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 .
Double Patenting
An electronic terminal disclaimer directed to U.S. Patent No. 12,112,754 is submitted on 7/7/26, the Double Patenting rejection is withdrawn.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 7/7/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues on pp7 of Applicant Remarks that “ the Applicant's attorney respectfully submits that the cited portions of Gruber fail to anticipate the features of independent claim 1, as well as similar features of independent claims 8 and 15 below:
"determining, based on the request, content to be communicated with the additional user;...
determining, based on comparing the existing application data and the natural language content, that the existing application data corresponds to the content to be communicated to the additional user"
In response, examiner disagrees. Gruber teaches:
determine, based on the request, content to be communicated with the additional user (e.g. determine, based on "send him a text message" of [0012], a text message to be communicated to the additional user/”him”);
compare, based on the request, the existing application data to natural language content of the request, determine, based on comparing the existing application data and the natural language content, that the existing application data corresponds to the content to be communicated to the additional user (e.g. the intelligent automated assistant takes into account various types of available context data to determine which address book contact to use, which contact data to use, which telephone number to use for the contact, and the like, so that the user need not re-specify such information manually [0012]);
Because the applied prior art still reads on the limitations of claims 1 and similarly claims 8 and 15 as currently presented, examiner maintains his rejection.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gruber (US 2012/0016678).
With respect to claim 8 (similarly claims 1 and 15), Gruber teaches a system (e.g. the system of Figs 1-5) comprising: memory storing instructions (e.g. memory 65 Fig 3 and/or 1210 Fig 4 [0083]); and
one or more processors (e.g. processor 63 Fig 3-4 which run software for implementing intelligent automated assistant 1002 [0083]) operable to execute the instructions to:
receive a request of a user (e.g. receive "send him a text message" [0012], see also [0088] where a similar request is received), wherein the request is detected via a computing device (e.g. the request is detected via a computing device i.e. an electronic device on which assistant 1002 is installed [0087]) and is directed to an automated assistant that is accessible via the computing device (e.g. the received request of [0012] and/or [0088] is directed to assistant 1002 that is accessible via the electronic device on which it is installed [0087]);
determine, based on the request, that the user is requesting that the automated assistant communicate with an additional user (e.g. determine, based on "send him a text message" of [0012], that the user is requesting that assistant 1002 communicate with “him” i.e. additional user [0012]);
determine, based on the request, content to be communicated with the additional user (e.g. determine, based on "send him a text message" of [0012], a text message to be communicated to the additional user/”him”);
process, based on the request, application content from one or more applications accessible via the computing device (e.g. process, based on "send him a text message" of [0012], application content from text message application accessible via the electronic device on which assistant 1002 is installed), wherein in processing the application content, existing application data corresponding to the request is identified (e.g. The intelligent automated assistant of the present invention can thereby interpret instructions such as "send him a text message", wherein the "him" is interpreted according to context information derived from a current phone call, and/or from any feature, operation, or application on the device. In various embodiments, the intelligent automated assistant takes into account various types of available context data to determine which address book contact to use, which contact data to use, which telephone number to use for the contact, and the like, so that the user need not re-specify such information manually [0012]);
compare, based on the request, the existing application data to natural language content of the request, determine, based on comparing the existing application data and the natural language content, that the existing application data corresponds to the content to be communicated to the additional user (e.g. the intelligent automated assistant takes into account various types of available context data to determine which address book contact to use, which contact data to use, which telephone number to use for the contact, and the like, so that the user need not re-specify such information manually [0012]);
generate, responsive to determining that the existing application data corresponds to the content to be communicated to the additional user, a command for a particular application to communicate the content with the additional user (e.g. generate a command for the text message application/ a particular application to send the text message to “him” as suggested in [0012]);
provide, prior to causing the command to be provided to the particular application, a prompt to the user (e.g. provide, before causing the command to be provided to the text message application/the particular application, a prompt to the user to input "send him a text message" as suggested in [0012]); and
cause, by the automated assistant in response to input provided by the user responsive to the prompt, the command to be provided to the particular application (e.g. cause, by assistant 1002 in response to "send him a text message" provided by the user responsive to the prompt, the command to be provided to the text message application/the particular application).
