DETAILED ACTION
This application has been examined. Claims 1-7 are pending.
In order to facilitate communication with the Examiner and expedite the prosecution of the instant application the Applicant is requested to submit written authorization to authorize the USPTO to communicate via electronic mail. The written authorization must be compliant with the language from MPEP § 502.03.
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 .
Priority
This application claims benefits of priority from PCT Application PCT/JP2022/047901 filed December 26, 2022.
The effective date of the claims described in this application is December 26, 2022.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 6/24/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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) 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (USPGPUB 2016/0072832) further in view of Boudreau (USPGPUB 2020/0120103)
Regarding Claim 1
Kim Paragraph 49 disclosed wherein a user may communicate with the network devices 102, 104, 106 using an access device 108 and wherein the access device 108 may communicate with the network devices 102, 104, 106 via the gateways 110, 112 (e.g., communication signal 118).
Kim Paragraph 149 disclosed wherein network device 800 can monitor an operation of a device or device component and identify one or more “normal” parameters. A parameter can relate to a setting. Kim Paragraph 187 disclosed wherein normal activity parameter is determined based on user input and/or a device setting.
Kim Paragraph 257 disclosed wherein a local operation at the network device may be changed to help resolve the abnormal network device operation without user interaction.
Kim disclosed (re. Claim 1) a communication system comprising: a main signal transceiver configured to transmit and receive a main signal to and from an opposing device via a communication network in which a control device is disposed;(Kim-Paragraph 49,user may communicate with the network devices 102, 104, 106 using an access device 108 and wherein the access device 108 may communicate with the network devices 102, 104, 106 via the gateways 110, 112 (e.g., communication signal 118). )
and
a setting monitor configured to monitor a related setting in which change of a setting related to the main signal transceiver is to be restricted,(Kim-Paragraph 142, network device that detects abnormal network device operation… includes a network interface 810, activity/detector engine 815, normal activity characterization engine 820, suspicious activity condition engine 825, Paragraph 149, network device 800 can monitor an operation of a device or device component and identify one or more “normal” parameters. A parameter can relate to a setting. Kim Paragraph 187 disclosed wherein normal activity parameter is determined based on user input and/or a device setting.) and
performs rewriting with preset information (Kim-Paragraph 257, a local operation at the network device may be changed to help resolve the abnormal network device operation without user interaction… Changing the local operation can include turning off an ability to transmit communications or data, quarantining the suspect network device, implementing a new operation, ceasing implementation of an existing operation, changing a setting of the device (e.g., to a default or safe setting, such as a locked or secure setting) ) or blocks transmission between the main signal transceiver and the control device disposed in the communication network (Kim-Paragraph 257, a local operation at the network device may be changed to help resolve the abnormal network device operation without user interaction… Changing the local operation can include turning off an ability to transmit communications or data, quarantining the suspect network device, implementing a new operation, ceasing implementation of an existing operation, changing a setting of the device (e.g., to a default or safe setting, such as a locked or secure setting) ) in a case where a setting of the related setting is not a preset setting.
While Kim substantially disclosed the claimed invention Kim does not disclose (re. Claim 1) a case where a setting of the related setting is not a preset setting.
Boudreau Paragraph 123 disclosed wherein the configuration file may be parsed for a particular group of settings related to the connections settings, the device settings, the OS settings, the common settings. If the particular group of settings is related to the connections settings, then the apply settings module 414 may apply the connections settings specified in the configuration file. Method S1100 is advantageous because it may allow for a specific group of settings to be applied.
Boudreau disclosed (re. Claim 1) a case where a setting of the related setting is not a preset setting.( Boudreau-Paragraph 123,the configuration file may be parsed for a particular group of settings related to the connections settings, the device settings, the OS settings, the common settings. If the particular group of settings is related to the connections settings, then the apply settings module 414 may apply the connections settings specified in the configuration file. Method S1100 is advantageous because it may allow for a specific group of settings to be applied, Paragraph 115, configuration settings from a factory default file (e.g., default configuration file 418) that is embedded with the client device 102 may be applied )
Kim and Boudreau are analogous art because they present concepts and practices regarding home automation and configuration. Before the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention it would have been obvious to combine Boudreau into Kim. The motivation for the said combination would have been to implement a write-filter that is enabled during its normal operation so that if a user (e.g., a cashier, not an administrator) changes any configuration of an embedded image of the client device, such change does not persist across a reboot.(Boudreau-Paragraph 65)
Regarding Claim 6
Claim 6 (re. method) recites substantially similar limitations as Claim 1. Claim 6 is rejected on the same basis as Claim 1.
