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 status
This action is in response to applicant filed on 02/16/2024. Claims 1-19 are pending 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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(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.
Claim(s) 1-4 and 6-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Frenette et al. (US 2018/0075731).
Regarding claim 1: Frenette disclose a method for preparing for the start-up of a control unit (title: "Installation of security products" and "access control subsystem" in the abstract; paragraph 11: "enrollment method for controllers") for access devices (paragraph 8: "door or entranceway"), wherein at least one access device ("door 104") is communicatively connected to the control unit ("door controller 98-1") (see figure 1), wherein the control unit has communication interface (K) for information technology communication with a mobile terminal and/or a signal output apparatus (S) for outputting a discernible signal, wherein the method includes the following steps:
a) detecting an installer's action at an access device (paragraph 0077-0078: run commission button is selected),
b) transmitting a trigger signal relating to the installer's action from the access device to the control unit connected to the access device (paragraph 0078: instruction are sent to the devices including door controller 98-1)),
c) receiving the trigger signal by way of the control unit (paragraph 0078: instruction are sent to the devices including door controller 98-1)), and
d) transmitting, by way of the control unit, an information technology signal or changing an existing continuous information technology signal of the control unit by means-way of the communication interface (K) and/or outputting by way of the control unit (11) a discernible signal by way of the signal output apparatus (S) (“status information”, paragraph 45).
Regarding claim 2: Frenette disclose the method of claim 1, wherein each access device comprises at least one access component wherein step a) the installer’s action (selection) takes place at an access component (selection button) of an access device (mobile computing device 102) and is detected device (paragraph 0077-0078).
Regarding claim 3: Frenette disclose the method of claim 1, in which the signal or continuous signal transmitted via the communication interface (K) of the control unit is a short-range communication signal (¶0042)
Regarding claim 4: Frenette disclose the method of claim 1, wherein the control unit has a communication interface (K) for information technology communication with a mobile terminal, wherein in step d), an information technology signal is transmitted by the control unit an existing continuous information technology signal of the control unit is changed by means way of the communication interface (K), wherein the method further includes the following step:
e) detecting the transmitted signal or detecting the change to the existing continuous signal of the control unit by way of the mobile terminal (20). (paragraph 45 and 75).
Regarding claim 6: Frenette disclose the method of claim 3, wherein the mobile terminal (102) communicates with a server (configuration server 24 and site server 20) via a direct or indirect network connection (“security network 116” accessible via “access router 94”), wherein the server has a digital representation of the access devices, wherein the digital representation comprises affiliation information from which it is configured to be derived which of the access devices are assigned together to a common control unit and are or should communicatively connected thereto, wherein the mobile terminal accesses the affiliation information of the digital representation (Figure 1, paragraph 42-45).
Regarding claim 7: Frenette disclose the method of claim 6, wherein the method further includes the following steps:
- identifying affiliated access devices, which are assigned together to a common control unit, based on the affiliation information of the digital representation (Figure 13: different affiliated access devices 98-1, 103-4, 110-1),
- displaying the affiliated access devices on a display device of the mobile terminal (Fig. 5-13),
- identifying, by the mobile terminal, the control unit with which one of the affiliated access devices is communicatively connected by way of method steps a) to e) (paragraph 0077-0078: run commission button is selected),
- and concluding that the identified control unit is communicatively connected as the common control unit for all affiliated access devices to all affiliated access devices (Figure 5-13, paragraph 0077-0078: run commission button is selected),
-storing a verification indicator on the mobile terminal and/or on the server for the affiliated access devices whose associated control unit is identified and/or linking the respective access devices with the associated digital representation (Figure 13: different affiliated access devices and its digital representation 98-1, 103-4, 110-1 is an indication that a verification indicator has been store on the mobile terminal).
Regarding claim 8: Frenette disclose the method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes the following steps:
- identifying affiliated access devices, which are assigned together to a common control unit, (Figure 13: different affiliated access devices 98-1, 103-4, 110-1),
- identifying, by way of the mobile terminal, the control unit with which one of the affiliated access devices is communicatively connected by way of method steps a) to d) (paragraph 0077-0078: run commission button is selected),
- and concluding that the identified control unit is communicatively connected as the common control unit for all affiliated access devices to all affiliated access devices (Figure 5-13, paragraph 0077-0078: run commission button is selected),
-storing a verification indicator on the mobile terminal and/or on the server for the affiliated access devices whose associated control unit is identified and/or linking the respective access devices with the associated digital representation (Figure 13: different affiliated access devices and its digital representation 98-1, 103-4, 110-1 is an indication that a verification indicator has been store on the mobile terminal).
