Appeal No. 2002-1846
Application 09/146,199
[Bass] teaches, regarding point of sale communication networks, that,
. . . it is essential that data communication systems, comprising the
networks which provide the communication links and the data
terminal stations connected thereto for transmitting and receiving
the data information, be utilized to the fullest extent possible
and,
. . . it is imperative that the system operate with as great [a]
reliability as practicable to assure the greatest degree of availability
for data transmissions (column 1, lines 32-52).
Therefore, the Examiner is of the opinion that the combined prior art reasonably
suggests to one of ordinary skill in this art the need to monitor, store and test point
of sale attributes that relate to the performance of the system as error prone or
faulty systems can lead to,
delays in the acquisition of requested data may materially and
detrimentally impact or even prove critical to a business operation
because of the need for and emphasis on the continuity and speedy
real time retrieval of information. (Bass, column 1, lines 53-57).
In Paper No. 17, the examiner noted, with regard to Bass, that adverse effects of delays in the
acquisition of requested data provides impetus for maximizing data communication systems
reliability. Also in that paper, on page 6, the examiner states the following about Bass:
Bass also details the advent of, “. . . remote test systems [that] have been
developed for testing data communications systems from a central location. . .”
(column 3, lines 3-5), “network troubleshooting methods” as well as the
establishment of “various test modes” in order to improve system efficiency
(column 3, lines 40-47). The system of Bass utilizes these “tests” to measure
parameters affecting audio and digital performance (column 6, lines 48-55;
column 7, lines 42-65). Overall, Bass offers a preventive maintenance program
that provides communication network testing, reconfiguration, diagnostics and
problem resolution in order to promote system liability, capital equipment
optimization and customer satisfaction (column 13, lines 4-14).
None of the items identified by the examiner about Bass necessarily has anything to do with the
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