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 .
Response to Amendment
This application is responsive to applicant amendments/remarks received 02/25/2026. Claims 1, 12, 14-15 and 18-19 amended, claims 7-8, 13 and 16 cancelled and claims 21-24 newly added. Claims 1-6, 9-12, 14-15 and 17-24 remain pending.
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.
Claims 1-6, 9-12, 14-15, 17 and 21-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi (KR Patent No. 101927692 B1), in view of Fadell (US Patent No. 9626841 B2).
In re claim 1, Choi teaches A method for providing context-based options to a guest in proximity to an electronic device associated with a structure (Abstract: “The smart doorbell includes: a storage part storing a set password, a reference image, and questions and answers… a method of comparing an answer of the visitor to the stored answers, and a method of using a result of communication with the visitor…”), the method comprising:
determining, using one or more sensors of the electronic device, one or more characteristics of the guest (Description, para [0028]: “The camera 220 photographs a visitor in front of the smart door lock 300 and generates a recording voice in which a still image of a visitor is recorded as a still image and a voice and records a moving image of the visitor in response to the emergency photographing instruction signal. Unless otherwise instructed by the control unit 240, a visitor in front of the smart door lock 300 takes a still image of the visitor.”);
determining a context of the guest based on the one or more characteristics (Description, para [0041]: “If a visitor approaches the smart door bell 200 by storing a still image (entrance and exit rejection reference image) of a person who intends to block access to the smart door bell 200 in advance in the storage unit 210 of the smart door bell 200, Compares the photographed image of the visitor with the pre-stored access rejection reference image to determine whether or not the visitor is a restricted person before entering any information into the smart door bell 200. If the visitor is not a restricted person The access to the smart door bell 200 is permitted through the above-described process. However, when it is determined that the access is limited (denied), the smart door bell 200 is essentially shut off.”);
identifying, based on the determined context, a plurality of context-based options that each represent an estimated purpose for a visit by the guest (Description, paras [0037]-[0039]: “If the visitor does not know the password, the visitor can select the image from the selection menu provided by the image playback unit when he / she wants to be allowed access using the image of himself / herself, When it is desired to be permitted to enter or exit by input, a question can be selected from a selection menu provided by the image playback section. In the above description, it is assumed that the terms video and question are being reproduced on the selection menu provided by the video playback unit.” “When the visitor selects an image, the control unit 240 compares the reference image stored in the storage unit 210 with the photographed image photographed by the visitor on the fly, and outputs a lock release signal when they match and a lock hold signal when they do not match And transmits it to the smart door lock (300).” “When the visitor selects the question, the control unit 240 reproduces the question stored in the storage unit 210 to the image reproducing unit. When the visitor confirms the question and inputs an answer to the keypad, the control unit 240 compares the correct answer stored in the storage unit 210 with the answer inputted by the visitor, and outputs a lock release signal if they match, To the door lock (300).”),
dynamically adapting a user interface displayed by a display device of the electronic device by presenting the plurality of context-based options based on the determined context, the plurality of context-based options being selectable by the guest to convey an intent (Description, para [0020]: “The display unit includes a key pad and an image reproducing unit. The keypad allows a visitor to enter an answer to a password, a temporary password and a question. In the image playback section, the off-selection menu, the photograph of the photographer and the content of the question are reproduced, Play the facts.” and para [0037]: “If the visitor does not know the password, the visitor can select the image from the selection menu provided by the image playback unit when he / she wants to be allowed access using the image of himself / herself, When it is desired to be permitted to enter or exit by input, a question can be selected from a selection menu provided by the image playback section. In the above description, it is assumed that the terms video and question are being reproduced on the selection menu provided by the video playback unit.”)
receiving a user input from the guest selecting a context-based option from the plurality of context-based options presented via the user interface (SEE ABOVE); and
providing a notification associated with the selected context-based option (Description, para [0042]: “That is, even when a password is input to the smart door bell 200, the smart door bell 200 not only does not release the lock but also transmits the situation to the user terminal.”).
Choi fails to teach the plurality of context-based options including service-based options representing different types of services performable by the guest;
for the guest to perform one of the types of services for
the selectable context-based option representing a type of service intended to be performed by the guest.
However, Fadell teaches the plurality of context-based options including service-based options representing different types of services performable by the guest (Cols 136-137, lines 53-67 and 1-6: “As described above, at step 2002 of process 2000 for enhancing visitor handling, visitor information of a visitor may be detected at an entryway interface device of a smart environment. For example, one or more sensing components 828 of doorbell 106 may be operative to detect any suitable visitor information when any suitable visitor comes within a suitable sensing range of doorbell 106. Such a visitor may be any suitable entity, such as a package deliverer (e.g., deliverer DL of FIG. 1, which may be a human or a drone or otherwise), security entities (e.g., firemen, policemen, security system agents, etc.), any other suitable agents of any third party entities known to platform 200 (e.g., entities 222-230), friends of one or more users of environment 100 that may or may not be known to platform 200, solicitors, strangers, would-be-thieves, and the like. At step 2002, first visitor identification information may be detected when a visitor is initially sensed by platform 200 at environment 100 (e.g., by doorbell 106). Such initial first visitor identification information may be any suitable detectable data that may then be analyzed by platform 200 (e.g., at step 2004) in order to determine that a visitor may be present at environment 100.”);
for the guest to perform one of the types of services for Col 63, lines 7-15: “If the person is making a delivery, the doorbell can instruct the person to place the package in a location proximate the doorbell 106 such that its scanner can scan the bar code or other type of identifying tag affixed to or associated with the package being delivered. According to embodiments, a central server, such as server 164, can use the bar code to obtain information about the package, such as the sender, recipient, a description of the item therein, whether signature is required, etc.” and lines 34-46: “According to embodiments, in the event signature is required for the package but none of the occupants are home an inference is made to not disturb the occupants, the smart doorbell can provide authorization to leave the package. For example, the doorbell 106 presents an authorization code (either in plain text, barcode, or encrypted forms) on its user interface and prompts the delivery person to use his or her handheld device to record, scan, photograph, or otherwise acquire the authorization code. Once the authorization code has been acquired by the delivery person, the doorbell 106 can then instruct the delivery person regarding where to leave the package, such as at the front door, around the back of the house in a discrete location, etc.”);
the selectable context-based option representing a type of service intended to be performed by the guest (Cols 63-64, lines 66-67 and 1-18: “According to embodiments, the smart doorbell 106 provides a context-based entry keypad. In some examples, the entry keypad can be projected, such as via a 2D/3D holographic projection. In other examples, the entry keypad can be rendered on a display such as a 2D LCD display. Persons standing proximate to the smart doorbell 106 can enter a code into the keypad to obtain access to the smart-home environment 100. According to embodiments, the occupants of the home get context-based keypads and/or access codes. For example, the parents get a more sophisticated keypad that provides a variety of controls, whereas children get a simple keypad into which they can enter their access code. Further, non-occupants get context-based keypads, too. For example, a delivery person gets one keypad, whereas uncategorized individuals get another keypad. According to some embodiments, the keypad can vary based on factors such as time of day, current news any recent crime in the neighborhood?), proximity of security guards and other law enforcement personnel, and which, if any, occupants are currently at home.” and col 176, lines 41-54: “…any suitable visitor interaction type with respect to any suitable input component(s) and/or sensing component(s) of any suitable smart device or devices of environment 100 (e.g., a visitor's audible communication via a microphone 844 of doorbell 106 or selection of an option on a touchscreen user interface 812 of doorbell 812 via touching that touchscreen) may be processed and handled in any suitable manner by platform 200 for filtering any undesirable or otherwise annoying visitor interactions while also appropriately detecting certain visitor interactions that maybe leveraged for adjusting the urgency or uniqueness or any other suitable tone of an attempted communication by platform 200 to a system user in response to such detecting.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Choi to incorporate the teachings of Fadell to provide the plurality of context-based options including service-based options representing different types of services performable by the guest; for the guest to perform one of the types of services for the selectable context-based option representing a type of service intended to be performed by the guest with the SYSTEM FOR HOME CRIME PREVENTION OF INTERNET OF THINGS of Choi. Doing so enables non-occupants to get different context-based keypads, as recognized by Fadell (Cols 63-64, lines 66-67 and 1-18).
