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 .
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 09/01/2026 has been entered.
Claims 1-14 are presented for Examination.
DETAILED ACTION
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 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.
Claims 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Van Heuklon (U.S Patent Application Publication 2021/0303286; hereinafter “Van Heuklon”; Reference cited as prior art in previous office action) in view of Saari et.al. (U.S Patent Application Publication 2010/0267376; hereinafter “Saari”; Reference cited as prior art in previous office action)
1
Regarding claims 1, 8, Van Heuklon discloses, A hardware parameter setting method, configured to perform a parameter setting on at least one hardware equipment of an electronic device and comprising[ Fig.1A]:
connecting the at least one hardware equipment to the electronic device through at least one interface circuit of the electronic device; [ “.. the monitoring application 104 monitors hardware parameters of hardware devices in the monitored system 150 ..” 0044; “ The method 500 begins and detects 502 a new connection to a hardware device (e.g. 204c or generically 204) of a monitored system 150..”, 0070; Fig.1];
in a situation that the at least one hardware equipment is connected to the electronic device, detecting at least one of a hardware start event and a hardware shutdown event , wherein the hardware start event reflects that target hardware equipment among the at least one hardware equipment connected to the electronic device is in a startup status,[ “The management server 110 is configured to manage some aspects of the monitored system 150, for example, to allow a system administrator to activate and deactivate network equipment, to configure network equipment, to send out software updates to the system equipment, to monitor the system equipment for failures, and the like.”, 0043; 0054;( i.e. activating a network equipment or a device of the monitored system corresponds to the startup status) ] and the hardware shutdown event reflects that the target hardware equipment among the at least one hardware equipment connected to the electronic device is in a shutdown status [ .. activate and deactivate network equipment, to configure network equipment, “, 0043;( i.e. deactivating the network equipment or a device of the monitored system corresponds to the shutdown status) ] ;
in response to the hardware start event, which reflects that the target hardware equipment among the at least one hardware equipment connected to the electronic device is in the startup status rather than the shutdown status [ “allow a system administrator to activate and deactivate network equipment, to configure network equipment, to send out software updates to the system equipment, to monitor the system equipment for failures, and the like.”, 0043;”.. The connection enables receiving data corresponding to monitored parameters of the hardware device 204.”, 0070;]; presenting a hardware parameter setting interface on a display[“ The GUI 300 includes a monitoring application user interface 302 displayed on an electronic display 124…”, 0064], wherein the hardware parameter setting interface presents at least one parameter setting item associated with the target hardware equipment; [0055-0056; The method 500 installs 504 a hardware specific plugin (e.g. 202c or generically 202), in response to detecting the new connection to the hardware device 204, to a monitoring application 102 that monitors health of a monitored computing system 150. In some embodiments, the monitoring application 102 runs on a management server 110 or similar device with a connection to the monitored system 150..”, 0070; “ The method 500 optionally receives 506 user input to modify one or more parameters of an analytics rule associated with a monitored hardware parameter of the hardware device 204. The analytics rule becomes available to the user via the installed hardware specific plugin 202. In some embodiments, the method 500 modifies a user interface 302 of the monitoring application 102 with the analytics rules of the hardware specific plugin 202 that correspond to the monitored hardware parameters of the hardware device 204. The user interface 302, in some embodiments, allows a user to view and modify parameters associated with analytics rules of hardware devices 204 monitored by the monitoring application 10”, 0071-0072;” 0068; “ a graphic user interface (“GUI”) 300 displaying hardware parameters for monitored hardware. The GUI 300 includes a monitoring application user interface 302 displayed on an electronic display 124;”, 0064; ( i.e. in response to activating the hardware device and Upon executing the respective hardware plugin of the hardware device the corresponding parameters of the hardware device are displayed and further allows an user to modify the settings)];
receiving a user operation corresponding to the hardware parameter setting interface [“The monitoring application user interface 302 also includes a settings tab 306 that enables a user to adjust settings, such as the various limits for the hardware devices 204. For example, for server 1 the T1s threshold may be displayed but may not be changed until the settings tab 306 is selected. ..”, 0067; 0078; “The user interface 302, in some embodiments, allows a user to view and modify parameters associated with analytics rules of hardware devices 204 monitored by the monitoring application 102. In some examples, the analytics rules in the hardware specific plugin 202 include one or more thresholds, limits, values, etc. for the monitored hardware parameters of the hardware device 204 and the user interface 302 enables the user to view the one or more thresholds, limits, values, etc. and to modify a threshold. In some embodiments, the analytics rules of a hardware specific plugin include default values and the user interface 302 allows a user to modify the default values.”, 0071];
Van Heuklon also discloses ,
a display[“The management server 110 typically is connected to an electronic display 124..”, 0045] ;
at least one interface circuit, configured to be coupled to at least one hardware equipment[“The management server 110 is connected through a management network 112..”, 0041;” The management server 110 includes one or more processors 108 and includes memory 106 utilized by the processors 108. The memory 106 may include volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. In addition, the management server 110 may include other equipment, such as graphical processing units, various busses, and other typical equipment of a computing device…”, 0047; ” the management network 112 conforms to the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (“IPMI”) standard..”, 0052];
a processor, coupled to the display and the at least one interface circuit,[ 0045; “The management server 110 includes one or more processors 108..”, 0047; 0052; Fig.1A] (as recited in claim 8).