With respect to claim 9 (similarly claims 2 and 16), Gruber teaches the system of claim 8, wherein the existing application data is based on prior interactions between the user and the one or more applications (e.g. the application of personal information and personal interactions in the interpretation and execution of user requests. the embodiments described herein use information from personal interaction history (e.g., dialog history, previous selections from results, and the like), personal physical context (e.g., user's location and time), and personal information gathered in the context of interaction (e.g., name, email addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers, account numbers, preferences, and the like). Using these sources of information enables, for example, better interpretation of user input (e.g., using personal history and physical context when interpreting language) [0130]-[0131] suggest the existing application data is based on prior interactions between the user and the one or more applications);
With respect to claim 10 (similarly claims 3 and 17), Gruber teaches the system of claim 8, wherein one or more of the processors are further operable to execute the instructions to: prior to receiving the request (e.g. before receiving "send him a text message" of [0012]), determine that the particular application has provided a notification to the user via the computing device and that the user has previously provided an input to the particular application (e.g. the intelligent automated assistant can use the context of a phone call (such as the person called) to streamline the initiation of a text message (for example to determine that the text message should be sent to the same person, without the user having to explicitly specify the recipient of the text message) [0012] suggest determine that the particular application has provided a notification to the user via the computing device and that the user has previously provided an input to the particular application i.e. determining that the user has used the text message application to exchange text messages with the same person); and
generate annotation data based on the notification, wherein the annotation data corresponds to the input previously provided to the particular application by the user (e.g. generation information from personal interaction history (e.g., dialog history, previous selections from results, and the like), personal physical context (e.g., user's location and time), and personal information gathered in the context of interaction (e.g., name, email addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers, account numbers, preferences, and the like) [0130], the information corresponds to the input previously provided to the particular application by the user).
With respect to claim 11 (similarly claims 4 and 18), Gruber teaches the system of claim 10, wherein determining that the existing application data corresponds to the content to be communicated to the additional user is further based on the annotation data (e.g. determining that the text message corresponds to the content to be communicated to the additional user is further based on the annotation data i.e. the information from personal interaction history (e.g., dialog history, previous selections from results, and the like), personal physical context (e.g., user's location and time), and personal information gathered in the context of interaction (e.g., name, email addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers, account numbers, preferences, and the like) of [0130]).
With respect to claim 12 (similarly claims 5 and 19), Gruber teaches the system of claim 8, wherein in generating the command for the particular application to communicate the content with the additional user, one or more of the processors are to: process screen content of the computing device (e.g. process the screen content of Figs 29-31); and identify the particular application based on the screen content of the computing device (e.g. and identify the text message application based on the screen content of Fig 29-31).
With respect to claim 13 (similarly claims 6 and 20), Gruber teaches the system of claim 8, wherein in generating the command for the particular application to communicate the content with the additional user, one or more of the processors are to: process message content of one or more messages available to the computing device (e.g. process the message content of the messages in Fig 29-31 available to the computing device); and identify the particular application based on the message content of one or more of the messages available to the computing device (e.g. and identify the text message application based on the message content of the messages of Fig 29-31 available to the computing device).
With respect to claim 14 (similarly claim 7), Gruber teaches the system of claim 13, wherein in processing the message content of one or more of the messages available to the computing device, one or more of the processors are further operable to execute the instructions to: generate one or more summaries of one or more of the messages (e.g. Conversation screen 101A features a conversational user interface showing what the user said 101B ("I'd like a romantic place for Italian food near my office") and assistant's 1002 response, which is a summary of its findings 101C ("OK, I found these Italian restaurants which reviews say are romantic close to your work:") and a set of results 101D (the first three of a list of restaurants are shown) [0161]).
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 IBRAHIM SIDDO whose telephone number is (571)272-4508. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00-5:30PM.
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, Akwasi Sarpong can be reached at 5712703438. 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.
/IBRAHIM SIDDO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2681
Prosecution Insights