In re claim 2, Choi and Fadell teach all of the limitations of claim 1 stated above where Choi further teaches wherein the identifying the plurality of context-based options is based on a combination of the determined context of the guest and the user data of the occupant (Description, para [0033]: “In addition to the above-described four methods in the manner in which the control unit 240 performs unlocking of the door lock apparatus, when the image of a person who restricts entrance and exit (entrance and exit restricted image) set in advance by the landlord is stored in advance, When the user confirms that the user is a person whose access is limited, the password, temporary password and emergency password input to the smart door lock 300 according to the embodiment of the present invention are not operated, The user is notified of the fact that access is restricted to the visitor by means such as the bell 200.”).
The combination fails to teach further comprising accessing user data associated with a user profile of the occupant and stored at a cloud service.
However, Fadell teaches further comprising accessing user data associated with a user profile of the occupant and stored at a cloud service (Col 65, lines 17-21: “For example over time, based on input received from the smart doorbell 106, a central server can build up an address book of profile data about people who approach the door, such as some identifying biometric data.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Choi and Fadell to further incorporate the teachings of Fadell to provide further comprising accessing user data associated with a user profile of the occupant and stored at a cloud service with the SYSTEM FOR HOME CRIME PREVENTION OF INTERNET OF THINGS of Choi as modified by Fadell. Doing so enables a central server to build up an address book of profile data about people who approach the door, using combined data from different domains to create almost like a fingerprint regarding how that person approaches the house, as recognized by Fadell (Col 65, lines 17-21).
In re claim 3, Choi and Fadell teach all of the limitations of claim 2 stated above where Fadell further teaches further comprising analyzing the user data associated with the user profile of the occupant to detect whether the occupant is expecting a visit from a particular guest or type of guest (Col 133, lines 15-29: “In certain embodiments, platform 200 may be configured to provide visitor-specific messages to specific visitors that may be detected during specific modes. For example, when an occupant is set to take a nap and instructs platform 200 to enable a do-not-disturb mode for the user and/or at least a portion of environment 100 but that occupant wishes to leave a message for a particular visitor if that visitor is detected during that mode (e.g., “Hi visitor Y, I am sorry to miss you, but I had to take a nap, I left your backpack next to the mailbox for you”), the occupant may provide specific instructions for associating such a message with that mode and that message may be communicated to such a visitor if that visitor is detected by platform 200 (e.g., at doorbell 106) when environment 100 is in such a do-not-disturb mode.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Choi and Fadell to further incorporate the teachings of Fadell to provide further comprising analyzing the user data associated with the user profile of the occupant to detect whether the occupant is expecting a visit from a particular guest or type of guest with the SYSTEM FOR HOME CRIME PREVENTION OF INTERNET OF THINGS of Choi as modified by Fadell. Doing so enables providing visitor-specific messages to specific visitors that may be detected during specific modes, as recognized by Fadell (Col 133, lines 15-29).
In re claim 4, Choi and Fadell teach all of the limitations of claim 2 stated above where Fadell further teaches wherein the user data includes information associated with one or more of a digital calendar (Col 148, lines 18-29: “As another particular example, a calendar application for a particular user (e.g., as may be accessible from a user device 166) may be accessed and analyzed (e.g., independently or in combination with other detected data) by platform 200 to determine an expected arrival time of an expected visitor at environment 100 (e.g., leveraging calendar data indicative of “repair man coming to environment 100 at 3:00 pm to fix backyard swimming pool”) and platform 200 may utilize such information to alert a system user of that expected visitor time if it may coincide with a time frame of a particular mode to be enabled or recently enabled at environment 100.”), email messages (Col 63, lines 28-33: “Similarly, if no occupants are home but an inference is made that the package is of particular interest to one of the occupants, a text message, email, phone call, etc. can be made (e.g., by server 164) to the one or more identified occupants, indicating that the package in being delivered.”), short message service messages, a social media account, and one or more applications associated with the user profile of the occupant (Cols 11-12, lines 66-67 and 1-5: “It should be appreciated that these messages can be sent via email, short message service (SMS), multimedia messaging service (MMS), unstructured supplementary service data (USSD), as well as any other type of messaging services and/or communication protocols known in the art, including any type of push notification service.” and col 25, lines 36-41: “Processing engine 206 can further include a social paradigm 310c that uses information from a social network, provides information to a social network (e.g., based on device usage), and/or processes data associated with user and/or device interactions with the social network platform.”).
