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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the Applicants’ communication filed on 12/29/2025. In virtue of this communication, claims 1-13 and 16-18 are currently pending in the instant application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-13 and 16-18 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
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-13 and 16-18 are 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 1 states “when the one or more first devices and the second device comprise the third device, the one or more first devices comprise a fourth device that does not meet the first preset condition is configured to give an incoming call notification in a mute mode, the one or more first devices comprising the fourth device.”
This language is indefinite as to whether the first, second, third and fourth devices are separate devices. For example, instant par. 0181 states “In this embodiment of this application, when a device that meets the first preset condition exists in the first device and the second device, the device that meets the first preset condition may be referred to as a third device. When a device that meets the first preset condition exists in the first device and the second device, a device that does not meet the first preset condition in the first device may be referred to as a fourth device.” These seems to show the there are only two devices, but the applicant is naming the first and second device a third or fourth device dependent on whether preconditions are met. Also “the one or more first devices comprising the fourth device” is repeated and does not seem to further limit the claim. This language renders the claim indefinite. Examiner will interpret as multiple devices in a shared network that exchange notification settings and act accordingly.
Also claim 13 amendment states “the one or more first devices comprise a third device that meets the first preset condition
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 of this title, 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 1-13 and 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yim et al. (US 2017/0289329) in view of Rauenbuehler et al. (US 2015/0350418 A1).
Regarding Claim 13 Yim teaches the limitations "A first device of an incoming call notification system, wherein the incoming call notification system comprises a second device and one or more first devices, (see abstract and fig. 4 and fig. 21);
the first device comprises one or more processors and one or more memories, the one or more memories are coupled to the one or more processors, and the one or more memories store computer instructions; and when the one or more processors execute the computer instructions, the first device is configured to perform; (see fig. 1 and par. 0113 and 0120, controller 180 and memory 170 implement operations);
obtain, by the first device, static service information of each device in the incoming call notification system in response to receiving first signaling, wherein the first signaling is sent by the second device to the one or more first devices in response to receiving an incoming call request, the first signaling is used to indicate the one or more first devices to give an incoming call notification, (see fig. 15 and par. 0015 “According to an embodiment, when the operation state of the mobile terminal is a wake-up state, the controller may transmit information associated with the event to other terminals or output information associated with the event through the output unit based on whether or not there are the other terminals operating in a wake-up state” and
the static service information comprises use state information and a preset incoming call notification manner, and the use state information is used to indicate whether the corresponding device meets the first preset condition; (see par. 0023 “when a user is in a sleep state as a result of determining the user's physical condition or receiving information associated with the user's physical condition from at least one of other terminals, the controller may switch the operation mode to a vibration mode or a mute mode according to whether or not the mobile terminal is worn by the user.” Here the first preset condition is equated to the state of the other devices in the network (i.e. the devices wake or sleep state);
when the one or more first devices comprise a third device that meets the first preset condition, by the third device, an incoming call notification in an incoming call notification manner preset in the third device; and when the one or more first devices and the second device comprise the third device, by a fourth device that does not meet the first preset condition, an incoming call notification in a mute mode, the one or more first devices comprising the fourth device" (see par. 0023 and 0441 “On the contrary, when the mobile terminal 100 is not selected as a terminal to output notification information, namely, when it is not in a state of being worn by the user in the step S2504, the controller 180 may switch the operation mode of the mobile terminal 1000 to a mute mode (S2508).” Also see par. 0496 and fig. 25).
However, Yim does not explicitly disclose the limitation “determine that a first device key of the first device matches a second device key of the second device.”
In the same field of endeavor Rauenbuehler discloses “A host device may relay notifications to any number of client devices of an incoming call. In response to a hold command from a client device, the host device may connect to the call and place the call in a hold state. For example, when a phone operating as a host device receives an incoming call from a network, the phone may communicate the presence of the incoming call to client device(s), such as laptop, desktop, tablet, or wearable devices that are associated with the host device.” (see abstract). “each provider of content uses a unique provider certificate and private cryptographic key for validating their connection with PNS 220. This certificate can be provisioned by identity management server 215 and identify the provider and/or a particular topic published by the provider.” “Identity management server 215 may also issue to each device, which desires to receive content, a unique private key and certificate that the device uses to authenticate itself to identity management server 215 and establish a connection to PNS 220. A device usually obtains a device certificate and key from identity management server 215 during device activation and stores them in a keychain.” (see par. 0066-0068 and fig. 1). “Identity management server 215 may store any necessary certificates, CA certificates, and cryptographic keys (private and public) for validating connections and the identities of providers and devices.” (par. 0111).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to determine if the keys match in the devices as taught by Rauenbuehler in the system of Yim, in order to improve user experience with multiple connected devices and receive notifications according to conditions (see e.g. par. 0030 of Rauenbuehler).
Claims 1 and 9 are rejected for the same reasons set forth above because the claims have similar limitations or have been addressed.
Regarding Claim 16 Yim teaches the limitations "The first device according to claim 13, when the one or more processors execute the computer instructions, the first device is further configured to perform:
give, by the first device, an incoming call notification in a mute mode when one or more first devices do not comprise the third device that meets the first preset condition, and an incoming call notification manner preset in the second device is any one of ringing, vibration, and vibration on ring" (see par. 0456 “when the user is in a meeting or in a situation where the output of audio information is restricted such as an art gallery or museum, the controller 180 may select the terminal that is worn by the user as a terminal for outputting notification information to output the notification information as a vibration. In this case, the selected terminal may of course automatically switch the operation mode to a vibration mode based on the sensed user's situation.”
