DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of Claims
Applicant’s communications filed on 1/20/2026 have been considered.
Claims 1, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 21 have been amended.
Claims 1-11 and 21-28 are currently pending and have been examined.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed with respect to the rejection of claims under 35 USC 101 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues on pages 9-10 that the newly amended limitation of “updating the mapping between the multiple product recipes and the multiple ingredients…” in independent claims 1 and 21 goes beyond the allowable framework for certain methods of organizing human activity, and should instead be considered an additional element that goes beyond any judicial exception. This argument has been considered but is not persuasive. As noted below, these limitations further define the abstract idea, rather than amounting to limitations beyond the abstract idea. For example, the claimed steps of updating mappings or associations between recipes, ingredients, quantities, and units of measure merely amount to mere data organization encompassed by the abstract idea, wherein the steps are implemented in a generic computing environment. It is further noted that the specification does not reveal to one of ordinary skill in the art that the Applicant has provided an improvement to technology through this amended limitation. For example, the specification defines a mapping as identifying ingredients required to create a product corresponding to each recipe, and that the mapping can be a lookup table (LUT), (see at least [0007][0035]), the specification does not provide technical detail of an improvement to a computer, database, or other technology. The claims utilize the claimed technology as a tool to perform the abstract idea. Accordingly, the claims do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application, and do not amount to an inventive concept.
Applicant further argues on page 10 that the newly amended “updating the mapping…” limitation does not represent well-understood, routine, conventional activity. This argument has been considered but is not persuasive. It is noted that, in the Non-Final Rejection (filed 10/20/2025, see pages 5-7), the claims were rejected for being directed to the abstract idea of enabling product ordering based on stock information, without integration into a practical application or amounting to significantly more than the abstract idea. The claims were not rejected on the basis that they represent well-understood, routine, conventional activity. Furthermore, as noted above, the current claims, as amended, do not recite any additional elements beyond the judicial exception, such that the recited limitations are integrated into a practical application. Accordingly, the rejection has been maintained.
Applicant’s arguments filed with respect to the rejection of claims under 35 USC 103 have been fully considered but are rendered moot under new grounds of rejection.
Applicant argues on pages 10-11 that independent claims 1 and 21, as amended, overcome the currently cited prior art because neither Renfroe, Waldman, Uchida, and/or Morgan teach the amended limitations of claims 1 and 21. This argument has been fully considered but has been rendered moot under new grounds of rejection, as independent claims 1 and 21 currently stand rejected in view of the newly cited combination of Renfroe (US 2014/0351068 A1), Ross (2018/0165620 A1), and Waldman (US 2016/0180284 A1), and the rejection has been maintained. Accordingly, the rejections of dependent claims 2-11 and 22-28 have been maintained, at least by virtue of their dependencies.
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 21-28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. The claims recite an abstract idea. The judicial exception is 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.
Under Step 1 of the Subject Matter Eligibility Test for Products and Processes, the claims must be directed to one of the four statutory categories. See MPEP 2106.03. Claims 1-11 and 21-28 are directed towards a process. Therefore, claims 1-11 and 21-28 are directed to one of the four statutory categories (Step 1: YES, regarding claims 1-11 and 21-28).
Under Step 2A of the MPEP, it is determined whether the claims are directed to a judicially recognized exception. See MPEP 2106.04. Step 2A is a two-prong inquiry.
Under Prong 1, it is determined whether the claim recites a judicial exception. In determining whether the claims are directed to a judicial exception, the claims are analyzed to evaluate whether the claims recite a judicial exception.
Taking Claim 1 as representative, claim 1 recites limitations that fall within the certain methods of organizing human activity groupings of abstract ideas, including:
A method of disabling product orders based on current ingredient stock information, the method comprising:
accessing an ingredient storage containing indications of multiple ingredients utilized for multiple products, the indications for each ingredient stored in the ingredient storage comprising an ingredient name and an ingredient identifier;
accessing a recipe storage that includes a mapping between multiple product recipes for the multiple products and the multiple ingredients from the ingredient storage, wherein the mapping identifies for each of the multiple product recipes corresponding ingredients of the multiple ingredients required to create a respective product of the multiple products and correlates a product recipe identifier stored in the recipe storage for each product recipe to corresponding ingredient names and ingredient identifiers stored in the ingredient storage;
receiving from a first user, a first product recipe for a first product, the first product recipe comprising a first ingredient having a first ingredient identifier;
adding the first product recipe to the recipe storage as one of the multiple product recipes;
determining, based on the first ingredient identifier of the first ingredient, that the first ingredient of the first recipe is not found in the ingredient storage;
adding, in response to the determining that the first ingredient is not found in the ingredient storage, the first ingredient to the ingredient storage as one of the multiple ingredients;
updating the mapping between the multiple product recipes and the multiple ingredients to reflect a relationship between the first product recipe and the first ingredient;
receiving, from the first user, current stock information comprising current amounts of availability for the multiple ingredients, wherein the second stock information indicates some of the multiple ingredients are available for use and that the first ingredient is unavailable for use;
identifying, using the mapping and the current stock information, that the first product recipe is unavailable;
display as available for ordering the product listings for each product in the multiple products that is associated with available ingredients, and to display as unavailable for ordering the product listing for the first product that is associated with the first ingredient, wherein the display disables ordering of the first product.
