Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Objections
2. Claims 1, and 6-12 are objected to because of the following informalities:
a) Please remove all the parenthesis () parts (i.e. (2), (3), (4), (5,6), (7 a, b)) from the claims 1 and 6-12;
b) Please indicated what is NFC acronym stand for in claims 1 and 12;
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
3. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
A) Claims 1-3 and 5-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Deyaf (US 11,312,332 B1) in view of Dvortsov (US 2016/0277891 A1).
As per claim 1, Deyaf teaches a method for unlocking a function on a device (4) of a sound system (Col.6, lines 60-67 and Col.7, lines 1-11, method of unlocking a function on lockable device 102 of speaker or sound system), wherein an intermediate device (3) comprising an unlocking arrangement (2) uses a first communication link (5) for communication (Fig.1, Col.6, lines 7 and 60-67 and Col.7, lines 1-11, user device 114 comprising unlocking procedure uses wireless (i.e. first communication link) for communicating with network 129), wherein the intermediate device (3) comprising the device (4) uses a second communication link for communication (Fig.1, Col.6, lines 22and 60-67 and Col.7, lines 1-11, user device 114 in connection with lockable device 102 uses wire connection (i.e. second communication link)), wherein the device (4) comprising the unlocking arrangement (2) exchanges unlocking communication data via the first and the second communication links (5, 6) so that the function on the device (4) is unlocked (Col.6, lines 60-67 and Col.7, lines 1-1, generates an unlock code corresponding to configuration data received from the user device 114 for unlocking at least one available function on a selected lockable device 102 via wire or wireless connection).
However, Deyaf does not explicitly teach establishing the second communication link (6) via an NFC interface (7 a, b) between the intermediate device (3) and the device (4).
In the same field of endeavor, Dvortsov teaches establishing the second communication link (6) via an NFC interface (7 a, b) between the intermediate device (3) and the device (4) (¶0053, establishing wireless communication protocols (i.e. second communication link) via NFC interface 208 between mobile device 12 and wearable device 100).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Deyaf’s invention in order to allow wearable device to communicate with various host devices via wireless communication path to support wireless data exchange.
As per claim 2 as applied to claim 1 above, Deyaf further teaches wherein the unlocking is designed as an authorization and/or an activation (Col.7, lines 25-27, unlocking is designed as an activation).
As per claim 3 as applied to claim 1 above, Deyaf further teaches wherein the function is designed as a software function or a software-activatable hardware function (Col.11, line 65, software function).
As per claim 5 as applied to claim 3 above, Deyaf further teaches wherein the function is designed as a maintenance function, a maintenance mode, or an expert mode (Col.12, lines 11-15, function-related data includes device diagnostic data, maintenance data, installation date, purchase date, ship date, manufacture date, batch data, etc.).
As per claim 6 as applied to claim 1 above, Deyaf further teaches wherein the intermediate device (3) is designed as a mobile device (Fig.1, mobile computing device 114).
As per claim 7 as applied to claim 1 above, Deyaf does not explicitly teach wherein the authorization of the device (4) on the intermediate device (3) is performed by establishing contact via the NFC interface (7 a, b).
In the same field of endeavor, Dvortsov teaches wherein the authorization of the device (4) on the intermediate device (3) is performed by establishing contact via the NFC interface (7 a, b) (¶0053 and ¶0138, authorization is performed by establishing connection via NFC interface 208 between mobile device 12 and wearable device 100).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Deyaf’s invention in order to allow wearable device to communicate with various host devices via wireless communication path to support wireless data exchange.
As per claim 8 as applied to claim 1 above, Deyaf further teaches wherein the unlocking communication data comprise identity data and/or unlocking request data, which are transmitted from the device (4) to the unlocking arrangement (2) via the intermediate device (3) (Col.16, line 67 and Col.17, lines 1-5, unlocking data comprise unique identifier (UID) and configuration data including a request to unlock available function that transmitted from lockable device via user device).
As per claim 9 as applied to claim 1 above, Deyaf does not explicitly teach, wherein the unlocking communication data comprises unlocking authorization data, which are transmitted from the unlocking arrangement (2) to the device (4) via the intermediate device (3).
