Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
2. The Examiner inadvertently inserted a domestic priority to a provisional application filed November 8, 2013; this was an unintentional mistake.
Response to Arguments
3. Applicant's arguments filed on 11/17/2025 regarding 35 U.S.C. § 103 rejection of claims 1, 2, 4-7 and 9 as being unpatentable over Yuki (US 2018/0158161) in view of Yamamoto (US 2007/0101437) and claim 3 as being unpatentable over Yuki in view of Yamamoto, and further in view of Ophir (US 2020/0007823) have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant alleges on pg. 7 of arguments:
“Independent claim 1 of the present application is amended in this paper based on the disclosure in paragraph [0025] of the specification of the present application that
... as shown in Fig. 4, an application execution unit 411, a data import
unit 412, a data transmission unit 413, a data use condition information
management unit 414, and a decryption processing unit 415 are provided in the
control unit 410 as functional configurations.
Independent claim 1 of the present application is amended in this paper also based on the statement in and teachings associated with Fig. 4 of this application that a data use condition management unit 414 and a data transmission unit 413 are included in control unit 410. Examiner respectfully disagrees.
Applicant’s specification on paragraph 0025 states “ The control unit 410 is, for example, a CPU, and performs overall control of the receiving-side server 400 by executing various programs stored in the storage unit 420.” The control unit is a CPU that controls the receiving side server and performs the functional configurations of the units. Though Fig. 4 illustrates the control unit comprises all the units in the control unit, Applicant’s specification on paragraph 0025 clearly states the control unit 410 executes a program for performing the functional configurations of each of the units.
Yuki discloses on paragraph 0020 “FIG. 1 illustrates a network configuration of a license management system. A license server 101 is a server which can issue a license and can communicate with an apparatus over the Internet 102.” On paragraph 0025 “As illustrated in FIG. 2B, each of the information processing apparatuses 111 and 121, the license server 122, and the license server 101 includes the following components 221 to 227. A display unit 221 is configured to display a window, an icon, a message, a menu, and other user interface information. An operating unit 222 is configured to input from an end user using a keyboard and a mouse. A CPU 223 is configured to control over processes to be performed in the apparatus.” Finally, on paragraph 0026 “ FIG. 3A illustrates a software configuration 301 of the license server 101, and FIG. 3B illustrates a software configuration 302 of the image forming apparatus 112. Components of the software configuration 301 in FIG. 3A may be executed by the CPU 223 by loading programs stored in the hard disk 224 to the volatile memory 225 in the license server 101.” Similar to the control unit of the instant application, Yuki teaches or suggest a CPU the executes a software configuration to perform functions of the programs of the license server.
Applicant argues on pg. 8, that the Examiner asserts that the license management system of Yuki corresponds to the data management server of claim 1 of the present application. Examiner respectfully disagrees.
Yuki teaches on Fig. 3a, paragraph 0026 states the license management system includes a license server that performs the functions of the data management server.
Applicant argues on pg. 8, that Examiner asserts that the image forming apparatus 112 of Yuki corresponds to the control unit of claim 1 of the present application, and that the application information storage unit 311 of Yuki corresponds to the database of claim 1 of the present application. Examiner respectfully disagrees.
Based on the newly amended claims, Yuki teaches on paragraph 0025 and 0026, the CPU executes the function of the license server in Fig. 3a that includes the application information storage unit. Therefore, the CPU of Yuki corresponds to the control unit of claim 1 and the application information storage unit 311 included in the license server corresponds to the data of the claim 1.
Applicant argues on pg. 9, the application information table in Table 1 and the license information table in Table 4 of Yuki do not contain any items equivalent to "information relating to a data file," i.e., the application information table in Table 1, "stored in the database," as particularly recited in independent claim 1 of the present application. The Examiner may also be considering that the application name column in the application information table in Table 1 corresponds to the "name of the application permitted to access the data file" as recited in independent claim 1 of the present application. However, the application name in the application information table in Table 1 is not the name of an application that is permitted to access the data file, assuming the correspondence as discussed above, the application information table in Table 1.
Therefore, the application information table in Table 1 and the license information table in Table 4 of Yuki do not correspond to the data use condition information management unit, as particularly recited in independent claim 1 of the present application. Examiner respectfully disagrees.
