Obviousness

Obviousness Analysis of US11576046 under 35 U.S.C. § 103

This analysis will identify combinations of prior art references that would render the claims of US11576046 obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) as of the priority date (July 16, 2013). A PHOSITA in this field would be a programmer or computer scientist with ordinary experience in software development for mobile applications, familiar with standard programming practices and modern development tools. Such a person is considered to have ordinary creativity and can fit the teachings of multiple patents together like pieces of a puzzle.

The core inventive concept of US11576046 revolves around providing additional functionality to an existing "superblock application" via a "function block" that is integrated into the superblock application's memory space and accessed through an API, without requiring a context switch to another application.

Identified Prior Art References from US11576046

The patent US11576046 itself references the following:

• U.S. Pat. No. 9,027,032 (referred to as a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/024,027, which in turn claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/846,958 filed on July 16, 2013). This patent shares a similar title: "System and method for providing additional functionality to existing software in an integrated manner."
• U.S. Pat. No. 7,656,870, filed on Mar. 15, 2005, and entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PEER-TO-PEER HYBRID COMMUNICATIONS." The specification states that the "function block 200 may contain functionality similar to that of an endpoint as described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,656,870".

Combination 1: US 9,027,032 and the General Knowledge of Modular Software Design with APIs

Motivation to Combine: The relationship between US11576046 and US 9,027,032 is direct, as US11576046 is a continuation of applications leading to US 9,027,032. This indicates a clear and explicit motivation to build upon and refine the concepts presented in US 9,027,032. Even if treated as separate prior art, a PHOSITA would be motivated to combine the teachings of US 9,027,032 with common knowledge in modular software design to address the stated problems of performance and battery life associated with context switching in mobile environments. The concept of modularity, where software is broken into reusable building blocks with well-defined APIs, was well-known and desirable for simplifying development, improving reuse, testing, maintenance, and scalability in software systems prior to the priority date of US11576046.

Obviousness Argument:
US 9,027,032, having a similar title and being a direct predecessor, would likely disclose the core concept of providing additional functionality to an existing application. The key aspect of US11576046, as described in its abstract and independent claims, is the integrated nature of the function block within the superblock application's memory space, accessed via an API, thereby avoiding context switching. [cite: The provided patent text]

A PHOSITA, at the time of the invention (2013), would have been well aware of the performance drawbacks of context switching in mobile environments, including impacts on processor load and battery life. [cite: The provided patent text] The concept of using modular software components and APIs to extend application functionality was a fundamental principle of software engineering. Dynamic linking and loading of libraries to reduce maintenance costs and provide flexibility was also known.

Therefore, given a system like that in US 9,027,032 that aims to provide additional functionality, a PHOSITA would find it obvious to implement such functionality as a modular "function block" integrated within the main application's memory space and accessed via an API. This design choice directly addresses the known problem of context switching overhead in mobile devices by keeping the extended functionality within the same application context, leveraging established modular programming practices. The use of an API for communication between the "superblock" and "function block" would be a standard engineering choice for modular components, ensuring clear boundaries and ease of interaction.

Combination 2: US 7,656,870 and US 9,027,032, combined with knowledge of plugin architectures

Motivation to Combine: US11576046 explicitly states that the "function block 200 may contain functionality similar to that of an endpoint as described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,656,870." This statement provides a direct motivation to combine the teachings of US 7,656,870 with the framework for integrated functionality described in US 9,027,032. Furthermore, the concept of plugin architectures for extending application functionality was well-established. A PHOSITA would seek to integrate advanced communication functionalities (as described in US 7,656,870) into existing applications in a seamless manner, especially given the benefits of modularity and avoiding context switching.

Obviousness Argument:
US 7,656,870 describes a "System and Method for Peer-to-Peer Hybrid Communications," which covers functionality relevant to real-time communication, such as instant messaging, audio, and video. US11576046 states that its function block (200) can provide these very features. [cite: The provided patent text]

Given the general concept of adding functionality to a "superblock application" as taught by US 9,027,032, and the detailed description of communication endpoint functionality in US 7,656,870, a PHOSITA would find it obvious to implement the communication features of US 7,656,870 as a "function block" within the architectural framework proposed by US 9,027,032. This combination would allow for the rich communication features of US 7,656,870 to be integrated directly into other applications (the superblock applications) without requiring the user to switch applications. The use of a plugin architecture, where the core system (superblock) uses a registry to know about and interact with plugins (function blocks) via a predefined API, was a known method to achieve extensibility and flexibility in applications. The goal of such an architecture is to enable easy extension of the main application, support new features, and allow for individual distribution and patching of components, all of which align with the objectives of US11576046.

The specific example in US11576046 of providing a video window for a phone call within the superblock application's display, enabling simultaneous viewing, would be an obvious application of integrating the communication capabilities of US 7,656,870 using the integrated function block approach of US 9,027,032 and general knowledge of modular plugin architectures. The problem of disruptive context switching for such tasks was well-recognized. [cite: The provided patent text]

Conclusion on Obviousness

The independent claims of US11576046 appear obvious in light of the combination of its cited prior art (US 9,027,032 and US 7,656,870) and the general knowledge of a PHOSITA in modular software design, API-driven development, and plugin architectures prevalent around the 2013 priority date. The motivation to combine these references stems from the explicit cross-referencing within US11576046 itself, the desire to improve performance and user experience by avoiding context switching in mobile environments, and the well-known benefits of modular software design for extensibility and maintainability. The Federal Circuit has affirmed that motivation to combine can be found explicitly or implicitly in market forces, design incentives, and the background knowledge and common sense of a PHOSITA.## Obviousness Analysis of US11576046 under 35 U.S.C. § 103

This analysis will identify combinations of prior art references that would render the claims of US11576046 obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) as of the priority date (July 16, 2013). A PHOSITA in this field would be a programmer or computer scientist with ordinary experience in software development for mobile applications, familiar with standard programming practices and modern development tools. Such a person is considered to have ordinary creativity and can fit the teachings of multiple patents together like pieces of a puzzle.