Claim 1 recites the following contingent limitations:
i) “ in a situation that the at least one hardware equipment is connected to the electronic device, detecting atleast one of a hardware start event and a hardware shutdown event, , wherein the hardware start event reflects that target hardware equipment among the at least one hardware equipment connected to the electronic device is in a startup status”
ii) in response to the hardware start event, which reflects that the target hardware equipment among the at least one hardware equipment connected to the electronic device is in the startup status rather than the shutdown status, presenting a hardware parameter setting interface on a display”;
These limitations are contingent because they recite steps that are only required to be performed if their conditions precedent are met; Limitation i) i.e. detecting need to be performed only if the that the at least one hardware equipment is connected to the electronic device, and limitation ii) i.e. Presenting a hardware Parmeter setting only needs to be performed , “if the that the at least one hardware equipment is connected to the electronic device” and “if detecting atleast one of a hardware start event”. Therefore, the Broadest Reasonable Interpretation (BRI) of claim 1 does not require limitations i) and ii) to be performed if the preceding conditions are not met.
However for compact prosecution Examiner rejected limitations i) and ii).
However, Van Heuklon does not expressly disclose in response to the user operation, providing at least one parameter setting information to a hardware control interface corresponding to the target hardware equipment ; and performing the parameter setting on the target hardware equipment through the hardware control interface.
In the same field of endeavor (e.g. configuring parameters of an accessory device at a main device), Saari teaches ,
in response to the user operation, providing at least one parameter setting information to a hardware control interface corresponding to the target hardware equipment [ “… For purposes of creating the user interface, the template file may further comprise user interface components which may be displayed at the main device in graphical form. Examples of such components are sliders, text editors, check boxes, selection lists and others. Each interface component is associated with a parameter of the accessory that is open for configuration. Some examples of configurable parameters with reference to the headset example are a connection name (e.g. a Bluetooth name), a PIN number, LED function, default volume. It will be understood that the interface components are chosen with respect to the parameter, and that the types of interface components present in a template file will depend on the types of accessory parameters and the desired configuration functionalities.”, 0047; “The second selection list item "general headset settings" has only one parameter in the present example. Instead of a read-only user interface component, a "slider_widget" is indicated for the parameter "default volume level". Besides the numerical parameter identifier and a help text, this parameter also includes a maximum and minimum value for the associated parameter, w..”, 0053 ; 0054-0055; “The main device detects the user input from the user interface in step 324. Although parameter ranges may be shown to the user or mentioned in the help information, the main device may in some embodiments check whether the modified parameters are within the ranges indicated in the template file for each parameter in step 326… When all modified parameters are within the predefined parameter ranges, they are combined into a parameter update message (message 218 in FIG. 2) and transmitted to the accessory in step 328..”, 0060; “0ne or more connection interfaces 30 may be provided for connecting the main device to various counterparts. A connection may for example be desired to a further, similar device, i.e. between two laptops or two mobile phones or two mobile devices for data transmission between those devices. Another option is a connection to an accessory device 4 which may provide certain extended features. The physical interface may be a wired or non-wired connection 30, such as a radio connection or an infrared connection. A variety of standards and implementations is available, and of course, the invention is not limited to those but may be uses with any data transmission method. Some examples, which shall not be seen as exhaustive, are USB, FireWire, Bluetooth, Ultra Low Power Bluetooth, IrDA, Ultra Wideband (UWB) and WLAN. The type of connection may also have an influence on the protocol used for data transmission between main device and accessory device. Often these terms are used to designate both the hardware interface and the transmission protocol.”, 0027; One or more accessory devices 4 may be connected to the main device 2 via any of the exemplary connection interfaces as described above or any other connection. The accessory device may be any device that can be connected to the main device for cooperation. Examples are a headset, a GPS receiver, a webcam, a speaker set, a charger or a printer. .. 0028; 0030; Fig.2, 3;( i.e. in response to the user modifying the parameters, the parameter updated message is provided to the connection interface of the respective accessory/ peripheral device according to the connection standard / protocol. Hence the connection interface corresponds to the hardware control interface, that controls the communication according to the connection standard / protocol )];