Applicant’s specification on paragraph 0025 discloses “ In addition, the control unit 410 executes a program for performing data use condition information
management (hereinafter, referred to as “data use condition information management processing”) that records and manages data use condition information in which information relating to a data file stored in the database 460 and an application or its name permitted to access the data file are associated with each other.”
Yuki discloses on para 0027 discloses “An application information storage unit 311 is configured to store application information tables in the hard disk 224 in the license server 101.” Paragraph 0028 discloses, under TABLE 1, “The application information table illustrated in Table 1 has an application ID column storing an application ID being an identifier by which the type of an application file can be uniquely identified. An application name column stores an application name. An application file path column stores a path in the hard disk 224 in the license server 101 storing the application file. The application information table has records each called an application information record and registered in units of application files. An application information record is added when an application information registration request receiving unit 321, which will be described below, receives an application information registration request.” On paragraph 0036 “The license information table on Table 4 has an application ID column storing an application ID of an application file to be usable under an issued license. Table 4 further has an apparatus serial number column storing an apparatus serial number of an image forming apparatus which is to be permitted to use an application file under an issued license. Table 4 further has a usage starting date column storing a date of start of a usable period for an application file under an issued license. Table 4 further has a license-ending-date column storing an ending date of a period in which an application file is usable under an issued license. Table 4 further has an authentication-date column storing a date when an image forming apparatus requests a license server to authenticate a license under the issued license. Table 4 further has a license path column storing a path on a file system storing an issued license.” The application storage unit (which can also be known as data use condition information management) stores application information tables such as Table 1 and 4 which include records and manages data use condition information (usage starting data and ending data) in which information relating to a application file stored in the hard disk and an application or its name permitted to access the application file are associated with each other. Therefore, Yuki does teach data use condition
information management.
Applicant further argues on pg. 9, The Examiner appears to believe that the install request in step S701 of Yuki corresponds to the "access request for any data stored in the database" as recited in independent claim 1 of the present application. However, the install request for Yuki is a request to install the application on the image forming apparatus 112. It is not a request to access any data stored in the database. Examiner respectfully disagrees.
Yuki on paragraph 0041 discloses “An application file acquisition request receiving unit 324 is configured to be executed in response to an application file acquisition request from the network I/F 226 provided in the license server 101. The application file acquisition request contains a license access number. The application file acquisition request receiving unit 324 responds with an application file 401 associated with the license access number contained in the obtained application file acquisition request.” Paragraph 0042 discloses “More specifically, the application file acquisition request receiving unit 324 obtains a license access number from the obtained application file acquisition request. Next, the application file acquisition request receiving unit 324 obtains a product information record matched with the obtained license access number from the product information table on Table 2. Next, the application file acquisition request receiving unit 324 obtains an application ID list from the obtained product information record. Next, the application file acquisition request receiving unit 324 obtains an application information record matched with the application ID on the obtained application ID list from the application information table on Table 1. The application file acquisition request receiving unit 324 responds with the application file 401 of the file path included in the obtained application information record.” Paragraph 0044 discloses “More specifically, the license acquisition request receiving unit 325 obtains a product information record matched with the license access number contained in the received license acquisition request from a product information record on Table 2 and obtains an application ID list included in the product information record. Next, the license acquisition request receiving unit 325 obtains a license information record list including the obtained application ID list and an apparatus serial number included in the license acquisition request from the license information table on Table 4. If the license information record list is obtained, a license information record list having values of the service starting date and the service ending date satisfying “service starting date≤current date≤service ending date” in the license information record list is further searched and responds with the license 411 stored in the value satisfying the condition of the license path of the license information record list.”
Furthermore, paragraph 0054 discloses “An install request receiving unit 351 is configured to be executed in response to an install request from the network I/F 205 in the image forming apparatus. The install request is transmitted from the information processing apparatus 111. The install request contains a license access number. The install request receiving unit 351 transmits an application file acquisition request
including the license access number included in the received install request and the apparatus serial number held in the apparatus information storage unit 341 and the license acquisition request to the license server 101. The install request receiving unit 351 performs determination processing regarding whether to install the application file by using the application file 401 and the license 411 responded to the transmitted application file acquisition request and the license acquisition request.”
