DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is in response to the application filed on 18 December 2024 and the preliminary amendment received on 27 April 2026.
Claim 20 is cancelled.
Claim 21 is new.
Claims 1-19, 21 are presented for examination.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1, 7, 11, 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 7, 17 recite the limitations of "the communication" in claims 7, 17. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claims 1, 7, 11, 17.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-19, 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Alcorn et al. US 2020/0404088 A1.
As to claim 1, Alcorn discloses substantially the invention as claimed, as a computer-implemented method
detecting, by a control device (Figures 6, 7, the connection management 62 in the streaming Media Server 60), a connection session (a direct Bluetooth connection session) between a first user device (Figures 6, 7 and associated text, the destination device (wireless headphones) 20) and a first source device (Figures 6, 7 and associated text, the source device 10), wherein the connection session includes exchange of data between the first user device and the first source device for the connection session and the first user device is a wearable device (Figures 6, 7 and associated text, the destination device (headphones) 20).
determining, by the control device, a location of the first user device with the first source device (Figures 6, 7 and associated text, the connection management application or module 62 may manage where the content is being sent. The streaming media received by the source device 10 may then be directed to the destination device 20 over the short-range wireless connection 52);
detecting [[tracking]], by the control device, a location update (location change) of the first user device (Figures 4, 6, 7 and associated text, Figure 6, the destination device (headphones) 20 changes its position by moving out of the coverage 12 thru the network path 36 to another location in the coverage LAN 30) relative to location of the first source device, wherein the location update is a change in position away from the location of the first source device (Figures 4, 6, 7, and associated text, the destination device (headphones) 20 changes its location from in the coverage 12 by moving out thru network path 36 to another location in the LAN coverage 30);
controlling, by the control device, a communication to a second source device (a new source device 33 taking the role of a new source device) to initiate connection of the second source device to the first user device based on the location update (Figures 4, 6, 7 and associated text, the connection a management module 62 of the streaming media server 60 redirects the streaming media associated with the identifier to the participating device 33 wherein the streaming media identifier provided by the source device 10, [60]); and
controlling, by the control device, exchange of the connection session to the second source device in response to the location update (Figures 6, 7 and associated text, the handoff 58 effectively passes a token so that the participating device 33 takes on the role of a new source device, [60]).
As to claim 2, Alcorn discloses, wherein the first user device is (a streaming media) in general relative to the first user device and the first source device during the connection session, and wherein the first source device and the second source device are each stationary devices (Figures 4-7, and associated text, [28]),
As to claim 3, Alcorn discloses, wherein the detecting a connection session (a streaming media identifier) includes receiving, by the control device, session information from the first source device, and wherein the session information identifies an application service of the connection session (the range extension application service 13 in the source device 10 and the new source/participating device 33) (Figures 4-7, and associated text),.
As to claim 4, Alcorn discloses, wherein determining a location of the first user device includes identification of a location of the first source device based on at least one prior connection of the first user device and wherein the control device is configured to identify at least one second device based on connection history of first user device (Figures 4-7, and associated text, the mapping module 16 of given participating device may maintain a table identifying each other participating device that is available, whether each participating device is available on the Local Area Network, and whether each participating device has short-range wireless capacity. The table further identify a relative or absolute location of each participating device and identify any range extension pathways that are alive, [58], [28]).
As to claim 5, Alcorn discloses, wherein tracking the location update of the first user device includes receiving from the first source device a position estimate of the first user device generated by the first user device (Figures 4-7, and associated text),.
As to claim 6, Alcorn discloses, wherein controlling a communication to the second source device includes identifying at least one additional source device (other participating devices 31, 32) based on one or more of connection history of the first user device and the location update (Figures 4-7, and associated text, the mapping module 16 of given participating device may maintain a table identifying each other participating device that is available, whether each participating device is available on the Local Area Network, and whether each participating device has short-range wireless capacity. The table further identify a relative or absolute location of each participating device and identify any range extension pathways that are alive, [58]),
As to claim 7, Alcorn discloses, wherein controlling exchange of the communication session includes handoff of the connection session to the second source device, the second source device continuing exchange of data of the connection session with the first user device (Figures 4-7, and associated text, [55]-[59]).
As to claim 8, Alcorn discloses, further comprising generating a pattern of use for the first user device based on connections of the first user device to one or more source devices (other participating devices 31, 32, 33) (Figures 4-7, and associated text),
As to claim 9, Alcorn discloses, wherein controlling exchange of the connection session to the second source device includes determining at least one power level (a signal strength or a signal quality, or QoS, [23], [51]) of a source device, and selection of a source device based on determined power level (Figures 1-7, and associated text).
As to claim 10, Alcorn discloses, further comprising controlling connection of the first user device to a second user device (a participating device or destination device) prior to controlling exchange of the connection session to the second source device (another participating device), wherein the first user device is connected to the second user device for the connection session for at least a predetermined period of time (Figures 1-7, and associated text, “For example, if it is determined that a current short-range wireless connection is insufficient or sub-optimal of the short-range wireless connection may be passed to one or more other participating devices on a temporary basis in order to measure the signal strength or quality of service with destination device for one or more alternative connections before committing a transfer of the connection…. Alternative connections may be tested in a manner on a routine or periodic basis or in response to the current short-range wireless connection reaching a minimum threshold of quality”, [23]).
Claims 11-19 correspond to the system claims of the method claims 1-9; therefore, they are rejected under the same rationale as in the method claims 1-9 shown above.
Claims 21 corresponds to Non-Transitory Computer-Readable Media (NTCRM) claim of the method claim 1; therefore, they are rejected under the same rationale as in the method claim 1 shown above.
The prior art of record is/are: Alcorn et al. US 2020/0404088 A1.
Conclusion
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/HAI V NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2649
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