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 .
DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 June 16, 2026 has been entered.
Status of Claims
Claims 1, 9, 11, 12, 15, 24, 25, 28 have been amended.
Claims 2, 4, 5, 13, 18 – 23, 29 have been cancelled.
Claim 30 has been added.
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.
Claims 1, 3, 6 – 12, 14 – 17, 24 – 28, 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. The claims recite:
Claim 1:
receiving, on which the product is undergoing processing, information about an identity of the product;
for each instance of the product and at a time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, preparing a print code, the preparing of the print code comprising:
selecting a portion of a current [data of a datastore], the selected portion containing time-variant data (TVBD) and serves as a first portion of the print code, wherein the selection is made in accordance with one or more properties of the TVBD selected from a number of characters, a type of the characters, and position within the [datastore], the one or more properties used for the selection varying over time and determined according to a [data] generation rate of the [datastore] and a real-time speed of the production line so as to achieve a desired timestamp granularity while avoiding delay in the production line, wherein the current [date of the datastore] further contains time-dependent data that identifies a time of creation of the current [data of the datastore];
printing, for each instance of the product at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, the print code corresponding to the instance of the product inclusive of the first and second portions of the instance of the product or on a product related information carrier associated with the instance of the product;
recording, for each instance of the product at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, an image of the instance of the product and the printed print code; and
uploading, for each instance of the product and at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, the recorded image for the instance of the product to the [datastore] having the current [data of the datastore] or to another [datastore], to provide an immutable proof that the printing occurred at the time of printing, for subsequent validation of the instance of the product;
wherein each pair of printed print code and recorded image are physically and temporally bound to operation of the production line so that pre-printing or post-dating of the print code is prevented through the variable selection of the portion of the TVBD that is tied to the [data of the datastore] generation rate and production-line speed, establishing an independently verifiable time indication of the time at which the product instance was processed on the production line.
Claim 12:
determine information about an identity of the product as the instances of the product undergoes processing on a production line;
for each instance of the product and at a time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, prepare a print code, the preparing the print code comprising:
select a portion of a current [data of the datastore], the selected portion containing time-variant blockchain data (TVBD) and serves as a first portion of the print code, wherein the selection is made in accordance with one or more properties of the TVBD selected from a number of characters, a type of the characters, and a position within the blockchain block, the one or more properties used for the selection varying over time and determined according to a [data] generation rate of the [datastore] and a real-time speed of the production line so as to achieve a desired timestamp granularity while avoiding delay in the production line, wherein the current [data of the datastore] further contains time-dependent data that identifies a time of creation of the current [data of the datastore];
retrieve product data associated with the instance of the product from a manufacture database for the product, the product data serves as a second portion of the print code;
for each instance of the product and at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, print the print code corresponding to the instance of the product inclusive of the first and second portions on the instance of the product or on a product related information carrier associated with the instance of the product;
record, for each instance of the product and at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, image of the product and the printed print code; and
upload, for each instance of the product and at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, the recorded image for the instance of the product to the blockchain having the current [data of the datastore] or to another [data of the datastore], to provide an immutable proof that the printing occurred at the time of printing, for subsequent validation of the instance of the product
wherein each pair of printed code and recorded image are physically and temporally bound to operation of the production line so that pre-printing or post-printing of the print code is prevented through the variable selection of the portion of the TVBD that is tied to the [data of the datastore] generation rate and production-line speed, establishing an independently verifiable time indication of the time at which the product instance was processed on the production line
The invention is directed towards the abstract idea of collecting and organizing information for alter comparison for product authentication, which corresponds to both “Mental Processes” and “Certain Methods of Organizing Human Activities” as it is directed towards steps that can be performed in the human mind and/or using pen and paper, e.g., a user can write down information about a product, as well as write the information onto a product, so that the information can be filed away for later retrieval to allow a user to compare the information provided on a product with known information, i.e. filed information, to determine if the product is authentic, as well as fulfilling the legal obligation of ensuring that a product is authentic through the storage and reference of verifiable data, when an event associated with a product occurs and the information reflecting when the event took place.
The limitations of:
Claim 1:
receiving, on which the product is undergoing processing, information about an identity of the product;
for each instance of the product and at a time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, preparing a print code, the preparing of the print code comprising:
selecting a portion of a current [data of a datastore], the selected portion containing time-variant data (TVBD) and serves as a first portion of the print code, wherein the selection is made in accordance with one or more properties of the TVBD selected from a number of characters, a type of the characters, and position within the [datastore], the one or more properties used for the selection varying over time and determined according to a [data] generation rate of the [datastore] and a real-time speed of the production line so as to achieve a desired timestamp granularity while avoiding delay in the production line, wherein the current [date of the datastore] further contains time-dependent data that identifies a time of creation of the current [data of the datastore];
printing, for each instance of the product at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, the print code corresponding to the instance of the product inclusive of the first and second portions of the instance of the product or on a product related information carrier associated with the instance of the product;
recording, for each instance of the product at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, an image of the instance of the product and the printed print code; and
uploading, for each instance of the product and at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, the recorded image for the instance of the product to the [datastore] having the current [data of the datastore] or to another [datastore], to provide an immutable proof that the printing occurred at the time of printing, for subsequent validation of the instance of the product;
wherein each pair of printed print code and recorded image are physically and temporally bound to operation of the production line so that pre-printing or post-dating of the print code is prevented through the variable selection of the portion of the TVBD that is tied to the [data of the datastore] generation rate and production-line speed, establishing an independently verifiable time indication of the time at which the product instance was processed on the production line.
Claim 12:
determine information about an identity of the product as the instances of the product undergoes processing on a production line;
for each instance of the product and at a time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, prepare a print code, the preparing the print code comprising:
select a portion of a current [data of the datastore], the selected portion containing time-variant blockchain data (TVBD) and serves as a first portion of the print code, wherein the selection is made in accordance with one or more properties of the TVBD selected from a number of characters, a type of the characters, and a position within the blockchain block, the one or more properties used for the selection varying over time and determined according to a [data] generation rate of the [datastore] and a real-time speed of the production line so as to achieve a desired timestamp granularity while avoiding delay in the production line, wherein the current [data of the datastore] further contains time-dependent data that identifies a time of creation of the current [data of the datastore];
retrieve product data associated with the instance of the product from a manufacture database for the product, the product data serves as a second portion of the print code;
for each instance of the product and at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, print the print code corresponding to the instance of the product inclusive of the first and second portions on the instance of the product or on a product related information carrier associated with the instance of the product;
record, for each instance of the product and at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, image of the product and the printed print code; and
upload, for each instance of the product and at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, the recorded image for the instance of the product to the blockchain having the current [data of the datastore] or to another [data of the datastore], to provide an immutable proof that the printing occurred at the time of printing, for subsequent validation of the instance of the product
wherein each pair of printed code and recorded image are physically and temporally bound to operation of the production line so that pre-printing or post-printing of the print code is prevented through the variable selection of the portion of the TVBD that is tied to the [data of the datastore] generation rate and production-line speed, establishing an independently verifiable time indication of the time at which the product instance was processed on the production line,
are processes that, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, covers performance of the limitation in the mind but for the recitation of a generic processor executing computer code stored on a computer medium, generic image recorder, generic blockchain, and generic industrial printer. That is, other than reciting a generic processor executing computer code stored on a computer medium, generic image recorder, generic blockchain, and generic industrial printer nothing in the claim element precludes the step from practically being performed in the mind. For example, but for the generic processor executing computer code stored on a computer medium, generic image recorder, generic blockchain, and generic industrial printer in the context of this claim encompasses a user can write down information about a product, as well as write the information onto a product, so that the information can be filed away for later retrieval to allow a user to compare the information provided on a product with known information, i.e. filed information, to determine if the product is authentic, when an event associated with the product occurs and including this information as part of its record. If a claim limitation, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, covers performance of the limitation in the mind but for the recitation of a generic processor executing computer code stored on a computer medium, generic image recorder, generic blockchain, and generic industrial printer, then it falls within the “Mental Processes” and “Certain Methods of Organizing Human Activities” groupings of abstract ideas. Accordingly, the claims recite an abstract idea.
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application. In particular, the claim only recites additional elements – a generic processor executing computer code stored on a computer medium, generic image recorder, generic blockchain, and generic industrial printer to communicate, store, and print information, as well as performing operations that a human can perform in their mind and/or using pen and paper, i.e. writing down product identification information and/or authentication information. The generic processor executing computer code stored on a computer medium, generic image recorder, generic blockchain, and generic industrial printer in the steps are recited at a high-level of generality (i.e., as a generic processor executing computer code stored on a computer medium, generic image recorder, generic blockchain, and generic industrial printer can perform the insignificant extra solution steps of communicating, storing, and printing (outputting) information (See MPEP 2106.05(g) while also reciting that the a generic processor executing computer code stored on a computer medium, generic image recorder, generic blockchain, and generic industrial printer are merely being applied to perform the steps that can be performed in the human mind and/or using pen and paper; "[use] of a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks (e.g., to receive, store, or transmit data) or simply adding a general purpose computer or computer components after the fact to an abstract idea (e.g., a fundamental economic practice or mathematical equation) does not integrate a judicial exception into a practical application or provide significantly more.” Therefore, according to the MPEP, this is not solely limited to computers but includes other technology that, recited in an equivalent to “apply it,” is a mere instruction to perform the abstract idea on that technology (See MPEP 2106.05(f)) such that it amounts no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic processor executing computer code stored on a computer medium, generic image recorder, generic blockchain, and generic industrial printer.
