Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 13, and 17-30 have been considered but are moot in view of new grounds of rejection.
Examiner has brought in Yu (EP 2536163) to disclose the newly amended features.
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.
Claim(s) 13, and 17-30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yu (EP 2536163).
As for claims 13, 19, and 20, Yu discloses a managing method for managing access, by a reader, to televised content, wherein the method is implemented by the reader and comprises:
obtaining, for given content, a set of multicast distribution channels associated with respective distribution times that are temporally spaced apart (NVOD programs are sent via multicast at set times as specified in an NVOD EPG and are temporally spaced apart; [0006], [0023], [0028]),
receiving a content access request for the given content (Receive user request for playing an NVOD program; [0006]);
selecting, from said set, the multicast distribution channel whose distribution time is the earliest distribution time in said set that follows a time of receipt of the content access request (After the request, the next NVOD program is selected to be played; [0006]); and
receiving the given content via the selected multicast distribution channel (Media stream of the determined NVOD program is sent in multicast mode; [0006]).
As for claim 17, Yu discloses deleting a distribution channel when playback of the content on that channel has ended ([0028]).
As for claim 18, Yu discloses wherein all the distribution times are included in data representative of a program guide (NVOD program guide; [0023]).
As for claims 21, 22, and 24, Yu discloses a method for managing distribution of content having a scheduled distribution time, wherein the method comprises:
creating, for given content, a set of multicast distribution channels associated with respective distribution times that are temporally spaced apart (NVOD programs are sent via multicast at set times as specified in an NVOD EPG and are temporally spaced apart; [0006], [0023], [0028]),
receiving, from a reader, a datum representative of a distribution time chosen from said set, the chosen distribution time being the earliest distribution time in said set that follows a time of receipt, by the reader, of a content access request for the given content (Receive user request for playing an NVOD program. After the request, the next NVOD program is selected to be played; [0006]); and
transmitting the given content via the multicast distribution channel associated with the chosen distribution time (Media stream of the determined NVOD program is sent in multicast mode; [0006]).
As for claim 23, Yu discloses wherein the entity is implemented in a server ([0006]).
As for claims 25-30, Yu discloses wherein a number of the multicast distribution channels in the set varies depending on a duration of the given content (The media stream of the next NVOD program is not sent in multicast mode until a current played NVOD program is played to the end. Therefore, the shorter the duration, the more streams there are, and the longer the duration the less streams there are; [0015]).
Relevant Prior Art
Collet (2007/0005771) discloses multicast streams that are uniformly spaced in time within the time duration of the content.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SUMAIYA A CHOWDHURY whose telephone number is (571)272-8567. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00-3:00 PM.
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SUMAIYA A. CHOWDHURY
Examiner
Art Unit 2421
/SUMAIYA A CHOWDHURY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2421
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