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 .
Status of the Claims
Claims 1-20 filed on 13 FEB 2024 are currently pending and have been examined.
Priority
The pending application 18/440,402, filed on 13 FEB 2024, claims priority from provisional application 63/615,928, filed on 29 DEC 2023.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 13 FEB 2024 and 24 APR 2025 have been considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 5, 12 and 19 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 5, line 7, “the second impulse signal” should be “the third impulse signal”
In claim 12, line 7, “the second impulse signal” should be “the third impulse signal”
In claim 19, line 7, “the second impulse signal” should be “the third impulse signal”
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 3, 10 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claims 3, 10 and 17 recite, “determining a second absolute value, the second absolute value being an absolute value of a difference between a ground truth device distance and an average of (i) the physical distance between the first user-worn device and the candidate device and (ii) the physical distance between the second user-worn device and the candidate device.” It is unclear to the examiner what is meant by “ground truth device distance” as the claim does not specify from which location or device to which location or device that the distance spans.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
The claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. Claims 8 and 20 do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claim includes signals per se. Specifically, claims 8 and 15recites “computer-readable storage media”, which, under its broadest reasonable interpretation includes, e.g., carrier waves. Because the broadest reasonable interpretation of claims 8 and 15 covers both subject matter that falls within a statutory category as well as subject matter that does not, the claim as a whole is not directed to a statutory category and is thus not patentable under 35 U.S.C. 101 (see MPEP 2106 (II), specifically paragraph two discussing the case Mentor Graphics v. EVE-USA, Inc., 851 F.3d 1275, 112 USPQ2d 1120 (Fed. Cir. 2017)). Limiting the claimed subject matter to include only non-transitory computer readable media would allow the applicant to overcome this rejection.
Dependent claims 9-14 and 16-20 are rejected as depending from rejected claims 8 and 15, respectively.
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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4-9, 11-16 and 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu (WO 2022/193884 A1, cited by the applicant in IDS dated 24 APR 2025) in view of Yang et al. (EP 4,171,135 A1, cited by applicant in IDS dated 24 APR 2025).
Regarding claim 1, Xu discloses:
[Note: what is not explicitly taught by Xu has been struck-through]
A method implemented by one or more processors (Xu processor 320, Fig. 3), the method comprising:
(Xu “Optionally, the wearable device includes a first component and a second component… the wearable device is a TWS earphone, the first component is the left earphone in the TWS earphone, and the second component is the right earphone in the TWS earphone.” - ¶ [0038]-[0039]; where the first component is considered to be the first user-worn device), to an ultra-wideband transceiver (Xu positioning component 360, Fig. 3) on a candidate device (Xu terminal device 300, Fig. 3; “The positioning component 360 is used to determine the location information between the wearable device and the device… the positioning component 360 can use UWB (Ultra Wide Band) technology for positioning.” - ¶ [0063]),
determining a physical distance between the first user-worn device and the candidate device (Xu “For each slave device, obtain the first angle and first distance between the first component and the slave device…” - ¶ [0087])
(Xu “Optionally, the wearable device includes a first component and a second component… the wearable device is a TWS earphone, the first component is the left earphone in the TWS earphone, and the second component is the right earphone in the TWS earphone.” - ¶ [0038]-[0039]; where the second component is considered to be the second user-worn device),
determining a physical distance between the second user-worn device and the candidate device (Xu “For each slave device, obtain the first angle and first distance between the first component and the slave device, and the second angle and second distance between the second component and the slave device…” - ¶ [0087])
determining, based on (i) the physical distance between the first user-worn device and the candidate device (Xu “The first distance is the distance between the first component and the slave device…” - ¶ [0093]) and (ii) the physical distance between the second user-worn device (Xu “the second deistance is the distance between the second component and the slave device.” - ¶ [0093]) and the candidate device, that the candidate device is a query target (Xu “The terminal selects the slave device located in the direction the user is facing, compares the distance difference between the first distance and the second distance, and selects the slave device with the smallest distance difference as the target slave device.” - ¶ [0098]).
