DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to communications filed 23 January 2025.
Claims 1-20 are subject to examination.
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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-7 and 10-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sobol et al. (US-12375366-B2) hereinafter Sobol in view of Ziolkowski (US-11519809-B2).
Regarding claim 1, Sobol discloses:
A method for operating a network of unit collection devices (UCDs) ([2:49-61] a PAN that may be used to collect data from nearby sensors or other devices and then wirelessly send the data to a larger network without having to rely upon cellular infrastructure) implemented by:
a plurality of UCDs ([8:51-9:42] sensors S_1, S_2, S_3 … S_n or other devices (collectively referred to as peripheral nodes or end nodes)), wherein each UCD of the plurality of UCDs is associated with a respective portable structure ([13:59-14:30] sensors … may be contained within the wearable electronic device (i.e. portable device), see also [68:35-57] sensors … may be configured as other types of portable gas monitors understood by those skilled in the art) and configured to operate as a node in a long-range wireless mesh network comprising the plurality of UCDs ([8:51-9:42] peripheral nodes or end nodes, see [61:22-62:46] communication network is configured as a LoRaWAN network … wearable electronic device acts as an end node that wirelessly sends a LoRa-based signal … wearable electronic device promotes long-range communication with the backhaul using the LoRaWAN protocol), and operate as a coordinator UCD for at least a portion of UCDs of the plurality of UCDs ([16:29-17:38] wearable electronic device acts as the aggregator or master node of the PAN P … first or primary wearable electronic device 100 manages communication between the sensors S_1, S_2, S_3 … S_n), and
a network collection device (NCD) configured to collect an aggregate sensor dataset from the coordinator UCD ([24:47-25:16] wearable electronic device … ingesting and conveying such data via the LPWAN gateway (i.e. network collection device, e.g. receives from wearable electronic device)), and provide the aggregate sensor dataset to a storage platform ([22:47-23:3] various databases contained within the cloud may include a centralized database … data that is collected by the sensors … and received through LPWAN from the wearable electronic device (i.e. provided to the centralized database via LPWAN, e.g. LPWAN gateway as above)), the method comprising:
receiving, from one or more sensors by the each UCD ([8:51-9:42] sensors S_1, S_2, S_3 … S_n or other devices (collectively referred to as peripheral nodes or end nodes)), sensor data indicating a status of the respective portable structure ([2:49-61] a PAN that may be used to collect data from nearby sensors or other devices and then wirelessly send the data to a larger network without having to rely upon cellular infrastructure [13:59-14:30] sensors … may be contained within the wearable electronic device (i.e. portable device), see also [68:35-57] sensors … may be configured as other types of portable gas monitors understood by those skilled in the art);
providing, by the at least the portion of UCDs to the coordinator UCD ([16:29-17:38] wearable electronic device acts as the aggregator or master node of the PAN P … first or primary wearable electronic device 100 manages communication between the sensors S_1, S_2, S_3 … S_n), the sensor data ([2:49-61] a PAN that may be used to collect data from nearby sensors or other devices and then wirelessly send the data to a larger network without having to rely upon cellular infrastructure);
generating, by the coordinator UCD ([16:29-17:38] wearable electronic device acts as the aggregator or master node of the PAN P), an aggregate sensor dataset from the sensor data received from at least the portion of UCDs ([16:29-17:38] wearable electronic device acts as the aggregator or master node of the PAN P … first or primary wearable electronic device 100 manages communication between the sensors S_1, S_2, S_3 … S_n, see [3:44-4:7] aggregate the information contained within these other devices), wherein the received sensor data includes UCD identifiers associated with the UCDs from which the sensor data is received ([70:19-40] upon associating the peripheral node with the industrial asset, data (such as identifier information data and event data) that corresponds to the industrial asset is signally acquired by the peripheral node and then received from the peripheral node by the source node);
receiving, by the NCD from the coordinator UCD ([24:47-25:16] wearable electronic device … ingesting and conveying such data via the LPWAN gateway (i.e. network collection device, e.g. receives from wearable electronic device)), the aggregate sensor dataset based upon the NCD being within wireless communication range of the coordinator UCD ([8:51-9:42] peripheral nodes or end nodes, see [61:22-62:46] communication network is configured as a LoRaWAN network … wearable electronic device acts as an end node that wirelessly sends a LoRa-based signal … wearable electronic device promotes long-range communication with the backhaul using the LoRaWAN protocol (i.e. within the LoRaWAN range)); and
providing, by the NCD to a data storage platform ([22:47-23:3] database … received through LPWAN from the wearable electronic device), the aggregate sensor dataset ([22:47-23:3] various databases contained within the cloud may include a centralized database … data that is collected by the sensors … and received through LPWAN from the wearable electronic device (i.e. provided to the centralized database via LPWAN, e.g. LPWAN gateway as above and the aggregate data collected)).
