DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the Amendments filed on 09/15/2025.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on 09/15/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding claim 1, on pages 2-6, applicant seems to argue that the combination of Thye and Rangarajan is not proper and does not disclose the limitations in claim 1. In particular, the applicant argues that Thye does not disclose displaying files or folders to a user, or withholding access to the contents of a file or folder until an administrator applies a security permission, and does not disclose applying such a permission to adjust a digital access duration for the content, as required by amended independent claim 1, and the applicant believes that Rangarajan does not cure the deficiencies of Thye.
In response, Examiner respectfully disagrees and submits that, first, Thye discloses systems and method for resource utilization management (at least [0020]). The resources in Thye are not limited to just physical resources such as books, private offices, conference room and etc. (at least [0027][0030]), but also digital resources such as network access provided by Wifi service (at least [0029]). Second, Thye clearly discloses the resources are displayed to users (at least [0037]-[0038]). In order to access a particular resource, the user needs to reserve the resource for a specific time slot when the resource is available (at least [0022]). The user’s reservation is then updated on the resource calendar (at least [0090]). However, before a user initiates access to a particular resource that the user reserves, cost for utilizing the resource for a particular duration required by the user is calculated/applied by the resource server (administrator), and the cost is presented to the user in order to confirm that that the user agrees to incur the cost (at least [0047]-[0048]). At least the user’s reservation & cost calculated by the resource server are collectively interpreted as the recited “security permission”.
As admitted in the Non-Final Rejection dated 06/13/2025, Thye already discloses resources as being both physical and digital, but Thye does not explicitly disclose the resources include a file or folder as amended in claim 1. So, Rangarajan, which is an analogous art and discloses a resource being a file or folder (at least [0005][0007] [0034], music file, video file, digital books and etc.) is brought in to cure the deficiencies of Thye. As such, contrasting to the applicant’s arguments above, the combination of Thye and Rangarajan is proper and discloses all the limitations of claim 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-6, 8, 10-15 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Thye (US 2016/0285785-A1-hereinafter Thye) and in view of Rangarajan (US 2015/0186860 A1-hereinafter Ranga).
Regarding claim 1, Thye discloses a method for processing an access request on an electronic device, the method comprising:
displaying, on a screen of the electronic device, a selection menu including at least one resource stored in memory that a user is authorized to request access to (at least figures 2, 4 & 5, [0037]-[0038][0042][0077][0105], displaying one or more available resources stored in database that user can reserve), wherein the displayed selection menu displays the at least one resource to the user without allowing the user to access contents of the resource until after an access request for the resource is granted by an administrator based on a security permission (at least figures [0037][0038][0042][0044]-[0048], the resources are displayed to the user, without actually allowing the user to access its contents until an access request from the user has been approved by an entity/administrator in accordance to terms sets by the entity/administrator and agrees by the user);
receiving a user selection, via the displayed selection menu, including the access request for the data resource stored in the memory (at least figures 4 & 5, [0078] [0106], user elects to reserve a resource (i.e.: network access) is received);
prompting the user to confirm requested access for the resource and to confirm a digital access duration for the data resource to which the user requested access (at least figures 4 & 5, steps 404 & 505, [0058][0063], prompting the user to select/confirm to reserve the resource);
receiving a confirmation from the user for the requested access for the resource and the digital access duration for the data resource to which the user requested access (at least figures 4 & 5, steps 505, [0064][0078][0106], receiving confirmation from the user);
storing the access request in a central database (at least figures 4 & 5, steps 413 & 507, [0056][0078], reservation is stored in resource information database);
permitting the administrator to determine the security permission for digitally accessing the data resource based on the access request (at least [0056]-[0058], permitting the resource server to determine state (available, unavailable or reserved) of the resource); and
applying the security permission for digitally accessing the data resource to adjust the digital access duration for the data resource to allow the user to digitally access the content of data resource for a time period corresponding to the digital access duration (at least [0056]-[0057], i.e.: reserved state is applied to the resource for the duration of time corresponding to the reservation).
Although Thye discloses the data resource as including network access (at least [0009][0027][0029]-[0030]).
Thye does not explicitly disclose the data resource is a file or folder.
However, Ranga which is an analogous art, discloses a resource being a file or folder (at least [0005][0007][0034], music file, video file, digital book and etc.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the features disclose by Ranga into the method of Thye to enable the method to be used on not just physical resources but on digital resources as well.
Regarding claim 2, Thye and Ranga disclose the method of claim 1. Thye also discloses verifying the authorized resources of the user (at least figures 4 & 5, steps 403 & 503, verifying availability of resources).
Regarding claim 3, Thye and Ranga disclose the method of claim 1. Thye and Ranga disclose also disclose wherein the security permission includes the digital access duration for the file or folder (Thye-at least [0057][0061], i.e.: period of time that the resource is reserved for the user; Ranga-(at least [0005]-[0007][0034], music file, video file and etc.).
Regarding claim 4, Thye and Ranga disclose the method of claim 3. Thye and Ranga disclose also disclose revoking access to the file or folder when the digital access duration expires (Thye-at least [0068] [0102], access is not granted/revoked when reservation expired; Ranga-(at least [0005]-[0007][0034], music file, video file and etc.).
Regarding claim 5, Thye and Ranga disclose the method of claim 3. Thye and Ranga also disclose receiving a request from the user to revoke access to the file or folder (Thye-at least [0044] [0095][0099], a request to cancel resource reservation is received from the user; Ranga-(at least [0005]-[0007][0034], music file, video file and etc.).
Regarding claim 6, Thye and Ranga disclose the method of claim 5. Thye and Ranga also disclose revoking access to the file or folder prior to the expiration of the digital access duration based on the request from the user to revoke access to the file or folder (Thye-at least [0044][0095] [0099], reservation to access is cancelled when a cancellation request is received from the user; Ranga-(at least [0005]-[0007][0034], music file, video file and etc.).
Regarding claim 8, Thye and Ranga disclose the method of claim 1. Thye and Ranga also disclose the selection menu comprises a plurality of files or folders to which the user can request access (Thye-at least figures 4 & 5, [0077] [0105], displaying one or more available resources that user can reserve; Ranga-(at least [0005]-[0007][0034], music file, video file and etc.).
Claim 10 is rejected for the same rationale as claim 1 above.
Claim 11 is rejected for the same rationale as claim 2 above.
Claim 12 is rejected for the same rationale as claim 3 above.
Claim 13 is rejected for the same rationale as claim 4 above.
Claim 14 is rejected for the same rationale as claim 5 above.
Claim 15 is rejected for the same rationale as claim 6 above.
Claim 17 is rejected for the same rationale as claim 8 above.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PHY ANH TRAN VU whose telephone number is (571)270-7317. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7 am-1 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Taghi T Arani can be reached at (571) 272-3787. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PHY ANH T VU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2438