In re claim 5, Choi and Fadell teach all of the limitations of claim 1 stated above where Fadell further teaches wherein the one or more characteristics include one or more of apparel (Col 164, lines 21-32: “As another example, such a condition may include general visitor identification information that must be satisfied for the mode setting to be active (e.g., detected visitor wearing red, such that if the particular unique invitation identification information of that mode setting is detected at environment 100 when presented by a visitor that is not wearing any red clothing (e.g., as may be detectable by a camera sensing component of doorbell 106) then the one or more associated platform actions of that mode setting may not be carried out by platform 200 (e.g., for strictly enforcing a dress code requirement for a Valentine's Day party)).”), a logo on the apparel, a badge, an object being carried by the guest (Cols 136-137, lines 53-67 and 1-6: “As described above, at step 2002 of process 2000 for enhancing visitor handling, visitor information of a visitor may be detected at an entryway interface device of a smart environment. For example, one or more sensing components 828 of doorbell 106 may be operative to detect any suitable visitor information when any suitable visitor comes within a suitable sensing range of doorbell 106. Such a visitor may be any suitable entity, such as a package deliverer (e.g., deliverer DL of FIG. 1, which may be a human or a drone or otherwise), security entities (e.g., firemen, policemen, security system agents, etc.), any other suitable agents of any third party entities known to platform 200 (e.g., entities 222-230), friends of one or more users of environment 100 that may or may not be known to platform 200, solicitors, strangers, would-be-thieves, and the like. At step 2002, first visitor identification information may be detected when a visitor is initially sensed by platform 200 at environment 100 (e.g., by doorbell 106). Such initial first visitor identification information may be any suitable detectable data that may then be analyzed by platform 200 (e.g., at step 2004) in order to determine that a visitor may be present at environment 100.”), and facial features of the guest (Col 142, lines 4-11: “Specific visitor identification/intent information detected (e.g., at step 2010 or initially at step 2002) may then be analyzed by platform 200 for more specifically identifying the visitor or its intent (e.g., by repeating step 2004). For example, platform 200 may be operative to analyze such detected visitor information by running any suitable facial detection…”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Choi and Fadell to further incorporate the teachings of Fadell to provide wherein the one or more characteristics include one or more of apparel, a logo on the apparel, a badge, an object being carried by the guest, and facial features of the guest with the SYSTEM FOR HOME CRIME PREVENTION OF INTERNET OF THINGS of Choi as modified by Fadell. Doing so enables enhancing visitor handling, visitor information of a visitor may be detected at an entryway interface device of a smart environment, as recognized by Fadell (Cols 136-137, lines 53-67 and 1-6).
In re claim 6, Choi and Fadell teach all of the limitations of claim 1 stated above where Fadell further teaches further comprising moving the plurality of context-based options across the user interface based on the user input being a swipe or drag gesture (Col 93, lines 39-67: “User interface 812 may include one or more visual displays (e.g., thin film transistor (TFT), organic light-emitting diode (OLED), or any other suitable display), touchscreen, and/or button input capabilities… Furthermore, in some embodiments, such a click-and-rotate annular ring input button may be operative to provide menu-driven interfaces for user governance of some or all of the various capabilities of doorbell 106. User interface 812 may additionally or alternatively be configured to take a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, a touch pad, dial, click wheel, scroll wheel, touch screen, 3-dimensional input and/or output interface, one or more buttons (e.g., a single conventional doorbell-like button or multiple buttons of a keyboard), mouse, joy stick, track ball, and the like.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Choi and Fadell to further incorporate the teachings of Fadell to provide further comprising moving the plurality of context-based options across the user interface based on the user input being a swipe or drag gesture with the SYSTEM FOR HOME CRIME PREVENTION OF INTERNET OF THINGS of Choi as modified by Fadell. Doing so enables providing menu-driven interfaces for user governance of some or all of the various capabilities of doorbell 106, as recognized by Fadell (Col 93, lines 39-67).
In re claim 9, Choi and Fadell teach all of the limitations of claim 1 stated above where Choi further teaches wherein providing the notification comprises providing the notification in response to actuation of a mechanical input device on the electronic device (Description, para [0042]: “That is, even when a password is input to the smart door bell 200, the smart door bell 200 not only does not release the lock but also transmits the situation to the user terminal.”).
In re claim 10, Choi and Fadell teach all of the limitations of claim 9 stated above where Choi further teaches wherein the user interface is integrated with the mechanical input device (Description, para [0020]: “The smart door lock 300 may include a door lock device, a communication unit, and a display unit (not shown). The door lock device is installed in a door, and in response to a lock release signal, the door can be opened by releasing the lock or by changing the released state to the locked state in response to the lock keeping signal or by maintaining the already locked state Do not open the door. The communication unit transmits / receives data to / from the outside of the smart door lock (300). The display unit includes a key pad and an image reproducing unit. The keypad allows a visitor to enter an answer to a password, a temporary password and a question.” and para [0036]: “When the visitor inputs a password (including a temporary password) on a keypad provided on the display unit, the control unit 240 compares the input password with the setting password stored in the storage unit 210, And transmits a hold signal or a lock release signal to the smart door lock 300.”).
In re claim 11, Choi and Fadell teach all of the limitations of claim 10 stated above where Fadell further teaches wherein:
the user interface has an annular shape; and
the mechanical input device is concentrically positioned in a center of the user interface (Col 93, lines 39-67: “User interface 812 may include one or more visual displays (e.g., thin film transistor (TFT), organic light-emitting diode (OLED), or any other suitable display), touchscreen, and/or button input capabilities, audio speaker 836, microphone 844, and the like. In some embodiments, (e.g., as may be shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B), a particular head unit 804 of smart doorbell 106 may include user interface 812 with a click-and-rotate annular ring input button. According to such embodiments, the click-and-rotate annular ring input button may be used by a visitor to simply “ring” a doorbell (e.g., for a visitor to attempt to announce itself). Furthermore, in some embodiments, such a click-and-rotate annular ring input button may be operative to provide menu-driven interfaces for user governance of some or all of the various capabilities of doorbell 106. User interface 812 may additionally or alternatively be configured to take a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, a touch pad, dial, click wheel, scroll wheel, touch screen, 3-dimensional input and/or output interface, one or more buttons (e.g., a single conventional doorbell-like button or multiple buttons of a keyboard), mouse, joy stick, track ball, and the like. Moreover, one or more of sensor components 828 may also be at least partially used as an input component (e.g., by sensing data from a user (e.g., as a microphone, camera, scanner, biometric sensor, and the like)) and/or may be at least partially integrated into user interface 812 (e.g., user interface 812 may include a biometric fingerprint scanner to identify the fingerprint of an entity that may touch user interface 812).”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Choi and Fadell to further incorporate the teachings of Fadell to provide wherein: the user interface has an annular shape; and the mechanical input device is concentrically positioned in a center of the user interface with the SYSTEM FOR HOME CRIME PREVENTION OF INTERNET OF THINGS of Choi as modified by Fadell. Doing so enables such a click-and-rotate annular ring input button may be operative to provide menu-driven interfaces for user governance of some or all of the various capabilities of doorbell 106 and one or more of sensor components at least partially integrated into user interface, as recognized by Fadell (Col 93, lines 39-67).
