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 Status
Claims 1-20 and 22-23 are currently pending for examination.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 1/18/2026 have been fully considered.
In response to “The Rejection of Claims Under § 112”, the rejection has been withdrawn in view of the amendment.
In response to the first argument under “The Rejection of Claims Under § 102”, Friedli appears to teach the newly introduced claim limitation “sending, by the verification application of the mobile device, an encrypted access token pre-stored in the mobile device prior to establishing the secure communication channel to the secure relay device using the secure communication channel” at paragraph [0013].
Paragraph [0013] of Friedli discloses:
“In one exemplary embodiment, the confirmation message contains in addition to the electronic code, a further electronic code which is stored in the electronic lock and is valid for a future activation of the electronic lock. The further electronic code constitutes the reference code for the future activation. This enables a flexible choice of a desired security level. If a high security level is desired, the electronic code can only be used once on the electronic lock. If the electronic lock is to be activated again thereafter, the electronic code sent with the confirmation message must then correspond to the further electronic code (reference code). If a lower security level is desired, the reference code can be replaced, for example, after a certain usage time or after a certain number of activations of the electronic lock by the further electronic code.”.
The cited paragraph appears to teach in a lower security system, the electronic activation / unlock code received at step S7 of Fig. 3 can be used for a number of times to unlock the electronic lock 8. In other words, when the user approaches the electronic lock for the second time, the mobile device transmits the pre-stored electronic activation / unlock code to the electronic lock. The pre-stored electronic activation / unlock code was received from the server and stored by the mobile device during the first time of activation.
In response to the second argument that Friedl fails to teach the claim limitation “sending, by the verification application of the mobile device, an encrypted access token to the secure relay device, and decrypting, by the secure relay device, the encrypted access token”, Friedl expressly contemplates that the activation / unlock code exchanged between the mobile device and electronic lock is transmitted using Bluetooth or NFC communication. As is well understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art, Bluetooth or NFC protocols necessarily employs standardized encryption and decryption mechanisms to secure data transmission.
Therefore, it is reasonable for a person having ordinary skill in the art to interpreted Friedl’s Bluetooth or NFC communication inherently encrypts and decrypts the unlock code to protect data transmission.
In response to “The Rejection of Claims Under § 103”, the arguments for the dependent claims appear to repeat the arguments from above. Therefore, they are rejected for the same reasons.
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.
Claims 1-5 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Friedli (Pub. No.: US 2019/0371101 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Friedli teaches a method of operating an access control system (Abstract, Fig. 1 - Fig. 3, access control system 1), the method comprising:
receiving, by a mobile device, an identification of a physical access portal (Fig. 3, step S2, para [0037], “When the user 4 with his mobile device 2 moves towards a door 10, in a step S2 the mobile device 2 receives a data signal emitted by the electronic lock 8 with its lock identifier and lock state designator.”);
establishing, by a verification application of the mobile device (Fig. 1, mobile device 2, para [0023], “For its function in the access control system 1 the mobile device 8 is fitted with corresponding hardware (e.g. one or more radio modules) and corresponding software (e.g. one or more application programs or application-specific software (also designated as “App”))”), a secure communication channel with a secure relay device using out of band signaling (Fig. 2, para [0024], “As mentioned, communication in the access control system 1 takes place by means of the radio connections 14, 15, 16, 17 wherein the radio connections 16, 17 are used for communication between the electronic lock 8 and the mobile device 2 and the radio connections 14, 15 are used for communication between the mobile device 2 and the server 6. The radio connection 16, 17 can, for example, be based on a known radio technology for short distances, e.g. Bluetooth, NFC (near field communication), WiFi/WLAN or RFID technology.”. The mobile device 2 securely communicates with the electronic lock 8 via Bluetooth or NFC. Data security is provided by the security features of Bluetooth or NFC communication protocol. Bluetooth or NFC is considered as out of band signal according to the applicant’s disclosure at paragraph [0053]), wherein the secure relay device is local to the physical access portal and controls access to the physical access portal local to the secure relay device (Fig. 2, the electronic lock 8 is located at the door 10 to lock or unlock the door);
