DETAILED ACTION
This communication is responsive to RCE/Amendment filed 02/06/2026.
Claims 16-18, 20, 23-27, 31-33 and 39-44 are pending in this application. In the Amendment, claims 16, 25 and 31 are amended, claims 19, 21-22, 28-30 and 34-38 are cancelled and claims 39-44 are new.
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 with respect to claims amended 02/06/2026 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.
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 16-18, 20, 23-27, 31-33 and 39-44 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Onohara et al. (“Onohara”, US 2020/0092702) in view of Zhang et al. (“Zhang”, US 2014/0073307).
As per claim 16, Onohara teaches a computing device comprising:
at least one processor (Onohara, para.68, Fig.2, CPU 31);
at least one communication interface (Onohara, para.68, Fig.2, network module 41, Bluetooth module 42);
a display configured to present a graphical interface (Onohara, para.68, Fig.2, display 35);
a non-transitory computer-readable medium (Onohara, para.68, Fig.2, medium 32-33); and
program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing device is configured to (Onohara, para.69, Fig.2):
use a first communication protocol to connect, via the at least one communication interface, to a local network (Onohara, para.56, 75, 83, network module 41 uses WiFi to connect to home network);
use the first communication protocol to receive, via the at least one communication interface, first information identifying a first playback device connected to the local network (Onohara, para.56-57, 64-65, 83, 107, reproduction apparatus 10 is a digital media renderer that produces music content);
use a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol to connect, via the at least one communication interface, to a second playback device that is not connected to the local network (Onohara, para.76-77, 90, Bluetooth module 42 uses Bluetooth to control non-network-compatible reproduction apparatus 10);
use a third communication protocol different from the first and second communication protocols to receive, via the at least one communication interface, second information identifying the second playback device (Onohara, para.78, 84, 88-96, 107, beacon signal includes second information i.e. equipment information); and
display, via the graphical interface, a first representation of the first playback device and a second representation of the second playback device, wherein the first representation (i) is based on the first information identifying the first playback device (Onohara, Fig.6, first representation Device B/C 75a indicator; second representation Device D 75b indicator; para.104-105, 107) and (ii) includes a first set of transport controls for controlling playback of audio content by the first playback device (Onohara, Fig.7, para.59, 77, 111, reproduction control unit 81 for controlling reproduction apparatus 10) and the second representation (i) is based on the second information identifying the second playback device (Onohara, Fig.6, first representation Device B/C 75a indicator; second representation Device D 75b indicator; para.104-105, 107) and (ii) includes a second set of transport controls for controlling playback of audio content by the second playback device (Onohara, Fig.7, para.59, 77, 111, reproduction control unit 81 for controlling reproduction apparatus 10);
receive, via the graphical interface, a selection of one of the second set of transport controls (Onohara, Fig.7, para.77, 83-84, 111, controlling reproduction apparatus 10 through communication protocols); and
use the second communication protocol to transmit, via the at least one communication interface, audio content to the second playback device for playback by the second playback device (Onohara, para.61, 64-65, 72, 145, music content reproduced); and
use the third communication protocol to transmit, via the at least one communication interface to the second playback device, an instruction for controlling playback of audio content by the second playback device according to the received selection of one of the second set of transport controls (Onohara, Fig.7, para.77, 83-84, 111, controlling reproduction apparatus 10 through communication protocols).
However, Onohara does not teach while connected to the second playback device using the second communication protocol: use the third communication protocol to transmit. Zhang teaches a device using different communication protocols simultaneously wherein while connected to a playback device using the second communication protocol: use the third communication protocol to transmit (Zhang, para.22, 27-28, 31, communication protocol used depends on data type transmitted). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include Zhang’s teaching with Onohara’s device to improve data transmission efficiency.
As per claim 17, the device of Onohara and Zhang teaches the computing device of claim 16, wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing device is configured to display the first representation of the first playback device and the second representation of the second playback device comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing device is configured to concurrently display the first representation of the first playback device and the second representation of the second playback device (Onohara, Fig.6, first representation Device B/C 75a indicator; second representation Device D 75b indicator concurrently displayed; para.104-105, 107).
As per claim 18, the device of Onohara and Zhang teaches the computing device of claim 16, wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing device is configured to use the third communication protocol to receive the second information identifying the second playback device comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing device is configured to use the third communication protocol to receive the second information identifying the second playback device using information obtained via the second communication protocol (Onohara, para.78, 84, 88-96, 107, beacon signal includes second information i.e. equipment information).
As per claim 20, the device of Onohara and Zhang teaches the computing device of claim 16, further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing device is configured to: receive, via the graphical interface, a selection of one of the first set of transport controls; and after receipt of the selection, use the first communication protocol to send, via the at least one communication interface, an instruction for controlling playback of audio content by the first playback device (Onohara, Fig.7, para.77, 83-84, 111, controlling reproduction apparatus 10 through communication protocols).
As per claim 23, the device of Onohara and Zhang teaches the computing device of claim 16, wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing device is configured to use the third communication protocol to receive the second information identifying the second playback device comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing device is configured to receive a beacon transmitted by the second playback device, the beacon comprising the second information identifying the second playback device (Onohara, para.78, 84, 88-96, 107, beacon signal includes second information i.e. equipment information).
As per claim 24, the device of Onohara and Zhang teaches the computing device of claim 16, wherein the first communication protocol is a Wi-Fi protocol, wherein the second communication protocol is a Bluetooth classic protocol, and wherein the third communication protocol is a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) protocol (Onohara, para.75-77, network module 41 is Wi-Fi protocol, Bluetooth module 42 is Bluetooth classic protocol and BLE protocol).
Claims 25 and 31 are similar in scope to claim 16, and are therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Claims 26 and 32 are similar in scope to claim 17, and are therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Claims 27 and 33 are similar in scope to claim 18, and are therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Claims 39 and 42 are similar in scope to claim 20, and are therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Claims 40 and 43 are similar in scope to claim 23, and are therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Claims 41 and 44 are similar in scope to claim 24, and are therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Inquiries
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SAJEDA MUHEBBULLAH whose telephone number is (571)272-4065. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Tue/Thur-Fri 10am-8pm.
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/S.M./
Sajeda Muhebbullah
Examiner, Art Unit 2174
/WILLIAM L BASHORE/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2174
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