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 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) 1, 2, 6-9, 13-16 and 20-29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jing et al. U.S. PGPub 2010/0232317 (hereinafter “Jing”).
Regarding claims 1, 8 and 15, Jing discloses a system for authenticating an identity of a user, the system comprising: a first device (e.g. TV) of a first device type, the first device operable to communicate over a first communications network (e.g. local network) (e.g. ¶10, 24-34, 40, 44-48 and 69-78; Fig. 1-2); a second device (e.g. gateway) of a second device type, the second device operable to communicate over the first communications network (e.g. ¶10, 24-34, 40, 44-48 and 69-78; Fig. 1-2); a user device (e.g. desktop computer) connected to and operable to communicate over the first communications network, the user device also connected to and operable to communicate over a second communications network (e.g. global network), the user device configured to detect the first device connected to the first communications network (e.g. ¶10, 24-34, 40, 44-48 and 69-78; Fig. 1-2, via displayed topology map), detect the second device connected to the first communications network (e.g. ¶10, 24-34, 40, 44-48 and 69-78; Fig. 1-2 via displayed topology map), and determine a connection between the first device and the second device with respect to the first communications network (e.g. ¶10, 24-34, 40, 44-48 and 69-78; Fig. 1-2, via displayed topology map), and generate one or more signals (e.g. backhaul link) based on the connection between the first device and the second device (e.g. ¶75-78; Fig. 1-2); and a remote computing device (e.g. laptop) connected to and operable to communicate over the second communications network with the user device, the remote computing device configured to receive the one or more signals from the user device, the remote computing device configured to authenticate the identity of the user (e.g. via password information for network authentication) based on the one or more signals from the user device (e.g. ¶75-78; Fig. 1-2).
Regarding claims 2, 9 and 16, Jing discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the user device is further configured to generate a request signal for the first device related to an action (e.g. stream content) for the first device to complete (e.g. ¶10, 24-34, 40, 44-48 and 69-78; Fig. 1-2), transmit the request signal to the first device over the first communications network (e.g. ¶10, 24-34, 40, 44-48 and 69-78; Fig. 1-2), and detect whether the first device completed the action (e.g. ¶10, 24-34, 40, 44-48 and 69-78; Fig. 1-2).
Regarding claims 6, 13 and 20, Jing discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the user device is further configured to generate a user prompt (e.g. password) related to an action (e.g. user access) for the first device to complete (e.g. ¶75-78; Fig. 1-2), prompt a user of the user device to perform the action, and detect whether the first device completed the action (e.g. ¶75-78; Fig. 1-2).
Regarding claims 7 and 14, Jing discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the second device is one or more devices selected from a group consisting of: a smart refrigerator, a smart television (e.g. Fig. 1), a smart thermostat, and a smart lightbulb.
Regarding claims 21, 24 and 27, Jing discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the user device is further configured to: determine a network topology of a plurality of devices connected to the first communications network, the plurality of devices including the first device and the second device (e.g. ¶10, 24-34, 40, 44-48 and 69-78; Fig. 1-2), and generate a second one or more signals based on the network topology that is determined (e.g. ¶10, 24-34, 40, 44-48 and 69-78; Fig. 1-2).
Regarding claims 22, 25 and 28, Jing discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the user device is further configured to: determine a network environment of the first communications network (e.g. ¶10, 24-34, 40, 44-48 and 69-78; Fig. 1-2), generate a first environmental fingerprint (e.g. generated network topology map) based on the network environment of the first communications network (e.g. ¶10, 24-34, 40, 44-48 and 69-78; Fig. 1-2), and store the first environmental fingerprint in a database (e.g. ¶10, 24-34, 40, 44-48 and 69-78; Fig. 1-2).
Regarding claims 23, 26 and 29, Jing discloses the system of claim 25, wherein the user device is further configured to create and maintain a collection of environmental fingerprints (e.g. logged network topology maps) associated with an account of the user in the database (e.g. ¶10, 24-34, 40, 44-48 and 69-78; Fig. 1-2), each environmental fingerprint within the collection of environmental fingerprints corresponds to one network environment, detect a change to the network environment (e.g. change in network dynamics) of the first communications network (e.g. ¶35), responsive to detecting the change to the network environment of the first communications network, determine a second network environment of the first communications network, generate a second environmental fingerprint (e.g. re-drawn network topology map) based on the second network environment (e.g. ¶35, claim 4 and 6), and store the second environmental fingerprint in the collection of environmental fingerprints (e.g. ¶34-35) or replacing the first environmental fingerprint with the second environmental fingerprint in the collection of environmental fingerprints.
Relevant Prior Art
Frietsch et al. U.S. PGPub 2007/0106768 discloses a system for authenticating an identity of a user, the system comprising: a first device of a first device type, the first device operable to communicate over a first communications network (e.g. Fig. 1 and 3); a second device of a second device type, the second device operable to communicate over the first communications network (e.g. Fig. 1 and 3); a user device connected to and operable to communicate over the first communications network, the user device also connected to and operable to communicate over a second communications network, the user device configured to detect the first device connected to the first communications network (e.g. Fig. 1 and 3), detect the second device connected to the first communications network (e.g. Fig. 1 and 3), and determine a connection between the first device and the second device with respect to the first communications network (e.g. Fig. 1 and 3), and generate one or more signals based on the connection between the first device and the second device (e.g. Fig. 1 and 3); and a remote computing device (e.g. server) connected to and operable to communicate over the second communications network with the user device, the remote computing device configured to receive the one or more signals from the user device, the remote computing device configured to authenticate the identity of the user based on the one or more signals from the user device (e.g. Fig. 1 and 3).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHARLES R KASENGE whose telephone number is (571)272-3743. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7:30am to 4pm EST.
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CK
July 28, 2026
/CHARLES R KASENGE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2116
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