DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed March 4, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Regarding independent claims 1 and 13, the applicant argues that XU fails to disclose a communication terminal that emits or sends to a gateway, a request for at least one piece of information (SSID info) on connection to the network; receiving, from the gateway, the at least one piece of information on connection to the network; and transmitting, to the communicating object, the at least one piece of information. The applicant specifically argues that because the user has to manually enter the SSID info, that one of the applicant’s methods is avoided. The applicant points the examiner to paragraph 0080 of the applicant’s specification which discloses that “the proposed technique allows the user from a manual and tedious input of information…hence there is no risk of error in entering this information by the user…”
In response to applicant's argument that the references fail to show certain features of the invention, it is noted that the features upon which applicant relies (i.e., “the proposed technique allows the user from a manual and tedious input of information…hence there is no risk of error in entering this information by the user…”) are not recited in the rejected claim(s). Although the claims are interpreted in light of the specification, limitations from the specification are not read into the claims. See In re Van Geuns, 988 F.2d 1181, 26 USPQ2d 1057 (Fed. Cir. 1993).
As required in the claims, a communication terminal sends a request to the gateway/router to obtain at least one piece of information (SSID information/password information) (the mobile phone 101 may proactively send (to the gateway/router) a second type of probe request frame carrying the SSID (namely, Xyzd)) (see, 0094). The second requirement is to receive from the gateway/router, the at least one piece of information (the mobile phone 101) may add, to the second type of probe request frame, the SSID (such as “Xyzd”) and the access password (such as “xy456258”) of the Wi-Fi network provided by the wireless router 104). The third and final requirement is to transmit the piece of information to a communicating object (home device) (and send the probe request frame. In this way, a home device that listens to a Wi-Fi frame can receive the probe request frame, and then connect to the home wireless local area network by using the SSID and the access password that are carried in the probe request frame.) (0096); (The SSID and the access password of the Wi-Fi network provided by the wireless router 104 may be carried in the SSID field of the probe request frame.) (0097). The limitations as presently claimed are met as described in XU. Although the user may have to manually enter some of the information, during the process, the requested information is received by the terminal from the gateway and then subsequently sent to a home device by the terminal.
Regarding claim 14, the applicant argues that the gateway does not have the first, second and third programming application interfaces. Again, the examiner disagrees. The gateway, as described in XU, meets the required limitations of the claimed interfaces because the circuitry of the gateway is comprised of APIs that perform the operations of obtaining, providing and implementing the functions described in claim 14… (an application engine 119 that exposes APIs through which applications access hardware services and network interfaces (LAN/WAN), and clients/terminals can request services via administrative/user interfaces) (0019-0021, 0030); (Kuluskar teaches APIs that allow applications and user clients to query gateway network settings, operating states, interface identification, and connection access; This maps to obtaining connection information and providing it to a requesting terminal.) (0019-0021; see figure 6), (shown are multiple radio/network interfaces (e.g., WLAN, LTE, DSL, xPON) and the ability to modify operational states and network settings via applications/APIs and the ability to modify operational states and network settings via applications/APIs) (0015-0018, 0021-0025, 0030). The circuitry connections of the APIs in relation to the radio/network interfaces allow for the limitations to be performed.
Therefore, based on the above remarks, the examiner maintains that XU, taken individually or collectively, teaches the invention as presently claimed. A rejection to the claims is set forth below.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 7-9, 13 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by XU, U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2020/0178079.
Regarding claim 1, XU discloses a method for adding (connecting) a communicating object (home device/appliance such as a smart TV, a smart refrigerator, a smart washing machine, or a smart rice cooker) (0081) to a wireless communication local network (a method for connecting a home device to a home wireless local area network) (see abstract) provided by a gateway (router 104; see figure 1), the method being implemented within a dedicated application (home application program APP stored in the communication terminal/mobile phone) (0118) executed on a communication terminal (mobile phone/terminal 101; see figure 1) connected to the network via the gateway (see wlan connection in figure 1) wherein the method comprises: emitting (via the terminal/mobile phone), to the gateway (router 104), a request (probe request) for obtaining at least one piece of information (SSID/authentication information) on connection to the network; receiving from the gateway, the at least one piece of information on connection to the network; and transmitting (via the terminal/mobile phone), to the communicating object, the at least one piece of information on connection to the network (An SSID field of the first probe request frame carries the at least a part of the authentication information of the first wireless local area network. In other words, the at least a part of the authentication information of the first wireless local area network may be carried in the SSID field of the first probe request frame. S904. A home device listens to a Wi-Fi frame, where the Wi-Fi frame includes a probe request frame. The home device can listen to the Wi-Fi frame in real time. To be specific, after the terminal sends the first probe request frame, the home device can listen and obtain the first probe request frame and receive the first probe frame. After receiving one first probe request frame, the home device obtains the at least a part of the authentication information of the first wireless local area network carried in the first probe request frame.) (0124-0128); see also 0133 (The home device connects to the first wireless local area network by using the authentication information of the first wireless local area network.) (see figures 9-11).
