DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . This office action is in response to applicant's communication of December 17, 2025. The rejections are stated below. Claims 1-20 are pending and have been examined.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
2. A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 12/17/2025 has been entered.
Response to Amendment/Arguments
3. Applicant's arguments filed 12/17/2025 concerning 35 U.S.C. 101 have been considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues the claims are "related to the management of an electronic network" and not directed to a method of organizing human activity. The claimed method’s core purpose is the organization of a fundamental financial or commercial activity such as collecting shares of a debt from multiple parties to pay a single bill. The claimed steps of obtaining billing information, assigning debt portions, and obtaining moneys from individuals to satisfy a shared obligation are activities within the realm of "fundamental economic principles or practices" and "commercial or legal interactions." The additional steps of determining transaction latencies based on funding source type, calculating different transaction times, and sending notifications based on those latencies constitute an automation of the mental process of coordinating payment timelines. Automating this coordination using a computer network does not change the underlying abstract nature of the concept. The claims are directed to the abstract idea of mitigating financial risk through coordinated timing of transactions, which is a fundamental economic practice. Applicant's characterization of the claims as "managing electronic transactions on an electronic network" merely describes the technological environment in which the abstract idea is implemented. The claims do not recite an improvement in the functioning of the network or computer technology itself. Instead, they use the electronic network and computer components as tools to execute the abstract coordination process. Therefore, the claims are directed to a patent-ineligible abstract idea. Regarding Applicant's alternative argument that the claims recite "significantly more," the additional elements, such as determining latencies, calculating times, storing money in a placeholder account, and sending notifications, are themselves routine data-gathering, calculation, and communication steps performed by the computer and electronic network. The ordered combination of these steps amounts to nothing more than linking the exception to a particular environment. The claims do not integrate the judicial exception into a practical application that is necessarily rooted in computer technology to overcome a problem specifically arising in that realm.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
4. Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea of payment of bills without significantly more.
The Examiner has identified independent system Claim 1 as the claim that represents the claimed invention for analysis and is similar to independent Claims 9 and 15.
Claim 1 is directed to a method which is one of the four statutory categories of invention (Step 1: YES).
Claim 1 recites a method that facilitates payment of bills, the method comprising:
obtaining billing information regarding a bill from a biller, wherein a plurality of splittees of a group share an obligation to pay a debt associated with the bill;
assigning a portion of the debt to each splittee, wherein a sum of the splittee's portions is sufficient to pay the debt associated with the bill;
obtaining moneys from a funding source of each splittee, wherein the monies are obtained by performing a just-in-time pull transaction comprising:
determining a first money source for a first splittee;
determining a second money source for a second splittee;
determining a … for the first money source and a … for the second money source, wherein the ... is longer than the …;
determining a due date for the bill;
providing, to the first splittee, a first notification of when a first portion of the bill must be funded by the first splittee, wherein the first notification is based at least upon the first transaction latency; wherein providing the first notification causes display of the first notification in a … on a …, and wherein the first notification is operable to receive a first approval via the …;
providing, to the second splittee, a second notification of when a second portion of the bill must be funded by the second splittee, wherein the second notification is based at least upon the …; wherein providing the second notification causes display of the second notification in a … on a …, and wherein the … is operable to receive a second approval via the …;
based upon the due date, calculating a first transaction time based upon the … and a second transaction time based upon the second transaction latency, wherein the first and second transaction time are different;
upon reaching the first transaction time, obtaining moneys, via an …, from the first funding source;
storing the moneys from the first funding source in a placeholder account; upon reaching the second transaction time, obtaining moneys, via the …, from the second funding source; and
storing the moneys from the second funding source in the placeholder account; determining whether the obtained moneys for each splittee are in an amount that is sufficient to cover each splittee's assigned portion of the debt;
in response to a determination that the obtained moneys for each splittee are sufficient, collecting the obtained moneys into a single payment that is sufficient to pay the debt associated with the bill; and
transmitting the single payment to the biller. These limitations (with the exception of italicized limitations) describe an abstract idea of payment of bills to Certain Methods of Organizing Human Activity (commercial or legal interactions including sales activities or business relations). Accordingly, the claim 1 recites an abstract idea (Step 2A: Prong 1: YES).
5. The claim also recites as additional elements such as “electronic network” and “just-in-time-pull” which do no more than implement the abstract idea and/or provide a particular technological environment. Therefore, claim 1 recites an abstract idea without a practical application (Step 2A - Prong 2: NO).
6. Further, as the additional elements of claim 1 do no more than serve as a tool to implement the abstract idea and/or provide a particular technological environment, they do not improve computer functionality or improve another technology or technical field. Thus, claim 1 is not patent eligible (Step 2B: NO).
