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 § 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) 1-3, 5, 7, and 9-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Spector (US 8,472,866) in view of Preston et al. (US 2009/0047904).
Referring to Claim 1, Spector teaches an electronic device 60 (fig. 9) comprising:
a display module (see display on 60 in fig. 9);
a communication module configured to exchange data with an external device (see col. 6, lines 15-35 which shows a smartphone communicating with the Internet and another radio);
memory, comprising one or more storage media, storing instructions (see col. 6, lines 15-27 which shows the smartphone with installed applications implying a memory further noting that a memory on a smartphone is well known in the art); and
at least one processor communicatively coupled to the display module, the communication module, and the memory (see col. 6, lines 4-14 which shows a microprocessor 82 connected to smartphone), wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
receive information of a first audio source device through the communication module (see col. 6, lines 15-27 which shows the smartphone receiving information of apps from a source where the activation of the app connects to the source),
output the received information of the first audio source device through a display of the display module (see fig. 7 which shows all the apps 65 displayed on the smartphone),
in response to receiving a user input for selecting the first audio source device, receive first audio broadcast stream transmitted by the first audio source device (see col. 6, lines 15-27 which shows the user selecting the app which enables broadcast audio of that specific source related to the app to be sent to the smartphone),
transmit a first audio signal of the first audio broadcast stream to an audio output device through a wireless link established with the audio output device through the communication module (see fig. 9 which shows the smartphone transmitting the broadcast audio information wirelessly to a radio as described in col. 6, lines 28-35), and
cause the first audio signal to be output through the audio output device (see col. 6, lines 27-35 which shows audio broadcast by radio 20).
Spector does not teach receiving information of a first audio source device using Bluetooth technology that does not require pairing. Preston teaches receiving information of a first audio source device using Bluetooth technology that does not require pairing (see Claim 1 which shows a mobile Bluetooth transceiver which detects and receives information from an audio source to be shown on a display and paragraph 50 which shows the device detecting and receiving information from the new device and further noting that there is no mention of pairing in the reference implying that the Bluetooth connection occurs without pairing). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide the teachings of Preston to the device of Spector in order to provide more secure short-range communications to provide the correct audio information to the proper devices.
Claim 12 has similar limitations as claim 1.
Referring to Claim 2, Spector also teaches establishing the wireless link with the audio output device through the communication module (see fig. 9 which shows smartphone 60 establishing a wireless link with radio 20).
Referring to Claim 3, Preston also teaches a Bluetooth or BLE wireless link (see Claim 1 which shows a Bluetooth link).
Referring to Claim 5, Spector also teaches the information of the first audio source device comprising at least one of identification information of the first audio source device, account information, address information, clock information, information on the first audio signal, timing information, transmission power information, or audio channel map information (see col. 6, lines 15-27 which shows information on the first audio signal e.g. Mozart-themed radio station).
Referring to Claim 7, Spector also teaches receiving the information of the first audio source device received by the audio output device through the wireless link established with the audio output device (see col. 6, lines 28-35 which shows wireless output radio 20 receiving and outputting the same information sent to radio by smartphone as the information sent by source to smartphone).
Referring to Claim 9, Spector also teaches when the first audio source device is selected, receive the first audio broadcast stream based on at least one of address information and clock information included in the information of the first audio source device (see ABSTRACT which shows a preselected address in which the receiver receives audio information from).
Referring to Claim 10, Spector also teaches determining a current reception state of the first audio broadcast stream, and when the current reception state does not correspond to a preset reception state, control the audio output device to receive the first audio broadcast stream (see col. 5, lines 29-43 which shows the user able to make adjustments such as station tuning where it is known in the art to be able to control the audio device/change stations when the reception state does not correspond to the preset reception state/static or interference).
Referring to Claim 11 Spector also teaches the electronic device as a mobile communication terminal (see smartphone 60 in fig. 9).
Claim(s) 4, 6, and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Spector and Preston, and further in view of Kim et al. (US 2023/0336262).
Referring to Claim 4, the combination of Spector and Preston does not teach the audio output device comprising a master device and a slave device, and wherein the wireless link is established between the electronic device and the master device. Kim teaches the audio output device comprising a master device and a slave device, and wherein the wireless link is established between the electronic device and the master device (see paragraph 42 which shows a master and slave audio output device where the master receives audio information and transmits that information to the slave). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide the teachings of Kim to the modified device of Spector and Preston in order to ensure more reliable short-range communications between content providing devices and audio output devices.
Referring to Claim 6, Kim also teaches determining a current use condition of the electronic device (see paragraph 54 which shows the device obtaining state and condition information), when the determined current use condition corresponds to a preset use condition, perform scanning to receive external data through the communication module, and receive the information of the first audio source device through the performed scanning (see paragraph 108 which shows a channel scan process which goes along with the process in fig. 4 when the device is in a receiving state). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide the teachings of Kim to the modified device of Spector and Preston in order to ensure more reliable short-range communications between content providing devices and audio output devices.
Referring to Claim 8, Kim also teaches when receiving information of a plurality of audio source device, generating a list in which the information of the plurality of audio source devices is arranged in order of a preset priority (see paragraph 100 which shows broadcasting channels sorted by user priority). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide the teachings of Kim to the modified device of Spector and Preston in order to ensure more reliable short-range communications between content providing devices and audio output devices.
Claim(s) 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Spector and Preston, and further in view of Proctor, Jr. et al. (US 9,554,061).
Referring to Claim 21, the combination of Spector and Preston does not teach identifying the first audio broadcast stream based on at least one of address information and clock information included in the information. Proctor teaches identifying the first audio broadcast stream based on at least one of address information and clock information included in the information (see col. 31, lines 40-54 which shows a source communicating audio related information by BT and col. 20, lines 40-57 which shows the address communicated to the device by BT). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide the teachings of Proctor to the modified device of Spector and Preston in order to ensure more secure communication of audio information.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-12 and 21 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.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EUGENE YUN whose telephone number is (571)272-7860. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm.
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, Wesley Kim can be reached at 5712727867. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/EUGENE YUN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2648
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