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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: Applicant is required to insert all the patents and application numbers of all related applications into the specification.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim 19 is 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.
As per claim 19, applicant claims for “over a communication link” in line 11, “over the air (OTA)” in line 13, and “over a network” in line 20. Are they the same? If not, what is the differences between them?
Claim 19, applicant claim for “a communication interface is configured to receive audiovisual (AV) content from a plurality of sources”, in line 7-8. What network do they use to receive the AV content?
As per claim 19, It is unclear what are the differences between “a plurality of sources” in line 8, and “an emergency alert system (EAS)” in line 15?
As per claim 19, It is unclear what are the differences between “market area” and “recipients”?
As per claim 19, lines 16-25, applicant claims for “the processor is further configured to: convert the received alerts into an Internet Protocol (IP) format; and identify recipients designated for receiving an alert, the communication interface is further configured to: transmit the alert to the identified recipients over a network with each recipient having a device configured to: decode and process the received encoded content; present the processed content; and receive the alerts transmitted by the CCC wherein the network is distinct from the communication link.” Examiner believes “the communication interface is further configured to transmit the IP format to the identified recipients instead of the alert to the identified recipients over a network”
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.
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. The claim 19 is not focused to perform all functions to achieve a tangible outcome. Claim 19 includes two different approaches, which are not related to each other to complete the claim as a whole. The two approaches being shown as follows:
“wherein the communication interface is configured to receive audiovisual (AV) content from a plurality of sources, the processor is configured to encode the received content, the communication interface is further configured to: transmit the encoded content over a communication link to regional controllers (RCs) associated with respective market areas (MAs), the RCs being configured to broadcast the received encoded content over the air (OTA) to the associated MA” and
“receive alerts from an emergency alert system (EAS), the processor is further configured to: convert the received alerts into an Internet Protocol (IP) format; and identify recipients designated for receiving an alert, the communication interface is further configured to: transmit the alert to the identified recipients over a network with each recipient having a device configured to: decode and process the received encoded content; present the processed content; and receive the alerts transmitted by the CCC wherein the network is distinct from the communication link.
If a claim limitation, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, covers performance of the limitation in the mind, then it falls within the “Mental Process” grouping of abstract ideas, Accordingly, the claim recites an abstract idea. This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application. The claim(s) does/do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. The claim is not patent eligible.
Conclusion
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/TAI T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2685 April 14, 2026
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