Yang et al. discloses:
A method implemented by one or more processors (Yang et al. processor 110, Fig. 3A; processor 401, Fig. 4), the method comprising:
transmitting, by an ultra-wideband transceiver (Yang et al. “The electronic device (for example, the electronic device 100, the electronic device 201, the electronic device 202, the electronic device 203, or the electronic device 204) has an ultra wide band (ultra wide band, UWB) communication module…” - ¶ [0075]; wireless communication module UWB/BT/WLAN/GNSS/NFC/IR/FM 160, Fig. 3A) on a first user-worn device (Yang et al. “A type of an electronic device (for example, the electronic device 100, the electronic device 201, the electronic device 202, the electronic device 203, or the electronic device 204) is not specifically limited in this application. In some embodiments, the electronic device in embodiments of this application may be a portable device such as a mobile phone, a wearable device (for example, a smart band), a tablet computer, a laptop (laptop), a handheld computer, a notebook computer, an ultra-mobile personal computer (ultra-mobile personal computer, UMPC), a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (personal digital assistant, PDA), or an augmented reality (Augmented reality, AR) \ virtual reality (virtual reality, VR) device.” - ¶ [0076]), to an ultra-wideband transceiver on a candidate device (Yang et al. “The electronic device (for example, the electronic device 100, the electronic device 201, the electronic device 202, the electronic device 203, or the electronic device 204) has an ultra wide band (ultra wide band, UWB) communication module…” - ¶ [0075]; UWB communication module 403A, Fig. 4), a first impulse signal (Yang et al. electronic device 100 broadcasts a UWB measurement request to electronic devices 201, 202 and 203, S302, Fig. 8A; algorithm 3, Fig. 8B);
receiving, by the ultra-wideband transceiver on the first user-worn device, from the ultra-wideband transceiver on the candidate device, a second impulse signal, the second impulse signal being sent as a response to the first impulse signal (Yang et al. electronic device 100 receives a measurement response from electronic devices 201, 202 and 203, S303, Fig. 8A; algorithm 3, Fig. 8B);
determining a physical distance between the first user-worn device and the candidate device based on an elapsed time between transmitting the first impulse signal and receiving the second impulse signal (Yang et al. “The electronic device 100 determines a one-way flight time of the signal based on the T11, T12, T13, T14, and formula (3), and determines the distance between the electronic device 201 and the electronic device 100 based on the one-way flight time.” - ¶ [0311]; formula (3):
T
=
T
r
o
u
n
d
1
-
T
r
e
l
a
y
2
2
; Fig. 8B);
determining, based on (i) the physical distance between the first user-worn device and the candidate device, that the candidate device is a query target (Yang et al. “The electronic device 100 determines, based on the orientation parameters of the electronic device 201, the electronic device 202, and the electronic device 203, that the electronic device 201 is a target device.” - ¶ [0312]; S305, Fig. 8A).
It would have been obvious to someone with ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Yang et al. into the invention of Xu to yield the invention of claim 1 above. Both Xu and Yang et al. are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they both disclose selecting a smart device of a plurality of smart devices to respond to a user’s voice by performing UWB positioning between a user’s device and the smart devices. Xu discloses using UWB positioning to determine the distance between a first user-worn device and the distance between a second user-worn device in order to determine that a candidate device is a query target. However, Xu fails to explicitly disclose that the UWB positioning determines the distance between the first user-worn component and the candidate device and the distance between the second user-worn component and the candidate device by measuring round trip time. This feature is disclosed by Yang et al. where the distance between a user-worn device and a smart device is determined by measuring round trip time (Yang et al. algorithm 3, Fig. 8B). The combination of Xu and Yang et al. would be obvious with a reasonable expectation of success to measure the round trip time of the first user-worn device and the second user-worn device in order to “implement coordinated control for a plurality of devices through a simple operation, thereby effectively improving user experience” (Yang et al. ¶ [0005]).
Regarding claim 2, Xu discloses:
The method according to claim 1, wherein determining that the candidate device is the query target comprises:
determining a first absolute value, the first absolute value being an absolute value of a difference between (i) the physical distance between the first user-worn device and the candidate device and (ii) the physical distance between the second user-worn device and the candidate device (Xu “The terminal selects the slave device located in the direction the user is facing, compares the distance difference between the first distance and the second distance, and selects the slave device with the smallest distance difference as the target slave device.” - ¶ [0098]); and
determining that the first absolute value satisfies a first threshold (Xu “A predetermined threshold is set for the distance difference between the first and second distances from the device, such as 0.5 cm, 1 cm, or 2 cm.” - ¶ [0127]; where the absolute value is implied).
