DETAILED ACTION
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.
Applicant's submission filed on August 4, 2026 has been entered.
Claim 1, 11, 16-17, and 20 are amended.
Claim 2, 8-10 and 18 are cancelled.
Claims 1, 3-7, 11-17, and 19-20 are pending this application.
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.
Claims 1, 3, 12-17, and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Namboodiri et al (US 2019/0072395 A1) in view of Khan (US 2020/0371192 A1) and Becker et al (US 2013/0179482 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Namboodiri teaches reconfigurable environment wayfinding system comprising [0005 for way finding for conventions (reconfigurable environment)]:
and to the configuration map of the reconfigurable environment and operative to develop a navigable pathways map for the reconfigurable environment [0035 for typical floorplan may show interior walls and hallways, restrooms, windows and doors],
to develop a subset of the fixed location fingerprint database with inaccessible fixed locations disabled and with a plurality of accessible fixed locations designated as waypoints to provide the navigable pathways map [0037 for a connectivity graph is created through a traversal of the skeleton]
and a user mobile device receptive to the beacon transmissions of the plurality of beacons and to the navigable pathways map and operative to provide wayfinding for the user within the reconfigurable environment [0029-0031 for system then downloads the map of the building].
Namboodiri fails to explicitly teach a beacon detector mobile device capable of being moved within a reconfigurable environment that is provided with a plurality of beacons, wherein the beacon detector mobile device is receptive to beacon transmissions of the plurality of beacons and is operative to develop fixed location fingerprints at a plurality of fixed locations arranged in a grid pattern as an X-Y array within the reconfigurable environment, wherein the fixed location fingerprints are developed independently of a configuration map of a reconfigurable environment and are stored in a fixed location fingerprint database, and wherein the fixed location fingerprints only have to be generated once and the fixed location fingerprint database is usable for multiple configurations of the reconfigurable environment; a mapping server coupled to the fixed location fingerprint database and receptive to the fixed location fingerprints, wherein the mapping server maps the configuration map of the reconfigurable environment to the X-Y array, wherein after the fixed location fingerprints are stored in the fixed location fingerprint database the mapping server obtains the configuration map, superimposes the configuration map upon the grid pattern arranged as the X-Y array.
Khan has system are disclosed for generating a radio map for indoor navigation and/or floor detection (abstract) and teaches a beacon detector mobile device capable of being moved within a reconfigurable environment that is provided with a plurality of beacons [0035 for electronic device may for instance be portable],
wherein the beacon detector mobile device is receptive to beacon transmissions of the plurality of beacons and is operative to develop fixed location fingerprints at a plurality of fixed locations arranged in a grid pattern as an X-Y array within the reconfigurable environment [0060 for second fingerprints are gathered based at least partially on one or more signals sent by one or more radio nodes surrounding the first apparatus and 0062],
wherein the fixed location fingerprints are developed independently of a configuration map of a reconfigurable environment and are stored in a fixed location fingerprint database [0099 for a substantially quadratic grid comprising grid-points],
and wherein the fixed location fingerprints only have to be generated once and the fixed location fingerprint database is usable for multiple configurations of the reconfigurable environment [0073 for the surveying approach is way less adaptive to changes e.g. in the physical infrastructure of the venue, e.g. removed or added walls, doors (reconfigurations)];
a mapping server coupled to the fixed location fingerprint database and receptive to the fixed location fingerprints [0047 for radio map may for instance be available to the first apparatus],
wherein the mapping server maps the configuration map of the reconfigurable environment to the X-Y array, wherein after the fixed location fingerprints are stored in the fixed location fingerprint database the mapping server obtains the configuration map [0084 for stored radio map may for instance be updated by changing at least one value associated with a grid point],
superimposes the configuration map upon the grid pattern arranged as the X-Y array [0100 for a two-dimensional grid, which may be overlayed (superimpose) on a representation of a map of the venue].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the beacon position techniques, as disclosed by Namboodiri, further including the mapping calculations as taught by Khan for the purpose to perform indoor positioning and/or floor detection (Khan, 0046).
