Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
DETAILED ACTION
2. This Office Action is in response to amendment filed on 03/12/2026. Claims 1-11 were previously pending. Claims 1-11 are rejected.
Response to Arguments
3. Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks filed on 03/12/2026 with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-6, 8-9, and 11 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Ueno et al., US 2019/0082071 A1.
Claim Objections
4. Claim 3 (limitations 2-3) is objected to under 37 CFR 1.75 as being a substantial duplicate of claim 1 (limitations 2-3). When two claims in an application are duplicates or else are so close in content that they both cover the same thing, despite a slight difference in wording, it is proper after allowing one claim to object to the other as being a substantial duplicate of the allowed claim. See MPEP § 706.03(k).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. 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 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.
5.1. 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 of this title, 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.
5.2. 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.
5.3. Claims 1-6, 8-9, 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim, (KR 2020/0117155 A) in view of Ueno et al., (“Ueno”, US 2019/0082071 A1), and further in view of Cao et al., (“Cao”, US 2014/0250513 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Kim teaches, a method for connecting an appliance to an external server connected to an internet, comprising: (Kim, FIG.1, IoT device 10, Wi-Fi access point (AP) 20, [001, 34]: establishing a connection between a plurality of IoT devices 10 with a Wi-Fi AP 20 using Bluetooth communication):
receiving, with the appliance, from the mobile device, and via said wireless link, credentials for allowing wireless communication between the appliance and an internet access point (Kim, FIG.1, terminal 30, WiFi communication module 33, Bluetooth communication module 34, [041]: The smart terminal 30 includes with a WiFi communication module 33, a Bluetooth communication module 34, [0013, 15]: a smart terminal 30 for controlling Wi-Fi settings is provided with a communication module capable of Bluetooth communication and Wi-Fi communication, and means for scanning a Wi-Fi AP (“1st wireless AP”), selecting an SSID of the scanned Wi-Fi AP, and receiving an input of the AP access password from the user, the selected SSID and It is characterized in that it includes a Wi-Fi setting app that inserts a password into the header information of the Advertising Packet to generate it as a Bluetooth advertising packet and broadcasts it to provide AP information to be connected to the loT device);
connecting the appliance to the internet access point using said credentials (Kim, [0031]: Bluetooth communication module 34 mounted on an loT device 10 receives a Bluetooth advertising packet broadcast, obtains information on a WiFi AP (“1st wireless AP”) to be connected to, and attempts to connect to the corresponding WiFi AP to automatically set up a WiFi network connection of the loT device).
Kim does not expressly teach
setting-up, with a first wireless communication unit of the appliance, a first appliance access point for allowing wireless communication with the appliance using a first wireless technology and, with a second wireless communication unit of the appliance, a second appliance access point for allowing wireless communication with the appliance using a second wireless technology, said first wireless technology comprising Wi-Fi technology, and said second wireless technology being different from said first wireless technology
broadcasting, with the first wireless communication unit, first access information for accessing the first appliance access point;
broadcasting, with the second wireless communication unit, second access information for accessing the second appliance access point;
setting-up a wireless link between a mobile device and a selected appliance access point between said first and said second appliance access points;
connecting the appliance to the external server through said internet access point.
Ueno teaches
setting-up, with a first wireless communication unit of the appliance, a first appliance access point for allowing wireless communication with the appliance using a first wireless technology and, with a second wireless communication unit of the appliance, a second appliance access point for allowing wireless communication with the appliance using a second wireless technology, said first wireless technology comprising Wi-Fi technology, and said second wireless technology being different from said first wireless technology (Ueno, FIG.6, electronic apparatus 200, communication unit (CU) 220, first wireless communication device 221, second wireless communication device 222), [0094]: the wireless communication unit 220 of the electronic apparatus 200 includes a first wireless communication device 221 (“AP1”) which performs the communication in conformity to the Wi-Fi standard, and a second wireless communication device 222 (“AP2”) which performs the communication in conformity to the BLE standard);
broadcasting, with the first wireless communication unit, first access information for accessing the first appliance access point (Ueno, [0088]: broadcasting signal (SSID) in conformity to the WI-Fi standard by first internal AP (“AP1”));
broadcasting, with the second wireless communication unit, second access information for accessing the second appliance access point (Ueno, [0088]: broadcasting advertise packet in conformity to Bluetooth communication standard by second internal AP (“AP2”));
setting-up a wireless link between a mobile device and a selected appliance access point between said first and said second appliance access points (Ueno, FIG.6, terminal apparatus 100, first wireless communication device 121, second wireless communication device 122, [0094]: The first wireless communication process is performed between the first wireless communication devices 121 Wi-Fi and 221 (“AP1”), and the second wireless communication process is performed between the second wireless communication devices 122 BLE and 222 (“AP2”));
connecting the appliance to the external server through said internet access point.