sending, by the verification application of the mobile device, an encrypted access token pre-stored in the mobile device prior to establishing the secure communication channel to the secure relay device using the secure communication channel and out of band signaling (para [0013], “ In one exemplary embodiment, the confirmation message contains in addition to the electronic code, a further electronic code which is stored in the electronic lock and is valid for a future activation of the electronic lock. The further electronic code constitutes the reference code for the future activation. This enables a flexible choice of a desired security level. If a high security level is desired, the electronic code can only be used once on the electronic lock. If the electronic lock is to be activated again thereafter, the electronic code sent with the confirmation message must then correspond to the further electronic code (reference code). If a lower security level is desired, the reference code can be replaced, for example, after a certain usage time or after a certain number of activations of the electronic lock by the further electronic code.”. In a lower security system, the electronic activation / unlock code received at step S7 can be used for a number of times to unlock the electronic lock 8. In other words, when the user approaches the electronic lock for the second time, the mobile device transmits the pre-stored electronic activation / unlock code to the electronic lock. The pre-stored electronic activation / unlock code was received from the server and stored by the mobile device during the first time of activation); and
decrypting, by the secure relay device, the encrypted access token, and granting access by the secure relay device to the physical access portal according to information stored in the encrypted access token (Fig. 3, step S8, para [0045] – [0046], “If the confirmation message contains the activation code for the door 10 near which the user 4 is located, if the activation code agrees with the reference code, the electronic lock 8 can thus be unlocked and the door 10 thereby opened.”. The mobile device transmits the activation / unlock code to the electronic lock 8 to unlock the door 10. The encryption and decryption of data is governed by the standard of Bluetooth or NFC protocol.).
Regarding claim 2, Friedli teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the encrypted access token comprises a cryptographic signature taken over an access token identifier and one or more of a mobile device identifier, a secure relay device identifier, an access start time for the physical access portal, and an access expiration time for the physical access portal (Para [0042], “In one exemplary embodiment the activation code is only valid at this electronic lock 8. The validity can be subject to time restrictions, for example, it can be valid only at specific times (e.g. during business hours) or only for a specified time duration. The confirmation message generated by the server 6 comprises the activation code, including possible time restrictions, the lock identifier and possibly the device identifier of the mobile device 2 to which the server 6 sends the confirmation message.”. The activation code further comprises a time restriction for a specific lock identifier.).
Regarding claim 3, Friedli teaches the method of claim 1, comprising:
initiating, by the verification application of the mobile device, a request for status to a verification device different from the secure relay device for access credential information of a user of the mobile device (Fig. 3 step S4, para [0038]. The mobile device 2 transmits a request for activation code to the server 22);
receiving a response to the request (Fig. 3, step S7. The mobile device receives the activation code); and
including the response to the request in the information stored in the encrypted access token sent to the secure relay device (Fig. 3, step S8. The mobile device transmits the activation code to the electronic lock).
Regarding claim 4, Friedli teaches the method of claim 1, wherein receiving the identification of the physical access portal comprises reading cryptographically protected information from a near field communications (NFC) tag that identifies the physical access portal (Fig. 2, step S2, para [0024], “As mentioned, communication in the access control system 1 takes place by means of the radio connections 14, 15, 16, 17 wherein the radio connections 16, 17 are used for communication between the electronic lock 8 and the mobile device 2 and the radio connections 14, 15 are used for communication between the mobile device 2 and the server 6. The radio connection 16, 17 can, for example, be based on a known radio technology for short distances, e.g. Bluetooth, NFC (near field communication), WiFi/WLAN or RFID technology.”. The mobile device receives lock identifier via NFC.).
Regarding claim 5, Friedli teaches the method of claim 4, wherein the verification application of the mobile device begins executing in response to the reading the cryptographically protected information from the NFC tag (Fig. 3, step S3, the mobile device generates a message to the server based on the lock identifier received via NFC connection.).