Namboodiri fails to explicitly teach without modifying the fixed location fingerprints in the fixed location fingerprint database, and marks fixed locations covered by the configuration map as inactive in the fixed location fingerprint database by setting respective flags associated with the fixed locations, without modifying the fixed location fingerprints stored for the fixed locations.
Becker has a version table that includes at least one reference to the identity table (abstract) and teaches without modifying the fixed location fingerprints in the fixed location fingerprint database [0017 for no version information is modified or deleted],
and marks fixed locations covered by the configuration map as inactive in the fixed location fingerprint database by setting respective flags associated with the fixed locations [0117 for each of the identified audit rows is modified to indicate that the row is now inactive],
without modifying the fixed location fingerprints stored for the fixed locations [0117 for no version information is modified or deleted, it is possible to recover the record if the user later decides to undelete the record].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the beacon position techniques, as disclosed by Namboodiri, further including the fingerprinting version calculations as taught by Becker for the purpose to identifies the version row that stores the version to be recovered (Becker, 0120).
Regarding Claim 3, Namboodiri fails to explicitly teach the beacon detector mobile device calculates a fixed location fingerprint from beacon transmissions received at fixed locations on the grid pattern.
Khan has system are disclosed for generating a radio map for indoor navigation and/or floor detection (abstract) and teaches the beacon detector mobile device calculates a fixed location fingerprint from beacon transmissions received at fixed locations on the grid pattern [0062 for second fingerprint based on radio measurements and position].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the beacon position techniques, as disclosed by Namboodiri, further including the mapping calculations as taught by Khan for the purpose to perform indoor positioning and/or floor detection (Khan, 0046).
Regarding Claim 12, Namboodiri teaches the smartphone is receptive to beacon transmissions of the plurality of beacons and is operative to develop a current location fingerprint [0010-0011].
Regarding Claim 13, Namboodiri teaches the smartphone compares the current location fingerprint to the pathways map to determine a current location on the navigable pathways map [0038-0040].
Regarding Claim 14, Namboodiri teaches the smartphone provides wayfinding to a designated waypoint using the current location and the navigable pathways map [0038-0040].
Regarding Claim 15, Namboodiri teaches the smartphone includes one or more of a compass, a gyroscope, and a GPS module [0005, 0037].
Regarding Claim 16, Namboodiri teaches the current location fingerprint is calculated as a weighted average of the fixed location signature and one or more of a compass measurement, a gyroscope measurement, a GPS measurement and an accelerometer measurement by the user mobile device [0037].
Regarding Claim 17, Namboodiri teaches a computer implemented method for wayfinding in a reconfigurable environment comprising [0005 for way finding for conventions (reconfigurable environment)]:
developing with a beacon detector mobile device having a processor and a memory [0004 for using Bluetooth beacons with smart phone (beacon detector) and 0011]
and displaying with a user mobile device having a processor and memory the navigable pathways map to provide wayfinding for a user within the reconfigurable environment [0013, 0031].
Namboodiri fails to explicitly teach a plurality of fixed location fingerprints derived from a plurality of beacon transmissions received at a plurality of fixed locations arranged in a grid pattern as an X-Y array within a reconfigurable environment, wherein the fixed location fingerprints are developed independently of a configuration map of a reconfigurable environment and are stored in a fixed location fingerprint database, and wherein the fixed location fingerprints only have to be generated once and the fixed location fingerprint database is usable for multiple configurations of the reconfigurable environment, developing with a mapping server coupled to the fixed location fingerprint database, the mapping server having a microprocessor and a memory a navigable pathways map from the plurality of fixed location fingerprints and the configuration map of the reconfigurable environment, wherein the mapping server maps the configuration map of the reconfigurable environment to the X-Y array to develop a subset of the fixed location fingerprint database with inaccessible fixed locations disabled and with a plurality of accessible fixed locations designated as waypoints to provide the navigable pathways map without modifying the fixed location fingerprints in the fixed location fingerprint database, superimposing the configuration map upon the grid pattern arranged as the X-Y array.