Regarding claim 4, Xu discloses:
The method according to claim 1, wherein the first user-worn device is a first earbud (Xu “the first component is the left earphone” - ¶ [0039]), and the second user-worn device is a second earbud (Xu “the second component is the right earphone” - ¶ [0039]).
Regarding claim 5, Xu discloses:
[Note: what is not explicitly taught by Xu has been struck-through]
The method according to claim 1
Yang et al.
determining the physical distance between the first user-worn device and the candidate device is further based on a predetermined time in which the candidate device prepares the response to the first impulse signal (Yang et al. “The electronic device 100 determines a one-way flight time of the signal based on the T11, T12, T13, T14, and formula (3), and determines the distance between the electronic device 201 and the electronic device 100 based on the one-way flight time.” - ¶ [0311]; formula (3):
T
=
T
r
o
u
n
d
1
-
T
r
e
l
a
y
2
2
; Fig. 8B; where Trelay2 is considered to be the predetermined time); and
It would have been obvious to someone with ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Yang et al. into the invention of Xu to yield the invention of claim 5 above. Both Xu and Yang et al. are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they both disclose selecting a smart device of a plurality of smart devices to respond to a user’s voice by performing UWB positioning between a user’s device and the smart devices. Xu discloses the invention of claim 1. However, Xu fails to explicitly disclose that determining the distance between the user-worn device and the candidate device is based on the a predetermined time in which the candidate device prepares the response to the . This feature is disclosed by Yang et al. where the distance between a user-worn device and a smart device is determined by measuring round trip time (Yang et al. algorithm 3, Fig. 8B). The combination of Xu and Yang et al. would be obvious with a reasonable expectation of success to measure the round trip time of the first user-worn device and the second user-worn device in order to “implement coordinated control for a plurality of devices through a simple operation, thereby effectively improving user experience” (Yang et al. ¶ [0005]).
Regarding claim 6, Xu discloses:
The method according to claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining that the candidate device is the query target, causing the candidate device to activate an automated assistant function (Xu “the method for responding to control voice provided in this embodiment obtains positioning information collected from the device, determines the target slave device located in the user’s facing direction, and send response indication information to the target slave device to respond to the user’s control voice.” - ¶ [0080]).
Regarding claim 7, Xu discloses:
The method according to claim 6, further comprising causing the candidate device to perform automated speech recognition on an input audio signal (Xu “The device's microphone can be in continuous listening mode to avoid missing the user's control commands.” - ¶ [0057]), prior to identifying a hotword in the input audio signal (Xu “The smart speaker recognizes a specific wake word in the control voice and enters power-on mode.” - ¶ [0107]).
Regarding claim 8, Xu discloses:
[Note: what is not explicitly taught by Xu has been struck-through]
A computer program product (Xu “According to one aspect of this application, a computer program is provided that includes computer instructions, which a processor of a computer device executes to cause the computer device to perform a method for responding to control voice as provided in various aspects of this application.” - ¶ [0018]) comprising one or more computer-readable storage media having program instructions collectively stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media (Xu “The processor of a computer device reads computer instructions from a computer-readable storage medium, executes the computer instructions, and causes the computer device to perform the methods for responding to control voice as provided in various aspects of this application.” - ¶ [0017]), the program instructions executable to:
(Xu “Optionally, the wearable device includes a first component and a second component… the wearable device is a TWS earphone, the first component is the left earphone in the TWS earphone, and the second component is the right earphone in the TWS earphone.” - ¶ [0038]-[0039]; where the first component is considered to be the first user-worn device), to an ultra-wideband transceiver (Xu positioning component 360, Fig. 3) on a candidate device (Xu terminal device 300, Fig. 3; “The positioning component 360 is used to determine the location information between the wearable device and the device… the positioning component 360 can use UWB (Ultra Wide Band) technology for positioning.” - ¶ [0063])
determine a physical distance between the first user-worn device and the candidate device (Xu “For each slave device, obtain the first angle and first distance between the first component and the slave device…” - ¶ [0087])
(Xu “Optionally, the wearable device includes a first component and a second component… the wearable device is a TWS earphone, the first component is the left earphone in the TWS earphone, and the second component is the right earphone in the TWS earphone.” - ¶ [0038]-[0039]; where the second component is considered to be the second user-worn device), to the ultra-wideband transceiver on the candidate device,
determine a physical distance between the second user-worn device and the candidate device (Xu “For each slave device, obtain the first angle and first distance between the first component and the slave device, and the second angle and second distance between the second component and the slave device…” - ¶ [0087])
determine, based on (i) the physical distance between the first user-worn device and the candidate device (Xu “The first distance is the distance between the first component and the slave device…” - ¶ [0093]) and (ii) the physical distance between the second user-worn (Xu “the second distance is the distance between the second component and the slave device.” - ¶ [0093]) device and the candidate device, that the candidate device is a query target (Xu “The terminal selects the slave device located in the direction the user is facing, compares the distance difference between the first distance and the second distance, and selects the slave device with the smallest distance difference as the target slave device.” - ¶ [0098]).