Accordingly, these additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because they do not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. The claims are directed to an abstract idea.
The claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. As discussed above with respect to integration of the abstract idea into a practical application, the additional element of using a generic processor executing computer code stored on a computer medium, generic image recorder, generic blockchain, and generic industrial printer to perform the steps of:
Claim 1:
receiving, on which the product is undergoing processing, information about an identity of the product;
for each instance of the product and at a time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, preparing a print code, the preparing of the print code comprising:
selecting a portion of a current [data of a datastore], the selected portion containing time-variant data (TVBD) and serves as a first portion of the print code, wherein the selection is made in accordance with one or more properties of the TVBD selected from a number of characters, a type of the characters, and position within the [datastore], the one or more properties used for the selection varying over time and determined according to a [data] generation rate of the [datastore] and a real-time speed of the production line so as to achieve a desired timestamp granularity while avoiding delay in the production line, wherein the current [date of the datastore] further contains time-dependent data that identifies a time of creation of the current [data of the datastore];
printing, for each instance of the product at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, the print code corresponding to the instance of the product inclusive of the first and second portions of the instance of the product or on a product related information carrier associated with the instance of the product;
recording, for each instance of the product at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, an image of the instance of the product and the printed print code; and
uploading, for each instance of the product and at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, the recorded image for the instance of the product to the [datastore] having the current [data of the datastore] or to another [datastore], to provide an immutable proof that the printing occurred at the time of printing, for subsequent validation of the instance of the product;
wherein each pair of printed print code and recorded image are physically and temporally bound to operation of the production line so that pre-printing or post-dating of the print code is prevented through the variable selection of the portion of the TVBD that is tied to the [data of the datastore] generation rate and production-line speed, establishing an independently verifiable time indication of the time at which the product instance was processed on the production line.
Claim 12:
determine information about an identity of the product as the instances of the product undergoes processing on a production line;
for each instance of the product and at a time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, prepare a print code, the preparing the print code comprising:
select a portion of a current [data of the datastore], the selected portion containing time-variant blockchain data (TVBD) and serves as a first portion of the print code, wherein the selection is made in accordance with one or more properties of the TVBD selected from a number of characters, a type of the characters, and a position within the blockchain block, the one or more properties used for the selection varying over time and determined according to a [data] generation rate of the [datastore] and a real-time speed of the production line so as to achieve a desired timestamp granularity while avoiding delay in the production line, wherein the current [data of the datastore] further contains time-dependent data that identifies a time of creation of the current [data of the datastore];
retrieve product data associated with the instance of the product from a manufacture database for the product, the product data serves as a second portion of the print code;
for each instance of the product and at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, print the print code corresponding to the instance of the product inclusive of the first and second portions on the instance of the product or on a product related information carrier associated with the instance of the product;
record, for each instance of the product and at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, image of the product and the printed print code; and
upload, for each instance of the product and at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, the recorded image for the instance of the product to the blockchain having the current [data of the datastore] or to another [data of the datastore], to provide an immutable proof that the printing occurred at the time of printing, for subsequent validation of the instance of the product
wherein each pair of printed code and recorded image are physically and temporally bound to operation of the production line so that pre-printing or post-printing of the print code is prevented through the variable selection of the portion of the TVBD that is tied to the [data of the datastore] generation rate and production-line speed, establishing an independently verifiable time indication of the time at which the product instance was processed on the production line,
amounts to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component. Mere instructions to apply an exception using a generic computer component cannot provide an inventive concept.
Additionally:
Claims 3, 7, 10 are directed towards reciting generic technology at a high level of generality and applying it to the abstract idea.
Claim 6 is directed towards human activities, extra-solution activities, and collecting and comparing information.
Claim 8 is directed to descriptive subject matter describing the selected portion, as well as reciting generic technology at a high level of generality and applying it to the abstract idea.
Claim 9 is directed to descriptive subject matter, as well as reciting generic technology at a high level of generality and applying it to the abstract idea.
Claim 11 is directed towards human activities, extra-solution activities, and reciting generic technology at a high level of generality and applying it to the abstract idea.
Claims 14, 15 is directed towards reciting generic technology at a high level of generality and applying it to the abstract idea.
Claim 16 is directed to descriptive subject matter describing the selected portion, as well as reciting generic technology at a high level of generality and applying it to the abstract idea.
Claim 17 is directed towards human activities, extra-solution activities, and reciting generic technology at a high level of generality and applying it to the abstract idea.
Claims 24 – 28 are directed towards the collection and comparison of information and, based on a rule(s), identify options, in this case, comparing sets of information to determine if the information/product is authentic or suspicious.
Claim 30 is directed to describing generic technology at a high level of generality or printed subject matter, in this case, the generic technology containing information (i.e. RFID) or printed representation (i.e. serial code, barcode, QR-code, image).
In summary, the dependent claims are simply directed towards providing additional descriptive factors that are considered for determining if a product is authentic. Accordingly, the claims are not patent eligible.
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 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, 3, 7 – 10, 12, 14 – 16, 24 – 28, 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ren et al. (US PGPub 20180174094 A1) in view of Veenma (EP 3572924 A1).
In regards to claim 1, Ren discloses a computer implement method to ensure validity of instances of a product based on information related to the instance of the product, the method comprising:
- receiving, by one of one or more control units of a production line on which the product is undergoing processing, information about an identity of the product (Fig. 1A, 4; ¶ 18, 21, 22, 29 wherein information about an identity of a product is received);
In regards to:
- for each instance of the product and at a time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, preparing a print code by one of the one or more control units, the preparing the print code comprising:
selecting a portion of a current blockchain block from a blockchain, the selected portion containing time-variant blockchain data (TVBD) and serves as a first portion of the print code, wherein the selection is made in accordance with one or more properties of the TVBD selected from a number of characters, a type of the characters, and position within the blockchain block, the one or more properties used for the selection varying over time and determined according to a block generation rate of the blockchain and a real-time speed of the production line so as to achieve a desired timestamp granularity while avoiding delay in the production line, wherein the current blockchain block further contains time-dependent data that identifies a time of creation of the current blockchain block;
retrieving product data associated with the instance of the product from a manufacture database for the product, the product data serves as a second portion of the print code;
- printing, for each instance of the product and under the control of the one or more of the control units and with an industrial printer at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, the print code corresponding to the instance of the product inclusive of the first and second portions of the instance of the product or on a product related information carrier associated with the instance of the product
(¶ 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 wherein a selected portion of a blockchain comprising time-dependent data of when the block was created and product information are printed onto a product/package at its time of production, thereby comprising a block in the blockchain being a time-variant block, i.e. TVBD that includes a number of characters (“Code data may include a plant or manufacturer (facility) and a date, time and line # (product line data). The hash value may be encoded to include several digits of a hexadecimal value of a last block created in a particular time frame (e.g., last 10 minutes, etc.). The code is printed on the product package”). A block is stored within the blockchain “Each time the product experiences an event, such as, creation, shipping, registration, transactions, etc.,” i.e. type of block and real-time. The system generates a unique code for the product produced on a particular date, which is based on, at least, the combination of product information (which is stored and retrieved from the blockchain, e.g., when the product was created, thereby allowing the system to identify a specific block amongst a plurality of blocks in the blockchain, i.e. exact position) and when the code was generated and where the unique code, as well as the original product code, is then stored within the blockchain, thereby creating an enhanced product code that can be used for tracking and product verification/authentication, as well as storing information pertaining to shelf-life period of time for a perishable product. The selection of the block is constrained by the speed of the available technology and occurrence of events, i.e. block generation rate and production line speed, which allows for the system to achieve a desired timestamp granularity without delaying high-speed production.;
¶ 4, 18, 17, 22, 23, 26 wherein the selected portion of the blockchain, information related to the product, and a unique identification of the product are stored for later validation of the product);
In regards to:
- recording, for each instance of the product and under the control of one or more of the control units and with […], [data] of the instance of the product and the printed print code; and
- uploading, for each instance of the product and under the control of one or more of the control units and at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, the recorded [data] for the instance of the product to the blockchain having the current blockchain block or to another blockchain, to provide an immutable proof that the printing occurred at the instance of the for subsequent validation of the instance of the product
(¶ 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 wherein a selected portion of a blockchain comprising time-dependent data of when the block was created and product information are printed onto a product/package at its time of production. A block is stored within the blockchain each time the product experiences an event, such as, creation, shipping, registration, transactions, etc. The system generates a unique code for the product produced on a particular date, which is based on, at least, the combination of product information (which is stored and retrieved from the blockchain, e.g., when the product was created) and when the code was generated and where the unique code, as well as the original product code, is then stored within the blockchain, thereby creating an enhanced product code that can be used for tracking and product verification/authentication, as well as storing information pertaining to shelf-life period of time for a perishable product.
