DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 04/27/2026, 07/22/2025, 11/21/2024 and 10/10/2024 have been considered by the examiner and been placed of record in the file.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-7, 9, 15-16 and 18-19 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.
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.
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.
Claims 1-5 and 10-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over 3GPP TS 24.380 V18.2.0 (herein after 3GPP) in view of Snider et al. (US 2017/0289093 A1).
Claim 1. 3GPP discloses A method for providing a Mission Critical Push To Talk (MCPTT) service (read as The MCPTT server performing a controlling role (Section 3.1)), the method comprising:
receiving a message created from any one user among users of an MCPTT group (read as group member can press the PTT button, meaning the request for permission to talk… inform the user that they can talk (Section 4.1.1.2));
analyzing the message; and
setting a floor priority of the users of the MCPTT group, based on a result of analyzing the message (read as If this request has higher priority than the ongoing talk burst, the floor control server revokes the current talk burst by sending a Floor Revoke message to the current talker (Section 4.1.1.2)),
3GPP does not explicitly disclose:
analyzing the message;
wherein the analyzing of the message comprises classifying a type of the message,
wherein the classifying of the type of the message comprises identifying whether the message is an interrogative type message or an imperative type message.
However, in the related field of endeavor Snider et al. disclose:
analyzing the message (read as parsing headers and content for interrogatory words and phrases [0049]);
wherein the analyzing of the message comprises classifying a type of the message (read as parsing headers and content for interrogatory words and phrases … imperative and supplicative words and phrases… content for questions similar to frequently asked questions [0049]),
wherein the classifying of the type of the message comprises identifying whether the message is an interrogative type message or an imperative type message (read as parsing headers and content for interrogatory words and phrases … imperative and supplicative words and phrases… [0049]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, at the time the invention was filed, to modify the teaching of 3GPP with the teaching of Snider et al. in order to apply content analysis and determine which outbound messages are in reply to received messages. Agreement and disagreement vocabulary is identified. Replies which contain substantive answers such as dates, decisions, quantities, concurrence, or content are paired with their respective request for each sender-recipient directed dyad. A reply-to message is considered responsive when it reiterates some of the language of the question and provides a commitment, decision, or value (Snider et al. [0014]).
Claim 2. The method of claim 1, the combination of 3GPP and Snider et al. teaches,
wherein the analyzing of the message comprises, when the message is the interrogative type or the imperative type (Snider et al.: read as parsing headers and content for interrogatory words and phrases … imperative and supplicative words and phrases… [0049]), recognizing an entity included in the message (Snider et al.: read as include strings, hashes, meta data, tags, parsing rules, and linguistic patterns [0047]),
wherein the entity includes a name of at least one of the users and/or a name of a feature (Snider et al.: read as include strings, hashes, meta data, tags, parsing rules, and linguistic patterns [0047]) or location for the at least one of the users.
Claim 3. The method of claim 2, the combination of 3GPP and Snider et al. teaches,
wherein the analyzing of the message comprises identifying a relevance to a mission for the recognized entity (3GPP: read as the floor request is a broadcast group call, system call, emergency call or an imminent peril call, shall include a Floor Indicator field indicating the relevant call types (Section 6.2.4.3.5)), and
wherein the setting of the floor priority of the users comprises, when the recognized entity has relevance to the mission, setting a high floor priority to a user relevant to the recognized entity (3GPP: read as If this request has higher priority than the ongoing talk burst, the floor control server revokes the current talk burst by sending a Floor Revoke message to the current talker (Section 4.1.1.2)).
Claim 4. The method of claim 3, the combination of 3GPP and Snider et al. teaches,
wherein the analyzing of the message comprises, when the recognized entity includes names of at least two users among the users and the names of the at least two users have relevance (3GPP: read as If this request has higher priority than the ongoing talk burst, the floor control server revokes the current talk burst by sending a Floor Revoke message to the current talker (Section 4.1.1.2). The idea of disconnecting one user and connecting another means they are at least two identified users.), calculating an urgency of requests included in the message (3GPP: read as the effective priority of the floor participant with the permission to send media. and the current type of the call ( e.g. normal, imminent-peril, emergency (Section 4.1.1.5))), and
wherein the setting of the floor priority of the users comprises setting a floor priority of the at least two users, based on the calculated urgency (3GPP: read as the effective priority of the floor participant with the permission to send media. and the current type of the call ( e.g. normal, imminent-peril, emergency (Section 4.1.1.5))).
