`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria1 Virginia 22313- 1450
`wwwnsptogov
`
`APPLICATION NO.
`
`
`
`
`
` F ING DATE
`
`FIRST NAMED INVENTOR
`
`ATTORNEY DOCKET NO.
`
`
`
`
`
`CONF {MATION NO.
`
`12/304,375
`
`09/02/2009
`
`Guofu Wang
`
`CSPT—108US
`
`5108
`
`EXAMINER
`RATNERPRESTIA —
`“”9”” —
`7590
`52473
`PO. BOX 980
`BELANI, KISHIN G
`VALLEY FORGE, PA 19482-0980
`
`PAPER NUMBER
`
`ART UNIT
`
`2443
`
`MAIL DATE
`
`11/19/2012
`
`DELIVERY MODE
`
`PAPER
`
`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
`
`PTOL—90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Application No.
`
`Applicant(s)
`
`12/304,375
`
`Examiner
`KISHIN G. BELANI
`
`WANG, GUOFU
`
`Art Unit
`2443
`
`-- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLY IS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTH(S) OR THIRTY (30) DAYS,
`WHICHEVER IS LONGER, FROM THE MAILING DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available under the provisions of 37 CFR1. 136( a).
`In no event however may a reply be timely filed
`after SIX () MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, even if timely filed, may reduce any
`earned patent term adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
`
`Status
`
`1)IZI Responsive to communication(s) filed on 28 September 2012.
`
`2a)IZ| This action is FINAL.
`
`2b)I:l This action is non-final.
`
`3)I:I An election was made by the applicant in response to a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
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`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
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`4)|:l Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
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`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quay/e, 1935 CD. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
`
`Disposition of Claims
`
`5)IZI Claim(s) 1-18 is/are pending in the application.
`
`5a) Of the above claim(s) _ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`
`6)I:I Claim(s) _ is/are allowed.
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`7)|Zl Claim(s)_1-18 is/are rejected.
`
`8)I:I Claim(s) _ is/are objected to.
`
`
`9)I:l Claim((s)
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`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement.
`
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway
`program at a participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`
`htt
`:/'/www.us to. ovI’Watents/Init events/neb/Indexls or send an inquiry to PPeredback usntqt 0v.
`
`Application Papers
`
`10)|:l The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`
`11)|:| The drawing(s) filed on _ is/are: a)|:l accepted or b)I:l objected to by the Examiner.
`
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`
`12)IZ| Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`
`a)lX| AII
`
`b)I:I Some * c)|:l None of:
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`1.IZI Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`
`2.I:I Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No. _
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`3.|:I Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
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`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`
`* See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
`
`Attachment(s)
`
`1) I] Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`
`2) I] Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/OS)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date
`US. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3) D Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date.
`4) D Other:
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 09-12)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20121117
`
`
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 12/304,375
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`Page 2
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`Art Unit: 2443
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`This action is in response to Applicant’s amendment filed on 09/28/2012.
`
`Independent claims 1, 11, 17 and 18 as well as dependent claims 2-10 and 12 have
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`been amended. Claims 1-18 are now pending in the present application. The
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`applicant’s amendments to claims are shown in bold and italics, and the examiner’s
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`response to the claim amendments is shown in bold in this office action. This Action
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`is made FINAL.
`
`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
`
`35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
`
`Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of
`matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the
`conditions and requirements of this title.
`
`Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 USC 101 since the claims are directed to
`
`non-statutory subject matter. Claim(s) 1-10 recite a digital television middleware
`
`included on a computer-readable storage medium which appears to cover both
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`transitory and non-transitory embodiments. The United States Patent and Trademark
`
`Office (USPTO) is reguired to give claims their broadest reasonable interpretation
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`consistent with the specification during proceedings before the USPTO. See In re Zletz,
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`893 F.2d 319 (Fed. Cir. 1989) (during patent examination the pending claims must be
`
`interpreted as broadly as their terms reasonably allow). The broadest reasonable
`
`interpretation of a claim drawn to a computer readable medium (also called machine
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`readable medium and other such variations) typically covers forms of non-transitory
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`

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`Page 3
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`Art Unit: 2443
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`tangible media and transitory propagating signals per se in view of the ordinary and
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`customary meaning of computer readable media, particularly when the specification is
`
`
`silent. See MPEP 2111.01. When the broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim
`
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`covers a signal per se, the claim must be rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 101 as covering
`
`non-statutory subject matter. See In re Nuijten, 500 F.3d 1346, 1356-57 (Fed. Cir.