In other words, to maintain the chain of information for the product during each product experience, the system scans the printed information and compares it to the information stored in the blockchain to update the chain for the particular product whose printed information was scanned so as to avoid mixing up product information from a plurality of different products, thereby allowing for tracking of the product to verify dates and other attributes of the product, while allowing for transparency to stakeholders/third parties;
¶ 4, 18, 17, 22, 23, 26 wherein the selected portion of the blockchain, information related to the product, and a unique identification of the product are stored for later validation of the product.
Finally, the Examiner asserts that storing information in a blockchain results in the stored information being immutable proof of the stored data, i.e. that printing has exactly occurred at a given time.);
- wherein each pair of printed print code and recorded [data] are physically and temporally bound to operation of the production line so that pre-printing or post-dating of the print code is prevented, through the variable selection of the portion of the TVBD that is tied to the blockchain block generation rate and production-line speed, establishing an independently verifiable time indication of the time at which the product instance was processed on the production line (¶ 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 wherein a selected portion of a blockchain comprising time-dependent data of when the block was created and product information are printed onto a product/package at its time of production, thereby comprising a block in the blockchain being a time-variant block, i.e. TVBD that includes a number of characters. A block is stored within the blockchain each time the product experiences an event, such as, creation, shipping, registration, transactions, etc., i.e. type of block. The system generates a unique code for the product produced on a particular date, which is based on, at least, the combination of product information (which is stored and retrieved from the blockchain, e.g., when the product was created, thereby allowing the system to identify a specific block amongst a plurality of blocks in the blockchain, i.e. exact position) and when the code was generated and where the unique code, as well as the original product code, is then stored within the blockchain, thereby creating an enhanced product code that can be used for tracking and product verification/authentication, as well as storing information pertaining to shelf-life period of time for a perishable product. The selection of the block is constrained by the speed of the available technology and occurrence of events, i.e. block generation rate and production line speed, which allows for the system to achieve a desired timestamp granularity without delaying high-speed production and preventing pre-printing or post-dating of production data since it is performed at the time of the event.).
Ren discloses a system and method for creating and printing identification information onto a product based on information retrieved from a blockchain and product information, as well as scanning the created information for storage in the blockchain and later retrieval, e.g., for product verification, as was discussed above. Although Ren discloses that the identification information, which can be provided on a QR Code, barcode, UPC, or the like, can be scanned, Ren fails to disclose all types of scanning technologies that can be used.
To be more specific, Ren fails to explicitly disclose:
- recording, for each instance of the product and under the control of one or more of the control units and with an image-recording unit at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, an image of the instance of the product and the printed print code; and
- uploading, for each instance of the product and under the control of one or more of the control units and at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, the recorded image for the instance of the product to the blockchain having the current blockchain block or to another blockchain, to provide an immutable proof that the printing occurred at the time of printing for subsequent validation of the instance of the product;
- wherein each pair of printed print code and recorded image are physically and temporally bound to operation of the production line so that pre-printing or post-dating of the print code is prevented, through the variable selection of the portion of the TVBD that is tied to the blockchain block generation rate and production-line speed, establishing an independently verifiable time indication of the time at which the product instance was processed on the production line
However, Veenma, which is also directed towards utilizing blockchain in order to link printed product information with blockchain information, further teaches that it is well-known in the art to utilize a wide range of identifiers with corresponding reading devices. Similar to Ren, Veenma teaches that barcodes and QR codes can be printed onto a product and that the codes are scanned by a scanning device, but further teaches that there are a wide range of different scanning devices, such as, but not limited to, vision camera devices, thereby resulting in the system scanning and recording an image of the product, which the specification has defined to be a unique identification of the product, e.g., image of a barcode, QR-code, or the like (See Summary; Page 5 “The term “image” as used herein, may refer to a digital or an analog representation of visual information (e.g., a picture, a video, a photograph, animations, a set of characters of figures, etc.).”). In other words, Veenma teaches capturing and storing an image of a QR code, dotcode, or etc. along with the information contained within the code, e.g. product data. One of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious and well-known that different technologies can be used to scan different types of identifiers and that many of them can be substituted with one another while still achieving the same predictable result, i.e. scanning an identifier.
(For support see: ¶ 27 #5, 7, 9, ¶ 38)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention that since each individual element and its function are shown in the prior art, albeit shown in separate references, the difference between the claimed subject matter and the prior art rests not on any individual element or function but in the very combination itself-that is in the substitution of an image of a product using a scanning device, as taught by Veenma, for the generic scanning device disclosed by Ren.
Thus, the simply substitution of one known element for another producing a predictable result renders the claim obvious.
Additionally, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to try, by one of ordinary skill in the art, to pick an image based identifier scanning, as taught by Veenma, and incorporate it into the generic identifier scanning system and method of Ren since there are a finite number of identified, predictable potential solutions (using known technologies to scan image information of a product) to the recognized need (how to scan image information of a product) and one of ordinary skill in the art could have pursued the known potential solutions with a reasonable expectation of success (the advantages, benefits, and required resources are known).
In regards to claim 3, the combination of Ren and Veenma discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the selected portion of the blockchain is a hash portion of the blockchain (Ren – ¶ 18, 21, 23 wherein the selected portion of the blockchain is a hash portion of the blockchain).
In regards to claim 7, the combination of Ren and Veenma discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the selected portion of the blockchain is obtained from an independent, immutable and accessible blockchain source (Ren – ¶ 26 wherein the selected portion of the blockchain is obtained from an independent, immutable and accessible blockchain source).
In regards to claim 8, the combination of Ren and Veenma discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the selected portion of the blockchain is comprised of one or several of:
data that is new at creation of the blockchain block, wherein the TVBD is newly generated with each block;
(Ren – ¶ 26 wherein the selected portion of the blockchain is comprised of content of data is known on creation of the data; content of data cannot be influenced; and a length of the contents is sufficient to eliminate correctly guessing the contents; ¶ 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 wherein a selected portion of a blockchain comprising time-dependent data of when the block was created and product information are printed onto a product/package at its time of production, thereby comprising a block in the blockchain being a time-variant block, i.e. TVBD that includes a number of characters. A block is stored within the blockchain each time the product experiences an event, such as, creation, shipping, registration, transactions, etc., i.e. type of block. The system generates a unique code for the product produced on a particular date, which is based on, at least, the combination of product information (which is stored and retrieved from the blockchain, e.g., when the product was created, thereby allowing the system to identify a specific block amongst a plurality of blocks in the blockchain, i.e. exact position) and when the code was generated and where the unique code, as well as the original product code, is then stored within the blockchain, thereby creating an enhanced product code that can be used for tracking and product verification/authentication, as well as storing information pertaining to shelf-life period of time for a perishable product. The selection of the block is constrained by the speed of the available technology and occurrence of events, i.e. block generation rate and production line speed, which allows for the system to achieve a desired timestamp granularity without delaying high-speed production.).
In regards to claim 9, the combination of Ren and Veenma discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the printing on the product is carried out by one or several of:
a production-line coding printer; or
at production time the product is printed with the blockchain time-dependent data and product relevant information
(Ren – ¶ 18, 26, 23 wherein the printing on the product is carried out by one or several of:
a production-line coding printer;
at production time the product is printed with the blockchain time-dependent data and product relevant information).
In regards to claim 10, the combination of Ren and Veenma discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the imaging the product is carried out by means of an imaging system by which the unique identification, the selected portion of the blockchain and product related information are imaged
(Ren – ¶ 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 wherein Ren discloses a system and method for creating and printing identification information onto a product based on information retrieved from a blockchain and product information, as well as scanning the created information for storage in the blockchain and later retrieval, e.g., for product verification, as was discussed above, and where Ren further discloses that the identification information, which can be provided on a QR Code, barcode, UPC, or the like, can be scanned. Ren further discloses wherein a selected portion of a blockchain comprising time-dependent data of when the block was created and product information are printed onto a product/package at its time of production. A block is stored within the blockchain each time the product experiences an event, such as, creation, shipping, registration, transactions, etc. The system generates a unique code for the product produced on a particular date, which is based on, at least, the combination of product information (which is stored and retrieved from the blockchain, e.g., when the product was created) and when the code was generated and where the unique code, as well as the original product code, is then stored within the blockchain, thereby creating an enhanced product code that can be used for tracking and product verification/authentication, as well as storing information pertaining to shelf-life period of time for a perishable product.;
Ren – ¶ 4, 18, 17, 22, 23, 26 wherein the selected portion of the blockchain, information related to the product, and a unique identification of the product are stored for later validation of the product;
Veenma – ¶ 27 #5, 7, 9, ¶ 38 wherein Veenma teaches that barcodes and QR codes can be printed onto a product and have the codes scanned by a scanning device, but further teaches that there are a wide range of different scanning devices, such as, but not limited to, vision camera devices.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention that since each individual element and its function are shown in the prior art, albeit shown in separate references, the difference between the claimed subject matter and the prior art rests not on any individual element or function but in the very combination itself-that is in the substitution of an image of a product using a scanning device, as taught by Veenma, for the generic scanning device disclosed by Ren.
Thus, the simply substitution of one known element for another producing a predictable result renders the claim obvious).
