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
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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, 4-7, 9, 12, 14-15, 17, and 19, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawana et al, US 20200288035 A1 (hereinafter Kawana) in view of Freimark et al., US Patent 9705738 B2 (hereinafter Freimark).
Regarding Claim 1, Kawana discloses a method comprising: establishing a communication connection between an electronic device and a computer;
("A device 103 and a device 104 are used by being connected to the computer 102. While, in the present exemplary embodiment, a universal serial bus (USB) printer is described as an example, the device is not limited thereto" [0029])
connecting the computer via a web browser to a remote management system (server 101);
(“In FIG. 1, a web server 101 has a function to provide a web application to a client computer (hereinafter, “computer”) 102” [0027]. “In step S601, the user designates the URL (e.g., URL presented in URL 501 of FIG. 5) of the web site including the web application server 411 to the browser 425, and opens the print web application” [0073]. “A web application server 411 is realized and functions when the CPU 201 of the server 101 loads the program stored in the auxiliary storage device 203 to the main storage device 202 and executes the program” [0045].” The web application server 411 is installed in the server 101” [0046]. “A web API 412 is provided by the web application server 411. A web user interface (UI) is provided by the web application server 411” [0047]) (“In FIG. 1, a web server 101 has a function to provide a web application to a client computer (hereinafter, “computer”) 102” [0027]. The web application server 411 is installed in the server 101” [0046]. “A web API 412 is provided by the web application server 411. A web user interface (UI) is provided by the web application server 411” [0047])
detecting the electronic device;
(Kawana discloses automatic WebUSB-based detection of the connected USB device through an acquisition request to the operating system. “In step S605, the web application 426 executed in step S604 commands usb.requestDevice to the browser 425. In other words, the web application 426 requests access to a connected device” [0077].” In step S606, in response to the command in step S605, the browser 425 requests the OS 422 to acquire information on the connected device” [0078]. “In step S607, in response to the request in step S606, the OS 422 requests idVendor and idProduct of Device Descriptor and productName and serialNumber of String Descriptor to the connected device (connected device 103 in example of FIG. 6)” [0079]. “In step S608, in response to the request in step S607, the device 103 returns idVendor and idProduct of Device Descriptor and productName and serialNumber of String Descriptor to the OS 422.” [0080])
providing a user interface via the computer displaying an identification of the electronic device;
(Kawana discloses connection permission prompt 502 displayed in browser 425, precenting a list of connected devices with their identification information. “The browser 425 generates a list of all of the USB devices connected to the computer 102, based on the information returned from the OS 422 in step S609. Further, in step S610, the browser 425 displays the connection permission prompt 502 that presents the list of USB devices as the option 503, on the browser screen 500” [0084]. “A connection destination device option 503 is an option of a WebUSB connection destination device. In a case where a plurality of devices is connected to the computer 102, the plurality of devices is displayed as options.” [0066])
receiving a registration request for the electronic device via the user interface;
(Kawana discloses the user registering the selected device by inputting an identification name in input field 512 and pressing REGISTER button 513. “An input field 512 receives input of the device name (identification name) from the user. As an input example a case in which the name ‘laser printer for business A’ is assigned to the device having a product name ‘Caxxn Color Laser Printer Model 9’ is illustrated” [0070]. “A ‘REGISTER’ button 513 is a button control for the user to execute registration of the identification name assigned to the device. When the user inputs the device name in the input field 512 and then presses the ‘REGISTER’ button 513, the identification name is assigned to the device together with the connection permission setting instructed in the screen 500” [0071])
Kawana fails to expressly teach registering the electronic device with the remote management system responsive to the registration request wherein registering the electronic device associates the electronic device with the remote management system such that the remote management system remotely manages the electronic device over a network independent of the communication connection between the electronic device and the computer.
However, Freimark teaches registering the electronic device with the remote management system responsive to the registration request wherein registering the electronic device associates the electronic device with the remote management system such that the remote management system remotely manages the electronic device over a network independent of the communication connection between the electronic device and the computer.
