Patent Application 18729917 - A BRAIN CONTROL INTERFACE SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING

Title: A BRAIN CONTROL INTERFACE SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING A CONTROLLABLE DEVICE

Application Information

Invention Title: A BRAIN CONTROL INTERFACE SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING A CONTROLLABLE DEVICE
Application Number: 18729917
Submission Date: 2025-04-10T00:00:00.000Z
Effective Filing Date: 2024-07-18T00:00:00.000Z
Filing Date: 2024-07-18T00:00:00.000Z
Examiner Employee Number: 83196
Art Unit: 2629
Tech Center: 2600

Rejection Summary

102 Rejections: 1
103 Rejections: 0

Cited Patents

The following patents were cited in the rejection:

US 0267539🔗
US 0057488🔗

Office Action Text

DETAILED ACTION
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 13 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.

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
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –

(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.

Claims 1-12, and 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Faizan et al. (US Pub: 2025/0057488 A1).
As to claim 1, Faizan discloses a brain control interface system for controlling a controllable device, the brain control interface system (i.e. Faizan teaches the figure 10-11 embodiment which uses the user worn headset 1008 to detect user brain wave to control the device 1010) (see Fig. 10, [0127-0129]) comprising:
A brain control interface (i.e. the headset 1008 capable to detect user brain wave) configured to detect brain signals indicative of brain activity of a user in an environment (i.e. the device and system of figure 10-11 is able to detect user stress level triggered event) (see Fig. 10-11, [0127-0133]),
an input interface configured to obtain data indicative of a current light scene of one or more lighting devices in the environment (i.e. the input interface is the smart phone unit 1010 which detect user interaction via a touch sensitive display) (see Fig. 10), wherein the current light scene is defined as the currently active light settings according to which the one or more lighting devices are controlled (i.e. as seen in figure 10 the light scene is the display light scene on the display unit of 1010 which shows an emergency alert light scene) (see Fig. 10, [0127-0129]),
a memory (i.e. the memory element is seen in figure 2 element 204) (see Fig. 2) configured to store processing methods associated with different light scenes (i.e. the operating system of the smartphone unit 1010 is stored on an electronic memory which stores the different light scene message to give user alert according to the computer program as seen in figure 10-11 (see Fig. 10-11, [0127-0133]), one or more processors (i.e. the processor is element 202 as seen in figure 2) (see Fig. 2) configured to comprising:
determine the current light scene of one or more lighting devices based on the obtained data (i.e. the device of Faizan is able to detect the overall environment for the user which include the alert display on the smart phone in the user’s possession which contains the lighting devices inside the display system) (see Fig. 2, 10-11, [0053-0054], [0127-0136]) , select, from the processing methods stored in the memory, a processing method in accordance with the current light scene, apply the selected processing method to obtain and/or process the brain signals (i.e. the unit 302 element seen in figure 3 shows that the rule the user is able to set is directly connected to the brain signal detect threshold in the overall system) (see Fig. 3-11, [0060-0136]), derive a control command and/or a mental state of the user from the brain signals obtained and/or processed by the applied selected processing method, and control the controllable device based on the derived control command and/or the derived mental state (i.e. the system of Faizan detect the user stress level and directly create command to display the alert to the user on the smart phone device as seen in figure 10) (see Fig. 2-11, [0053-0136]).
As to claim 14, Faizan teaches a method of controlling a controllable device (i.e. Faizan teaches the figure 10-11 embodiment which uses the user worn headset 1008 to detect user brain wave to control the device 1010) (see Fig. 10, [0127-0129]), the method (300) comprising:
detecting, by a brain control interface, brain signals indicative of brain activity of a user in an environment (i.e. the device and system of figure 10-11 is able to detect user stress level triggered event) (see Fig. 10-11, [0127-0133]),
obtaining data indicative of a current light scene of one or more lighting devices in the environment (i.e. as seen in figure 10 the light scene is the display light scene on the display unit of 1010 which shows an emergency alert light scene) (see Fig. 10, [0127-0129]) wherein the current light scene is defined as the currently active light settings according to which the one or more lighting devices are controlled, determine the current light scene of one or more lighting devices based on the obtained data, selecting, from processing methods stored in a memory (i.e. the operating system of the smartphone unit 1010 is stored on an electronic memory which stores the different light scene message to give user alert according to the computer program as seen in figure 10-11 (see Fig. 10-11, [0127-0133]), the processing methods being associated with different light scenes, a processing method in accordance with the current light scene (i.e. the unit 302 element seen in figure 3 shows that the rule the user is able to set is directly connected to the brain signal detect threshold in the overall system) (see Fig. 3-11, [0060-0136]) applying the selected processing method to obtain and/or process the brain signals, deriving a control command and/or a mental state of the user from the brain signals obtained and/or processed by the applied selected processing method, and controlling the controllable device based on the derived control command and/or the derived mental state (i.e. the system of Faizan detect the user stress level and directly create command to display the alert to the user on the smart phone device as seen in figure 10) (see Fig. 2-11, [0053-0136]).