7. Claims 9 and 15 also recite the abstract idea of payment of bills and corresponds to Certain Methods of Organizing Human Activity (commercial interactions or sales activities or behaviors, business relations, managing personal behavior or relationships or interactions between people) step one of step 2A (MPEP 2106.04). Claim 9 includes the additional elements of “one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, direct the one or more processors to perform operations that facilitate a bill payment system”, “network”, and “just-in-time“. Claim 15 includes the additional elements of “one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, direct the one or more processors”, “network”, and “just-in-time”. The additional elements do no more than serve as a tool to implement the abstract idea and/or provide a particular technological environment. There is no improvement to the functioning of a computer, or lo any other technology or technical field (MPEP 2106.05(a}.
8. Claim 2 recites “further comprising: selecting a funding transaction type to obtain moneys for a particular splittee, wherein the particular splittee specifies that selected funding transaction type; obtaining a due date of the bill; determining that a transaction latency of the selected funding transaction type exceeds the due date of the bill; in response to the determination that the transaction latency of the selected funding transaction type exceeds the due date of the bill, notifying the particular splittee of that determination” which further defines the abstract idea.
9. Claim 3 recites “further comprising: obtaining a due date of the bill; determining that a transaction latency of a funding transaction type to obtain moneys for a particular splittee exceeds the due date of the bill; enabling a selection of funding transaction type other than the determined funding transaction type” which further defines the abstract idea.
10. Claim 4 recites “further comprising, in response to a determination that the obtained moneys for one of the splittees are insufficient, sending a notification that indicates that determination the splittee with insufficient funding” which further defines the abstract idea.
11. Claim 5 recites “further comprising, for a particular splittee: acquiring a prioritized listing of funding sources available for the particular splittee; selecting a highest priority funding source on the listing from which to obtain the moneys for the obtaining moneys action; in response to a determination that the obtained moneys for the particular splittee are insufficient, selecting a next highest priority funding source on the listing from which to obtain the moneys for the obtaining moneys action” which further defines the abstract idea.
12. Claim 6 recites “further comprising, with at least one of the splittees of the group, obtaining moneys from multiple funding sources” which further defines the abstract idea.
13. Claim 7 recites “further comprising, with at least one of the splittees of the group, obtaining moneys from multiple differing funding sources” which further defines the abstract idea.
14. Claim 8 recites “wherein the assigning the portions includes: sending a notification to the splittees regarding their assigned portion; receiving an approval from the splittees regarding their assigned portion” which further defines the abstract idea.
15. Claim 10 recites “wherein the assigning each splittee's portion includes a proportional allocation of the debt” which further defines the abstract idea.
16. Claim 11 recites “wherein the obtaining moneys for a particular splittee includes acquiring funding from a bank account associated with that particular splittee” which further defines the abstract idea.
17. Claim 12 recites “wherein the obtaining moneys for a particular splittee includes acquiring funding from a bank account associated with that particular splittee” which further defines the abstract idea.
18. Claim 13 recites “wherein the operations further comprise selecting a funding transaction type to obtain moneys for a particular splittee” which further defines the abstract idea.
19. Claim 14 recites “wherein the operations further comprise, for a particular splittee: acquiring a prioritized listing of funding sources available for the particular splittee; selecting a highest priority funding source on the listing from which to obtain the moneys for the obtaining moneys action wherein the operations further comprise, for a particular splittee: acquiring a prioritized listing of funding sources available for the particular splittee; selecting a highest priority funding source on the listing from which to obtain the moneys for the obtaining moneys action” which further defines the abstract idea.
20. Claim 16 recites “wherein the operations further comprise, for a particular splittee: acquiring a prioritized listing of funding sources available for the particular splittee; selecting a highest priority funding source on the listing from which to obtain the moneys for the obtaining moneys action” which further defines the abstract idea.
21. Claim 17 recites “wherein the operations further comprise, for a particular splittee: acquiring a prioritized listing of funding sources available for the particular splittee; selecting a highest priority funding source on the listing from which to obtain the moneys for the obtaining moneys action” which further defines the abstract idea.
22. Claim 18 recites “wherein the operations further comprise, for a particular splittee: acquiring a prioritized listing of funding sources available for the particular splittee; selecting a highest priority funding source on the listing from which to obtain the moneys for the obtaining moneys action” which further defines the abstract idea.
23. Claim 19 recites “obtaining a due date of the bill; determining that a transaction latency of a funding transaction type to obtain moneys for a particular splittee exceeds the due date of the bill; enabling a selection of funding transaction type other than the determined funding transaction type” which further defines the abstract idea.
24. Claim 20 recites “wherein the assigning the portions includes: receiving a notification regarding a splittee's assigned portion; sending an approval from the splittee regarding their assigned portion” which further defines the abstract idea.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN T POE whose telephone number is (571)272-9789. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 9:30am through 6pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ryan Donlon can be reached on 571-270-3602. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/K.T.P/Examiner, Art Unit 3692 /KEVIN T POE/
/RYAN D DONLON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3692 February 20, 2026