In re claim 12, Choi and Fadell teach all of the limitations of claim 1 stated above where Fadell further teaches wherein providing a notification associated with the selected context-based option includes transmitting a message to a wireless network device inside the structure to alert the occupant of a presence of the guest (Col 142, lines 39-49: “Alternatively or additionally, doorbell 106 and/or any other component of environment 100 and/or system 164 may be configured to confirm detection of an identity and/or intent of the visitor with a user of environment 100 (e.g., by communicating any suitable confirmation information to the user via any suitable smart device of environment 100 or personal device 166 of the user, similarly to any communication of step 2006). This may enable the visitor and/or the user to remain updated with respect to the current status of the handling of the visitor by platform 200.”) and the type of service intended to be performed by the guest for the occupant (Col 103, lines 26-32: “For example, if occupants or, more particularly, if a specified recipient or recipients are in the home and the package is from a sender or contains an item that is of particular interest to the one or more occupants, an announcement can be made in the home, indicating the package is currently being dropped off and providing details about the package.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Choi and Fadell to further incorporate the teachings of Fadell to provide wherein providing a notification associated with the selected context-based option includes transmitting a message to a wireless network device inside the structure to alert the occupant of a presence of the guest and the intent for the guest's visit with the SYSTEM FOR HOME CRIME PREVENTION OF INTERNET OF THINGS of Choi as modified by Fadell. Doing so enables the visitor and/or the user to remain updated with respect to the current status of the handling of the visitor by platform 200, as recognized by Fadell (Col 142, lines 39-49).
In re claim 14, Choi and Fadell teach all of the limitations of claim 1 stated above where Fadell further teaches wherein:
the plurality of context-based options include a machine-readable code for the guest to scan using a mobile device of the guest; and
the machine-readable code is configured to:
direct the mobile device of the guest to communicate with a server communicatively coupled to the electronic device; and
enable the guest to convey the intent of the guest's visit via the mobile device of the guest in a message to the server, which forwards the message to a wireless network device of the occupant (Col 63, lines 7-15: “If the person is making a delivery, the doorbell can instruct the person to place the package in a location proximate the doorbell 106 such that its scanner can scan the bar code or other type of identifying tag affixed to or associated with the package being delivered. According to embodiments, a central server, such as server 164, can use the bar code to obtain information about the package, such as the sender, recipient, a description of the item therein, whether signature is required, etc.” and lines 34-46: “According to embodiments, in the event signature is required for the package but none of the occupants are home an inference is made to not disturb the occupants, the smart doorbell can provide authorization to leave the package. For example, the doorbell 106 presents an authorization code (either in plain text, barcode, or encrypted forms) on its user interface and prompts the delivery person to use his or her handheld device to record, scan, photograph, or otherwise acquire the authorization code. Once the authorization code has been acquired by the delivery person, the doorbell 106 can then instruct the delivery person regarding where to leave the package, such as at the front door, around the back of the house in a discrete location, etc.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Choi and Fadell to further incorporate the teachings of Fadell to provide wherein: the plurality of context-based options include a machine-readable code for the guest to scan using a mobile device of the guest; and the machine-readable code is configured to: direct the mobile device of the guest to communicate with a server communicatively coupled to the electronic device; and enable the guest to convey the intent of the guest's visit via the mobile device of the guest in a message to the server, which forwards the message to a wireless network device of the occupant with the SYSTEM FOR HOME CRIME PREVENTION OF INTERNET OF THINGS of Choi as modified by Fadell. Doing so enables instructing a delivery person regarding where to leave a package, such as at the front door, around the back of the house in a discrete location, etc, as recognized by Fadell (Col 63, lines 34-46).
In re claim 15, Choi teaches An electronic device comprising:
one or more sensors configured to detect a presence of a guest within a sensor detection area of the electronic device (Description, para [0028]: “The camera 220 photographs a visitor in front of the smart door lock 300 and generates a recording voice in which a still image of a visitor is recorded as a still image and a voice and records a moving image of the visitor in response to the emergency photographing instruction signal. Unless otherwise instructed by the control unit 240, a visitor in front of the smart door lock 300 takes a still image of the visitor.”);
a display device configured to present a user interface;
a mechanical input device integrated with the display device (Description, para [0020]: “The smart door lock 300 may include a door lock device, a communication unit, and a display unit (not shown). The door lock device is installed in a door, and in response to a lock release signal, the door can be opened by releasing the lock or by changing the released state to the locked state in response to the lock keeping signal or by maintaining the already locked state Do not open the door. The communication unit transmits / receives data to / from the outside of the smart door lock (300). The display unit includes a key pad and an image reproducing unit. The keypad allows a visitor to enter an answer to a password, a temporary password and a question.” and para [0036]: “When the visitor inputs a password (including a temporary password) on a keypad provided on the display unit, the control unit 240 compares the input password with the setting password stored in the storage unit 210, And transmits a hold signal or a lock release signal to the smart door lock 300.”); and
a processor configured to:
present the selectable options via the user interface for selection by the guest to enable the guest to indicate a purpose for the guest's presence;
receive a first user input that selects one of the selectable options;
receive a second user input that actuates the mechanical input device (Description, para [0020]: “The display unit includes a key pad and an image reproducing unit. The keypad allows a visitor to enter an answer to a password, a temporary password and a question. In the image playback section, the off-selection menu, the photograph of the photographer and the content of the question are reproduced, Play the facts.” and para [0037]: “If the visitor does not know the password, the visitor can select the image from the selection menu provided by the image playback unit when he / she wants to be allowed access using the image of himself / herself, When it is desired to be permitted to enter or exit by input, a question can be selected from a selection menu provided by the image playback section. In the above description, it is assumed that the terms video and question are being reproduced on the selection menu provided by the video playback unit.”).