Regarding claim 7, XU discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the connection information is implemented by means of a direct communication channel established between the communication terminal and the communicating object configured beforehand as an access point (the home appliance is preconfigured with a Wi-Fi module that allows the appliance to operate as an access point) (The home device may serve as an access point (AP) to provide an ad-hoc network (denoted as a net-2), and a user may operate the mobile phone to connect the mobile phone to the net-2 by using an SSID (denoted as an SSID-2) and a Wi-Fi password (denoted as a key-2) that are preset and provided on the home device. Then, the mobile phone may send the SSID-1 and the key-1 to the home device by using the net-2.) (0004); see also (the probe request frame is a Wi-Fi management frame, and a Wi-Fi module in any home device can listen to and receive the probe request frame) (0012) wherein the method comprises the following, implemented prior to the transmitting: emitting, to the gateway, a network scan request (probe request described above); receiving, from the gateway, a list of networks detected by the gateway during the network scan (SSID information); selecting, within the list, a network corresponding to the network associated to the communicating object configured as an access point (the SSID that carries the feature code used to identify the communication terminal) (0137); and establishing the direct communication channel between the communication terminal and the communicating object, by connection of the communication terminal to the selected network (to prevent the home device from connecting to a wrong wireless local area network, for example, to prevent a case in which the home device connects to another home wireless local area network after receiving a probe request frame carrying authentication information of the another home wireless local area network, the SSID field of the first probe request frame in this application may further carry a feature code, where the feature code is used to identify the terminal.) (0137); also, see the S1 connection between the communicating object (home appliance) and the communication terminal in figure 1.
Regarding claim 8, XU discloses the method according to claim 7 wherein the network scan request comprises a frequency band piece of information to be used for the network scan (reads on the Wi-Fi frequency band inherently used in the Wi-Fi- standard) (in a Wi-Fi standard, for a wireless local area network with a hidden SSID, a probe request frame may carry the SSID of the wireless local area network. Based on this stipulation in the Wi-Fi standard, the terminal may configure the SSID of the first wireless local area network as the hidden SSID after obtaining the authentication information of the first wireless local area network.) (0011).
Regarding claim 9, XU discloses the method according to claim 7, comprising: identifying, within the list of detected networks, at least one network whose name meets the criteria of a predetermined name mask stored in the dedicated application (the feature code used to identify the communication terminal to the communicating object (home appliance); the feature code is pre-stored in the both the home appliance and the communication terminal); and, when the identification delivers a unique result (when the feature codes match), in that the selection comprises the automatic selection of the network identified in a unique way (to prevent the home device from connecting to a wrong wireless local area network, for example, to prevent a case in which the home device connects to another home wireless local area network after receiving a probe request frame carrying authentication information of the another home wireless local area network, the SSID field of the first probe request frame in this application may further carry a feature code, where the feature code is used to identify the terminal.) (0137).
Regarding claim 13, XU discloses a communication terminal (mobile phone/terminal 101; see figure 1) for the implementation of an addition of a communicating object (home device/appliance such as a smart TV, a smart refrigerator, a smart washing machine, or a smart rice cooker) (0081) to a wireless local network provided by a gateway (router 104; see figure 1), the communication terminal comprising: an emitter (processor shown in figure 8), configured to emit to the gateway, a request (probe request) for obtaining at least one piece of information (SSID/authentication information) on connection to the network; a receiver (item 870/810; see figure 8), configured to receive from the gateway, the at least one piece of information on connection to the network; and a transmitter (item 870/810; see figure 8), configured to transmit to the communicating object, the at least one piece of information on connection to the network (An SSID field of the first probe request frame carries the at least a part of the authentication information of the first wireless local area network. In other words, the at least a part of the authentication information of the first wireless local area network may be carried in the SSID field of the first probe request frame. S904. A home device listens to a Wi-Fi frame, where the Wi-Fi frame includes a probe request frame. The home device can listen to the Wi-Fi frame in real time. To be specific, after the terminal sends the first probe request frame, the home device can listen and obtain the first probe request frame and receive the first probe frame. After receiving one first probe request frame, the home device obtains the at least a part of the authentication information of the first wireless local area network carried in the first probe request frame.) (0124-0128); see also 0133 (The home device connects to the first wireless local area network by using the authentication information of the first wireless local area network.) (see figures 9-11).
Regarding claim 15, XU discloses a non-transitory computer storage medium, storing program code instructions of a computer program downloadable from a communication network causing execution of the method according to claim 1, when the computer program is executed by a computer (This application further provides a computer storage medium, and the computer storage medium stores computer program code. When the processor 2401 of the terminal 2400 executes the computer program code, the terminal 2400 performs related method steps in any of FIG. 9, FIG. 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 15A and FIG. 15B, and FIG. 20 to implement the wireless local area network configuration method in the foregoing embodiments.) (0229 and see claims 45-49).