Sobol does not explicitly disclose:
storing, by the coordinator UCD, the aggregate sensor dataset locally on a memory;
However, Ziolkowski discloses:
storing, by the coordinator UCD ([5:3-24] aggregator base station), the aggregate sensor dataset locally on a memory ([5:3-24] aggregator base station … capture data from nearby sensor nodes, store it (i.e. local storage));
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Sobol in view of Ziolkowski to have stored the aggregate sensor dataset locally on a memory. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so to desirable include a wireless local area network interconnecting each of the plurality of gas sensors and the aggregator, use a mesh network that is self-organizing and will relay messages, and push the aggregated data to the web to have the user interface web based (Ziolkowski, [1:63-2:20]).
Regarding claim 2, Sobol-Ziolkowski disclose:
The method of claim 1, set forth above,
Sobol discloses:
wherein the sensor data indicates one or more of a location ([20:32-64] receive location or event data from a mobile beacon of a peripheral node or the signally cooperative sensors), a frequency of use, a hygiene level, a door lock status, or a level of a consumable product.
Regarding claim 3, Sobol-Ziolkowski disclose:
The method of claim 1, set forth above,
Sobol discloses:
wherein the long-range wireless mesh network is a bidirectional mesh network based upon a LoRaWAN protocol ([59:64-60:45] various LPWAN protocols, such as mesh, P2P, LoRaWan, cluster trees or various proactive, reactive or hybrid packet-routing variants thereof may be used).
Regarding claim 5, Sobol-Ziolkowski disclose:
The method of claim 1, set forth above,
Sobol does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the NCD is configured to receive the aggregate sensor dataset via a Bluetooth communication connection with the coordinator UCD.
However, Ziolkowski discloses:
wherein the NCD is configured to receive the aggregate sensor dataset via a Bluetooth communication connection with the coordinator UCD ([6:21-35] base station can be customized to additionally or alternatively include other wireless technologies including Bluetooth, Wifi, Cellular, and OPS, see [5:2-24] aggregator base station).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Sobol in view of Ziolkowski to have the NCD configured to receive the aggregate sensor dataset via a Bluetooth communication connection with the coordinator UCD. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so to customize a base station to include any other wireless technologies (Ziolkowski, [6:21-35]).
Regarding claim 6, Sobol-Ziolkowski disclose:
The method of claim 1, set forth above, wherein:
Sobol discloses:
at least a first portion of the plurality of UCDs comprise a first subnetwork ([70:19-40] a first sub-network that bidirectionally communications between the source node and the peripheral node over a short-range wireless communication protocol);
at least a second portion of the plurality of UCDs comprise a second subnetwork ([70:19-40] second sub-network that bidirectionally communicates between the source node and at least one remote device over an LPWAN protocol); and
a UCD is included in the first subnetwork and the second subnetwork ([70:19-40] the source node (e.g., belonging to the first and second sub-networks as above)), wherein the method further comprises:
communicating between the UCDs of the first subnetwork and UCDS of the second subnetwork ([70:19-40] data that corresponds to the industrial asset is signally acquired by the peripheral node and then received from the peripheral node by the source node).
Regarding claim 7, Sobol-Ziolkowski disclose:
The method of claim 6, set forth above,
Sobol discloses:
wherein a UCD is included in the first subnetwork and the second subnetwork ([70:19-40] the source node (e.g., belonging to the first and second sub-networks as above)).
