Office Action 1: Non-Final Rejection (2023-09-14)
Rejection types: 102 - Lack of Novelty, 103 - Obviousness

CLAIMS:
CLAIMS We claim:

1\. A method of authenticating an identity of an individual, the method comprising:
transmitting, at a first time, a first audio signal to a first smart device located in a first space;
obtaining first audio data captured by a first computing device associated with a first user, the first audio data including a recording of a second audio signal;
determining that the first audio signal and the second audio signal are sufficiently similar to be classified as a match;
determining, in response to classifying the first audio signal as matching the second audio signal, that the first user has a first user identity; and
thereby authenticating the first user for access to a secured resource for which the first user identity is authorized.

2\. The method of claim 1, wherein the second audio signal is produced by the first smart device in response to the transmission of the first audio signal.

3\. The method of claim 1, wherein the first audio data includes also includes ambient sounds for the first space.

4\. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving access information for the first smart device at a second time earlier than the first time;
storing the access information in a first record linked to the first user identity; and
using the access information to cause the first smart device to produce the second audio signal.

5\. The method of claim 1, wherein the secured resource includes one of a service, feature, and information for which access is restricted to one or more authorized persons.

6\. The method of claim 1, wherein the first audio data is obtained during a telephone or videoconferencing session between the first user and a service representative associated with the secured resource.

7\. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving location data for the first user corresponding to the first space; and
selecting the first smart device based on a tag associated with the first smart device indicating the first smart device is located in the first space.

8\. A method of authenticating an identity of an individual, the method comprising:
receiving access information for a first smart device located in a first space;
registering the first smart device with the access information in a first record linked to a first user identity;
receiving a request for access to a secured resource from a first user purporting to have the first user identity;
retrieving, in response to the request, the first record;
transmitting a first audio signal to the first smart device using the access information;
receiving data including a second audio signal from a first user device of the first user; and
permitting the first user access to the secured resource when the first audio signal and the second audio signal are deemed sufficiently similar to be classified as a match.

9\. The method of claim 8, further comprising registering a second smart device in a second record linked to the first user identity, the second record including a first tag indicating the second smart device is located in a second space.

10\. The method of claim 9, further comprising adding a second tag to the first record indicating the first smart device is located in the first space.

11\. The method of claim 10, further comprising:
receiving, from the first user device, information indicating that the first user device is in the first space; and
selecting the first smart device based on the second tag.

12\. The method of claim 8, wherein the first audio signal and second audio signal are classified as a positive match when the first user device is also near or in the first space.

13\. The method of claim 8, wherein the second audio signal is produced by the first smart device in response to the transmission of the first audio signal.

14\. The method of claim 13, wherein the second audio signal is captured by a microphone associated with the first user device.

15\. A system for authenticating an identity of an individual, the system comprising a processor and machine-readable media including instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
transmit, at a first time, a first audio signal to a first smart device located in a first space;
obtain first audio data captured by a first computing device associated with a first user, the first audio data including a recording of a second audio signal;
determine that the first audio signal and the second audio signal are sufficiently similar to be classified as a match;
determine, in response to classifying the first audio signal as matching the second audio signal, that the first user has a first user identity; and
authenticate the first person for access to a secured resource for which the first user identity is authorized.

16\. The system of claim 15, wherein the second audio signal is produced by the first smart device in response to the transmission of the first audio signal.

17\. The system of claim 15, wherein the first audio data includes also includes ambient sounds for the first space.

18\. The system of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:
receive access information for the first smart device at a second time earlier than the first time;
store the access information in a first record linked to the first user identity; and
use the access information to cause the first smart device to produce the second audio signal.

19\. The system of claim 15, wherein the secured resource includes one of a service, feature, and information for which access is restricted to one or more authorized persons.

20\. The system of claim 15, wherein the first audio data is obtained during a telephone or videoconferencing session between the first user and a service representative associated with the secured resource. 31 32 33 34 35