Regarding claim 7, Friedli teaches the method of claim 1, wherein receiving the identification of the physical access portal comprises receiving the identification of the physical access portal in a beacon signal (Fig. 3 step S2, para [0037], “When the user 4 with his mobile device 2 moves towards a door 10, in a step S2 the mobile device 2 receives a data signal emitted by the electronic lock 8 with its lock identifier and lock state designator.” and para [0024], “As mentioned, communication in the access control system 1 takes place by means of the radio connections 14, 15, 16, 17 wherein the radio connections 16, 17 are used for communication between the electronic lock 8 and the mobile device 2 and the radio connections 14, 15 are used for communication between the mobile device 2 and the server 6. The radio connection 16, 17 can, for example, be based on a known radio technology for short distances, e.g. Bluetooth, NFC (near field communication), WiFi/WLAN or RFID technology.”. The mobile device receives lock identifier via Bluetooth. Bluetooth is considered as a beacon signal according to para [0012] of the specification.).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Friedli (Pub. No.: US 2019/0371101 A1) in view of Mihira (Pub. No.: US 2017/0046107 A1).
Regarding claim 6, Friedli teaches the method of claim 4, comprising:
reading the cryptographically protected information from the NFC tag after the verification application is started (Fig. 3, step s2. The NFC function must be enabled on the mobile device in order to read lock identifier from the electronic lock.).
Friedli fails to expressly teach presenting a notification of the verification application on a display screen of the mobile device; and
starting execution of the verification application in response to detecting contact with the display screen.
However, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to turn on the NFC function of the mobile device via control panel or setting. For example, smartphones allow the user to turn on or off NFC by tapping the NFC interface.
Also, in the same field of mobile device, Mihira teaches the mobile phone displays an indicator that indicates NFC status and options for the user to enable NFC connection with a device. See Fig. 5A - Fig. 8, para [0064], “In step S409, if the OK button 534 is pressed while, for example, the screen shown in FIG. 7 is displayed, the process advances to step S801. In step S801, the CPU 201 instructs the OS 302 to enable (turn on) the NFC setting.”.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Friedli’s mobile device to display NFC status and options to allow the user to enable NFC connection to improve control.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Friedli (Pub. No.: US 2019/0371101 A1) in view of Tohzaka (Pub. No.: US 2016/0050271 A1).
Regarding claim 8, Friedli teaches the method of claim 1, comprising:
granting access by the secure relay device to the physical access portal further according to a time policy and a time determined by the real time clock circuit (para [0042], “In one exemplary embodiment the activation code is only valid at this electronic lock 8. The validity can be subject to time restrictions, for example, it can be valid only at specific times (e.g. during business hours) or only for a specific time duration. The confirmation message generated by the server 6 comprises the activation code, including possible time restrictions, the lock identifier and possibly the device identifier of the mobile device 2 to which the server 6 sends the confirmation message.”).
Friedli teaches the access server determines whether the user is allowed to unlock the door based on the time restriciton but fails to expressly teach
establishing a secure communication channel between the secure relay device and a time server; and synchronizing a real time clock circuit of the secure relay device with the time server using the secure communication channel.
However, in the same field of server, Tohzaka teaches a device is configured to receive synchronized time from a network time protocol (NTP) server. See Fig. 3, and para [0036], “The server apparatus 100 may be connected to the Internet via the network interface 105 to transmit, receive, or control video contents or time-synchronize with an NTP (Network Time Protocol) server.”.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Friedli’s electronic lock to receive time from a NTP server to improve time accuracy.
Claims 9-10, 14-18 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Friedli (Pub. No.: US 2019/0371101 A1) in view of Claus (Pub. No.: US 2008/0287062 A1).
