Office Action 4: Notice of Allowance (2024-10-15)

CLAIMS:
Amendments to the Claims

This listing of claims will replace all prior versions, and listings, of claims in the application:

CLAIMS CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Response to Office Action of July 5, 2024

1\. (Currently amended) A method of authenticating an identity of an individual, the method comprising:receiving an assertion of user location from the individual;
automatically identifying a first smart device, from a collection of preregistered user devices, based on the asserted user location;
automatically providing a recommendation, with a virtual agent, to a mobile device of the user to move to a firstroom or space in which the first smart device is located;
transmitting, at a first time, a first audio signal to the first smart device ;
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;
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 individual has a first user identity; and
thereby authenticating the individual for access to a secured resource for which the first user identity is authorized.

2\. (Original) 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.

Response to Office Action of July 5, 2024

3\. (Currently amended) The method of claim 1, wherein the first audio data also includes ambient sounds for the first room or space.

4\. (Original) 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\. (Original) 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\. (Original) 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\. (Currently amended) The method of claim 1, further comprising:receiving location data for the first user corresponding to the first room or 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 room or space.

Response to Office Action of July 5, 2024

8\. (Currently amended) 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, the request for access including an assertion of user location from the individual;
automatically identifying the first smart device, from a collection of preregistered user devices, based on the asserted user location;
automatically providing a recommendation, with a virtual agent, to a mobile device of the user to move to a firstroom or space in which the first smart device is located;
retrieving, in response to the request for access, 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 individual; 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.

9\. (Currently amended) 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 room or space.

Response to Office Action of July 5, 2024

10\. (Currently amended) 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 room or space.

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

12\. (Currently amended) 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 room or space.

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

Response to Office Action of July 5, 2024

15\. (Currently amended) 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:receiving an assertion of user location from the individual;
automatically identifying a first smart device, from a collection of preregistered user devices, based on the asserted user location;
automatically providing a recommendation, with a virtual agent, to a mobile device of the user to move to a firstroom or space in which the first smart device is located;
transmit, at a first time, a first audio signal to the first smart device ;
obtain 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;
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 individual has a first user identity; and
authenticate the individual for access to a secured resource for which the first user identity is authorized.

16\. (Original) 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\. (Currently amended) The system of claim 15, wherein the first audio data also includes ambient sounds for the first room or space.

Response to Office Action of July 5, 2024

18\. (Original) 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\. (Original) 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\. (Original) 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.

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 .
Reasons for Allowance
Claims 1-20 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
In light of applicant’s claim amendments, the rejection under 35 USC § 112  is withdrawn.
The primary reason for allowance is that the prior art of record fails to teach or render obvious the following subject matter in combination with other elements of the independent claims as well as Applicant’s arguments of record as to the distinguishing features over the applied prior art: “automatically identifying a first smart device, from a collection of preregistered user devices, based on the asserted user location; automatically providing a recommendation, with a virtual agent, to a mobile device of the user to move to a first room or space in which the first smart device is located; transmitting, at a first time, a first audio signal to the first smart device located in a first space; 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”
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: REMARKS
This Amendment is submitted in response to the Office Action mailed on July 5, 2024. 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 September 23, 2024. During the September 23 interview, the cited references were discussed as well as their application to the independent claims.
It was agreed that amending the recommendation step to provide further clarity could advance prosecution, although no agreement was reached as to precise claim language for such an amendment. In addition, it was also agreed that amendments to clarify the term "first space" are warranted to overcome the rejection under 112(b). Applicant respectfully submits that the amendments above and the remarks below are consistent with the topics discussed during the September 23 interview. Applicant understands that a further search may be conducted after the amendment has been formally presented.
Response to Claim Re
l
ections under 35 USC 112
b
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112b as being indefinite. The
Office Action asserts that the recitations in independent claims 1, 8, and 15 about the first smart device being located in a "first space" are unclear in view of prior
recitations of the first smart device being located in a "room or space." Applicant has incorporated amendments throughout the claims to provide proper antecedent basis. In particular, Applicant now refers to the "first room or space" throughout the claims. Accordingly, Applicant respectfully submits that the rejection under 35 USC 112b has been overcome.
Response to Claim Re
l
ections under 35
USC
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) in view of Pratt et al. (US 2020/0335106). Claims 3 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wolosewicz in view of Pratt and Dunjic et al. (US 2021/0385205). Claims 6 and 20 are rejected under 35 USC 103 as being unpatentable over Wolosewicz in view of Pratt and Burch et al. (US 2015/0215299).
Amended Independent claim 1 specifies the step of "automatically
providing a recommendation, with a virtual agent,
to a mobile device of the user
to move to a first room or space in which the first smart device is located." (Emphasis added.) Applicant respectfully submits that none of the applied references disclose or suggest making such a recommendation to the user's mobile device. The Pratt reference teaches that the system can light an LED on the smart device that will be used to respond to the user. However, Applicant respectfully submits that this is not a recommendation for the user to relocate. At best, this LED system facilitates trial and error on the part of the user to check and see which smart device will be used to respond to their request. Further, this system of Pratt sends the signal for illuminating the LED to the smart device, not to the mobile device of the user as claimed. Accordingly, Applicant respectfully submits that the prior art fails to disclose or suggest all of the limitations of independent claim 1.
Independent claims 8 and 15 have been amended to include limitations
similar to those of independent claim 1 quoted above. 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