Prior art

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 9979826, I will examine the patent citations listed within the patent itself. The patent lists six "Patent Citations" and four "Non-Patent Citations." The USPTO's definition of prior art includes information known publicly before the effective filing date of a U.S. patent application, which can include both patents and non-patent literature.

Here are the patent citations, along with their details and potential anticipation of claims from US9979826:

Patent Citations:

1. US20020065657A1

   • Full Citation: US20020065657A1, "Methods and apparatus for performing speech recognition and using speech recognition results," Telesector Resources Group, Inc., Publication date: 2002-05-30, Priority date: 2000-11-30.
   • Brief Description: This patent application describes methods and apparatus for performing speech recognition and using the results. While not directly focused on automated message responses based on peripheral connections, it broadly covers systems that process incoming communications and take action based on their content, which could be a foundational element for automated response systems.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference might generally anticipate the concept of a computerized device processing incoming data for some form of automated action, as broadly described in the background of US9979826. However, it does not appear to specifically anticipate the "peripheral connection status" as a trigger for selecting automated responses, which is central to claims 1 and 6 of US9979826.

2. US20120117169A1

   • Full Citation: US20120117169A1, "Time-Based Computer Control," Robert Plotkin, Publication date: 2012-05-10, Priority date: 2010-11-08.
   • Brief Description: This patent application discloses systems and methods for controlling computer functions based on time or schedules. This focuses on a different contextual trigger (time) than the peripheral connection status emphasized in US9979826.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference does not appear to directly anticipate the core elements of claims 1 and 6, which rely on peripheral connection status, but rather on time-based triggers.

3. US20130097270A1

   • Full Citation: US20130097270A1, "Conditional Auto-Responder," Yagi Corp., Publication date: 2013-04-18, Priority date: 2010-09-24.
   • Brief Description: This patent application describes a conditional auto-responder system. The term "conditional" suggests that responses are sent based on certain criteria. While it is an auto-responder, the specific conditions (e.g., peripheral connection status) are key to distinguishing US9979826.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference could potentially anticipate the general concept of an auto-responder to incoming messages. However, without knowing the specific "conditions" described, it's difficult to assess if it anticipates the unique peripheral-based selection method of claims 1 and 6 of US9979826. It might anticipate aspects of claim 2 regarding assigning automated replies and priorities to items on a dataset if "conditions" include contact information.

4. US20130097269A1

   • Full Citation: US20130097269A1, "Context-Sensitive Auto-Responder," Yagi Corp., Publication date: 2013-04-18, Priority date: 2010-09-24.
   • Brief Description: This patent application, also by Yagi Corp., describes a "context-sensitive" auto-responder. "Context-sensitive" implies that the system adapts its responses based on the current situation. This is closer to the spirit of US9979826, which uses peripheral connection as a form of context.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is highly relevant. Depending on what "context" is defined to include, it could potentially anticipate aspects of claims 1 and 6, especially if "context" encompasses the detection of connected peripheral devices. Claim 4, which relates to preventing distracted driving by using an "equipment associated Bluetooth peripheral device," could also be anticipated if the context-sensitive nature of this prior art includes such device connections. Further analysis of the detailed description of US20130097269A1 would be needed to determine if the specific mechanism of using peripheral identification codes for selecting responses is disclosed, which is a key distinguishing feature of US9979826.

5. US20130157629A1

   • Full Citation: US20130157629A1, "Customizable media auto-reply systems and methods," Realnetworks, Inc., Publication date: 2013-06-20, Priority date: 2011-12-14.
   • Brief Description: This patent application describes systems and methods for customizable media auto-reply. The "customizable" aspect aligns with US9979826's ability to program different messages.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference could potentially anticipate the "customized automated responses" aspect of US9979826. However, it's unclear if the customization is triggered by "peripheral connection status" as in claims 1 and 6. If the customization is solely based on content or sender, it may not directly anticipate the core invention of US9979826.

6. US20130165171A1

   • Full Citation: US20130165171A1, "Method and apparatus for providing session initiator privilege, priority and presence notification for push-to-talk chat group communications," Motorola Solutions, Inc., Publication date: 2013-06-27, Priority date: 2011-12-21.
   • Brief Description: This patent application pertains to communication management in push-to-talk (PTT) chat groups, focusing on privileges, priority, and presence. While it deals with managing communications and priorities, it is specific to PTT and does not appear to involve peripheral connection status for selecting automated responses to general incoming messages.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is unlikely to anticipate claims 1 or 6 of US9979826, as its focus is on PTT communication management rather than peripheral-triggered auto-responses to general incoming messages. It might, however, be considered relevant to claim 2 concerning "reply priority" if the PTT system had analogous priority schemes.

Non-Patent Citations:

The non-patent citations indicate the existence of similar features in operating systems and apps prior to the priority date of US9979826 (May 18, 2013):

1. "Android's Do Not Disturb driving mode is going big in 2018": Dated Nov. 10, 2017. This post-dates the priority date of US9979826 (May 18, 2013) and therefore is not prior art.
2. "Iphone User Guide for iOS 11": Dated Sep. 19, 2017. This post-dates the priority date of US9979826 (May 18, 2013) and therefore is not prior art.
3. "Windows Phone 8 Update 3 (GDR3)": Dated Oct. 25, 2013. This post-dates the priority date of US9979826 (May 18, 2013) and therefore is not prior art.
4. "Windows Phone 8 Update 3: Driving Mode": Dated Oct. 15, 2013. This post-dates the priority date of US9979826 (May 18, 2013) and therefore is not prior art.

Therefore, the non-patent citations provided do not serve as prior art for US9979826 as they all post-date the patent's priority date.

Most Relevant Prior Art:

Based on the brief descriptions, US20130097269A1 ("Context-Sensitive Auto-Responder" by Yagi Corp.) appears to be the most relevant patent citation. Its focus on "context-sensitive" auto-responding suggests it might come closest to anticipating the core invention of using external conditions (which could include peripheral connections) to trigger specific automated responses, as claimed in US9979826. Further investigation into the specifics of what "context" entails in US20130097269A1 would be crucial for a definitive determination of anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102 for claims 1 and 6, particularly the use of "peripheral device identification code" to select and retrieve specific replies.

The other auto-responder patents (US20130097270A1 and US20130157629A1) are also relevant to the broader concept of automated replies but lack the specific emphasis on peripheral connection as a trigger described in US9979826.