Regarding claim 10, Sobol-Ziolkowski disclose:
The method of claim 1, set forth above,
Sobol discloses:
wherein the method is further implemented by a management platform for providing operational support for the plurality of UCDs and associated portable structures ([35:18-35] cooperation of one or more of the computers, data center, administration or the like may conduct an analysis on the acquired data … and what actions may be taken in order to continue or alter operations of one or more assets within the industrial setting (i.e. operational support), see also [68:35-57] sensors … may be configured as other types of portable gas monitors understood by those skilled in the art), the management platform stored as processor-executable instructions on one or more memories and executed by one or more processors ([71:64-72:24] steps or events of a method, algorithm or ensuing model disclosed … may be embodied in a processor-executable software module, which may reside on a tangible, non-transitory version of such computer-readable storage medium such that the medium be in any available form that permits access to the events or steps by a processor or related part of a computer), the method further comprising:
receiving, by the management platform from the data storage platform ([23:4-33] through suitable algorithmic or related analysis, the cloud may in effect scan itself and the centralized database), the aggregate sensor dataset ([23:4-33] through suitable algorithmic or related analysis, the cloud may in effect scan itself and the centralized database to determine from all of the digital signatures which ones meet a certain criteria, see [22:47-23:3] various databases contained within the cloud may include a centralized database … data that is collected by the sensors … and received through LPWAN from the wearable electronic device (i.e. provided to the centralized database via LPWAN, e.g. LPWAN gateway as above));
analyzing, by the management platform ([40:13-45] administration 3100), the aggregate sensor dataset to generate analytics for the portable structures ([68:35-57] for applications in the chemical process industries (CPI) or the oil & gas industries, such devices may be configured as other types of portable gas monitors [69:25-61] to provide strategic or commercial advantages particular to the enterprise that is operating the machinery, equipment, and related assets, see [51:13-59] analyzing and predicting what will happen); and
providing, by the management platform ([40:13-45] administration 3100), one or more support services based at least in part on the analytics ([51:13-59] (if necessary) engage in some measure of self-healing or adapting the process to changed or ongoing circumstances, see [40:13-45] analytics in order to help a decision-maker … make adjustments to the given process, including plan for equipment maintenance, upgrading or replacement).
Regarding claim 11, Sobol-Ziolkowski disclose:
The method of claim 10, set forth above,
Sobol discloses:
wherein the management platform stores model data associated with a machine learning model trained using training data ([40:46-41:32] machine learning process that leads to the trained … model, see [71:64-72:24] steps or events of a method, algorithm or ensuing model disclosed … may be embodied in a processor-executable software module, which may reside on a tangible, non-transitory version of such computer-readable storage medium such that the medium be in any available form that permits access to the events or steps by a processor or related part of a computer), the method further comprising executing, by the management platform ([40:13-45] administration 3100), the machine learning model ([40:46-41:32] employ machine-learning based analytics).
Regarding claim 12, Sobol-Ziolkowski disclose:
The method of claim 11, set forth above,
Sobol discloses:
wherein the machine learning model is selected from the group consisting of a predictive analytics model and a route optimization model ([38:13-34] predictive analytics that may be performed, see [53:41-54:20] may include one or more of dimensionality reduction, routing selectivity and parsing and on-band analysis using a fully-compiled, trained machine learning model, as well as others).
