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 .
DETAILED ACTION
1. This action is responsive to: an original application filed on 17 October 2024 with acknowledgement that this application is a continuation of Taiwan application filed 17 July 2024.
2. Claims 1-20 are currently pending. Claims 1, 11, and 16, are independent claims.
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 of this title, 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.
4. Claims 1, 6-11, and 16, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vissa et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0020350 (hereinafter ‘350) in view of Piri et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0063417 (hereinafter ‘417).
As to independent claim 16, “An authentication method for a security key, suitable for a user verification device and an electronic apparatus, wherein the user verification device comprises a connector, a proximity sensor, and a security chip, wherein the authentication method comprises: determining whether an object is approaching the user verification device through the proximity sensor when the user verification device receives an identity authentication request from the electronic apparatus through the connector” is taught in ‘350 Abstract, paragraphs 21 and 66, note the companion device is interpreted equivalent to the ‘verification device’;
“reading an identity authentication response from the security chip when the proximity sensor determines that the object is approaching the user verification device” is shown in ‘350 paragraphs 21-22 and 24-25;the following is not explicitly taught in ‘350:
“and outputting the identity authentication response to the electronic apparatus through the connector” however ‘417 teaches sending the authentication response through the connector in paragraphs 26-29 and 43.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention of an electronic device that assists in authentication with gesture actuation of companion devices taught in ‘350 to include a means to utilize a USB connector to send authentication information. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to perform such a modification to assist with authentication data transfer between a computing device and a companion device see ‘417 paragraphs 3-6.
As to independent claim 1, this claim is directed to a user verification device executing the method of claim 16; therefore, it is rejected along similar rationale.
As to dependent claim 6, “The user verification device according to claim 1, wherein the identity authentication request is a fast identity online (FIDO) request, and the identity authentication response is fast identity online data” is taught in ‘417 paragraphs 41-42.
As to dependent claim 7, “The user verification device according to claim 1, further comprising: an indication unit coupled to the microcontroller unit, wherein when the microcontroller unit receives an identity authentication request from the electronic apparatus through the connector, the microcontroller unit sends out an indication signal through the indication unit” is shown in ‘417 paragraph 22.
As to dependent claim 8, “The user verification device according to claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor has a sensing window, and the sensing window emits a sensing signal toward an opening of a body of the user verification device to sense whether the object is approaching the user verification device” is disclosed in ‘350 paragraphs 83-85.
As to dependent claim 9, “The user verification device according to claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor determines whether the object is approaching the user verification device according to whether the time when the object is approaching the user verification device exceeds a predetermined time threshold” is taught in ‘417 paragraph 72.
As to dependent claim 10, “The user verification device according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the security chip, the proximity sensor, and the microcontroller unit are integrated into a same chip, and the connector comprises a universal serial bus (USB) interface” is shown in ‘417 paragraphs 12, 22, and 26.
As to independent claim 11, this claim is directed to a system executing the method of claim 16; therefore, it is rejected along similar rationale.
5. Claims 2-5, 12-15, and 17-20, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vissa et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0020350 (hereinafter ‘350) in view of Piri et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0063417 (hereinafter ‘417) in further view of Dewitt et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019/0114643 (hereinafter ‘643).
As to dependent claim 17, the following is not explicitly taught in ‘350 and ‘417: “The authentication method according to claim 16, wherein the electronic apparatus executes a browser or an application, and the authentication method further comprises: receiving a user name and a user password through the browser or the application; sending the user name and the user password to a network application through the browser or the application to receive a two-factor authentication request from the network application; and sending the identity authentication request to the user verification device according to the two-factor authentication request through the browser or the application” however ‘643 teaches utilizing a browser and submitting username and password information in paragraphs 44-46.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention of an electronic device that assists in authentication with gesture actuation of companion devices taught in ‘350 and ‘417 to include a means to utilize the authentication method for two-factor authentication methods. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to perform such a modification because in the digital era, it is increasingly important to verify a user’s identity in order to avoid fraud or the like, see ‘643 paragraph 1.
As to dependent claim 18, “The authentication method according to claim 17, further comprising: sending the identity authentication response to the network application through the browser or the application, so that the network application agrees that the browser or the application performs a two-factor authentication login operation” is shown in ‘643 paragraphs 44-46.
As to dependent claim 19, “The authentication method according to claim 16, wherein the electronic apparatus executes a browser or an application, and the authentication method further comprises: receiving a personal identity number through the browser or the application; sending the personal identity number to the user verification device through the browser or the application” is disclosed in ‘643 paragraphs 44-46;
“determining whether the object is approaching the user verification device through the proximity sensor when the user verification device receives the personal identity number from the electronic apparatus through the connector” is taught in ‘350 paragraphs 21-22 and 24-25;
“reading a user certificate from the security chip and outputting the user certificate to the electronic apparatus through the connector when the user verification device determines that the object is approaching the user verification device through the proximity sensor; and sending the user certificate to the network application through the browser or the application, so that the network application sends the identity authentication request to the browser or the application, and the browser or the application sends the identity authentication request to the user verification device” is shown in ‘643 paragraphs 44 and 82.
As to dependent claim 20, “The authentication method according to claim 19, further comprising: sending the identity authentication response to the network application through the browser or the application, so that the network application agrees that the browser or the application performs a password-free authentication login operation” is shown in ‘417 paragraphs 4-5 and 55.
As to dependent claims 2-5, these claims contain substantially similar subject matter as claims 17-20; therefore, they are rejected along similar rationale.
As to dependent claims 12-15, these claims contain substantially similar subject matter as claims 17-20; therefore, they are rejected along similar rationale.
6. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
Sinha et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0383360 is directed to method and system to control payment transactions in a payment card using companion payment application.
Pisut IV U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/01010847 is directed to user authentication on web applications using password-less authentication.
Conclusion
7. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to jeffrey c pwu whose telephone number is (571) 272-3842. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeff Pwu can be reached at 571-272-6798. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
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/ELLEN TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2433 7 February 2026