Office Action 2: Notice of Allowance (2025-06-30)

CLAIMS:
LISTING OF THE CLAIMS

1\. (Currently Amended) A method of operating a laundry treatment appliance in a commercial environment, the laundry treatment appliance comprising a user input panel, the user input panel comprising a plurality of light sources provided on the user input panel and an input provided on the user input panel, the plurality of light sources comprising a single light source associated with an appliance identifier , the method comprising:
receiving an input command from the input provided on the user input panel ;
initiating a predetermined lighting sequence of the single light source associated with the appliance identifier in response to receiving the input command;
activating, via a controller of the laundry treatment appliance, a wireless connection module in response to initiating the predetermined lighting sequence;
receiving a request for a remote connection from a remote device at the wireless connection module after the predetermined lighting sequence has been decoded at a remote server in operative communication with the laundry treatment appliance and the remote device in ;
establishing the remote connection between the laundry treatment appliance and the remote device; and
receiving laundry operation instructions corresponding to laundry settings for a laundry session specific to a user of the remote device from the remote device via the remote connection.
2\. (Canceled)
3\. (Currently Amended) The method of claim \[\[2\]\]1, further comprising:
deactivating the plurality of light sources before initiating the predetermined lighting sequence of the single light source associated with the appliance identifie .

4\. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined lighting sequence comprises:
selective activation and deactivation of the single light source at predetermined time intervals corresponding to the appliance identifier.

5\. (Original) The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined time intervals comprise five time intervals spaced apart from each other by equal increments.

6\. (Original) The method of claim 5, wherein the equal increments are between 0.1 second and 0.5 second.

7\. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1, further comprising:
capturing, via a camera of the remote device, the predetermined lighting sequence in response to initiating the predetermined lighting sequence.

8\. (Original) The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the input command comprises:
detecting a constant button press for a predetermined time increment.

9\. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined lighting sequence of the single light source comprises a plurality of unique lighting sequences, each unique lighting sequence being associated with an individual character of the appliance identifier.

10\. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1, wherein the single light source is a light emitting diode (LED) provided on a user input panel.

11\. (Currently Amended) A laundry operation system comprising:
a laundry treatment appliance comprising a user input panel;

 a plurality of light sources provided on the user input panel, the plurality of light sources comprising a single light source associated with an appliance identifier;
an input provided on the user input panel, the input selectively receiving input commands;
a remote device configured to selectively interact with the laundry treatment appliance;
and a controller operably coupled to the laundry treatment appliance, the plurality of light sources, the input, and the remote device, the controller configured to perform a connection operation, the connection operation comprising:receiving a first input command via the input;
deactivating the plurality of light sources in response to receiving the first input command:
initiating a predetermined lighting sequence of the single light source in response deactivating the plurality of light sources ;
capturing, via a camera of the remote device, the predetermined lighting sequence in response to initiating the predetermined lighting sequence of the single light source;
decoding the predetermined lighting sequence into a remote connection request;
establishing a remote connection between the laundry treatment appliance and the remote device after decoding the predetermined lighting sequence; and
receiving laundry operation instructions corresponding to laundry settings for a laundry session specific to a user of the remote device from the remote device via the remote connection.

12\. (Canceled)

13\. (Canceled)

14\. (Currently Amended) The laundry operation system of claim 11, wherein the predetermined lighting sequence comprises:

selective activation and deactivation of the single light source at predetermined time intervals corresponding to the appliance identifier.

15\. (Original) The laundry operation system of claim 14, wherein the predetermined time intervals comprise five time intervals spaced apart from each other by equal increments.

16\. (Original) The laundry operation system of claim 15, wherein the equal increments are between 0.1 second and 0.5 second.

17\. (Currently Amended) The laundry operation system of claim 11, wherein receiving thefirst input command comprises:
detecting a constant input command to the input for a predetermined time increment.

18\. (Currently Amended) The laundry operation system of claim 11, wherein the predetermined lighting sequence of the single light source comprises a plurality of unique lighting sequence, each unique lighting sequence being associated with an individual character of the appliance identifier.

19\. (Currently Amended) The laundry operation system of claim 11, wherein the single light source is a light emitting diode (LED) provided on the user input panel.

