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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements submitted on 12/16/2024, 1/31/2025, and 4/30/2025 have been considered by the Examiner and made of record in the application file.
Preliminary Amendment
The present Office Action is based upon the original patent application filed on 3/28/2024, as modified by the preliminary amendments filed on 3/28/2024 and 5/1/2024. Claims 1-8, 15-21, 23, 25, 26, 28, and 49 are now pending in the present application.
It is noted that Applicant filed two copies of the claims and a copy of the abstract of 9/25/2024 after filing amendments to the claims and abstract on 5/1/2024. It appears that Applicant did not intended to replace the amendments of 5/1/2024 with the claims and abstract filed on 9/25/2024. Therefore, the claims and abstract of 5/1/2024 were considered in this Office Action rather than the claims and abstract filed on 9/25/2024.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference characters “201” and “202” have been used to designate both second Electronic Device in Figure 1 and interfaces in Figures 5b and 5c. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office Action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the Examiner, the Applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office Action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to because the lines, numbers, and letters are not durable, clean, black, sufficiently dense and dark, and uniformly thick and well-defined in Sheets 1-19. Sheets 1-19 are all in grayscale which cause the lines, numbers, and letters to not be durable, clean, black, sufficiently dense and dark, and uniformly thick and well-defined. Additionally, drawings must be black and white (monochrome) except when another form (grayscale or color) is the only practicable medium for illustrating the claimed invention. For Sheets 1-19, black and white drawings are sufficient to illustrate the claimed invention. Black and white drawings should be created and filed in monochrome, black only, no gray.
The drawings are objected to because the sheet numbering is in the top margin of sheets 1-19. These numbers must be placed in the middle of the top of the sheet, but not in the margin. Each sheet must include a top margin of at least 1 inch, a left side margin of at least 1 inch, a right side margin of at least 5/8 inch, and a bottom margin of at least 3/8 inch. One of the shorter sides of the sheet is regarded as its top.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office Action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the Examiner, the Applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office Action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 17, 18, 28, and 49 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Reynolds (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0381510 A1) (as disclosed on Applicant’s IDS, hereinafter Reynolds).
Regarding claim 1, Reynolds discloses a method comprising:
obtaining, using a first application of a second electronic device, at least one piece of location information (Paragraph 0080 discloses a software development kit (SDK) 252, including an application program interface (API), offered by Nearable Technology Corp. of Vancouver, BC, Canada, the Applicant of this disclosure, is provided and installed in each orientation mobile device 108B for implementing the process of FIG. 4A, and for implementing a device-locating application program. Paragraph 0072 discloses each of the one or more orientation mobile devices 108B obtains its position by scanning the beacons of nearby short-distance wireless communication stations 106, and by using their position information embedded therein. After discovering the target mobile device 108A, each of the one or more orientation mobile devices 108B transmits its own location information P_B, such as its latitude and longitude, to the cloud 102);
sending, by a first electronic device while in an offline state, a first BLUETOOTH broadcast to the second electronic device (Figure 5 and paragraph 0073 disclose an example of locating a target mobile device 108A broadcasting a BLE beacon. When an orientation mobile device 108B enters the range 222 of the target mobile device 108A, the orientation mobile device 108B receives the beacon transmitted from the target mobile device 108A. Paragraph 0138 discloses a target mobile device 108A constantly broadcasts a BLE signal structured with GAP for advertising its existence);