(“The server-side 120 keeps track of policies, devices that it has seen (i.e., devices that have previously connected to it), assets and payloads that have been defined by the system administrator in the cloud controller 121. The server-side 120 also keeps track of all the Launchpads that are registered with the improved system for cloud-managed mobile device administration.”[col 6 lines 6-12]"Multiple systems may also manage mobile devices after putting the device into supervised mode, instead of being locked into using the computer that provisioned it originally for any subsequent management and administration needs."[abstract]"Devices may also connect wirelessly these management computers or purpose-built hardware appliances. If devices do connect wirelessly they may be managed just as if they were connected via USB or other similar hard-wire based medium."[col 4 lines 54-58] "the improved system for cloud-managed mobile device administration may connect to, and be managed through, a private cloud which may consist of a completely on-premises system, or a traditional cloud which may consist of an off-premises system that is connected via the Internet”[col 4 lines 5-20]; Examiner’s note: The limitation recited after the term “such” in the claim appears to be an intended result rather than a required step in the method claim. As such, the limitation following the term “such” does not have patentable weight, however, prior art rejection is provided for compact prosecution)
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine Freimark’s wireless independent management architecture with Kawana’s browser-based USB device registration system. Both references address the identical problem of enrolling a device into a remote management system through a computer connected workflow and then managing that device remotely. A person would be motivated to incorporate Freimark’s independent wireless management capability into Kawana’s registration flow to yield the predicable benefit of eliminating the requirement to maintain a persistent USB connection after initial enrollment, thereby enabling ongoing remote administration from any network location.
Regarding Claim 4, limitations of parent claim 1 have been discussed above. Kawana teaches
comprising- enabling network connectivity on the electronic device and computer
(“A network 105 is a network to which the computer 102 is connected. The network 105 is not limited to a wired communication network, and may be a wireless communication network such as a wireless local area network (LAN) and a cellular phone communication network” [0030]. “the devices 103 and 104 each support wireless connection” [0035]. “Specific examples of the external apparatus include a USB device, a Bluetooth® device, a computer connected via the network, and the other network device” [0038]. “In the present exemplary embodiment, each of the devices 103 and 104 is connected to the computer 102 via USB, and the communication I/F unit 308 is a USB interface. Alternatively, the devices 103 and 104 may include a Bluetooth® interface, a network interface, etc., as the other functions” [0043].)
Kawana fails to expressly teach receiving, via the user interface, a status indication that the electronic device is online with the remote management system, the status indication being received based on a network connection between the electronic device and the remote management system that is independent of the communication connection between the electronic device and the computer.
However, Freimark teaches receiving, via the user interface, a status indication that the electronic device is online with the remote management system, the status indication being received based on a network connection between the electronic device and the remote management system that is independent of the communication connection between the electronic device and the computer.
("The client-side 140 keeps track of devices that are physically or logically connected, state of those devices, and statistics about the device—such as operating system, device name, amongst others. All of this information about the device is reported by the client-side to the server-side via the API. When a device is disconnected there is no information transfer."[col 6, lines 35-41]" The system may provide a real-time reporting for actions that are currently being performed by the improved system for cloud-managed mobile device administration. This activity may be available to the system administrator that an activity page within the administration console. The real-time activity data may include per-device status and deployment information, progress and completed steps, among other information."[col 8, lines 10-17] "Devices may also connect wirelessly these management computers or purpose-built hardware appliances. If devices do connect wirelessly they may be managed just as if they were connected via USB or other similar hard-wire based medium."[col 4 lines 54-58] "Multiple systems may also manage mobile devices after putting the device into supervised mode, instead of being locked into using the computer that provisioned it originally for any subsequent management and administration needs."[abstract])
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine Freimark’s real time wireless status reporting architecture with Kawana’s network connectivity disclosure. A person of ordinary skill would have been motivated to incorporate Freimark’s wireless status reporting into Kawana’s browser based management portal to provide the administrator with real time visibility into whether a registered device has successfully established its independent network connection with the remote management system, yielding a predictable enhancement using known status reporting techniques with a reasonable expectation of success and no unexpected results.
Regarding Claim 5, limitations of parent claim 4 have been discussed above. Freimark teaches
comprising connecting the electronic device to a network to complete registration with the remote management system.