Regarding claim 9, Friedli teaches a secure relay device of an access control system (Fig. 2, electronic lock 8 of the access control system 1), the device comprising:
physical layer circuitry configured to receive information wirelessly (Fig. 2, the electronic lock comprises of a transceiver 30 to communicate with mobile device 2); and
processing circuitry operatively coupled to the physical layer circuitry (Fig. 2, processor 36 of the electronic lock) and configured to:
control access only to a physical access portal local to the secure relay device (Fig. 2, the electronic lock 8 only control access to door that it is attached to.);
encode second authentication information for sending to the mobile device to establish a secure communication channel with the mobile device using the out of band signaling (Fig. 2, step S2, para [0037], “When the user 4 with his mobile device 2 moves towards a door 10, in a step S2 the mobile device 2 receives a data signal emitted by the electronic lock 8 with its lock identifier and lock state designator. The lock state designator specifies whether the lock 8 has a status/state “open”/“active” or a status/state “closed”/“inactive”. In this exemplary embodiment the electronic lock 8 and the mobile device 2 communication via a Bluetooth radio connection.”. The electronic lock 8 transmits the lock identifier to the mobile device via Bluetooth or NFC. Bluetooth or NFC is considered as out of band signal according to the applicant’s disclosure at paragraph [0053]);
decrypt an access token received from the mobile device via the secure communication channel using the out of band signaling in response to the second authentication information (Fig. 3, step S8, the electronic lock receives the activation code from the mobile device. The encryption and decryption of data is governed by the standard of Bluetooth or NFC protocol.);
determine validity of the access token; and
grant access to the physical access portal according to the access token (Para [0046], “If the confirmation message contains the activation code for the door 10 near which the user 4 is located, if the activation code agrees with the reference code, the electronic lock 8 can thus be unlocked and the door 10 thereby opened. The state of the electronic lock 8 is now active or unlocked; the lock state designator follows this change of state. The state designator remains in this state until the door 10 is closed again and the electronic lock 8 is locked.”).
Friedli teaches the use of Bluetooth but fails to expressly teach the electronic lock is configured to decode first authentication information received wirelessly from a mobile device using out of band signaling that is out of band of the mobile device.
However, in the same field of communication, Claus teaches the details of pairing between two Bluetooth devices. For example, the master device / electronic lock broadcasts a query at step 354 followed by the slave device / mobile device returns an inquiry response at step 357. The master device / electronic lock receives the inquiry response from the mobile device using Bluetooth signal. See Fig. 3 and para [0049].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Friedli’s Bluetooth transceiver to perform pairing sequence to improve data security.
Regarding claim 10, Friedli in the combination teaches the device of claim 9, comprising a secure element configured to store one or more cryptography keys (Fig. 2, memory 34, and Fig. 3, step S8. The electronic lock has a memory to store activation code and other data).
Regarding claim 14, Friedli in the combination teaches the device of claim 9, wherein the access token comprises an access token identifier, a mobile device identifier, and a secure relay device identifier (Para [0042], “In one exemplary embodiment the activation code is only valid at this electronic lock 8. The validity can be subject to time restrictions, for example, it can be valid only at specific times (e.g. during business hours) or only for a specified time duration. The confirmation message generated by the server 6 comprises the activation code, including possible time restrictions, the lock identifier and possibly the device identifier of the mobile device 2 to which the server 6 sends the confirmation message.”. The activation code further comprises a time restriction for a specific lock identifier.).
Regarding claim 15, Friedli teaches a machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a mobile device (Fig. 2, mobile device 2 includes applications. Para [0023], “For its function in the access control system 1 the mobile device 8 is fitted with corresponding hardware (e.g. one or more radio modules) and corresponding software (e.g. one or more application programs or application-specific software (also designated as “App”)).”), cause the mobile device to perform acts comprising:
receiving an identification of a physical access portal (Fig. 3 step S2);
establishing a secure communication channel with the secure relay device using out of band signaling (para [0037], “When the user 4 with his mobile device 2 moves towards a door 10, in a step S2 the mobile device 2 receives a data signal emitted by the electronic lock 8 with its lock identifier and lock state designator. The lock state designator specifies whether the lock 8 has a status/state “open”/“active” or a status/state “closed”/“inactive”. In this exemplary embodiment the electronic lock 8 and the mobile device 2 communication via a Bluetooth radio connection.”. Bluetooth is out of band signal.); and
sending an encrypted access token stored in the mobile device to the secure relay device using the secure communication channel and out of band signaling (Fig. 3 step S8. The mobile device transmits the activation code to the electronic lock to unlock the door.).