Claim 21 recites the same limitations believed to be abstract as recited in claim 1, and additionally recites the following limitations:
wherein each of the multiple product recipes includes an ingredient identifier for each ingredient in that product recipe, a quantity of each ingredient in that product recipe, and a unit of measure for each ingredient in that product recipe, and wherein the mapping correlates the ingredient identifiers, the quantities of the ingredients, and the units of measure in the multiple product recipes to the multiple ingredients in the ingredient storage…;
determining, based on the first ingredient identifier of the first ingredient, that the first ingredient of the first recipe is not indicated in the ingredient database;
adding, in response to the determining that the first ingredient is not indicated in the ingredient database, the first ingredient to the ingredient storage as one of the multiple ingredients;
updating the mapping between the multiple product recipes and the multiple ingredients to reflect a relationship between the first product recipe and the first ingredient;
receiving first current stock information comprising first current amounts of availability for the multiple ingredients, wherein the first current stock information includes an indication that the first ingredient is unavailable for user;
identifying, using the mapping of the recipe storage and the first current stock information, that the first product recipe that includes the first ingredient that is unavailable;
identifying an alternative product recipe for the first product recipe, the alternative product recipe not including the at least one ingredient, the identifying of the alternative product recipe comprising estimating a similarity of ingredients between the alternative product recipe and the first product recipe;
display as available for ordering an alternative product that is associated with the alternative product recipe, and to display as unavailable for ordering the first product associated with the first product recipe;
wherein displaying the first product as unavailable for ordering comprises disabling ordering of the first product,
receiving second current stock information that comprises second current amounts of availability for the multiple ingredients, wherein the second current stock information indicates the multiple ingredients are available for use; and
display the multiple products as available for ordering.
Claims 1 and 21, as exemplary, recites certain methods of organizing human activity, such as performing commercial interactions. See MPEP 2106.04(a)(2). The MPEP defines the “Certain Methods of Organizing Human Activity” grouping as including fundamental economic principles or practices (including hedging, insurance, mitigating risk); commercial or legal interactions (including agreements in the form of contracts; legal obligations; advertising, marketing or sales activities or behaviors; business relations); managing personal behavior or relationships or interactions between people (including social activities, teaching, and following rules or instructions) (see MPEP § 2106.04(a)(2). The abstract ideas recited in representative claim 1 and 21 are certain methods of organizing human activity because enabling product ordering based on stock information is a commercial or legal interaction because it is an advertising, marketing or sales activity, or business relations.
Accordingly, under Prong One of Step 2A of the Alice/Mayo test, claims 1 and 21 recite an abstract idea (Step 2A, Prong One: YES).
Under Prong 2, it is determined whether the claim recites additional elements that integrate the exception into a practical application of the exception.
Claim 1 recites additional elements beyond the judicial exception(s), including a computer-implemented method of automatically disabling product orders; an ingredient database; a recipe database; a first computing device; configuring an ordering interface; wherein the ordering interface is configured to automatically disable ordering by disabling or removing an add to cart icon or by graying out the product listing for the first product; and transmitting the ordering interface to a second computing device.
Claim 21 recites the same additional elements as recited in claim 1, and additionally recites a computing device; configuring a first ordering interface; transmitting, to a user device, the first ordering interface; disabling or removing an add to cart icon in the first ordering interface or by graying out a product listing in the first ordering interface; configuring a second ordering interface; and transmitting the second interface to the user device.
