DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 9-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Klein et al (US 2015/0146963 A1).
Regarding Claim 9, Klein discloses
a method for processing valuable documents, as illustrated in figures 8a and 8b, for example, comprising the steps of:
determining, i.e., steps (804, 812) as illustrated in figures 8a and 8b and as mentioned at paragraph 371, for example, first identification data, i.e., banknote serial numbers as mentioned at paragraph 372, for example, on the basis of which the valuable documents, i.e., banknotes/currency notes//bills/substitute currency notes as mentioned at paragraphs 105-107,
contained in at least one batch of valuable documents, i.e., as mentioned at paragraphs 115-122, are identifiable, i.e., via image scanner (140a, 140b) and OCR software as mentioned at paragraph 138, in at least one
valuable document processing device, i.e., (101a, 101b), transmitting the first identification data via an internet service, i.e., noting step (806), “transmit customer data file to financial institution”, and noting the mention of “internet/online banks in paragraph 111 and communications connected to a network/internet as mentioned at paragraphs 153, 353, 455, 546, 612 and 809, to an external computing device, i.e., computer (151) or a server, as mentioned at paragraph 150 and as illustrated in figure 1, or computer (450a, 450b) as illustrated in figures 4a and 4b and as mentioned at paragraphs 251 and 252, for example, determining first sorting data which contain serial numbers, i.e., step (812) “compare currency bill serial number with serial number database” and noting the types of sorting data able to be used so sort valuable documents such as mentioned at paragraphs 152, 198, and 439, for example, in the external computing device (151, 450a, 450b) by comparing the transmitted first identification data with specified second identification data, noting again the characteristics as mentioned in paragraphs 152, 198, and 439, and noting step (814) “does currency bill serial number match serial number data base” for example, on the basis of which valuable documents that should be withdrawn from circulation and/or should remain in circulation are identifiable, i.e., noting the mention of genuine and suspect bills at paragraph 110, and the mention of identifying counterfeit currency/suspect bills in paragraph 135, for example, transmitting the first sorting data from the external computing device (151, 450a, 450b) to the at least one valuable document processing device (101a, 101b) and noting figure 8b, step (834) “transmit flagged customer record(s) to financial institution document processing system” and paragraph 382, for example, and
sorting the valuable documents contained in the at least one batch in the at least one valuable document processing device (101a, 101b) on the basis of the transmitted first sorting data, i.e., step (842) “off-sort or stop and present documents” as illustrated in figure 8b, and as mentioned at paragraph 382, noting the mention of flagging documents and off-sorting them into output receptacles, for example.
Regarding Claim 10, Klein discloses
wherein the determination of the first identification data of the valuable documents, i.e., as seen in figure 19b at steps (1904) “image currency bills” and (1906) “extract data” and the sorting of the valuable documents, i.e., at steps (1910) “authenticate bills”, (1912) “is bill suspect?”, (1914) “transport suspect bill to suspect vault” and (1916) “return suspect bill to customer” and further transporting steps (1918-1926), for example, are implemented in the same valuable document processing device (101), (1901) as illustrated in figures 19a and 19b and as mentioned at paragraphs 253 and 664-672 for example. See also figures 15-17, document processing devices (1510, 1610, 1770).
Regarding Claim 11, Klein discloses
wherein the first identification data, i.e., represented by figure 5a, step (502) “receive data file” of the valuable documents are determined in a first valuable document processing device (101a) and the sorting of the valuable documents is implemented in a second valuable document processing device (101b) that differs from the first valuable document processing device (101a) as illustrated in figures 4a, 4b, 5a and 5b. See also figures 11c, 14-17 and 24 with document processors (1171a, 1171b, 1171n, 1173a, 1173b, 1173n, 1410a, 1410b, 1410c, 1510, 1610, 1710, 2412, 2462).