Regarding claim 13, Sobol discloses:
A method for operating a network of unit collection devices (UCDs) ([2:49-61] a PAN that may be used to collect data from nearby sensors or other devices and then wirelessly send the data to a larger network without having to rely upon cellular infrastructure) implemented by (i) a plurality of UCDs ([8:51-9:42] sensors S_1, S_2, S_3 … S_n or other devices (collectively referred to as peripheral nodes or end nodes)), wherein each UCD of the plurality of UCDs is associated with a respective portable structure ([13:59-14:30] sensors … may be contained within the wearable electronic device (i.e. portable device), see also [68:35-57] sensors … may be configured as other types of portable gas monitors understood by those skilled in the art) and configured to operate as a node in a long-range wireless mesh network comprising the plurality of UCDs ([8:51-9:42] peripheral nodes or end nodes, see [61:22-62:46] communication network is configured as a LoRaWAN network … wearable electronic device acts as an end node that wirelessly sends a LoRa-based signal … wearable electronic device promotes long-range communication with the backhaul using the LoRaWAN protocol), and (ii) coordinator UCD for at least a portion of UCDs of the plurality of UCDs ([16:29-17:38] wearable electronic device acts as the aggregator or master node of the PAN P … first or primary wearable electronic device 100 manages communication between the sensors S_1, S_2, S_3 … S_n), the coordinator UCD configured to receive sensor data ([2:49-61] a PAN that may be used to collect data from nearby sensors or other devices and then wirelessly send the data to a larger network without having to rely upon cellular infrastructure (i.e. via device as above)), generate an aggregate sensor dataset from the sensor data ([16:29-17:38] wearable electronic device acts as the aggregator or master node of the PAN P … first or primary wearable electronic device 100 manages communication between the sensors S_1, S_2, S_3 … S_n (i.e. aggregates from them)), and provide the aggregate sensor dataset to a storage platform ([22:47-23:3] various databases contained within the cloud may include a centralized database … data that is collected by the sensors … and received through LPWAN from the wearable electronic device (i.e. provided to the centralized database via LPWAN, e.g. LPWAN gateway as above)), the method comprising:
receiving, from one or more sensors by the each UCD ([8:51-9:42] sensors S_1, S_2, S_3 … S_n or other devices (collectively referred to as peripheral nodes or end nodes)), the sensor data indicating a status of the respective portable structure ([2:49-61] a PAN that may be used to collect data from nearby sensors or other devices and then wirelessly send the data to a larger network without having to rely upon cellular infrastructure [13:59-14:30] sensors … may be contained within the wearable electronic device (i.e. portable device), see also [68:35-57] sensors … may be configured as other types of portable gas monitors understood by those skilled in the art);
providing, by the at least the portion of UCDs to the coordinator UCD via the long-range wireless mesh network ([61:22-62:46] communication network is configured as a LoRaWAN network … wearable electronic device acts as an end node that wirelessly sends a LoRa-based signal … wearable electronic device promotes long-range communication with the backhaul using the LoRaWAN protocol (i.e. within the LoRaWAN range)), the sensor data ([16:29-17:38] wearable electronic device acts as the aggregator or master node of the PAN P … first or primary wearable electronic device 100 manages communication between the sensors S_1, S_2, S_3 … S_n);
generating, by the coordinator UCD ([16:29-17:38] wearable electronic device acts as the aggregator or master node of the PAN P), an aggregate sensor dataset from the sensor data received from the at least the portion of UCDs ([16:29-17:38] wearable electronic device acts as the aggregator or master node of the PAN P … first or primary wearable electronic device 100 manages communication between the sensors S_1, S_2, S_3 … S_n, see [3:44-4:7] aggregate the information contained within these other devices), wherein the received sensor data includes UCD identifiers associated with the UCDs from which the sensor data is received ([70:19-40] upon associating the peripheral node with the industrial asset, data (such as identifier information data and event data) that corresponds to the industrial asset is signally acquired by the peripheral node and then received from the peripheral node by the source node); and
providing, by the coordinator UCD to a data storage platform via one or more long-range communication connections ([22:47-23:3] database … received through LPWAN from the wearable electronic device), the aggregate sensor dataset ([22:47-23:3] various databases contained within the cloud may include a centralized database … data that is collected by the sensors … and received through LPWAN from the wearable electronic device (i.e. provided to the centralized database via LPWAN, e.g. LPWAN gateway as above and the aggregate data collected)).
Sobol does not explicitly disclose:
storing, by the coordinator UCD, the aggregate sensor dataset locally on a memory;
However, Ziolkowski discloses:
storing, by the coordinator UCD ([5:3-24] aggregator base station), the aggregate sensor dataset locally on a memory ([5:3-24] aggregator base station … capture data from nearby sensor nodes, store it (i.e. local storage));
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Sobol in view of Ziolkowski to have stored the aggregate sensor dataset locally on a memory. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so to desirable include a wireless local area network interconnecting each of the plurality of gas sensors and the aggregator, use a mesh network that is self-organizing and will relay messages, and push the aggregated data to the web to have the user interface web based (Ziolkowski, [1:63-2:20]).