Khan has system are disclosed for generating a radio map for indoor navigation and/or floor detection (abstract) and teaches a plurality of fixed location fingerprints derived from a plurality of beacon transmissions received at a plurality of fixed locations arranged in a grid pattern as an X-Y array within a reconfigurable environment [0035 for electronic device may for instance be portable],
wherein the beacon detector mobile device is receptive to beacon transmissions of the plurality of beacons and is operative to develop fixed location fingerprints at a plurality of fixed locations arranged in a grid pattern as an X-Y array within the reconfigurable environment [0060 for second fingerprints are gathered based at least partially on one or more signals sent by one or more radio nodes surrounding the first apparatus and 0062],
wherein the fixed location fingerprints are developed independently of a configuration map of a reconfigurable environment and are stored in a fixed location fingerprint database [0099 for a substantially quadratic grid comprising grid-points],
and wherein the fixed location fingerprints only have to be generated once and the fixed location fingerprint database is usable for multiple configurations of the reconfigurable environment [0073 for the surveying approach is way less adaptive to changes e.g. in the physical infrastructure of the venue, e.g. removed or added walls, doors (reconfigurations)];
developing with a mapping server coupled to the fixed location fingerprint database, the mapping server having a microprocessor and a memory a navigable pathways map from the plurality of fixed location fingerprints and the configuration map of the reconfigurable environment [0047 for radio map may for instance be available to the first apparatus],
wherein the mapping server maps the configuration map of the reconfigurable environment to the X-Y array to develop a subset of the fixed location fingerprint database with inaccessible fixed locations disabled and with a plurality of accessible fixed locations designated as waypoints to provide the navigable pathways map [0084 for stored radio map may for instance be updated by changing at least one value associated with a grid point]
superimposing the configuration map upon the grid pattern arranged as the X-Y array [0100 for a two-dimensional grid, which may be overlayed (superimpose) on a representation of a map of the venue].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the beacon position techniques, as disclosed by Namboodiri, further including the mapping calculations as taught by Khan for the purpose to perform indoor positioning and/or floor detection (Khan, 0046).
Namboodiri fails to explicitly teach after storing the fixed location fingerprints in the fixed location fingerprint database, obtaining the configuration map of the reconfigurable environment; marking fixed locations covered by the configuration map as inactive in the fixed location fingerprint database by setting respective flags associated with the fixed locations, without modifying the fixed location fingerprints stored for the fixed locations.
Becker has a version table that includes at least one reference to the identity table (abstract) and teaches after storing the fixed location fingerprints in the fixed location fingerprint database, obtaining the configuration map of the reconfigurable environment [0017 for no version information is modified or deleted],
marking fixed locations covered by the configuration map as inactive in the fixed location fingerprint database by setting respective flags associated with the fixed locations [0117 for each of the identified audit rows is modified to indicate that the row is now inactive],
without modifying the fixed location fingerprints stored for the fixed locations [0117 for no version information is modified or deleted, it is possible to recover the record if the user later decides to undelete the record].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the beacon position techniques, as disclosed by Namboodiri, further including the fingerprinting version calculations as taught by Becker for the purpose to identifies the version row that stores the version to be recovered (Becker, 0120).
Regarding Claim 19, Namboodiri teaches the user mobile device provides wayfinding to a designated waypoint using a current location fingerprint and the navigable pathways map [0004 for using Bluetooth beacons and 0011 with 0032-0034 for getting a beacon connectivity graph (grid) with beacon distance market in feet].