performing the parameter setting on the target hardware equipment through the hardware control interface. [ “Finally, after parameter values have been updated at the main device, they are transmitted back to the accessory in a message 218, which may once more be confirmed by the accessory via a confirmation response 220.”, 0036; Fig.2; “..When all modified parameters are within the predefined parameter ranges, they are combined into a parameter update message (message 218 in FIG. 2) and transmitted to the accessory in step 328. ..After the updated values have been transmitted to the accessory and the configuration has thus been completed,.. successful completion of the configuration may also be indicated to the main device by another message from the accessory.”, 0060; 0063; Fig.3; ( i.e. performing the parameter setting in the accessory through the corresponding connection interface) ].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Van Heuklon with Saari. Saari’s teaching of configuring and updating parameters of an accessory device at a main device and transmitting according to a communication protocol will substantially improve Van Heuklon’s system to adaptively monitor and update parameters of different type of devices/ accessories according to a communication protocol by retrieving the template files of the respective devices.
Regarding claims 2, 9, Van Heuklon discloses, in response to the hardware start event, obtaining an effect list corresponding to the target hardware equipment [0056;“the monitoring application user interface 302 includes various monitored parameters for each hardware device 204. The first hardware device A1 204a1 is server 1 114a and includes temperature T1, core temperature T2 and operating hours H1. For each hardware parameter of server 1 114a, there is a corresponding user setting (e.g. T1s, T2s, H1s for server 1 114a), which may be threshold. For example, a current reading of the temperature T1 for server 1 114a may be 75 degrees Celsius (“C”) and a threshold T1s may be 100 degrees C”, 0064; Fig.3; ( i.e the analytics rules corresponds to the effect list)] ; and
according to the effect list, presenting the at least one parameter setting item in the hardware parameter setting interface[ “The monitoring application user interface 302 also includes a settings tab 306 that enables a user to adjust settings, such as the various limits for the hardware devices 204. For example, for server 1 the T1s threshold may be displayed but may not be changed until the settings tab 306 is selected”, 0067; Fig.3].
Regarding claims 3, 10, Van Heuklon discloses downloading the effect list from an external server via a network application programming interface[0052; 0056; 0070], wherein the effect list is provided by a developer of the target hardware equipment, a supplier of the target hardware equipment or a third party.[0063].
Regarding claims 4, 11, Van Heuklon discloses the effect list corresponding to the target hardware equipment [ 0056; 0064].
Saari teaches , in response to the hardware start event, checking whether a version of a default effect list corresponding to the target hardware equipment is a latest version[ “The template file that is used in this embodiment is a file that includes various parameters and information on the configuration function. The actual parameter values are not included in this file, but are transmitted in a separate message. Basically, the template file is provided to the main device in order to define a user interface and all necessary boundary conditions for user parameter modification. “, 0045; “A possibility for configuration may for example be required immediately after connection to the main device, or later during a session when certain parameters have changed at the accessory. In the example of FIG. 2, a first message 206 that is sent from the accessory device to the main device indicates the current template version that is stored at the accessory…This information is transmitted in the comparison request. In response, the main device sends a message 208 back to the accessory indicating a result of the comparison. The result may be provided in various ways; for example, the result may simply show the version number (or template ID and so on) of a template currently stored at the main device, with a predefined number or ID indicating that no template is stored at all. In other example cases, the result message may simply give a binary result, i.e. indicating a fail or success of the template file comparison. It shall be assumed for this example that the comparison has failed, so that the response message 208 may include a failure indication or a template version ID different from that stored at the peripheral device. In other cases, fail or success may be indicated by different messages, such as a template request message in case of a failed version comparison and a value request message in case of a successful comparison”, 0035]; and
in response to the version of the default effect list not being the latest version, downloading the latest version of the effect list from an external server to update or replace the default effect list[0035; “.. the template file is transmitted (step 210) from the accessory device to the main device.. In the template file, information is provided to the main device which allows the creation of a suitable user interface for parameter modification. The template file may include the type of accessory parameters which may be changed, help information for each parameter, type of user interface element, allowable parameter ranges and many more”, 0036; Fig.2; ( i.e. replacing the template file if the version comparison is a failure)] .