These additional elements are described at a high level in Applicant’s specification without any meaningful detail about their structure or configuration. As such, these computer-related limitations are not found to be sufficient to integrate the abstract idea into a practical application. Claims 1 and 21 specifying that the abstract idea is executed in a computer environment merely indicates a field of use in which to apply the abstract idea because this requirement merely limits the claims to the computer field, i.e., to execution on a generic computer. As such, under Prong Two of Step 2A of the Alice/Mayo test, when considered both individually and as a whole, the limitations of claims 1 and 21 are not indicative of integration into a practical application (Step 2A, Prong Two: NO).
Since claims 1 and 21 recite an abstract idea and fail to integrate the abstract idea into a practical application, claims 1 and 21 are “directed to” an abstract idea (Step 2A: YES). Accordingly, the judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application.
Next, under Step 2B, the instant claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because, as discussed above, the additional elements of a computer-implemented method of automatically disabling product orders; an ingredient database; a recipe database; a first computing device; updating the mapping between the multiple product recipes and the multiple ingredients; configuring an ordering interface; wherein the ordering interface is configured to automatically disable ordering by disabling or removing an add to cart icon or by graying out the product listing for the first product; and transmitting the ordering interface to a second computing device; a computing device; configuring a first ordering interface; transmitting, to a user device, the first ordering interface; disabling or removing an add to cart icon in the first ordering interface or by graying out a product listing in the first ordering interface; configuring a second ordering interface; and transmitting the second interface to the user device amount to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using generic computer components. For the same reason these elements are not sufficient to provide an inventive concept. Therefore when considering the additional elements alone, and in combination, there is no inventive concept in the claim, and thus the claim is not patent eligible (Step 2B: NO).
Dependent claims 2-11 and 22-28, when analyzed as a whole, are held to be patent ineligible under 35 U.S.C. 101 because they do not add “significantly more” to the abstract idea. As for dependent claims 2-8, 10 and 22-28, these claims recite limitations that further define the same abstract idea noted in independent claims 1 and 21, and do not recite any additional elements other than what is disclosed in independent claims 1 and 21. Therefore, claims 2-8, 10 and 22-28 are considered patent ineligible for the reasons given above.
As for dependent claims 9 and 11, these claims recite limitations that further define the abstract idea noted in independent claims 1 and 21. Additionally, they recite the following additional limitations:
a mobile-ordering application, wherein the first ordering interface and the second ordering interface are an interface of the mobile-ordering application and the second computing device is a user device; and
wherein: the current stock information is received from the first computing device on a first network;
the first product recipe of the multiple product recipes that includes the first ingredient of the multiple ingredients that is unavailable is identified by a cloud server; and
automatically disabling the ordering of first product includes updating, by the cloud server, the ordering interface that is transmitted to the second computing device; and
the second computing device comprises a customer device.
The additional elements of a mobile-ordering application, an interface of the mobile-ordering application, a user device, a first network, a cloud server, updating, by the cloud server, the second ordering interface, and a customer device are all recited at a high level of generality such that they amount to no more than instructions to apply the judicial exception in a generic technological environment. Even in combination, these additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application and do not amount to significantly more than the abstract idea itself. Accordingly, under the Alice/Mayo test, claims 1-11 and 21-28 are ineligible.
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 (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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
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, 8-11, 21-22 and 25-28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over previously cited Renfroe (US 2014/0351068 A1) in view of newly cited U.S Patent Application No. 2018/0165620 A1 to Ross et al., hereinafter Ross, and further in view of previously cited Waldman (US 2016/0180284 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Renfroe discloses A computer-implemented method of automatically disabling product orders based on current ingredient stock information, the method comprising ([0045][0070-0074]):
accessing an ingredient database containing indications of multiple ingredients utilized for multiple products, the indications for each ingredient stored in the ingredient database comprising an ingredient name and an ingredient identifier ([0050] The back office system 101 may comprise a database for storing data relating to a stock inventory amount for each item 108-112. Thus, the back office system 101 may be capable of monitoring the stocked inventory amount for one or more, or in some cases every, item 108-112 based on information received from the stock inventory tracking means 107… see [0048] the stocked inventory tracking means 107 monitors quantities of various items in stock, such as gin 108, vodka 109, whiskey 110, cola 111, and tonic water 112; [0049] stock scales 114 disposed on shelves 113 measure the weight of a particular item thereon based on the weight of the item in order to determine the stock inventory amount of the item);