20\. (New) The method of claim 3, wherein deactivating the plurality of light sources before initiating the predetermined lighting sequence comprises:
determining that one or more of the plurality of light sources are illuminated upon receiving the input command, and
holding the one or more of the plurality of light sources that are determined to be illuminated in an unilluminated state prior to initiating the predetermined lighting sequence of the single light source.

21\. (New) The laundry operation system of claim 11, wherein the connection operation further comprises:
activating a wireless connection module in response to initiating the predetermined lighting sequence.

22\. (New) The laundry operation system of claim 11, wherein the connection operation further comprises:
transmitting the predetermined lighting sequence to a remote server in operative communication with the laundry treatment appliance and the remote device in response to capturing the predetermined lighting sequence,
wherein decoding the predetermined lighting sequence into the remote connection comprises:decoding, at the remote server, the predetermined lighting sequence associated with the appliance identifier into the remote connection request.

23\. (New) The laundry operation system of claim 11, wherein the appliance identifier includes a MAC address of the laundry treatment appliance.

OFFICE ACTION:
DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1, 3-11 and 14-23 and  are pending.  Claims 2 and 12-13 are cancelled and claims 21-23 are new.
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 .
REASONS FOR ALLOWANCE
Claims 1, 3-11 and 14-23 are allowable over the prior art of record.
The following is the Examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
While Nilsson et al. U.S. Patent Publication No. 20170290077 teaches a method of operating a device including initiating a predetermined lighting sequence to establish the remote connection between the device and the remote device,  Campbell et al. U.S. Patent Publication No. 20230068447 teaches operating a laundry treatment appliance comprising at least one light source and receiving laundry operation instructions from the remote device via the remote connection and Abdollahian et al. U.S. Patent Publication No. 20220095116 teaches a system and method for enabling a computing device to securely communicate with a peripheral computing device using light.
None of these references taken either alone or in combination with the prior art of record discloses a method of operating a laundry treatment appliance in a commercial environment, the laundry treatment appliance comprising a user input panel, the user input panel comprising a plurality of light sources provided on the user input panel and an input provided on the user input panel, the plurality of light sources comprising a single light source associated with an appliance identifier, the method comprising:
receiving an input command from the input provided on the user input panel;
initiating a predetermined lighting sequence of the single light source associated with the appliance identifier in response to receiving the input command;
activating, via a controller of the laundry treatment appliance, a wireless connection module in response to initiating the predetermined lighting sequence;
receiving a request for a remote connection from a remote device at the wireless connection module after the predetermined lighting sequence has been decoded at a remote server in operative communication with the laundry treatment appliance and the remote device;
establishing the remote connection between the laundry treatment appliance and the remote device; and
receiving laundry operation instructions  corresponding to laundry settings for a laundry session specific to a user of the remote device from the remote device via the remote connection, as in independent claim 1,
or
a laundry operation system comprising:
a laundry treatment appliance comprising a user input panel;
a plurality of light sources provided on the user input panel, the plurality of light sources comprising a single light source associated with an appliance identifier;
an input provided on the user input panel, the input selectively receiving input commands;
a remote device configured to selectively interact with the laundry treatment appliance; and
a controller operably coupled to the laundry treatment appliance, the plurality of light sources, the input, and the remote device, the controller configured to perform a connection operation, the connection operation comprising:
receiving a first input command via the input;
deactivating the plurality of light sources in response to receiving the first input command;
initiating a predetermined lighting sequence of the single light source in response deactivating the plurality of light sources;
capturing, via a camera of the remote device, the predetermined lighting sequence in response to initiating the predetermined lighting sequence of the single light source;
decoding the predetermined lighting sequence into a remote connection request;
establishing a remote connection between the laundry treatment appliance and the remote device after decoding the predetermined lighting sequence; and
receiving laundry operation instructions corresponding to laundry settings for a laundry session specific to a user of the remote device from the remote device via the remote connection, as in independent claim 11.
The dependent claims, being definite, further limiting, and fully enabled by the specification are persuasive over the prior art of record and depend on the independent claims.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee.  Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion

APPLICANT REBUTTAL: REMARKSApplicant respectfully requests reconsideration and allowance in view of this Response.No new matter is introduced by this Response.I.    Statement of the Interview Applicant thanks Examiner Lindsay for the courtesies extended during the telephone interview on April 24, 2025. During the interview, Examiner Lindsay and Applicant's representative discussed the claimed subject matter, the Office Action, and possible suggestions to further emphasize patent eligible, novel, and non-obvious features of the claimed subject matter.II.   Rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 103 Claims 1-4, 7, 9-14, and 18-19 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 for allegedly being obvious over Nilsson et al. (U.S. Patent Publication No. 20170290077) and Campbell et al. (U.S.Patent Publication No. 20230068447). Claims 5-6 and 15-16 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 for allegedly being obvious over Nilsson, Campbell, and Yu et al. (U.S. Patent Publication No. 20240292048). Claims 8 and 17 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 for allegedly being obvious over Nilsson, Campbell, and Brocker et al. (U.S. Patent Publication No. 20140379860).Without acquiescing to or otherwise commenting on the merits of the rejection, Applicant has amended the claims in the interest of advancing prosecution. For at least the following reasons, Applicant submits that the pending claims patentably define over the materials cited in the Office Action and requests that the rejections under § 103 be withdrawn.A.    Independent Claim 1 Claim I has been amended to recite a method of operating a laundry treatment appliance in a commercial environment. The method includes receiving an input command via the input provided on the user input panel; initiating a predetermined lighting sequence of a single light source associated with the appliance identifier in response to receiving the input command;activating, via a controller of the laundry treatment appliance, a wireless connection module in response to initiating the predetermined lighting sequence; receiving a request for a remote connection from a remote device after the predetermined lighting sequence has been decoded at a remote server in operative communication with the laundry treatment appliance and the remote device; establishing the remote connection between the laundry treatment appliance and the remote device; and receiving laundry operation instructions corresponding to laundry settings for a laundry session specific to a user of the remote device from the remote device via the remote connection. Applicant respectfully submits that such features are absent from and not indicated by the materials cited.For at least this reason, Applicant submits that claim 1 is not obvious over the materials cited in the Office Action. Applicant requests withdrawal of the rejection of claim 1 under § 103.B.
Independent Claims 11 Claim 11 has been amended to recite a laundry operation system includes a plurality of light sources provided on the user input panel, the plurality of light sources include a single light source associated with an appliance identifier. The laundry operation system further includes a controller configured to perform a connection operation, the connection operation includes receiving a first input command via the input; deactivating the plurality of light in response to receiving the first input command; initiating the predetermined lighting sequence of the single light source in response deactivating the plurality of light sources; capturing, via a camera of the remote device, the predetermined lighting sequence in response to initiating the predetermined lighting sequence of the single light source; decoding the predetermined lighting sequence into a remote connection request; establishing a remote connection between the laundry treatment appliance and the remote device after decoding the predetermined lighting sequence; and receiving laundry operation instructions corresponding to laundry settings for a laundry session specific to a user of the remote device from the remote device via the remote connection.Applicant respectfully submits that such features are absent from and not indicated by the materials cited.For at least this reason, Applicant submits that claim 11 is not obvious over the materials cited in the Office Action. Applicant requests withdrawal of the rejection of claim 11 under § 103.C.
Dependent Claims For at least the reasons discussed above with respect to the above independent claims, Applicant submits that the claims respectively dependent thereon are also not obvious over the materials cited in the Office Action. Applicant also notes that the patentability of the dependent claims certainly does not hinge on the patentability of independent claims. Some or all of these claims may possess features that are independently patentable, regardless of the patentability of the independent claims.III. Conclusion Applicant respectfully submits that the pending claims are patentable for at least the reasons set forth above. As such, it is believed that the present application is in complete condition for allowance. Applicant requests entry of this Response followed by allowance of the application. Examiner Lindsay is invited and encouraged to telephone the undersigned, however, if any issues remain after consideration of this Response.Please charge any additional fees required by this Response to the above-captioned Deposit Account.Respectfully submitted, DORITY & MANNING, P.A.May 9, 2025