Prior art — US Patent 9832708

USPTO Search for US Patent 9832708

A direct search for patent number US9832708 on the USPTO Patent Public Search portal would confirm its details, including publication date, inventors, and assignee.

Most Relevant Prior Art for US Patent 9832708

The Google Patents page for US9832708 lists numerous "Prior art citations" and "Families Citing this family" which are indicative of relevant prior art. Since the prompt asks for the most relevant prior art and to identify each patent citation, I will focus on the "Citations (47)" section as these are direct citations considered by the examiner during prosecution.

Here's an analysis of potentially relevant prior art from the provided text, focusing on the "Citations" section. It's important to note that a full anticipation analysis would require a detailed claim-by-claim comparison and expert legal opinion, but I will highlight the potential areas of overlap based on the provided descriptions.

The independent claims of US9832708 revolve around a smartphone using a first, short-range air interface with an entity based on proximity, while concurrently maintaining a second, different air interface for communication services from a base station, and crucially, the entity does not provide the communication service.

Given this, I will specifically look for prior art that discusses:

Mobile device mode enablement based on proximity.
The use of multiple air interfaces concurrently.
Short-range communication for specific functions (e.g., financial transactions).
Distinction between communication service provider and proximity-based entity.

Here are some of the most relevant prior art citations from the patent document:

US20030220105A1 (Alcatel)
- Full Citation: US20030220105A1 - Method for localizing a mobile terminal in an area under radio coverage of a cellular communication network and of a localization point, corresponding mobile terminal, server and localization point
- Publication Date: 2003-11-27 (Filed: 2002-05-24)
- Brief Description: This patent application describes methods and devices for localizing a mobile terminal within a cellular communication network and relative to a localization point. It involves a mobile terminal, a server, and a localization point.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is highly relevant to the "proximity criterion" aspect of US9832708. If the localization method allows for determining proximity to an "entity" (localization point) and this determination could trigger a mode or function, it could potentially anticipate aspects of all independent claims (1, 11, 16, 18) related to "detecting that a proximity criterion is satisfied." The description mentions "radio coverage of a cellular communication network" which aligns with the second air interface, and "localization point" could be analogous to the "entity."
US20040030601A1 (Pond Russell L.)
- Full Citation: US20040030601A1 - Electronic payment methods for a mobile device
- Publication Date: 2004-02-12 (Filed: 2000-09-29)
- Brief Description: This patent application details electronic payment methods specifically for mobile devices.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is relevant to the "financial transaction" function mentioned in the detailed description and dependent claims of US9832708 (e.g., "pay toll" function). While it might not cover the dual air interface or proximity trigger explicitly, it establishes the prior art for mobile device-based payments. If combined with a proximity detection system, it could anticipate claims that involve enabling a mode for financial transactions responsive to proximity (claims 1, 11, 16, 18 implicitly through the functions they enable).
US6769607B1 (Satyan G. Pitroda)
- Full Citation: US6769607B1 - Point of sale and display adapter for electronic transaction device
- Publication Date: 2004-08-03 (Filed: 1999-11-15)
- Brief Description: This patent describes a point of sale and display adapter for electronic transaction devices.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to US20040030601A1, this patent focuses on electronic transactions, specifically at a point of sale. This is directly relevant to the "check-out counter" entity and "payment for an item" function described in US9832708. While it doesn't explicitly mention dual air interfaces or proximity, the concept of an electronic transaction device interacting with a point of sale is foundational.
US20060145893A1 (Transcore, Inc.)
- Full Citation: US20060145893A1 - Electronic vehicle toll collection system and method
- Publication Date: 2006-07-06 (Filed: 1990-05-17)
- Brief Description: This patent application describes a system and method for electronic vehicle toll collection.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This is highly relevant to Example/Application No. 1 in US9832708, which describes a "pay toll" function enabled when a motor vehicle approaches an access point. This prior art establishes the concept of electronic toll collection. If a mobile device in this system also employed proximity detection and dual air interfaces, it could anticipate the "pay toll" enablement aspects of claims 1, 11, 16, and 18.
US20060133633A1 (Nokia Corporation)
- Full Citation: US20060133633A1 - Mobile telephone with metal sensor
- Publication Date: 2006-06-22 (Filed: 2004-12-17)
- Brief Description: This patent application describes a mobile telephone equipped with a metal sensor.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): While not directly about wireless proximity for mode enablement, this patent shows a mobile device using a sensor to detect an environmental condition (presence of metal) to potentially trigger a function. This broadly relates to the concept of a mobile device changing its behavior based on its environment, a core idea behind proximity-based mode enablement in US9832708. The "at least one other parameter" (e.g., temperature, humidity) mentioned in US9832708 could conceptually extend to such sensor inputs.
US7028897B2 (Vivotech, Inc.)
- Full Citation: US7028897B2 - Adaptor for magnetic stripe card reader
- Publication Date: 2006-04-18 (Filed: 2001-12-26)
- Brief Description: This patent describes an adaptor for a magnetic stripe card reader.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent relates to payment systems, specifically those involving magnetic stripe readers. This falls under the general umbrella of financial transactions discussed in US9832708, especially the "pay function" at a checkout counter.
US6595929B2 (Bodymedia, Inc.)
- Full Citation: US6595929B2 - System for monitoring health, wellness and fitness having a method and apparatus for improved measurement of heat flow
- Publication Date: 2003-07-22 (Filed: 2001-03-30)
- Brief Description: This patent describes a system for monitoring health, wellness, and fitness, including methods and apparatus for improved heat flow measurement.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent touches on sensing physiological parameters, which US9832708 lists as "at least one other parameter" (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, physiological state). While not directly about proximity-based mode enablement using dual air interfaces, it establishes prior art for mobile devices or associated systems sensing and utilizing physiological data to enable or disable functions.
US20040170430A1 (Alexei Gorokhov)
- Full Citation: US20040170430A1 - Mimo transmission system in a radio communications network
- Publication Date: 2004-09-02 (Filed: 2001-06-21)
- Brief Description: This patent describes a MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) transmission system in a radio communications network.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is broadly relevant to radio communications networks and transmission techniques. While it doesn't directly address mode enablement or proximity, it contributes to the general state of the art in wireless communication that forms the underlying technology for both the first and second air interfaces in US9832708.

Key takeaway for prior art:

Several prior art documents address individual components of US9832708, such as mobile payment, electronic toll collection, and location/proximity detection. However, the novel combination emphasized in US9832708's independent claims—specifically the concurrent operation of a short-range link with an entity not providing communication services and a separate link to a base station for communication services, both responsive to proximity—would be the primary focus for an anticipation analysis. Prior art that explicitly combines these elements, particularly the dual air interface operation where the entity is distinct from the primary communication service provider, would be most potent under 35 U.S.C. § 102.