Obviousness

Based on a technical analysis of the prior art, the claims of US Patent 9,665,705 appear to be vulnerable to an obviousness challenge under 35 U.S.C. § 103. The primary inventive concept resides in using the biometric sensor not just for authentication but also as a command input device for administrative tasks, such as user enrollment, based on the number or duration of sensor presses.

While the cited prior art references (Fingar, Sato, Sako) do not explicitly teach this enrollment method, they establish a strong baseline for the overall system architecture. An obviousness argument can be constructed by combining one of these primary references with the general knowledge of a person having ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) regarding user interface design for compact electronic devices at the time of the invention.

Obviousness Argument: Combination of Fingar and Known UI Design Principles

A primary argument for obviousness can be made by combining U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0230810 A1 (Fingar) with well-established principles of user interface (UI) design for devices with limited physical controls.

1. Base Reference: Fingar (US 2004/0230810 A1)

As established in the prior art analysis, Fingar discloses a portable biometric "fob" that teaches the core elements of Claim 1 of the '705 patent:

• A portable transmitter sub-system (the "fob").
• A biometric sensor (fingerprint scanner).
• A memory for storing biometric templates (a "database of biometric signatures").
• A processor for matching a live biometric signal against the stored templates ("means for matching").
• A wireless transmitter for sending a secure access signal upon successful authentication ("means for emitting a secure access signal").
• A receiver sub-system that receives the signal and provides conditional access to a controlled item.

2. The Missing Element

The single, dispositive element of Claim 1 not taught by Fingar is the specific method of initiating user enrollment. Claim 1 requires a method where "a series of entries of the biometric signal... characterised according to at least one of the number of said entries and a duration of each said entry" is mapped "into an instruction" to "populate the data base."

Fingar teaches a different method: using a "small recessed button on the fob" to enter enrollment mode.

3. Motivation to Combine and Rationale for Obviousness

A person of ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) in 2003, when presented with the design of Fingar's fob, would have been motivated to replace the separate enrollment button with a command-input function on the existing biometric sensor for several reasons:

• Component Reduction and Miniaturization: A primary goal in designing portable electronic devices like key fobs is to minimize size, cost, and complexity. Eliminating a separate physical button reduces the bill of materials, simplifies the manufacturing process, and allows for a smaller, more streamlined housing.
• Improved Durability and Aesthetics: Removing a physical button eliminates a potential point of mechanical failure and an opening in the device's casing, thereby improving its resistance to dust and moisture. It also leads to a cleaner, more minimalist design.
• Known Design Trade-off: The concept of using a single input mechanism (like one button) to control multiple functions through different press patterns (e.g., a short press for one function, a long press for another, a double-press for a third) was a well-known and conventional UI design technique for compact devices with limited surface area, such as MP3 players, early mobile phones, and remote controls.
• Predictable Result: The fingerprint sensors of the era were essentially capacitive or optical surfaces capable of detecting the presence and position of a finger. It would have been a simple and predictable step for a skilled engineer to use the sensor's basic presence-detection capability to also register taps, holds, and sequences of taps, effectively making it function as a solid-state button. Applying the known "long press/short press" UI logic to the biometric sensor to trigger an administrative mode like "enrollment" would be a straightforward application of a known technique to a known device to achieve a predictable result (component reduction).

Conclusion of Obviousness Analysis

A POSITA would have found it obvious to modify the system disclosed by Fingar by removing the dedicated enrollment button and implementing the enrollment command by repurposing the existing biometric sensor to recognize a specific series of presses or holds. This modification represents a simple substitution of one known user input method (a dedicated button) for another well-known method (a multi-function single input) to achieve the predictable benefits of cost reduction, miniaturization, and improved durability. This combination of Fingar's system with conventional UI design principles renders the unique enrollment feature, and therefore the entirety of Claim 1 of US Patent 9,665,705, obvious under 35 U.S.C. § 103.

The dependent claims (2-17) add further limitations such as specific "accessibility attributes" (e.g., duress, alert, telemetry) or the use of feedback LEDs. These features are generally well-known functions in security systems and would likely be considered obvious additions or design choices that do not add a non-obvious inventive concept to the system claimed in Claim 1.