In regards to claim 12, Ren discloses a controller adapted to control equipment at a production line to print a print code on instances of a product, the controller unit comprising a processor, a memory and a communication interface, wherein the processor is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to:
In regards to:
determine information about an identity of the product as the instances of the product undergoes processing on a production line;
for each instance of the product and at a time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, prepare a print code, the preparing the print code comprising:
select a portion of a current blockchain block from a blockchain, the selected portion containing time-variant blockchain data (TVBD) and serves as a first portion of the print code, wherein the selection is made in accordance with one or more properties of the TVBD selected from a number of characters, a type of the characters, and a position within the blockchain block, the one or more properties used for the selection varying over time and determined according to a block generation rate of the blockchain and a real-time speed of the production line so as to achieve a desired timestamp granularity while avoiding delay in the production line, wherein the current blockchain block further contains time-dependent data that identifies a time of creation of the current blockchain block;
retrieve product data associated with the instance of the product from a manufacture database for the product, the product data serves as a second portion of the print code;
instruct an industrial printer, for each instance of the product and at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, to print the print code corresponding to the instance of the product inclusive of the first and second portions on the instance of the product or on a product related information carrier associated with the instance of the product;
(¶ 8, 21, 22 wherein information about an identity of a product is received;
¶ 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 wherein a selected portion of a blockchain comprising time-dependent data of when the block was created and product information are printed onto a product/package at its time of production, thereby comprising a block in the blockchain being a time-variant block, i.e. TVBD that includes a number of characters (“Code data may include a plant or manufacturer (facility) and a date, time and line # (product line data). The hash value may be encoded to include several digits of a hexadecimal value of a last block created in a particular time frame (e.g., last 10 minutes, etc.). The code is printed on the product package”). A block is stored within the blockchain “Each time the product experiences an event, such as, creation, shipping, registration, transactions, etc.,” i.e. type of block and real-time. The system generates a unique code for the product produced on a particular date, which is based on, at least, the combination of product information (which is stored and retrieved from the blockchain, e.g., when the product was created, thereby allowing the system to identify a specific block amongst a plurality of blocks in the blockchain, i.e. exact position) and when the code was generated and where the unique code, as well as the original product code, is then stored within the blockchain, thereby creating an enhanced product code that can be used for tracking and product verification/authentication, as well as storing information pertaining to shelf-life period of time for a perishable product. The selection of the block is constrained by the speed of the available technology and occurrence of events, i.e. block generation rate and production line speed, which allows for the system to achieve a desired timestamp granularity without delaying high-speed production.;
¶ 4, 18, 17, 22, 23, 26 wherein the selected portion of the blockchain, information related to the product, and a unique identification of the product are stored for later validation of the product);
In regards to:
instruct [a data] recorder to record, for each instance of the product and at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, [data] of the product and the printed print code; and
upload, for each instance of the product and at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, the recorded image for the instance of the product to the blockchain having the current blockchain block or to another blockchain, to provide an immutable proof that the printing occurred at the time of printing, for subsequent validation of the instance of the product
(¶ 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26 wherein the selected portion of the blockchain and information related to the product are used to generate unique identification for the product and printed onto the product, as well as having the information associated with one another;
¶ 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 wherein a selected portion of a blockchain comprising time-dependent data of when the block was created and product information are printed onto a product/package at its time of production. A block is stored within the blockchain each time the product experiences an event, such as, creation, shipping, registration, transactions, etc. The system generates a unique code for the product produced on a particular date, which is based on, at least, the combination of product information (which is stored and retrieved from the blockchain, e.g., when the product was created) and when the code was generated and where the unique code, as well as the original product code, is then stored within the blockchain, thereby creating an enhanced product code that can be used for tracking and product verification/authentication, as well as storing information pertaining to shelf-life period of time for a perishable product.
In other words, to maintain the chain of information for the product during each product experience, the system scans the printed information and compares it to the information stored in the blockchain to update the chain for the particular product whose printed information was scanned so as to avoid mixing up product information from a plurality of different products, thereby allowing for tracking of the product to verify dates and other attributes of the product, while allowing for transparency to stakeholders/third parties;
¶ 4, 18, 17, 22, 23, 26 wherein the selected portion of the blockchain, information related to the product, and a unique identification of the product are stored for later validation of the product.
Finally, the Examiner asserts that storing information in a blockchain results in the stored information being immutable proof of the stored data, i.e. that printing has exactly occurred at a given time.);
wherein each pair of printed code and recorded image are physically and temporally bound to operation of the production line so that pre-printing or post-printing of the print code is prevented through the variable selection of the portion of the TVBD that is tied to the blockchain block generation rate and production-line speed, establishing an independently verifiable time indication of the time at which the product instance was processed on the production line (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 wherein a selected portion of a blockchain comprising time-dependent data of when the block was created and product information are printed onto a product/package at its time of production, thereby comprising a block in the blockchain being a time-variant block, i.e. TVBD that includes a number of characters. A block is stored within the blockchain each time the product experiences an event, such as, creation, shipping, registration, transactions, etc., i.e. type of block. The system generates a unique code for the product produced on a particular date, which is based on, at least, the combination of product information (which is stored and retrieved from the blockchain, e.g., when the product was created, thereby allowing the system to identify a specific block amongst a plurality of blocks in the blockchain, i.e. exact position) and when the code was generated and where the unique code, as well as the original product code, is then stored within the blockchain, thereby creating an enhanced product code that can be used for tracking and product verification/authentication, as well as storing information pertaining to shelf-life period of time for a perishable product. The selection of the block is constrained by the speed of the available technology and occurrence of events, i.e. block generation rate and production line speed, which allows for the system to achieve a desired timestamp granularity without delaying high-speed production and preventing pre-printing or post-dating of production data since it is performed at the time of the event.)
Ren discloses a system and method for creating and printing identification information onto a product based on information retrieved from a blockchain and product information, as well as scanning the created information for storage in the blockchain and later retrieval, e.g., for product verification, as was discussed above. Although Ren discloses that the identification information, which can be provided on a QR Code, barcode, UPC, or the like, can be scanned, Ren fails to disclose all types of scanning technologies that can be used.
To be more specific, Ren fails to explicitly disclose:
instruct an image recorder to record, for each instance of the product and at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, image of the product and the printed print code;
upload, for each instance of the product and at the time at which the instance of the product is processed on the production line, the recorded image for the instance of the product to the blockchain having the current blockchain block or to another blockchain, to provide an immutable proof that the printing occurred at the time of printing, for subsequent validation of the instance of the product
wherein each pair of printed code and recorded image are physically and temporally bound to operation of the production line so that pre-printing or post-printing of the print code is prevented through the variable selection of the portion of the TVBD that is tied to the blockchain block generation rate and production-line speed, establishing an independently verifiable time indication of the time at which the product instance was processed on the production line
However, Veenma, which is also directed towards utilizing blockchain in order to link printed product information with blockchain information, further teaches that it is well-known in the art to utilize a wide range of identifiers with corresponding reading devices. Similar to Ren, Veenma teaches that barcodes and QR codes can be printed onto a product and that the codes are scanned by a scanning device, but further teaches that there are a wide range of different scanning devices, such as, but not limited to, vision camera devices, thereby resulting in the system scanning and recording an image of the product, which the specification has defined to be a unique identification of the product, e.g., image of a barcode, QR-code, or the like (See Summary; Page 5 “The term “image” as used herein, may refer to a digital or an analog representation of visual information (e.g., a picture, a video, a photograph, animations, a set of characters of figures, etc.).”). In other words, Veenma teaches capturing and storing an image of a QR code, dotcode, or etc. along with the information contained within the code, e.g. product data detect visual alterations indicative of tampering. One of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious and well-known that different technologies can be used to scan different types of identifiers and that many of them can be substituted with one another while still achieving the same predictable result, i.e. scanning an identifier.
(For support see: ¶ 27 #5, 7, 9, ¶ 38, 49)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention that since each individual element and its function are shown in the prior art, albeit shown in separate references, the difference between the claimed subject matter and the prior art rests not on any individual element or function but in the very combination itself-that is in the substitution of an image of a product using a scanning device, as taught by Veenma, for the generic scanning device disclosed by Ren.
Thus, the simply substitution of one known element for another producing a predictable result renders the claim obvious.
Additionally, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to try, by one of ordinary skill in the art, to pick an image based identifier scanning, as taught by Veenma, and incorporate it into the generic identifier scanning system and method of Ren since there are a finite number of identified, predictable potential solutions (using known technologies to scan image information of a product) to the recognized need (how to scan image information of a product) and one of ordinary skill in the art could have pursued the known potential solutions with a reasonable expectation of success (the advantages, benefits, and required resources are known).
In regards to claim 14, the combination of Ren and Veenma discloses the controller of claim 12, wherein a blockchain is freely queried to collect TVBD, being data associated with the blockchain that is newly generated as time passes (Ren – ¶ 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26 wherein a selected portion of a blockchain comprising time-dependent data of when the block was created and product information are printed onto a product/package at its time of production).