Friedli teaches the use of Bluetooth but fails to expressly teach the mobile device is configured to exchanging authentication information with a secure relay device located at the physical access portal.
However, in the same field of communication, Claus teaches the details of pairing between two Bluetooth devices. Fig. 3 shows the authentication sequence where the master device / electronic lock and the slave device / mobile device exchanges authentication information at steps 358-361 to verify the validity of each device. See Fig. 3 and para [0049].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Friedli’s mobile device to perform pairing sequence to improve data security.
Regarding claim 16, Friedli in the combination teaches the machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions that cause the mobile device to perform acts comprising:
initiating a request to a verification device different from the secure relay device for access credential information of a user of the mobile device (Fig. 3 step S4, para [0038]. The mobile device 2 transmits a request for activation code to the server 22); and
decoding the access credential information received in response to the request; and
including the response to the request in the information stored in the encrypted access token sent to the secure relay device (Fig. 3, step S8. The mobile device transmits the activation code to the electronic lock).
Regarding claim 17, Friedli in the combination teaches the machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions that cause the mobile device to perform acts comprising receiving the identification of the physical access port in a Bluetooth signal (Fig. 3, step S2 and para [0037]).
Friedli teaches the use of Bluetooth instead of Bluetooth low energy (BLE) signal.
However, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply any one of the known Bluetooth signals (e.g., Bluetooth low energy signal) to the known Bluetooth device to yield predictable results and to reduce power usage.
Regarding claim 18, Friedli in the combination teaches the machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions that cause the mobile device to perform acts comprising receiving the identification of the physical access port in encrypted information received using near field communication (NFC) (Fig. 3, step S2 and para [0024]. The mobile device communicates with the electronic lock via NFC connection.).
Regarding claim 22, Friedli in the combination teaches the machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions that cause the mobile device to perform acts comprising:
receiving the identification of the physical access portal using a beacon signal (Fig. 3 step S2 and para [0037]. Bluetooth is a considered as a beacon signal);
determining intent of the user to access the physical access portal using the beacon signal (para [0006], “
In this access control system a mobile electronic device receives a data signal with a lock identifier and lock state designator when it is within radio range of the electronic lock. The mobile device generates a server message which comprises the lock identifier, the lock state designator and a device identifier of the mobile electronic device.”. The mobile device determines the user’s intent to unlock the door when the mobile phone detects the Bluetooth signal emitted for the electronic lock.); and
establishing the secure communication channel with the secure relay device in response to determining the intent (para [0014], “In one exemplary embodiment the radio communication between the mobile electronic device and the electronic lock is based on a Bluetooth standard.”. The security of the data is governed by the Bluetooth standard.).
Claims 11 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Friedli (Pub. No.: US 2019/0371101 A1) in view of Claus (Pub. No.: US 2008/0287062 A1) as applied to claim 9, and further in view of Tohzaka (Pub. No.: US 2016/0050271 A1).
Regarding claim 11, Friedli in the combination teaches the device of claim 9, comprising:
a real time clock circuit coupled to the processing circuitry; and
grant access by the secure relay device to the physical access portal according to the access token, a time policy, and a time determined by the real time clock circuit (para [0042] “In one exemplary embodiment the activation code is only valid at this electronic lock 8. The validity can be subject to time restrictions, for example, it can be valid only at specific times (e.g. during business hours) or only for a specific time duration. The confirmation message generated by the server 6 comprises the activation code, including possible time restrictions, the lock identifier and possibly the device identifier of the mobile device 2 to which the server 6 sends the confirmation message.”), .