Regarding Claim 7
Claim 7 (re. non-transitory storage medium) recites substantially similar limitations as Claim 1. Claim 7 is rejected on the same basis as Claim 1.
Regarding Claim 2
Kim-Boudreau disclosed (re. Claim 2) a control signal transceiver configured to transmit and receive a control signal to and from the control device disposed in the communication network;(Kim-Paragraph 293, The access device 1600 may include one or more wireless transceivers 1606 connected to the bus 1618. The wireless transceiver 1606 may be operable to receive wireless signals) and a reception controller configured to construct a control signal path that enables access to the related setting with the control device via the control signal transceiver.(Kim-Paragraph 37, one or more gateways that allow client devices (e.g., network devices, access devices, or the like) to access the network by providing wired connections and/or wireless connections using radio frequency channels in one or more frequency bands.)
Regarding Claim 3
Kim-Boudreau disclosed (re. Claim 3) wherein the setting monitor and the reception controller are included in an accommodating device installed in a user's home (Kim-Paragraph 293, The access device 1600 may include one or more wireless transceivers 1606 connected to the bus 1618. The wireless transceiver 1606 may be operable to receive wireless signals…Paragraph 292,an interface that is built into an appliance or other device (e.g., television, refrigerator, security system) including the main signal transceiver and the control signal transceiver.
Regarding Claim 4
Kim-Boudreau disclosed (re. Claim 4) wherein the reception controller is included in an accommodating device installed in a user's home including the main signal transceiver and the control signal transceiver, (Kim-Paragraph 293, The access device 1600 may include one or more wireless transceivers 1606 connected to the bus 1618. The wireless transceiver 1606 may be operable to receive wireless signals…Paragraph 292,an interface that is built into an appliance or other device (e.g., television, refrigerator, security system) the setting monitor is included in the control device, and the setting monitor monitors the related setting at a predetermined interval or in response to a response from the reception controller (Kim-Paragraph 79, status or state of a network device can be indicated on a visual interface on the access device, for example within the tile with text and/or graphically. The status of the network device can change based on time (e.g., a period, an interval, or other time schedule) ) and rewrites the related setting with preset information, (Kim-Paragraph 257, a local operation at the network device may be changed to help resolve the abnormal network device operation without user interaction… Changing the local operation can include turning off an ability to transmit communications or data, quarantining the suspect network device, implementing a new operation, ceasing implementation of an existing operation, changing a setting of the device (e.g., to a default or safe setting, such as a locked or secure setting) ) or blocks transmission between the main signal transceiver and the control device disposed in the communication network (Kim-Paragraph 257, a local operation at the network device may be changed to help resolve the abnormal network device operation without user interaction… Changing the local operation can include turning off an ability to transmit communications or data, quarantining the suspect network device, implementing a new operation, ceasing implementation of an existing operation, changing a setting of the device (e.g., to a default or safe setting, such as a locked or secure setting) ) in a case where a setting of the related setting is not a preset setting. ( Boudreau-Paragraph 123,the configuration file may be parsed for a particular group of settings related to the connections settings, the device settings, the OS settings, the common settings. If the particular group of settings is related to the connections settings, then the apply settings module 414 may apply the connections settings specified in the configuration file. Method S1100 is advantageous because it may allow for a specific group of settings to be applied, Paragraph 115, configuration settings from a factory default file (e.g., default configuration file 418) that is embedded with the client device 102 may be applied )
Regarding Claim 5
Kim-Boudreau disclosed (re. Claim 5) further comprising a verifier configured to verify whether a setting for the related setting is valid, (Kim-Paragraph 142, network device that detects abnormal network device operation… includes a network interface 810, activity/detector engine 815, normal activity characterization engine 820, suspicious activity condition engine 825) wherein the setting monitor blocks transmission between the main signal transceiver and the communication network in a case where the verifier determines that a setting is not valid. (Kim-Paragraph 257, a local operation at the network device may be changed to help resolve the abnormal network device operation without user interaction… Changing the local operation can include turning off an ability to transmit communications or data, quarantining the suspect network device, implementing a new operation, ceasing implementation of an existing operation, changing a setting of the device (e.g., to a default or safe setting, such as a locked or secure setting) )
Conclusion
Examiner’s Note: In the case of amending the claimed invention, Applicant is respectfully requested to indicate the portion(s) of the specification which dictate(s) the structure relied on for proper interpretation and also to verify and ascertain the metes and bounds of the claimed invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GREG C BENGZON whose telephone number is (571)272-3944. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday 8 AM - 4:30 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, John Follansbee can be reached on (571) 272-3964. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GREG C BENGZON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2444
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