In regards to claim 15, the combination of Ren and Veenma discloses the controller of claim 14, wherein the TVDB has variable TVBD properties, including at least one of:
variable time resolution based on a blockchain's block generation rate; or
variable difficulty
(Ren – ¶ 20, 23, 26 wherein the TVDB has variable TVBD properties, including:
variable time resolution based on a blckchain's block generation rate; or
variable difficulty).
In regards to claim 16, the combination of Ren and Veenma discloses the controller unit of claim 14, wherein the blockchain time-independent data comprises:
data that is new at creation of the blockchain block, wherein the TVBD is newly generated with each block;
(Ren – ¶ 26 wherein the selected portion of the blockchain is comprised of content of data is known on creation of the data; content of data cannot be influenced; and a length of the contents is sufficient to eliminate correctly guessing the contents; ¶ 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 wherein a selected portion of a blockchain comprising time-dependent data of when the block was created and product information are printed onto a product/package at its time of production, thereby comprising a block in the blockchain being a time-variant block, i.e. TVBD that includes a number of characters. A block is stored within the blockchain each time the product experiences an event, such as, creation, shipping, registration, transactions, etc., i.e. type of block. The system generates a unique code for the product produced on a particular date, which is based on, at least, the combination of product information (which is stored and retrieved from the blockchain, e.g., when the product was created, thereby allowing the system to identify a specific block amongst a plurality of blocks in the blockchain, i.e. exact position) and when the code was generated and where the unique code, as well as the original product code, is then stored within the blockchain, thereby creating an enhanced product code that can be used for tracking and product verification/authentication, as well as storing information pertaining to shelf-life period of time for a perishable product. The selection of the block is constrained by the speed of the available technology and occurrence of events, i.e. block generation rate and production line speed, which allows for the system to achieve a desired timestamp granularity without delaying high-speed production.).
In regards to claim 24, the combination of Ren and Veenma discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising verifying the product by:
accessing the unique identification to retrieve the stored blockchain time- dependent data and the recorded image from the blockchain;
comparing the printed blockchain time-dependent data on the product to the retrieved blockchain time-dependent data from a public blockchain source; and
determining a mismatch indicating manipulation or invalidity if the compared data do not correspond to detect that the product was not produced at the claimed time or that the printed portion has been altered
(¶ 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 wherein a selected portion of a blockchain comprising time-dependent data of when the block was created and product information are printed onto a product/package at its time of production. A block is stored within the blockchain each time the product experiences an event, such as, creation, shipping, registration, transactions, etc. The system generates a unique code for the product produced on a particular date, which is based on, at least, the combination of product information (which is stored and retrieved from the blockchain, e.g., when the product was created) and when the code was generated and where the unique code, as well as the original product code, is then stored within the blockchain, thereby creating an enhanced product code that can be used for tracking and product verification/authentication, as well as storing information pertaining to shelf-life period of time for a perishable product. In other words, to maintain the chain of information for the product during each product experience, the system scans the printed information and compares it to the information stored in the blockchain to update the chain for the particular product whose printed information was scanned so as to avoid mixing up product information from a plurality of different products, thereby allowing for tracking of the product to verify dates and other attributes of the product, while allowing for transparency to stakeholders/third parties and determining whether there is a mismatch of the scanned and stored information, which would indicating invalidity of the product not being produced at the claimed time; see also Veenma – ¶ 27 #5, 7, 9, ¶ 38 wherein data is scanned to determine validity.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention that since each individual element and its function are shown in the prior art, albeit shown in separate references, the difference between the claimed subject matter and the prior art rests not on any individual element or function but in the very combination itself-that is in the substitution of an image of a product using a scanning device, as taught by Veenma, for the generic scanning device disclosed by Ren.
Thus, the simply substitution of one known element for another producing a predictable result renders the claim obvious.
It would have also been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to try, by one of ordinary skill in the art, to pick an image based identifier scanning, as taught by Veenma, and incorporate it into the generic identifier scanning system and method of Ren since there are a finite number of identified, predictable potential solutions (using known technologies to scan image information of a product) to the recognized need (how to scan image information of a product) and one of ordinary skill in the art could have pursued the known potential solutions with a reasonable expectation of success (the advantages, benefits, and required resources are known).).
In regards to claim 25, the combination of Ren and Veenma discloses the method of claim 24, wherein the verifying further comprises:
comparing the timestamp of the blockchain block corresponding to the printed blockchain time-dependent data with an expected production time from product related information; and
identifying suspect production data if the timestamp does not match the expected production time to confirm authenticity or detecting forged dates
(¶ 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 wherein a selected portion of a blockchain comprising time-dependent data of when the block was created and product information are printed onto a product/package at its time of production. A block is stored within the blockchain each time the product experiences an event, such as, creation, shipping, registration, transactions, etc. The system generates a unique code for the product produced on a particular date, which is based on, at least, the combination of product information (which is stored and retrieved from the blockchain, e.g., when the product was created) and when the code was generated and where the unique code, as well as the original product code, is then stored within the blockchain, thereby creating an enhanced product code that can be used for tracking and product verification/authentication, as well as storing information pertaining to shelf-life period of time for a perishable product. In other words, to maintain the chain of information for the product during each product experience, the system scans the printed information and compares it to the information stored in the blockchain to update the chain for the particular product whose printed information was scanned so as to avoid mixing up product information from a plurality of different products, thereby allowing for tracking of the product to verify dates and other attributes of the product, while allowing for transparency to stakeholders/third parties and determining whether there is a mismatch of the scanned and stored information, which would indicating invalidity of the product not being produced at the claimed time; see also Veenma – ¶ 27 #5, 7, 9, ¶ 38 wherein data is scanned to determine validity.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention that since each individual element and its function are shown in the prior art, albeit shown in separate references, the difference between the claimed subject matter and the prior art rests not on any individual element or function but in the very combination itself-that is in the substitution of an image of a product using a scanning device, as taught by Veenma, for the generic scanning device disclosed by Ren.
Thus, the simply substitution of one known element for another producing a predictable result renders the claim obvious.
It would have also been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to try, by one of ordinary skill in the art, to pick an image based identifier scanning, as taught by Veenma, and incorporate it into the generic identifier scanning system and method of Ren since there are a finite number of identified, predictable potential solutions (using known technologies to scan image information of a product) to the recognized need (how to scan image information of a product) and one of ordinary skill in the art could have pursued the known potential solutions with a reasonable expectation of success (the advantages, benefits, and required resources are known).).
In regards to claim 26, the combination of Ren and Veenma discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising performing verification through:
scanning the unique identification and the printed selected portion of the blockchain on the product;
retrieving stored data associated with the unique identification, including the recorded image and blockchain time-dependent data; and
comparing at least one of:
- the scanned printed blockchain time-dependent data to the retrieved blockchain time-dependent data, or
- the scanned image of the product to the stored recorded image uploaded to the blockchain using automated image analysis to detect visual changes;
wherein differences detected in the comparison indicate tampering or inauthenticity of the product or product related information
(¶ 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 wherein a selected portion of a blockchain comprising time-dependent data of when the block was created and product information are printed onto a product/package at its time of production. A block is stored within the blockchain each time the product experiences an event, such as, creation, shipping, registration, transactions, etc. The system generates a unique code for the product produced on a particular date, which is based on, at least, the combination of product information (which is stored and retrieved from the blockchain, e.g., when the product was created) and when the code was generated and where the unique code, as well as the original product code, is then stored within the blockchain, thereby creating an enhanced product code that can be used for tracking and product verification/authentication, as well as storing information pertaining to shelf-life period of time for a perishable product. In other words, to maintain the chain of information for the product during each product experience, the system scans the printed information and compares it to the information stored in the blockchain to update the chain for the particular product whose printed information was scanned so as to avoid mixing up product information from a plurality of different products, thereby allowing for tracking of the product to verify dates and other attributes of the product, while allowing for transparency to stakeholders/third parties and determining whether there is a mismatch of the scanned and stored information, which would indicating invalidity of the product not being produced at the claimed time; see also Veenma – ¶ 27 #5, 7, 9, ¶ 38 wherein data is scanned to determine validity.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention that since each individual element and its function are shown in the prior art, albeit shown in separate references, the difference between the claimed subject matter and the prior art rests not on any individual element or function but in the very combination itself-that is in the substitution of an image of a product using a scanning device, as taught by Veenma, for the generic scanning device disclosed by Ren.
Thus, the simply substitution of one known element for another producing a predictable result renders the claim obvious.
It would have also been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to try, by one of ordinary skill in the art, to pick an image based identifier scanning, as taught by Veenma, and incorporate it into the generic identifier scanning system and method of Ren since there are a finite number of identified, predictable potential solutions (using known technologies to scan image information of a product) to the recognized need (how to scan image information of a product) and one of ordinary skill in the art could have pursued the known potential solutions with a reasonable expectation of success (the advantages, benefits, and required resources are known).).