Regarding claim 14, Sobol-Ziolkowski disclose:
The method of claim 13, set forth above,
Sobol discloses:
wherein the coordinator UCD is at least one of the plurality of UCDs ([16:29-17:38] wearable electronic device acts as the aggregator or master node of the PAN P … first or primary wearable electronic device 100 manages communication between the sensors S_1, S_2, S_3 … S_n).
Regarding claim 15, Sobol-Ziolkowski disclose:
The method of claim 13, set forth above,
Sobol discloses:
wherein at least one long-range communication connection ([59:64-60:45] LoRaWan), of the one or more long-range communication connections ([59:64-60:45] various LPWAN protocols, such as mesh, P2P, LoRaWan, cluster trees or various proactive, reactive or hybrid packet-routing variants thereof may be used), is activated based upon the aggregate sensor dataset ([8:51-9:42] peripheral nodes or end nodes, see [61:22-62:46] communication network is configured as a LoRaWAN network … wearable electronic device acts as an end node that wirelessly sends a LoRa-based signal … wearable electronic device promotes long-range communication with the backhaul using the LoRaWAN protocol (i.e. within the LoRaWAN range)).
Regarding claim 16, Sobol-Ziolkowski disclose:
The method of claim 15, set forth above,
Sobol discloses:
wherein the at least one long-range communication connection is activated based upon the aggregate sensor dataset indicating movement of the portable structure associated with the aggregate sensor dataset ([14:51-15:9] sensors … detect vibrations, falls, extreme movements, or the like, see [13:59-14:30] sensors … may be contained within the wearable electronic device (i.e. portable device), see also [68:35-57] sensors … may be configured as other types of portable gas monitors understood by those skilled in the art, see also [61:22-62:46] communication network is configured as a LoRaWAN network … wearable electronic device acts as an end node that wirelessly sends a LoRa-based signal … wearable electronic device promotes long-range communication with the backhaul using the LoRaWAN protocol).
Regarding claim 17, Sobol-Ziolkowski disclose:
The method of claim 13, set forth above,
Sobol does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the coordinator UCD is a base station.
However, Ziolkowski discloses:
wherein the coordinator UCD is a base station ([5:3-24] aggregator base station … capture data from nearby sensor nodes, store it (i.e. local storage)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Sobol in view of Ziolkowski to have the coordinator UCD be a base station. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so to desirable include a wireless local area network interconnecting each of the plurality of gas sensors and the aggregator, use a mesh network that is self-organizing and will relay messages, and push the aggregated data to the web to have the user interface web based (Ziolkowski, [1:63-2:20]).
Regarding claim 18, Sobol-Ziolkowski disclose:
The method of claim 13, set forth above,
Sobol discloses:
wherein the one or more long-range communication connections is selected from the group consisting of: long term evolution machine type communication ([69:62-70:18] long-term evolution machine type communication (LTE-M)), narrowband-internet of things ([69:62-70:18] narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT)), and satellite ([69:7-24] satellite-based equipment).
Regarding claim 19, Sobol-Ziolkowski disclose:
The method of claim 13, set forth above,
Sobol discloses:
wherein the method is further implemented by a management platform for providing operational support for the plurality of UCDs and associated portable structures ([35:18-35] cooperation of one or more of the computers, data center, administration or the like may conduct an analysis on the acquired data … and what actions may be taken in order to continue or alter operations of one or more assets within the industrial setting (i.e. operational support), see also [68:35-57] sensors … may be configured as other types of portable gas monitors understood by those skilled in the art), the management platform stored as processor-executable instructions on one or more memories and executed by one or more processors ([71:64-72:24] steps or events of a method, algorithm or ensuing model disclosed … may be embodied in a processor-executable software module, which may reside on a tangible, non-transitory version of such computer-readable storage medium such that the medium be in any available form that permits access to the events or steps by a processor or related part of a computer), the method further comprising:
receiving, by the management platform from the data storage platform ([23:4-33] through suitable algorithmic or related analysis, the cloud may in effect scan itself and the centralized database), the aggregate sensor dataset ([23:4-33] through suitable algorithmic or related analysis, the cloud may in effect scan itself and the centralized database to determine from all of the digital signatures which ones meet a certain criteria, see [22:47-23:3] various databases contained within the cloud may include a centralized database … data that is collected by the sensors … and received through LPWAN from the wearable electronic device (i.e. provided to the centralized database via LPWAN, e.g. LPWAN gateway as above));
analyzing, by the management platform ([40:13-45] administration 3100), the aggregate sensor dataset to generate analytics for the portable structures ([68:35-57] for applications in the chemical process industries (CPI) or the oil & gas industries, such devices may be configured as other types of portable gas monitors [69:25-61] to provide strategic or commercial advantages particular to the enterprise that is operating the machinery, equipment, and related assets, see [51:13-59] analyzing and predicting what will happen); and
providing, by the management platform ([40:13-45] administration 3100), one or more support services based at least in part on the analytics ([51:13-59] (if necessary) engage in some measure of self-healing or adapting the process to changed or ongoing circumstances, see [40:13-45] analytics in order to help a decision-maker … make adjustments to the given process, including plan for equipment maintenance, upgrading or replacement).