In the same field of endeavor, Dvortsov teaches wherein the unlocking communication data comprises unlocking authorization data, which are transmitted from the unlocking arrangement (2) to the device (4) via the intermediate device (3) (¶0094 and ¶0138, unlocking data comprises authorization or security credential data transmitted between mobile device 12 and wearable device 100).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Deyaf’s invention in order to allow wearable device to communicate with various host devices via wireless communication path to support wireless data exchange.
As per claim 10 as applied to claim 1 above, Deyaf does not explicitly teach wherein the intermediate device (3) receives activation data from the unlocking arrangement (2) and transmits the data to the device (4).
In the same field of endeavor, Dvortsov teaches wherein the intermediate device (3) receives activation data from the unlocking arrangement (2) and transmits the data to the device (4) (¶0012-13, mobile device receives activation message for unlocking and transmit the data to the wearable device).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Deyaf’s invention in order to allow wearable device to communicate with various host devices via wireless communication path to support wireless data exchange.
As per claim 11, Deyaf teaches an unlocking network (1) (Fig.1, network 129) comprising: an unlocking arrangement (2), an intermediate device (3) and a device (4) (Fig.1, unlocking procedure and user device 114 and lockable device 102), wherein the unlocking network (1) is configured to implement the method according to claim 1 (please refer to claim 1 as the same rejection is applicable).
As per claim 12, Deyaf teaches a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions (Col.14, line 48, computer readable storage media storing instructions) that executed by a computer cause the computer to unlock a function on a device (4) of a sound system (Col.6, lines 60-67 and Col.7, lines 1-11, unlocking a function on lockable device 102 of speaker or sound system), wherein an intermediate device (3) comprising an unlocking arrangement (2) uses a first communication link (5) for communication (Fig.1, Col.6, lines 7 and 60-67 and Col.7, lines 1-11, user device 114 comprising unlocking procedure uses wireless (i.e. first communication link) for communicating with network 129), wherein the intermediate device (3) comprising the device (4) uses a second communication link for communication (Fig.1, Col.6, lines 22and 60-67 and Col.7, lines 1-11, user device 114 in connection with lockable device 102 uses wire connection (i.e. second communication link)), wherein the device (4) comprising the unlocking arrangement (2) exchanges unlocking communication data via the first and the second communication links (5, 6) so that the function on the device (4) is unlocked (Col.6, lines 60-67 and Col.7, lines 1-1, generates an unlock code corresponding to configuration data received from the user device 114 for unlocking at least one available function on a selected lockable device 102 via wire or wireless connection).
However, Deyaf does not explicitly teach establishing the second communication link (6) via an NFC interface (7 a, b) between the intermediate device (3) and the device (4).
In the same field of endeavor, Dvortsov teaches establishing the second communication link (6) via an NFC interface (7 a, b) between the intermediate device (3) and the device (4) (¶0053, establishing wireless communication protocols (i.e. second communication link) via NFC interface 208 between mobile device 12 and wearable device 100).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Deyaf’s invention in order to allow wearable device to communicate with various host devices via wireless communication path to support wireless data exchange.
B) Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Deyaf (US 11,312,332 B1) in view of Dvortsov (US 2016/0277891 A1) and further in view of ZAKARIA (US 2016/0292938 A1).
As per claim 4 as applied to claim 1 above, Deyaf in view of Dvortsov does not explicitly teach wherein the device is designed as an audio amplifier and/or an audio mix amplifier.
In the same field of endeavor, ZAKARIA teaches wherein the device is designed as an audio amplifier and/or an audio mix amplifier (¶0091, the IoT device is designed as speakers or audio amplifiers).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Deyaf and Dvortsov’s invention in order to transmit a lock or unlock command to IoT devices over wireless communication to control the audio play back in the proper room/location for end user convenience.
Conclusion
4. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FARIDEH MADANI whose telephone number is (571)272-1249. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday; 9 AM to 5 PM EST.
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/FARIDEH MADANI/Examiner, Art Unit 2643
/JINSONG HU/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2643
Prosecution Insights