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
The Instant Application, filed 08/30/2024, is a National Stage entry of PCT/JP2022/ 026873 with an international filing date of 07/06/2022 and claims foreign priority to 2022-064358, filed 04/08/2022. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1 and 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. The claim(s) recite mental processes which can be performed by a human (i.e., collecting, analyzing and detecting values and making a suggestion). These limitations, as drafted, is a process that, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, covers performance of the limitations in the mind but for the recitation of generic computer components. This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because the combination of additional elements fails to integrate the judicial exception into a practical application. The claims are directed to an abstract idea with generic computer elements and these generically recited computer elements do not add a meaningful limitation to the abstract idea because they amount to simply implementing the abstract idea on a computer. The claim(s) do not include any additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Barnes (2022/0268475).
As per claim 1, Barnes teaches a coordination suggesting apparatus, comprising: circuitry to when a setting parameter of a first device that is any one of all devices connected to a network built in a building is changed, collect, from each of devices that measure an influenced parameter among all the devices connected to the network, values of the measured influenced parameter, the influenced parameter being a parameter that is influenced by change of the setting parameter of the first device [paragraphs 0019-0020];
analyze the collected values of the influenced parameter and detect a second device regarded as having a correlation with the first device about a change trend of the values of the influenced parameter [paragraph 0021]; and
make a suggestion to a user about coordination between the first device and the second device when the second device is detected and coordinated operation between the first device and the second device is achievable [paragraphs 0067-0068 and 0073-0075].
As per claim 2, Barnes teaches the coordination suggesting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a parameter relationship information storage store parameter relationship information indicating a relationship between the setting parameter and the influenced parameter [paragraph 0062].
As per claim 3, Barnes teaches the coordination suggesting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein after the setting parameter of the first device is changed, the circuitry periodically collects the values of the measured influenced parameter from each of the devices that measure the influenced parameter until a lapse of a predetermined parameter collection time [paragraph 0069].
As per claim 4, Barnes teaches the coordination suggesting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an installation location information storage to store installation location information indicating an installation location of the devices in the building, wherein when the second device is detected, the circuitry updates the installation location information such that an installation location of the first device is the same as an installation location of the second device [paragraph 0075].
As per claim 5, Barnes teaches the coordination suggesting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the circuitry provides the user with a user interface that allows the user to see a relationship between the devices in the building and the installation locations [paragraph 0056].
As per claim 6, Barnes teaches the coordination suggesting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry stabilizes an environment in the entire building by controlling at least any of the devices connected to the network based on the collected values of the influenced parameter [paragraph 0052].
As per claim 7, Barnes teaches a coordination suggesting system, comprising: a coordination suggesting apparatus; and a terminal device [paragraph 0029], wherein the coordination suggesting apparatus comprises circuitry to when a setting parameter of a first device that is any one of all devices connected to a network built in a building is changed, collect, from each of devices that measure an influenced parameter among all the devices connected to the network, values of the measured influenced parameter, the influenced parameter being a parameter that is influenced by change of the setting parameter of the first device [paragraphs 0019-0020];
analyze the collected values of the influenced parameter and detect a second device regarded as having a correlation with the first device about a change trend of the values of the influenced parameter [paragraph 0021]; and
make a suggestion via the terminal device to a user about coordination between the first device and the second device when the second device is detected and coordinated operation between the first device and the second device is achievable [paragraphs 0067-0068 and 0073-0075].
As per claim 10, Barnes teaches the coordination suggesting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein after the setting parameter of the first device is changed, the circuitry periodically collects the values of the measured influenced parameter from each of the devices that measure the influenced parameter until a lapse of a predetermined parameter collection time [paragraph 0038].
As per claim 11, Barnes teaches the coordination suggesting apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: an installation location information storage to store installation location information indicating an installation location of the devices in the building, wherein when the second device is detected, the circuitry updates the installation location information such that an installation location of the first device is the same as an installation location of the second device [paragraph 0047].
As per claim 12, Barnes teaches the coordination suggesting apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: an installation location information storage to store installation location information indicating an installation location of the devices in the building, wherein when the second device is detected, the circuitry updates the installation location information such that an installation location of the first device is the same as an installation location of the second device [paragraph 0060].
As per claim 13, Barnes teaches the coordination suggesting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry stabilizes an environment in the entire building by controlling at least any of the devices connected to the network based on the collected values of the influenced parameter [paragraph 0067].
As per claim 14, Barnes teaches the coordination suggesting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the circuitry stabilizes an environment in the entire building by controlling at least any of the devices connected to the network based on the collected values of the influenced parameter [paragraph 0071].
As per claim 15, Barnes teaches the coordination suggesting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the circuitry stabilizes an environment in the entire building by controlling at least any of the devices connected to the network based on the collected values of the influenced parameter [paragraph 0075].
As per claim 16, Barnes teaches the coordination suggesting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the circuitry stabilizes an environment in the entire building by controlling at least any of the devices connected to the network based on the collected values of the influenced parameter [paragraph 0078].
Claims 8-9 have similar limitations as to the rejected claims above therefore they are being rejected under the same rationale.
There are prior art made of record not relied upon but is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See attached.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RANODHI N SERRAO whose telephone number is (571)272-7967. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.
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Ranodhi N. Serrao
/RANODHI SERRAO/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2444