scanning for, by the second electronic device, the first BLUETOOTH broadcast from the first electronic device (Paragraphs 0081 and 0138 disclose the orientation mobile device 108B then uses the received fingerprint information in subsequent scans to search for target mobile devices 108A. A target mobile device 108A constantly broadcasts a BLE signal structured with GAP for advertising its existence. The process 400 starts when the orientation mobile device 108B starts to scan GAP-structured BLE signals (step 402));
obtaining, by the second electronic device based on the first BLUETOOTH broadcast, first location information of the at least one piece of location information (Figure 4A and paragraph 0072 disclose each of the one or more orientation mobile devices 108B obtains its position by scanning the beacons of nearby short-distance wireless communication stations 106, and by using their position information embedded therein. After discovering the target mobile device 108A, each of the one or more orientation mobile devices 108B transmits its own location information P_B, such as its latitude and longitude, to the cloud 102 (step 184). Figure 8 and paragraph 0081 disclose by using the SDK 252, each orientation mobile computing device 108B in the system 100 periodically communicates, or checks-in, with the cloud 102 (or in particular, the servers 104 of the cloud 102) to report its location, e.g., in the form of a (Latitude, Longitude) pair, and to report the target mobile device(s) 108A it has discovered. During the periodic communication, the servers 104 sends to the orientation mobile device 108B a UUID list of target mobile device(s) 108A, and updates the UUID list with new fingerprint information, e.g., the (UUID, Major ID, Minor ID) triplets, of new target mobile devices 108A. The orientation mobile device 108B then uses the received fingerprint information in subsequent scans to search for target mobile devices 108A. Once a target mobile device 108A is identified, the orientation mobile device 108B sends to the cloud 102 its own location information P_B, such as its own (Latitude, Longitude) pair, for determining the location of the identified target mobile device 108A); and
reporting, by the second electronic device to a server, the first location information (Figure 4A and paragraph 0072 disclose after discovering the target mobile device 108A, each of the one or more orientation mobile devices 108B transmits its own location information P_B, such as its latitude and longitude, to the cloud 102 (step 184). Figure 8 and paragraph 0081 disclose by using the SDK 252, each orientation mobile computing device 108B in the system 100 periodically communicates, or checks-in, with the cloud 102 (or in particular, the servers 104 of the cloud 102) to report its location, e.g., in the form of a (Latitude, Longitude) pair, and to report the target mobile device(s) 108A it has discovered. Once a target mobile device 108A is identified, the orientation mobile device 108B sends to the cloud 102 its own location information P_B, such as its own (Latitude, Longitude) pair, for determining the location of the identified target mobile device 108A).
Regarding claim 2, as applied to claim 1 above, Reynolds further discloses wherein reporting the first location information comprises reporting, by the second electronic device to the server, the first location information and device information of the first electronic device and wherein the method further comprises matching, by the server and based on the device information, second location information of the second electronic device with an account of the first electronic device (Figure 4A and paragraph 0072 disclose after discovering the target mobile device 108A, each of the one or more orientation mobile devices 108B transmits its own location information P_B, such as its latitude and longitude, to the cloud 102 (step 184). The cloud 102 calculates the possible position P_A of the target mobile device 108A by using the location information P_B of each orientation mobile device 108B, and then notifies the owner of the target mobile device 108A, directly or indirectly, and via suitable means such as an email to a pre-registered email address of the owner or a text message to a pre-registered, alternative phone number of the owner, with the calculated location details P_A of the target mobile device 108A and a timestamp indicating the time that the target mobile device 108A was discovered (step 186)).
