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 .
1. This communication in response to CON application filed 10/08/2024
Information Disclosure Statement
2. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the Examiner.
Priority
3. The foreign priority verified and acknowledged by the Examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1-9 and 11-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hart (Pub.: No.: 2021/0144248 A1).
Regarding claims 1, 14 and 20, Hart teaches a method, an electronic device and one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprising:
a communication circuit (reads on communication systems/device including endpoint devices, AI networking systems, network devices, and communication signaling/media handling components for establishing and handling calls/sessions, see [0157-0159] and [0170-0172]);
memory storing one or more computer programs (reads on memory storing information, see [0172] and [0198-0205]); and
one or more processors electrically connected to the communication circuit and the memory (see [0152-0153] and [0161-0171]),
wherein the one or more computer programs include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively (reads on systems/devices executing AUI detection, call handling, signaling modification, routing, and communication operations responsive to received calls/media/signaling, see [0151-0205]), cause the electronic device to:
acquire a user input (reads on AI agent receives user input/user request, e.g., “requesting a flight registration”, see [0092] and [0100]-[0103]),
identify a task based on the user input (reads on IA agent contacts Web Services System to complete the action/requested service, see [0100-0103]),
transmit a request to establish a first session for a voice call to an external electronic device in order to perform the task (reads on AI agent initiates a call to the call center via call initiation request including AI singling indication, see [0092-0094] and [0159]),
receive a response from the external electronic device (reads on AI agent receives/processes rejection response; receives determined URL/web address, see [0098-0099] and [0111-0112]), and
transmit, based on the determination that the responder is the voice agent, data information including information associated with the task to the external electronic device (reads on AI agent exchanges messages/information with Web Service System to complete the requested services; also, machine-to machine call handling/contact information, see [0101], [0103], [0114], [0117-0118] and [0181]).
Hart does not specifically teach “determine, based on the response, whether a responder of the voice call is a voice agent based on machine learning”.
However, Hart determines whether the call originated from an artificial intelligence system/device/agent, including ML/probability detection, but this is more about identifying the caller/AI origin, not clearly “responder” (see [0161-0166] and [0198-0200]).
Thus, it would have been obvious for one of an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply Hart’s AI-agent detection to the responding party in the call/session because Hart expressly teaches determining whether a call/session is associated with an AI system, device, or agent and then performing call-handling or machine-to machine communication based on that determination. This would predictably allow the system to route or exchange task-related information with an AI responder rather than continuing ordinary human-call handling.
Regarding claims 2 and 15, Hart teaches wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to: determine that the responder is the voice agent based on information indicating that the responder is the voice agent is included in the response (reads on explicit/implicit AI indicator in signaling/media indicating call originated from AI system/device/agent, see [0159-0162] and [0198]).
Regarding claims 3 and 16, Hart teaches wherein the information indicating that the responder is the voice agent includes at least one of identification information or pattern information (reads on AI indicator may be User-Agent field, from field, SDOP filed, audio tone, tone pattern, announcement, speech pattern, media/content pattern, see [0159-0160] and [0198-0199]).
Regarding claims 4 and 17, Hart teaches wherein the identification information is included in a session description protocol (SDP) packet (reads on AI indicator may be included in “Session Description Protocol (SDP) MIME included in a SDP offer message”, see [0160]).
Claims 5 and 18 recites “wherein the pattern information includes frequency pattern information based on dual tone multiple frequency (DTMF)”, although Hart does nor teach dual tone multiple frequency (DTMF), however, the use of dual tone multiple frequency (DTMF) it is considered obvious and well-known telephone/IVR tone-signaling format for transmitting encoded information during a call.
Regarding claims 6 and 19, Hart teaches wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to: transmit a request to establish a second session for data communication to the external electronic device (reads on AI agent connects to Web Service System 408 and opens a web connection/exchanges messages-information to complete service, see [0100-0103] and[0111-0114]).
Regarding claim 7 that recites “wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to: transmit the request to establish the second session based on a size of the data information being greater than or equal to a specified size” and claim 8 that recites “wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to: transmit the data information through the first session based on a size of the data information being less than a specified size”. Note that the AI agent may communicate through the call/session with the call center and may also use a Web Service System/web connection to complete the requested action, including exchanging messages/information with the Web Services System (see [0100-0103], [0111-0114] and [0117-0118]). Although Hart does not expressly recite selecting the first session or the second session based on the size of the data information, it would have been obvious for one of an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the size of the data information as a selection criterion because smaller data may predictably be transmitted though the existing first session, while larger data may predictably be transmitted through separate data communication session to improve transmission efficiency and avoid burdening the voice call session. Also, it is obvious to transmit the request to establish the second session when the data information is greater that or equal to specified size, and to transmit the data information through the first session when the data information is less than the specified data.
Regarding claim 9, Hart teaches wherein the response includes at least one of a response to the request to establish the first session, a response to voice information associated with the task transmitted by the electronic device, or a response acquired through a separate communication channel (Hart teaches rejection/notification response to call initiation request and communicating via media/audio/signaling exchange, see [0097-0099], [0111-0112] and [0127]).
Regarding claim 11, Hart teaches wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to: provide, based on the determination that the responder is the voice agent, information indicating that the responder is the voice agent (reads on inserting/providing explicit AI indicators into signaling/media, see [0149] and [0172-0173]).
Regarding claim 12, Hart teaches a display, wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer- executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to: provide the information by displaying a user interface (UI) on the display (reads on receiving system includes, display; device/system that may include display and input device, see [0139] and [0143]).
Regarding claim 13, Hart teaches wherein the request includes information indicating that a requester of the request to establish the first session is a voice agent (see [0092-0094] and [0159-0160]).
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hart (Pub.: No.: 2021/0144248 A1) in view of Kusakabe (Pub.No.: 2015/0327172 A1).
Claim 10 recites “wherein the separate communication channel includes a short-range wireless communication channel”.
Hart features already discussed in the above rejection. Hart does not specifically teach “wherein the separate communication channel includes a short-range wireless communication channel”, as recited in claim 10.
Kusakabe teaches that the communication channel may include short-range wireless communication via NFC, wherein an NFC unit communicates with another NFC device within about 10 cm, and further teaches re-establishing communications in a second session using NFC communication (see [0050-0051], [0072] and [0117])
Thus, it would have been obvious for one of an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Hart’s separate communication channel to include Kusakabe’s NFC short-range wireless communication channel in order to provide a known short-range wireless path for exchanging data between nearby electronic devices.
Conclusion
5. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Rasha S. AL-Aubaidi whose telephone number is (571) 272-7481. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Ahmad Matar, can be reached on (571) 272-7488.
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/RASHA S AL AUBAIDI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2693
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