(” It is as easy as charging a mobile device or having the mobile device otherwise connect to the enterprise network” [col 3, lines 57-58].” Devices may also connect wirelessly these management computers or purpose-built hardware appliances. If devices do connect wirelessly, they may be managed just as if they were connected via USB or other similar hard-wire based medium.” [col 4, lines 54-58]
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine Freimark with Kawana. One would be motivated to make such a combination because Both address USB-triggered cloud device administration using browser accessible management portals. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to incorporate Freimark’s network-based registration into Kawana’s portal system to achieve the predictable result of a complete end to end device enrollment workflow.
Regarding Claim 6, limitations of parent claim 4 have been discussed above. Freimark teaches
user interface comprises a remote management system portal and further comprising displaying a status of the electronic device.
(“The system may provide a real-time reporting for actions that are currently being performed by the improved system for cloud-managed mobile device administration. This activity may be available to the system administrator that an activity page within the administration console. The real-time activity data may include per-device status and deployment information, progress and completed steps, among other information. Errors detected by the system may be reported in a manner that prioritizes specific types of errors and diagnostic information displayed to the administrator, which may make it easier to determine root cause of problems and implement the appropriate resolution.” [col 8, lines 10-21].
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine Freimark with Kawana. The use of a display for status monitoring improves visibility and facilities efficient troubleshooting by providing the user with immediate registration status, a practice well known I the art for increasing system reliability.
Regarding Claim 7, limitations of parent claim 6 have been discussed above. Freimark teaches
wherein the status is an online status.
(“The client-side 140 keeps track of devices that are physically or logically connected, state of those devices, and statistics about the device—such as operating system, device name, amongst others. All of this information about the device is reported by the client-side to the server-side via the API. When a device is disconnected there is no information transfer.” [col 6, lines 35-41]).
Regarding Claim 9, limitations of parent claim 1 have been discussed above. Kawana teaches
accessing connection information in the electronic device;
And transferring the connection information to the remote management system.
("The monitoring modules and remote sites may use a registration protocol to transmit registration information. The registration information may get stored in a database at the remote site."[0006])
Regarding claim 12, claim 12 reflects article of manufacture comprising computer executable instructions for implementing method in claim 1 and is rejected along the same rationale. (Kawana paragraph [0148] discloses non-transitory computer-readable storage medium)
Regarding claim 14, Limitations of parent claim 12 have been discussed above. Claim 14 reflects article of manufacture comprising computer executable instructions for implementing method in claim 4 and 5 and is rejected along the same rationale.
Regarding claim 15, Limitations of parent claim 12 have been discussed above. Claim 15 reflects article of manufacture comprising computer executable instructions for implementing method in claim 6 and is rejected along the same rationale.
Regarding claim 17, Limitations of parent claim 12 have been discussed above. Claim 17 reflects article of manufacture comprising computer executable instructions for implementing method in claim 9 and is rejected along the same rationale.
Regarding Claim 19, claim 19 reflects article of manufacture comprising computer executable instructions for implementing method in claim 1 and is rejected along the same rationale. (Kawana paragraph [0148] discloses processor and memory storing computer instructions)
Claims 2, 3, 8, 11, 13, 16 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawana in view of Freimark in further view of Subin, How to Run ADB FROM YOUR Web Brower (hereinafter Subin).
Regarding Claim 2, limitations of parent claim 1 have been discussed above. Subin discloses
wherein the communication connection comprises a universal serial bus (USB) cable and wherein the method further comprises enabling USB debugging.