accessing a recipe database that includes a mapping between multiple product recipes for the multiple products and the multiple ingredients from the ingredient database, wherein the mapping identifies for each of the multiple product recipes corresponding ingredients of the multiple ingredients required to create a respective product of the multiple products and correlates a product recipe identifier stored in the recipe database for each product recipe to corresponding ingredient names and ingredient identifiers stored in the ingredient database ([0038] The back office system 101 may comprise a database containing menu item availability data 124 related to the availability of menu items and/or ingredients for making the menu items available to customers; [0075] the back office system 101 determines menu item availability data 124 and receives menu item metadata associated with interrelationships among menu items and ingredients of menu items, such as which ingredients typically accompany one another in various recipes … the back office system 101 analyzes menu item availability data 124 to determine whether or not each item required to complete the order request is in stock and available… see [0050] a database for storing data relating to a stock inventory amount for each item);
receiving a first product recipe for a first product, the first product recipe comprising a first ingredient having a first ingredient identifier ([0075] the system receives menu item metadata associated with interrelationships among menu items and ingredients of menu items… the metadata may pertain to which ingredients typically accompany one another in various recipes);
receiving, from a first computing device, current stock information comprising current amounts of availability for the multiple ingredients, wherein the second stock information indicates some of the multiple ingredients are available for use and that the first ingredient is unavailable for use ([0051] The back office system 101 may be communicatively coupled to an inventory use tracking means 106. The inventory use tracking means 106 may be configured to track in substantially real-time an amount of an item as it is used (e.g., poured to make a drink, spilled, etc.). The inventory use tracking means 106 may incorporate any kind of means for monitoring quantities of an item as it is used; [0053] the inventory use tracking means 106 communicates the amount to the back office system 101 each time the amount changes (e.g., each time a drink is poured, spilled, etc.)… [0045] the back office system 101 may determine when an item is unavailable in inventory or the amount of the item is below a threshold in inventory);
identifying, using the mapping and the current stock information, that the first product recipe is unavailable ([0029] The system may further integrate an inventory component that may include a dynamically updated inventory with the electronic menu… the drinks indicated as being available on the electronic menu would be based on the ingredients stocked by the bar. Thus, if an ingredient was either not stocked, or possibly out of stock, then the drink would not be available. This could include an indication on the menu that the drink is unavailable or out of stock, or the drink may not appear on the electronic menu at all; [0045] the back office system 101 may determine when an item is unavailable in inventory or the amount of the item is below a threshold in inventory);
configuring an ordering interface to display as available for ordering the product listings for each product in the multiple products that is associated with available ingredients, and to display as unavailable for ordering the product listing for the first product that is associated with the first ingredient, wherein the ordering interface is configured to automatically disable ordering of the first product by disabling or removing the first product or by graying out the product listing for the first product ([0045] the back office system 101 may determine when an item is unavailable in inventory or the amount of the item is below a threshold in inventory. The back office system 101 may update the menu on the interface 123 to indicate that the item is unavailable for example, by including a label such as "out of stock" or "unavailable," or displaying the item in a color or pattern to indicate that it is unavailable… the item may be removed from the interface 123 when it is determined to be unavailable; [0063] the system may dynamically update the electronic menu to remove any items that are unavailable prior to a customer being able to enter the order request; [0066] Upon the back office system 101 determining that sufficient amounts of vodka and tonic water are in stock, the back office system 101 may promote transmission of a negative order response message 126 that indicates the establishment is out of gin and then asks if the customer would like to instead order a vodka and tonic); and
transmitting the ordering interface to a second computing device ([0025] the electronic menu could be directly provided to a customer's device. For example, the electronic menu could be provided as an app that is available for download to a customer's handheld device; [0051] The back office system 101 may be communicatively coupled to an inventory use tracking means 106. The inventory use tracking means 106 may be configured to track in substantially real-time an amount of an item as it is used (e.g., poured to make a drink, spilled, etc.). The inventory use tracking means 106 may incorporate any kind of means for monitoring quantities of an item as it is used; [0053] the inventory use tracking means 106 communicates the amount to the back office system 101 each time the amount changes (e.g., each time a drink is poured, spilled, etc.)).