Regarding Claim 20, Namboodiri teaches a non-transitory computer readable medium including code segments executable by a processor for [0005 for way finding for conventions (reconfigurable environment)]:
obtaining the configuration map of the reconfigurable environment [0040, 0047, and 0057 for marking areas as protected],
wherein the configuration map of the reconfigurable environment is mapped to the X-Y array to develop a subset of the fixed location fingerprint database with inaccessible fixed locations disabled and with a plurality of accessible fixed locations designated as waypoints to provide the navigable pathways map [0037 for a connectivity graph is created through a traversal of the skeleton, 0057 for protected areas (inaccessible)]
and displaying the navigable pathways map to provide wayfinding for a user within the reconfigurable environment [0013, 0031].
Namboodiri fails to explicitly teach developing a plurality of fixed location fingerprints from a plurality of beacon transmissions received at a plurality of fixed locations arranged in a grid pattern as an X-Y array within a reconfigurable environment, wherein the fixed location fingerprints are developed independently of a configuration map of a reconfigurable environment and are stored in a fixed location fingerprint database, and wherein the fixed location fingerprints only have to be generated once and the fixed location fingerprint database is usable for multiple configurations of the reconfigurable environment; after storing the fixed location fingerprints in the fixed location fingerprint database; superimposing the configuration map upon the grid pattern arranged as the X-Y array; developing a navigable pathways map from the plurality of fixed location fingerprints of the fixed location fingerprint database and the configuration map of the reconfigurable environment, without modifying the fixed location fingerprints in the fixed location fingerprint database.
Khan has system are disclosed for generating a radio map for indoor navigation and/or floor detection (abstract) and teaches developing a plurality of fixed location fingerprints from a plurality of beacon transmissions received at a plurality of fixed locations arranged in a grid pattern as an X-Y array within a reconfigurable environment [0035 for electronic device may for instance be portable],
wherein the fixed location fingerprints are developed independently of a configuration map of a reconfigurable environment and are stored in a fixed location fingerprint database [0099 for a substantially quadratic grid comprising grid-points],
and wherein the fixed location fingerprints only have to be generated once and the fixed location fingerprint database is usable for multiple configurations of the reconfigurable environment [0073 for the surveying approach is way less adaptive to changes e.g. in the physical infrastructure of the venue, e.g. removed or added walls, doors (reconfigurations)];
after storing the fixed location fingerprints in the fixed location fingerprint database [0047 for radio map may for instance be available to the first apparatus],
superimposing the configuration map upon the grid pattern arranged as the X-Y array [0100 for a two-dimensional grid, which may be overlayed (superimpose) on a representation of a map of the venue],
developing a navigable pathways map from the plurality of fixed location fingerprints of the fixed location fingerprint database and the configuration map of the reconfigurable environment [0084 for stored radio map may for instance be updated by changing at least one value associated with a grid point].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the beacon position techniques, as disclosed by Namboodiri, further including the mapping calculations as taught by Khan for the purpose to perform indoor positioning and/or floor detection (Khan, 0046).
Namboodiri fails to explicitly teach without modifying the fixed location fingerprints stored for the fixed locations, marking fixed locations covered by the configuration map as inactive in the fixed location fingerprint database by setting respective flags associated with the fixed locations, without modifying the fixed location fingerprints in the fixed location fingerprint database.
Becker has a version table that includes at least one reference to the identity table (abstract) and teaches without modifying the fixed location fingerprints stored for the fixed locations [0017 for no version information is modified or deleted],
marking fixed locations covered by the configuration map as inactive in the fixed location fingerprint database by setting respective flags associated with the fixed locations [0117 for each of the identified audit rows is modified to indicate that the row is now inactive],
without modifying the fixed location fingerprints in the fixed location fingerprint database [0117 for no version information is modified or deleted, it is possible to recover the record if the user later decides to undelete the record].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the beacon position techniques, as disclosed by Namboodiri, further including the fingerprinting version calculations as taught by Becker for the purpose to identifies the version row that stores the version to be recovered (Becker, 0120).
Claim 4-6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Namboodiri et al (US 2019/0072395 A1) in view of Khan (US 2020/0371192 A1) and Becker et al (US 2013/0179482 A1), as applied to Claim 1 above, and further in view of Pasricha et al (US 2021/0092611 A1).