Choi fails to teach determine information associated with a user profile of a user of the electronic device, the user profile including a communication with another person via at least one of an email message, a short message service (SMS) message, or a social media account, the communication indicating an anticipated guest arrival;
estimate one or more types of guest that the user is expecting based on the determined information associated with the user profile;
identify, based on the estimated one or more types of guest, selectable options that each represent a potential purpose for the guest's presence, the selectable options being less than a total number of available options, at least one of the selectable options representing a communicated purpose for the guest’s presence discussed in the communication; and
responsive to actuation of the mechanical input device, provide a notification to another device of the user to indicate the guest’s presence
However, Fadell teaches determine information associated with a user profile of a user of the electronic device (Col 65, lines 17-21: “For example over time, based on input received from the smart doorbell 106, a central server can build up an address book of profile data about people who approach the door, such as some identifying biometric data.”), the user profile including a communication with another person via at least one of an email message, a short message service (SMS) message, or a social media account, the communication indicating an anticipated guest arrival (col 25, lines 36-41: “Processing engine 206 can further include a social paradigm 310c that uses information from a social network, provides information to a social network (e.g., based on device usage), and/or processes data associated with user and/or device interactions with the social network platform.”, col 147, lines 46-55: “Platform 200 may be operative to remind system users of certain expected visitors in order to enable adjustment of certain mode settings. For example, platform 200 may leverage any suitable data, such as user calendar event data, deliverer entity business shipping schedule data, and the like to identify certain periods of time during which a visitor is expected at environment 100, and platform 200 may enable adjustment of certain mode settings for handling such visitors in advance of that mode being enabled for execution by platform 200.”, and col 148, lines 18-29: “As another particular example, a calendar application for a particular user (e.g., as may be accessible from a user device 166) may be accessed and analyzed (e.g., independently or in combination with other detected data) by platform 200 to determine an expected arrival time of an expected visitor at environment 100 (e.g., leveraging calendar data indicative of “repair man coming to environment 100 at 3:00 pm to fix backyard swimming pool”) and platform 200 may utilize such information to alert a system user of that expected visitor time if it may coincide with a time frame of a particular mode to be enabled or recently enabled at environment 100.”);
estimate one or more types of guest that the user is expecting based on the determined information associated with the user profile (Col 133, lines 15-29: “In certain embodiments, platform 200 may be configured to provide visitor-specific messages to specific visitors that may be detected during specific modes. For example, when an occupant is set to take a nap and instructs platform 200 to enable a do-not-disturb mode for the user and/or at least a portion of environment 100 but that occupant wishes to leave a message for a particular visitor if that visitor is detected during that mode (e.g., “Hi visitor Y, I am sorry to miss you, but I had to take a nap, I left your backpack next to the mailbox for you”), the occupant may provide specific instructions for associating such a message with that mode and that message may be communicated to such a visitor if that visitor is detected by platform 200 (e.g., at doorbell 106) when environment 100 is in such a do-not-disturb mode.”);
identify, based on the estimated one or more types of guest, selectable options that each represent a potential purpose for the guest's presence, the selectable options being less than a total number of available options (Cols 63-64, lines 66-67 and 1-18: “According to embodiments, the smart doorbell 106 provides a context-based entry keypad. In some examples, the entry keypad can be projected, such as via a 2D/3D holographic projection. In other examples, the entry keypad can be rendered on a display such as a 2D LCD display. Persons standing proximate to the smart doorbell 106 can enter a code into the keypad to obtain access to the smart-home environment 100. According to embodiments, the occupants of the home get context-based keypads and/or access codes. For example, the parents get a more sophisticated keypad that provides a variety of controls, whereas children get a simple keypad into which they can enter their access code. Further, non-occupants get context-based keypads, too. For example, a delivery person gets one keypad, whereas uncategorized individuals get another keypad. According to some embodiments, the keypad can vary based on factors such as time of day, current news any recent crime in the neighborhood?), proximity of security guards and other law enforcement personnel, and which, if any, occupants are currently at home.” and col 176, lines 41-54: “…any suitable visitor interaction type with respect to any suitable input component(s) and/or sensing component(s) of any suitable smart device or devices of environment 100 (e.g., a visitor's audible communication via a microphone 844 of doorbell 106 or selection of an option on a touchscreen user interface 812 of doorbell 812 via touching that touchscreen) may be processed and handled in any suitable manner by platform 200 for filtering any undesirable or otherwise annoying visitor interactions while also appropriately detecting certain visitor interactions that maybe leveraged for adjusting the urgency or uniqueness or any other suitable tone of an attempted communication by platform 200 to a system user in response to such detecting.”), at least one of the selectable options representing a communicated purpose for the guest’s presence discussed in the communication (Col 143, lines 5-16: “For example, platform 200 may be operative to enable the visitor to leave any suitable message for a system user of environment 100 for eventual receipt by that user (e.g., an audio message, a video message, a text message, etc. that may be obtained by one or more sensing components 828 of doorbell 106). The visitor may simply wish to leave a “voicemail” message for environment 100 and doorbell 106 may be operative to enable the visitor to record such a message (e.g., via microphone 844), whereby such a message may then be eventually communicated to a system user of environment 100 (e.g., according to any applicable rules or inferences or mode settings).”); and
responsive to actuation of the mechanical input device, provide a notification to another device of the user to indicate the guest’s presence Col 142, lines 39-49: “Alternatively or additionally, doorbell 106 and/or any other component of environment 100 and/or system 164 may be configured to confirm detection of an identity and/or intent of the visitor with a user of environment 100 (e.g., by communicating any suitable confirmation information to the user via any suitable smart device of environment 100 or personal device 166 of the user, similarly to any communication of step 2006). This may enable the visitor and/or the user to remain updated with respect to the current status of the handling of the visitor by platform 200.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Choi to incorporate the teachings of Fadell to provide determine information associated with a user profile of a user of the electronic device, the user profile including a communication with another person via at least one of an email message, a short message service (SMS) message, or a social media account, the communication indicating an anticipated guest arrival; estimate one or more types of guest that the user is expecting based on the determined information associated with the user profile; identify, based on the estimated one or more types of guest, selectable options that each represent a potential purpose for the guest's presence, the selectable options being less than a total number of available options, at least one of the selectable options representing a communicated purpose for the guest’s presence discussed in the communication; and responsive to actuation of the mechanical input device, provide a notification to another device of the user to indicate the guest’s presence Doing so enables a central server to build up an address book of profile data about people who approach the door, using combined data from different domains to create almost like a fingerprint regarding how that person approaches the house, and providing visitor-specific messages to specific visitors that may be detected during specific modes, and enables the visitor and/or the user to remain updated with respect to the current status of the handling of the visitor by platform 200, as recognized by Fadell (Col 65, lines 17-21, Col 133, lines 15-29 and Col 142, lines 39-49).
In re claim 17, Choi and Fadell teach all of the limitations of claim 15 stated above where Choi further teaches wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine, using the one or more sensors, one or more characteristics of the guest (Description, para [0028]: “The camera 220 photographs a visitor in front of the smart door lock 300 and generates a recording voice in which a still image of a visitor is recorded as a still image and a voice and records a moving image of the visitor in response to the emergency photographing instruction signal. Unless otherwise instructed by the control unit 240, a visitor in front of the smart door lock 300 takes a still image of the visitor.”); and
determine a context of the guest based on the one or more characteristics (Description, para [0041]: “If a visitor approaches the smart door bell 200 by storing a still image (entrance and exit rejection reference image) of a person who intends to block access to the smart door bell 200 in advance in the storage unit 210 of the smart door bell 200, Compares the photographed image of the visitor with the pre-stored access rejection reference image to determine whether or not the visitor is a restricted person before entering any information into the smart door bell 200. If the visitor is not a restricted person The access to the smart door bell 200 is permitted through the above-described process. However, when it is determined that the access is limited (denied), the smart door bell 200 is essentially shut off.”), wherein the selectable options are identified based on a combination of the determined context of the guest and the estimated one or more types of guest that the user is expecting (Description, para [0020]: “The display unit includes a key pad and an image reproducing unit. The keypad allows a visitor to enter an answer to a password, a temporary password and a question. In the image playback section, the off-selection menu, the photograph of the photographer and the content of the question are reproduced, Play the facts.” and para [0037]: “If the visitor does not know the password, the visitor can select the image from the selection menu provided by the image playback unit when he / she wants to be allowed access using the image of himself / herself, When it is desired to be permitted to enter or exit by input, a question can be selected from a selection menu provided by the image playback section. In the above description, it is assumed that the terms video and question are being reproduced on the selection menu provided by the video playback unit.”).