Renfroe discloses accessing an ingredient database containing multiple ingredients and a recipe database that includes multiple product recipes and a mapping between multiple product recipe and multiple ingredients, wherein the mapping identifies for each of the recipes corresponding ingredients required to create a respective product of the multiple products and correlates a product recipe identifier for each product recipe to ingredient names and identifiers in the item database (see at least Renfroe [0038][0050][0075]). Renfroe further discloses receiving a first recipe for a first product comprising a first ingredient and a first ingredient identifier ([0075]). Renfroe further discloses identifying, using the mapping and the current stock information, that the first product recipe is unavailable ([0029][0045]). However, Renfroe does not explicitly disclose receiving, from a first computing device, a first product recipe for a first product; adding the first product recipe to the recipe database as one of the multiple product recipes; determining, based on the first ingredient identifier of the first ingredient, that the first ingredient of the first recipe is not found in the ingredient database; adding, in response to the determining that the first ingredient is not found in the ingredient database, the first ingredient to the ingredient database as one of the multiple ingredients; updating the mapping between the multiple product recipes and the multiple ingredients to reflect a relationship between the first product recipe and the first ingredient;
However, in the field of recipe and menu creation/management (see at least Ross [abstract][0027-0036]), Ross, on the other hand, teaches receiving, from a first computing device, a first product recipe for a first product ([0037] the recipe authoring process is initiated by a recipe author inputting basic recipe attributes and approved ingredients to the recipe; [0038] the system will prompt the recipe author to add an ingredient… and determine if the ingredient to be added is already defined as an approved ingredient 315);
adding the first product recipe to the recipe database as one of the multiple product recipes ([0035-0036] once a newly created recipe is approved, it may be added to a menu and persisted in the relational database as menu items 215; see [0025] the relationships between the menus, recipes, and ingredients, when in use by the system during creation of a menu or recipe, can be stored in a relational database 110 that can be used to store connections between one or more of the items);
determining, based on the first ingredient identifier of the first ingredient, that the first ingredient of the first recipe is not found in the ingredient database ([0038] Upon introduction of a new ingredient, the system will determine if the ingredient to be added is already defined as an approved ingredient 315. If not, the recipe author will be prompted to create a new ingredient 318; see [0025] the relationships between the menus, recipes, and ingredients, when in use by the system during creation of a menu or recipe, can be stored in a relational database 110 that can be used to store connections between one or more of the items);
adding, in response to the determining that the first ingredient is not found in the ingredient database, the first ingredient to the ingredient database as one of the multiple ingredients ([0038] Upon introduction of a new ingredient, the system will determine if the ingredient to be added is already defined as an approved ingredient 315. If not, the recipe author will be prompted to create a new ingredient 318; [0042] a recipe author can create a new ingredient by inputting the ingredient’s attributes 401… the ingredient can then be saved 403 and persisted in the relational database 404… and added to the list of approved ingredients for use in a recipe);
updating the mapping between the multiple product recipes and the multiple ingredients to reflect a relationship between the first product recipe and the first ingredient ([0042] a recipe author can create a new ingredient by inputting the ingredient’s attributes 401… the ingredient can then be saved 403 and persisted in the relational database 404; [0035-0036] once a newly created recipe is approved, it may be added to a menu and persisted in the relational database as menu items 215; see [0025] the relationships between the menus, recipes, and ingredients, when in use by the system during creation of a menu or recipe, can be stored in a relational database 110 that can be used to store connections between one or more of the items).
The steps of Ross are applicable to the method of Renfroe, as they share characteristics and capabilities, namely, they are directed to management of menu items. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the menu item management method as taught by Renfroe, to include receiving, from a computing device, a first product recipe comprising a first ingredient and a first ingredient identifier for the first ingredient, adding the first product recipe to the recipe database as one of the multiple product recipes, determining that the first ingredient of the first recipe is not found in the ingredient database, adding, in response to the determining that the first ingredient is not found in the ingredient database, the first ingredient to the ingredient database as one of the multiple ingredients, and updating the mapping between the multiple product recipes and the multiple ingredients to reflect a relationship between the first product recipe and the first ingredient, as taught by Ross. One of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing would have been motivated to expand the method of Renfroe in order to allow providers to provide new menu items (Ross, [0003][0036]).
While Renfroe teaches wherein the ordering interface is configured to automatically disable ordering of the first product by disabling or removing the first product (see at least [0045][0063][0066]), Renfroe in view of Ross does not explicitly disclose wherein disabling ordering by disabling or removing an add to cart icon for the first product.
Waldman, on the other hand, teaches wherein disabling ordering by disabling or removing an add to cart icon for the first product ([0029] if an item is unavailable, the shopping platform 110 omits the item from the browsing interface or presenting an indication to the user device 105 that the item is unavailable, including omitting a graphical user interface object used to initiate a purchase of the item or removing the functionality of the object; [0031] the shopping platform 110 determines if a request has been received to add an item to an electronic shopping cart or otherwise initiate purchase of the item).