Prior to the effective filing date of invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to implement the “internal access point” of Ueno into the invention of Kim. The suggestion/motivation would have been to enable the electronic apparatus to dynamically change the operation frequency band of the first internal access point according to the wireless capability of the terminal apparatus, and thus, possible to appropriately perform wireless connection to the terminal apparatus (Ueno, FIG.6). Including the “the “internal access point” of Ueno into the invention of Kim was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings of Cao.
Kim-Ueno does not expressly teach
connecting the appliance to the external server through said internet access point.
Cao teaches
connecting the appliance to the external server through said internet access point (Cao, [0043]: the first wireless AP allows its client devices to connect to the Internet).
Prior to the effective filing date of invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to implement the “transferring credentials between APs” of Cao into the invention of Kim-Ueno. The suggestion/motivation would have been to facilitate transition of connectivity between first wireless AP and second wireless AP by streamlined transfer of client devices (Cao, Abstract). Including the “the “transferring credentials between APs” of Cao into the invention of Kim-Ueno was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings of Cao.
Regarding Claim 2, Kim-Ueno-Cao teaches, the method of claim 1, wherein said second wireless technology is: Bluetooth technology (Ueno, [0094]: Bluetooth technology).
Regarding Claim 3, Kim-Ueno-Cao teaches, the method of claim 1, wherein the appliance comprises a first wireless communication unit configured to be activated to set-up said first appliance access point and a second wireless communication unit configured to be activated to set-up said second appliance access point, the method further comprising:
activating, with the appliance, the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit (Ueno, [0056-57]: activating, with the electronic apparatus 200, the first internal access point 221 (Wi-Fi) and the second internal access point 222 (BLE) through wireless communication unit 220);
broadcasting, with the first wireless communication unit, first access information for accessing the first appliance access point (Ueno, [0088]: broadcast signal (SSID) in conformity to the WI-Fi standard by first internal access point 221);
broadcasting, with the second wireless communication unit, second access information for accessing the second appliance access point (Ueno, [0088]: broadcast advertise packet in conformity to Bluetooth communication standard by second internal access point 222 );
Regarding Claim 4, Kim-Ueno-Cao teaches, the method of claim 3, further comprising:
after setting-up the wireless link between the mobile device and said selected appliance access point, deactivating, with the appliance, a wireless communication unit between the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit that is different from the wireless communication unit configured to set-up the selected appliance access point (Cao, FIG.2a, [0027]: deactivating the first wireless AP 200 before the second trigger event, it may be reactivated and use of the original credentials may be resumed immediately).
Regarding Claim 5, Kim-Ueno-Cao teaches, the method of claim 3, wherein the appliance further comprises a third wireless communication unit, wherein connecting the appliance to the internet access point comprises activating said third wireless communication unit to establish a Wi-Fi link between the appliance and the internet access point (Cao, [0031]: the second wireless AP may maintain a different wireless connection or a wired connection to the broader network via an internet service provider providing service over a coaxial cable, twisted copper pair, optical fiber connection, or the like).
Regarding Claim 6, Kim-Ueno-Cao teaches, the method of claim 3, further comprising:
deactivating, with the appliance, both the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit after the appliance is connected to the internet access point (Cao, FIG.2a, docking station 205, [0050-51, 31]: the docking station 205 configures its access point communication (“1st communication unit”) facility using the transferred configuration information, and the access point communication facility activates (“internet”), deactivate the mobile hot spot 200’s AP communication (“1st wireless AP”), and docking station 205 deactivates its AP communication (“2nd communication unit”)).