In re claim 21, Choi and Fadell teach all of the limitations of claim 1 stated above where Fadell further teaches wherein the service-based options include a delivery option (SEE BELOW), wherein the method further comprises:
based on the selected context-based option being the delivery option and prior to providing the notification (Cols 63-64, lines 66-67 and 1-18: “According to embodiments, the smart doorbell 106 provides a context-based entry keypad. In some examples, the entry keypad can be projected, such as via a 2D/3D holographic projection. In other examples, the entry keypad can be rendered on a display such as a 2D LCD display. Persons standing proximate to the smart doorbell 106 can enter a code into the keypad to obtain access to the smart-home environment 100… Further, non-occupants get context-based keypads, too. For example, a delivery person gets one keypad, whereas uncategorized individuals get another keypad. According to some embodiments, the keypad can vary based on factors such as time of day, current news any recent crime in the neighborhood?), proximity of security guards and other law enforcement personnel, and which, if any, occupants are currently at home.”), presenting secondary options via the user interface that are selectable to enable the guest to input whether a signature is required for delivery; and
receiving a second input from the guest selecting one of the secondary options, wherein the notification is associated with both the selected context-based option and the selected secondary option (Col 63, lines 12-33: “According to embodiments, a central server, such as server 164, can use the bar code to obtain information about the package, such as the sender, recipient, a description of the item therein, whether signature is required, etc. Based on this information the rules-based inferences engines or artificial intelligence can make inference regarding which action to take next. For example, if occupants or more particularly if the specified recipient or recipients are in the home and the package is from a sender or contains an item that is of particular interest to the one or more occupants, an announcement can be made in the home, indicating the package is currently being dropped off and providing details about the package. On the other hand, if the sender or item is not of particular interest to one of the occupants based on the occupants past responses to receiving such deliveries, then no announcement will be made and the occupants can discover the package in due course. Similarly, if no occupants are home but an inference is made that the package is of particular interest to one of the occupants, a text message, email, phone call, etc. can be made (e.g., by server 164) to the one or more identified occupants, indicating that the package in being delivered.” and col 63, lines 34-46: “According to embodiments, in the event signature is required for the package but none of the occupants are home an inference is made to not disturb the occupants, the smart doorbell can provide authorization to leave the package. For example, the doorbell 106 presents an authorization code (either in plain text, barcode, or encrypted forms) on its user interface and prompts the delivery person to use his or her handheld device to record, scan, photograph, or otherwise acquire the authorization code. Once the authorization code has been acquired by the delivery person, the doorbell 106 can then instruct the delivery person regarding where to leave the package, such as at the front door, around the back of the house in a discrete location, etc.”).
In re claim 22, Choi and Fadell teach all of the limitations of claim 1 stated above where Fadell further teaches wherein the service-based options include at least one of a courier service, a utility service, a transportation service, or a yard service (Cols 136-137, lines 53-67 and 1-6: “As described above, at step 2002 of process 2000 for enhancing visitor handling, visitor information of a visitor may be detected at an entryway interface device of a smart environment. For example, one or more sensing components 828 of doorbell 106 may be operative to detect any suitable visitor information when any suitable visitor comes within a suitable sensing range of doorbell 106. Such a visitor may be any suitable entity, such as a package deliverer (e.g., deliverer DL of FIG. 1, which may be a human or a drone or otherwise), security entities (e.g., firemen, policemen, security system agents, etc.), any other suitable agents of any third party entities known to platform 200 (e.g., entities 222-230), friends of one or more users of environment 100 that may or may not be known to platform 200, solicitors, strangers, would-be-thieves, and the like. At step 2002, first visitor identification information may be detected when a visitor is initially sensed by platform 200 at environment 100 (e.g., by doorbell 106). Such initial first visitor identification information may be any suitable detectable data that may then be analyzed by platform 200 (e.g., at step 2004) in order to determine that a visitor may be present at environment 100.”).
In re claim 23, Choi and Fadell teach all of the limitations of claim 1 stated above where Fadell further teaches wherein the context defines the guest as a courier, and wherein the plurality of context-based options are curated such that the service-based options represent specific delivery categories including at least two of a food delivery, a parcel delivery, a mail delivery, or a medicine delivery (Cols 136-137, lines 53-67 and 1-6: “As described above, at step 2002 of process 2000 for enhancing visitor handling, visitor information of a visitor may be detected at an entryway interface device of a smart environment. For example, one or more sensing components 828 of doorbell 106 may be operative to detect any suitable visitor information when any suitable visitor comes within a suitable sensing range of doorbell 106. Such a visitor may be any suitable entity, such as a package deliverer (e.g., deliverer DL of FIG. 1, which may be a human or a drone or otherwise), security entities (e.g., firemen, policemen, security system agents, etc.), any other suitable agents of any third party entities known to platform 200 (e.g., entities 222-230), friends of one or more users of environment 100 that may or may not be known to platform 200, solicitors, strangers, would-be-thieves, and the like. At step 2002, first visitor identification information may be detected when a visitor is initially sensed by platform 200 at environment 100 (e.g., by doorbell 106). Such initial first visitor identification information may be any suitable detectable data that may then be analyzed by platform 200 (e.g., at step 2004) in order to determine that a visitor may be present at environment 100.”, and col 169, lines 48-64: “This may increase the efficiency with which environment 100 may handle an invitee visitor in response to that visitor presenting a specific smart invitation at environment 100 (e.g., if there are multiple people at environment 100 that may have made different food orders and that are currently awaiting the delivery thereof). This may not only increase the convenience of the occupant users by being informed what delivery attempt is currently being detected, but this may also increase the convenience of the deliverer by not having to manually announce the particulars of the attempted delivery (e.g., “Hello, this is a delivery for occupant Y by restaurant X”) but instead by only having to present its smart invitation (e.g., a delivery receipt containing the confirmation number (i.e., the unique invitation identification information), such as of a label ID) to environment 100 (e.g., doorbell 106) for automatic detection/analysis/handling by platform 200.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Choi and Fadell to further incorporate the teachings of Fadell to provide wherein the context defines the guest as a courier, and wherein the plurality of context-based options are curated such that the service-based options represent specific delivery categories including at least two of a food delivery, a parcel delivery, a mail delivery, or a medicine delivery with the SYSTEM FOR HOME CRIME PREVENTION OF INTERNET OF THINGS of Choi as modified by Fadell. Doing so increases the efficiency with which environment 100 may handle an invitee visitor in response to that visitor presenting a specific smart invitation at environment 100, as recognized by Fadell (col 169, lines 48-64).