The steps of Waldman are applicable to the method of Renfroe in view of Ross, as they share characteristics and capabilities, namely, they are directed to management of menu item availability. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the menu item management method as taught by Renfroe in view of Ross, to include disabling or removing an add to cart icon, as taught by Waldman. One of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing would have been motivated to expand the method of Renfroe in view of Waldman in order to improve customer experience by maintaining rapidly changing product data across different retailers and retail locations (Waldman, [0002]).
Regarding Claim 2, Renfroe, Ross and Waldman teach the limitations of claim 1.
Renfroe further discloses wherein the multiple products comprise food products, beverages, or both food products and beverages ([0029] a dynamic menu may be generated that only displays those items available or with all of their ingredients available. For example, the drinks indicated as being available on the electronic menu would be based on the ingredients stocked by the bar; [0057] In some embodiments, the stocked inventory amount of an item may exceed an expected usage threshold. The expected usage threshold amount may be fixed (e.g., a case of gin, twenty pounds of beef, etc.) or dynamic).
Regarding Claim 3, Renfroe, Ross and Waldman teach the limitations of claim 1.
Renfroe further discloses wherein the recipe database includes, for at least some of the multiple product recipes, ingredients ([0038] The system 100 may comprise a back office system 101 for facilitating various facets within the business operations. The back office system 101 may comprise a database containing menu item availability data 124 related to the availability of menu items and/or ingredients for making the menu items available to customers). However, Renfroe does not explicitly teach wherein the recipe database includes ingredient units of measure and ingredient quantities.
Ross, on the other hand, teaches wherein the recipe database includes ingredient units of measure and ingredient quantities ([0039] convert each recipe ingredient's weight or volume into a common unit of measure for weight 306; [0042] select the applicable units of measurement for that ingredient 402; [0044] scaling the ingredients in a recipe to a pre-determined portion amount 601… the portion amount can be 50 portions).
The steps of Ross are applicable to the method of Renfroe, as they share characteristics and capabilities, namely, they are directed to management of menu items. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the menu item management method as taught by Renfroe, to include wherein the recipe database includes ingredient units of measure and ingredient quantities, as taught by Ross. One of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing would have been motivated to expand the method of Renfroe for the same reasons discussed above with respect to claim 1.
Regarding Claim 8, Renfroe, Ross and Waldman teach the limitations of claim 1.
Renfroe further discloses identifying an alternative product recipe associated with the identified at least one product recipe that includes the first ingredient, wherein the alternative product recipe does not include the first ingredient ([0066] the back office system 101 may determine a substitution based on the metadata associated with interrelationships among menu items and/or ingredients of menu items… if the order request message 125 from the customer is for a gin and tonic but the business establishment is out of gin, the back office system 101 may analyze the metadata and determine that vodka is an appropriate substitution for gin… Upon the back office system 101 determining that sufficient amounts of vodka and tonic water are in stock, the back office system 101 may promote transmission of a negative order response message 126 that indicates the establishment is out of gin and then asks if the customer would like to instead order a vodka and tonic), and
wherein identifying the alternative product recipe includes estimating a similarity of ingredients between an alternative product associated with the alternative product recipe and the at least one particular product associated with the first product recipe ([0066] the back office system 101 may analyze the metadata and determine that vodka is an appropriate substitution for gin. In some embodiments, the determination may be based on metadata indicating that many members of the public tend to substitute vodka for gin. In some embodiments, the determination may be based on metadata indicating that gin reacts to tonic water similarly to how vodka reacts to tonic water. In some embodiments, the determination may be based on metadata that was manually entered and indicates that vodka is an appropriate substitution for gin); and
automatically enabling, in the ordering interface, ordering of the alternative product associated with the alternative product recipe in place of the first product ([0066] Upon the back office system 101 determining that sufficient amounts of vodka and tonic water are in stock, the back office system 101 may promote transmission of a negative order response message 126 that indicates the establishment is out of gin and then asks if the customer would like to instead order a vodka and tonic).
Regarding Claim 9, Renfroe, Ross and Waldman teach the limitations of claim 1.
Renfroe further discloses offering the multiple products associated with the multiple product recipes for sale via a mobile-ordering application ([0035] the system could be implemented as a standalone application running on one or more devices. For example, the system may be considered a point-of-sale app that can operate on any device (be it tablets, smartphones, or computers); [0039] The back office system 101 may be configured to communicate with an electronic device 104 such that a customer may use an electronic device 104 that is either his own device or a provided device to order an item for purchase. For example, the customer may use an interface 123 of the electronic device 104 to send an order request message 125 to the back office system 101 to request an item for purchase),
wherein the first ordering interface and the second ordering interface are an interface of the mobile-ordering application and the second computing device is a user device ([0035] the system could be implemented as a standalone application running on one or more devices; [0039] The back office system 101 may be configured to communicate with an electronic device 104 such that a customer may use an electronic device 104 that is either his own device or a provided device to order an item for purchase. For example, the customer may use an interface 123 of the electronic device 104 to send an order request message 125 to the back office system 101 to request an item for purchase; see [0045][0056][0063] disclosing dynamically updating the electronic menu in response to detected inventory conditions).
