DETAILED ACTION
This is in response to US App. 18/981,171. Claims 1-20 have been examined.
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 . 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claims do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because the claims 19 and 20 are directed to software per se. In claim 19, a chip comprising processor and communication interface. A chip, processor, and communication interface can be software. Therefore, without any recitation of memory, the claim for executing the method of claim 1 and directed to such a chip can be “software”. Similarly, claim 20 is directed to computer program product and without any recitation of memory can be “software”.
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(s) 1-4, 6-11, and 13-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being unpatentable by Yang (US 2014/0129425).
Regarding Claim 1,
An information obtaining method, applied to an electronic device, wherein the method comprises:
in a case that an information obtaining event is monitored, transmitting a first radio frequency signal with first strength, wherein the first radio frequency signal is used to obtain card information or target information of a target electronic device; and in a case that it is monitored that the information obtaining event is released, transmitting a second radio frequency signal with second strength, wherein the second radio frequency signal is used to obtain the card information or the target information of the target electronic device, and the first strength is greater than the second strength [Yang: first radio frequency signal == regular NFC antenna transmission power; second radio frequency signal == increase in NFC antenna transmission power; 0027; this interchange of data between the portable devices 102 and the credit card 104 may trigger an e-commerce session that requires an increase in NFC antenna transmission power from the portable devices 102-2 and/or 102-4; for example, if the portable devices 102-2 and/or 102-4 are transmitting at a regular NFC antenna transmission power during a typical proximity usage, the increase in NFC antenna transmission power is initiated upon triggering of the e-commerce session; 0028; the trigger to go into the e-commerce session can be initiated by a user through a payment software application running on the portable device 102; for example, the payment software application is configured to trigger the e-commerce session upon its activation by the user; 0043; the CPU/SOC 202 or the NFC module 204 may be configured with a time threshold that determines the duration of time that the controller switch 302 is switched to increase transmission power by the NFC antenna 210; for example, the time threshold may lapse after completion of the EMVco transaction between the portable device 102 and the credit card 104; in this example, the operation of the system 300 reverts back to the regular transmission of power after expiration of the time threshold; 0051; the NFC sub system (e.g., NFC antenna 210 and NFC module 204) is configured to be in the "proximity" mode, which consumes relatively low power, and supports proximity usages; 0052; in an implementation, a CPU/SOC (e.g., CPU/SOC 202) detects a triggering signal from user (i.e. through a software application) to boost the transmit power; in another implementation an NFC module (e.g., NFC module 204) is configured to detect if a near field coupling transaction requires increasing of NFC antenna transmission power; for example, if the near field coupling transaction do not require increasing of the NFC antenna transmission power, then following the "NO" branch of block 502, the "proximity" mode is maintained as the default mode].
Regarding Claim 2,
wherein the case that an information obtaining event is monitored comprises: in a case that an information obtaining application interface is displayed on a screen, determining that the information obtaining event is monitored [Yang: 0052; in an implementation, a CPU/SOC (e.g., CPU/SOC 202) detects a triggering signal from user (i.e. through a software application) to boost the transmit power; 0039; in another implementation the triggering to initiate the "e-commerce session" may be from user input in a SW application and communicated to CPU/SoC].
Regarding Claim 3,
wherein the case that it is monitored that the information obtaining event is released comprises: in a case that displaying an information obtaining application interface is canceled, determining that releasing the information obtaining event is monitored [Yang: 0052; in an implementation, a CPU/SOC (e.g., CPU/SOC 202) detects a triggering signal from user (i.e. through a software application) to boost the transmit power; for example, if the near field coupling transaction do not require increasing of the NFC antenna transmission power, then following the "NO" branch of block 502, the "proximity" mode is maintained as the default mode; 0039; in another implementation the triggering to initiate the "e-commerce session" may be from user input in a SW application and communicated to CPU/SoC].
Note:
“No” branch is followed when a user does not trigger a boost.
Regarding Claim 4,
wherein the case that an information obtaining event is monitored comprises: in a case that it is determined that an information carrier and the electronic device meet a first condition, determining that the information obtaining event is monitored, wherein the information carrier is a card or the target electronic device; and the first condition comprises: a distance between the information carrier and the electronic device falls within a preset range [Yang: 0033; in another example, the CPU/SOC 202 may be configured to detect triggering of the e-commerce session (e.g., EMVco transactions) such as when the credit card 104 is positioned within a relative distance from the NFC antenna 210; in this case, initial identification data that is communicated through the mutual induction between the credit card 104 and the NFC antenna 210 may provide a triggering signal for the e-commerce session; to this end, the CPU/SOC 202 is configured to switch from the "proximity" mode into e-commerce mode, which requires higher NFC antenna transmission power; 0053; in another example, when a credit card (e.g., credit card 104) is positioned within a relative distance from the NFC antenna 210, initial identification data that is communicated through the mutual induction between the credit card 104 and the NFC module 204 may provide a triggering signal for an e-commerce session].