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.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over XU in view of Khawer et al. (Khawer), U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2016/0165604.
Regarding claim 2, XU discloses the method according to claim 1 as described above. XU, however, fails to specifically disclose prior to the transmitting, emitting, to the gateway, at least one request for implementing by the gateway at least one operation amongst a frequency deactivation operation and a frequency scan operation, the request comprising at least one frequency band piece of information.
In a similar field of endeavor, Khawer discloses selective active and deactivation of carriers in unlicensed frequency bands.
Khawer further discloses when a mobile device requests that a base station deactivates secondary carrier frequencies (LTE-U secondary carriers), wherein the request comprises at least one frequency band piece of information (secondary carriers) ((The user equipment may then transmit a message over a primary LTE carrier in a licensed frequency band to the base station to request or indicate deactivation of the secondary unlicensed LTE carrier (LTE-U)) (0019).
Therefore, before the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify XU with the teachings of Khawer for the purpose of allowing the user equipment to only communicate using Wi-Fi signals thereby providing enhanced Wi-Fi operation of the mobile device as described in Khawer (0020).
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over XU and Khawer in further view of Kaluskar et al. (Kaluskar), U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2011/0277001.
Regarding claim 3, the combination of XU and Kaluskar discloses the method according to claim 2 as described above. The combination, however, fails to disclose wherein the request for obtaining at least one piece of information on connection to the network, the request for implementing a frequency deactivation operation, and the request for implementing a frequency scan operation are respectively formatted in accordance with first, second and third application programming interfaces exposed by the gateway for the supply of corresponding services to the communication terminal.
In a similar field of endeavor, Kaluskar discloses a gateway device that executes applications which can communicate with various devices in a home network.
Kaluskar further discloses a request for obtaining at least one piece of information on connection to the network (For example, a user on a client device can access such a user interface to query or modify gateway network settings, mass storage configurations, and other configurations.) (0020), the request for implementing a frequency deactivation operation (A user can modify an operational state of an appliance or device via such a user interface. Alternatively, the client could also execute a specialized application that "knows" about the device and can directly query/configure the device.) (0022), and the request for implementing a frequency scan operation (identifying/locating networks supports the capability to perform scans and report detected networks to clients via APIs) ( see figure 6) are respectively formatted in accordance with first, second and third application programming interfaces exposed by the gateway for the supply of corresponding services to the communication terminal (Accordingly, various APIs can be provided through which applications can be authored for execution on the gateway device 101. For example, the gateway device 101 can provide a wide area connection API, which can allow an application executed in the gateway device 101 can access the Internet to communicate with other systems. As another example, the gateway device 101 can provide a home network API through which such an application can access home devices that may be coupled thereto.) (0019); (further, the gateway provides services for a mobile device and home appliances and is also able to receive various requests from the mobile device and home appliances.) (see figure 3A).
Therefore, before the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify Xu and Khawer with the teachings of Kaluskar to ensure correct parsing, access control and interoperability between client devices, home appliances and gateway services. Further, the need for reliable remote diagnostics and control would have been motivation to expose functionally distinct API interfaces.
Claim(s) 4-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over XU in view of Khawer.
Regarding claim 4, XU discloses the method according to claim 1 as described above and further discloses disseminating the connection information to the home appliance (After receiving one first probe request frame, the home device obtains the at least a part of the authentication information of the first wireless local area network carried in the first probe request frame.) (0124-0128).
XU, however, fails to specifically disclose wherein prior to the transmitting, emitting, to the gateway, a request for deactivating at least one first frequency band at the level of the gateway, the deactivation causing an automatic toggling of the communication terminal into a communication mode using a second frequency band other than the at least one first deactivated first frequency band at the level of the gateway, for the transmission by dissemination.
Khawer discloses when a mobile device requests that a base station deactivates secondary carrier frequencies (LTE-U secondary carriers), wherein the request comprises at least one frequency band piece of information (secondary carriers) ((The user equipment may then transmit a message over a primary LTE carrier in a licensed frequency band to the base station to request or indicate deactivation of the secondary unlicensed LTE carrier (LTE-U)) (0019). Khawer further discloses wherein the mobile device causes an automatic toggling of the mobile device into a communication mode using a second frequency band other than the at least one first deactivated first frequency band at the level of the gateway for transmission by dissemination (The device connection manager may power down the radio associated with LTE-U to ensure that the Wi-Fi operation is not impacted by the LTE-U radio interference that operates in the same unlicensed frequency band.) (0020).