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi (KR Patent No. 101927692 B1), in view of Fadell (US Patent No. 9626841 B2) and further in view of Kraz (US Patent No. 10914431 B2) and Marc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRSaWx4RTNo).
In re claim 18, Choi teaches receiving a user input from the guest that actuates a mechanical input device on a first electronic device (Description, para [0042]: “That is, even when a password is input to the smart door bell 200, the smart door bell 200 not only does not release the lock but also transmits the situation to the user terminal.”);
Choi fails to teach A method for providing a context-aware notification to a guest, the method comprising:
responsive to an actuation of the mechanical input device, activating a first light source proximate to the mechanical input device and transmitting a signal to a second electronic device communicatively coupled to the first electronic device;
activating one or more additional light sources on the first electronic device beginning at the first light source and ending at a camera system of the first electronic device such that the one or more additional light sources form a sequence of light progressively extending over time at a rate that estimates a lapse of time
receiving, at the first electronic device, a confirmation message indicating that the second electronic device has provided a notification to the user of the actuation of the mechanical input device; and
responsive to receiving the confirmation message, activating a second light source proximate to the camera system.
However, Fadell teaches A method for providing a context-aware notification to a guest (SEE BELOW), the method comprising:
responsive to an actuation of the mechanical input device, activating a first light source proximate to the mechanical input device and transmitting a signal to a second electronic device communicatively coupled to the first electronic device (Col 116, lines 33-47: “For example, at step 2008, rather than instructing deliverer DL towards a safe or lobby that may be temporarily made accessible to deliverer DL for depositing package PL, system 164 may leverage doorbell 106 or any other suitable smart device of environment 100 to instruct deliverer DL towards an open area at which deliverer DL may deposit package PL. As shown in FIG. 1, one or more components of doorbell 106 (e.g., projector 830) may be operative to generate and display to deliverer DL a suitable deposit area AL at which package PL may be dropped-off (e.g., light from projector 830 may shine to identify area AL on any suitable surface, or instructions provided on a display user interface 812 or audible instructions via audio speaker 836 may otherwise enable deliverer DL to identify the location of area AL).” and col 142, lines 39-49: “Alternatively or additionally, doorbell 106 and/or any other component of environment 100 and/or system 164 may be configured to confirm detection of an identity and/or intent of the visitor with a user of environment 100 (e.g., by communicating any suitable confirmation information to the user via any suitable smart device of environment 100 or personal device 166 of the user, similarly to any communication of step 2006). This may enable the visitor and/or the user to remain updated with respect to the current status of the handling of the visitor by platform 200.”);
receiving, at the first electronic device, a confirmation message indicating that the second electronic device has provided a notification to the user of the actuation of the mechanical input device (Col 116, lines 14-24: “Such confirmation of proper drop-off of package PL may be shared with delivery entity business 228 by system 164 (e.g., via API 210) and/or with deliverer DL (e.g., via doorbell 106) and/or with a system user (e.g., via a user device 166 or any suitable smart device).”); and
responsive to receiving the confirmation message, activating a second light source proximate to the camera system (Col 119, lines 8-36: “As mentioned, when a package PL has been left by a deliverer DL at environment 100, system 164 may be configured to communicate information indicative of that package deposit to any suitable entity (e.g., a system user of environment 100 and/or delivery entity business 228 and the like). Additionally or alternatively, system 164 may be configured to send any suitable reminders at any suitable moment to a system user or delivery entity or other suitable entity that may keep such an entity mindful of the status of a package that has been left at environment 100 but that has not yet been claimed by a system user. Such reminders may be achieved via any suitable communication technique, such as e-mail, telephone, text message, alert via any suitable smart device (e.g., via a user interface of a hazard device 104 within structure 150 or via a user interface 812 of doorbell 106 that may be easily identified by a user of environment 100 upon waking up within structure 150 or arriving to door 186 of structure 150)… Alternatively, a simple blinking light may be provided by doorbell 106 (e.g., projector 830) when a package is awaiting user retrieval.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Choi to incorporate the teachings of Fadell to provide A method for providing a context-aware notification to a guest, the method comprising: responsive to an actuation of the mechanical input device, activating a first light source proximate to the mechanical input device and transmitting a signal to a second electronic device communicatively coupled to the first electronic device; receiving, at the first electronic device, a confirmation message indicating that the second electronic device has provided a notification to the user of the actuation of the mechanical input device; and responsive to receiving the confirmation message, activating a second light source proximate to the camera system with the SYSTEM FOR HOME CRIME PREVENTION OF INTERNET OF THINGS of Choi. Doing so enables the visitor and/or the user to remain updated with respect to the current status of the handling of the visitor by platform 200, as recognized by Fadell (col 142, lines 39-49).
The combination fails to teach activating one or more additional light sources on the first electronic device beginning at the first light source and ending at a camera system of the first electronic device such that the one or more additional light sources form a sequence of light progressively extending over time at a rate that estimates a lapse of time
However, Kraz teaches activating one or more additional light sources on the first electronic device beginning at the first light source and ending at a camera system of the first electronic device (Cols 29-30, lines 66-67 and 1-7: “The light ring (and corresponding elements) may operate to indicate a status of the camera device 2102, another device within or outside of the smart-home environment (e.g., another device communicatively coupled either directly or indirectly to the camera device 2102), and/or the entire connected smart-home environment (e.g., system status). The light ring (and corresponding elements) may cause different colors and/or animations to be displayed to a user that indicate such different statuses.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Choi and Fadell to incorporate the teachings of Kraz to provide activating one or more additional light sources on the first electronic device beginning at the first light source and ending at a camera system of the first electronic device with the SYSTEM FOR HOME CRIME PREVENTION OF INTERNET OF THINGS of Choi as modified by Fadell. Doing so enables indicating a status of the camera device 2102, another device within or outside of the smart-home environment (e.g., another device communicatively coupled either directly or indirectly to the camera device 2102), as recognized by Kraz (Cols 29-30, lines 66-67 and 1-7).
The combination fails to teach such that the one or more additional light sources form a sequence of light progressively extending over time at a rate that estimates a lapse of time the video starting from minute 2:01 [and ending at 2:05] pressing the doorbell button causes indicator light to spin until user phone receives notification.).
