DETAILED ACTION
This examination is in response to the communication filed on 02/06/2025. Claims 1-20 are currently pending, where claims 1 and 11 are independent.
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 04/14/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
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Claims 1, 3, 4, 6, 11, 13, 14, and 16 are rejected on the ground of non-statutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 5 and 15 of U.S. Patent No.12254879. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the cited claims of the issued patent teach or suggest elements of the cited claims of the instant application. See the detailed element mapping below.
Instant Application 19047215
Patent No. 12,254,879
Claim 1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
Claim 5. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, from a user device, first input data representing a first natural language input and a first account identifier (ID) associated with the user device, the first account ID corresponding to a first system configured to process natural language inputs;
receiving, from a user device, a first request including first audio data representing a first spoken input and a first account identifier (ID) associated with the user device, the first account ID used by a first assistant system to identify a user profile;
determining a second account ID corresponding to the first account ID, the second account ID corresponding to a second system configured to process natural language inputs,
determining a second account ID corresponding to the first account ID, the second account ID used by the second assistant system to identify the user profile;
wherein the second account ID enables access to first data to be used to process inputs corresponding to the second system;
wherein the second account ID enables access to first data to be used to process inputs corresponding to the second assistant system;
associating the first natural language input with the second account ID;
associating the first spoken input with the second account ID;
processing the first natural language input associated with the second account ID using one or more system components corresponding to the first system and the second system;
processing the first spoken input associated with the second account ID using one or more system components shared by the first assistant system and the second assistant system,
determining, based at least in part on the processing of the first natural language input, a first output responsive to the first natural language input; and
determining, based at least in part on the processing of the first spoken input, a first output responsive to the first spoken input;
presenting, by the user device, the first output.
sending, to the user device, the first output.
Claim 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining user profile data associated with the first account ID,
wherein determination of the first output uses the user profile data.
Claim 5. … receiving… the first account ID used by a first assistant system to identify a user profile;
Claim 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to processing the first natural language input using the one or more system components:
determining, using the first input data, that the first natural language input invokes the second system.
Claim 5. …
determining, using the first audio data, that a first wakeword included in the first spoken input corresponds to a second assistant system;
Claim 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first input data comprises receiving audio data representing speech.
Claim 5. …receiving, from a user device, a first request including first audio data representing a first spoken input…
Claim 11. A system comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:
Claim 13. A system comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:
receive, from a user device, first input data representing a first natural language input and a first account identifier (ID) associated with the user device, the first account ID corresponding to a first system configured to process natural language inputs;
receive, from a user device, a first request including first audio data representing a first spoken input and a first account identifier (ID) associated with the user device, the first account ID used by a first assistant system to identify a user profile;
determine a second account ID corresponding to the first account ID, the second account ID corresponding to a second system configured to process natural language inputs,
determine a second account ID corresponding to the first account ID, the second account ID used by the second assistant system to identify the user profile;
wherein the second account ID enables access to first data to be used to process inputs corresponding to the second system;
wherein the second account ID enables access to first data to be used to process inputs corresponding to the second assistant system;
associate the first natural language input with the second account ID;
associate the first spoken input with the second account ID;
process the first natural language input associated with the second account ID using one or more system components corresponding to the first system and the second system;
process the first spoken input associated with the second account ID using one or more system components shared by the first assistant system and the second assistant system,
determine, based at least in part on the processing of the first natural language input, a first output responsive to the first natural language input; and
determine, based at least in part on the processing of the first spoken input, a first output responsive to the first spoken input;
present, by the user device, the first output.
send, to the user device, the first output.
Claim 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one memory further comprises instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:
determine user profile data associated with the first account ID,
wherein determination of the first output uses the user profile data.
Claim 15. …
receive… the first account ID used by a first assistant system to identify a user profile;
Claim 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one memory further comprises instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to, prior to processing the first natural language input using the one or more system components:
determining, using the first input data, that the first natural language input invokes the second system.
Claim 15. …
determine, using the first audio data, that a first wakeword included in the first spoken input corresponds to a second assistant system;
Claim 16. The system of claim 11, wherein receiving the first input data comprises receiving audio data representing speech.
Claim 15. …receive, from a user device, a first request including first audio data representing a first spoken input…
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 3, 4, 6, 11, 13, 14 and 16 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the double patenting rejection set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding independent claims 1 and 11, Bobbili teaches receiving, from a user device, first input data representing a first natural language input and a first account identifier (ID) associated with the user device, the first account ID corresponding to a first system configured to process natural language inputs (¶[0080]-[0081] teaches “the system 100…may include profile storage for storing a variety of information related to individual users…with each user profile being associated with a different user/user profile identifier…Each user profile may include identifiers of skills that the user has enabled…if a user does not enable a skill, the system 1200 may not invoke the skill to execute with respect to the user’s natural language user inputs”);
determining, based at least in part on the processing of the first natural language input, a first output responsive to the first natural language input (¶[0106] teaches “The LP component 292 may provide (628) the NLU results data to the skill 290 for execution. The skill 290 may generate (630) response data responsive to the command. The response data may include a representation of a verbal response for output to the user as synthesize speech. The response data may additional or alternatively include an instruction for performance of an operation by another component of the system”); and
presenting, by the user device, the first output (¶[0113] teaches “the orchestrator component 230 may send (746) the response to the application 124 for output to the device 110”).
In addition, Zhou teaches determining a second account ID corresponding to the first account ID (Col. 7, lines 18-35 teaches “The process 300 may further include mapping together the third identifier ID3 with at least one of the first identifier ID1 or the second identifier ID2 to associate the third identifier ID3 with the User A at 312…may advantageously map user identifiers across multiple devices, even when the devices may be operating in different (or substantially different) ecosystems” );
wherein the second account ID enables access to first data to be used to process inputs corresponding to the second system (Col. 8, lines 4-16 teaches “…the process 300 may further include providing a personalized service or product tailored to User A…to the third device D3 associated with the third identifier ID3 at 314…may include determining a profile associated with the User A…selecting an advertisement from a plurality of advertisements based at least partially on the profile…”).
However, both Bobbili and Zhou fails to disclose or suggest the second account ID corresponding to a second system configured to process natural language inputs, associating the first natural language input with the second account ID; and processing the first natural language input associated with the second account ID using one or more system components corresponding to the first system and the second system as recited in independent claims 1 and 11. Although, transmitting and receiving account identifiers or passwords to provide secure access to user data is known in the art, one skilled in the art would have no rationale to modify the multiple assistant system taught by Bobbili to include associating the first natural language input with the second account ID and processing the first natural language input associated with the second account ID using one or more system components corresponding to the first system and the second system as specifically recited in independent claims 1 and 11.
Claims 3, 4, 6, 13, 14 and 16 variously depend from independent claims 1 or 11 and therefore are allowable over the prior art of record for at least their dependency from claim 1 or 11.
Claims 2, 5, 7-10, 12, 15 and 17-20 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Claims 2, 5, 7-10, 12, 15 and 17-20 variously depend from independent claim 1 or 11. Therefore, claims 2, 5, 7-10, 12, 15 and 17-20 are patentable over the prior art of record for at least those reasons presented above with respect to claims 1 and 11.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Zhou et al. (US 10,348,567 B2) teaches a method and system for mapping user identifiers between different device ecosystems.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PENNY L CAUDLE whose telephone number is (703)756-1432. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 8:00 am to 5:00 pm eastern.
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/PENNY L CAUDLE/Examiner, Art Unit 2657
/DANIEL C WASHBURN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2657
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