Regarding claim 17, Reynolds discloses a method, comprising:
obtaining, using a first application of a second electronic device, at least one piece of location information (Paragraph 0080 discloses a software development kit (SDK) 252, including an application program interface (API), offered by Nearable Technology Corp. of Vancouver, BC, Canada, the Applicant of this disclosure, is provided and installed in each orientation mobile device 108B for implementing the process of FIG. 4A, and for implementing a device-locating application program. Paragraph 0072 discloses each of the one or more orientation mobile devices 108B obtains its position by scanning the beacons of nearby short-distance wireless communication stations 106, and by using their position information embedded therein. After discovering the target mobile device 108A, each of the one or more orientation mobile devices 108B transmits its own location information P_B, such as its latitude and longitude, to the cloud 102);
scanning for a first BLUETOOTH broadcast from a first electronic device that is in an offline state (Figure 5 and paragraph 0073 disclose an example of locating a target mobile device 108A broadcasting a BLE beacon. When an orientation mobile device 108B enters the range 222 of the target mobile device 108A, the orientation mobile device 108B receives the beacon transmitted from the target mobile device 108A. Paragraph 0138 discloses a target mobile device 108A constantly broadcasts a BLE signal structured with GAP for advertising its existence);
obtaining, by the second electronic device, based on the first BLUETOOTH broadcast, first location information of the at least one piece of location information (Figure 4A and paragraph 0072 disclose each of the one or more orientation mobile devices 108B obtains its position by scanning the beacons of nearby short-distance wireless communication stations 106, and by using their position information embedded therein. After discovering the target mobile device 108A, each of the one or more orientation mobile devices 108B transmits its own location information P_B, such as its latitude and longitude, to the cloud 102 (step 184). Figure 8 and paragraph 0081 disclose by using the SDK 252, each orientation mobile computing device 108B in the system 100 periodically communicates, or checks-in, with the cloud 102 (or in particular, the servers 104 of the cloud 102) to report its location, e.g., in the form of a (Latitude, Longitude) pair, and to report the target mobile device(s) 108A it has discovered. During the periodic communication, the servers 104 sends to the orientation mobile device 108B a UUID list of target mobile device(s) 108A, and updates the UUID list with new fingerprint information, e.g., the (UUID, Major ID, Minor ID) triplets, of new target mobile devices 108A. The orientation mobile device 108B then uses the received fingerprint information in subsequent scans to search for target mobile devices 108A. Once a target mobile device 108A is identified, the orientation mobile device 108B sends to the cloud 102 its own location information P_B, such as its own (Latitude, Longitude) pair, for determining the location of the identified target mobile device 108A); and
reporting, to a server, the first location information (Figure 4A and paragraph 0072 disclose after discovering the target mobile device 108A, each of the one or more orientation mobile devices 108B transmits its own location information P_B, such as its latitude and longitude, to the cloud 102 (step 184). Figure 8 and paragraph 0081 disclose by using the SDK 252, each orientation mobile computing device 108B in the system 100 periodically communicates, or checks-in, with the cloud 102 (or in particular, the servers 104 of the cloud 102) to report its location, e.g., in the form of a (Latitude, Longitude) pair, and to report the target mobile device(s) 108A it has discovered. Once a target mobile device 108A is identified, the orientation mobile device 108B sends to the cloud 102 its own location information P_B, such as its own (Latitude, Longitude) pair, for determining the location of the identified target mobile device 108A).
Regarding claim 18, as applied to claim 17 above, Reynolds further discloses wherein reporting the first location information comprises reporting, to the server, the first location information and device information of the first electronic device, and wherein the method further comprises matching, by the server and based on the device information, second location information of the second electronic device with an account of the first electronic device (Figure 4A and paragraph 0072 disclose after discovering the target mobile device 108A, each of the one or more orientation mobile devices 108B transmits its own location information P_B, such as its latitude and longitude, to the cloud 102 (step 184). The cloud 102 calculates the possible position P_A of the target mobile device 108A by using the location information P_B of each orientation mobile device 108B, and then notifies the owner of the target mobile device 108A, directly or indirectly, and via suitable means such as an email to a pre-registered email address of the owner or a text message to a pre-registered, alternative phone number of the owner, with the calculated location details P_A of the target mobile device 108A and a timestamp indicating the time that the target mobile device 108A was discovered (step 186)).
Regarding claim 28, as applied to claim 17 above, Reynolds further discloses wherein before obtaining the at least one piece of location information, the method further comprises:
receiving an operation of a user on the first application, wherein a location obtaining function of the first application is enabled in advance (Paragraph 0128 discloses a user may use his/her mobile device to find and track a target mobile device 108A, such as luggage having a component emitting a BLE beacon. The user commands the mobile device to execute an above described application program, and instructs the application program to find the target mobile device 108A); and
starting, in response to the operation, the first application (Paragraph 0128 discloses in response to the user's instruction, the application program first searches BLE beacons within a predefined, detectable range, e.g., within 50 feet thereof, and checks if any beacon has the device identity of the target mobile device 108A).