`
`2007) (transitory embodiments are not directed to statutory subject matter) and Interim
`
`Examination Instructions for Evaluating Subject Matter Eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101,
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`Aug.24,2009;p.2.
`
`The Examiner suggests that the Applicant add the limitation “non-transitory
`
`computer-readable storage medium" to the claim(s) in order to properly render the
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`claims in statutory form in view of their broadest reasonable interpretation in light of the
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`originally filed specification.
`
`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
`
`The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all
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`obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
`
`(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth
`in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior
`art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was
`made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall
`not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
`
`The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148
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`USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining
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`obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) are summarized as follows:
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`Page 4
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`Art Unit: 2443
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`1.
`2.
`3.
`4.
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`Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
`Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
`Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
`Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating
`obviousness
`
`or nonobviousness.
`
`Claims 1-11 and 15-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being
`
`unpatentable over Szues et al. (U.S. Patent Publication # 7,617,514 B2) in view of
`
`Pelizza et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication # 2008/0010664 A1).
`
`Consider claim 1, Szues et al. show and disclose a computer-readable storage
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`medium including digital television middleware (Fig. 1 that shows a MHP terminal
`
`device 1 connected via a local network 7 to a network device 8; column 6, lines 49-59
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`disclose these details; and column 6, lines 63-67 as well as column 8, lines 33-37
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`further disclose using middleware to route data streams between the devices connected
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`to the local network), comprising:
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`application program description information finding unit software for causing a
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`processor to request application program description information from a first network
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`and a second network (Fig. 2 that shows a resident application 18 [functioning as an
`
`application program description information finding unit] within a MHP [Multimedia
`
`Home Platform] device that monitors both inbound transport streams [a broadcast
`
`transport stream 14 corresponding to a first network and a local network transport
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`stream 17 corresponding to a second network], in order to detect MHP applications
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`

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`Page 5
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`Art Unit: 2443
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`transmitted within these transport streams; column 8, lines 39-54 further disclose these
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`details); and
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`AIT buffering unit software for causing the processor to buffer the converted
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`description information so as to download the requested application program description
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`information for the second network to be used by the first network (Fig. 2 that shows an
`
`Application Manager 19; and column 8, line 66 through column 9, line 3 which teach
`
`that the application manager 19 maintains an application database [application manager
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`19 and application database together creating an AIT table buffering unit for buffering
`
`the converted description information] in which each of the downloaded MHP
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`application [e.g. broadcast application 20 as well as local network applications 21, 22] is
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`registered; and Fig. 3 that shows a data stream 27 containing Program Specific
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`Information [PSI] in the format of AIT is multiplexed with MHP Application Bytecode 28
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`and Audio/Video content 26 to produce a DVB transport stream to be used by the first
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`network).
`
`However, Szues et al. do not explicitly disclose an application program
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`description information converting unit software for causing the processor to convert
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`the received application program description information for the second network into
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`description information in a format of an application program information table (AIT)
`
`which can be used by the first network, although Szues et al. do disclose inserting
`
`Program Specific Information (PSI) in the form of AIT in the DVB transport stream
`
`transmitted from a local network to a MHP terminal device in the broadcast network [see
`
`Fig. 2, PSI 27 and DVB transport stream 30; and column 9, lines 12-16].
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 12/304,375
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`Page 6
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`Art Unit: 2443
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`In the same field of endeavor, Pelizza et al. disclose the claimed digital television
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`middleware, further comprising an application program description information
`
`converting unit software for causing the processor to convert the received application
`
`program description information for the second network into description information in a
`
`format of an application program information table (AIT) which can be used by the first
`
`network (paragraph 0028 which discloses that software applications can be launched in
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`a digital receiving device following a request from a client, as in case of pull-type
`
`services; further disclosing that the applications can be downloaded from a server that
`
`may be resident in a remote network, such as the Internet or a broadcast channel; and
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`paragraph 0012 which teaches that a STB generally needs a middleware to launch an
`
`application; furthermore, Fig. 1 shows and paragraphs 0043 and 0045 disclose that
`
`some applications may need internal databases 13, in which raw data are stored into a
`
`format [i.e. converted] that can be read and understood by the software modules of the
`
`executable portion 1 of the application 10; also paragraph 0016 which teaches that all
`
`information of downloadable applications is stored in an Application Information Table
`
`(AIT), which is multiplexed and transmitted together with other elementary streams in
`
`MPEG-2 transport stream; the application manager needs this information to identify the
`
`location and signaling information of the applications).