Yuki discloses an application acquisition request and install request that which performs the function of an access request that is validated to obtain data storage within the database. Therefore, Yuki discloses an access request for any data stored in the database.
Applicant further argues “Another difference is that the install request in Yuki is received from the information processing apparatus 111, whereas the access request in independent claim 1 of the present application is received from any application running.
Therefore, the install request in step S701 of Yuki does not correspond to the "access request for any data stored in the database from any application running" as recited in independent claim 1 of the present application. Furthermore, the operation of step S701 of Yuki is for the install request receiving unit 351 to send an application file acquisition request and a license acquisition request to the license server 101. It is not permitting the application to access the data stored in the application information storage unit 311.
Therefore, Applicant respectfully submits that Yuki does not disclose the features of independent claim 1 of the present application, which particularly require, "a data use condition information management unit ..., and when receiving an access request for any data stored in the database from any application running, permits only an application permitted to access the data based on the data use condition information to access the data."
A license is created in step S551 of Yuki, and the created license is registered in the license information table in Table 4 in step S552. However, the Application ID column in Table 4 is not the "name of the application that is permitted to access the data file," assuming the correspondence discussed above, the application information table in Table 1.
Therefore, the operations of steps S541 to S552 of Yuki do not correspond to "a data transmission unit configured to, ... register data use condition information in which information relating to the data file is associated with the application or the name of the application that is permitted to access the data file in the data use condition information management unit," as particularly recited in independent claim 1 of the present application. Paragraph [0109] of Yuki states that in step S701, the install request receiving unit 351 of the image forming apparatus 112 sends an application file acquisition request and a license acquisition request to the license server 101, and in step S703, installs the application and adds a record to the apparatus license information table of Table 5. Therefore, Yuki does not teach, or even suggest, sending a data file to a database. Examiner respectfully disagrees.
Applicant’s specification on paragraph 0007, 0008, 0009 and 0025 state an access request is received. The mere independence or ambiguity of the sender of the access does not take away from the function of Yuki sending over an access request equivalent. Therefore, Yuki teaches an access request for any data stored in the database from any application running.
Furthermore, a request initiating further request to obtain and validate data is well known within the art within requesting access to data and the claim does not exclude sending further request to obtain access.
Furthermore, the Applicant states the install request does not permit the application to access the data stored in the application information storage unit 311. However, the Applicant fails to understand the invention of Yuki to install register an apparatus license for an image forming apparatus by sending an install request that allows further access to data within the license server based on the license and application file which allow a starting and ending date to use the application within the application information storage unit (Fig. 7).
Yuki discloses on paragraph 0019 “A term “license” refers to a file for permitting installation or usage of an application file in an image forming apparatus.” Paragraph 0036 discloses “Table 4 further has a usage starting date column storing a date of start of a usable period for an application file under an issued license.” Paragraph 0051 “Referring to Table 5, the apparatus license information table has an application ID column storing an application ID of an installed application file 401. Table 5 has an application name column stores an application name of the application file. Table 5 has a usage starting date column storing a usage starting date of the application file. A license-ending-date column stores a usage ending date of the application file. A license authentication date column stores a license updating date. Table 5 has a storage path column storing a path for the hard disk 208 in the image forming apparatus 112 storing the application file.” Paragraph 0112 “In a case where next usage information which can be used continuously to the currently valid usage information is available and where an application having an identical application ID in the currently valid usage information and the next usage information is to be licensed, the license can be issue as being usable continuously, as described according to the embodiments. In other words, for an application with a continuous licensed period between an old license and a new license, a gap period of the license does not occur at a break in the licensed period.” Though Yuki does not explicitly state that request for data stored from an application running and permits on an application permitted to access the data, Yuki does discloses request by an image forming apparatus (which must have executable instructions i.e., an application) by a license server (which must have executable instructions i.e., an application) to install or even register/update an license file to access an application associated with a license that has a usage period for the application file performs the claim invention. Furthermore, the access request in the claimed invention does not explicitly state what time of access it is requesting, nor does it state whether any application running or the application permitted are stored in the database or remotely. Yuki teaches or suggest a request to access any data from an application running on the license server, permits on an application to access data based on usage information/license to access the data.