Regarding claim 49, Reynolds discloses a system, comprising:
a first electronic device configured to: send a first BLUETOOTH broadcast in an offline state (Figure 5 and paragraph 0073 disclose an example of locating a target mobile device 108A broadcasting a BLE beacon. When an orientation mobile device 108B enters the range 222 of the target mobile device 108A, the orientation mobile device 108B receives the beacon transmitted from the target mobile device 108A. Paragraph 0138 discloses a target mobile device 108A constantly broadcasts a BLE signal structured with GAP for advertising its existence); and
a second electronic device (Paragraph 0072 discloses each of the one or more orientation mobile devices 108B) configured to:
obtain, using a first application, at least one piece of location information (Paragraph 0080 discloses a software development kit (SDK) 252, including an application program interface (API), offered by Nearable Technology Corp. of Vancouver, BC, Canada, the Applicant of this disclosure, is provided and installed in each orientation mobile device 108B for implementing the process of FIG. 4A, and for implementing a device-locating application program. Paragraph 0072 discloses each of the one or more orientation mobile devices 108B obtains its position by scanning the beacons of nearby short-distance wireless communication stations 106, and by using their position information embedded therein. After discovering the target mobile device 108A, each of the one or more orientation mobile devices 108B transmits its own location information P_B, such as its latitude and longitude, to the cloud 102);
scan for the first BLUETOOTH broadcast (Paragraphs 0081 and 0138 disclose the orientation mobile device 108B then uses the received fingerprint information in subsequent scans to search for target mobile devices 108A. A target mobile device 108A constantly broadcasts a BLE signal structured with GAP for advertising its existence. The process 400 starts when the orientation mobile device 108B starts to scan GAP-structured BLE signals (step 402));
obtain, based on the first BLUETOOTH broadcast, first location information that is the at least one piece of location information (Figure 4A and paragraph 0072 disclose each of the one or more orientation mobile devices 108B obtains its position by scanning the beacons of nearby short-distance wireless communication stations 106, and by using their position information embedded therein. After discovering the target mobile device 108A, each of the one or more orientation mobile devices 108B transmits its own location information P_B, such as its latitude and longitude, to the cloud 102 (step 184). Figure 8 and paragraph 0081 disclose by using the SDK 252, each orientation mobile computing device 108B in the system 100 periodically communicates, or checks-in, with the cloud 102 (or in particular, the servers 104 of the cloud 102) to report its location, e.g., in the form of a (Latitude, Longitude) pair, and to report the target mobile device(s) 108A it has discovered. During the periodic communication, the servers 104 sends to the orientation mobile device 108B a UUID list of target mobile device(s) 108A, and updates the UUID list with new fingerprint information, e.g., the (UUID, Major ID, Minor ID) triplets, of new target mobile devices 108A. The orientation mobile device 108B then uses the received fingerprint information in subsequent scans to search for target mobile devices 108A. Once a target mobile device 108A is identified, the orientation mobile device 108B sends to the cloud 102 its own location information P_B, such as its own (Latitude, Longitude) pair, for determining the location of the identified target mobile device 108A); and
report, to a server, the first location information (Figure 4A and paragraph 0072 disclose after discovering the target mobile device 108A, each of the one or more orientation mobile devices 108B transmits its own location information P_B, such as its latitude and longitude, to the cloud 102 (step 184). Figure 8 and paragraph 0081 disclose by using the SDK 252, each orientation mobile computing device 108B in the system 100 periodically communicates, or checks-in, with the cloud 102 (or in particular, the servers 104 of the cloud 102) to report its location, e.g., in the form of a (Latitude, Longitude) pair, and to report the target mobile device(s) 108A it has discovered. Once a target mobile device 108A is identified, the orientation mobile device 108B sends to the cloud 102 its own location information P_B, such as its own (Latitude, Longitude) pair, for determining the location of the identified target mobile device 108A).
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 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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the Examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the Examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Reynolds in view of Hou et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0171713 A1) (as disclosed on Applicant’s IDS, hereinafter Hou).
