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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 January 28, 2026, has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Claims 1-3, 5-7, 10, 14, and 17 have been amended. Claims 12 and 13 have been canceled. Claims 1-11 and 14-22 are pending and are provided to be examined upon their merits.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed January 208, 2026, have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. A response is provided below in bold where appropriate.
Applicant argues 35 USC §101 Rejection, starting pg. 9 of Remarks:
Rejection under 35 U.S.C. 101
Claims 1-11 and 14-22 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 101 as being directed to a judicial exception (i.e., an abstract idea) without reciting significantly more.
This rejection is respectfully traversed.
A complete discussion of the Examiner's rejection is set forth in the Office Action, and is not being repeated here.
Without admitting the Office Action's arguments as being correct, Applicant has amended claim 1 to recite "the learned model includes two inputs and two outputs performed using both a first sample data and first correct answer data collected for the first know-how information and a second sample data and second correct answer data collected for a second know-how information, the learned model determining the starting condition and assistance action using a relationship between the first know-how information and the second know-how information." This amendment is supported by the specification as filed at paragraphs [0222]- [0225].
Noted. However, the feature of having two sensors (Device_p and Device_q) as inputs and determine whether both inputs are satisfied with the benefit of improved accuracy is not claimed. Further, just using a “learned model” is not enough. See July 2024 SME where artificial intelligence claimed at a high level was insignificant extra solution activity. Also, in considering the amendment, a person can use a “learn model with what is being claimed. There is no claimed machine learning.
The amendments to claim 1 cause claim 1 to more clearly be directed to a technological solution to a technological problem. As is described in the specification as filed at paragraphs [0222]-[0225], the amended features of claim 1 improve accuracy of processing by using a relationship between first and second know-how information. This is technically accomplished by the learned model including two inputs and two outputs. This is an unconventional feature which provides an improvement to the functioning of the machine for accuracy of processing. Thus, amended claim 1 is directed to a technological solution to a technological problem and claim 1 is directed to patent eligible subject matter under step 2A prong one of the Alice Mayo test. Claim 14 has been amended similarly to claim 1 and is similarly directed to a technological problem and to patent eligible subject matter under step 2A prong one of the Alice/Mayo test. Reconsideration and withdrawal of this rejection are respectfully requested.
Respectfully, the above is itself abstract. A person for example can perform analysis and conditional logic in their mind or with pen and paper. The rejection is respectfully maintained but modified for the claim amendments.
Additional Cited Reference
Since the reference cited by the Examiner has not been utilized to reject the claims, but have merely been cited to show the state of the art, no comment need be made with respect thereto.
Noted.
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 1-11 and 14-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
Claims 1-11 and 14-22 are directed to a system or method, which are statutory categories of invention. (Step 1: YES).
The Examiner has identified method Claim 14 as the claim that represents the claimed invention for analysis and is similar to system Claim 1.
Claim 14 recites the limitations of:
An information processing method comprising:
receiving, by an information processing device, a registration request of a know-how information including information which associates condition information representing a starting condition and assistance information representing an assistance action to be performed if the starting condition is satisfied; and
outputting to a display the know-how information stored based on the registration requests as a search result based on a search request received from a user of an information processing device, the search request including information to identify either one of the starting condition and the assistance actions, wherein
the plurality of the know-how information includes a first know-how information including information which associates first condition information representing a first starting condition and first assistance information representing a first assistance action to be performed in response to the first starting condition being satisfied, and
the method further comprising determining whether the first condition is satisfied by inputting data from acquiring devices into a learned model, and
the method further comprising identifying a type of acquiring device required to determine the first condition from a text content of the first condition,
wherein the learned model includes two inputs and two outputs performed both a first sample data and a first correct answer data collected from the first know-how information and a second sample data and second correct answer collected for a second know-how information, the learned model determining the starting condition and assistance action using a relationship between the first know-how information and the second know-how information.