`
`Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at
`
`the time the invention was made to include an application program description
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`information converting unit software for causing the processor to convert the received
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`application program description information for the second network into description
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`

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`information in a format of an application program information table (AIT) which can be
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`used by the first network, as taught by Pelizza et al., in the digital television middleware
`
`of Szues et al., so as to maintain compatibility for the descriptions of applications
`
`between the broadcast and IP networks.
`
`Consider claim 2, and as applied to claim 1 above, Szues et al., as modified by
`
`Pelizza et al., further show and disclose the claimed computer-readable storage
`
`medium, further comprising a second network based application program downloading
`
`unit software for causing the processor to download the application program and
`
`relevant data thereof via said second network (in Szues et al. reference, Fig. 3 that
`
`shows a DVB transport stream 30 being downloaded to a MHP terminal device 1 [e.g.
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`IDTV set shown in Fig. 1] via a local network 24 [a second network] after being
`
`encapsulated by local network protocol encapsulation unit 31; Fig.1 also shows a local
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`T8 9 being downloaded to MHP terminal device 1; column 9, lines 4-34 disclose these
`
`details).
`
`Consider claim 3, and as applied to claim 1 above, Szues et al., as modified by
`
`Pelizza et al., further show and disclose the claimed computer-readable storage
`
`medium, further comprising application program downloading unit software for
`
`causing the processor to monitor the changes in the AIT buffering unit and to
`
`download the application program and relevant data thereof in compliance with specific
`
`conditions (in Szues et al. reference, column 3, lines 6-11 disclose a resident
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`

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`Art Unit: 2443
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`application 18 [shown in Fig. 2] that monitors both the broadcast network and the local
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`[i.e. IP] network in order to detect MHP applications transmitted within the broadcast
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`stream or within the local network transport stream, and that initiates loading of the
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`MHP applications; and column 3, lines 21-32 which disclose that the MHP terminal
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`device comprises an application manager responsible for download of both the
`
`broadcast MHP applications and local network MHP applications; the resident
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`application initiating a download when a MHP application is detected; the download
`
`being carried out by the application manager; further disclosing that the application
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`manager maintains an application database [part of buffering unit] in which each
`
`downloaded MHP application is registered; furthermore, column 9, lines 12-16 disclose
`
`inserting an AIT table in the downloaded local network transport stream).
`
`Consider claim 4, and as applied to claim 1 above, Szues et al., as modified by
`
`Pelizza et al., further show and disclose the claimed computer-readable storage
`
`medium, wherein said application program description information converting unit
`
`software causes the processor to convert the application program description
`
`information from said second network into a format of the AIT already existing in said
`
`first network so as to be used in the first network (in Pelizza et al. reference, Fig. 1 and
`
`paragraphs 0064 and 0045 which show and teach that the Logic Manager 14 creates
`
`database 13 to store parsed multimedia and program data from Parser 8 and organize
`
`them into a format and structure which are readable by the business logic, thereby
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`disclosing an application program description information converting unit; furthermore,
`
`

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`Page 9
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`Art Unit: 2443
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`paragraph 0016 teaches that all information of downloadable applications is stored in an
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`Application Information Table (AIT), which is multiplexed and transmitted together with
`
`other elementary streams in MPEG-2 transport stream; and
`
`in Szues et al. reference, Fig. 3 shows and column 9, lines 4-15 further disclose these
`
`details).