Regarding claim 9: Frenette disclose the method of claim 1, wherein the installer makes an input into the mobile terminal, wherein the input comprises information about at which access device an action is or has been carried out, and/or which control unit carried out step d) (paragraph 0077-0078: run commission button is selected on the device step a-d will be performed).
Regarding claim 10: Frenette disclose the method of claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal and/or a server has a digital representation of the access devices, wherein the digital representation comprises configuration data that defines a target mode of operation of the access devices, wherein the method further comprises:
- making the configuration data available on an associated control unit in order to enable the control unit to control the access devices that are in communicative connection therewith according to the target mode of operation; and/or
- making the configuration data available on an associated control unit and forwarding parts of the configuration data to the access devices in communicative connection with this control unit in order to configure the access devices according to their target mode of operation; and/or
- making the configuration data available on an associated control unit and forwarding parts of the configuration data to the access components of the access devices that are in communicative connection with this control unit in order to configure the access components according to their target mode of operation.(paragraph 0014-0015, 0027 & 0043)
Regarding claim 11: Frenette disclose the method of claim 10, wherein the digital representation of the access devices is available on the server (Figure 13: different affiliated access devices and its digital representation 98-1, 103-4, 110-1 is an indication that a verification indicator has been store on the mobile terminal), wherein the mobile terminal communicates with the server via a direct or indirect network connection (“security network 116” accessible via “access router 94”) and communicates with the control unit via the communication interface (K) (paragraph 0078: instruction are sent to the devices including door controller 98-1, from mobile device)), wherein the mobile terminal retrieves the configuration data from the server and sends the configuration data to the control unit (paragraph 0043 and paragraph 0078: instruction are sent to the devices including door controller 98-1, from mobile device).
Regarding claim 12: Frenette disclose the method of claim 10, wherein the digital representation of the access devices is available on the server, wherein the control unit communicates with the server via a direct or indirect network connection and retrieves the configuration data from the server (paragraph 0043).
Regarding claim 13: Frenette disclose the method of claim 12, wherein the mobile terminal communicates with the control unit via the communication interface (K) and triggers the retrieval of the configuration data. (paragraph 0043).
Regarding claim 14: Frenette disclose the method of claim 10, wherein the mobile terminal calls up the configuration data in advance from the server, stores the configuration data and sends the configuration data to an associated control unit via the communication interface (K) at a later point in time (¶0043: In response, the configuration server 24 pushes the device data 304 for configuring the devices to a local database 95. In another implementation, the configuration server 24 lacks initial information for the devices within the security system 100 and their device data 304. In this example, the site server queries each of the devices as part of the discovery process for their device data (call up configuration data in advance) 304 and saves the device data 304 to the local database 95. The app 36 reads the device data from the local database 95, and pushes the device data 304 to the configuration server 24 (sends the configuration data to an associated control unit via the communication interface (K) at a later point in time)).
Regarding claim 15: Frenette disclose the method of claim 2, wherein an access component of an access device performs step b) upon an installer's action on the access component (“run commissioning) and an assignment of the access component to the affiliated access device is performed by way of the trigger signal received in step c) (paragraph 0077-0078: instruction are sent to the devices including door controller 98-1. Additionally look at figures 5-13 where assignment are given to the affiliated access device).
Regarding claim 16-19: Claims 16-19 claim an access system, a control unit, an access device and a computer program product comprising the same function and structural limitations of claim 1 and hence are rejected for the same reasons.
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.
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.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frenette et al. (US 2018/0075731) in view of Noxon et al. (US 2018/0201474).
Regarding claim 5: Frenette disclose the method of claim 4, but does not explicitly disclose wherein the control unit transmits a continuous information technology signal via the communication interface (K), wherein the mobile terminal is configured to receive the continuous signal, in particular in a device search mode of the mobile terminal, wherein in step d), the existing continuous information technology signal is changed, and wherein in step e), the change to the continuous information technology signal is detected by the mobile terminal.
In analogous art regarding access control, Noxon disclose an access control system (building) in connection to a mobile phone, said phone a continuously searching and once the information received is changed, a change in mode is performed.(paragraph 0015).
Before the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to the one of the ordinary skill in the art to include the feature of wherein the control unit transmits a continuous information technology signal via the communication interface (K), wherein the mobile terminal is configured to receive the continuous signal, in particular in a device search mode of the mobile terminal, wherein in step d), the existing continuous information technology signal is changed, and wherein in step e), the change to the continuous information technology signal is detected by the mobile terminal, in view of the teachings of Noxon, to the system of Frenette. The motivations is to provide flexibility to the connection by allowing the system to change according to the information received.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record cited in the PTO-892 and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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/OMAR CASILLASHERNANDEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2689