Regarding Claim 10, Renfroe, Ross and Waldman teach the limitations of claim 1.
Renfroe further discloses estimating future stock information for at least some ingredients of the multiple ingredients, wherein the current stock information is modified to reduce stock of the at least some ingredients by a first quantity based on sold products during a first time period, the first time period being between an original time of the current stock information and a current time ([0051] The back office system 101 may be communicatively coupled to an inventory use tracking means 106. The inventory use tracking means 106 may be configured to track in substantially real-time an amount of an item as it is used (e.g., poured to make a drink); [0053] The inventory use tracking means 106 may communicate the remaining amount of an item to the back office system 101. In some embodiments, the inventory use tracking means 106 communicates the amount to the back office system 101 each time the amount changes (e.g., each time a drink is poured, spilled, etc.). In other embodiments, the inventory use tracking means 106 communicates the amount to the back office system 101 at predetermined intervals (e.g., every minute, every ten minutes, every hour, once a day, twice a week, etc.)), and
the current stock information is further modified to reduce stock of the at least some ingredients by a second quantity based on estimated future product sales during a second time period, the second time period being between the current time and a future time ([0071] the data collected by the back office system 101 may be analyzed to predict an amount needed and take an action upon an indication that the amount is insufficient. For example, a model as described herein may be used to predict an expected consumption amount for a particular time period and/or an expected usage rate; [0092] The back office system 101 may also use external conditions data to predict the supply and demand of particular items to thereby adjust the price. For example, the back office system 101 may receive external conditions data indicating that a large snow storm is going to strike the vicinity over the course of the evening… see [0032] The information can then be analyzed using data modeling to predict patterns and plan accordingly. For instance, a bar and restaurant owner may see a large spike in mimosa and Bloody Mary orders on a Sunday for brunch. The system could be used to detect and predict that every Sunday there will be a spike in these orders… The predictive nature of the inventory management component would allow a bar owner to plan ahead and order product to avoid shortages).
Regarding Claim 11, Renfroe, Ross and Waldman teach the limitations of claim 1.
Renfroe further discloses wherein: the current stock information is received from the first computing device on a first network ([0038] the back office system 101 may comprise one or more electronic computing devices located at the business establishment… the back office system 101 may operate based on a cloud computing environment; [0050] the back office system 101 may be capable of monitoring the stocked inventory amount for one or more, or in some cases every, item 108-112 based on information received from the stock inventory tracking means 107; [0051] The back office system 101 may be communicatively coupled to an inventory use tracking means 106. The inventory use tracking means 106 may be configured to track in substantially real-time an amount of an item as it is used (e.g., poured to make a drink, spilled, etc.)),
the first product recipe of the multiple product recipes that includes the first ingredient of the multiple ingredients that is unavailable is identified by a cloud server after receiving the current stock information from the first computing device ([0029] The system may further integrate an inventory component that may include a dynamically updated inventory with the electronic menu… the drinks indicated as being available on the electronic menu would be based on the ingredients stocked by the bar. Thus, if an ingredient was either not stocked, or possibly out of stock, then the drink would not be available. This could include an indication on the menu that the drink is unavailable or out of stock, or the drink may not appear on the electronic menu at all; [0045] the back office system 101 may determine when an item is unavailable in inventory or the amount of the item is below a threshold in inventory… see [0038] the back office system 101 may operate based on a cloud computing environment); and
automatically disabling the ordering of the first product includes updating, by the cloud server, the ordering interrace that is transmitted to the second computing device ([0045] the back office system 101 may determine when an item is unavailable in inventory or the amount of the item is below a threshold in inventory. The back office system 101 may update the menu on the interface 123 to indicate that the item is unavailable for example, by including a label such as "out of stock" or "unavailable," or displaying the item in a color or pattern to indicate that it is unavailable… see [0038] the back office system 101 may operate based on a cloud computing environment); and
the second computing device comprises a customer device ([0039] the customer may use an interface 123 of the electronic device 104 that is his own device to send an order request message 125 to the back office system 101 to request an item for purchase).