`
`Consider claim 5, and as applied to claim 1 above, Szues et al., as modified by
`
`Pelizza et al., further show and disclose the claimed computer-readable storage
`
`medium, further comprising data channel providing unit software for causing the
`
`processor to provide a data channel for the first network for transporting data from the
`
`second network to be used by the application program (in Szues et al. reference, Fig. 1
`
`that shows a local transport stream 9 [a data channel shown in Fig. 3 that includes
`
`multiplexed Program Specific Information 27, MHP Application Bytecode 28 and
`
`Audio/Video Content 26] for the first [i.e. broadcast] network transmitted from the
`
`second network [e.g. an IP network]; column 6, line 49 through column 7, line 5 and
`
`column 9, lines 4-15 disclose these details).
`
`Consider claim 6, and as applied to claim 1 above, Szues et al., as modified by
`
`Pelizza et al., further show and disclose the claimed computer-readable storage
`
`medium, further comprising audio and video stream transport channel providing
`
`unit software for causing the processor to provide an audio and video stream
`
`transport channel for transporting an audio and video stream transmitted on the first
`
`

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`Application/Control Number: 12/304,375
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`Page 10
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`Art Unit: 2443
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`network (in Szues et al. reference, Fig. 1 that shows a local transport stream 9 [a data
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`channel shown in Fig. 3 that includes multiplexed Program Specific Information 27,
`
`MHP Application Bytecode 28 and Audio/Video Content 26] for the first [i.e. broadcast]
`
`network transmitted from the second network [e.g. an IP network]; column 6, line 49
`
`through column 7, line 5 and column 9, lines 4-15 disclose these details).
`
`Consider claim 7, and as applied to claim 1 above, Szues et al., as modified by
`
`Pelizza et al., further show and disclose the claimed computer-readable storage
`
`medium, further comprising first network based downloading unit software for causing
`
`the processor to download the application program files and data by using first
`
`network based data broadcasting protocols (in Szues et al. reference, Fig. 1 that shows
`
`an MHP application 4, included in a broadcast transport stream 3, being received by an
`
`IDTV set 1; and Fig. 2 that shows an Application Manager 19 that acts as a
`
`downloading unit for the MHP application 4; column 6, lines 13-37 and column 8, lines
`
`33-66 disclose these details).
`
`Consider claim 8, and as applied to claim 1 above, Szues et al., as modified by
`
`Pelizza et al., further show and disclose the claimed computer-readable storage
`
`medium, further comprising interface providing unit software for causing the
`
`processor to provide a digital television middleware application program interface for
`
`accessing resources and to provide a lower layer network interface of a digital
`
`television receiving set-top-box (in Szues et al. reference, Fig. 1 that shows the internal
`
`

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`Page 11
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`Art Unit: 2443
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`structure of a MHP terminal Device [i.e. a set-top box], including a Resident Application
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`18 and an Application Manager 19, which provide a digital television middleware
`
`application program interface for accessing resources [such as an application
`
`database]; column 8, line 46 through column 9, line 3 describe these details; also Fig. 2
`
`further shows a lower level Local Network Interface 16 for receiving Local Network
`
`Transport Stream 17; column 8, lines 39-45 disclose the details of Local Network
`
`Interface 16).
`
`Consider claim 9, and as applied to claim 1 above, Szues et al., as modified by
`
`Pelizza et al., further show and disclose the claimed computer-readable storage
`
`medium, wherein said first network is a digital video broadcasting network (in Szues et
`
`al. reference, Fig. 1 that shows a broadcast transport stream 3 with MHP application
`
`being received by a MHP terminal device 1 [e.g. IDTV set] from a broadcast network;
`
`column 1, lines 10-27 disclose these details).
`
`Consider claim 10, and as applied to claim 1 above, Szues et al., as modified
`
`by Pelizza et al., further show and disclose the claimed computer-readable storage
`
`medium, wherein said second network is an IP network (in Szues et al. reference, Fig.
`
`1 that shows a local network 7; column 3, lines 56-60 and column 8, lines 20-23
`
`disclose that the local network may be an IEEE 1394 network, a wireless or wired LAN,
`
`or a wireless or wired IP network).
`
`

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`Application/Control Number: 12/304,375
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`Page 12
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`Art Unit: 2443
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`Consider claim 11, Szues et al. show and disclose a method for interacting in a
`
`digital television network combining a first network and a second network (method
`
`claims 22-26; and Fig.
