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
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in China on 9/21/2023. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the China 202311221898.0 application as required by 35 U.S.C. 119(b).
Drawings
The Drawings have been considered and placed in the record on file and are in compliance with USPTO requirements.
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, 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 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.
Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Landry et al. (US 2012/0131359 A1 hereinafter Landry) in view of Al-Mousa et al. (US 2017/0288786 A1 hereinafter Al-Mousa).
In regards to claim 1, Landry discloses the smart photo frame that supports sonic wave configuration free of unpacking for gift giving is characterized as follows: the smart photo frame comprises hardware components and a photo frame design (see figures 2A and 2B), and the hardware components comprise a microphone (see paragraph 0050, microphone), a network module (see paragraph 0057, network interface), a storage device (see paragraph 0039, storage media), a display (see paragraph 0046, display screen), a processor (see paragraph 0045, central processor), audio output devices (see paragraph 0046, speakers), power supply components (see figure 1, power supply 50), operation keys (see paragraph 0047, buttons), and a touch screen (see paragraph 0048, touch screen).
However, Landry fails to disclose a microphone capable of receiving ultrasonic waves.
Al-Mousa teaches a microphone capable of receiving ultrasonic waves (see paragraphs 0025 and 0026, microphone to receive ultrasonic sound waves for configuration).
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 Landry and substitute a microphone capable of receiving ultrasonic waves as taught by Al-Mousa, thereby using known techniques to yield predictable results.
In regards to claim 2, as recited in claim 1, Landry further discloses the design of the photo frame comprises the following steps:
Step 1: determination of the functional requirements (see abstract, display device for displaying digital images);
Step 3: design of configuration signals (see paragraph 0006, WiFi modem enables communication with an Internet Service Provider);
Step 4: development of configuration protocols (see paragraph 0006, WiFi modem enables communication with an Internet Service Provider);
Step 5: design of user interfaces (see paragraph 0059, color adjustments);
Step 6: protection of security & privacy (see paragraph 0081, security token);
Step 7: testing and optimization (see paragraph 0149, evaluating display screen parameter settings).
However, Landry fails to disclose: Step 2: configuration of sonic wave technology.
Al-Mousa teaches: Step 2: configuration of sonic wave technology (see paragraph 0027, configuration device used for on-boarding).
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 Landry and include configuration of sonic wave technology as taught by Al-Mousa, thereby using known techniques to yield predictable results.
In regards to claim 3, as recited in claim 2, Landry further discloses: the determination of function requirements includes the basic functions and additional advanced functions required to determine the smart photo frame; the basic functions include displaying photos, connecting to the Internet, and playing audio; the additional advanced functions include voice control, face recognition, and intelligent recommendation (see abstract, display device for displaying digital images).
In regards to claim 4, as recited in claim 2, Al-Mousa further teaches: the configuration of the sonic wave technology includes ultrasonic sonic wave technology, audio sonic wave technology, and Bluetooth technology; the ultrasonic sonic wave technology uses high-frequency sonic waves for information transmission, the audio sonic wave technology sends and receives signals through the built-in speakers or external audio devices of the smart photo frame, and the Bluetooth technology is configured through Bluetooth wireless technology (see paragraph 0027, configuration device used for on-boarding).
In regards to claim 5, as recited in claim 2, Landry further discloses: the design configuration and signal configuration include determining the frequency of the configuration signals, determining the duration of the configuration signals, selecting the encoding mode, and optimizing the configuration signals; the frequency of the configuration signal to be determined is the frequency of the configuration signal to be used, and an appropriate frequency range is selected based on the selected sonic wave technology and device features; the duration of the configuration signal to be determined is the duration of the transmission signals; the duration depends on the communication distance, the ambient noise level and the device response time; the selection of encoding mode is to select an appropriate encoding mode to represent the configuration information, including binary encoding, frequency encoding and pulse encoding; the optimized configuration signal is to optimize the configuration signals through signal processing technology and algorithm; the signal processing technology and algorithm include error correction code and calibration (see paragraph 0006, WiFi modem enables communication with an Internet Service Provider).
In regards to claim 6, as recited in claim 2, Landry further discloses: the development of configuration protocols comprises the message formats and communication flow of designing configuration protocols, the instruction sets and parameter definition of the determined configuration protocols, the design of the corresponding protocol extension and device identification mechanism; the communication flow comprises connection establishment, configuration request, configuration confirmation, configuration execution, configuration reply, and connection closure (see paragraph 0006, WiFi modem enables communication with an Internet Service Provider).
In regards to claim 7, as recited in claim 2, Landry further discloses: the design of user interfaces comprises determining user needs and objectives, creating user portraits and user scenarios, formulating information architecture, designing high-fidelity prototype, and visual design of interfaces; the determination of user needs and objectives is to understand user needs and objectives, and collect user feedback, and conduct demand research and market data analysis; the creation of user portraits and user scenarios is to formulate the user scenarios based on the collected user information, and describe the typical scenarios when users use products or services; the development of information architecture is to develop a clear information architecture based on user needs and scenarios; the information architecture comprises a page structure, navigation components, a function classification; and the design of high-fidelity prototype involves using design tools to create specific styles, colors, fonts, and layouts for the interface; the visual design of the interface involves selecting suitable colors, icons, images, and layout based on a high-fidelity prototype (see paragraph 0059, color adjustments).
In regards to claim 8, as recited in claim 2, Landry further discloses: the protection of security and privacy includes introducing encryption algorithms and authentication mechanisms, restricting sensitive data transmission during the configuration process so as to ensure identity verification and authorization mechanisms between the configuration process and device pairing (see paragraph 0081, security token).
In regards to claim 9, as recited in claim 2, Landry further discloses: the testing and optimization comprise the tests at different distances and noise environment scenarios, evaluating the configuration speed and reliability, collecting user feedback and data analysis, and improving the design and function (see paragraph 0149, evaluating display screen parameter settings).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER J KOHLMAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5503. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5:30.
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/CHRISTOPHER J KOHLMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2628
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