Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/247,338

Method for controlling access to services, associated methods and associated devices

Non-Final OA §102§103§112
Filed
Mar 30, 2023
Examiner
CERVETTI, DAVID GARCIA
Art Unit
2409
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Orange
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
3y 5m
To Grant
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allow Rate
990 granted / 1195 resolved
+24.8% vs TC avg
Strong +16% interview lift
Without
With
+15.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 5m
Avg Prosecution
27 currently pending
Career history
1222
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
14.6%
-25.4% vs TC avg
§103
26.8%
-13.2% vs TC avg
§102
22.0%
-18.0% vs TC avg
§112
17.5%
-22.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1195 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103 §112
DETAILED ACTION Applicant’s amendment filed 12/30/2025 has been fully considered. Claims 1-8 and 14-18 are pending and have been examined. Claims 9-13 have been withdrawn in response to the Election Requirement mailed 8/9/2024. 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 . Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114 A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Response to Amendment The rejection under 35 USC § 112 is withdrawn. The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action. Applicant’s arguments with respect to the prior art 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 § 112 Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim 5 recites the limitation "the service providing device". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. This is not intended to be a complete list of such indefiniteness issues. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 Claims 1-3, 5, 6, and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by LeHuerou (20140351335). Regarding claims 1 and 5, LeHuerou teaches A method for controlling access to services, the services being provided by a remote service providing server and intended for a playback system, wherein the method comprises acts implemented by a processor of the remote service providing server comprising: / A remote service providing server providing services intended for a playback system, the service providing device comprising: a transmitter; a processor; and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon which when executed by the processor configure the remote service providing server to (abstract): after receiving an access request for at least one service from the playback system, the access request comprising an identifier of a customer account (par.73-75, user in T1 requests access to content), transmitting a confirmation request to a first communication terminal associated with the customer account in the remote service providing server and connected to a communication network (par.76-80, send request to user of T2); and then, accessing said at least one service in response to an authentication code received from said first communication terminal being identical to an authentication code associated with the customer account (par.78-82). Regarding claims 6 and 8, LeHuerou teaches A confirmation method for confirming with a remote service providing server an access request for at least one service, wherein the method is implemented by a first communication terminal and comprises: / A communication terminal comprising: a transmitter; a receiver; a processor; and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon which when executed by the processor configure the communication terminal to (abstract): receiving a confirmation request coming from the remote service providing server (par.76-80, send request to user of T2), and transmitting an authentication code to the remote service providing server, said authentication code being generated by an authentication application after an authentication selected from the group consisting of: - authentication of biometric data of an owner of the first communication terminal; and - authentication of a personal identification number entered on the first communication terminal (par.63-72, 77-82). Regarding claim 2, LeHuerou teaches wherein the received access request for said at least one service one of the following devices: the first communication terminal; and the playback system comprising a communication unit for communicating with the communications network and a display screen (par.73-80). Regarding claim 3, LeHuerou teaches wherein the customer account comprises at least one service identification linked to an identifier of the first communication terminal and to the identifier of the customer account, said access being given to the identified communication terminal only for at least the service having a service identification mentioned in the customer account and linked to the identifier of the first communication terminal (par.73-80). Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LeHuerou, and further in view of Shin (20140059644). Regarding claim 4, LeHuerou does not expressly disclose, however Shin teaches wherein the customer account comprises an identifier of a second communication terminal having subscribed to the customer account and an authentication code of said second communication terminal, and wherein the customer account comprises an authorization upon request, the method further comprising: transmitting an authorization request to the second communication terminal, receiving a response and an authentication code from the second communication terminal, said response being a right of access to a service among the following: authorization to access the service, refusal of access to the service, implementing the response if the received authentication code is identical to the authentication code of the second communication terminal stored in the customer account (par.40-46, 135-140). Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify LeHuerou to use additional devices as taught by Shin. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to perform such a modification to further control access to content and provide for additional sharing (Shin, par.9-20, 40-60). Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LeHuerou, and further in view of Boodaei (20210073359). Regarding claim 7, LeHuerou teaches generating a code after authentication , but does not expressly disclose, however Boodaei teaches wherein said authentication code of the first communication terminal is generated only after authentication of biometric data of an owner of the first communication terminal (par.36-41, 57-61, abstract). Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify LeHuerou to use additional authentication schemes as taught by Boodaei. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to perform such a modification to further control access to content (Boodaei, par.30-40). Claims 14-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LeHuerou, and further in view of Yin (20100162294). Regarding claim 14, LeHuerou teaches using different devices and authentication codes distributed to them (par.70-85) but does not expressly disclose, however, Yin teaches which comprises an enrichment of a memory of the remote service providing server, said remote service providing server comprising a generator suitable for generating an installation code, the enrichment of the memory being implemented by the remote service providing server and comprising (abstract, par.9-14, 21-24): generating an installation code and saving said installation code while associating it with the identifier of the customer account, transmitting said installation code to the first communication terminal, receiving a message from the first communication terminal, said message including the authentication code of the first communication terminal, the identifier of the first communication terminal, and said installation code, saving the received authentication code in a memory of the server such that said authentication code is associated with the identifier of the customer account and with the identifier of the first communication terminal by using the installation code (fig.4, par.21-24). Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify LeHuerou to use activation codes as taught by Yin. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to perform such a modification to further control access to services (Yin, par.1,8-12, 18-21). Regarding claim 15, LeHuerou /Yin teaches receiving the identifier of the customer account, the identifier of the first communication terminal, and at least one service identification, only the service having said identification being authorized for viewing by said first communication terminal; and saving said at least one service identification in a memory of the remote service providing server, said at least one service identification being linked to the identifier of the first communication terminal and to the identifier of the customer account (LeHuerou, par.73-79). Regarding claim 16, LeHuerou /Yin teaches transmitting a text message to the first communication terminal to confirm the saving of said at least one service identification in the memory of the remote service providing server (Yin, par.18-22). Claims 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LeHuerou, and further in view of Boodaei (20210073359) and Yin (20100162294). Regarding claim 17, LeHuerou teaches using different devices and authentication codes distributed to them, and an authentication of an owner/user of the first communication terminal, authentication of a identification number (par.70-80) but does not expressly disclose, however, Boodaei teaches wherein said authentication code of the first communication terminal is generated only after authentication of biometric data of an owner of the first communication terminal, generating the authentication code, by the authentication application, after an authentication among the following: authentication of biometric data of an owner of the first communication terminal; authentication of a personal identification number entered on the first communication terminal (par.36-41, 57-61, abstract). Yin teacheswhich comprises an installation, on the first communication terminal of an access control for services, the installation being implemented by the first communication terminal connected to the communications network and comprising (abstract, par.9-14, 21-24): receiving an installation code coming from the remote service providing server; downloading an access control application to the first communication terminal; and generating the authentication code, by the authentication application, after an authentication among the following: authentication of a personal identification number entered on the first communication terminal; and transmitting the installation code, the generated authentication code, and the identifier of the first communication terminal, to the remote service providing server (fig.4, par.21-24). Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify LeHuerou to use additional authentication schemes as taught by Boodaei and to use activation codes as taught by Yin. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to perform such a modification to further control access to content/services (Boodaei, par.30-40, Yin, par.1,8-12, 18-21). Regarding claim 18, LeHuerou/ Boodaei /Yin teaches wherein said authentication code of the first communication terminal is generated only after authentication of biometric data of the owner of the first communication terminal (Boodaei, par.36-41, 57-61, abstract). Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Koo (20170127276), Kudelski (9348983) teach authentication based on multiple devices and codes, Yoon (20200382307) teaches generating codes based on biometric information. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to David García Cervetti whose telephone number is (571)272-5861. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, HADI S ARMOUCHE can be reached on (571)270-3618. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /David Garcia Cervetti/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2409
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Prosecution Timeline

Mar 30, 2023
Application Filed
Feb 04, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §103, §112
Jun 09, 2025
Response Filed
Sep 02, 2025
Final Rejection — §102, §103, §112
Dec 30, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Jan 12, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Feb 04, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §103, §112 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
83%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+15.5%)
3y 5m
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 1195 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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