Regarding Claim 12, Klein discloses
further comprising the steps of:
recording one or more properties, i.e., characteristics such as mentioned at paragraphs 208, 439, 440 and 792, for example, of each valuable document contained in the at least one batch of valuable documents in the at least one valuable document processing device (101, 101a, 101b, 1171a, 1171b, 1171n, 1173a, 1173b, 1173n, 1410a, 1410b, 1410c, 1510, 1610, 1710, 2412, 2462) by means of one or more sensors (140a, 140b), and generating corresponding sensor data, i.e., sent to memory (160) by said image sensors (140a, 140b) as mentioned in paragraph 138 and as illustrated in figure 1, transmitting the sensor data to the external computing device (151), as mentioned in paragraphs 150, 151 and 153, for example,
checking the valuable documents contained in the at least one batch on the basis of the sensor data, i.e., such as seen at steps (812 and 814) of figure 8a, and generating corresponding second sorting data, which contain serial
numbers, i.e,. interpreted as secondary identifiers as mentioned in paragraph 12 and 13, or execution of a secondary uniqueness template algorithm as mentioned in paragraph 194, for example, transmitting the second sorting data together with the first sorting data, from the external computing device (151) to the at least one valuable document processing device (101, 101a, 101b), and sorting the valuable documents contained in the at least one batch in the at least one valuable document processing device (101, 101a, 101b) on the basis of the transmitted first and second sorting data, as illustrated in figures 8a and 8b, for example, and noting paragraph 787, which mentions secondary identifiers including “a series, a back plate number, a check letter and quadrant number, a check letter and face plate number, a Federal Reserve letter/number” and as illustrated in figures 3a-3e showing the extracted serial number/identifier data, and noting that the suspect or blacklist database can be interpreted to correspond to secondary sorting data which is checked against the primary sorting data, interpreted as the actual data obtained from each banknote so as to be checked against the master or blacklist database. See for example, figure 8a, step (812), “compare currency bill serial number with serial number database”. See also paragraph 282 mentioning transmission of a suspect or blacklist database “including records associated with suspect bills and/or records associated with checks tied to fraudulent activity” to various banks/branches/stores.
Regarding Claim 13, Klein discloses
wherein the specified second identification data, as mentioned at paragraphs 12, 13 and 198, are supplemented with the further second identification data, as mentioned at paragraph 140, including information such as back plate number, check letter, quadrant number, for example, that can be used in combination, that identify valuable documents, the check of which has yielded that they should be withdrawn from circulation and/or should remain in circulation, such as seen in figure 8a, steps (814, 816, 818), for example.
Regarding Claim 14, Klein discloses
wherein the valuable documents contained in the at least one batch or a portion of the valuable documents contained in the at least one batch are only released for circulation again following the determination of the first identification data once the valuable documents contained in the at least one batch have been sorted in the at least one valuable document processing device (101a, 101b) on the basis of the transmitted first and optionally second sorting data, as illustrated in figures 3a-3e, 8a and 8b, and as mentioned at paragraphs 282, 787, for example.
Regarding Claim 15, see the rejection of Claims 9-14, above.
Regarding Claim 16, see the rejection of Claim 9, above.
Conclusion
Applicant is encouraged to contact the Examiner should there be any questions about this rejection or in an endeavor to explore potential amendments or potential allowable subject matter.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Stieber ‘660 is cited as teaching multiple currency and cash handling devices wirelessly networked with one of the devices acting as a host device, as illustrated in figures 1-3 and noting cash handling unit (sorter) (12) with note counter (13) that passes the amount of the batch to the primary sorter (12). See also paragraph 19, last sentence and paragraph 20, for example.
Banerjee ‘725 is cited as teaching both whitelist and blacklist usage as mentioned at col. 2, lines 4-17, col. 3, lines 32-47, col. 10, lines 50-53, col. 12, lines 11-22, col. 12, lines 23-37.
Jones ‘876 is cited as teaching transfer of authentication data via memory of a mini-safe (SF1) as illustrated in figure 15, for example, for transfer between document processing devices (11a-11h, 100), for example.
Asada ‘405 is cited as teaching secondary sorting data to sort valuable documents as mentioned at paragraph 5 and as Claims 2, 3, 7, 8, 10 and 14, for example.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEFFREY ALAN SHAPIRO whose telephone number is (571)272-6943. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday generally between 8:30AM and 6:30PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Anita Y Coupe can be reached at 571-270-3614. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JEFFREY A SHAPIRO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3619
February 21, 2026