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 .
The following is a non-final office action in response to the RCE filed 06/04/2026. Amendments received on 06/04/2026 have been entered. Claims 18-25 and 28-42 are pending.
Claim Objections
Claim 24 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 24 should be deleted since the limitations of the claim were incorporated in claim 18.
Appropriate correction is required.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP §§ 706.02(l)(1) - 706.02(l)(3) for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA /25, or PTO/AIA /26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/process/file/efs/guidance/eTD-info-I.jsp.
Claims 18-25 and 28-42 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-17 of U.S. Patent No. 12,254,732 in view of Carpenter (US Pub 2021/0012599).
Present Application
(18/301,427) Claim 18
Patent 12,254,732 Claims 1+2
Comments
A physical access control (PAC) system comprising a Secure Internet of things Gateway (SIG) device, the SIG device comprising: physical layer circuitry configured to receive authentication data from a plurality of front end devices via one or more communication networks; and processing circuitry operatively coupled to the physical layer circuitry and comprising an authentication engine configured to: process the authentication data to determine access to a plurality of physical access portals according to the authentication data; control access of the plurality of physical access portals according to the authentication data; receive a detection message from a beacon reader device of the plurality of front end devices indicating detection of a credential device; and send an activation message to the credential device;
and wherein the beacon reader device is configured to: detect presence of a beacon signal repeatedly broadcast by the credential device and send the detection message to the SIG device; establish a secure session with both the credential device and the SIG device; receive access credential information to communicate to the SIG device from the credential device using a first available communications protocol; and transmit the access credential information to the SIG device using a second available communications protocol of multiple supported second communications protocols different from the first available communications protocol.
A physical access control (PAC) system controlling access to a physical access portal, the PAC system comprising: an authentication device remote from the physical access portal comprising: physical layer circuitry configured to transmit and receive radio frequency electrical signals with a radio access network; and processing circuitry operatively coupled to the physical layer circuitry and comprising an authentication engine configured to: determine presence of a credential device local to the physical access portal; activate an application of the of the credential device without user input to the credential device in response to the determined presence of the credential device; open a secure communication session with the application of the credential device using a cloud-based messaging service via the radio access network; retrieve access credential information from memory of the credential device using the secure communication session; authenticate the access credential information; and authorize access for the credential device to the physical access portal according to the access credential information.
2. The system of claim 1, comprising: a beacon reader device local to the physical access portal configured to detect a beacon signal transmitted by the credential device and transmit a detection message to the authentication device in response to the detection of the beacon signal; wherein the processing circuitry of the authentication device is further configured to initiate transmission of an activation message to the credential device using the cloud-based messaging system in response to receiving the detection message.
The patent claims include all of the limitations of the instant application claims, however it does not explicitly disclose the use of the term “Secure Internet of Things Gateway device”. This limitation is disclosed by Carpenter (US 2021/0012599) as disclosed in the rejection above.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed 06/04/2026, with respect to art rejection have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection has been withdrawn.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NABIL H SYED whose telephone number is (571)270-3028. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00-5:00 M-F.
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/NABIL H SYED/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2689
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