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 07/06/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The test for obviousness is not that the claimed invention must be expressly suggested in any one or all of the references. Rather, the test is what the combined teachings of the references would have suggested to those of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981).
In response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show non-obviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986).
The mappings, of new limitations to the references, have been provided below.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 07/06/2026. These drawings are acceptable.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 non-obviousness.
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hui (US 20160197800 A1) in view of Guo (US 20210306910 A1).
Claim 1. Hui teaches a system comprising: a processor; and a memory storing machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor (e.g., Fig. 2) to: receive a measured value of at least one environmental condition from at least one sensor (e.g., [0055] [0056] [0060]); determine an impact of the measured value of the at least one environmental condition on at least one component of a time-sensitive network (TSN) (e.g., [0054] [0060] [0062]);
generate a TSN gate control list based on the determined impact; (e.g., [0049] [0061])
and program a switching node of the TSN by uploading the TSN gate control list to the switching node for controlling transmission of traffic through the switching node, the TSN including a first end node, a second end node, and the switching node, and the switching node being communicatively linked between the first end node and the second end node (e.g., [0049] [0061]).
Hui does not explicitly teach the combination of the underlined feature, above.
Hui does not explicitly teach the combination of these features: time-sensitive, gate.
The missing elements are disclosed by Guo ([0214]) (e.g., [0158]. In Guo).
(AIA ) 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, because: e.g., see Guo [0002] - [0019].
Therefore, the combination of references, discloses the combination of the claimed limitations.
Claim 2. Hui in view of Guo the system of claim 1, wherein the at least one component of the TSN is one of: an end node; the switching node; or a link (e.g., Fig. 1,4,5A-5D,6A-6C,7A-7B [0049] [0060-62] [0064] [0075]. In Hui).
Claim 3. Hui in view of Guo the system of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable instructions further include instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to: generate the TSN gate control list (e.g., [0158]. In Guo) based on at least the determined impact (e.g., [0061]. In Hui); and operate the switching node based on the TSN gate control list e.g., [0158]. In Guo).
Compact notation has been utilized above, wherein, when a feature is, partly, attributed to a reference, other than the primary reference, the primary reference does not explicitly disclose the combination of the feature.
The motivation to combine references, is the same as, the parent claim.
Claim 4. Hui in view of Guo the system of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable instructions further include instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to: generate an initial TSN gate control (e.g., [0158]. In Guo) list based on a characteristic of one or more of the first end node, the second end node, and the switching node of the TSN (e.g., [0061]. In Hui); and update the TSN gate control list based on at least the initial TSN gate control list (e.g., [0158]. In Guo) and the determined impact (e.g., [0061]. In Hui).
Compact notation has been utilized above, wherein, when a feature is, partly, attributed to a reference, other than the primary reference, the primary reference does not explicitly disclose the combination of the feature.
The motivation to combine references, is the same as, the parent claim.
Claim 5. Hui in view of Guo the system of claim 1, wherein the at least one environmental condition is one of: temperature; air pressure; vibration; electromagnetic field; time; or humidity (e.g., [0056] [0064] [0085]. In Hui).
Claim 6. Hui in view of Guo the system of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable instructions further include instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to: program the switching node based on a characteristic of a user system supported by the TSN (e.g., [0069-72] [0078] [0079]. In Hui).
Claim 7. Hui in view of Guo the system of claim 6, wherein the characteristic of the user system is based on at least one of: a plasma sheath formation on the user system; a location of the user system; a vibration of the user system; an electromagnetic field around the user system; passage of time relative to the user system; or a function of the user system (e.g., [0056] [0064] [0077] [0078] [0085]. In Hui).
Claims 8-14 are rejected substantially the same as the corresponding Claims 1-7.
Claim 15 - Claim 20 are rejected substantially the same as the corresponding Claims 1-6.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure and Claims:
Mong (US 20230379385 A1) [0023]
Mong (US 20200412813 A1) [0359] [0552]
Mong (US 20190322299 A1) [0363]
Christie (US 11550322 B1) 13:4-31
Jabbar (EP 4002802 A1) Abstract
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection, if any, presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
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/H.H/Examiner, Art Unit 2465
/AYMAN A ABAZA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465
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