Prior art — US Patent 12406663

Analysis of Prior Art for U.S. Patent 12,406,663

Under 35 U.S.C. § 102, an invention cannot be patented if it was already patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. For U.S. Patent 12,406,663, with a priority date of December 21, 2020, any relevant prior art must predate this. The following patents, cited as prior art during the examination of the '663 patent, are considered most relevant.

1. U.S. Patent 9,734,839 B1: "Routing natural language commands to the appropriate applications"

Full Citation: US Patent 9,734,839 B1
Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
Publication Date: August 15, 2017
Filing Date: June 20, 2012
Brief Description: This patent discloses a system that receives a natural language command and routes it to an appropriate application for execution. It describes a "routing manager" that analyzes the user's utterance to determine the user's intent and selects a third-party application to handle the command. The system can use contextual information, such as user location or time of day, to assist in the routing decision.
Potential Anticipation of Claims:
- Claim 1 & 12: This patent appears to describe the core elements of claims 1 and 12, namely a system with a module for receiving an utterance (command), interpreting its meaning (natural language understanding), and a manager for transmitting the command to a target system (application). The '839 patent's "routing manager" is analogous to the "connection manager" in the '663 patent. The use of contextual data for interpretation is also taught.
- Claim 3: The method described in claim 3, including receiving an utterance and contextual data, translating to text, determining a target, and transmitting the command, is substantially described in the '839 patent. While the '839 patent is not limited to a vehicle environment, its general teachings of routing commands based on interpretation and context are highly relevant.

2. U.S. Patent 11,289,075 B1: "Routing of natural language inputs to speech processing applications"

Full Citation: US Patent 11,289,075 B1
Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
Publication Date: March 29, 2022
Filing Date: December 13, 2019
Brief Description: This patent describes a system for routing a natural language input to one of a plurality of speech-processing applications. A router component determines which application is best suited to process the input based on the content of the input itself and potentially other factors. The system is designed to handle commands for various domains, such as music, smart home devices, or information queries.
Potential Anticipation of Claims:
- Claim 1 & 12: The '075 patent discloses a system that receives a natural language input (utterance) and routes it to a specific application (ecosystem). The "router" in this patent performs a similar function to the "recognition module" and "connection manager" of the '663 patent by identifying the user's intent and selecting the appropriate destination for the command. Its filing date precedes the '663 patent's priority date.
- Claim 3: The method of receiving an input, determining a target application from a plurality of options, and transmitting the input for processing is a central teaching of this patent. This aligns closely with the steps laid out in claim 3 of the '663 patent, even though the context is not explicitly limited to an in-vehicle system interacting with smart homes.

3. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2016/0179462 A1: "Connected device voice command support"

Full Citation: US Patent Application Publication 2016/0179462 A1
Assignee: Intel Corporation
Publication Date: June 23, 2016
Filing Date: December 22, 2014
Brief Description: This application describes a system where a primary device (like a smartphone or in-vehicle infotainment system) can receive a voice command intended for a secondary, connected device (such as a smart home appliance). The primary device processes the voice command to identify the target device and the intended action, and then transmits the command to the target device for execution.
Potential Anticipation of Claims:
- Claim 1 & 12: This publication teaches a system that receives an utterance on one device (analogous to the vehicle head unit), identifies a target ecosystem (the secondary device), and forwards a command. The concept of a primary device acting as an intermediary to control various other connected devices is a key overlap with the invention claimed in the '663 patent.
- Claim 3: The method of receiving a voice command, processing it to determine a target device and action, and then transmitting it is clearly outlined. This process mirrors the steps in claim 3. The application specifically mentions an in-vehicle system as a potential primary device, strengthening its relevance as prior art. While it may not explicitly detail updating NLU models based on feedback, the foundational routing process is present.