Yuki teaches or suggest a data transmission unit configured to, ... register data use condition information in which information relating to the data file is associated with the application or the name of the application that is permitted to access the data file in the data use condition information management unit. Applicant states that Yuki does not send a data file to a database. But Figs. 5b, 5D, 7a, and 7b discloses sending a license file and installing an application to the hard disk which stores the tables associated with the license and application file. Furthermore, Yamamoto on paragraph 0039 discloses sending data file to database. For the reasons above, the rejection is maintained. Examiner request Applicant schedule a telephone interview to promote compact prosecution.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
4. Claims 1, 2, 4-7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable
over U.S. Publication No. 20180158161 hereinafter Yuki in view of U.S. Publication No.
20070101437 hereinafter Yamamoto.
As per claim Yuki discloses:
A data management server (para 0003 "According to an aspect of the
present invention, a license management system for managing a license for an
application to be executed by an image forming apparatus includes a license
information storage unit configured to store license information including a
licensed period for permitting to use the application.") comprising:
a control unit (Fig. 3a, element 223);
a database (Fig. 3a, element 311);
the control unit comprising: a data use condition information management unit configured to record and manage data use condition information in which information relating to a data file stored in the database and an application or a name of the application permitted to access the data file are associated with each other (para 0028 "The application information table illustrated in Table 1 has an application ID column storing an application ID being an identifier by which the type of an application file can be uniquely identified. An application name column stores an application name. An application file path column stores a path in the hard disk 224 in the license server 101 storing the application file. The application information table
has records each called an application information record and registered in units
of application files. An application information record is added when an
application information registration request receiving unit 321, which will be
described below, receives an application information registration request." Para
0036 "The license information table on Table 4 has an application ID column
storing an application ID of an application file to be usable under an issued
license. Table 4 further has an apparatus serial number column storing an
apparatus serial number of an image forming apparatus which is to be permitted
to use an application file under an issued license."),
and when receiving an access request for any data stored in the database
from any application running, permits only an application permitted to access the
data based on the data use condition information to access the data (Fig. 7a,
para 0109 "The install request receiving unit 351 in the image forming
apparatus 112 transmits to the license server 101 the application
file acquisition request including the license access number included in the
received install request and the apparatus serial number held in the apparatus
information storage unit 341 and a license acquisition request (S701).");
and a data transmission unit configured to, when available application
information in which an application or a name of the application that is permitted
to access the data file, register data use condition information in which
information relating to the data file is associated with the application or the name
of the application that is permitted to access the data file in the data use
condition information management unit (para 0030 "The application ID column
stores an application ID of an application file to be available when the
corresponding product is purchased." Fig. 5b, para 0068 "The application ID
column stores an application ID of an application file to be available when the
corresponding product is purchased." Fig. 5c, Para 0076 "In step S541, the
usage information registration request receiving unit 323 obtains a product
information record matched with the license access number obtained in
S502 from the product information table on Table 2. In step S542, the usage
information registration request receiving unit 323 obtains an application ID list
from the application ID column in the product information record obtained in
S541. In step S543, the usage information registration request receiving
unit 323 obtains an unprocessed application ID from the application ID list
obtained in S542. In step S544, the usage information registration request
receiving unit 323 sets the application ID obtained in S543 as the application
ID 413 of the license 411. In step S545, the usage information registration
request receiving unit 323 generates a license ID by which a license can uniquely
be identified and sets it as the license ID 412 of the license 411. In step S546,
the usage information registration request receiving unit 323 sets the apparatus
serial number and the usage starting date obtained in S502 as the apparatus
serial number 414 and usage starting date 415 of the license 411."),
and transmit the data file (Fig. 7a, para 0109" The install request receiving
unit 351 in the image forming apparatus 112 transmits to the license
server 101 the application file acquisition request including
the license access number included in the received install request and the
apparatus serial number held in the apparatus information storage unit 341 and a
license acquisition request (S701). The install request receiving unit 351 receives
the application file 401 and the license 411 returned in response to the
transmitted application file acquisition request and license acquisition request.