Regarding claim 20, Sobol-Ziolkowski disclose:
The method of claim 19, set forth above, further comprising:
Sobol discloses:
generating, by the management platform ([49:24-50:8] takes place in one or the other of the facility WAN or the cloud, the data being collected by the various connected assets may be conveyed through the backhaul), one or more electronic alerts based upon the aggregate sensor dataset ([49:24-50:8] takes place in one or the other of the facility WAN or the cloud, the data being collected by the various connected assets may be conveyed through the backhaul … in order to put the results into business-relevant decision analytics … used for … corresponding alerting); and
providing the one or more electronic alerts via the management platform and/or to a user device by the management platform ([23:4-33] alert may be generated to bring to the attention of the individual associated with the display device the need to get tested (i.e. alerting the user device that is the display device)).
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sobol et al. (US-12375366-B2) hereinafter Sobol in view of Ziolkowski (US-11519809-B2) further in view of Skaaksrud (US-12166824-B2).
Regarding claim 4, Sobol-Ziolkowski disclose:
The method of claim 1, set forth above, further comprising:
Sobol-Ziolkowski do not explicitly disclose:
obtaining, by the NCD for aggregate sensor dataset, expected UCD identifiers of the UCDs expected to provide the sensor data comprising the aggregate sensor dataset;
comparing, by the NCD, the expected UCD identifiers to the UCD identifiers of the aggregate sensor dataset to identify expected UCD identifiers not included within the UCD identifiers; and
wherein the expected UCD identifiers match the received UCD identifiers, providing, by the NCD, a notification indicating the aggregate sensor dataset is successfully received, or
wherein the expected UCD identifiers do not match the received UCD identifiers, identify, by the NCD, an additional coordinator NCD at which the sensor data associated with an unmatched expected UCD identifier is stored.
However, Skaaksrud discloses:
obtaining, by the NCD for aggregate sensor dataset ([92:39-67] command node), expected UCD identifiers of the UCDs expected to provide the sensor data comprising the aggregate sensor dataset ([92:39-67] command node may confirm that it uses only valid sensor data when detecting an environmental anomaly … validation sequence characterizes expected broadcasts from that particular ID node … received sensor data from that ID node matches a predetermined one of the expected broadcasts from that ID node (i.e. to match requires obtaining/receiving both the identifiers and expected identifiers));
comparing, by the NCD ([92:39-67] command node), the expected UCD identifiers to the UCD identifiers of the aggregate sensor dataset to identify expected UCD identifiers not included within the UCD identifiers ([92:39-67] command node may confirm the validity of the received sensor data … determine if the received sensor data from that ID node matches a predetermined one of the expected broadcasts from that ID node (i.e. comparison; i.e. match means identifying that no unexpected identifiers are included in the identifiers)); and
wherein the expected UCD identifiers match the received UCD identifiers ([92:39-67] matches a predetermined one of the expected broadcasts from that ID node), providing, by the NCD ([92:39-67] command node), a notification indicating the aggregate sensor dataset is successfully received ([92:39-67] confirm that ID node sensor data is coming from a valid ID node, and thus, is valid sensor data upon which to make determinations of whether an environmental anomaly exists),
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Sobol-Ziolkowski in view of Skaaksrud to have obtained expected identifiers of the UCDs and compared them with received UCD identifiers to provide a notification that the aggregate sensor dataset is successfully received when the identifiers match. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so to enhance security for the command node to better determine and confirm that ID node sensor data is coming from a valid ID node (Skaaksrud, [92:39-67]).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sobol et al. (US-12375366-B2) hereinafter Sobol in view of Ziolkowski (US-11519809-B2) further in view of Leon et al. (US-10379873-B2) hereinafter Leon.