Regarding Claim 6,
wherein the case that it is monitored that the information obtaining event is released comprises: in a case that it is determined that the information carrier and the electronic device meet a second condition, determining that releasing the information obtaining event is monitored, wherein the second condition is: a distance between the information carrier and the electronic device falls outside the preset range; and/or, ambient light brightness of the electronic device is less than a preset threshold [Yang: the portable devices 102-2 and/or 102-4 may establish near field coupling with the credit card 104 by positioning the credit card 104 at a certain distance to its respective NFC antenna; at this certain distance, a principle of mutual induction in NFC communications is applied to communicate data between the credit card 104 and the portable devices 102-2 and/or 102-4; 0033; in another example, the CPU/SOC 202 may be configured to detect triggering of the e-commerce session (e.g., EMVco transactions) such as when the credit card 104 is positioned within a relative distance from the NFC antenna 210; in this case, initial identification data that is communicated through the mutual induction between the credit card 104 and the NFC antenna 210 may provide a triggering signal for the e-commerce session; to this end, the CPU/SOC 202 is configured to switch from the "proximity" mode into e-commerce mode, which requires higher NFC antenna transmission power; 0052; In another implementation an NFC module (e.g., NFC module 204) is configured to detect if a near field coupling transaction requires increasing of NFC antenna transmission power. For example, if the near field coupling transaction do not require increasing of the NFC antenna transmission power, then following the "NO" branch of block 502, the "proximity" mode is maintained as the default mode; 0053; in another example, when a credit card (e.g., credit card 104) is positioned within a relative distance from the NFC antenna 210, initial identification data that is communicated through the mutual induction between the credit card 104 and the NFC module 204 may provide a triggering signal for an e-commerce session].
Note:
A near field coupling distance does not require an increased transmission power due to not satisfying the condition of positioned within a relative distance.
Regarding Claim 7,
wherein in a case that the first radio frequency signal is used to obtain the target information of the target electronic device, after the first radio frequency signal with the first strength is transmitted in a case that the information obtaining event is monitored, the method further comprises: connecting to the target electronic device in a case that the target information is obtained [Yang: 0053; in another example, when a credit card (e.g., credit card 104) is positioned within a relative distance from the NFC antenna 210, initial identification data that is communicated through the mutual induction between the credit card 104 and the NFC module 204 may provide a triggering signal for an e-commerce session; in this example, the CPU/SOC 202 or the NFC module 204 configures the switch from the "proximity" mode into e-commerce mode, which requires increasing of the default regular NFC antenna transmission power; 0054; for example, the activating and utilizing of the PA 206 may last until the e-commerce mode (e.g., EMVco transaction) is completed].
Regarding Claims 8-11 and 13-14, which recite the same claim limitations as those in claims 1-4 and 6-7 above, the same rationale of rejection as presented in claims 1-4 and 6-7 is applicable.
Regarding Claims 15-18, which recite the same claim limitations as those in claims 1-4 above, the same rationale of rejection as presented in claims 1-4 is applicable.
Regarding Claim 19, which recites the same claim limitations as those in claim 1 above, the same rationale of rejection as presented in claim 1 is applicable.
Regarding Claim 20, which recites the same claim limitations as those in claim 1 above, the same rationale of rejection as presented in claim 1 is applicable.
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.
Claim(s) 5 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang in view of Zhang (CN 114205793).
Regarding Claim 5,
Yang teaches that an NFC module (e.g., NFC module 204) is configured to detect if a near field coupling transaction requires increasing of NFC antenna transmission power [Yang: 0052].
However, Yang does not teach that he first condition further comprises: ambient light brightness of the electronic device is greater than or equal to a preset threshold.
Zhang teaches:
wherein the first condition further comprises: ambient light brightness of the electronic device is greater than or equal to a preset threshold [Zhang: p. 6; the distance between the terminal 100 and the external device 200 is far, still can through the LiFi module and the external device 200 for data interaction, without the terminal 100 attached to the external device 200 can realize data interaction, improves the use experience of the user. after the LiFi module 30 connected with the external device 200, the NFC module 20 can be in the open or closed state; p. 6; because the LiFi module 30 and the external device 200 are communicated through visible light, which is a new wireless transmission technology using visible light spectrum (such as light emitting diode emits light) for data transmission].
Note:
When LiFi module is open, light is transmitted. Otherwise, it is not.
It would have been obvious for POSITA before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the teachings of Yang and Zhang in order to bring higher bandwidth and faster data transmission speed by visible light communication [Zhang: p. 6].
Regarding Claim 12, which recites the same claim limitations as those in claim 5 above, the same rationale of rejection as presented in claim 5 is applicable.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See (US 10182328; col. 13 / lines 15-25).
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SAAD A. WAQAS
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2468
/Saad A. Waqas/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2468