OFFICE ACTION:
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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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, 4, 5, 7-16, 18, 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wolosewicz (US Pub. 20200059468 A1).
Wolosewicz discloses the following limitation:
1. A method of authenticating an identity of an individual, the method comprising:
transmitting, at a first time, a first audio signal to a first smart device located in a first space (para. 23- provide a one-time password (OTP) via tone, token, or other type of data element. The smart speaker server, 104 may then transmit the tone which may be played by smart speaker 102.);
obtaining first audio data captured by a first computing device associated with a first user, the first audio data including a recording of a second audio signal (para. 23- The tone may be received and decoded by the mobile app residing on mobile device 110 belonging to user 112);
determining that the first audio signal and the second audio signal are sufficiently similar to be classified as a match (para. 30- Once the OTP is received by the ASRV via an SSL link to complete an authentication cycle, the received OTP is compared to the OTP originally sent by ASRV and is accepted as a match,);
determining, in response to classifying the first audio signal as matching the second audio signal, that the first user has a first user identity (para. 23- The user is identified and the user identifying information is sent to smart speaker server 104 to confirm that an authorized user has been identified.); and
thereby authenticating the first user for access to a secured resource for which the first user identity is authorized (para. 30- the user authentication is successful whereupon the method continues to a step 408 to allow the user to execute secure transactions over the smart speaker.).
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second audio signal is produced by the first smart device in response to the transmission of the first audio signal. (para. 23- provide a one-time password (OTP) via tone, token, or other type of data element. The smart speaker server, 104 may then transmit the tone which may be played by smart speaker 102.)
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving access information for the first smart device at a second time earlier than the first time; storing the access information in a first record linked to the first user identity; and using the access information to cause the first smart device to produce the second audio signal. (para. 24- At a first step 202, the method registers a client. A client is an entity that subscribes to the authentication system to provide authenticated users with goods or services or both. At a next step 204, the method registers a user. Notably, registering a user may occur regardless of whether there are registered clients as the steps 202 and 204 are independent of one another. Registering a user requires a user to download and run an application on their mobile device (i.e. mobile app) that will enable communication between the user's mobile device and an ASRV. Once registration is completed, the method enables authenticated users to execute secure transactions at a step 206, which will be discussed in further detail below for FIGS. 3 and 4.)
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the secured resource includes one of a service, feature, and information for which access is restricted to one or more authorized persons. (para. 30- the user authentication is successful whereupon the method continues to a step 408 to allow the user to execute secure transactions over the smart speaker.)
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving location data for the first user corresponding to the first space; and selecting the first smart device based on a tag associated with the first smart device indicating the first smart device is located in the first space. (para. 40- user authentication for voice-controlled systems with added security provided by checking IP based geo-location of the smart speaker and comparing it to the GPS based location of the user's mobile device.; IP geo-location = tag)
8. A method of authenticating an identity of an individual, the method comprising:
receiving access information for a first smart device located in a first space; registering the first smart device with the access information in a first record linked to a first user identity (para. 24- At a first step 202, the method registers a client. A client is an entity that subscribes to the authentication system to provide authenticated users with goods or services or both. At a next step 204, the method registers a user. Notably, registering a user may occur regardless of whether there are registered clients as the steps 202 and 204 are independent of one another. Registering a user requires a user to download and run an application on their mobile device (i.e. mobile app) that will enable communication between the user's mobile device and an ASRV. Once registration is completed, the method enables authenticated users to execute secure transactions at a step 206, which will be discussed in further detail below for FIGS. 3 and 4.);
receiving a request for access to a secured resource from a first user purporting to have the first user identity (para. 25- At a first step 302, the method requires the authentication app to be activated by a user desiring to conduct a secure transaction. The authentication app may be run in background or may be started and stopped as desired by a user. At a next step 304, the user invokes the smart speaker to open an authentication session. Thus, in one embodiment, a user may use a voice command such as, “authenticate me,” directed to a smart speaker.);
retrieving, in response to the request, the first record (para. 25- In practice, the smart speaker, upon receiving the voice command forwards the request to a smart speaker server (see FIG. 1, 104). The smart speaker server interprets the voice command and makes a request to an ASRV (FIG. 1, 106) to authenticate the user. At a next step 308, the method generates and sends a sonic one-time password (OTP) to the smart speaker. In this implementation, the ASRV generates a sonic OTP.);
transmitting a first audio signal to the first smart device using the access information (para. 23- provide a one-time password (OTP) via tone, token, or other type of data element. The smart speaker server, 104 may then transmit the tone which may be played by smart speaker 102.);
receiving data including a second audio signal from a first user device of the first user (para. 23- The tone may be received and decoded by the mobile app residing on mobile device 110 belonging to user 112); and