Regarding Claim 4, Namboodiri fails to explicitly teach the beacon detector mobile device calculates a fixed location fingerprint by ranking beacon transmissions by respective Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) measurements.
Pasricha has an exemplary radio fingerprint-based indoor localization method and system (abstract) and teaches the beacon detector mobile device calculates a fixed location fingerprint by ranking beacon transmissions by respective Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) measurements [0052 for using radio sources (beacons) to measure fingerprint data and 0066 for using RSSI for fingerprint signature].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the beacon position techniques, as disclosed by Namboodiri, further including the fingerprinting calculations as taught by Pasricha for the purpose to determine one or more radio sources for the location (Pasricha, 0052).
Regarding Claim 5, Namboodiri fails to explicitly teach the fixed location fingerprints are calculated using a subset of the received beacon transmissions at the fixed location that have the highest RSSI measurements.
Pasricha has an exemplary radio fingerprint-based indoor localization method and system (abstract) and teaches the fixed location fingerprints are calculated using a subset of the received beacon transmissions at the fixed location that have the highest RSSI measurements [0052 for using radio sources (beacons) to measure fingerprint data and 0066 for using RSSI for fingerprint signature].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the beacon position techniques, as disclosed by Namboodiri, further including the fingerprinting calculations as taught by Pasricha for the purpose to determine one or more radio sources for the location (Pasricha, 0052).
Regarding Claim 6, Namboodiri teaches each beacon transmission includes a beacon ID [0034 for having beacon ID information location, weights, orientations].
Claims 7 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Namboodiri et al (US 2019/0072395 A1) in view of Khan (US 2020/0371192 A1) and Becker et al (US 2013/0179482 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Marti et al (US 2014/0171114 A1).
Regarding Claim 7, Namboodiri fails to explicitly teach a fixed location fingerprint includes a hash including a plurality of beacon IDs and associated RSSI measurements.
Marti has systems for using a location fingerprint database to determine a location of a mobile device (abstract) and teaches a fixed location fingerprint includes a hash including a plurality of beacon IDs and associated RSSI measurements [0047-0048 and 0056, and figure 6 for using an xy grid with locations mapped].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the beacon position techniques, as disclosed by Namboodiri, further including the fingerprinting calculations as taught by Marti for the purpose to allow various fingerprint data can be aggregated to form the location fingerprint data for a given location (Marti, 0056).
Regarding Claim 11, Namboodiri fails to explicitly teach the user mobile device is a smartphone provided with an app stores the navigable pathways map on the smartphone to facilitate offline wayfinding within the reconfigurable environment.
Marti has systems for using a location fingerprint database to determine a location of a mobile device (abstract) and teaches the user mobile device is a smartphone provided with an app stores the navigable pathways map on the smartphone to facilitate offline wayfinding within the reconfigurable environment [0051-0052].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the beacon position techniques, as disclosed by Namboodiri, further including the fingerprinting calculations as taught by Marti for the purpose to allow for a high confidence value (Marti, 0052).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 3-7, 11-17, and 19-20 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.
In applicant’s arguments page 8, 2nd paragraph of applicant’s arguments, the applicant states that claim 20 has been amended. The examiner thanks the applicant for the amendments that overcome the 112 rejection.
In applicant’s arguments page 8, last paragraph of applicant’s arguments, the applicant states that the applicant states that Marti does not teach the two-stage architecture with the fingerprint database. The examiner thanks the applicant for the amendments, new references Khan teaches fingerprinting form surrounding beacons [Khan, 0060-0062] and Becker teaches the storage database flags and versions [Becker, 0117] as in the amended claims.
In applicant’s arguments page 9, last paragraph of applicant’s arguments, the applicant states that the applicant states that Marti does not teach storing fingerprints in an XY grid. The examiner thanks the applicant for the amendments, new reference Khan addresses fingerprints in and XY gird [Khan, 0084].
Conclusion
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/SAMARINA MAKHDOOM/
Examiner, Art Unit 3648
Prosecution Insights