Claims 2 and 10 are rejected for the same reasons set forth above because the claims have similar limitations or have been addressed.
Regarding Claim 17 Yim teaches the limitations "The first device according to claim 13, when the one or more processors execute the computer instructions, the first device is further configured to perform:
give, by the first device, an incoming call notification in an incoming call notification manner preset in the first device when the one or more first devices and the second device do not comprise the third device and the incoming call notification manner preset in the second device is giving a notification in a mute mode" (see fig. 34 and par. 0496 “Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 34, when alarms set for the other terminals 2000, 2030 are output (3450) from any one terminal (e.g., smart watch 2020), the other terminals 2000, 2030 may not output alarms. In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 34, the terminals 2000, 2030 may operate in a mute mode (3460, 3470).” Also see claim 14 “wherein when a user is in a sleep state as a result of determining the user's physical condition or receiving information associated with the user's physical condition from at least one of other terminals, the controller switches the operation mode to a vibration mode or a mute mode according to whether or not the mobile terminal is worn by the user.”).
Claims 3 and 11 are rejected for the same reasons set forth above because the claims have similar limitations or have been addressed.
Regarding Claim 18 Yim teaches the limitations "The first device according to claim 13, when the one or more processors execute the computer instructions, the first device is further configured to perform:
determine, by the first device, whether the first device meets a second preset condition, and skip giving an incoming call notification if the first device meets the second preset condition, wherein the second preset condition comprises at least one of the following cases: a Do Not Disturb state and a coordination state; the Do Not Disturb state is used to indicate that a corresponding device is in a Do Not Disturb mode, (see par. 0475 “the controller of the smart phone 2000 may select a terminal to output the notification information based on an application currently executed on the smart phone 2000 or smart watch 2020 as described above. In this case, the controller of the smart phone 2000 may check whether the applications executed on the smart phone 2000 and smart watch 2020 are the types of applications predesignated by the user. For example, the user may previously designate an application associated with a video, a game or the, and a terminal on which the predesignated application is executed may not be selected as a terminal to which the notification information is output. In such a case, a state in which the user is immersed in content such as a movie or a game may not be disturbed by the notification information.”);
a device identifier of a device that initiates the incoming call request is not in a whitelist in the Do Not Disturb mode, and the incoming call request meets a Do Not Disturb rule in the Do Not Disturb mode; and the coordination state comprises at least one of the following: a call state and a multi-screen coordination state" (see par. 0285 “At this time, the first smart phone (P1) may transmit a BAN ID, a Connection Waiting command, and a code at the same time. The BAN ID may be an identifier of a specific BAN network. In addition, the BAN ID may be employed in various ways if the BAN network can be uniquely identified. For example, it may be an ID on the BAN of the first smart phone (P1).” Also see par. 0417 “when an application selected by the user is executed on all of the terminal itself and other terminals operating in a wake-up state, the controller 180 may select a terminal excluding terminals on which an application corresponding to the type previously specified by the user among the terminals. It is to prevent the user from being disturbed by the output of the notification information while engaging in the viewing of a specific content when watching the content such as a movie or a game.” Here the device checks do not disturb mode (i.e. call state) and notifies devices accordingly.
Claims 4 and 12 are rejected for the same reasons set forth above because the claims have similar limitations or have been addressed.
Regarding Claim 5 Yim teaches the limitations "The incoming call notification system according to claim 1, wherein the preset incoming call notification manner comprises: ringing, vibration, vibration on ring, or giving a notification in the mute mode" (see par. 0023 “when a user is in a sleep state as a result of determining the user's physical condition or receiving information associated with the user's physical condition from at least one of other terminals, the controller may switch the operation mode to a vibration mode or a mute mode according to whether or not the mobile terminal is worn by the user.”).
Regarding Claim 6 Yim teaches the limitations "The incoming call notification system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more first devices are connected by using a near field communication network, and the first device and the second device are connected by using a near field communication network" (see par. 0135 “The short-range communication module 114 denotes a module for short-range communications. Suitable technologies for implementing the short-range communications may include BLUETOOTH™, Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra-WideBand (UWB), ZigBee, Near Field Communication (NFC)…”).
Regarding Claim 7 Yim teaches the limitations "The incoming call notification system according to claim 6, wherein when either the first device or the second device receives a first operation, the first device and the second device are further configured to stop giving an incoming call notification, wherein the first operation is an answer operation or a decline operation for the incoming call notification" (see par. 0136 “For example, when a call is received in the mobile terminal 100, the user may answer the call using the wearable device. Also, when a message is received in the mobile terminal 100, the user may check the received message using the wearable device.” Here, the notification (i.e. the call ringing) stops when the user answers the call. Also see par. 0193 “The optical output module 154 may output light for indicating an event generation. Examples of the event generated in the mobile terminal 100 may include a message reception, a call signal reception, a missed call, an alarm, a schedule notice, an email reception, information reception through an application, and the like. When a user's event checking is sensed, the controller may control the optical output unit 154 to stop the output of the light.”
Regarding Claim 8 Yim teaches the limitations "The incoming call notification system according to claim 7, wherein the giving an incoming call notification further comprises displaying an incoming call interface, wherein the incoming call interface comprises a first control and a second control, the answer operation is an operation on the first control, and the decline operation is an operation on the second control" (see fig. 28c showing answer control function displayed on first device). Also fig. 32a meets the limitations as one setting answers in manual mode and another control setting will not (i.e. disconnecting the device entirely).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 extension fee 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 DAVID BILODEAU whose telephone number is (571)270-3192. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 6:00am-4:00pm Eastern Standard Time.
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, Wesley Kim can be reached at (571) 272-7867. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/David Bilodeau/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2648