Prior art

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 10009720, I will search the USPTO database for the patent and then examine its cited references.

Here's an analysis of the most relevant prior art for US Patent 10009720, based on information from the patent itself and a review of common prior art practices (citing patents and publications that existed before the filing date to assess novelty and non-obviousness):

1. US Patent Application No. US20020094801

• Full Citation: US20020094801A1
• Publication/Filing Date: Publication: July 18, 2002 (This document is cited as a published patent application in the background, implying its filing date would be earlier than this publication date, but the specific filing date isn't immediately provided in the excerpt).
• Brief Description: This published patent application describes a technical solution where a fixed station transmits an encoded signal, and the coverage of this signal defines a "special area." A mobile station and the fixed station are linked via the signal code. To prevent abuse, an embodiment proposes equipping the fixed station with receiving and comparison means for an access code, which is applied via the mobile station to activate the fixed station.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): US20020094801A1 potentially anticipates aspects of Claims 1 and 15 related to defining a special area by a transmitted signal and a mobile station being linked to it via a signal code. However, US10009720 distinguishes itself by stating that the checking data is transmitted to the mobile station for the mobile station to determine if the received signal is distinctive, rather than the fixed station requiring an access code from the mobile station to operate. This distinction aims to offer greater flexibility and ease of protection against abuse. Specifically, Claim 1's step of "transmitting to the mobile station a checking data, this checking data being used by the mobile station for determining whether or not the defining signal received is a distinctive defining signal" and Claim 15's "storing means for storing a checking data in the mobile station" directly address the difference from US20020094801A1.

2. International Application No. WO 00/27152

• Full Citation: WO 00/27152
• Publication/Filing Date: Publication: May 11, 2000 (Priority date given in the patent for US10009720 is March 28, 2006, while WO 00/27152's priority date would be prior to its publication date, making it prior art).
• Brief Description: This international application proposes a solution for locating a mobile station using a "guide unit" that broadcasts a short-range radio signal defining a "home area." The short-range radio signal contains the mobile station's identity code, which the mobile station uses to identify itself and notify a mobile switching center of its presence in the home area. This "home message" can be used to define pricing or services.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): WO 00/27152 potentially anticipates the general concept of using a local radio signal to define a special area and influence services/pricing (Claim 1, steps a and e). However, US10009720 explicitly distinguishes itself by highlighting WO 00/27152's lack of flexibility. WO 00/27152 requires the "guide unit" to know the identity of the mobile station, making it necessary to modify the guide units to add new special areas for a mobile station. US10009720 overcomes this by transmitting "checking data" to the mobile station, which the mobile station uses to identify the special area without requiring the radio communication defining device itself to store mobile station identity codes. This addresses the core inventive step of Claim 1, particularly "without modifying any radio transmitting device" and the aspect of transmitting the "same checking data being sent to any mobile station whose presence in this special area is monitored." This also impacts Claim 15's "checking means" and "processing means" in the mobile station being designed to use this checking data.

The novelty and non-obviousness of US10009720, particularly for claims 1 and 15, are asserted to lie in the flexibility and security achieved by transmitting checking data to the mobile station and having the mobile station perform the determination, thereby avoiding the need to modify the radio transmitting devices or store mobile station identities at the transmitting device itself.