Regarding claims 5, 12, Van Heuklon discloses, wherein the target hardware equipment comprises first target hardware equipment and second target hardware equipment[ “..the monitored system 150 includes various computing devices, such as servers 114, switches 116, routers (not shown), SAN servers 118, storage devices, 120, power supplies (not shown..”,0054], the effect list comprises a first effect list and a second effect list, the first effect list corresponds to the first target hardware equipment, the second effect list corresponds to the second target hardware equipment[ “a hardware specific plugin 202 is section of executable code that integrates with the monitoring application 102 once installed. The hardware specific plugin 202 includes analytics rules specific to particular monitored hardware parameters of a monitored hardware device 204 of the monitored system 150. In some embodiments, the hardware specific plugin 202 is an application programming interface (“API”) that integrates with the monitoring application 104 using an interface compatible with the monitoring application 104. Each hardware specific plugin 202 is adapted to a particular hardware device 204 so that data from monitored hardware parameters of a hardware device 204 correspond to analytics rules of the corresponding hardware specific plugin 202…”, 0056], and the step of presenting the at least one parameter setting item in the hardware parameter setting interface according to the effect list comprises: obtaining at least one first parameter setting item associated with the first target hardware equipment according to the first effect list; obtaining at least one second parameter setting item associated with the second target hardware equipment according to the second effect list; and integrating the at least one first parameter setting item and the at least one second parameter setting item into the hardware parameter setting interface[ “Each hardware device 204 of the monitored system 150 may include a hardware specific plugin 202, which allows the monitoring application 102 to implement specific analytics rules associated with monitored hardware parameters.. Where a hardware device 204 is monitored, each piece of monitored hardware device 204 includes a specific plugin 202.”, 0057; 0061; “a graphic user interface (“GUI”) 300 displaying hardware parameters for monitored hardware. The GUI 300 includes a monitoring application user interface 302 displayed on an electronic display 124. The monitoring application user interface 302 includes various monitored parameters for each hardware device 204. ..”, 0064; “..a settings tab 306 that enables a user to adjust settings, such as the various limits for the hardware devices 204. 0067; Fig.2, Fig.3].
Regarding Claims 6, 13, Van Heuklon discloses presenting the hardware parameter setting interface on the display [0064;0068; 0070-0072].
Sarri teaches setting the hardware parameter setting interface to be displayed always on top in the display[ 0047; Fig.1].
Regarding Claims 7, 14, Van Heuklon discloses, The hardware parameter setting method according to claim 1, wherein the hardware parameter setting interface does not belong to a native control interface of the target hardware equipment. [ “The management server 110 typically is connected to an electronic display 124 and other input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, etc. (not shown) to allow system administrator to access and operate the monitoring application 102 and other applications. In other embodiments, the management server 110 is accessible through a client device, which may be a separate computing device.”, 0045; “The GUI 300 includes a monitoring application user interface 302 displayed on an electronic display 124. ..”, 0064; Fig.3].
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 8 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to Van Heuklon in view of Saari references being used in the current rejection.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Lu, U.S Patent Application Publication 2007/0245038, teaches a a system and method for user-controlled connection of computer peripheral devices coupled to a computer platform that allows users to specify the order and source of configuration data of initialization of the peripheral devices.
Qiu U.S Patent Application Publication 2023/0117996, teaches The method includes: determining a configuration space by a bridge device during booting a Basic Input Output System, after an initialization of a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) device is detected, determining, by connection information read from the configuration space, whether the preset hardware device is connected;
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GAYATHRI SAMPATH whose telephone number is (571)272-5489. The examiner can normally be reached on 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, Jaweed Abbaszadeh can be reached on 5712701640. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GAYATHRI SAMPATH/ Examiner, Art Unit 2176
/JAWEED A ABBASZADEH/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2176
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