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 .
1. Claims 1-20 are pending.
Priority
2. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
3. Claim 16 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 16 recites “A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer instructions for a first hub device to perform an operation, the operation comprising”. The preamble recites non-function descriptive material however the claim does not recite what device is executing/processing these instruction stored on CRM for a first hub device. The Examiner suggest amending such as...computer instructions executed/processed by the a processor for a first hub...Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
4. Claim(s) 1-4, 10-14 and 16-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al., US 2017/0277372 in view Tenny et al., US 2017/0181017 hereafter Tenny.
As for claims 1, 11 and 16, Choi discloses:
A first hub device ([0043] The hub 100 includes a communicator 110 for communicating with each of the electronic apparatuses 200, a signal processor 120 for processing a signal received from a certain electronic apparatus 200 or transmitted to another electronic apparatus 200 through the communicator 110, and a storage 130 for storing data.), comprising: a memory storing instructions; a communication interface; at least one processor; and wherein the instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first hub device to:
transmit, through the communication interface (FIG. 3, [0070]-[0071], Transmit/provide, through a connection line and communicator 510 between the third hub 330 and the display apparatus 500), a candidate list indicating the first hub device and a second hub device to the second hub device (FIG. 3, [0071], The display apparatus 500 acquires the first apparatus list 311 stored in the first hub 310 and stores the acquired first apparatus list 311 in the third hub 330. Further, the display apparatus 500 accesses the second hub 320 that belongs to the communication network of the third hub 330 through the third hub 330. The display apparatus 500 acquires the second apparatus list 321 stored in the second hub 320 and stores the acquired second apparatus list 321 in the third hub 330.) based on a response corresponding to the connection request being received from the second hub device (FIG. 3, [0076]-[0079], [0069] Thus, the third hub 330 can access each of the electronic apparatuses 410 and 420 by just respectively acquiring the first apparatus list 311 and the second apparatus list 321 from the first hub 310 and the second hub 320 without performing the registration processes to the individual electronic apparatuses 410 and 420.)
Choi does not explicitly disclose broadcast, through the communication interface, a connection request to search for a device configured to connect to a server, based on a predetermined event being identified.
However, Tenny discloses broadcast ([0034] FIG. 2 In step 122, an edge device which is directly connected to a network searches for hub devices. The edge device may broadcast a search message.), through the communication interface, a connection request to search for a device configured to connect to a server (FIG. 1, [0007], determining a hub search parameter in accordance with the QoS of the direct link between the edge device and the communications controller. The Examiner interprets the communications controller to correspond to the server), based on a predetermined event being identified (FIG. 2, Fig. 6, [0070]-[0073], [0086]-[0088], [0108]-[0110], [0070] In step 196, the edge device determines search parameters for a hub search. The search parameters may include an interval between instances of search activity, a duration of an instance of search activity, a set of radio resources to which the search is directed, a determination of idle periods to perform the search, and/or a priority level for the search. [0072] In step 200, the edge device searches for a hub device using the parameters determined in step 196. The edge device broadcasts a message searching for a hub device in accordance with the determined search parameters. [0073] In step 201, the edge device determines whether a hub device has been detected. When a hub device has been detected, the edge device proceeds to step 202.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Choi with broadcast, send, through the communication interface, a connection request to search for a device configured to connect to a server, based on a predetermined event being identified as taught by Tenny to conserve battery power (Tenny, [0041]).
As for claims 2, 12 and 17, Choi discloses:
wherein the communication interface comprises a first communication module and a second communication module, and wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first hub device to: connect to the server (Fig. 3, [0005], the electronic apparatus is classified into an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer or a server) through the first communication module; and connect to the second hub device through the second communication module (Fig. 3, [0053] The first apparatus list 311 refers to a list of electronic apparatuses connected to the first hub 310 and involved in the first unit network. In the first apparatus list 311, the electronic apparatuses connected to the first hub 310 like the first electronic apparatus 410, and protocols supported by the electronic apparatus are recorded. For example, if the first electronic apparatus 410 operates based on a protocol A, the first hub 310 records information about this in the first apparatus list 311.)
As for claims 3, 13 and 18, Choi discloses:
wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first hub device to acquire the candidate list indicating the first hub device and the second hub device based on the response being received (FIG. 3, [0076]-[0079], [0069] Thus, the third hub 330 can access each of the electronic apparatuses 410 and 420 by just respectively acquiring the first apparatus list 311 and the second apparatus list 321 from the first hub 310 and the second hub 320 without performing the registration processes to the individual electronic apparatuses 410 and 420.) through Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communication ([0044] The communicator 110 individually connects with the plurality of electronic apparatuses 200 and exchanges a signal with each of the electronic apparatuses 200. The communicator 110 communicates with the electronic apparatus 200 based on preset communication standards, and includes one or more wired ports or wireless communication modules for respectively connecting with the electronic apparatuses 200. The communicator 110 supports one or more wired/wireless communication standards such as Ethernet, ZigBee, Wi-Fi, etc., and thus performs communication with the electronic apparatus 200 based on corresponding communication protocols.)
As for claims 4, 14 and 19, Choi discloses:
cause the first hub device to acquire the candidate list (FIG. 3, [0076]-[0079], [0069] Thus, the third hub 330 can access each of the electronic apparatuses 410 and 420 by just respectively acquiring the first apparatus list 311 and the second apparatus list 321 from the first hub 310 and the second hub 320 without performing the registration processes to the individual electronic apparatuses 410 and 420.) including identification information indicating the second hub device based on the response (FIG. 6, [0103] The network information refers to communication identification information by which the hub identifies a specific electronic apparatus among many apparatuses within the communication network in order to access the electronic apparatus.)
As for claim 10, Choi discloses:
a display, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first hub device to: control the display to output a guide screen including the connection list (FIG. 3, [0071] The display apparatus 500 accesses the first hub 310 that belongs to the communication network of the third hub 330 through the third hub 330. The display apparatus 500 acquires the first apparatus list 311 stored in the first hub 310 and stores the acquired first apparatus list 311 in the third hub 330. Further, the display apparatus 500 accesses the second hub 320 that belongs to the communication network of the third hub 330 through the third hub 330. The display apparatus 500 acquires the second apparatus list 321 stored in the second hub 320 and stores the acquired second apparatus list 321 in the third hub 330.); and transmit a registration request for the first hub device to the server through the communication interface based on a second user input corresponding to the registration of the first hub device being received through the guide screen ([0052] To involve the first electronic apparatus 410 in the first unit network, the first electronic apparatus 410 has to connect and communicate with the first hub 310. To this end, the first hub 310 searches for the first electronic apparatus 410 in a communication network supported by the first hub 310, and registers the searched first electronic apparatus 410. Here, the registration of the first electronic apparatus 410 refers to an operation of the first hub 310 that connects and communicates with the first electronic apparatus 410 based on a specific protocol and records an item about the first electronic apparatus 410 in a first apparatus list 311.)
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claims 5-9, 15 and 20 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
6. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JENEE HOLLAND whose telephone number is (571)270-7196. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM.
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JENEE HOLLAND
Examiner
Art Unit 2469
/JENEE HOLLAND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2469
Prosecution Insights