Yang et al. discloses:
A computer program product (Yang et al. “an embodiment of this application provides a computer program product.” - ¶ [0061]) comprising one or more computer-readable storage media (Yang et al. “The one or more memories are configured to store computer program code.” - ¶ [0059]) having program instructions collectively stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media (Yang et al. “The computer program code includes computer instructions.” - ¶ [0059]), the program instructions executable to:
transmit, by an ultra-wideband transceiver (Yang et al. “The electronic device (for example, the electronic device 100, the electronic device 201, the electronic device 202, the electronic device 203, or the electronic device 204) has an ultra wide band (ultra wide band, UWB) communication module…” - ¶ [0075]; wireless communication module UWB/BT/WLAN/GNSS/NFC/IR/FM 160, Fig. 3A) on a first user-worn device (Yang et al. “A type of an electronic device (for example, the electronic device 100, the electronic device 201, the electronic device 202, the electronic device 203, or the electronic device 204) is not specifically limited in this application. In some embodiments, the electronic device in embodiments of this application may be a portable device such as a mobile phone, a wearable device (for example, a smart band), a tablet computer, a laptop (laptop), a handheld computer, a notebook computer, an ultra-mobile personal computer (ultra-mobile personal computer, UMPC), a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (personal digital assistant, PDA), or an augmented reality (Augmented reality, AR) \ virtual reality (virtual reality, VR) device.” - ¶ [0076]), to an ultra-wideband transceiver on a candidate device (Yang et al. “The electronic device (for example, the electronic device 100, the electronic device 201, the electronic device 202, the electronic device 203, or the electronic device 204) has an ultra wide band (ultra wide band, UWB) communication module…” - ¶ [0075]; UWB communication module 403A, Fig. 4), a first impulse signal (Yang et al. electronic device 100 broadcasts a UWB measurement request to electronic devices 201, 202 and 203, S302, Fig. 8A; algorithm 3, Fig. 8B);
receive, by the ultra-wideband transceiver on the first user-worn device, from the ultra-wideband transceiver on the candidate device, a second impulse signal, the second impulse signal being sent as a response to the first impulse signal (Yang et al. electronic device 100 receives a measurement response from electronic devices 201, 202 and 203, S303, Fig. 8A; algorithm 3, Fig. 8B);
determine a physical distance between the first user-worn device and the candidate device based on an elapsed time between transmitting the first impulse signal and receiving the second impulse signal (Yang et al. “The electronic device 100 determines a one-way flight time of the signal based on the T11, T12, T13, T14, and formula (3), and determines the distance between the electronic device 201 and the electronic device 100 based on the one-way flight time.” - ¶ [0311]; formula (3):
T
=
T
r
o
u
n
d
1
-
T
r
e
l
a
y
2
2
; Fig. 8B);
determine, based on (i) the physical distance between the first user-worn device and the candidate device, that the candidate device is a query target (Yang et al. “The electronic device 100 determines, based on the orientation parameters of the electronic device 201, the electronic device 202, and the electronic device 203, that the electronic device 201 is a target device.” - ¶ [0312]; S305, Fig. 8A).