The application file 401 and the license 411 are used to perform processing for
determining whether the application file is to be installed (step S702). This
processing is performed in the manner as already described above. If the
application ID included in the obtained license is matched with the application ID
of the application file and if the apparatus serial number of the obtained license
and the apparatus serial number held in the apparatus information storage
unit 341 are matched, the application is installed based on the received
application file. A record is added to the apparatus license information table
based on the received application file and license (step S703). In this case, the
inquiry flag for the apparatus license information record to be added is set to
TRUE. As a storage path, a path is set which indicates a storage location of an
executable file of the application. As an application name, an application name
included in the installed application file is set. The other items may be copied
from the items included in the received license 411. In a case where the
application ID of the license to be installed newly is already exists, the existing
license is overwritten for installing the application. Thus, for example, one record
exists on the apparatus license information table on Table for one application
ID.").
Yuki does not disclose:
set is added to the data file provided from outside of the data management
server
and transmit the data file to the database
Yamamoto discloses:
set is added to the data file provided from outside of the data management
server and transmit the data file to the database (para 0039 "When distributing
the document from the first document managing apparatus 1 to the second
document managing apparatus 2, the export and import part 15 of the first
document managing apparatus 1 distributes, as export data D1, the data of the
document (that is, the document data) and the ACL data. On the other hand, the
second document managing apparatus 2 receives the document data and the
ACL data as import data D2, and stores the document data in the document DB
23 and reflects the ACL data in the ACL table 24 (that is, modifies the document
ID), so as to maintain access right consistency.")
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art
before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the a license
management system of Yuki to include set is added to the data file provided from
outside of the data management server and transmit the data file to the
database, as taught by Yamamoto.
The motivation would have been to provide a document managing system
which can facilitate the management of the access rights to documents when the
documents are distributed (Yamamoto paragraph 0013).
As per claim 2, Yuki in view of Yamato discloses:
The data management server according to claim 1, wherein the data use
condition information includes at least data information including identification
information of a data file and range information of data stored in the data file, and
application identification information that is permitted to access data included in
the range information of the data (Yuki para 0032 “The usage information table
in Table 3 has a license access number column storing a license access number
of a product under license with a customer. Table 3 has an apparatus serial
number column storing an apparatus serial number being a value by which the
image forming apparatus under a license with a customer can be uniquely
identified. Table 3 further has a usage starting date column storing a date of start
of a licensed period for a licensed customer. Table 3 further has a license-
ending-date column storing an ending date of a license for a licensed customer.
In a case where the usage ending date is not determined, the usage ending date
column stores "-". Table 3 further has a cutoff date column storing a date of
issuance of a license of every month. Table 3 further has a status column storing
a status of usage information. Table 3 further has a date-of-next-issuance
column storing date of next issuance of a license." Also see para 0036, 0040
and 0051).
As per claim 4, Yuki in view of Yamato discloses:
The data management server according to claim 1, wherein the data use
condition information management unit receives an access request for any data
stored in the database from the application and, when access to the data is
permitted, the data use condition information management unit acquires data
requested for access from the database and outputs the data to the application
and, when access to the data is not permitted, outputs error data to the
application (Yuki para 0057 "When the license authentication request
transmitting unit 352 is executed to obtain an application ID list from an
apparatus license information record list having an inquiry flag at TRUE and the
license authentication date after the current date in the apparatus license
information table in Table 5. The license authentication request transmitting
unit 352 further obtains the apparatus serial number stored in the apparatus
information storage unit 341. The license authentication request transmitting
unit 352 further transmits a license authentication request including the obtained
application ID list and the apparatus serial number. The license authentication
request transmitting unit obtains the responded license 411 and updates the
usage starting date, the usage ending date, the license authentication date in the
apparatus license information record by using the license. If the license
management status is the responded "NO INQUIRY REQUIRED", the inquiry flag
is set to FALSE. If the license management status is "CONTINUE INQUIRY", the
inquiry flag is set to TRUE. Fig. 7b, para 0110 "FIG. 7B illustrates a procedure of
a program to be executed periodically such as at a predetermined clock time
every day by the license authentication request transmitting unit 352 in the image
forming apparatus 112. The license authentication request transmitting
unit 352 determines whether the apparatus license information table (Table 5)
has an application, that is, an apparatus license information record having the
current date as a license authentication date (or authentication time) (step S711).