permitting the first user access to the secured resource when the first audio signal and the second audio signal are deemed sufficiently similar to be classified as a match. (para. 30- Once the OTP is received by the ASRV via an SSL link to complete an authentication cycle, the received OTP is compared to the OTP originally sent by ASRV and is accepted as a match)
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising registering a second smart device in a second record linked to the first user identity, the second record including a first tag indicating the second smart device is located in a second space. (para. 32- It may be desirable to authenticate a user's guest to execute secure transactions over the user's smart speaker system. In this example, a user may wish to give limited access to a guest for a limited period of time. Thus, at a step 502, a user authentication server interface is opened by a user using the mobile device authentication app. At a step 504, the user sets guest conditions such as access duration and access limitations. The guest may then register their device at a step 506 whereupon the method closes the user authentication server interface at a step 508.)
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising adding a second tag to the first record indicating the first smart device is located in the first space. (para. 40- user authentication for voice-controlled systems with added security provided by checking IP based geo-location of the smart speaker and comparing it to the GPS based location of the user's mobile device.; GPS = second tag)
11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: receiving, from the first user device, information indicating that the first user device is in the first space; and selecting the first smart device based on the second tag. (para. 40- user authentication for voice-controlled systems with added security provided by checking IP based geo-location of the smart speaker and comparing it to the GPS based location of the user's mobile device.; GPS = second tag)
12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first audio signal and second audio signal are classified as a positive match when the first user device is also near or in the first space. (para. 33- Additional proximity confirmation may be provided by checking IP based geo-location of the smart speaker to the GPS based location of the user's mobile device.)
13. The method of claim 8, wherein the second audio signal is produced by the first smart device in response to the transmission of the first audio signal. (para. 44- sonic OTP would be transmitted from the user's authentication app to the smart speaker. The microphone contained in the smart speaker would receive the sonic OTP, transmit it to the smart speaker server, which would then transmit it to the ASRV to decode the sonic OTP and extract the OTP for OTP match verification as in previous embodiments. In this embodiment, the OTP transmission cycle is reversed, as the OTP generated by the ASRV is sent to the authentication app and then received by the smart speaker. In this embodiment, the OTP may be sent to the authentication app as a sonic OTP in audio format such a .WAV or MP3 or in its unencoded, raw format, in which case the OTP would be encoded into a sonic OTP by the app prior to sonic transmission from the user's cell phone speaker.)
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second audio signal is captured by a microphone associated with the first user device. (para. 44- sonic OTP would be transmitted from the user's authentication app to the smart speaker. The microphone contained in the smart speaker would receive the sonic OTP, transmit it to the smart speaker server, which would then transmit it to the ASRV to decode the sonic OTP and extract the OTP for OTP match verification as in previous embodiments. In this embodiment, the OTP transmission cycle is reversed, as the OTP generated by the ASRV is sent to the authentication app and then received by the smart speaker. In this embodiment, the OTP may be sent to the authentication app as a sonic OTP in audio format such a .WAV or MP3 or in its unencoded, raw format, in which case the OTP would be encoded into a sonic OTP by the app prior to sonic transmission from the user's cell phone speaker.)
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.
Claims 3 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wolosewicz and further in view of Dunjic et al. (US Pub. 20210385205 A1).
Regarding claim 3, although Wolosewicz teaches using a microphone picking up an audio OTP (mp3) being played from a speaker, the microphone would pick up any surrounding sounds (see Fig. 1, para. 44), Wolosewicz does not specifically teach the first audio data includes also includes ambient sounds for the first space. However, in the related art of using an audio signal to authenticate based on two devices in proximity of each other, Dunjic teaches the first audio data also includes ambient sounds for the first space (see para. 100).  Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have found it obvious to use this teaching Dunjic with the disclosure of Wolosewicz as a known factor of recorded audio data where a portion of the recorded audio data is the OTP and the remainder of the recorded sound would be background noise from which the OTP audio signal would be extracted using error correction as suggested by Dunjic,
Claims 6 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wolosewicz and further in view of Burch et al. (US Pub. 20150215299 A1).
Regarding claim 6, Wolosewicz does not specifically teach wherein the first audio data is obtained during a telephone or videoconferencing session between the first user and a service representative associated with the secured resource.  However, in the related art of using an audio signal to authenticate based on two devices in proximity of teach other, Burch teaches the first audio data is obtained during a telephone or videoconferencing session between the first user and a service representative associated with the secured resource (see paras. 49-57; 67).  Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have found it obvious to use this teaching of Burch with the disclosure of Wolosewicz as a known way of performing the proximity authentication with a fixed landline phone as suggested by Burch (see para. 71)
Regarding claims 15-20, they are rejected as applied to claims 1-6 because a corresponding system would have been necessitated to carry forth the method steps of claims 1-6.  The applied prior art also discloses the corresponding architecture.
Conclusion