Regarding Claim 8, Kim-Ueno-Cao teaches, the method of claim 3, wherein:
said first access information comprises a first name identifying said first appliance access point (Cao, [0087]: status packets use a name=value format as settings); and
said second access information comprises a second name identifying said second appliance access point (Cao, [0087]: status packets use a name=value format as settings).
Regarding Claim 9, Kim-Ueno-Cao teaches, the method of claim 8, wherein each of said first access information and said second access information further comprise a same identifier univocally identifying the appliance (Cao, [0050]: the mobile hotspot 200 includes an original set of configuration information (“1st access information, such as identifier”), [0051]: the configuration information of the mobile hotspot is transferred S220 to the docking station, the docking station configures, activates its access point communication facility using the transferred configuration information).
Regarding Claim 11, Kim-Ueno-Cao teaches, the method of claim 1, wherein said internet access point is set-up by a router device external to the appliance (Cao, [0048]: the docking station 110 (“1st AP”) may operate as a Wi-Fi router while the mobile hotspot operates as a wide-area network (WAN) gateway coupled to the Wi-Fi router).
5.4. Claims 7, 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim, (KR 2020/0117155 A) in view of Ueno et al., (“Ueno”, US 2019/0082071 A1) and Cao et al., (“Cao”, US 2014/0250513 A1), and further in view of Lee, (KR 101973790 B1).
Regarding Claim 7, Kim-Ueno-Cao teaches, the method of claim 3, but not expressly teaches wherein setting up a wireless link between the mobile device and a selected appliance access point between said first and said second appliance access points comprises:
collecting, with the mobile device, a selected access information between said broadcasted first and second access information; and
accessing, with the mobile device, said selected appliance access point using the selected access information.
Lee teaches,
collecting, with the mobile device, a selected access information between said broadcasted first and second access information (Lee, [0022]: collecting and storing the identification code, such as Wi-Fi direct MAC address or a Bluetooth beacon MAC address); and
accessing, with the mobile device, said selected appliance access point using the selected access information (Combined Cao, [0051]-Lee, [0022] teaches the docking station 205 (“selected AP”) configures and activates using the received access information).
Prior to the effective filing date of invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to implement the “Wi-Fi MAC and Bluetooth beacon MAC” of Lee into the invention of Kim-Ueno-Cao. The suggestion/motivation would have been to facilitate transition of connectivity in a surrounding Wi-Fi environment (Lee, FIG.2, [0005, 30-32], Abstract). Including the “the “Wi-Fi MAC and Bluetooth beacon MAC” of Lee into the invention of Kim-Ueno-Cao was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings of Lee.
Regarding Claim 10, Kim-Ueno-Cao teaches, the method of claim 9, but not expressly teaches wherein said identifier comprises a MAC address associated to the appliance.
Lee teaches (Lee, Abstract: accessing Wi-Fi AP using Wi-Fi direct MAC address or a Bluetooth beacon MAC address).
Prior to the effective filing date of invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to implement the “Wi-Fi MAC and Bluetooth beacon MAC” of Lee into the invention of Kim-Ueno-Cao. The suggestion/motivation would have been to facilitate transition of connectivity in a surrounding Wi-Fi environment (Lee, FIG.2, [0005, 30-32], Abstract). Including the “the “Wi-Fi MAC and Bluetooth beacon MAC” of Lee into the invention of Kim-Ueno-Cao was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings of Lee.
Conclusion
6. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
Ogawa et al., US 2019/0090296 A1, Electronic Apparatus For Use In Communication System, Has Processing Unit For Establishing Wireless Connections With Set Of Terminal Apparatuses After Waiting For Establishment Of Wireless Connection With Connection Terminal.
7. 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 extension fee 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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BRIAN J GILLIS can be reached on (571) 272-7952. The fax phone number for the organization where
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/C.L/Examiner, Art Unit 2446
/BRIAN J. GILLIS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2446
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