Regarding claim 8, Sobol-Ziolkowski disclose:
The method of claim 1, set forth above,
Sobol-Ziolkowski do not explicitly disclose:
wherein the NCD is further configured to receive an additional aggregate sensor dataset from an additional coordinator UCD associated with an additional long-range wireless mesh network.
However, Leon discloses:
wherein the NCD is further configured to receive an additional aggregate sensor dataset from an additional coordinator UCD associated with an additional long-range wireless mesh network ([4:1-18] lower tier 108 may be implemented using one or more wireless mesh networks … may be associated with each gateway … [10:43-56] allow the gateway or set of gateways to log information amongst themselves, see [9:47-59] gateway collects and aggregates data, see [FIG. 1] interconnected nodes and gateways).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Sobol-Ziolkowski in view of Leon to have received additional aggregate sensor dataset from an additional coordinator UCD associated with an additional long-range wireless mesh network. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so to allow the gateway or set of gateways to log information amongst themselves (Leon, [10:43-56]).
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sobol et al. (US-12375366-B2) hereinafter Sobol in view of Ziolkowski (US-11519809-B2) further in view of Meriac et al. (US-10735428-B2) hereinafter Meriac.
Regarding claim 9, Sobol-Ziolkowski disclose:
The method of claim 1, set forth above,
Sobol-Ziolkowski do not explicitly disclose:
wherein the aggregate sensor dataset is encrypted and includes a customer identifier, the method further comprising:
identifying, by the NCD, a decryption key associated with the customer identifier; and
decrypting, by the NCD, the aggregate sensor dataset using the decryption key.
However, Meriac discloses:
wherein the aggregate sensor dataset is encrypted and includes a customer identifier ([4:12-26] CoX manufactures data processing device … may be a temperature sensor, healthcare monitor … or other such device … CoX maintains customer IDs and device IDs … to facilitate later retrieval of the data [6:7-30] service provider can optionally transmit a user identification to CoX, which can associate device ID … with the received user identification within customer ID [7:40-58] service provider provides ownership key (KO) and user 1 key (KU1) to data processing device via a communications message signed using public key … data processing device can utilize KO and KU1 for access to data … can include one or more of content encoding information and a URL transformation, the aggregation of which is referred to herein as “secret data”), the method further comprising:
identifying, by the NCD ([11:65-12:37] authorized users (or devices)), a decryption key associated with the customer identifier ([11:65-12:37] each key node resource includes data for obtaining the actual resource URL of remote resource corresponding to the associated secret data … data each key node resource can include, e.g., the corresponding resource URL itself, data for calculating the corresponding resource URL, or data identifying another remote location from which the resource URL can be obtained … authorized users (or devices) that have successfully located a key node for remote resource can obtain the corresponding decryption key for decrypting content stored at remote resource)); and
decrypting, by the NCD ([11:65-12:37] authorized users (or devices)), the aggregate sensor dataset using the decryption key ([11:65-12:37] decrypting content stored at remote resource).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Sobol-Ziolkowski in view of Meriac to have encrypted the aggregate dataset and include a customer identifier to identify a decryption key associated with the customer identifier to have an NCD decrypt the aggregate sensor dataset. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so to manage access and ownership of data at a remote resource (Meriac, [1:14-16]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yenni et al. (US-10430737-B2) Restroom Convenience Center;
Kwan (US-11206183-B2) Network Protocol Method For Mesh Capability In Narrow-band Wireless Networks;
Ray et al. (US-20230288883-A1) BUILDING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WITH SPACE AND PLACE UTILIZATION.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Alex Tran whose telephone number is (571)272-8173. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10AM-6PM ET.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kamal Divecha can be reached at (571)272-5863. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Alex Tran/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2453
Prosecution Insights