In regards to claim 27, the combination of Ren and Veenma discloses the method of claim 26, wherein the verification is performed by at least one of:
manual visual inspection of the printed data and product;
automated computer processing including optical character recognition (OCR) on the scanned production data and unique identification for comparison; or
image analysis comparing the stored recorded image with a newly captured image to identify visual changes
(¶ 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 wherein a selected portion of a blockchain comprising time-dependent data of when the block was created and product information are printed onto a product/package at its time of production. A block is stored within the blockchain each time the product experiences an event, such as, creation, shipping, registration, transactions, etc. The system generates a unique code for the product produced on a particular date, which is based on, at least, the combination of product information (which is stored and retrieved from the blockchain, e.g., when the product was created) and when the code was generated and where the unique code, as well as the original product code, is then stored within the blockchain, thereby creating an enhanced product code that can be used for tracking and product verification/authentication, as well as storing information pertaining to shelf-life period of time for a perishable product. In other words, to maintain the chain of information for the product during each product experience, the system scans the printed information and compares it to the information stored in the blockchain to update the chain for the particular product whose printed information was scanned so as to avoid mixing up product information from a plurality of different products, thereby allowing for tracking of the product to verify dates and other attributes of the product, while allowing for transparency to stakeholders/third parties and determining whether there is a mismatch of the scanned and stored information, which would indicating invalidity of the product not being produced at the claimed time; see also Veenma – ¶ 27 #5, 7, 9, ¶ 38 wherein data is scanned to determine validity.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention that since each individual element and its function are shown in the prior art, albeit shown in separate references, the difference between the claimed subject matter and the prior art rests not on any individual element or function but in the very combination itself-that is in the substitution of an image of a product using a scanning device, as taught by Veenma, for the generic scanning device disclosed by Ren.
Thus, the simply substitution of one known element for another producing a predictable result renders the claim obvious.
It would have also been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to try, by one of ordinary skill in the art, to pick an image based identifier scanning, as taught by Veenma, and incorporate it into the generic identifier scanning system and method of Ren since there are a finite number of identified, predictable potential solutions (using known technologies to scan image information of a product) to the recognized need (how to scan image information of a product) and one of ordinary skill in the art could have pursued the known potential solutions with a reasonable expectation of success (the advantages, benefits, and required resources are known).).
In regards to claim 28, the combination of Ren and Veenma discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising:
during verification, querying a public blockchain using the printed blockchain time-dependent data or a portion thereof; and
confirming that the blockchain time-dependent data matches a block created within a time window corresponding to the production time to provide independent verification that printing occurred after the block's creation and preventing pre-printing or post-dating of the product
(Ren – ¶ 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 wherein a selected portion of a blockchain comprising time-dependent data of when the block was created and product information are printed onto a product/package at its time of production, thereby comprising a block in the blockchain being a time-variant block, i.e. TVBD that includes a number of characters. A block is stored within the blockchain each time the product experiences an event, such as, creation, shipping, registration, transactions, etc., i.e. type of block. The system generates a unique code for the product produced on a particular date, which is based on, at least, the combination of product information (which is stored and retrieved from the blockchain, e.g., when the product was created, thereby allowing the system to identify a specific block amongst a plurality of blocks in the blockchain, i.e. exact position) and when the code was generated and where the unique code, as well as the original product code, is then stored within the blockchain, thereby creating an enhanced product code that can be used for tracking and product verification/authentication, as well as storing information pertaining to shelf-life period of time for a perishable product. The selection of the block is constrained by the speed of the available technology and occurrence of events, i.e. block generation rate and production line speed, which allows for the system to achieve a desired timestamp granularity without delaying high-speed production and preventing pre-printing or post-dating of production data since it is performed at the time of the event.
Veenma – ¶ 27 #5, 7, 9, ¶ 38 Veenma teaches that barcodes and QR codes can be printed onto a product and that the codes are scanned by a scanning device, but further teaches that there are a wide range of different scanning devices, such as, but not limited to, vision camera devices, thereby resulting in the system scanning and recording an image of the product, which the specification has defined to be a unique identification of the product, e.g., image of a barcode, QR-code, or the like. In other words, Veenma teaches capturing and storing an image of a QR code, dotcode, or etc. along with the information contained within the code, e.g. product data. One of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious and well-known that different technologies can be used to scan different types of identifiers and that many of them can be substituted with one another while still achieving the same predictable result, i.e. scanning an identifier.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention that since each individual element and its function are shown in the prior art, albeit shown in separate references, the difference between the claimed subject matter and the prior art rests not on any individual element or function but in the very combination itself-that is in the substitution of an image of a product using a scanning device, as taught by Veenma, for the generic scanning device disclosed by Ren.
Thus, the simply substitution of one known element for another producing a predictable result renders the claim obvious.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to try, by one of ordinary skill in the art, to pick an image based identifier scanning, as taught by Veenma, and incorporate it into the generic identifier scanning system and method of Ren since there are a finite number of identified, predictable potential solutions (using known technologies to scan image information of a product) to the recognized need (how to scan image information of a product) and one of ordinary skill in the art could have pursued the known potential solutions with a reasonable expectation of success (the advantages, benefits, and required resources are known).).
In regards to claim 30, the combination of Ren and Veenma discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving the information about the product includes reading a serial code, barcode, QR-code, RFID tag, or an image on an instance of the product or a product related information carrier and accessing the information from a database using results of the reading (¶ 18 wherein the unique identification comprises at least one of a serial code, barcode, QR-code, RFID or an image;
¶ 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 wherein a selected portion of a blockchain comprising time-dependent data of when the block was created and product information are printed onto a product/package at its time of production. A block is stored within the blockchain each time the product experiences an event, such as, creation, shipping, registration, transactions, etc. The system generates a unique code for the product produced on a particular date, which is based on, at least, the combination of product information (which is stored and retrieved from the blockchain, e.g., when the product was created) and when the code was generated and where the unique code, as well as the original product code, is then stored within the blockchain, thereby creating an enhanced product code that can be used for tracking and product verification/authentication, as well as storing information pertaining to shelf-life period of time for a perishable product.;
¶ 4, 18, 17, 22, 23, 26 wherein the selected portion of the blockchain, information related to the product, and a unique identification of the product are stored for later validation of the product.).
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Claims 6, 11, 17, 29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ren et al. (US PGPub 20180174094 A1) in view of Veenma (EP 3572924 A1) in further view of Vogt et al. (US PGPub 20080197969 A1).
In regards to claim 6, the combination of Ren and Veenma discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising:
imaging the product during the production and storing the image and a time the image is stored separately on blockchain for independent verification, […] creating a unit-specific, independently verifiable time bound during which each unique unit is produced by linking the images to blockchain timestamps that prevents pre-printing or post-dating of production data (Ren – ¶ 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 wherein Ren discloses a system and method for creating and printing identification information onto a product based on information retrieved from a blockchain and product information, as well as scanning the created information for storage in the blockchain and later retrieval, e.g., for product verification, as was discussed above, and where Ren further discloses that the identification information, which can be provided on a QR Code, barcode, UPC, or the like, can be scanned. Ren further discloses wherein a selected portion of a blockchain comprising time-dependent data of when the block was created and product information are printed onto a product/package at its time of production. A block is stored within the blockchain each time the product experiences an event, such as, creation, shipping, registration, transactions, etc. The system generates a unique code for the product produced on a particular date, which is based on, at least, the combination of product information (which is stored and retrieved from the blockchain, e.g., when the product was created) and when the code was generated and where the unique code, as well as the original product code, is then stored within the blockchain, thereby creating an enhanced product code that can be used for tracking and product verification/authentication, as well as storing information pertaining to shelf-life period of time for a perishable product. The selection of the block is constrained by the speed of the available technology and occurrence of events, i.e. block generation rate and production line speed, which allows for the system to achieve a desired timestamp granularity without delaying high-speed production and preventing pre-printing or post-dating of production data since it is performed at the time of the event.;
Ren – ¶ 4, 18, 17, 22, 23, 26 wherein the selected portion of the blockchain, information related to the product, and a unique identification of the product are stored for later validation of the product;
Veenma – ¶ 27 #5, 7, 9, ¶ 38 wherein Veenma teaches that barcodes and QR codes can be printed onto a product and have the codes scanned by a scanning device, but further teaches that there are a wide range of different scanning devices, such as, but not limited to, vision camera devices.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention that since each individual element and its function are shown in the prior art, albeit shown in separate references, the difference between the claimed subject matter and the prior art rests not on any individual element or function but in the very combination itself-that is in the substitution of an image of a product using a scanning device, as taught by Veenma, for the generic scanning device disclosed by Ren.
Thus, the simply substitution of one known element for another producing a predictable result renders the claim obvious).
The combination of Ren and Veenma discloses a system and method for combating fraudulent activity by storing authentication information of a product in a blockchain. Although the combination of Ren and Veenma discloses that the authentication information is provided on the product at or during manufacturing and the information is scanned, i.e. imaged, into the blockchain, the combination of Ren and Veenma fails to explicitly disclose that the imaging/scanning is performed at multiple stages, i.e. after printing the authentication information on an empty product package and, again, after filling a package and printing authentication information on the package.
To be more specific, the combination of Ren and Veenma fails to explicitly disclose:
the method of claim 1, further comprising:
imaging the product during the production and storing the image and a time the image is stored separately on blockchain for independent verification, wherein the imaging is performed at multiple states including after printing the selected portion of the blockchain on an empty package and after filling the package with product relevant information creating a unit-specific, independently verifiable time bound during which each unique unit is produced by linking the images to blockchain timestamps that prevents pre-printing or post-dating of production data.