(USB cable connection: “Plug your smartphone into your computer using a USB cable. When the prompt appears, set the USB preference to ‘File Transfer’ mode” (page 4, section: Connect your phone to WebADB, Step). USB debugging: “The first step to use ADB is to prepare your device for utilizing it. Hence, you should first activate developer options on your phone. To do so, head to your phone’s ‘About phone’ section in Settings and tap on ‘Build number’ seven times” (Page 1, section: Get your Android Device Ready for ADB, Step 1). “You will now see a new ‘Developer options’ section in your phone’s settings. While the option usually resides in Settings -> Developer options, it is likely to vary based on your device OEM. On OnePlus phones, you will find the new Developer options in Settings -> System -> Developer options. From Developer options, you will have to enable USB debugging. Your phone is now ready to interact with WebADB from your web browser.” (page 2, section: Get your Android Device Ready for ADB, Step 2,))
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine Subin with Kawana and Freimark. One would be motivated to make such a combination because Kawana discloses a browser-based USB device registration system and that the WebUSB API permits browser-based communication with USB devices and Freimark discloses network-based registration. Subin discloses WebADB a browser-based tool using the identical WebUSB API that Kawana teaches for android device management. Kawana, Freimark and Subin use the same underlying API in the same browser environment to accomplish the same fundamental task of browser-based USB device management, yielding predictable results with reasonable expectation of success.
Regarding Claim 3, limitations of parent claim 1 have been discussed above. Subin teaches comprising accessing the electronic device via a web-based debug bridge executed within the web browser
“there exists a new website dubbed WebADB that lets you use ADB right from the comfort of your web browser” (page 1 section: introduction). “Simon Chan’s WebADB project makes use of WebUSB API that lets browsers communicate with devices over USB. As Chromium-based web browsers support WebUSB by default, it is recommended to use one such as Google Chrome, the new Chromium-based Edge, or Opera” (page 1, section: History of WebADB). “Open WebADB’s website and click on the ‘Add device’ button. If you’ve connected multiple Android devices to your computer, choose the right one from the list of available devices” (page 4, section: connect your phone to WebADB, Step 2). “After choosing the right device, click on ‘Connect’ to start using WebADB from your browser. On this page, your device may show up with the entire name or just the model number” (page 4, section: Connect your phone to WebADB, Step 3). “APK Installation; Interactive Shell; Screen Recording; Scrcpy Screen Mirroring; Device Information; File Manager; Enabling ADB over Wi-Fi” (page 1, section: features of WebADB))
Regarding Claim 8, limitations of parent claim 1 have been discussed above. Subin teaches
provisioning the electronic device via the remote management system following registration.
(“I can now access my phone’s file manager, install apps, run ADB shell commands, capture screenshots, and more without having a full-fledged installation of ADB on my computer. You can switch between various features from the left side menu on the website.” (page 9, section: Run ADB from your Browser))
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine Subin with Kawana and Freimark. One would be motivated to make such a combination because both references describe the same workflow, connecting via USB, registering via browser, then managing the device. Subin’s provisioning operations are a continuation of Kawana’s registration flow and Freimark’s network-based registration, yielding predictable results with reasonable expectation of success.
Regarding Claim 11, limitations of parent claim 1 have been discussed above. Subin teaches
the method is performed on multiple additional devices to register the multiple devices with the remote management system.
(“If you’ve connected multiple Android devices to your computer, choose the right one from the list of available devices.” (page 4, Section: connect your phone to WebADB, step 2))
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine Subin with Kawana and Freimark. One would be motivated to make such a combination because the references address the same multi device use case. Kawana shows multiple devices in browser list; Freimark discloses network-based registration; Shubin shows choosing among multiple Android devices, yielding predictable results with reasonable expectation of success.
Regarding claim 13, Limitations of parent claim 12 have been discussed above. Claim 13 reflects article of manufacture comprising computer executable instructions for implementing method in claim 2 and 3 and is rejected along the same rationale.
Regarding claim 16, Limitations of parent claim 12 have been discussed above. Claim 16 reflects article of manufacture comprising computer executable instructions for implementing method in claim 8 and is rejected along the same rationale.
Regarding Claim 20, Limitations of parent claim 12 have been discussed above. Claim 20 reflects article of manufacture comprising computer executable instructions for implementing method in claims 2,3,4,5, and 8 and is rejected along the same rationale.
Claims 10 and 18, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawana in view of Freimark in further view of Rezvani et al., US Patent Publication US 20040098515 A1 (hereinafter Rezvani).
Regarding Claim 10, limitations of parent claim 9 have been discussed above. Rezvani teaches
the connection information comprises security information to authorize registration of the electronic device.
