones should avoid establishing a wireless connection with in a given activity. In the work activity, a user may want the headphones to connect to “work laptop” and may not want the headphones to connect to “smartphone”, The priority list created/edited on the first device is communicated to the headphones (eq. third electronic device), which themselves lack the input device to create/edit the list. Instead, they act on the communicated list when connecting.)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Alathur with REILY to include receiving edits to the first user-defined priority list from an input device of the first electronic device and communicating the user-defined priority list that is edited with at least a third electronic device that lacks the input device, as taught by REILY. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to improve user experience, as suggested by REILY, It may be desirable for the user to have convenient, personalized methods to use these technologies and audio content and services available to the user for a better audio experience and a better overall user experience. - ¶ [0005]
Claim 23. Alathur teaches: A management tool for wireless device prioritization, - See Fig. 1-2
the management tool comprising: a memory configured to store program instructions; - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0037], (memory)
a wireless communication device onboard a first electronic device; - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0037], (“The communication unit 60 includes a Bluetooth module 70 (e.g., including a Bluetooth radio), enabling communication with other devices over Bluetooth protocol.”) and
one or more processors communicatively connected to the memory and the wireless communication device, wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more processors to: - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0037 - 0038], (memory…processors)
designating which of additional electronic devices that lack the sensor are searched for wirelessly connecting with the first electronic device prior to others of the additional electronic devices - See Fig. 2, ¶ [0045], (“the paired device list 110 is prioritized in order to control connection between the BT device 20 and paired, additional BT devices, e.g., BT device 30, BT device 40…the paired device list 110 is arranged in terms of top-down priority…BT device 30 is given priority over BT device 40, which in turn has priority over BT device X, which in turn has priority over BT device Y…the paired device list 110 is prioritized based on at least one of…a user-defined priority”) using the first user-defined priority list. - See Fig. 2, ¶ [0045], (“…the paired device list 110 is prioritized based on at least one of…a user-defined priority”)
Alathur does not explicitly teach:
receive a sensor measurement from one or more of an accelerometer, a speed sensor, or a position sensor;
selecting a first user-defined priority list from a set of different user-defined priority lists based on the sensor measurement; and
However, REILY teaches:
receive a sensor measurement from one or more of an accelerometer, a speed sensor, or a position sensor; - See Fig. 6-7, ¶ [0041], (“The movement detecting circuitry is configured to use devices such as an accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, or the like to detect whether the user wearing the headphones is moving (e.g., walking, running etc.) or is at rest and/or the direction the user is looking or facing…detect a head position of the user”, This confirms sensor-based measurements (acceleration, speed, or orientation) are used to detect user activity); ¶ [0079], (“Many types of triggers could be used for launching an activity…potential triggers include…speed, inferred activity type (e.g., exercising”)
selecting a first user-defined priority list from a set of different user-defined priority lists based on the sensor measurement; - See Fig. 3-5, ¶ [0065], (“A gym activity may be triggered when the user's location indicates the user is at a gym…An airplane activity may be triggered when a sensor on the headphones or user device determines the user is on an airplane.”); ¶ [0068], (“Customizing prioritized lists of sources devices…at least one option…enables a user to prioritize or order source devices to connect to (e.g., pair with) based on the activity. In the work activity, the user may prioritize connections to “work laptop”…In the home activity, the user may prioritize connections to devices at the user's house…In the commute activity, the user prioritizes connections to “smartphone.” When the user switches between activities, the headphones automatically and seamlessly connect to one or more source devices based on the prioritized list associated with the activity.”) and
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Alathur with REILY to include receiving a sensor measurement of user activity including acceleration measured by an accelerometer, speed measured by a speed sensor, or orientation measured by a position sensor, as taught by REILY. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to improve user experience, as suggested by REILY, When the user switches between activities, the headphones automatically and seamlessly connect to one or more source devices based on the prioritized list associated with the activity. - ¶ [0068]
Combination of Alathur and REILY does not explicitly teach:
designating which of additional electronic devices that lack the sensor are searched for wirelessly connecting with the first electronic device prior to others of the additional electronic devices using the first user-defined priority list.
However, Huang teaches:
designating which of additional electronic devices that lack the sensor are searched for wirelessly connecting with the first electronic device prior to others of the additional electronic devices using the first user-defined priority list. – in ¶ [0005], (““wearable computers” or “wearable computing devices” generally refer to computer devices capable of being worn by a person…“Non-wearable computers” or “non-wearable computing devices” generally refer to computer devices that are not configured to be worn by a person…Wearable computers can also include… sensor/display packages…¶ [0008], (“non-wearable computers often lack the sensor packages to adequately detect heart rate…or other body or outside environmental conditions.”)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Alathur and REILY with Huang to include electronic devices that lack the sensor, as taught by Huang. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to improve user experience, as suggested by Huang, monitor the user and the user's environment, and to supplement or complement the functionality of such non-wearable computers, thereby providing enhanced functionality and convenience to the user. - ¶ [0009]
Claim 11 is the apparatus claim corresponding to the method claim of Claim 1 and is rejected under the same rationale as Claim 1 since they recite nearly identical limitations.