It would have been obvious to someone with ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Yang et al. into the invention of Xu to yield the invention of claim 8 above. Both Xu and Yang et al. are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they both disclose selecting a smart device of a plurality of smart devices to respond to a user’s voice by performing UWB positioning between a user’s device and the smart devices. Xu discloses using UWB positioning to determine the distance between a first user-worn device and the distance between a second user-worn device in order to determine that a candidate device is a query target. However, Xu fails to explicitly disclose that the UWB positioning determines the distance between the first user-worn component and the candidate device and the distance between the second user-worn component and the candidate device by measuring round trip time. This feature is disclosed by Yang et al. where the distance between a user-worn device and a smart device is determined by measuring round trip time (Yang et al. algorithm 3, Fig. 8B). The combination of Xu and Yang et al. would be obvious with a reasonable expectation of success to measure the round trip time of the first user-worn device and the second user-worn device in order to “implement coordinated control for a plurality of devices through a simple operation, thereby effectively improving user experience” (Yang et al. ¶ [0005]).
Regarding claim 9, the same cited section and rationale as corresponding method claim 2 is applied.
Regarding claim 11, the same cited section and rationale as corresponding method claim 4 is applied.
Regarding claim 12, the same cited section and rationale as corresponding method claim 5 is applied.
Regarding claim 13, the same cited section and rationale as corresponding method claim 6 is applied.
Regarding claim 14, the same cited section and rationale as corresponding method claim 7 is applied.
Regarding claim 15, Xu discloses:
[Note: what is not explicitly taught by Xu has been struck-through]
A system (Xu device 300, Fig. 3) comprising:
a processor (Xu processor 320, Fig. 3), a computer-readable memory (Xu memory 340, Fig. 3), one or more computer-readable storage media, and program instructions collectively stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media (Xu “The processor of a computer device reads computer instructions from a computer-readable storage medium, executes the computer instructions, and causes the computer device to perform the methods for responding to control voice as provided in various aspects of this application.” - ¶ [0017]), the program instructions executable to:
(Xu “Optionally, the wearable device includes a first component and a second component… the wearable device is a TWS earphone, the first component is the left earphone in the TWS earphone, and the second component is the right earphone in the TWS earphone.” - ¶ [0038]-[0039]; where the first component is considered to be the first user-worn device), to an ultra-wideband transceiver (Xu positioning component 360, Fig. 3) on a candidate device (Xu terminal device 300, Fig. 3; “The positioning component 360 is used to determine the location information between the wearable device and the device… the positioning component 360 can use UWB (Ultra Wide Band) technology for positioning.” - ¶ [0063])
determine a physical distance between the first user-worn device and the candidate device (Xu “For each slave device, obtain the first angle and first distance between the first component and the slave device…” - ¶ [0087])
(Xu “Optionally, the wearable device includes a first component and a second component… the wearable device is a TWS earphone, the first component is the left earphone in the TWS earphone, and the second component is the right earphone in the TWS earphone.” - ¶ [0038]-[0039]; where the second component is considered to be the second user-worn device), to the ultra-wideband transceiver on the candidate device,
determine a physical distance between the second user-worn device and the candidate device (Xu “For each slave device, obtain the first angle and first distance between the first component and the slave device, and the second angle and second distance between the second component and the slave device…” - ¶ [0087])
determine, based on (i) the physical distance between the first user-worn device and the candidate device (Xu “The first distance is the distance between the first component and the slave device…” - ¶ [0093]) and (ii) the physical distance between the second user-worn device (Xu “the second distance is the distance between the second component and the slave device.” - ¶ [0093]) and the candidate device, that the candidate device is a query target (Xu “The terminal selects the slave device located in the direction the user is facing, compares the distance difference between the first distance and the second distance, and selects the slave device with the smallest distance difference as the target slave device.” - ¶ [0098]).
