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 .
Claims 1-20 are presented for examination.
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.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Chu U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2022/0368994 A1 (hereinafter Chu).
As per claims 1, 19, 20, Chu discloses a method comprising:
determining that a user is an administrator (see identification of an individual watching the television device with purchase history that qualifies as an administrator as claimed on page 10 section [0085]) of a media-presentation device (see specific user turning on a set top box (STB) device, or media-presentation device as claimed, and being identified with purchase and payment information of administrator on page 21 section [0172]);
responsive to determining that the user is an administrator of the media-presentation device, updating user profile data associated with the user to include data indicating that the user is an administrator of the media-presentation device (see updating and building profile of user with facial recognition and tracking user activity on page 2 section [0016]),
wherein the user profile data further includes reference data associated with the user (see saving user information to establish a baseline, or reference data as claimed, on information known about the user on page 21 section [0172]);
obtaining query data (see receiving user image or sound data from devices on page 2 section [0016]) associated with an unidentified person (see detecting user in proximity to device with image or facial recognition on page 10 section [0086] and see detecting new user enter the room on page 9 section [0077]) located in a presentation area of the media-presentation device (see detecting user in proximity of device on page 10 section [0086] and see user enter the room where display is in use on page 9 section [0077]);
determining that there is a threshold extent of similarity (see identifying and validating user with previous user profiles such as the administrator profile, or reference data as claimed, on page 2 section [0016]) between the reference data associated with the user determined to be an administrator and the obtained query data associated with the unidentified person (see validating user with a previous profile on page 2 section [0016]);
determining that a notification message associated with the media-presentation device is waiting to be output for presentation (see determining relevant personalized advertisement, or notification message as claimed, is appropriate at the given time on page 2 section [0016] and see determine appropriate content to be played during or after a show on page 6 section [0049] and see advertisement, or notification message as claimed, designed to be played along with or during an advertisement break on page 19 section [0155]); and
based at least in part on (i) determining that there is the threshold extent of similarity between the reference data associated with the user determined to be an administrator and the obtained query data associated with the unidentified person (see identifying and validating user with previous user profiles such as the administrator profile, or reference data as claimed, on page 2 section [0016]), and (ii) determining that the notification message associated with the media-presentation device is waiting to be output for presentation (see determining relevant personalized advertisement, or notification message as claimed, is appropriate at the given time on page 2 section [0016] and see determine appropriate content to be played during or after a show on page 6 section [0049] and see advertisement, or notification message as claimed, designed to be played along with or during an advertisement break on page 19 section [0155]), causing the notification message to be output for presentation (see output a content, or notification message as claimed, after the show or concurrently on page 6 section [0049] and see output notification message as advertisement during an advertisement break on page 19 section [0155]).
As per claim 2, Chu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein determining that the user is an administrator of the media-presentation device comprises: determining that the user has engaged in an initial configuration process of the media-presentation device (see specific administrator user register with the device and storing preference on page 8 section [0063] and see specific administrator user register with devices with image as identification on page 20 section [0165] and see specific administrator user turn on and register with STB on page 21 section [0172]).
As per claim 3, Chu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein determining that the user is an administrator of the media-presentation device comprises: determining that the user provided payment-related data as input to the media-presentation device (see user authentication to verify licensing payments on page 16 section [0136] and see checking for paid content such as subscription or cable service on page 19 section [0156] and see checking user past activity history such as subscription and cable or streaming package on page 18 section [0150] and see user past purchase history and credit card purchase history on page 21 section [0172]).
As per claim 4, Chu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein determining that the user is an administrator of the media-presentation device comprises: determining that the user accessed a particular settings section of a user interface of the media-presentation device (see user register and set up user preference on page 8 section [0063] and see user setting up privacy protection setting on page 8 section [0069]).
As per claim 5, Chu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein determining that the user is an administrator of the media-presentation device comprises: determining that the user consumed media associated with certain age-related demographics (see verifying user attributes prior to advertisement on page 8 section [0070] and see using age demographics to determine user content on page 9 section [0078]).
As per claim 6, Chu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the media-presentation device is configured to have at most one user designated as an administrator of the media-presentation device (see determining a specific user and save and build a specific user profile on page 2 section [0016]).
As per claim 7, Chu discloses the method of claim 6, determining that a user associated with a media-presentation device is an administrator of the media-presentation device comprises: determining an administrator confidence score for the user; and determining that the determined administrator confidence score is greater than respective administrator confidence scores of all other users associated with the media-presentation device (see validate user profile with facial recognition on page 2 section [016]).
As per claim 8, Chu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the media-presentation device is configured to have multiple users designated as administrators of the media-presentation device (see identifying multiple viewers and build a profile for each user as administrator on page 2 section [0016]).
As per claim 9, Chu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the query data comprises visual data associated with the unidentified person (see receiving visual image of a new unidentified person on page 2 section [0016]).