However, Marc teaches such that the one or more additional light sources form a sequence of light progressively extending over time at a rate that estimates a lapse of time the video starting from minute 2:01 [and ending at 2:05] shows pressing the doorbell button causes indicator light to spin until user phone receives notification.).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Choi, Fadell and Kraz to further incorporate the teachings of Marc to provide such that the one or more additional light sources form a sequence of light progressively extending over time at a rate that estimates a lapse of time Doing so enables indication to the visitor as to whether or not the occupant received the notification of mechanical actuation of the doorbell itself, as viewed on the occupant’s mobile device, (shown at timestamp 2:04).
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi (KR Patent No. 101927692 B1), in view of Fadell (US Patent No. 9626841 B2) and further in view of Kraz (US Patent No. 10914431 B2), Marc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRSaWx4RTNo) and Smith (US Patent No. 20180004747 A1).
In re claim 20, Choi, Fadell, Kraz and Marc teach all of the limitations of claim 18 stated above where Choi further teaches further comprising:
responsive to the actuation of the mechanical input device, activating an image sensor of the first electronic device to capture a video feed (Description, para [0045]: “In the second type cancellation method, when a visitor presses a button (not shown) constituting the smart door bell 200, the smart door bell 200 connects the video call of the landlord and the visitor, and the landlord transmits the visitor…”).
The combination fails to teach wherein activating the second light source is responsive to the confirmation message also indicating that the user associated with the second electronic device has accessed the video feed being captured by the image sensor of the first electronic device to view the guest.
However, Smith teaches wherein activating the second light source is responsive to the confirmation message also indicating that the user associated with the second electronic device has accessed the video feed being captured by the image sensor of the first electronic device to view the guest (Para [0095]: “In response to receiving the message, home application 304 can present a notification on the display of user device 302 notifying the user that doorbell 406 has been rung. The user can then provide input to home application 304 to turn on external light 402 and camera 404 so that the user can view the person at the door using a video feed from camera 304 presented on the display of user device 302. The user may unlock the door using door lock 403 when the user knows the visitor and wants the visitor to enter home environment 400.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Choi, Fadell, Kraz and Marc to further incorporate the teachings of Smith to provide wherein activating the second light source is responsive to the confirmation message also indicating that the user associated with the second electronic device has accessed the video feed being captured by the image sensor of the first electronic device to view the guest with the SYSTEM FOR HOME CRIME PREVENTION OF INTERNET OF THINGS of Choi as modified by Fadell, Kraz and Marc. Doing so enables home application 304 to automatically present a graphical user interface on a display of user device 302 that presents the video feed from the camera accessory (e.g., camera 404) so that the user can view the visitor at the front door, as recognized by Smith (Para [0144]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 19 and 24 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 the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art of record does not expressly teach or render obvious, in the context of the claims taken as a whole,
Regarding claim 19, wherein the one or more additional light sources create a line of light between and , and wherein the rate substantially matches a speed of a communication between the first electronic device and the second electronic device.
Regarding claim 24, wherein:
the user profile includes information about a private sale in the email message, the SMS message, or the social media account;
the information indicates the anticipated guest arrival; and
the selectable options include an option for the guest to select to confirm that the purpose for the guest's presence is to participate in the private sale.
Moreover, modifying the prior art to achieve the claim limitation can only be achieved by hindsight, as no other reference includes these limitations.
Response to Arguments
Applicant arguments/remarks filed 02/25/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
On pages 14-15 of applicant remarks, applicant argues rejections of claim 1:
“In addition, while Choi describes a response to a system security prompt when the visitor wants to be permitted access, Choi does not use the selection menu to enable "the guest to convey an intent for the guest to perform one of the types of services," with "the selected context-based option representing a type of service intended to be performed by the guest," as recited in amended claim 1. Choi is limited to identity matching for lock release and does not identify or present any such "service- based options representing different types of services performable by the guest," as recited in amended claim 1.”
Examiner notes prior art Fadell provides applicant’s amended feature of ‘selection menu that enables selected context-based options representing a type of service to be performed by the guest’, as shown in the rejection above, in Cols 136-137, lines 53-67 and 1-6.
On pages 16-17 of applicant remarks, applicant argues rejections of claim 15:
“Fadell, however, does not describe or suggest determining information from a "user profile including a communication with another person via at least one of an email message, a short message service (SMS) message, or a social media account, the communication indicating an anticipated guest arrival," which is used to "estimate one or more types of guest that the user is expecting" and to "identify selectable options" with "at least one of the selectable options representing a communicated purpose for the guest's presence discussed in the communication," as recited in amended claim 15. There is no indication in Fadell that suggests any such features.”
Examiner notes prior art Fadell provides applicant’s amended feature of ‘communication with another person via at least one of an email message, a short message service (SMS) message, or a social media account, the communication indicating an anticipated guest arrival’, ‘estimate one or more types of guest that the user is expecting’, ‘identify selectable options’, and ‘at least one of the selectable options representing a communicated purpose for the guest's presence discussed in the communication’, as shown in the rejection above, in col 25, lines 36-41, col 147, lines 46-55, col 148, lines 18-29, Col 133, lines 15-29, Cols 63-64, lines 66-67 and 1-18, col 176, lines 41-54 and Col 143, lines 5-16.
On pages 17-18 of applicant remarks, applicant argues rejections of claim 18:
“For example, the Office relies on Kraz for describing a light ring that may "operate to indicate a status of the camera device, another device within or outside of the smart-home environment, and/or the entire connected smart-home environment." Kraz, col. 29, line 66 to col. 30, line 5. Kraz describes a light ring for "uniform output" and mentions "different colors and/or animations to be displayed to a user that indicate such different statuses." Kraz, Title, col. 30, lines 6 and 7. There is no indication in Kraz, however, does not teach or suggest a "sequence of light progressively extending over time at a rate that estimates a lapse of time between the actuation of the mechanical input device and a time when a user associated with the second electronic device is notified of the actuation," as recited in amended claim 18. There is simply no indication in Kraz that teaches or suggests that the "status" of the camera device or of the entire connected smart-home environment, as indicated by the light ring, is tied to or represents a predictive function, such as an estimation of a lapse of time between two events (e.g., "the actuation of the mechanical input device and a time when a user associated with the second electronic device is notified of the actuation," as recited in claim 18). Accordingly, Kraz does not correct the deficiencies of Choi and Fadell.”
Examiner notes applicant arguments with respect to claim 18 have been fully
considered but are moot in view of the new rejection(s) as necessitated by applicant
amendment.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES EDWARD MUNION whose telephone number is (571)270-0437. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30-5:00.
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, Steven Lim can be reached at 571-270-1210. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/JAMES E MUNION/Examiner, Art Unit 2688 05/28/2026
/STEVEN LIM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2688
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