APPLICANT REBUTTAL: REMARKS
This Amendment is submitted in response to the Office Action mailed on September 14, 2023. The claims have been amended to clarify the invention. Upon entry of this Amendment, claims 1-20 will be pending in this application, with claims 1, 8, and 15 being independent. Support for the amendments above is provided in the original disclosure, including the original drawings, specification, and claims. No new matter has been added.
Examiner Interview
The Applicant thanks Examiner William Corum Jr. for the courtesies
extended to the Applicant's representative, Jeremy Thissell, during the telephone interview conducted on December 27, 2023. During the December 27 Interview, the cited references were discussed, as well as their application to the independent claims.
Agreement was reached that adding language to the independent claims clarifying how the user's location is authenticated would likely advance prosecution. Applicant submits that the amendments above and the remarks below are consistent with the topics discussed during the interview. The Interview Summary mailed on January 2, 2024 provides an accurate account of the December 27 interview. Applicant understands that a further search may be conducted after the amendment has been formally presented.
Response to Claim Re
l
ections
Claims 1, 2, 4, 5, 7-16, 18, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. §
102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wolosewicz (US 2020/0059468). Claims 3 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Wolosewicz in view of Dunjic et al. (US 2021/0385205). Claims 6 and 20 are rejected under 35
USC 103 as being unpatentable over Wolosewicz and Burch et al. (US 2015/0215299). Independent claims 1, 8, and 15 have been amended to clarify the invention.
Independent claim 1 has been amended to specify the steps of:
receiving an assertion of user location from the individual; [and] automatically identifying a first smart device, from a collection of
preregistered user devices, based on the asserted user location ... .
Original claim 7 is directed to receiving location data. With respect to claim 7, the Office Action refers to Wolosewicz paragraph [0040], noting that Wolosewicz teaches IP based geo-location of the smart speaker and comparing it to the GPS based location of the user's mobile device. Applicant respectfully submits that the automatic identification of the first smart device is a fundamentally different procedure than matching the geo-location of the smart speaker and user's mobile
device. Accordingly, Applicant respectfully submits that amended independent claim 1 distinguishes over the cited art.
Independent claims 8 and 15 have been amended similarly to independent
claim 1. Accordingly, Applicant respectfully submits that independent claims 8 and 15 are distinguishable over the cited art for at least similar reasons to those discussed above with respect to independent claim 1.
In addition, each of claims 2-7, 9-14, and 16-20 is dependent on one of
independent claims 1, 8, and 15. Accordingly, each of claims 2-7, 9-14, and 16- 20 is allowable for at least the same reasons that the independent claim from
which it respectively depends is allowable.
Conclusion