Claim 5. The method of claim 3, the combination of 3GPP and Snider et al. teaches,
comprising receiving location information of the users (3GPP: read as if the current location of the talker is available and may be reported according to the MCPTT user profile, then: i) if geographical coordinates are to be used and the altitude is not available, include a Location field including Geographic coordii1ates Location Type as specified in table 8.2.3.21-3 (Section 6.2.4.3.5)).
Claim 10. 3GPP discloses An apparatus for providing a Mission Critical Push To Talk (MCPTT) service (read as …the floor control server is in the MCPTT server (Section 4.1.1.2)), the apparatus comprising:
a transceiver (read as …SIP message which initiates the call as specified in 3GPP TS 2,1379 V (Section 4.1.1.2). 3GPP standards are for wireless communications which require transceivers to function.);
a processor (read as … the MCPTT server (Section 4.1.1.2)); and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor (read as … the MCPTT server (Section 4.1.1.2)), cause the apparatus to:
receive a message created from any one user among users of an MCPTT group (read as group member can press the PTT button, meaning the request for permission to talk… inform the user that they can talk (Section 4.1.1.2));
analyze the message; and
set a floor priority of the users of the MCPTT group, based on a result of
analyzing the message (read as If this request has higher priority than the ongoing talk burst, the floor control server revokes the current talk burst by sending a Floor Revoke message to the current talker (Section 4.1.1.2)),
wherein the analyzing of the message comprises classifying a type of the message, and
wherein the classifying of the type of the message comprises identifying whether the message is an interrogative type message or an imperative type message.
3GPP does not explicitly disclose:
analyzing the message;
wherein the analyzing of the message comprises classifying a type of the message,
wherein the classifying of the type of the message comprises identifying whether the message is an interrogative type message or an imperative type message.
However, in the related field of endeavor Snider et al. disclose:
analyzing the message (read as parsing headers and content for interrogatory words and phrases [0049]);
wherein the analyzing of the message comprises classifying a type of the message (read as parsing headers and content for interrogatory words and phrases … imperative and supplicative words and phrases… content for questions similar to frequently asked questions [0049]),
wherein the classifying of the type of the message comprises identifying whether the message is an interrogative type message or an imperative type message (read as parsing headers and content for interrogatory words and phrases … imperative and supplicative words and phrases… [0049]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, at the time the invention was filed, to modify the teaching of 3GPP with the teaching of Snider et al. in order to apply content analysis and determine which outbound messages are in reply to received messages. Agreement and disagreement vocabulary is identified. Replies which contain substantive answers such as dates, decisions, quantities, concurrence, or content are paired with their respective request for each sender-recipient directed dyad. A reply-to message is considered responsive when it reiterates some of the language of the question and provides a commitment, decision, or value (Snider et al. [0014]).
Claim 11. The apparatus of claim 10, the combination of 3GPP and Snider et al. teaches,
wherein the memory further comprises the instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:
when the message is the interrogative type or the imperative type, recognize an entity included in the message (Snider et al.: read as parsing headers and content for interrogatory words and phrases … imperative and supplicative words and phrases… [0049]), and
wherein the entity includes a name of at least one of the users and/or a name of a feature (Snider et al.: read as include strings, hashes, meta data, tags, parsing rules, and linguistic patterns [0047]) or location for the at least one of the users.
Claim 12. The apparatus of claim 11, the combination of 3GPP and Snider et al. teaches,
wherein the memory further comprises the instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:
identify a relevance to a mission for the recognized entity (3GPP: read as the floor request is a broadcast group call, system call, emergency call or an imminent peril call, shall include a Floor Indicator field indicating the relevant call types (Section 6.2.4.3.5)), and
when the recognized entity has relevance to the mission, set a high floor priority to a user relevant to the recognized entity (3GPP: read as If this request has higher priority than the ongoing talk burst, the floor control server revokes the current talk burst by sending a Floor Revoke message to the current talker (Section 4.1.1.2)).
Claim 13. The apparatus of claim 12, the combination of 3GPP and Snider et al. teaches,
wherein the memory further comprises the instructions that, when executed by the processor (read as … the MCPTT server (Section 4.1.1.2)), cause the apparatus to:
when the recognized entity includes names of at least two users among the users and the names of the at least two users have relevance (3GPP: read as If this request has higher priority than the ongoing talk burst, the floor control server revokes the current talk burst by sending a Floor Revoke message to the current talker (Section 4.1.1.2). The idea of disconnecting one user and connecting another means they are at least two identified users.), calculate an urgency of requests included in the message (3GPP: read as the effective priority of the floor participant with the permission to send media. and the current type of the call ( e.g. normal, imminent-peril, emergency (Section 4.1.1.5))), and
set a floor priority of the at least two users, based on the calculated urgency (3GPP: read as the effective priority of the floor participant with the permission to send media. and the current type of the call ( e.g. normal, imminent-peril, emergency (Section 4.1.1.5))).