`
`1 that shows a MHP terminal device 1 [e.g. an IDTV set]
`
`connected via a local network 7 to a network device 8 and receiving a broadcast
`
`transport stream with MHP application 3 from a broadcast network; column 6, lines 13-
`
`22 and 49-59 disclose these details; column 6, lines 63-67 as well as column 8, lines
`
`33-37 disclose using middleware to route data streams between the devices connected
`
`to the local network), comprising the steps of:
`
`receiving a message contained in a multicast group, and providing said message to an
`
`application program description information finding unit in a digital television middleware
`
`(Fig. 2 that shows a resident application 18 [functioning as an application program
`
`description information finding unit] that monitors both inbound transport streams [a
`
`broadcast transport stream 14 corresponding to a first network and a local network
`
`transport stream 17 corresponding to a second network], in order to detect MHP
`
`applications transmitted within these transport streams; column 8, lines 39-54 disclose
`
`these details; also column 3, line 63 through column 4, line 5 disclose using middleware
`
`such as HAVi, UPnP and AV/C for exchanging messages , routing data streams and
`
`managing bandwidth); and
`
`storing the newly generated application program description information into an
`
`application program information table (AIT) buffering unit (Fig. 2 that shows an
`
`Application Manager 19; and column 8, line 66 through column 9, line 3 which teach
`
`that the application manager 19 maintains an application database [application manager
`
`

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`Art Unit: 2443
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`19 and application database together creating an AIT table buffering unit for storing the
`
`converted description information of the application program] in which each of the
`
`downloaded MHP application [e.g. broadcast application 20 as well as local network
`
`applications 21, 22] is registered; and Fig. 3 that shows a data stream 27 containing
`
`Program Specific Information [PSI] in the format of AIT is multiplexed with MHP
`
`Application Bytecode 28 and Audio/Video content 26 to produce a DVB transport
`
`stream to be used by the first network).
`
`However, Szues et al. do not explicitly disclose converting by an application
`
`program description information converting unit, application program description
`
`information based on the second network into application program description
`
`information capable to be used by the first network, and newly generating a piece of
`
`application program information table, although Szues et al. do disclose inserting
`
`Program Specific Information (PSI) in the form of AIT in the DVB transport stream
`
`transmitted from a local network to a MHP terminal device in the broadcast network [see
`
`Fig. 2, PSI 27 and DVB transport stream 30; and column 9, lines 12-16].
`
`In the same field of endeavor, Pelizza et al. show and disclose the claimed
`
`method, further comprising the step of converting by an application program description
`
`information converting unit, application program description information based on the
`
`second network into application program description information capable to be used by
`
`the first network, and newly generating a piece of application program information table
`
`(Fig. 1 that shows and paragraphs 0043 and 0045 which disclose that some
`
`applications may need internal databases 13, in which raw data are stored into a format
`
`

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`Application/Control Number: 12/304,375
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`Page 14
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`Art Unit: 2443
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`[i.e. converted] that can be read and understood by the software modules of the
`
`executable portion 1 of the application 10; also paragraph 0016 which teaches that all
`
`information of downloadable applications is stored in an Application Information Table
`
`(AIT), which is multiplexed and transmitted together with other elementary streams in
`
`MPEG-2 transport stream capable to be used by the first network [i.e. broadcast
`
`network]; the application manager needs this information to identify the location and
`
`signaling information of the applications).
`
`Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at
`
`the time the invention was made to include a method step of converting by an
`
`application program description information converting unit, application program
`
`description information based on the second network into application program
`
`description information capable to be used by the first network, and newly generating a
`
`piece of application program information table, as taught by Pelizza et al., in the method
`
`of Szues et al., so as to maintain compatibility for the descriptions of applications
`
`between the broadcast and IP networks.
`
`Consider claim 15, and as applied to claim 11 above, Szues et al., as modified
`
`by Pelizza et al., further show and disclose the claimed method, wherein said first
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`network is a digital video broadcasting network (in Szues et al. reference, Fig. 1 that
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`shows a broadcast transport stream 3 with MHP application being received by a MHP
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`terminal device 1 [e.g. IDTV set] from a broadcast network; column 1, lines 10-27
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`disclose these details).