Friedli teaches the access server determines whether the user is allowed to unlock the door based on the time restriction but fails to expressly teach wherein the processing circuitry is configured to: establish a secure communication channel with a time server; and synchronize the real time clock circuit with the time server via the secure communication channel.
However, in the same field of server, Tohzaka teaches a device is configured to receive synchronized time from a network time protocol (NTP) server. See Fig. 3, and para [0036], “The server apparatus 100 may be connected to the Internet via the network interface 105 to transmit, receive, or control video contents or time-synchronize with an NTP (Network Time Protocol) server.”.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Friedli’s electronic lock to receive time from a NTP server to improve time accuracy.
Regarding claim 13, Friedli in the combination teaches the device of claim 11, wherein the physical layer circuitry is configured to transmit a beacon signal readable by the mobile device (Fig. 3 step S2, para [0037], “When the user 4 with his mobile device 2 moves towards a door 10, in a step S2 the mobile device 2 receives a data signal emitted by the electronic lock 8 with its lock identifier and lock state designator.” and para [0024], “As mentioned, communication in the access control system 1 takes place by means of the radio connections 14, 15, 16, 17 wherein the radio connections 16, 17 are used for communication between the electronic lock 8 and the mobile device 2 and the radio connections 14, 15 are used for communication between the mobile device 2 and the server 6. The radio connection 16, 17 can, for example, be based on a known radio technology for short distances, e.g. Bluetooth, NFC (near field communication), WiFi/WLAN or RFID technology.”. The mobile device receives lock identifier via Bluetooth. Bluetooth is considered as a beacon signal according to para [0012] of the specification.).
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Friedli (Pub. No.: US 2019/0371101 A1) in view of Claus (Pub. No.: US 2008/0287062 A1) and Tohzaka (Pub. No.: US 2016/0050271 A1) as applied to claim 11, and further in view of Quinn (Pub. No.: US 2017/0271915 A1).
Regarding claim 12, Friedli in the combination teaches the device of claim 11, wherein the electronic lock determines whether to unlock the door based on the time restriction but fails to expressly teach comprising a super-capacitor coupled to the real time clock circuit to power the real time clock circuit.
However, in the same field of data processing, Quinn teaches a super capacitor is connected to a clock of a processor to provide backup power in the event of power failure. See para [0007], “a super capacitor connected to the real time clock that provides power backup to the real time clock in the event of an electrical outage;”.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Friedli’s electronic lock with a super capacitor to provide backup power to its clock circuit in the event of power failure to improve reliability.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Friedli (Pub. No.: US 2019/0371101 A1) in view of Claus (Pub. No.: US 2008/0287062 A1) as applied to claim 18, and further in view of Mihira (Pub. No.: US 2017/0046107 A1).
Regarding claim 20, Friedli in the combination teaches the machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions that cause the mobile device to perform acts comprising:
wherein the verification application initiates sending the encrypted access token to the secure relay device (Fig. 3 step S8); and
initiating a request for the identification of the physical access port using the verification application (Fig. 2, step S2).
Friedli fails to expressly teach presenting a notification of a verification application on a display screen of the mobile device, and starting execution of the application in response to contact detected using the display screen;
However, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to turn on the NFC function of the mobile device via control panel or setting. For example, smartphones allow the user to turn on or off NFC by tapping the NFC interface.
Also, in the same field of mobile device, Mihira teaches the mobile phone displays an indicator that indicates NFC status and options for the user to enable NFC connection with a device. See Fig. 5A - Fig. 8, para [0064], “In step S409, if the OK button 534 is pressed while, for example, the screen shown in FIG. 7 is displayed, the process advances to step S801. In step S801, the CPU 201 instructs the OS 302 to enable (turn on) the NFC setting.”.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Friedli’s mobile device to display NFC status and options to allow the user to enable NFC connection to improve control.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 19 and 23 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.
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 ZHEN Y WU whose telephone number is (571)272-5711. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 10AM-6PM, EST.
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/ZHEN Y WU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2685