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 § 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 of this title, 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.
Claim 1, 3-4, 15-18 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over LI (US 20220036017) in view of Manam (US 20180359629).
Regarding Claim 1 and 15, LI discloses electronic device comprising: a near field communication (NFC) circuit; at least one processor operatively connected to the NFC circuit; and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to: receive, via the NFC circuit from an external electronic device, an NFC application identifier (ID), identify a profile, from among a plurality of profiles, that corresponds to the NFC application ID, and perform, via the NFC circuit, an NFC communication with the external electronic device based on the identified profile (Paragraphs 0032-0033, 0059, 0126, 0138, 0142, 0148, 0194-0195; Figures 3 and 9). Profiles as claimed is equivalent to the NFC application in Paragraph 0142, which discloses how the terminal determines, according to the received NFC transaction instruction, which SE in the plurality of SEs of the terminal carries an NFC application (profile) accessed by the transaction instruction. Furthermore, identifying a profile from among a plurality of profiles is highlighted in Paragraph 0138, which discloses how if the NFC application (profile) accessed by the transaction request is not carried in the SE 1, but is carried in an SE that is in an inactive state, for example, in the SE 2, the terminal may deactivate the SE 1 and activate the SE 2. In this case, the NFCC of the terminal may transmit the received transaction request to the SE 2 that is currently in an active state. According to Paragraph 0126, the terminal may find, based on the Application ID (AID) included in the transaction instruction, a corresponding NFC application from the SE that is in an active state by default, and automatically activate the NFC application, which is equivalent to identifying a profile that corresponds to the NFC application ID. Furthermore, according to Paragraph 0126, when the terminal approaches an external device card reader or a POS machine, the terminal may receive a transaction instruction which includes Application Identifier (AID) (NFC application ID). According to Paragraph 0142, the target SE may automatically run the target NFC application (profile), and execute the transaction instruction of the card reader (or the POS machine), to complete a transaction, which is equivalent to performing, via the NFC circuit, an NFC communication with the external electronic device based on the identified profile.
LI does not disclose subscriber identity module (SIM) profile, from among a plurality of SIM profiles. However, Manam discloses subscriber identity module (SIM) profile, from among a plurality of SIM profiles (Paragraphs 0023, 0038). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the secure elements (SE’s) (Figures 3 and 9) of LI by the secure elements (SE’s) of Manam (Paragraphs 0023, 0038) which have SIM profile functionality, since both LI and Manam identically disclose secure elements (SE’s) being in direct communication with NFC communications, as disclosed in Figure 3 of Manam; and Figures 3 and 9 of LI; and since both LI and Manam identically disclose how a secure element (SE) can have SIM functionality as disclosed in Figure 1 of LI and Paragraphs 0023, 0038 (Manam).
Regarding Claim 3, LI discloses wherein the instructions stored in the memory, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the electronic device to: identify whether the identified profile is enabled, and based on identifying that the identified profile is disabled, enable the identified profile, perform via the NFC circuit, the NFC communication with the external electronic device, and disable the identified profile based on the NFC communication being completed (Paragraphs 0032-0033, 0059, 0126, 0138, 0142, 0148, 0194-0195; Figures 3 and 9). Manam discloses SIM profile (Paragraphs 0023, 0038).
Regarding Claim 4, LI discloses wherein the instructions stored in the memory, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the electronic device to: based on identifying that the identified profile is disabled, enable the identified profile, and perform, via the NFC circuit, the NFC communication with the external electronic device by enabling the identified profile (Paragraphs 0032-0033, 0059, 0126, 0138, 0142, 0148, 0194-0195; Figures 3 and 9). Manam discloses SIM profile (Paragraphs 0023, 0038).
Regarding Claim 16, LI discloses wherein the identifying the profile comprises: identifying the profile based on a database comprising information related to at least one profile in which at least one NFC application is installed, and wherein an NFC application corresponding to the NFC application ID is installed in the identified profile (Paragraphs 0032-0033, 0059, 0126, 0138, 0142, 0148, 0194-0195; Figures 3 and 9). Manam discloses SIM profile (Paragraphs 0023, 0038).
Regarding Claim 17, LI discloses wherein the performing of the NFC communication comprises: identifying whether the identified profile is enabled; and based on identifying that the identified profile is disabled, enabling the identified profile and performing the NFC communication with the external electronic device by enabling the identified profile (Paragraphs 0032-0033, 0059, 0126, 0138, 0142, 0148, 0194-0195; Figures 3 and 9). Manam discloses SIM profile (Paragraphs 0023, 0038).
Regarding Claim 18, LI discloses wherein the performing the NFC communication comprises: based on identifying that the identified profile is disabled, enabling the identified profile; and performing the NFC communication with the external electronic device by enabling the identified profile (Paragraphs 0032-0033, 0059, 0126, 0138, 0142, 0148, 0194-0195; Figures 3 and 9). Manam discloses SIM profile (Paragraphs 0023, 0038).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 5-14, 19-20 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 only the base claim (claim 14 will require intervening claims). All other claims would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of only the base claim.
The Examiner submits that all claims listed above do not require intervening claims for Allowance with the exception of claim 14.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
In regards to claims 2, the applied art does not teach or suggest “wherein the instructions stored in the memory, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the electronic device to: identify the SIM profile, from among the plurality of SIM profiles, that corresponds to the NFC application ID based on a database comprising information related to at least one SIM profile in which at least one NFC application is installed, and wherein an NFC application corresponding to the NFC application ID is installed in the identified SIM profile.”
In regards to claims 5, the applied art does not teach or suggest “switch operatively coupled with the at least one processor, wherein the instructions stored in the memory, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the electronic device to: identify whether the identified SIM profile is enabled, based on identifying that the identified SIM profile is enabled, identify whether a SIM corresponding to the identified SIM profile is connected to the NFC circuit via the switch, and based on identifying that the SIM corresponding to the identified SIM profile is connected to the NFC circuit via the switch, perform, via the NFC circuit, the NFC communication with the external electronic device based on the identified SIM profile, and wherein the switch is configured to connect the NFC circuit to one of at least two of a first SIM, a second SIM, or an embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM).”
In regards to claims 9, the applied art does not teach or suggest “wherein the identified SIM profile is comprised in a multiple enabled profile (MEP) eSIM comprising at least two SIM profiles, wherein a port is allocated to each of the at least two SIM profiles, and wherein the instructions stored in the memory, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the electronic device to: identify whether a port corresponding to the identified SIM profile is connected to the NFC circuit, and based on identifying that the port corresponding to the identified SIM profile is connected to the NFC circuit, perform, via the NFC circuit, the NFC communication with the external electronic device based on the identified SIM profile.”
In regards to claims 19, the applied art does not teach or suggest “wherein the performing of the NFC communication comprises: identifying whether the identified SIM profile is enabled; based on identifying that the identified SIM profile is enabled, identifying whether a SIM corresponding to the identified SIM profile is connected to an NFC circuit via a switch; and based on identifying that the SIM corresponding to the identified SIM profile is connected to the NFC circuit via the switch, performing the NFC communication with the external electronic device based on the identified SIM profile, and wherein the switch connects the NFC circuit to one of at least two of a first SIM, a second SIM, or an embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM).”
In regards to claims 20, the applied art does not teach or suggest “generating the database by mapping, to each of the at least one NFC application, a name of the NFC application, a number of a SIM profile in which the NFC application is installed, and state information indicating whether the SIM profile in which the NFC application is installed is enabled.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANKUR JAIN whose telephone number is (571)272-9747. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 10:00-6:00
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/ANKUR JAIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2649
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