DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-10 and 12-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lee et al. U.S. PGPub 2023/0254178 (hereinafter “Lee”).
Regarding claims 1, 12 and 18, Lee discloses a computer-implemented method comprising: receiving: via a wearable device, biometric data associated with a wearer of the wearable device (e.g. ¶87-88, 111 and 191-121; Fig. 4); from a management device (e.g. electronic device) communicatively coupled to at least one managed device (e.g. home device, light), data representative of a device state (e.g. desired or current device state) of the at least one managed device (e.g. ¶44, 97-101, 114 and 137-138; Fig. 1 and 4); determining, based on the biometric data, a current status (e.g. sleep state) of the wearer (e.g. ¶87-88, 111 and 191-121; Fig. 4); and directing, based on the current status of the wearer and the device state, the management device to execute a management action (e.g. turn on/off light) associated with the at least one managed device (e.g. ¶186-187, 199-204 and 212-218; Fig. 1 and 4).
Regarding claims 2, 13 and 19, Lee discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises identifying, via at least one location sensor, a physical location of the wearer (e.g. ¶186-187, 199-204 and 212-218; Fig. 1 and 4).
Regarding claims 3, 13 and 19, Lee discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein determining the current status of the wearer is further based on the physical location of the wearer (e.g. user sleeping in a particular room) (e.g. ¶87-88, 111, 191-121, 186-187, 199-204 and 212-218; Fig. 1 and 4).
Regarding claims 4, 13 and 19, Lee discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein directing the management device to execute the management action (e.g. lights off in particular room) associated with the at least one managed device is further based on the physical location of the wearer (e.g. ¶186-187, 199-204 and 212-218; Fig. 1 and 4).
Regarding claims 5 and 14, Lee discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the management device comprises a home automation management device and the at least one managed device comprises a smart home device (e.g. ¶186-187, 199-204 and 212-218; Fig. 1 and 4).
Regarding claims 6, 14 and 20, Lee discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the home automation management device executes the management action by directing the smart home device to execute a smart home function (e.g. ¶186-187, 199-204 and 212-218; Fig. 1 and 4).
Regarding claim 7, Lee discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the smart home device comprises at least one of: a smart speaker device; a smart lighting device (e.g. ¶98, 186-187, 199-204 and 212-218; Fig. 1 and 4); a smart switch (e.g. Fig. 10A-10C); a security system; a home appliance (e.g. ¶98, 186-187, 199-204 and 212-218; Fig. 1 and 4); a networking device (e.g. ¶98, 186-187, 199-204 and 212-218; Fig. 1 and 4); a landscaping device; an Internet of Things (IOT) device (e.g. ¶186-187, 199-204 and 212-218; Fig. 1 and 4); and an entertainment device (e.g. ¶98).
Regarding claims 8, 15 and 20, Lee discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein directing the smart home device to execute the smart home function comprises at least one of: directing the smart home device to transition from a first operational state to a second operational state (e.g. lights on to off) (e.g. ¶186-187, 199-204 and 212-218; Fig. 1 and 4); directing the smart home device to provide data regarding a present operational condition of the smart home device to the management device (e.g. ¶114 and 137-138); and directing the home automation management device to present the data regarding the present operational condition of the smart home device via an output device (e.g. ¶114 and 137-138).
Regarding claims 9 and 16, Lee discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein: the management device is communicatively coupled to the at least one managed device via a cloud service application programming interface (API) (e.g. ¶53); and directing the management device to execute the management action associated with the at least one managed device comprises directing the management device to execute the management action associated with the at least one managed device via the cloud service API (e.g. ¶53, 186-187, 199-204 and 212-218; Fig. 1 and 4).
Regarding claims 10 and 17, Lee discloses the computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein: the management device is communicatively coupled to the at least one managed device via a locally hosted bridge computing system (e.g. second node) (e.g. ¶45, 46 and 53; Fig. 1); and directing the management device to execute the management action associated with the at least one managed device comprises directing the management device to execute the management action associated with the at least one managed device via the locally hosted bridge computing system (e.g. ¶45, 46, 53, 186-187, 199-204 and 212-218; Fig. 1 and 4).
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.
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee as applied to the claims above, and further in view of Bazar et al. U.S. Patent 9,473,321.
Lee discloses using a wearable device to monitor biometric data, but does not explicitly disclose using a smart ring device.
Bazar discloses using a smart ring device to monitor a user’s biometric data.
At the time the invention was filed, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to use a smart ring device to monitor biometric data. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do this since the user may find a smart ring device to be more comfortable.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to modify Lee with Bazar to obtain the invention as specified in claim 11.
Conclusion
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CK
September 5, 2025
/CHARLES R KASENGE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2116