(“Remote site 14 may process monitoring module registration messages and return confirmation messages to the monitoring module that initiated or generated the registration messages. The confirmation message may contain the original message's transaction identification, a version identification of the software being used at web server 46, database server 48, or both, and the name or other identification of the command to which the confirmation is responding. If desired, confirmation messages may include any other identification information or other suitable information instead of or in addition to those described” [0095]. “Registration protocol messages may include, or be accompanied by, the transaction identification, model identification code, monitoring module identification, and monitoring module password. The registration protocol message may include commands and any required command-specific parameters.” [0094])
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Rezvani’s security credential structure with Kawana and Friemark. This combination would be motivated by the need to strengthen authentication and enforce compliance through conditional access polices with Kawana’s generic device identifiers. By integrating security information into the registration process, the system achieves more centralized and secure device management, ensuring only authorized devices are permitted.
Regarding claim 18, Limitations of parent claim 12 have been discussed above. Claim 18 reflects article of manufacture comprising computer executable instructions for implementing method in claim 10 and is rejected along the same rationale.
Response to Arguments
Claim objections
Based on the amendments the claim objects for claims 3, 9, 13, 17, and 20 are withdrawn.
Rejections of Claims under 112
Based on the amendments the claim rejections under 112 for claims 3, 7, 13, and 20 are withdrawn.
Rejections of claims under 102
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 4, 9, 12, 17, and 19 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.
Rejections of claims under 103
Applicant argues “Freimark does not disclose receiving a status indication based on a network connection between the device and the remote management system that is independent of the communication connection between the device and the computer used for registration. The proposed combination of Kawana and Freimark accordingly does not teach the amended limitation of claim 4. Withdrawal of these rejections is requested.”, (page 8).
As stated in the rejection above, Freimark discloses device and method where status indication being received based on a network connection between the electronic device and the remote management system that is independent of the communication connection between the electronic device and the computer ("Multiple systems may also manage mobile devices after putting the device into supervised mode, instead of being locked into using the computer that provisioned it originally for any subsequent management and administration needs."[abstract]"there is a need for an improved system for cloud-managed mobile device administration and provisioning to ease the administrative burden during both small and large scale deployments, and on-going mobile device administration. There is also a need for an improved system to enable multiple systems to manage a mobile device after putting it into supervised mode, instead of being locked into using the computer that provisioned it originally for any subsequent management and administration needs." [col 2 lines 54-62]"The status of device patching, and compliance with policy, may be monitored through the web-based administration console. The system for cloud-managed mobile device administration may manage devices through the use of a ‘Launchpad,’ which may be a software application running on a traditional operating system, or a purpose-built hardware appliance. Devices may be hard-wired to the Launchpad unit, potentially through USB or a similar medium, to be managed. Devices may also connect wirelessly these management computers or purpose-built hardware appliances. If devices do connect wirelessly they may be managed just as if they were connected via USB or other similar hard-wire based medium."[col 4 lines 45-58]"the improved system for cloud-managed mobile device administration may connect to, and be managed through, a private cloud which may consist of a completely on-premises system, or a traditional cloud which may consist of an off-premises system that is connected via the Internet"[col 4 lines 15-20]"The administrator console may or may not be accessed on the same machine that is hosting the Launchpad application. The administrator would logon onto the administrator console, which is hosted on the cloud-based system."[col 8 lines 28-32]"The system may provide a real-time reporting for actions that are currently being performed by the improved system for cloud-managed mobile device administration. This activity may be available to the system administrator that an activity page within the administration console. The real-time activity data may include per-device status and deployment information, progress and completed steps, among other information" [col 8 lines 10 -17] "an API for the Launchpad that receives the instructions from, and sends status updates to, the server-side. " [col 6 lines 14-16]" A set of public APIs may be available so that other software can be written or customized to access the features of the improved system for cloud-managed mobile device administration. Through this feature, it may be possible to perform advanced custom reporting or metrics gathering, and allows for other software to gather the status and history data that is stored within the system"[col 7 lines 65-67 and col 8 lines 1-4])
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 10,18, and 20 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.
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/F.O.M./Examiner, Art Unit 2646
/JEANETTE J PARKER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2646
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