NEXT OFFICE ACTION: 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 .
Claims 1-20 are pending.  Claims 1, 8, and 15 have been amended.
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s amendments to claims 1, 8, and 15 have been considered and are accepted.  The Examiner finds that applicant's amendments do have support in applicant's as-filed disclosure.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed 01/12/2024 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments regarding the rejections of the claims under the prior art have been fully considered.  However, those arguments are rendered moot in light of the new grounds of rejection outlined below, which were necessitated by the applicant's amendment.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 4, 5, 7-16, 18, 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wolosewicz (US Pub. 20200059468 A1) and further in view of Pratt et al. (US Pub. 20200335106 A1).
Regarding claim 1 (currently amended), Wolosewicz discloses a method of authenticating an identity of an individual, the method comprising:
transmitting, at a first time, a first audio signal to a first smart device located in a first space (para. 23- provide a one-time password (OTP) via tone, token, or other type of data element. The smart speaker server, 104 may then transmit the tone which may be played by smart speaker 102.);
obtaining first audio data captured by a first computing device associated with the individual, the first audio data including a recording of a second audio signal (para. 23- The tone may be received and decoded by the mobile app residing on mobile device 110 belonging to user 112);
determining that the first audio signal and the second audio signal are sufficiently similar to be classified as a match (para. 30- Once the OTP is received by the ASRV via an SSL link to complete an authentication cycle, the received OTP is compared to the OTP originally sent by ASRV and is accepted as a match,);
determining, in response to classifying the first audio signal as matching the second audio signal, that the individual has a first user identity (para. 23- The user is identified and the user identifying information is sent to smart speaker server 104 to confirm that an authorized user has been identified.); and
thereby authenticating the individual for access to a secured resource for which the first user is authorized (para. 30- the user authentication is successful whereupon the method continues to a step 408 to allow the user to execute secure transactions over the smart speaker.).
Wolosewicz does not specifically teach receiving an assertion of user location from the individual and automatically identifying a first smart device from a collection of preregistered user devices based on the assert user location.  However, in the related art of using smart speakers/agents to process audio requests for authorized users, Pratt teaches receiving an assertion of user location from the individual and automatically identifying a first smart device from a collection of preregistered user devices based on the assert user location (see paras. 24, 28-30).  Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have found it obvious to use this teaching of Pratt with the disclosure of Wolosewicz as a known way ensuring that the closest/most appropriate smart device is user for user authentication.
Regarding claim 2, Wolosewics discloses in the method of claim 1, wherein the second audio signal is produced by the first smart device in response to the transmission of the first audio signal. (para. 23- provide a one-time password (OTP) via tone, token, or other type of data element. The smart speaker server, 104 may then transmit the tone which may be played by smart speaker 102.)
Regarding claim 4, Wolosewics discloses in the method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving access information for the first smart device at a second time earlier than the first time; storing the access information in a first record linked to the first user identity; and using the access information to cause the first smart device to produce the second audio signal. (para. 24- At a first step 202, the method registers a client. A client is an entity that subscribes to the authentication system to provide authenticated users with goods or services or both. At a next step 204, the method registers a user. Notably, registering a user may occur regardless of whether there are registered clients as the steps 202 and 204 are independent of one another. Registering a user requires a user to download and run an application on their mobile device (i.e. mobile app) that will enable communication between the user's mobile device and an ASRV. Once registration is completed, the method enables authenticated users to execute secure transactions at a step 206, which will be discussed in further detail below for FIGS. 3 and 4.)
Regarding claim 5, Wolosewics discloses in the method of claim 1, wherein the secured resource includes one of a service, feature, and information for which access is restricted to one or more authorized persons. (para. 30- the user authentication is successful whereupon the method continues to a step 408 to allow the user to execute secure transactions over the smart speaker.)
Regarding claim 7, Wolosewics discloses in the method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving location data for the first user corresponding to the first space; and selecting the first smart device based on a tag associated with the first smart device indicating the first smart device is located in the first space. (para. 40- user authentication for voice-controlled systems with added security provided by checking IP based geo-location of the smart speaker and comparing it to the GPS based location of the user's mobile device.; IP geo-location = tag)
Regarding claim 8 (currently amended), the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated herein. Wolosewics discloses a method of authenticating an identity of an individual, the method comprising:
receiving access information for a first smart device located in a first space; registering the first smart device with the access information in a first record linked to a first user identity (para. 24- At a first step 202, the method registers a client. A client is an entity that subscribes to the authentication system to provide authenticated users with goods or services or both. At a next step 204, the method registers a user. Notably, registering a user may occur regardless of whether there are registered clients as the steps 202 and 204 are independent of one another. Registering a user requires a user to download and run an application on their mobile device (i.e. mobile app) that will enable communication between the user's mobile device and an ASRV. Once registration is completed, the method enables authenticated users to execute secure transactions at a step 206, which will be discussed in further detail below for FIGS. 3 and 4.);
receiving a request for access to a secured resource from a first user purporting to have the first user identity (para. 25- At a first step 302, the method requires the authentication app to be activated by a user desiring to conduct a secure transaction. The authentication app may be run in background or may be started and stopped as desired by a user. At a next step 304, the user invokes the smart speaker to open an authentication session. Thus, in one embodiment, a user may use a voice command such as, “authenticate me,” directed to a smart speaker.);
retrieving, in response to the request for access, the first record (para. 25- In practice, the smart speaker, upon receiving the voice command forwards the request to a smart speaker server (see FIG. 1, 104). The smart speaker server interprets the voice command and makes a request to an ASRV (FIG. 1, 106) to authenticate the user. At a next step 308, the method generates and sends a sonic one-time password (OTP) to the smart speaker. In this implementation, the ASRV generates a sonic OTP.);
transmitting a first audio signal to the first smart device using the access information (para. 23- provide a one-time password (OTP) via tone, token, or other type of data element. The smart speaker server, 104 may then transmit the tone which may be played by smart speaker 102.);