This assumes that the procedure in FIG. 7A is to be performed every day. In a
case where the procedure is not performed every day, whether the current date
is on or after the license authentication date or not may be determined. If there is
an applicable record, whether the inquiry flag of the apparatus license
information record is True is determined (step S712). If it is True, the application
ID of the record is obtained, and an apparatus serial number stored in the
apparatus information storage unit 341 is obtained. Then, a license
authentication request containing these information pieces is transmitted (step
S713). The license 411 returned in response to the license authentication
request is received, and the license is used to update the usage starting date, the
usage ending date, and the license authentication date in the apparatus license
information record. If the license management status returned as a response is
"NO INQUIRY REQUIRED", the inquiry flag is set to FALSE. If the license
management status is "CONTINUE INQUIRY", the inquiry flag is set to TRUE
(step S714).").
As per claim 5, Yuki in view of Yamato discloses:
The data management server according to any one of claims 1 to 4 claim
further comprising a communication unit, wherein a data file provided from
outside of the data management server and imported to the data management
server is received via the communication unit (Yamato Figs, 5 and 6, para 0039,
Though Yuki discloses a communication unit, Yamato discloses wherein a data
file provided from outside of the data management server and imported to the
data management server is received via the communication unit. The motivation
would have been to provide a document managing system which can facilitate
the management of the access rights to documents when the documents are
distributed (Yamamoto paragraph 0013).).
As per claim 6, the implementation of the data management server of claim
1 will execute the data management method of claim 6. The claim is
analyzed with respect to claim 1.
As per claim 7, the implementation of the data management server of claim
1 will execute the non-transitory computer readable medium (Yuki
paragraph 0114) of claim 7. The claim is analyzed with respect to claim 1.
As per claim 9, the implementation of the data management server of claim
1 will execute the data management system of claim 9 include:
a receiving-side server serving as a data management server
according to claim 1 and a providing-side server that creates a data file
provided from outside to the receiving-side server, the providing-side
server including a control unit, and a database, the control unit including a
data acquisition unit configured to acquire a data file stored in the
database (Yuki Figs. 1, 3A-B, 5A-7B and Yamato Figs. 2,3 and 5);
a data use condition creation unit configured to add, to the data file,
available application information in which an application or a name of the
application executed by the receiving-side server that is permitted to
access the data file is set, and a data output unit configured to output the
data file to which the available application information is added by the data
use condition creating unit to outside as a provision data file to be
provided to the receiving-side server (Yuki Figs.1, 3A-B, 5A-7B ) and
Yamato Figs. 2,3 and 5). The claim is analyzed with respect to claim 1.
5. Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yuki in view
of Yamamoto, and further in view of U.S. Publication No. 20200007823 hereinafter
Ophir.
As per claim 3, Yuki in view of Yamato discloses:
The data management server according to claim 2, wherein the data
stored in the data file corresponds to at least one of data indicating an action
state (Yuki para 0030, 0032, 0040, and 0062),
and the range information of the data includes a period relating to a time
stamp generated from the data (Yuki 0032, 0036, 0040 and 0051).
Yuki in view of Yamato does not disclose:
data indicating an action state of an edge device, data indicating a
production state of the edge device, data indicating a quality state of a product of
the edge device, data indicating an operation state of the edge device, and data
indicating an event of the edge device
Ophir discloses:
data indicating an action state of an edge device, data indicating a
production state of the edge device, data indicating a quality state of a product of
the edge device, data indicating an operation state of the edge device, and data
indicating an event of the edge device (para 0024, edge devise, status
messages, data values of each parameter. Para 0079, edge devices, current
state data, requirements, management engine. para 0139, time stamp).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art
before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the a license
management system of Yuki to include data indicating an action state of an edge
device, data indicating a production state of the edge device, data indicating a
quality state of a product of the edge device, data indicating an operation state of
the edge device, and data indicating an event of the edge device, as taught by
Ophir.
The motivation would have been to real-time device data to properly
manage a network of devices (Ophir paragraph 0008).
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 GARY S GRACIA whose telephone number is (571)270-5192. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-6pm.
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/GARY S GRACIA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2499