Therefore, before the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify XU with the teachings of Khawer for the purpose of allowing the user equipment to only communicate using Wi-Fi signals thereby providing enhanced Wi-Fi operation of the mobile device as described in Khawer (0020).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of XU and Khawer discloses the method according to claim 4, wherein the request for deactivating at least one first frequency band is a request for deactivating at least one amongst the frequency bands 5 GHz and 6 GHz (For example, a small cell that communicates with user equipment in the unlicensed frequency band using both Wi-Fi and LTE-U may be configured to provide Wi-Fi access to the user equipment at 2.4 GHz and LTE-U access at 5 GHz.) (Khawer, 0018).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of XU and Khawer discloses the method according to claim 4, comprising, subsequently to the transmitting, emitting, to the gateway, a request for reactivating, at the level of the gateway, the at least one first frequency band previously deactivated (Subsequent to receiving the notification, the base station 105 may no longer attempt to perform LTE-U SDL operation with the user equipment 115 until the user equipment 115 sends a request to reactivate the secondary LTE-U carrier. However, the base station may perform LTE-U SDL operation with the user equipment 125 using the LTE-U carrier that has been deactivated for the user equipment 115.) (0023).
Claim(s) 10 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over XU in view of Yeoh et al. (Yeoh), U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2019/0059048.
Regarding claim 10, XU discloses the method according to claim 7 as described above. XU, however, fails to disclose wherein the list comprises a receive power level indicative value associated to each detected network.
In a similar field of endeavor, Yeoh discloses a system for selecting WLANs in LTE-WLAN aggregration (LWA). Yeoh further discloses wherein a list of detected networks comprises a receive power level indicative value (RSSI value) associated to each detected network (a report comprising a list of WLAN APs accompanied with respective BSSID, constructed based on a received LWA assistance configuration, wherein the received LWA assistance configuration comprises a WLAN identifier that is adopted as a SSID, wherein the list of WLAN APs comprises WLAN APs having the same WLAN identifier with respect to each other, and are named as < wherein the step of generating a WLAN measurement report includes ranking the WLAN APs in the said list based on RSSI and are prioritized in an order of decreasing RSSI thereof) (0018).
Therefore, before the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify XU with the teachings of Yeoh for the purpose of selecting the best network.
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kaluskar.
Regarding claim 14 , Kuluskar discloses a gateway for providing a wireless local network (Kaluskar discloses a gateway device 101 that communicates with home networks (e.g., IEEE 802.11 WLAN) and wide area networks) (0013), a set of application programming interfaces for providing at least one service to a communication terminal connected to the network via the gateway, on request of the communication terminal, referred to as a requesting terminal (an application engine 119 that exposes APIs through which applications access hardware services and network interfaces (LAN/WAN), and clients/terminals can request services via administrative/user interfaces) (0019-0021, 0030); a first application programming interface for obtaining at least one piece of information on connection to the network, and for providing the connection information to the requesting terminal (Kuluskar teaches APIs that allow applications and user clients to query gateway network settings, operating states, interface identification, and connection access; This maps to obtaining connection information and providing it to a requesting terminal.) (0019-0021; see figure 6), a second application programming interface (shown are multiple radio/network interfaces (e.g., WLAN, LTE, DSL, xPON) and the ability to modify operational states and network settings via applications/APIs and the ability to modify operational states and network settings via applications/APIs) (0015-0018, 0021-0025, 0030).
While Kaluskar does not use the exact phrase “deactivation/reactivation of a frequency band,” controlling radio parameters and operational states is obvious since managing gateway communications interfaces and is routinely exposed via management APIs. Kuluskar further discloses a third application programming interface for implementing a network scan and for providing the requesting terminal with a list of networks detected during the network scan (Kuluskar teaches identifying wide area and local interfaces and identifying networks “identify any wide area network interfaces… identify any local area network interfaces… identify home devices… identify wide area networks”). Providing detected networks to clients via the gateway’s administrative/user interfaces is a routine function of gateway management software.) (0042; see figure 6).
Therefore, before the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify Kuluskar with implementing specific APIs for (i) connection information retrieval, (ii) radio/frequency band deactivation/reactivation at the gateway, and (iii) network scanning with reporting of detected networks to a requesting terminal as such specific modifications would have been a predictable variation using known techniques in network management. Gateways routinely provide these capabilities through SNMP, TR-069, and REST/JSON management interfaces; exposing them via application programming interfaces is a conventional design choice yielding predictable results.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11 and 12 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 11, the prior art of record fails to suggest or render obvious the claim language as a whole, in combination with its intervening claims.
Regarding claim 12, the prior art of record fails to suggest or render obvious the claim language as a whole, in combination with its intervening claims.
Conclusion
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 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 TEMICA M. BEAMER whose telephone number is (571)272-7797. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday; 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew D. Anderson can be reached at 571-272-4177. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TEMICA M BEAMER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2646
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