Obviousness — US Patent 11689383

Obviousness Analysis of US Patent 11689383 under 35 U.S.C. § 103

This analysis assesses the obviousness of US Patent 11689383, titled "System, method, and computer-readable medium for streaming real-time data from a user device," by combining elements from existing prior art references. The focus will be on Independent Claim 1, with the understanding that Independent Claims 8 and 15, which describe a corresponding system and computer-readable medium, would be similarly rendered obvious. The priority date of US11689383 is August 13, 2017.

Independent Claim 1 Elements:

Independent Claim 1 of US11689383 describes a method comprising the following key elements:

[1a] Obtaining a phone number of a mobile device used by a user making an emergency call.
[1b] The emergency call is conducted with a recipient through a first connection.
[1c] Transmitting a URL link to the mobile device through an electronic message.
[1d] The electronic message is transmitted through a second connection using the phone number, wherein the second connection is different from the first connection.
[1e] The electronic message allows the user to click on the URL link to access a web browser on the mobile device, instead of a full application on the mobile device, to establish a WebRTC session.
[1f] The WebRTC session is used to transmit a real-time video stream from the mobile device.
[1g] The URL link is associated with the phone number of the mobile device.
[1h] Receiving the real-time video stream from the mobile device through the WebRTC session.
[1i] Sending the real-time video stream to the recipient for display on a screen of the recipient.
[1j] The real-time video stream is received through the WebRTC session while audio content of the emergency call is received through the first connection.
[1k] The real-time video stream is associated with a unique identifier for the mobile device.

Identified Prior Art References:

To demonstrate obviousness, the following prior art references, which predate the August 13, 2017, priority date of US11689383, are considered:

US9113030B2 (Verizon Patent And Licensing Inc.): Titled "Multimedia-enhanced emergency call systems," granted on August 18, 2015, with a priority date of July 25, 2013. This patent describes systems for providing multimedia data, including streaming video, from a mobile device to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) or emergency call center during an emergency call.
US20150106528A1 (Verizon Patent And Licensing Inc.): Titled "Communication of data of a web real-time communication via a carrier-grade environment," published on April 16, 2015, with a priority date of October 15, 2013. This publication details the use of WebRTC for real-time communication, including voice and video calls, within a web browser.
US20120202447A1 (Qualcomm Incorporated): Titled "Method and/or Apparatus for Location Privacy Via Uniform Resource Identifier Provisioning," published on August 9, 2012, with a priority date of February 7, 2011. This publication teaches the use of an electronic message, such as SMS, to provision a URL on a mobile device, which, when accessed, causes the mobile device to access a webpage.

Obviousness Combination and Motivation:

A person having ordinary skill in the art (POSA) at the time of the invention (i.e., by August 2017) would have found it obvious to combine the teachings of US9113030B2, US20150106528A1, and US20120202447A1 to arrive at the invention claimed in US11689383. The motivation for such a combination would be to enhance emergency response capabilities by providing real-time visual information to emergency operators efficiently and without requiring users to install specialized applications, addressing known challenges in emergency communication.

Element-by-Element Analysis:

[1a] Obtaining a phone number & [1b] Emergency call through a first connection: US9113030B2 explicitly discloses "multimedia-enhanced emergency call systems" that receive emergency calls from mobile devices. The abstract describes "receiving multimedia data from a mobile device of a caller during an emergency call conducted with a public safety answering point (PSAP)." This inherently involves obtaining the caller's phone number and conducting the emergency call (typically a voice call) over a first connection, such as a cellular network.
[1c] Transmitting a URL link through an electronic message & [1d] Second connection different from the first: US9113030B2 teaches that a PSAP can send a "call-back number or text message" to the mobile device of a caller. While not explicitly a URL, it establishes the use of a second, different connection (e.g., SMS for a text message) to communicate with the mobile device during an emergency call. US20120202447A1 directly teaches sending a "short message service (SMS) message, electronic mail (email), or other appropriate mechanism may be used to provision a URL on the mobile device." A POSA would have been motivated to combine the concept of sending an electronic message during an emergency call (from US9113030B2) with the proven method of embedding a URL in such a message to initiate a web action (from US20120202447A1). The SMS message constitutes a second connection, distinct from the voice call of the first connection.
[1e] Click URL to access web browser (instead of full app) to establish WebRTC session & [1f] Transmit real-time video stream via WebRTC: US20150106528A1 extensively describes WebRTC as enabling "web applications and sites to capture and optionally stream audio and/or video media". It explicitly states that "WebRTC typically enables real-time communication between browsers (e.g., peer-to-peer)" and can be used for "a video call". The advantage of WebRTC is that it operates natively within a web browser, eliminating the need for a user to download and install a "full application" to stream real-time video. A POSA, recognizing the critical time savings and ease of use in emergency situations (as articulated in the background of US11689383, which states, "these proposed systems require a user to download and install specialized applications, which may take time, losing precious moments of data" [cite: US11689383, Description]), would be strongly motivated to leverage WebRTC via a browser to provide video streaming. Initiating this browser-based WebRTC session via a clicked URL in an SMS message (as taught by US20120202447A1) would be a natural combination to achieve this benefit.
[1g] URL link associated with phone number & [1k] Real-time video stream associated with unique identifier: US9113030B2 discusses associating multimedia content with the emergency call. In the context of a web-based session initiated by a URL sent to a specific phone number, embedding the phone number or a related unique identifier within the URL itself, or using it to generate a session identifier, would be a standard and obvious practice for a POSA to maintain the association between the streaming video and the ongoing emergency call. The patent US11689383 itself states, "the URL is associated with the phone number of the mobile device." [cite: US11689383, Abstract] and "the unique identifier may be the suffix of the URL, referencing a web address of the call center connected to the UD." [cite: US11689383, Description].
[1h] Receiving real-time video stream & [1i] Sending to recipient for display: US9113030B2 discloses "receiving multimedia data from a mobile device... and providing the multimedia data to the PSAP for display on a user interface." Given that US20150106528A1 teaches WebRTC for video communication, the act of receiving and displaying the video stream from the WebRTC session at the recipient's end would be a direct and obvious outcome of the combined system.
[1j] Video via WebRTC while audio via first connection: US9113030B2 describes handling both the voice call (first connection) and separate multimedia data (streaming video) from the mobile device to the PSAP. The concurrent reception of audio via the initial emergency call connection and video via the newly established WebRTC session, and then presenting them to the recipient, is an obvious design choice for a POSA seeking to provide comprehensive situational awareness to emergency responders. This integration enhances the existing multimedia emergency call systems by using WebRTC for the video component.

Conclusion

The combination of US9113030B2, US20150106528A1, and US20120202447A1 would have rendered Independent Claim 1, and by extension, Claims 8 and 15, of US11689383 obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention. The motivation for combining these references stems from the clear advantages of providing real-time video to emergency services, the known technical capabilities of WebRTC for browser-based streaming without dedicated applications, and the common practice of using URL links in electronic messages to initiate web interactions, all aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency response.