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`Consider claim 16, and as applied to claim 11 above, Szues et al., as modified
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`by Pelizza et al., further show and disclose the claimed method, wherein said second
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`network is an IP network (in Szues et al. reference, Fig. 1 that shows a local network 7;
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`column 3, lines 56-60 and column 8, lines 20-23 disclose that the local network may be
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`an IEEE 1394 network, a wireless or wired LAN, or a wireless or wired IP network).
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`Consider claim 17, Szues et al. show and disclose a device for a digital
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`television, including the digital television middleware (Fig. 1 that shows an MHP
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`[Multimedia Home Platform] terminal device 1 connected via a local network 7 to a
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`network device 8; column 6, lines 49-59 disclose these details; and column 1, lines 36-
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`39, column 6, lines 63-67 as well as column 8, lines 33-37 further disclose using digital
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`television middleware to route data streams between the devices connected to the local
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`network), comprising:
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`application program description information finding unit software for causing a
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`processor to request application program description information from a first
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`network and a second network (Fig. 2 that shows a resident application 18
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`[functioning as an application program description information finding unit] within the
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`MHP device that monitors both inbound transport streams [a broadcast transport
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`stream 14 corresponding to a first network and a local network transport stream 17
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`corresponding to a second network], in order to detect MHP applications transmitted
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`within these transport streams; column 8, lines 39—54 further disclose these details); and
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`AIT buffering unit software for causing the processor to buffer the converted
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`description information so as to download the requested application program
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`description information for the second network to be used by the first network
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`(Fig. 2 that shows an Application Manager 19; and column 8, line 66 through column 9,
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`line 3 which teach that the application manager 19 maintains an application database
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`[application manager 19 and application database together creating an AIT table
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`buffering unit for buffering the converted description information] in which each of the
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`downloaded MHP application [e.g. broadcast application 20 as well as local network
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`applications 21, 22] is registered; and Fig. 3 that shows a data stream 27 containing
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`Program Specific Information [PSI] in the format of AIT is multiplexed with MHP
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`Application Bytecode 28 and Audio/Video content 26 to produce a DVB transport
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`stream to be used by the first network).
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`However, Szues et al. do not explicitly disclose a set-top box for a digital
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`television and an application program description information converting unit
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`software for causing the processor to convert the received application program
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`description information for the second network into description information in a
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`format of an application program information table (AIT) which can be used by
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`the first network, although Szues et al. do disclose an MHP device for a digital
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`television and further disclose inserting Program Specific Information (PSI) in the form
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`of AIT in the DVB transport stream transmitted from a local network to a MHP terminal
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`device in the broadcast network [see Fig. 2, PSI 27 and DVB transport stream 30; and
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`column 9, lines 12-16].
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`In the same field of endeavor, Pelizza et al. disclose the claimed set-top box for a
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`digital television, including the digital television middleware, further comprising an
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`application program description information converting unit software for causing
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`the processor to convert the received application program description
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`information for the second network into description information in a format of an
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`application program information table (AIT) which can be used by the first
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`network (abstract that discloses a set-top box used as a digital receiving device for an
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`interactive digital television; paragraphs 0001, 0014 and 0027 disclose these details;
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`and paragraph 0028 which discloses that software applications can be launched in a
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`digital receiving device following a request from a client, as in case of pull-type services;
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`further disclosing that the applications can be downloaded from a server that may be
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`resident in a remote network, such as the Internet or a broadcast channel; and
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`paragraph 0012 which teaches that a STB generally needs a middleware to launch an
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`application; furthermore, Fig. 1 shows and paragraphs 0043 and 0045 disclose that
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`some applications may need internal databases 13, in which raw data are stored into a
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`format [i.e. converted] that can be read and understood by the software modules of the
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`executable portion 1 of the application 10; also paragraph 0016 which teaches that all
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`information of downloadable applications is stored in an Application Information Table
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`(AIT), which is multiplexed and transmitted together with other elementary streams in
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`MPEG-2 transport stream; the application manager needs this information to identify the
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`location and signaling information of the applications).
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`Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at
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`the time the invention was made to provide a set-top box for a digital television and to
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`include an application program description information converting unit software for
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`causing the processor to convert the received application program description
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`information for the second network into description information in a format of an
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`application progra