Yang et al. discloses:
A system comprising:
a processor, a computer-readable memory, one or more computer-readable storage media (Yang et al. “The one or more memories are configured to store computer program code.” - ¶ [0059]), and program instructions collectively stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media (Yang et al. “The computer program code includes computer instructions.” - ¶ [0059]), the program instructions executable to:
transmit, by an ultra-wideband transceiver (Yang et al. “The electronic device (for example, the electronic device 100, the electronic device 201, the electronic device 202, the electronic device 203, or the electronic device 204) has an ultra wide band (ultra wide band, UWB) communication module…” - ¶ [0075]; wireless communication module UWB/BT/WLAN/GNSS/NFC/IR/FM 160, Fig. 3A) on a first user-worn device (Yang et al. “A type of an electronic device (for example, the electronic device 100, the electronic device 201, the electronic device 202, the electronic device 203, or the electronic device 204) is not specifically limited in this application. In some embodiments, the electronic device in embodiments of this application may be a portable device such as a mobile phone, a wearable device (for example, a smart band), a tablet computer, a laptop (laptop), a handheld computer, a notebook computer, an ultra-mobile personal computer (ultra-mobile personal computer, UMPC), a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (personal digital assistant, PDA), or an augmented reality (Augmented reality, AR) \ virtual reality (virtual reality, VR) device.” - ¶ [0076]), to an ultra-wideband transceiver on a candidate device (Yang et al. “The electronic device (for example, the electronic device 100, the electronic device 201, the electronic device 202, the electronic device 203, or the electronic device 204) has an ultra wide band (ultra wide band, UWB) communication module…” - ¶ [0075]; UWB communication module 403A, Fig. 4), a first impulse signal (Yang et al. electronic device 100 broadcasts a UWB measurement request to electronic devices 201, 202 and 203, S302, Fig. 8A; algorithm 3, Fig. 8B);
receive, by the ultra-wideband transceiver on the first user-worn device, from the ultra-wideband transceiver on the candidate device, a second impulse signal, the second impulse signal being sent as a response to the first impulse signal (Yang et al. electronic device 100 receives a measurement response from electronic devices 201, 202 and 203, S303, Fig. 8A; algorithm 3, Fig. 8B);
determine a physical distance between the first user-worn device and the candidate device based on an elapsed time between transmitting the first impulse signal and receiving the second impulse signal (Yang et al. “The electronic device 100 determines a one-way flight time of the signal based on the T11, T12, T13, T14, and formula (3), and determines the distance between the electronic device 201 and the electronic device 100 based on the one-way flight time.” - ¶ [0311]; formula (3):
T
=
T
r
o
u
n
d
1
-
T
r
e
l
a
y
2
2
; Fig. 8B);
determine, based on (i) the physical distance between the first user-worn device and the candidate device, that the candidate device is a query target (Yang et al. “The electronic device 100 determines, based on the orientation parameters of the electronic device 201, the electronic device 202, and the electronic device 203, that the electronic device 201 is a target device.” - ¶ [0312]; S305, Fig. 8A).
It would have been obvious to someone with ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Yang et al. into the invention of Xu to yield the invention of claim 15 above. Both Xu and Yang et al. are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they both disclose selecting a smart device of a plurality of smart devices to respond to a user’s voice by performing UWB positioning between a user’s device and the smart devices. Xu discloses using UWB positioning to determine the distance between a first user-worn device and the distance between a second user-worn device in order to determine that a candidate device is a query target. However, Xu fails to explicitly disclose that the UWB positioning determines the distance between the first user-worn component and the candidate device and the distance between the second user-worn component and the candidate device by measuring round trip time. This feature is disclosed by Yang et al. where the distance between a user-worn device and a smart device is determined by measuring round trip time (Yang et al. algorithm 3, Fig. 8B). The combination of Xu and Yang et al. would be obvious with a reasonable expectation of success to measure the round trip time of the first user-worn device and the second user-worn device in order to “implement coordinated control for a plurality of devices through a simple operation, thereby effectively improving user experience” (Yang et al. ¶ [0005]).
Regarding claim 16, the same cited section and rationale as corresponding method claim 2 is applied.
Regarding claim 18, the same cited section and rationale as corresponding method claim 4 is applied.
Regarding claim 19, the same cited section and rationale as corresponding method claim 5 is applied.
Regarding claim 20, the same cited section and rationale as corresponding method claim 6 is applied.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NAOMI M WOLFORD whose telephone number is (571)272-3929. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Vladimir Magloire can be reached at (571)270-5144. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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NAOMI M. WOLFORD
Examiner
Art Unit 3648
/N.M.W./Examiner, Art Unit 3648
23 JAN 2026
/VLADIMIR MAGLOIRE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3648