However, Vogt, which is also directed to combating fraudulent activity by storing authentication information of a product for later access to determine authenticity, further teaches that it would have been obvious to scan, i.e. image, authentication information at multiple stages. Specifically, Vogt teaches attaching or embedding a bottle with a scannable tag, attaching or embedding a neck seal with a scannable tag, and attaching a container or case storing the bottle with its contents with a scannable tag. Vogt teaches that the tags are linked with one another in a database as a means of preserving the authenticity of the bottle and its contents by allowing a purchaser to scan the tags or have a producer have the tags scanned to verify that the bottle and its contents have not been tampered with, e.g., refilling the contents of the bottle with a counterfeit beverage or counterfeiting the bottles.
Vogt teaches that the bottles are embedded with a scannable tag at the time of its manufacture and the bottle identification information scanned, i.e. imaged, into a global database and during the bottle process, the contents are poured into the bottle and sealed with a neck seal, which also has its own scannable tag and identification information. Once the neck seal has been attached, the identification information of the bottle and neck seal are linked with one another. Additionally, the bottled contents can be placed into a case and the case will be attached with its own scannable tag and linked with the bottle and its contents. Consequently, Vogt discloses a manufacturing, packaging, and distribution process where authentication information provided on multiple scannable tags are scanned at different stages, e.g., when the bottle and case are empty and when the bottle and case are filled, as a means of preserving the authenticity of a product and avoiding or identifying fraudulent activity, as well as verify the harvest date of the contents.
(For support see: ¶ 7, 8, 10, 11, 46, 50, 51, 55, 56, 63, 66, 69, 70, 73, 74, 83, 84, 89, 90, 91)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include in the anti-counterfeiting system and method of the combination of Ren and Veenma with the ability to take images of a product at multiple stages, e.g., when the bottle and case are empty and when the bottle and case are filled, as taught by Vogt, as a means of preserving the authenticity of a product and avoiding or identifying fraudulent activity. One of ordinary skill in the art would have found it beneficial, in view of the teachings of Vogt, to utilize multiple scannable tags that can be scanned, i.e. imaged, at multiple stages as this allows for the linking of authentication information of the product and its packaging so that if the contents and/or its packaging are tamped with, the system will be able to inform a user that the contents may not be authentic, as well as verify the harvest date of the contents.
In regards to claim 11, the combination of Ren and Veenma discloses a system and method for combating fraudulent activity by storing authentication information of a product in a blockchain. Although the combination of Ren and Veenma discloses that the authentication information is provided on the product at or during manufacturing and the information is scanned, i.e. imaged, into the blockchain, the combination of Ren and Veenma fails to explicitly disclose that the imaging/scanning is performed at multiple stages, i.e. after printing the authentication information on an empty product package and, again, after filling a package and printing authentication information on the package.
To be more specific, the combination of Ren and Veenma fails to explicitly disclose:
the method of claim 10, wherein the imaging is carried out at multiple stages:
after printing the selected portion of the blockchain on an empty product package along with a unique identification; and
after filling the empty product package, print a product relevant information on the package.
However, Vogt, which is also directed to combating fraudulent activity by storing authentication information of a product for later access to determine authenticity, further teaches that it would have been obvious to scan, i.e. image, authentication information at multiple stages. Specifically, Vogt teaches attaching or embedding a bottle with a scannable tag, attaching or embedding a neck seal with a scannable tag, and attaching a container or case storing the bottle with its contents with a scannable tag. Vogt teaches that the tags are linked with one another in a database as a means of preserving the authenticity of the bottle and its contents by allowing a purchaser to scan the tags or have a producer have the tags scanned to verify that the bottle and its contents have not been tampered with, e.g., refilling the contents of the bottle with a counterfeit beverage or counterfeiting the bottles.
Vogt teaches that the bottles are embedded with a scannable tag at the time of its manufacture and the bottle identification information scanned, i.e. imaged, into a global database and during the bottle process, the contents are poured into the bottle and sealed with a neck seal, which also has its own scannable tag and identification information. Once the neck seal has been attached, the identification information of the bottle and neck seal are linked with one another. Additionally, the bottled contents can be placed into a case and the case will be attached with its own scannable tag and linked with the bottle and its contents. Consequently, Vogt discloses a manufacturing, packaging, and distribution process where authentication information provided on multiple scannable tags are scanned at different stages, e.g., when the bottle and case are empty and when the bottle and case are filled, as a means of preserving the authenticity of a product and avoiding or identifying fraudulent activity, as well as verify the harvest date of the contents.
(For support see: ¶ 7, 8, 10, 11, 46, 50, 51, 55, 56, 63, 66, 69, 70, 73, 74, 83, 84, 89, 90, 91)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include in the anti-counterfeiting system and method of the combination of Ren and Veenma with the ability to take images of a product at multiple stages, e.g., when the bottle and case are empty and when the bottle and case are filled, as taught by Vogt, as a means of preserving the authenticity of a product and avoiding or identifying fraudulent activity. One of ordinary skill in the art would have found it beneficial, in view of the teachings of Vogt, to utilize multiple scannable tags that can be scanned, i.e. imaged, at multiple stages as this allows for the linking of authentication information of the product and its packaging so that if the contents and/or its packaging are tamped with, the system will be able to inform a user that the contents may not be authentic, as well as verify the harvest date of the contents.
In regards to claim 17, the combination of Ren and Veenma discloses the controller unit according to claim 14, to instruct the image recorder to carry out image recording at multiple stages:
imaging the blockchain time-dependent data along with the unique identification after printing it on an empty product package; and
imaging after filling a package, print the production data
(Ren – wherein Ren discloses a system and method for creating and printing identification information onto a product based on information retrieved from a blockchain and product information, as well as scanning the created information for storage in the blockchain and later retrieval, e.g., for product verification, as was discussed above, and where Ren further discloses that the identification information, which can be provided on a QR Code, barcode, UPC, or the like, can be scanned.
Ren – Specifically, ¶ 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 wherein a selected portion of a blockchain comprising time-dependent data of when the block was created and product information are printed onto a product/package at its time of production. A block is stored within the blockchain each time the product experiences an event, such as, creation, shipping, registration, transactions, etc. The system generates a unique code for the product produced on a particular date, which is based on, at least, the combination of product information (which is stored and retrieved from the blockchain, e.g., when the product was created) and when the code was generated and where the unique code, as well as the original product code, is then stored within the blockchain, thereby creating an enhanced product code that can be used for tracking and product verification/authentication, as well as storing information pertaining to shelf-life period of time for a perishable product.;
Ren – ¶ 4, 18, 17, 22, 23, 26 wherein the selected portion of the blockchain, information related to the product, and a unique identification of the product are stored for later validation of the product;
Veenma – ¶ 27 #5, 7, 9, ¶ 38 wherein Veenma teaches that barcodes and QR codes can be printed onto a product and have the codes scanned by a scanning device, but further teaches that there are a wide range of different scanning devices, such as, but not limited to, vision camera devices.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention that since each individual element and its function are shown in the prior art, albeit shown in separate references, the difference between the claimed subject matter and the prior art rests not on any individual element or function but in the very combination itself-that is in the substitution of an image of a product using a scanning device, as taught by Veenma, for the generic scanning device disclosed by Ren.
Thus, the simply substitution of one known element for another producing a predictable result renders the claim obvious)
The combination of Ren and Veenma discloses a system and method for combating fraudulent activity by storing authentication information of a product in a blockchain. Although the combination of Ren and Veenma discloses that the authentication information is provided on the product during manufacturing and the information is scanned, i.e. imaged, into the blockchain, the combination of Ren and Veenma fails to explicitly disclose that the imaging/scanning is performed at multiple stages, i.e. after printing the authentication information on an empty product package and, again, after filling a package and printing authentication information on the package.
To be more specific, the combination of Ren and Veenma fails to explicitly disclose:
the controller unit according to claim 14, to instruct the image recorder to carry out image recording at multiple stages:
imaging the blockchain time-dependent data along with the unique identification after printing it on an empty product package; and
imaging after filling a package, print the production data.
However, Vogt, which is also directed to combating fraudulent activity by storing authentication information of a product for later access to determine authenticity, further teaches that it would have been obvious to scan, i.e. image, authentication information at multiple stages. Specifically, Vogt teaches attaching or embedding a bottle with a scannable tag, attaching or embedding a neck seal with a scannable tag, and attaching a container or case storing the bottle with its contents with a scannable tag. Vogt teaches that the tags are linked with one another in a database as a means of preserving the authenticity of the bottle and its contents by allowing a purchaser to scan the tags or have a producer have the tags scanned to verify that the bottle and its contents have not been tampered with, e.g., refilling the contents of the bottle with a counterfeit beverage or counterfeiting the bottles.