As per claim 10, Chu discloses the method of claim 9, wherein the visual data represents a face of the unidentified person (see receiving facial recognition images on a new person on page 2 section [0016]).
As per claim 11, Chu discloses the method of claim 9, wherein the visual data represents a seating location of the unidentified person (see receiving activity data of person on page 2 section [0016] and see receiving new user movement or recent activities in the room on page 9 section [0077]).
As per claim 12, Chu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the query data comprises audio data associated with the unidentified person (see receiving audio data of a new person on page 2 section [0016]).
As per claim 13, Chu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the query data comprises behavior data associated with the unidentified person (see receiving activity data of new person on page 2 section [0016]).
As per claim 14, Chu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein causing the notification message to be output for presentation comprises causing the media-presentation device to display the notification message via a display screen component of the media-presentation device (see displaying notification on device such as on smartphone or tablet on page 2 section [0018]).
As per claim 15, Chu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein causing the notification message to be output for presentation comprises causing the media-presentation device to cause a separate device connected to the media-presentation device, to display the notification message via a display screen component of the separate device (see display notification on separate output device connected to the set-top box on page 2 section [0018]).
As per claim 16, Chu discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that the notification message has a particular type (see notification content with appropriate placement of indicia of the content or features, or type as claimed, on page 3 section [0030] and see notification type such as advertisement type to be played along with content or played during an advertising break on page 19 section [0155]); and based at least in part on (i) determining that there is the threshold extent of similarity between the reference data associated with the user determined to be an administrator and the obtained query data associated with the unidentified person (see identifying and validating user with previous user profiles such as the administrator profile, or reference data as claimed, on page 2 section [0016]), (ii) determining that the notification message associated with the media-presentation device is waiting to be output for presentation (see determining relevant personalized advertisement, or notification message as claimed, is appropriate at the given time on page 2 section [0016] and see determine appropriate content to be played during or after a show on page 6 section [0049] and see advertisement, or notification message as claimed, designed to be played along with or during an advertisement break on page 19 section [0155]), and (iii) determining that the notification message has a particular type, causing the notification message to be output for presentation (see notification content with appropriate placement of indicia of the content or features, or type as claimed, on page 3 section [0030] and see notification type such as advertisement type to be played along with content or played during an advertising break on page 19 section [0155]).
As per claim 17, Chu discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that the notification message has a particular priority level (see content priority on page 3 section [0030] and see content ranking on page 6 section [0049] and see relevancy ranking and priority for advertisement notification on page 19 section [0160]); and based at least in part on (i) determining that there is the threshold extent of similarity between the reference data associated with the user determined to be an administrator and the obtained query data associated with the unidentified person (see identifying and validating user with previous user profiles such as the administrator profile, or reference data as claimed, on page 2 section [0016]), (ii) determining that the notification message associated with the media-presentation device is waiting to be output for presentation (see determining relevant personalized advertisement, or notification message as claimed, is appropriate at the given time on page 2 section [0016] and see determine appropriate content to be played during or after a show on page 6 section [0049] and see advertisement, or notification message as claimed, designed to be played along with or during an advertisement break on page 19 section [0155]), and (iii) determining that the notification message has a particular priority level, causing the notification message to be output for presentation (see content priority on page 3 section [0030] and see content ranking on page 6 section [0049] and see relevancy ranking and priority for advertisement notification on page 19 section [0160]).
As per claim 18, Chu discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that the unidentified person is the only person in the presentation area (see determining relevant personalized advertisement relevant to only one person, or notification message as claimed, is appropriate at the given time on page 2 section [0016]); and based at least in part on (i) determining that there is the threshold extent of similarity between the reference data associated with the user determined to be an administrator and the obtained query data associated with the unidentified person (see identifying and validating user with previous user profiles such as the administrator profile, or reference data as claimed, on page 2 section [0016]), (ii) determining that the notification message associated with the media-presentation device is waiting to be output for presentation (see determining relevant personalized advertisement, or notification message as claimed, is appropriate at the given time on page 2 section [0016] and see determine appropriate content to be played during or after a show on page 6 section [0049] and see advertisement, or notification message as claimed, designed to be played along with or during an advertisement break on page 19 section [0155]), and (iii) determining that the unidentified person is the only person in the presentation area, causing the notification message to be output for presentation (see determining relevant personalized advertisement relevant to only one person, or notification message as claimed, is appropriate at the given time on page 2 section [0016]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Chu U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2021/0006866 A1. Interactive programming guide presenting to currently active or nearby set of television viewers (see Abstract).
Shang et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2023/0224266 A1. Mail notification delivery using geo-fencing (see Abstract).
Cheung et al. U.S. Patent Number 11,100,330 B1. Determining threshold measure of similarity of target user in captured video data and provider notification (see section [0047]).
Hou et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2025/0119606 A1. Prediction model to provide ancillary content to users (see Abstract).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALAN S CHOU whose telephone number is (571)272-5779. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00-5:00 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Chris L Parry can be reached at (571)272-8328. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ALAN S CHOU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2451