Claim 12 is rejected under the same rationale as Claim 2 since they recite nearly identical limitations.
Claims 17-19 are rejected under the same rationale as Claims 8-10 since they recite nearly identical limitations.
Claim 20 is rejected under the same rationale as Claim 1 since they recite nearly identical limitations.
Claims 3, 5, 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Alathur et al. (US 20230328495, hereinafter, “Alathur”) in view of REILY et al. (US 20200264835, hereinafter, “REILY”), and further in view of Huang et al. (US 20160198319, hereinafter, “Huang”) and WANG (WO 2023273639, hereinafter, “WANG”).
Claim 3. Combination of Alathur, REILY, and Huang teaches The method of claim 1, - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s).
Combination of Alathur, REILY, and Huang does not explicitly teach:
wherein, responsive to receiving a second connection request from a third electronic device after establishing the wireless communication link, the method comprises comparing the third electronic device to the second electronic device according to the prioritized order in the first user-defined priority list.
However, WANG teaches:
wherein, responsive to receiving a second connection request from a third electronic device after establishing the wireless communication link, - in ¶ [0051], (“after determining the second device that has currently established a connection with the connectable device…Then, when there is a connection request sent by a first device…”) the method comprises comparing the third electronic device to the second electronic device according to the prioritized order in the first user-defined priority list. - in ¶ [0051], (“Then, when there is a connection request sent by a first device, the priority order of the first device and the second device can be determined based on the first device information…and the second device information…a corresponding priority order can be set for each device that has historically established a connection with a connectable device…Then, the connection between the connectable device and the first device or the second device can be determined based on the priority order.”); ¶ [0090], (“the device information of any first-priority device can be replaced based on the user's choice.”)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Alathur, REILY, and Huang with WANG to include responsive to receiving a second connection request from a third electronic device after establishing the wireless communication link, comparing the third electronic device to the second electronic device according to the prioritized order, as taught by WANG. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to improve Bluetooth communication, as suggested by WANG, when a mobile phone is a connectable device, a connection can be established between a mobile phone and a computer via wireless network, Bluetooth, etc., while a connection can be established between mobile phones via wireless network, Bluetooth. - ¶ [0004]
Claim 5. Combination of Alathur, REILY, Huang, and WANG teaches The method of claim 3, - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s).
WANG further teaches:
wherein, responsive to determining that the third electronic device has a higher priority than the second electronic device, the method comprises: - in ¶ [0057], (“if the first device is a first-priority device or a second-priority device, the connection between the connectable device and the second device can be disconnected, and a connection between the first device and the connectable device can be established”, first device (eq. third electronic device), second device (eq. second electronic device), connectable device (eq. first electronic device)) dropping the wireless communication link between the first electronic device and the second electronic device, and establishing a second wireless communication link between the first electronic device and the third electronic device. - in ¶ [0057], (“if the first device is a first-priority device or a second-priority device, the connection between the connectable device and the second device can be disconnected, and a connection between the first device and the connectable device can be established”, first device (eq. third electronic device), second device (eq. second electronic device), connectable device (eq. first electronic device))
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Alathur, REILY, and Huang with WANG to include responsive to determining that the third electronic device has a higher priority than the second electronic device, dropping the wireless communication link between the first electronic device and the second electronic device, and establishing a second wireless communication link between the first electronic device and the third electronic device, as taught by WANG. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to improve Bluetooth communication, as suggested by WANG, when a mobile phone is a connectable device, a connection can be established between a mobile phone and a computer via wireless network, Bluetooth, etc., while a connection can be established between mobile phones via wireless network, Bluetooth. - ¶ [0004]
Claim 14. Combination of Alathur, REILY, Huang, and WANG teaches The device connection system of claim 13, - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s).
WANG further teaches:
wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more processors to reject the second connection request in response to the one or more processors determining that the second electronic device has a higher priority than the third electronic device in the first user-defined priority list. - in ¶ [0054], (“if the second device is a first priority device (the priority of the first priority device is the highest priority among all priority devices), since the second device is a first priority device, the priority of all other devices is lower than the second device. At this time, the connection request corresponding to the first device can be rejected and the connection between the connectable device and the second device can be maintained.”)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Alathur, REILY, and Huang with WANG to include reject the second connection request in response to determining that the second electronic device has a higher priority than the third electronic device in the first user-defined priority list, as taught by WANG. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to improve Bluetooth communication, as suggested by WANG, when a mobile phone is a connectable device, a connection can be established between a mobile phone and a computer via wireless network, Bluetooth, etc., while a connection can be established between mobile phones via wireless network, Bluetooth. - ¶ [0004]
Claim 13 is rejected under the same rationale as Claim 3 since they recite nearly identical limitations.
Claim 15 is rejected under the same rationale as Claim 5 since they recite nearly identical limitations.
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.
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/SHIMA WASEL/Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2475
/KHALED M KASSIM/supervisory patent examiner, Art Unit 2475
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