Vogt teaches that the bottles are embedded with a scannable tag at the time of its manufacturer and the bottle identification information scanned, i.e. imaged, into a global database and during the bottle process, the contents are poured into the bottle and sealed with a neck seal, which also has its own scannable tag and identification information. Once the neck seal has been attached, the identification information of the bottle and neck seal are linked with one another. Additionally, the bottled contents can be placed into a case and the case will be attached with its own scannable tag and linked with the bottle and its contents. Consequently, Vogt discloses a manufacturing, packaging, and distribution process where authentication information provided on multiple scannable tags are scanned at different stages, e.g., when the bottle and case are empty and when the bottle and case are filled, as a means of preserving the authenticity of a product and avoiding or identifying fraudulent activity.
(For support see: ¶ 7, 8, 10, 11, 46, 50, 51, 55, 56, 63, 66, 69, 70, 73, 74, 83, 84, 89, 90, 91)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include in the anti-counterfeiting system and method of the combination of Ren and Veenma with the ability to take images of a product at multiple stages, e.g., when the bottle and case are empty and when the bottle and case are filled, as taught by Vogt, as a means of preserving the authenticity of a product and avoiding or identifying fraudulent activity. One of ordinary skill in the art would have found it beneficial, in view of the teachings of Vogt, to utilize multiple scannable tags that can be scanned, i.e. imaged, at multiple stages as this allows for the linking of authentication information of the product and its packaging so that if the contents and/or its packaging are tamped with, the system will be able to inform a user that the contents may not be authentic.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 6/16/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Rejection under 35 USC 112(d)
The rejection under 35 USC 112(d) has been withdrawn due to amendments.
Rejection under 35 USC 101
The rejection under 35 USC 101 has been maintained.
The Examiner asserts that the claimed invention is directed to, inter alia, an idea of a solution or outcome and fails to recite the necessary details of how the solution to a problem is accomplished. The claimed invention has been amended to recite that it is tied to high-speed production environments and preventing pre-printing or post-dating of production data in high-speed environments while not delaying high-speed production. However, the claimed invention fails to recite any particulars to how this is achieved other than reciting generic technology that has been recited at a high level of generality and making the conclusionary statement that the technology/claimed invention achieves this outcome. The claimed invention does not disclose how the block generate rate and production line speed are being controlled, what technological improvements are being performed, or what technology has been developed to achieve this end result. The claimed invention simply recites generic technology and data that the system is processing and then simply states that the end result is achieved without reciting how. This is insufficient to overcome the rejection or demonstrate what improvements have been made to the technology or how the issue that arose in technology is being resolved. Although the claimed invention recites TVBD and what it is intended to achieve, the claimed invention fails to recite how the TVBD is linked to how the technology is being improved upon in order to achieve its desired result. The claimed invention only describes the information that is contained in the TVBD, thereby establishing that the TVBD is simply data while failing to demonstrate how the data is achieving its desired end result.
As was previously discussed, recording and uploading is directed towards extra-solution activities and insufficient to demonstrate a technological improvement, resolving an issue that arose in technology, or deeply rooted in technology (see MPEP § 2106.05(g)), i.e. recording (storing) and uploading (transmitting/receiving).
With that said, the claimed invention is similar to those of Content Extraction v Wells Fargo in that the claimed invention is utilizing a generic device to capture and store images in as much the same way that a human can look at an image and write down or draw an image using pen and paper. The claimed invention is not improving upon the recording, storage, or uploading technology, resolving an issue that arose in this technology, and, based on the example provided above, not deeply rooted in technology. The claimed invention is reciting generic technology recited at a high level of generality and applying it to the abstract idea for the benefits that it provides, i.e. faster, more efficient, less prone to human error, and etc.
Second, the Examiner asserts that the claimed invention is reciting benefits that are known in blockchain technology and applying the generic technology for these benefits. The claimed invention has simply explicitly recited elements that are known in the technology and not improving upon the technology because it is not improving how blockchain technology securely stores, manages, and provides information, resolving an issue that arose in blockchain technology, and, referring to example provided above, not deeply rooted in technology. The claimed invention is reciting generic blockchain technology at a high level of generality and applying it to the abstract idea for the benefits that it provides, i.e. immutable, secure, and etc.
As a result, the limitation is directed towards reciting generic technology at a high level of generality, i.e. blockchain, and applying it to the abstract idea to perform the extra-solution activity of storing and transmitting information, i.e. recording and uploading. The Examiner asserts that the limitation is directed towards activities that can be performed by a human in their mind (remembering information and conveying the information) or with the aid of pen and paper (writing down the information and providing the information).
Rejections under 35 USC 102/103
The applicant argues that the prior art fails to disclose “print code is printed onto the corresponding instance of the product or related data carrier (e.g., its packaging)” and “the use of a selected portion of TVBD from a blockchain block current to the processing of the product instance, in which the selected portion is based on variable properties constrained by current production line speed to avoid delays”.
However, the Examiner respectfully disagrees.
Specifically, Ren discloses that a selected portion of a blockchain comprising time-dependent data of when the block was created and product information are printed onto a product/package at its time of production, thereby comprising a block in the blockchain being a time-variant block, i.e. TVBD that includes a number of characters (“Code data may include a plant or manufacturer (facility) and a date, time and line # (product line data). The hash value may be encoded to include several digits of a hexadecimal value of a last block created in a particular time frame (e.g., last 10 minutes, etc.). The code is printed on the product package”).
A block is stored within the blockchain “Each time the product experiences an event, such as, creation, shipping, registration, transactions, etc.,” i.e. type of block and real-time. The system generates a unique code for the product produced on a particular date, which is based on, at least, the combination of product information (which is stored and retrieved from the blockchain, e.g., when the product was created, thereby allowing the system to identify a specific block amongst a plurality of blocks in the blockchain, i.e. exact position) and when the code was generated and where the unique code, as well as the original product code, is then stored within the blockchain, thereby creating an enhanced product code that can be used for tracking and product verification/authentication, as well as storing information pertaining to shelf-life period of time for a perishable product.
The selection of the block is constrained by the speed of the available technology and occurrence of events, i.e. block generation rate and production line speed, which allows for the system to achieve a desired timestamp granularity without delaying high-speed production.
(see: ¶ 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26)
Additionally, Ren discloses that the selected portion of the blockchain, information related to the product, and a unique identification of the product are stored for later validation of the product.
(see: ¶ 4, 18, 17, 22, 23, 26)
Veenma has only been provided to teach a wide range of identifiers with corresponding reading devices, such as, but not limited to, vision camera devices, thereby resulting in the system scanning and recording an image of the product, which the specification has defined to be a unique identification of the product, e.g., image of a barcode, QR-code, or the like. In other words, Veenma teaches capturing and storing an image of a QR code, dotcode, or etc. along with the information contained within the code, e.g. product data. One of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious and well-known that different technologies can be used to scan different types of identifiers and that many of them can be substituted with one another while still achieving the same predictable result, i.e. scanning an identifier.
(For support see: ¶ 27 #5, 7, 9, ¶ 38)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention that since each individual element and its function are shown in the prior art, albeit shown in separate references, the difference between the claimed subject matter and the prior art rests not on any individual element or function but in the very combination itself-that is in the substitution of an image of a product using a scanning device, as taught by Veenma, for the generic scanning device disclosed by Ren.
Thus, the simply substitution of one known element for another producing a predictable result renders the claim obvious.
Additionally, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to try, by one of ordinary skill in the art, to pick an image based identifier scanning, as taught by Veenma, and incorporate it into the generic identifier scanning system and method of Ren since there are a finite number of identified, predictable potential solutions (using known technologies to scan image information of a product) to the recognized need (how to scan image information of a product) and one of ordinary skill in the art could have pursued the known potential solutions with a reasonable expectation of success (the advantages, benefits, and required resources are known).
As was discussed in the rejection under 35 USC 101, the claimed invention recites an intended result or idea of a solution without demonstrating how the goals/objectives are specifically achieved in a manner to allow one of ordinary skill in the art to identify the technological differences of the claimed invention with that of the state of the art. Simply stating the conclusory statement of “so as to achieve a desired timestamp granularity while avoiding delay in the production line” is unpersuasive and does not set forth how this is achieved or what in the claimed invention is improving upon the state of the art/technology or how it differentiates itself from the prior art. The prior art discloses the claimed invention is the same level of detail that has been recited in the claimed invention, i.e. the steps, structure, and function are disclosed in the prior art, thereby resulting in the prior art achieving a desired timestamp granularity while avoiding delay in the production line according to a block generation rate of the blockchain and a real-time speed of the production line as events are occurring (i.e. synchronization of information).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure can be found in the attached PTO-892 Notice of References Cited.
Anido et al. (US PGPub 2026/0120053 A1); Milner (US PGPub 2008/0195251 A1); Temko (US PGPub 2007/0214055 A1); Chang et al. (US PGPub 2008/0106372 A1); Chang (US PGPub 2008/0106372 A1); Einfalt (US Patent 8,954,347 B1); Rider et al. (US PGPub 2018/0327243 A1); Bloom et al. US PGPub 2020/0097894 A1); Wood et al. (US PGPub 2017/0330198 A1) – which disclose various systems and methods for preventing and/or authenticating goods using identifiers, e.g., barcodes, RFID, and the like
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GERARDO ARAQUE JR
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3629
/GERARDO ARAQUE JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3629 9/9/2026
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