receiving data including a second audio signal from a first user device of the individual (para. 23- The tone may be received and decoded by the mobile app residing on mobile device 110 belonging to user 112); and
permitting the individual access to the secured resource when the first audio signal and the second audio signal are deemed sufficiently similar to be classified as a match. (para. 30- Once the OTP is received by the ASRV via an SSL link to complete an authentication cycle, the received OTP is compared to the OTP originally sent by ASRV and is accepted as a match)
Wolosewicz does not specifically teach the request for access including an assertion of user location from the individual and automatically identifying a first smart device from a collection of preregistered user devices based on the assert user location.  However, in the related art of using smart speakers/agents to process audio requests for authorized users, Pratt teaches the request for access including an assertion of user location from the individual and automatically identifying a first smart device from a collection of preregistered user devices based on the assert user location (see paras. 24, 28-30).  Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have found it obvious to use this teaching of Pratt with the disclosure of Wolosewicz as a known way ensuring that the closest/most appropriate smart device is user for user authentication.
Regarding claim 9, Wolosewics discloses in the method of claim 8, further comprising registering a second smart device in a second record linked to the first user identity, the second record including a first tag indicating the second smart device is located in a second space. (para. 32- It may be desirable to authenticate a user's guest to execute secure transactions over the user's smart speaker system. In this example, a user may wish to give limited access to a guest for a limited period of time. Thus, at a step 502, a user authentication server interface is opened by a user using the mobile device authentication app. At a step 504, the user sets guest conditions such as access duration and access limitations. The guest may then register their device at a step 506 whereupon the method closes the user authentication server interface at a step 508.)
Regarding claim 10 Wolosewics discloses in the method of claim 9, further comprising adding a second tag to the first record indicating the first smart device is located in the first space. (para. 40- user authentication for voice-controlled systems with added security provided by checking IP based geo-location of the smart speaker and comparing it to the GPS based location of the user's mobile device.; GPS = second tag)
Regarding claim 11 Wolosewics discloses in the method of claim 10, further comprising: receiving, from the first user device, information indicating that the first user device is in the first space; and selecting the first smart device based on the second tag. (para. 40- user authentication for voice-controlled systems with added security provided by checking IP based geo-location of the smart speaker and comparing it to the GPS based location of the user's mobile device.; GPS = second tag)
Regarding claim 12 Wolosewics discloses in the method of claim 8, wherein the first audio signal and second audio signal are classified as a positive match when the first user device is also near or in the first space. (para. 33- Additional proximity confirmation may be provided by checking IP based geo-location of the smart speaker to the GPS based location of the user's mobile device.)
Regarding claim 13 Wolosewics discloses in the method of claim 8, wherein the second audio signal is produced by the first smart device in response to the transmission of the first audio signal. (para. 44- sonic OTP would be transmitted from the user's authentication app to the smart speaker. The microphone contained in the smart speaker would receive the sonic OTP, transmit it to the smart speaker server, which would then transmit it to the ASRV to decode the sonic OTP and extract the OTP for OTP match verification as in previous embodiments. In this embodiment, the OTP transmission cycle is reversed, as the OTP generated by the ASRV is sent to the authentication app and then received by the smart speaker. In this embodiment, the OTP may be sent to the authentication app as a sonic OTP in audio format such a .WAV or MP3 or in its unencoded, raw format, in which case the OTP would be encoded into a sonic OTP by the app prior to sonic transmission from the user's cell phone speaker.)
Regarding claim 14 Wolosewics discloses in the method of claim 13, wherein the second audio signal is captured by a microphone associated with the first user device. (para. 44- sonic OTP would be transmitted from the user's authentication app to the smart speaker. The microphone contained in the smart speaker would receive the sonic OTP, transmit it to the smart speaker server, which would then transmit it to the ASRV to decode the sonic OTP and extract the OTP for OTP match verification as in previous embodiments. In this embodiment, the OTP transmission cycle is reversed, as the OTP generated by the ASRV is sent to the authentication app and then received by the smart speaker. In this embodiment, the OTP may be sent to the authentication app as a sonic OTP in audio format such a .WAV or MP3 or in its unencoded, raw format, in which case the OTP would be encoded into a sonic OTP by the app prior to sonic transmission from the user's cell phone speaker.)
Claims 3 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wolosewicz and Pratt and further in view of Dunjic et al. (US Pub. 20210385205 A1).
Regarding claim 3, although Wolosewicz teaches using a microphone picking up an audio OTP (mp3) being played from a speaker, the microphone would pick up any surrounding sounds (see Fig. 1, para. 44), Wolosewicz does not specifically teach the first audio data includes also includes ambient sounds for the first space. However, in the related art of using an audio signal to authenticate based on two devices in proximity of each other, Dunjic teaches the first audio data also includes ambient sounds for the first space (see para. 100).  Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have found it obvious to use this teaching Dunjic with the disclosure of Wolosewicz as a known factor of recorded audio data where a portion of the recorded audio data is the OTP and the remainder of the recorded sound would be background noise from which the OTP audio signal would be extracted using error correction as suggested by Dunjic,
Claims 6 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wolosewicz and Pratt and further in view of Burch et al. (US Pub. 20150215299 A1).
Regarding claim 6, Wolosewicz does not specifically teach wherein the first audio data is obtained during a telephone or videoconferencing session between the first user and a service representative associated with the secured resource.  However, in the related art of using an audio signal to authenticate based on two devices in proximity of teach other, Burch teaches the first audio data is obtained during a telephone or videoconferencing session between the first user and a service representative associated with the secured resource (see paras. 49-57; 67).  Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have found it obvious to use this teaching of Burch with the disclosure of Wolosewicz as a known way of performing the proximity authentication with a fixed landline phone as suggested by Burch (see para. 71)
Regarding claims 15-20, they are rejected as applied to claims 1-6 because a corresponding system would have been necessitated to carry forth the method steps of claims 1-6.  The applied prior art also discloses the corresponding architecture.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action.  Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL.  See MPEP § 706.07(a).  Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action.  In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action.  In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.