Regarding claim 3, as applied to claim 1 above, Reynolds discloses the claimed invention except explicitly disclosing wherein after reporting the first location information, the method further comprises: sending, by a third electronic device to the server, a query request requesting to query a location of the first electronic device; obtaining, by the server based on the query request, the first location information; sending, by the server to the third electronic device, the first location information; and displaying, by the third electronic device, a first interface comprising a first location corresponding to the first location information.
In analogous art, Hou discloses wherein after reporting the first location information, the method further comprises:
sending, by a third electronic device to the server, a query request requesting to query a location of the first electronic device (Figure 1 and paragraph 0024 disclose when a user finds that a portable device (i.e. the target portable device) is lost, the user can send through a communication terminal a location searching request corresponding to the target portable device to the server);
obtaining, by the server based on the query request, the first location information (Figure 1 and paragraph 0025 disclose in step 102, location information of the target portable device sent by another device when the another device detects a wireless signal of the target portable device is acquired according to the device identification of the target portable device);
sending, by the server to the third electronic device, the first location information (Figure 1 and paragraph 0036 disclose in step 103, according to the location information, a location indicating message regarding the target portable device is sent to a communication terminal linked to the target portable device); and
displaying, by the third electronic device, a first interface comprising a first location corresponding to the first location information (Figure 1 and paragraph 0039 disclose the first communication terminal can receive the location indicating message sent from the server and display the location indicating message. For example, a first communication terminal 200 can display a location indicating message 202: “Your device A appeared at Location c at 9:50”).
It 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 to incorporate requesting a location search for a lost device, as described in Hou, with searching for the location of a target device, as described in Reynolds, because doing so is combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results. Combining requesting a location search for a lost device of Hou with searching for the location of a target device of Reynolds was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings of Hou.
Therefore, it 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 to combine the teachings of Reynolds and Hou to obtain the invention as specified in claim 3.
Claims 15 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Reynolds in view of Hou as applied to claim 3 above, and further in view of Long et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0205562 A1) (hereinafter Long).
Regarding claim 15, as applied to claim 3 above, Reynolds, as modified by Hou, discloses the claimed invention except explicitly disclosing pairing, by the first electronic device, the first electronic device with the third electronic device in advance to generate a pair of a public key and a private key that are on an elliptic curve, wherein the first electronic device holds the public key, and wherein the third electronic device holds the private key and the public key.
In analogous art, Long discloses pairing, by the first electronic device, the first electronic device with the third electronic device in advance to generate a pair of a public key and a private key that are on an elliptic curve, wherein the first electronic device holds the public key, and wherein the third electronic device holds the private key and the public key (Paragraphs 0040 and 0041 disclose the first terminal generates a first public key and a first private key, and sends the first public key to the second terminal. After the first terminal determines that the speech encoding transparent transmission feature of the local network side of the first terminal is activated, the first terminal generates a public-private key pair (that is, the first public key and the first private key) of the first terminal using a Diffie-Hellman (DH) (a key exchange protocol put forward by Diffie-Hellman) solution or an elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) algorithm and the DH are used in combination for key negotiation, and this key exchange algorithm is referred to as ECDH solution, and sends the generated public key to the second terminal).
It 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 to incorporate a terminal having a public key and a private key and another terminal having the public key, where the keys are generated using an elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) algorithm, as described in Long, with linked devices, as described in Reynolds, as modified by Hou, because doing so is combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results. Combining a terminal having a public key and a private key and another terminal having the public key, where the keys are generated using an elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) algorithm of Long with linked devices of Reynolds, as modified by Hou, was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings of Long.
Therefore, it 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 to combine the teachings of Reynolds, Hou, and Long to obtain the invention as specified in claim 15.
Regarding claim 16, as applied to claim 3 above, Reynolds, as modified by Hou, discloses the claimed invention except explicitly disclosing generating, by the first electronic device, a pair of a public key and a private key that are on an elliptic curve; and synchronizing, by the first electronic device, the public key and the private key to the third electronic device in a trust environment.
