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 lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 2, 5, 9-12 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jung (US 20190079557 A1).
As to claims 1 and 11, Jung discloses the claimed subject matter, including a communication unit (170, 220, Figs. 1, 2, paragraphs 0050, 0051, 0073, 0075) and at least one processor (120, 210, Figs. 1, 2, paragraphs 0043, 0045, 0073, 0074) and an external electronic device (102, 104, 106, Fig. 1, paragraphs 0050, 0052, 0053), wherein the at least one processor while electrically connected to the communication unit is configured to: identify that the external electronic device is connected through a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) cable (Figs. 7, 8, paragraphs 0137, 0139, 0144, 0145, 0051); identify whether the external electronic device supports a direct communication method using a radio resource (Figs. 7, 8, paragraphs 0137, 0139, 0144, 0147, 0051), based on the external electronic device being identified as supporting the direct communication method, transmit information identifying a media access control (MAC) address associated with the electronic device to the external electronic device to establish a wireless communication with the external electronic device based on the direct communication method (paragraphs 0098, 0109, 0113, 0138), and control the communication unit to transmit at least a portion of a control signal to be transmitted to the external electronic device through a bi-directional serial bus terminal provided in the HDMI cable, to the external electronic device through the wireless communication which is established with the electronic device (paragraphs 0098, 0102, 0138, 0150, 0207, 0212).
As to claims 2 and 12, the claimed limitation is disclosed by Jung (paragraph 0113).
As to claims 5 and 15, the claimed limitation is disclosed by Jung (paragraphs 01381-0141).
As to claim 9, the claimed limitation is disclosed by Jung (paragraph 0051).
As to claim 10, the claimed limitation is disclosed by Jung (paragraphs 0098, 0102, 0138, 0150, 0207, 0212).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 4, 6-8, 13 and 14 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Abraham (US 20230239329 A1) discloses systems and methods for scheduling feature activation and deactivation for communication devices in a multiple-device access environment.
Chiou (US 20170048577 A1) discloses a remote control method related to HDMI-CEC specification and system thereof.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Sherrie Hsia whose telephone number is (571)272-7347.
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, John Miller can be reached at 571-272-7353.
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.
Any response to this action should be mailed to:
Commissioner for Patents
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
Or faxed to:
(571) 273-8300
Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the Customer Service Office whose telephone number is 571-272-1000.
/SHERRIE HSIA/Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2422
SH
May 29, 2026
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