CITED REFERENCE SUMMARIES: Ref US20200059468A1: Claims:
A method for authenticating a user utilizing a smart speaker system, the method comprising: requesting a user authentication session by issuing a voice command to a smart speaker by the user; playing a sonic one-time password (OTP) on the smart speaker received from an authentication server in response to the requesting the user authentication session; receiving the sonic OTP by a mobile device of the user; transmitting a decoded OTP decoded from the sonic OTP to the authentication server by the mobile device; and authorizing the user by the authentication server to execute a secure transaction using the smart speaker system.
requesting a user authentication session by issuing a voice command to a smart speaker by the user;
playing a sonic one-time password (OTP) on the smart speaker received from an authentication server in response to the requesting the user authentication session;
receiving the sonic OTP by a mobile device of the user;
transmitting a decoded OTP decoded from the sonic OTP to the authentication server by the mobile device; and
authorizing the user by the authentication server to execute a secure transaction using the smart speaker system.
The method of claim 2 , further comprising: in response to the requesting the user authentication session, generating an OTP by the authentication server; encoding the OTP into a sonic OTP by the authentication server; and sending the sonic OTP to the smart speaker system.
in response to the requesting the user authentication session,
generating an OTP by the authentication server;
encoding the OTP into a sonic OTP by the authentication server; and
sending the sonic OTP to the smart speaker system.
The method of claim 3 , wherein the sonic OTP encoding requires that each OTP bit is coded in a narrow band spread spectrum audio signal centered at a far end of a decodable audio spectrum.
The method of claim 4 , wherein each OTP bit is represented by a 63-chip Pseudo Noise (PN) sequence symbol that is correlated to securely store a PN pattern in a DSP codec algorithm.
The method of claim 3 , wherein the sonic OTP is an MP3 file.
The method of claim 3 , wherein the sending is accomplished over an SSL channel established by a mutual authentication of a plurality of SSL certificates.
The method of claim 2 , further comprising: in response to receiving the sonic OTP by the mobile device of the user, decoding the sonic OTP by a mobile application on the mobile device.
in response to receiving the sonic OTP by the mobile device of the user, decoding the sonic OTP by a mobile application on the mobile device.
The method of claim 2 , wherein the authorizing the user by the authentication server comprises: determining whether a timeout is required; and if the timeout is required, terminating the user authentication session.
determining whether a timeout is required; and
if the timeout is required, terminating the user authentication session.
The method of claim 2 , wherein the authorizing the user by the authentication server further comprises: determining whether the decoded OTP matches the OTP encoded by the authentication server; and if the decoded OTP and the OTP do not match, terminating the user authentication session.
determining whether the decoded OTP matches the OTP encoded by the authentication server; and
if the decoded OTP and the OTP do not match, terminating the user authentication session.
The method of claim 9 , wherein the timeout comprises a process window of less than approximately 0.5 seconds.
The method of claim 2 , wherein the mobile device and the smart speaker are required to be located within close proximity.
The method of claim 12 , wherein close proximity is determined by comparing a GPS based location of the mobile device and an IP geo-location of the smart speaker.
The method of claim 2 , further comprising: registering a guest on the smart speaker, wherein the registering comprises: opening a user authentication server interface by the user; setting a plurality of guest conditions for the guest; and closing the user authentication server interface.
registering a guest on the smart speaker, wherein the registering comprises: opening a user authentication server interface by the user; setting a plurality of guest conditions for the guest; and closing the user authentication server interface.
opening a user authentication server interface by the user;
setting a plurality of guest conditions for the guest; and
closing the user authentication server interface.
A system for authenticating a user comprising: an authentication server configured to manage a user authentication session; a smart speaker system in electronic communication with the authentication server, the smart speaker system configured to manage user data corresponding with the user authentication session; and a mobile device in wireless communication with the authentication server and the smart speaker system, the mobile device configured to manage passwords corresponding with the user authentication session.
an authentication server configured to manage a user authentication session;
a smart speaker system in electronic communication with the authentication server, the smart speaker system configured to manage user data corresponding with the user authentication session; and
a mobile device in wireless communication with the authentication server and the smart speaker system, the mobile device configured to manage passwords corresponding with the user authentication session.
The system of claim 15 , wherein the authentication server comprises: a one-time-password (OTP) generator for generating an OTP; and an OTP encoder for generating a sonic OTP from the OTP.
a one-time-password (OTP) generator for generating an OTP; and
an OTP encoder for generating a sonic OTP from the OTP.
The system of claim 16 , wherein the smart speaker system comprises: a smart speaker for receiving vocal commands from a user and for playing the sonic OTP; and a smart speaker server for handling electronic communication between the smart speaker and the authorization server.
a smart speaker for receiving vocal commands from a user and for playing the sonic OTP; and
a smart speaker server for handling electronic communication between the smart speaker and the authorization server.
The system of claim 16 , wherein the mobile device comprises: a mobile application for decoding the sonic OPT to a decoded OTP.
a mobile application for decoding the sonic OPT to a decoded OTP.
The system of claim 18 , wherein the authentication server further comprises: a password comparator for comparing the OTP with the decoded OTP.
a password comparator for comparing the OTP with the decoded OTP.
Ref US20190362064A1: Claims:
A method for allowing a user access to a computer-controlled resource, comprising: transmitting an authentication challenge to a computing device D of the user; receiving an authentication response as a human-inaudible acoustic signal automatically transmitted from the computing device without input from the user; and allowing access to the computer-controlled resource responsive to the received authentication response.
transmitting an authentication challenge to a computing device D of the user;
receiving an authentication response as a human-inaudible acoustic signal automatically transmitted from the computing device without input from the user; and
allowing access to the computer-controlled resource responsive to the received authentication response.
The method of claim 1 , wherein the human-inaudible acoustic signal automatically transmitted from the computing device without input from the user comprises an OFDM-modulated acoustic signal.
The method of claim 2 , wherein the human-inaudible acoustic signal automatically transmitted from the computing device without input from the user comprises a Reed-Solomon encoded OFDM-modulated acoustic signal.
The method of claim 1 , further comprising obtaining one or both of a unique speaker fingerprint and a unique microphone fingerprint of the computing device; and wherein allowing access to the computer-controlled resource responsive to the received authentication response comprises: comparing the obtained one or both of the unique speaker fingerprint and the unique microphone fingerprint of the computing device to a previously obtained one or both of the unique speaker fingerprint and the unique microphone fingerprint of the computing device of the user; and allowing access to the computer-controlled resource responsive to the received authentication response and further responsive to the comparison of the obtained one or both of the unique speaker fingerprint and the unique microphone fingerprint of the computing device to the previously obtained one or both of the unique speaker fingerprint and the unique microphone fingerprint of the computing device of the user.
wherein allowing access to the computer-controlled resource responsive to the received authentication response comprises:
comparing the obtained one or both of the unique speaker fingerprint and the unique microphone fingerprint of the computing device to a previously obtained one or both of the unique speaker fingerprint and the unique microphone fingerprint of the computing device of the user; and
allowing access to the computer-controlled resource responsive to the received authentication response and further responsive to the comparison of the obtained one or both of the unique speaker fingerprint and the unique microphone fingerprint of the computing device to the previously obtained one or both of the unique speaker fingerprint and the unique microphone fingerprint of the computing device of the user.