Claims 8, 14 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of 3GPP TS 24.380 V18.2.0 (herein after 3GPP) and Snider et al. (US 2017/0289093 A1) in view of Yan et al. (CN 107948922 A).
Claim 8. The method of claim 5, the combination of 3GPP and Snider et al. does not explicitly disclose,
wherein the recognized entity includes a first name for a location and a name of a first user, and wherein the setting of the floor priority of the users comprises identifying whether a location of the first user is close to a location corresponding to the first name.
However, in the related field of endeavor Yan et al. disclose:
wherein the recognized entity includes a first name for a location and a name of a first user, and wherein the setting of the floor priority of the users comprises identifying whether a location of the first user is close to a location corresponding to the first name (Yan et al.: read as The location information analysis unit is used to determine the relationship between a user's location information and the restricted area based on the preset restricted area and the location information provided by the cluster user terminal [0040]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, at the time the invention was filed, to modify the teaching of the combination of 3GPP and Snider et al. with the teaching of Yan et al. in order to manage the area-restricted services of its respective cluster group (Yan et al. [0025]).
Claim 14. The apparatus of claim 12, the combination of 3GPP and Snider et al. does not explicitly disclose,
wherein the memory further comprises the instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:
receive location information of the users.
However, in the related field of endeavor Yan et al. disclose: … receiving location information reported by the user in real time [0024].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, at the time the invention was filed, to modify the teaching of the combination of 3GPP and Snider et al. with the teaching of Yan et al. in order to manage the area-restricted services of its respective cluster group (Yan et al. [0025]).
Claim 17. The apparatus of claim 14, the combination of 3GPP, Snider et al. and Yan et al. disclose,
wherein the recognized entity includes a first name for a location and a name of a first user, and
wherein the memory further comprises the instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:
identify whether a location of the first user is close to a location corresponding to the first name (Yan et al.: read as The location information analysis unit is used to determine the relationship between a user's location information and the restricted area based on the preset restricted area and the location information provided by the cluster user terminal [0040]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by 3GPP TS 24.380 V18.2.0 (herein after 3GPP).
Claim 20. 3GPP discloses An apparatus for providing a Mission Critical Push To Talk (MCPTT) service (read as The MCPTT server performing a controlling role (Section 3.1)), the apparatus comprising:
a transceiver (read as …SIP message which initiates the call as specified in 3GPP TS 2,1379 V (Section 4.1.1.2). 3GPP standards are for wireless communications which require transceivers to function.);
a processor (read as … the MCPTT server (Section 4.1.1.2)); and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor (read as … the MCPTT server (Section 4.1.1.2)), cause the apparatus to:
receive a message created from any one user among users of an MCPTT group; classify a type of the message (read as group member can press the PTT button, meaning the request for permission to talk… inform the user that they can talk (Section 4.1.1.2));
recognize an entity included in the message (read as group member can press the PTT button, meaning the request for permission to talk… inform the user that they can talk (Section 4.1.1.2). The entity must be recognized in order to obtain permission); and
identify relevance to the recognized entity (3GPP: read as the floor request is a broadcast group call, system call, emergency call or an imminent peril call, shall include a Floor Indicator field indicating the relevant call types (Section 6.2.4.3.5)),
wherein, when the recognized entity has relevance, the transceiver transmits the recognized entity to an MCPTT server (3GPP: read as If this request has higher priority than the ongoing talk burst, the floor control server revokes the current talk burst by sending a Floor Revoke message to the current talker (Section 4.1.1.2)).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Refer to PTO-892.
Additional prior art cited in PTO-892 includes idea related to the claimed invention. In this regard, Nanjundappa et al. (US 2022/0183107 A1) disclose the idea of MCPTT system controlling network traffic and providing priority to emergency situations ([0035] is an example.).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMED RACHEDINE whose telephone number is (571)272-9249. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeanette J. Parker can be reached at (571)270-3647. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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MOHAMMED . RACHEDINE
Examiner
Art Unit 2649
/MOHAMMED RACHEDINE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2646
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