DETAILED ACTION
1. Applicant's amendment filed on 6/22/2026 has been entered.
2. Claims 1-20 are pending. Claims 1, 8 and 15 are independent. Claims 1, 6-8, 10, 13-15, 17 and 20 have been amended.
Response to Arguments
3. Applicant's arguments on 6/22/2026 have been fully considered; however, they are not persuasive based on new ground(s) of rejection.
Claim Objections
4. Claim 15 is objected to because of a typographical error. Claim 15 has been amended to recites “determining access for the plurality of to a resource in the file repository …” (emphasis added). It appears the claim should have been amended to recite “determining access for the plurality of users to a resource in the file repository …”
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
5. 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.
6. 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
7. Claims 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, 15, 17 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 as being anticipated by Wang (US Patent 8,176,123).
As regarding claim 1, Wang discloses A processor-implemented method, the method comprising:
identifying a collaborative networked environment, wherein the collaborative networked environment includes a user interactive environment and a file repository, the user interactive environment enabling a plurality of users to directly and concurrently communicate with each other through at least one electronic communication service including an audio, video or text-based communication service [col. 5 lines 5-20, col. 6 lines 40-46; collaborative environments including users communicating in chat rooms];
gathering data about the collaborative networked environment, including data about a level of direct communication of a first user with at least one other user in the user interactive environment during a period of time when the first user and one or more other users are present together in the user interactive environment [col. 6 lines 17-54 and col. 14 lines 13-24; gathering data about a logged in user to determine whether the user is allowed to communicate with another user in a group]; and
determining access for the plurality of users to a resource in the file repository based on the level of direct communication of the first user with the at least one other user during the period of time [col. 6 lines 17-54 and col. 14 lines 13-24; gathering data about a logged in user to determine whether the user is allowed to communicate with another user in a group].
As regarding claim 3, Wang further discloses The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic communication service includes at least one selected from the group consisting of a web conference, a voice call, a video call, a live stream, a chat group, or a social media group [col. 6 lines 39-45; chat group].
As regarding claim 4, Wang further discloses The method of claim 1, wherein the collaborative networked environment establishes a connection between the user interactive environment and the file repository [col. 6 line 64 thru col. 7 line 10 and col. 11 lines 39-41].
As regarding claim 8, Hart discloses A computer system, the computer system comprising:
one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage medium, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more tangible storage medium for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories [col. 12 lines 35-49], wherein the computer system is capable of performing a method comprising:
identifying a collaborative networked environment, wherein the collaborative networked environment includes a user interactive environment and a file repository, the user interactive environment enabling a plurality of users to directly and concurrently communicate with each other through at least one electronic communication service including an audio, video or text-based communication service [col. 5 lines 5-20, col. 6 lines 40-46; collaborative environments including users communicating in chat rooms];
gathering data about the collaborative networked environment, including data about a level of direct communication of a first user with at least one other user in the user interactive environment during a period of time when the first user and one or more other users are present together in the user interactive environment [col. 6 lines 17-54 and col. 14 lines 13-24; gathering data about a logged in user to determine whether the user is allowed to communicate with another user in a group]; and
determining access for the plurality of users to a resource in the file repository based on the level of direct communication of the first user with the at least one other user [col. 6 lines 17-54 and col. 14 lines 13-24; gathering data about a logged in user to determine whether the user is allowed to communicate with another user in a group].
As regarding claim 10, Wang further discloses The computer system of claim 8, wherein the electronic communication service includes at least one selected from the group consisting of a web conference, a voice call, a video call, a live stream, a chat group, or a social media group [col. 6 lines 39-45; chat group].
As regarding claim 11, Wang further discloses The computer system of claim 8, wherein the collaborative networked environment establishes a connection between the user interactive environment and the file repository [col. 6 line 64 thru col. 7 line 10 and col. 11 lines 39-41].
As regarding claim 15, Hart discloses A computer program product, the computer program product comprising:
one or more computer-readable tangible storage medium and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage medium, the program instructions executable by a processor capable of performing a method [col. 12 lines 35-49], the method comprising:
identifying a collaborative networked environment, wherein the collaborative networked environment includes a user interactive environment and a file repository, the user interactive environment enabling a plurality of users to directly and concurrently communicate with each other through at least one electronic communication service including an audio, video or text-based communication service [col. 5 lines 5-20, col. 6 lines 40-46; collaborative environments including users communicating in chat rooms];
gathering data about the collaborative networked environment, including data about a level of direct communication of a first user with at least one other user in the user interactive environment during a period of time when the first user and one or more other users are present together in the user interactive environment [col. 6 lines 17-54 and col. 14 lines 13-24; gathering data about a logged in user to determine whether the user is allowed to communicate with another user in a group]; and
determining access for the plurality of users to a resource in the file repository based on the level of direct communication of the first user with the at least one other user [col. 6 lines 17-54 and col. 14 lines 13-24; gathering data about a logged in user to determine whether the user is allowed to communicate with another user in a group].
As regarding claim 17, Wang further discloses The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the electronic communication service includes at least one selected from the group consisting of a web conference, a voice call, a video call, a live stream, a chat group, and a social media group [col. 6 lines 39-45; chat group].
As regarding claim 18, Wang further discloses The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the collaborative networked environment establishes a connection between the user interactive environment and the file repository [col. 6 line 64 thru col. 7 line 10 and col. 11 lines 39-41].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. Claims 2, 9 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (US Patent 8,176,123) in view of Hart (US Patent 10,152,530).
As regarding claim 2, Wang does not explicitly disclose that the determined access is provided as a recommendation to an administrative user; However, Hart discloses it [col. 3 lines 23-36 and col. 6 lines 51-66; user access recommended to the administrator].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the effective filing of the invention to modify Wang’s user interactive environment to further comprise the omitted claim limitation, that is disclosed by Hart, to determine and provide access control of file system to the users [col. 3 lines 13-47].
As regarding claim 9, Hart discloses The computer system of claim 8, wherein the determined access is provided as a recommendation to an administrative user [col. 3 lines 23-36 and col. 6 lines 51-66; user access recommended to the administrator].
As regarding claim 16, Hart discloses The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the determined access is provided as a recommendation to an administrative user [col. 3 lines 23-36 and col. 6 lines 51-66; user access recommended to the administrator].
11. Claims 5-7, 12-14, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (US Patent 8,176,123) in view of Byrnes (US PG Pub. 2012/0191500).
As regarding claims 5, 12 and 19, Hart and Harrington do not explicitly disclose that the user interactive environment is a digital meeting. However, Byrnes discloses it [FIG. 1 and para. 20].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the effective filing of the invention to modify Hart and Harrington’s user interactive environment to further comprise a digital meeting environment, as disclosed by Byrnes, in order to allow meeting attendees to meet online instead of being physically present at a specific location.
As regarding claims 6, 13 and 20, Byrnes further discloses the resource is a record of the digital meeting in the form of meeting minutes or a recording of the digital meeting [para. 48; meeting record including meeting minutes].
As regarding claims 7 and 14, Byrnes further discloses The method of claim 5, wherein the resource is a digital credential indicating that the user attended the digital meeting [para. 27 and 31; meeting record including meeting attendance].
Conclusion
Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THONG P TRUONG whose telephone number is (571)270-7905. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8:30AM - 5:30PM.
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/THONG TRUONG/
Examiner, Art Unit 2433
/JEFFREY C PWU/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2433
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