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 .
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) 1-9 and 16-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Xu et al. (US 2018/0262393).
Regarding claim 1, Xu teaches a method for transceiver device assignment and position initialization comprising:
triggering at least one transceiver device (wireless device) to communicate its wireless identification (wireless device identifier (ID)) (see “Block 201 includes detecting, with the wireless network interface 120, access by a wireless device (e.g., the wireless device 110) using a wireless interface protocol wherein the wireless device is identified by a wireless device identifier (ID)” [0045] which suggests the wireless device communicates its wireless device ID to wireless interface system);
establishing bidirectional communication with the at least one transceiver device (see “Block 203 includes when the access (e.g., pairing request) is detected, creating a virtual Ethernet interface having an associated Ethernet interface ID” [0046] which suggests the wireless interface system establishes “a bidirectional communication” with wireless device when access or the pairing request is detected); and
assigning wired identification (de) to the at least one transceiver device by utilizing the wireless identification (see “The wireless network interface 120 may perform the task of assigning the device ID and associating that device ID with a particular virtual Ethernet interface ID” [0046] and “Block 205 includes the wireless network interface 120 associating the wireless device ID with the Ethernet interface ID in the table in memory ( e.g., the memory 403 of FIG. 4). Thus the table may include a plurality of wireless device IDs each with a respective associated Ethernet interface ID for the associated virtual Ethernet interface” [0047] which suggests wireless interface system assigns an Ethernet interface ID to wireless device “by utilizing” the wireless device ID since an association is created between the wireless device ID and the Ethernet interface ID).
Regarding claim 2, Xu teaches the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication of wireless identification is wireless (see “Block 201 includes detecting, with the wireless network interface 120, access by a wireless device (e.g., the wireless device 110) using a wireless interface protocol wherein the wireless device is identified by a wireless device identifier (ID)” [0045] which suggests communication of the access by the wireless device is wireless since it is detected by the wireless interface system using wireless network interface.
Regarding claim 3, Xu teaches the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wired identification is assigned via at least one of wireless and wired communication (see [0045]-[0047] wireless device communicates with wireless interface system via wireless communication for Ethernet interface ID assignment).
Regarding claim 4, Xu teaches the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the triggering is initiated via wired communication (LAN) (see “The communication connection may include a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth, or other networks [0062]).
Regarding claim 5, Xu teaches the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a central controller assigns at least one wireless channel to the at least one transceiver device (see “For example, the system access by the wireless device may be a pairing routine by the wireless device with the wireless network interface 120 in order to set up or join a mesh network (e.g., personal area network) as
described subsequently with reference to FIG. 5” [0045] wherein the wireless interface system “assigns at least one wireless channel” during the pairing routine to at least receive the access request and communicate the wireless ID in [0046]).
Regarding claim 6, Xu teaches the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein wireless communication is at least one of Bluetooth wireless communication, BLE, Wi-Fi, UWB, Zigbee, RFID, Nearlink, IR, RF communication, and LF communication or wherein wired communication is at least one of Ethernet, Automotive Ethernet, CAN, HSCAN, LSCAN, MSCAN, CANFD, SPI, LIN, FlexRay, I2C, Kline (see “Each of the wireless devices 110-112 may be a ZigBee®, Z-Wave®, or Bluetooth® device…” [0036]).
Regarding clam 7, Xu teaches the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of leg, path and medium of the bidirectional communication is cryptographically protected (see “Each of the wireless devices 110-112 may be a ZigBee®, Z-Wave®, or Bluetooth® device…” [0036] wherein Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Bluetooth use AES-128 encryption).
Regarding claim 8, Xu teaches the method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising collecting the wireless identification from the at least one transceiver device and mapping the wireless identification to a respective wired identification (see “Block 205 includes the wireless network interface
120 associating the wireless device ID with the Ethernet interface ID in the table in memory ( e.g., the memory 403 of FIG. 4)” [0047]).
Regarding claim 9, Xu teaches the method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the collecting comprises receiving at least one wireless identification relayed from another transceiver device (another wireless device) by the at least one transceiver device (see “A message from the wireless interface system 190 to wireless device 2 112 may be successfully delivered even if the wireless interface system 190 and the wireless device 2 112 are not within range, providing that another wireless device 110 is able to communicate with both the wireless interface system 190 and wireless device 2 112” [0065] which suggests another wireless device may be used as a relay for communication between wireless interface system and the wireless device).
Regarding claim 16, Xu teaches the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein establishing bidirectional wireless communication comprises relaying messages at least one of to and from another transceiver device by the at least one transceiver device (see “A message from the wireless interface system 190 to wireless device 2 112 may be successfully delivered even if the wireless interface system 190 and the wireless device 2 112 are not within range, providing that another wireless device 110 is able to communicate with both the wireless interface system 190 and wireless device 2 112” [0065] which suggests another wireless device may be used as a relay for communication between wireless interface system and the wireless device).
Regarding claim 17, Xu teaches the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the assigning wired identification comprises relaying the wired identification to another transceiver device by the at least one transceiver device (see “A message from the wireless interface system 190 to wireless device 2 112 may be successfully delivered even if the wireless interface system 190 and the wireless device 2 112 are not within range, providing that another wireless device 110 is able to communicate with both the wireless interface system 190 and wireless device 2 112” [0065] which suggests the wireless device may be used as a relay for communication between wireless interface system and another wireless device).
Claims 18 and 19 recite subject matter similar to claim 1 and are therefore rejected on the same basis.
Regarding claim 20, Xu teaches the non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 19, wherein the steps further comprise:
establishing wired communication with the at least one transceiver device utilizing the assigned wired identification (see “Block 207 includes receiving a data payload from one of the wireless devices 110, 111, or 112 over a wireless network using the wireless technology protocol” [0048] and “Block 209 includes the wireless network interface 120 transmitting the payload to the virtual Ethernet interface using the Ethernet protocol. The data payload may be sent to the Ethernet interface in an Ethernet frame” [0052] which suggests wireless device utilizes Ethernet interface ID for wired communication).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-15 are 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Nam T Huynh whose telephone number is (571)272-5970. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Alison Slater can be reached at 571-270-0375. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NAM T HUYNH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2647
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