The method of claim 4 , wherein obtaining the unique speaker fingerprint of the computing device comprises: transmitting a first plurality of audio signals, each at different frequencies, from a speaker of the computing device D; receiving and recording the first plurality of transmitted audio signals at a microphone of an access control device B and at a microphone of the computing device D; estimating a first plurality of energy losses associated with transmitting the first plurality of audio signals, each at different frequencies, from the speaker of the computing device D and receiving the first plurality of transmitted audio signals at the microphone of the computing device D; estimating a second plurality of energy losses associated with transmitting the first plurality of audio signals, each at different frequencies, from the speaker of the computing device D and receiving the first plurality of transmitted audio signals at the microphone of the access control device B; and obtaining the unique speaker fingerprint of the computing device based on the estimated first and second plurality of energy losses.
transmitting a first plurality of audio signals, each at different frequencies, from a speaker of the computing device D;
receiving and recording the first plurality of transmitted audio signals at a microphone of an access control device B and at a microphone of the computing device D;
estimating a first plurality of energy losses associated with transmitting the first plurality of audio signals, each at different frequencies, from the speaker of the computing device D and receiving the first plurality of transmitted audio signals at the microphone of the computing device D;
estimating a second plurality of energy losses associated with transmitting the first plurality of audio signals, each at different frequencies, from the speaker of the computing device D and receiving the first plurality of transmitted audio signals at the microphone of the access control device B; and
obtaining the unique speaker fingerprint of the computing device based on the estimated first and second plurality of energy losses.
The method of claim 5 , wherein estimating the first plurality of energy losses comprises: estimating the received audio signal power at each of the different frequencies for the received first plurality of transmitted audio signals recorded at the computing device D based on a transmission power at which the first plurality of audio signals are transmitted, an energy loss due to the speaker of the computing device D, and an energy loss of the microphone of the computing device D; and wherein estimating the second plurality of energy losses comprises: estimating the received audio signal power at each of the different frequencies for the received first plurality of transmitted audio signals recorded at the access control device B based on a transmission power at which the first plurality of audio signals are transmitted, an energy loss due to the speaker of the computing device, and an energy loss of the microphone of the access control device B.
wherein estimating the first plurality of energy losses comprises: estimating the received audio signal power at each of the different frequencies for the received first plurality of transmitted audio signals recorded at the computing device D based on a transmission power at which the first plurality of audio signals are transmitted, an energy loss due to the speaker of the computing device D, and an energy loss of the microphone of the computing device D; and
estimating the received audio signal power at each of the different frequencies for the received first plurality of transmitted audio signals recorded at the computing device D based on a transmission power at which the first plurality of audio signals are transmitted, an energy loss due to the speaker of the computing device D, and an energy loss of the microphone of the computing device D; and
wherein estimating the second plurality of energy losses comprises: estimating the received audio signal power at each of the different frequencies for the received first plurality of transmitted audio signals recorded at the access control device B based on a transmission power at which the first plurality of audio signals are transmitted, an energy loss due to the speaker of the computing device, and an energy loss of the microphone of the access control device B.
estimating the received audio signal power at each of the different frequencies for the received first plurality of transmitted audio signals recorded at the access control device B based on a transmission power at which the first plurality of audio signals are transmitted, an energy loss due to the speaker of the computing device, and an energy loss of the microphone of the access control device B.
The method of claim 4 , wherein obtaining the unique microphone fingerprint of the computing device D comprises: transmitting a first plurality of audio signals, each at different frequencies, from a speaker of an access control device B; receiving and recording the first plurality of transmitted audio signals at a microphone of the access control device B and at a microphone of the computing device D; estimating a first plurality of energy losses associated with transmitting the first plurality of audio signals, each at different frequencies, from the speaker of the access control device B and receiving the first plurality of transmitted audio signals at the microphone of the access control device B; estimating a second plurality of energy losses associated with transmitting the first plurality of audio signals, each at different frequencies, from the speaker of the access control device B and receiving the first plurality of transmitted audio signals at the microphone of the computing device D; and obtaining the unique microphone fingerprint of the computing device based on the estimated first and second plurality of energy losses.
transmitting a first plurality of audio signals, each at different frequencies, from a speaker of an access control device B;
receiving and recording the first plurality of transmitted audio signals at a microphone of the access control device B and at a microphone of the computing device D;
estimating a first plurality of energy losses associated with transmitting the first plurality of audio signals, each at different frequencies, from the speaker of the access control device B and receiving the first plurality of transmitted audio signals at the microphone of the access control device B;
estimating a second plurality of energy losses associated with transmitting the first plurality of audio signals, each at different frequencies, from the speaker of the access control device B and receiving the first plurality of transmitted audio signals at the microphone of the computing device D; and
obtaining the unique microphone fingerprint of the computing device based on the estimated first and second plurality of energy losses.
The method of claim 7 , wherein estimating the first plurality of energy losses comprises: estimating the received audio signal power at each of the different frequencies for the received first plurality of transmitted audio signals recorded at the access control device B based on a transmission power at which the first plurality of audio signals are transmitted, an energy loss due to the speaker of the access control device B, and an energy loss of the microphone of the access control device B; and wherein estimating the second plurality of energy losses comprises: estimating the received audio signal power at each of the different frequencies for the received first plurality of transmitted audio signals recorded at the computing device D based on a transmission power at which the first plurality of audio signals are transmitted, an energy loss due to the speaker of the access control device B, and an energy loss of the microphone of the computing device D.
wherein estimating the first plurality of energy losses comprises: estimating the received audio signal power at each of the different frequencies for the received first plurality of transmitted audio signals recorded at the access control device B based on a transmission power at which the first plurality of audio signals are transmitted, an energy loss due to the speaker of the access control device B, and an energy loss of the microphone of the access control device B; and
estimating the received audio signal power at each of the different frequencies for the received first plurality of transmitted audio signals recorded at the access control device B based on a transmission power at which the first plurality of audio signals are transmitted, an energy loss due to the speaker of the access control device B, and an energy loss of the microphone of the access control device B; and
wherein estimating the second plurality of energy losses comprises: estimating the received audio signal power at each of the different frequencies for the received first plurality of transmitted audio signals recorded at the computing device D based on a transmission power at which the first plurality of audio signals are transmitted, an energy loss due to the speaker of the access control device B, and an energy loss of the microphone of the computing device D.
estimating the received audio signal power at each of the different frequencies for the received first plurality of transmitted audio signals recorded at the computing device D based on a transmission power at which the first plurality of audio signals are transmitted, an energy loss due to the speaker of the access control device B, and an energy loss of the microphone of the computing device D.
The method of claim 1 , further comprising estimating a physical distance between the computing device of the user and an access control device through which the user is to access to the computer-controlled resource; and wherein allowing access to the computer-controlled resource responsive to the received authentication response comprises: comparing the estimated distance to a threshold distance; and allowing access to the computer-controlled resource responsive to the received au
[Truncated to input limit]