In analogous art, Long discloses generating, by the first electronic device, a pair of a public key and a private key that are on an elliptic curve (Paragraphs 0040 and 0041 disclose the first terminal generates a first public key and a first private key, and sends the first public key to the second terminal. After the first terminal determines that the speech encoding transparent transmission feature of the local network side of the first terminal is activated, the first terminal generates a public-private key pair (that is, the first public key and the first private key) of the first terminal using a Diffie-Hellman (DH) (a key exchange protocol put forward by Diffie-Hellman) solution or an elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) algorithm and the DH are used in combination for key negotiation, and this key exchange algorithm is referred to as ECDH solution, and sends the generated public key to the second terminal); and
synchronizing, by the first electronic device, the public key and the private key to the third electronic device in a trust environment (Paragraphs 0040 and 0041 disclose the first terminal generates a first public key and a first private key, and sends the first public key to the second terminal. After the first terminal determines that the speech encoding transparent transmission feature of the local network side of the first terminal is activated, the first terminal generates a public-private key pair (that is, the first public key and the first private key) of the first terminal using a Diffie-Hellman (DH) (a key exchange protocol put forward by Diffie-Hellman) solution or an elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) algorithm and the DH are used in combination for key negotiation, and this key exchange algorithm is referred to as ECDH solution, and sends the generated public key to the second terminal).
It 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 to incorporate a terminal having a public key and a private key and another terminal having the public key, where the keys are generated using an elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) algorithm, as described in Long, with linked devices, as described in Reynolds, as modified by Hou, because doing so is combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results. Combining a terminal having a public key and a private key and another terminal having the public key, where the keys are generated using an elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) algorithm of Long with linked devices of Reynolds, as modified by Hou, was within the ordinary ability of one of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings of Long.
Therefore, it 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 to combine the teachings of Reynolds, Hou, and Long to obtain the invention as specified in claim 16.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-8, 19-21, 23, 25, and 26 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Considering claims 4 and 19, the best prior art found during the prosecution of the present application, Reynolds, fails to disclose, teach, or suggest the limitations of wherein obtaining the first location information comprises: obtaining, based on the first BLUETOOTH broadcast, a broadcast time and a first time at which the at least one piece of location information is obtained; and obtaining, based on the broadcast time and the first time, the first location information in combination with and in the context of all of the other limitations in claims 4 and 19.
Considering claims 8 and 23, the best prior art found during the prosecution of the present application, Reynolds, fails to disclose, teach, or suggest the limitations of identifying that a time difference between a broadcast time of a second BLUETOOTH broadcast scanned by the second electronic device and a first time at which the at least one piece of location information is obtained is greater than a threshold; and invoking, in response to identifying that the time difference is greater than the threshold, a second application to obtain second location information in combination with and in the context of all of the other limitations in claims 8 and 23.
Considering claim 25, the best prior art found during the prosecution of the present application, Reynolds, fails to disclose, teach, or suggest the limitations of wherein reporting the first location information comprises: detecting that a second application reports data to the server; and reporting, to the server in response to detecting that the second application reports the data to the server, the first location information in combination with and in the context of all of the other limitations in claim 25.
Considering claim 26, the best prior art found during the prosecution of the present application, Reynolds, fails to disclose, teach, or suggest the limitations of identifying that the second electronic device is coupled to a network using a second application; and reporting, to the server in response to identifying that the second electronic device is coupled to the network, the first location information in combination with and in the context of all of the other limitations in claim 26.
Claims 5-7, 20, and 21 are also allowed by virtue of their dependency on claims 4 and 19.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure.
Katagi et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0102335 A1) discloses a mobile device, information processing device, location information acquisition method, location information acquisition system, and program;
Hou et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0171713 A1) discloses a method and apparatus for determining location of target portable device;
Abramovsky et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0324549 A1) discloses secured time of flight measurement; and
Guo et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0303254 A1) discloses protection of communications through user equipment relay.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the Examiner should be directed to MARK G. PANNELL whose telephone number is (303) 297-4245. The Examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 3:00 pm (Mountain Time).
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, Applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the Examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s supervisor, Rafael Perez-Gutierrez can be reached on (571) 272-7915. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
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/Mark G. Pannell/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2642
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