DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Status of Claims
This final office action is responsive to Applicant’s submission filed 01/13/2026. Currently, claims 21-40 are pending. Claims 1-20 have been cancelled. Claims 21 and 28-35 have been amended. No newly added claims.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 21-40 are allowed over prior art.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
None of the cited and/or relevant prior art teaches the limitation:
“performing a first association, by the mobile device of the customer service representative with an indicia of the service location to cause the order of the patron of the service location to be transmitted to a service device from the computing server that stored the order after receiving the order from a patron mobile device of the patron”,
as recited in claim 21.
Claims 28 and 35 recite similar limitation as set forth in claim 21, and therefore are patentable over prior art.
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s amendments to the specification are sufficient to overcome the objection to the specification set forth in the previous action.
Applicant’s amendments to claims 28 and 35 are sufficient to overcome the rejection of claims 28-40 under 35 U.S.C. §112(a) as set forth in the previous action.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 28-40 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim 28 recites in part,
“A system comprising:
a memory configured to store instructions; and
a processor configured to execute the instructions to perform operations comprising:
detecting, by a computer server using localized Wi-Fi at a service location, a patron device at a service location;
automatically initiating, by the computer server, an ongoing service session associated with the patron device and the service location based on detecting the patron device with the localized Wi-Fi at the service location;
displaying, at a mobile device of a customer service representative, a user interface associated with an ongoing service session of a patron of the service location, the user interface identifying an order of the patron and a status of the order;
displaying, via the user interface of the mobile device of the customer service representative, a first notification that prompts the customer service representative to check-in at the service location;
performing a first association, by the mobile device of the customer service representative, with an indicia of the service location to cause the order of the patron of the service location to be transmitted to a service device from the computing server that stored the order after receiving the order from a patron mobile device of the patron;
receiving, by the mobile device of the customer service representative, information of the order being ready from the service device;
based on receiving the information of the order being ready from the service device, synchronizing, by the mobile device of the customer service representative, a database of the computing server, the mobile device of the customer service representative, and the service device by synchronizing with a shared ledger of a blockchain used to manage the service session;
displaying, via the user interface of the mobile device of the customer service representative, a second notification that identifies that the order is ready;
displaying, via the user interface of the mobile device of the customer service representative, a third notification that identifies that a check for the order is ready to be transmitted to the patron mobile device of the patron; and
performing a second association, by the mobile device of the customer service representative, of the mobile device of the customer service representative with the indicia of the service location to cause a transmission of a signal to a computing server that enables the computing server to determine a transaction amount for the order and transmit the check for the order to the patron mobile device of the patron, wherein the transaction information of the service session is managed via the shared ledger of the blockchain.
However, Applicant’s filed specification fails to show support for the claimed limitation.
Applicant’s published specification teaches that,
“[0028]…in addition to or as an alternative to use of beacon 114, a localized or proximity Wi-Fi may be configured to identify a table, sense when individual patrons with patron mobile device(s) 110 and/or waiters with waiter mobile device(s) 116 are at the table, and/or relay information identifying the table or transaction related information to the patron mobile device(s) 110, waiter mobile device(s) 116, or to personalized dining computing system 112. In such embodiments, the sensing may occur as a result of the proximity of a patron mobile device 110 or waiter mobile device 116 to the localized or proximity Wi-Fi, and/or may occur as a patron or waiter connects to the Wi-Fi. Thus, in such embodiments, instead of patrons having to scan the beacon with their patron mobile device(s), the personalized dining computing system 112 (via the localized or proximity Wi-Fi) may be configured to recognize when a patron is in the dining venue and/or identify what table the patron may be sitting at…
[0042] Methods 200A and 200B may be executed by the devices and/or components related to one or more patrons 202 (e.g., first patron device 202A, second patron device 202B, and third patron device 202C), the table 204 (e.g., a beacon 204A affixed to the table), the network 206, the personalized dining computing system (e.g., computing server 208A), the waiter 210 (e.g., waiter mobile device 210A), and the kitchen 212 (e.g., kitchen device 212A). While it may or may not be shown in figures, it is assumed that communications between computing server 208A and one or more of a patron mobile device, beacon 204A, waiter mobile device 210A, or kitchen device 212A may occur via a network 206…
[0043]…alternatively or additionally, in lieu of use of a beacon 204A, the check-in process may occur when the patron mobile device enters the zone of a localized or proximity Wi-Fi, and the Wi-Fi device is configured to identify and/or receive identifying information of the patron mobile device. The beacon 204A may be one or more of an electronic device having a 1-dimensional bar code, an electronic device having a 2-dimensional bar code (e.g., a QR code), a radiofrequency identification (RFID) device, a passive integrated circuit, a near field communication (NFC) device, or any device having a mechanism to relay information identifying a patron mobile device and/or waiter mobile device 116 to computing server 208A.
[0046] …computing server 208A may initiate a dining session and add first patron to the dining session. Subsequent to receiving a patron's check-in information from beacon 204A (e.g., as in step 216), computing server 208A may determine whether there is an ongoing dining session associated with the beacon 204A from which check-in information has been received. If the beacon does not have an ongoing dining session, computing server 208A may initiate a dining session for beacon 204A and add the patron associated with the check-in (e.g., first patron according to step 218) to the dining session. If, for example, computing server 208A determines that there is already an ongoing dining session associated with beacon 204A, computing server may simply add the patron associated with the check-in information to the dining session, without initiating a new dining session.”
From the above paragraphs, a personalized dining computing system (computing server) detects a patron within the dining venue and initiates a dining session. In addition, a customer service representative’s mobile device performs the “displaying”, “performing a first and second association”, “receiving” and “synchronizing” steps.
This is in contrast to the claimed system having a “processor” and “memory with instructions” performing the recited steps. In other words, the claimed system comprising a “processor” and “memory with instruction” separate from the recited “computing server” and “customer service representative’s mobile device” for performing the described functions.
Accordingly, there is no support for the claimed “processor” and “memory with instructions” performing the recited functions. The recited functions are being performed by the “computer server” and “customer service representative’s mobile device”.
Applicant is respectfully requested to particularly point out portion(s) of the specification that show(s) support for the claimed limitations.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 35 recites similar limitation as set forth in claim 28, and therefore is rejected based on similar rationale.
Claims 29-34 and 36-40 are rejected based on their dependence, directly or indirectly on claims 28 or 35.
Claims 28-40
Applicant's amendments and arguments, see pages 2 & 3, filed 01/13/2026, with respect to claims 28-40 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of claims 28-40 has been withdrawn.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
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/OLUSEGUN GOYEA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3627