The core inventive concept of US11576046 revolves around providing additional functionality to an existing "superblock application" via a "function block" that is integrated into the superblock application's memory space and accessed through an API, without requiring a context switch to another application.

Identified Prior Art References from US11576046

The patent US11576046 itself references the following:

• U.S. Pat. No. 9,027,032 (referred to as a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/024,027, which in turn claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/846,958 filed on July 16, 2013). This patent shares a similar title: "System and method for providing additional functionality to existing software in an integrated manner."
• U.S. Pat. No. 7,656,870, filed on Mar. 15, 2005, and entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PEER-TO-PEER HYBRID COMMUNICATIONS." The specification states that the "function block 200 may contain functionality similar to that of an endpoint as described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,656,870". [cite: The provided patent text]

Combination 1: US 9,027,032 and the General Knowledge of Modular Software Design with APIs

Motivation to Combine: The relationship between US11576046 and US 9,027,032 is direct, as US11576046 is a continuation of applications leading to US 9,027,032. This indicates a clear and explicit motivation to build upon and refine the concepts presented in US 9,027,032. Even if treated as separate prior art, a PHOSITA would be motivated to combine the teachings of US 9,027,032 with common knowledge in modular software design to address the stated problems of performance and battery life associated with context switching in mobile environments. The concept of modularity, where software is broken into reusable building blocks with well-defined APIs, was well-known and desirable for simplifying development, improving reuse, testing, maintenance, and scalability in software systems prior to the priority date of US11576046.

Obviousness Argument:
US 9,027,032, having a similar title and being a direct predecessor, would likely disclose the core concept of providing additional functionality to an existing application. The key aspect of US11576046, as described in its abstract and independent claims, is the integrated nature of the function block within the superblock application's memory space, accessed via an API, thereby avoiding context switching. [cite: The provided patent text]

A PHOSITA, at the time of the invention (2013), would have been well aware of the performance drawbacks of context switching in mobile environments, including impacts on processor load and battery life. [cite: The provided patent text] The concept of using modular software components and APIs to extend application functionality was a fundamental principle of software engineering. Dynamic linking and loading of libraries to reduce maintenance costs and provide flexibility was also known.

Therefore, given a system like that in US 9,027,032 that aims to provide additional functionality, a PHOSITA would find it obvious to implement such functionality as a modular "function block" integrated within the main application's memory space and accessed via an API. This design choice directly addresses the known problem of context switching overhead in mobile devices by keeping the extended functionality within the same application context, leveraging established modular programming practices. The use of an API for communication between the "superblock" and "function block" would be a standard engineering choice for modular components, ensuring clear boundaries and ease of interaction.

Combination 2: US 7,656,870 and US 9,027,032, combined with knowledge of plugin architectures

Motivation to Combine: US11576046 explicitly states that the "function block 200 may contain functionality similar to that of an endpoint as described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,656,870." [cite: The provided patent text] This statement provides a direct motivation to combine the teachings of US 7,656,870 with the framework for integrated functionality described in US 9,027,032. Furthermore, the concept of plugin architectures for extending application functionality was well-established. A PHOSITA would seek to integrate advanced communication functionalities (as described in US 7,656,870) into existing applications in a seamless manner, especially given the benefits of modularity and avoiding context switching.

Obviousness Argument:
US 7,656,870 describes a "System and Method for Peer-to-Peer Hybrid Communications," which covers functionality relevant to real-time communication, such as instant messaging, audio, and video. US11576046 states that its function block (200) can provide these very features. [cite: The provided patent text]

Given the general concept of adding functionality to a "superblock application" as taught by US 9,027,032, and the detailed description of communication endpoint functionality in US 7,656,870, a PHOSITA would find it obvious to implement the communication features of US 7,656,870 as a "function block" within the architectural framework proposed by US 9,027,032. This combination would allow for the rich communication features of US 7,656,870 to be integrated directly into other applications (the superblock applications) without requiring the user to switch applications. The use of a plugin architecture, where the core system (superblock) uses a registry to know about and interact with plugins (function blocks) via a predefined API, was a known method to achieve extensibility and flexibility in applications. The goal of such an architecture is to enable easy extension of the main application, support new features, and allow for individual distribution and patching of components, all of which align with the objectives of US11576046.

The specific example in US11576046 of providing a video window for a phone call within the superblock application's display, enabling simultaneous viewing, would be an obvious application of integrating the communication capabilities of US 7,656,870 using the integrated function block approach of US 9,027,032 and general knowledge of modular plugin architectures. The problem of disruptive context switching for such tasks was well-recognized. [cite: The provided patent text]

Conclusion on Obviousness

The independent claims of US11576046 appear obvious in light of the combination of its cited prior art (US 9,027,032 and US 7,656,870) and the general knowledge of a PHOSITA in modular software design, API-driven development, and plugin architectures prevalent around the 2013 priority date. The motivation to combine these references stems from the explicit cross-referencing within US11576046 itself, the desire to improve performance and user experience by avoiding context switching in mobile environments, and the well-known benefits of modular software design for extensibility and maintainability. The Federal Circuit has affirmed that motivation to combine can be found explicitly or implicitly in market forces, design incentives, and the background knowledge and common sense of a PHOSITA.