As to claim 2, Faizan teaches the brain control interface system of claim 1, wherein the processing methods are associated with different brain regions, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to obtain the brain signals from a brain region associated with the selected processing method (i.e. as seen in figure 9 the device of Faizan is shown to process the electrode in different brain region to capture user brain signals) (see Fig. 9, [0122-0124]).
As to claim 3, Faizan teaches the brain control interface system of claim 2, wherein the different brain regions comprise at least two of the temporal lobe, the orbitofrontal cortex and the visual occipital region, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to select the brain region to obtain the brain signals from based on the current light scene (see Fig. 9, [0122-0123]).
As to claim 4, Faizan teaches the brain control interface system of claim 1, wherein the processing methods are associated with different baselines, wherein the different baselines comprise different reference brain signals, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to process the brain signals by applying a baseline associated with the selected processing method (i.e. as seen in figure 3 and 9 the device of Faizan allow the user to place threshold values which is a customized baseline for brain signal capture and processing) (see Fig. 3, 9, [0060-0124]).
As to claim 5, Faizan teaches the brain control interface system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to obtain a user identifier of the user, and to select the processing method further based on the identity of the user (i.e. the system of Faizan is able to identify the user directly (see Fig. 3-9, [0066-0122]).
As to claim 6, Faizan teaches the brain control interface system of claim 1, wherein the light scene is a dynamic light scene that changes over time, wherein the dynamic light scene has a dynamics level, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to select the processing method based on the dynamics level (i.e. the active display of the unit in figure 10 shows a dynamic display seen that is changeable to attract user’s attention based on the processor detecting stress level) (see Fig. 3-10, [0060-0129]).
As to claim 7, Faizan teaches the brain control interface system of claim 6, wherein the dynamics level is indicative of a level of change of the light scene within a time period (i.e. the active display of the unit in figure 10 shows a dynamic display seen that is changeable to attract user’s attention based on the processor detecting stress level to give the emergency feedback as a level change in the light scene within a preset time period) (see Fig. 3-10, [0060-0129]).
As to claim 8, Faizan teaches the brain control interface system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine a color of the current active light settings of the light scene, and to select the processing method based on the color (i.e. the display unit of figures 3 and 10 is shown to be a display capable of user viewable color which create the feedback system that in figure 3 allow the user to change the setting accordingly) (see Fig. 3 and 10, [0060-0128]).
As to claim 9, Faizan teaches the brain control interface system of claim 1, wherein the controllable device is a lighting device of the one or more lighting devices (i.e. the device of figure 3 and 10 is at least a light reflect or emitting display that the user is able to see) (see Fig. 3, 10, [0060-0129]).
As to claim 10, Faizan teaches the brain control interface system of claim 1, wherein the input interface is configured to obtain the data indicative of the current light scene by obtaining sensor data from a light sensor (i.e. Faizan user image capturing unit to detect color and light images) (see Fig 8, [0110-0116]).
As to claim 11, Faizan teaches the brain control interface system of claim 1, wherein the input interface is a receiver configured to receive the data indicative of the current light scene from a lighting system controller (i.e. the system of Faizan contains a GPU for controlling the display unit in figure 3 and 10, [0054-0055]).
As to claim 12, Faizan teaches the brain control interface system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine if light properties of a further light scene being active at a different moment in time of the one or more lighting devices in the environment exceed a threshold, and to, if the light properties of the further light scene exceed the threshold, refrain from obtaining and/or processing the brain signals (i.e. the display unit of figures 3 and 10 is shown to be a display capable of user viewable color which create the feedback system that in figure 3 allow the user to change the setting accordingly) (see Fig. 3 and 10, [0060-0128]).
As to claim 15, Faizan teaches a computer program product for a computing device, the computer program product comprising computer program code to perform the method of claim 14 when the computer program product is run on a processing unit of the computing device (i.e. the operating system of the smartphone unit 1010 is stored on an electronic memory which stores the different light scene message to give user alert according to the computer program as seen in figure 10-11 (see Fig. 10-11, [0127-0133])
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The prior art Ofer et al. (US Pub: 2023/003100 a1) is cited to teach another type brain signal detection method which has two different mode of operation in figure 1-3 embodiments, the prior art Grant (US Pub: 2021/0267539 A1) is cited to teach figure 3-4 embodiment for a similar type of dynamic light detection and signaling system.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CALVIN C. MA whose telephone number is (571)270-1713. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00AM-5:00PM.
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/CALVIN C MA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2693 April 5, 2025