These above limitations, under their broadest reasonable interpretation, cover performance of the limitation as certain methods of organizing human activity. The claim recites elements, in non-bold above, which covers performance of the limitation as managing personal behavior (e.g., an assistance action to be performed if a starting condition is satisfied) and interactions between people including teaching and following rules or instructions (e.g., outputting know-how information to identifying starting condition and assistance actions, identifying a type of acquiring device required to determine the first condition). If a claim limitation, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, covers performance of the limitation as managing personal behavior or interactions between people, then it falls within the “Certain Methods of Organizing Human Activity” grouping of abstract ideas. Accordingly, the claim recites an abstract idea. Claim 1 is also abstract for similar reasons. (Step 2A-Prong 1: YES. The claims are abstract)
The claims are also abstract under Mental Processes grouping of abstract ideas. Receiving a request of information and outputting know-how information stored as a result of a search result could be performed in the mind of a person or with pen and paper (e.g., a person can receive a request for information and provide know-how information, see for example para. [0103] and [0124] where knowledge is being provided to less-skilled workers from skilled workers.). For example, as a manual process, a person can receive a request for information that is associated with starting condition (help, I’m lost) or assistance information, output with pen and paper after searching (search filing cabinet/libraries/mind/etc.) either starting condition (yes you are lost) or assistance actions, where the information includes assistance action (you are lost in a room of your house, go left and outside), and determine if the condition is satisfied by a person inputting (typing in information) data acquired from outside sources into a learned model, where the learned model as claimed could be a person (learning does not require a machine). A person can identify (in their mind) a type of acquiring device (camera) required to determine a first condition based on text content of a first condition (someone texts help I’m falling). A person can read and interpret in their mind a “text content” that identifies a type of acquiring device (e.g. camera) required for a first condition (face wobbles). A person can have a learning model (read instructions) to determine if a condition is satisfied and to take two inputs and outputs and determine a determine a starting condition and assistance action using a relationship (a person can perform with pen and paper conditional logic). Further, using a processing device to perform a judicial exception has been shown not to be enough to make abstract claims statutory (see MPEP 2106.04(a)(2) III C), and it is not even required in Claim 14.
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application. In particular, the claims only recite: processing unit, storage unit, display, outside devices (Claim 1); processing device, display, outside devices (Claim 14). The computer hardware is recited at a high-level of generality (i.e., as a generic processor performing a generic computer function) such that it amounts no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component. The storage unit and display are computer components. The learned model is recited at a high level of generality, there is no improvement to the learned model itself, and there is no machine learning so a person can learn (use a “learn model”) and perform the steps. Accordingly, these additional elements, when considered separately and as an ordered combination, do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because they do not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. Therefore claims 1 and 14 are directed to an abstract idea without a practical application. (Step 2A-Prong 2: NO. The additional claimed elements are not integrated into a practical application)
The claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because, when considered separately and as an ordered combination, they do not add significantly more (also known as an “inventive concept”) to the exception. As discussed above with respect to integration of the abstract idea into a practical application, the additional element of using a computer hardware 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. See Applicant’s specification para’s. [0021] and [0032] about using various computing devices and MPEP 2106.05(f) where applying a computer as a tool is not indicative of significantly more. Accordingly, these additional elements, when considered separately and as an ordered combination, do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because they do not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. Steps such as receiving, storing, and transmitting are steps that are considered insignificant extra solution activity and mere instructions to apply the exception using general computer components (see MPEP 2106.05(d), II). Thus claims 1 and 14 are not patent eligible. (Step 2B: NO. The claims do not provide significantly more)
Dependent claims 2-11 and 15-22 further define the abstract idea that is present in their respective independent claims 1 and 14 and thus correspond to Certain Methods of Organizing Human Activity and Mental Processes and hence are abstract for the reasons presented above. The dependent claims do not include any additional elements that integrate the abstract idea into a practical application or are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception when considered both individually and as an ordered combination. Claims 5-8, 13, and 17-20 determine similarity, which is abstract under Mathematical Concepts grouping of abstract ideas as this requires calculating an algorithm. Claims 2, 3, 12, 13 further recite device at a high level of generality and the device appears to be a generic device performing judicial exceptions. Claims 21 recites neural network and claim 23 recites outside devices. which are generic devices and applied at a high level of generality. Therefore, the claims 2-11 and 15-22 are directed to an abstract idea. Thus, the claims 1-11 and 14-22 are not patent-eligible.
Examiner Request
The Applicant is requested to indicate where in the specification there is support for amendments to claims should Applicant amend. The purpose of this is to reduce potential 35 U.S.C. §112(a) or §112 1st paragraph issues that can arise when claims are amended without support in the specification. The Examiner thanks the Applicant in advance.
Prior Art
A prior art search update was conducted but does not result in a prior art rejection at this time. The best prior art found to date is Pub. No. US 2011/0276396 to Rathod. Rathod teaches providing resources but does not teach the combination of claimed elements such as identifying a type of acquiring device required to determine a first condition from a text content of the first condition. See also PCT/JP2021/024602 written opinion pg. 4 regarding prior art.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KENNETH BARTLEY whose telephone number is (571)272-5230. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri: 7:30 - 4:00 EST.
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/KENNETH BARTLEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3684