Regarding Claim 21, Renfroe discloses A method, comprising ([0045][0070-0074]):
accessing an ingredient database containing indications of multiple ingredients utilized for multiple products, the indications comprising ingredient identifiers ([0050] The back office system 101 may comprise a database for storing data relating to a stock inventory amount for each item 108-112. Thus, the back office system 101 may be capable of monitoring the stocked inventory amount for one or more, or in some cases every, item 108-112 based on information received from the stock inventory tracking means 107… see [0048] the stocked inventory tracking means 107 monitors quantities of various items in stock, such as gin 108, vodka 109, whiskey 110, cola 111, and tonic water 112; [0049] stock scales 114 disposed on shelves 113 measure the weight of a particular item thereon based on the weight of the item in order to determine the stock inventory amount of the item);
accessing a recipe database that includes multiple product recipes for the multiple products and a mapping between the multiple product recipes and the multiple ingredients in the ingredient database, wherein each of the multiple product recipes includes an ingredient identifier for each ingredient in that product recipe, and wherein the mapping correlates the ingredient identifiers and the quantities of the ingredients in the multiple product recipes to the multiple ingredients in the ingredient database ([0038] The back office system 101 may comprise a database containing menu item availability data 124 related to the availability of menu items and/or ingredients for making the menu items available to customers; [0075] the back office system 101 determines menu item availability data 124 and receives menu item metadata associated with interrelationships among menu items and ingredients of menu items, such as which ingredients typically accompany one another in various recipes … the back office system 101 analyzes menu item availability data 124 to determine whether or not each item required to complete the order request is in stock and available… see [0050] a database for storing data relating to a stock inventory amount for each item);
receiving a first product recipe for a first product, the first product recipe comprising a first ingredient and a first ingredient identifier for the first ingredient ([0075] the system receives menu item metadata associated with interrelationships among menu items and ingredients of menu items… the metadata may pertain to which ingredients typically accompany one another in various recipes);
receiving, from a computing device, first current stock information comprising first current amounts of availability for the multiple ingredients, wherein the first current stock information includes an indication that the first ingredient is unavailable for use ([0051] The back office system 101 may be communicatively coupled to an inventory use tracking means 106. The inventory use tracking means 106 may be configured to track in substantially real-time an amount of an item as it is used (e.g., poured to make a drink, spilled, etc.). The inventory use tracking means 106 may incorporate any kind of means for monitoring quantities of an item as it is used; [0053] the inventory use tracking means 106 communicates the amount to the back office system 101 each time the amount changes (e.g., each time a drink is poured, spilled, etc.)… [0045] the back office system 101 may determine when an item is unavailable in inventory or the amount of the item is below a threshold in inventory);
identifying, using the mapping of the recipe database and the first current stock information, that the first product recipe that includes the first ingredient that is unavailable ([0029] The system may further integrate an inventory component that may include a dynamically updated inventory with the electronic menu… the drinks indicated as being available on the electronic menu would be based on the ingredients stocked by the bar. Thus, if an ingredient was either not stocked, or possibly out of stock, then the drink would not be available. This could include an indication on the menu that the drink is unavailable or out of stock, or the drink may not appear on the electronic menu at all; [0045] the back office system 101 may determine when an item is unavailable in inventory or the amount of the item is below a threshold in inventory);
identifying an alternative product recipe for the first product recipe, the alternative product recipe not including the at least one ingredient, the identifying of the alternative product recipe comprising estimating a similarity of ingredients between the alternative product recipe and the first product recipe ([0066] the back office system 101 may determine a substitution based on the metadata associated with interrelationships among menu items and/or ingredients of menu items… if the order request message 125 from the customer is for a gin and tonic but the business establishment is out of gin, the back office system 101 may analyze the metadata and determine that vodka is an appropriate substitution for gin… the determination may be based on metadata indicating that many members of the public tend to substitute vodka for gin. In some embodiments, the determination may be based on metadata indicating that gin reacts to tonic water similarly to how vodka reacts to tonic water… Upon the back office system 101 determining that sufficient amounts of vodka and tonic water are in stock, the back office system 101 may promote transmission of a negative order response message 126 that indicates the establishment is out of gin and then asks if the customer would like to instead order a vodka and tonic);
configuring a first ordering interface to display as available for ordering an alternative product that is associated with the alternative product recipe, and to display as unavailable for ordering the first product associated with the first product recipe ([0045] the back office system 101 may determine when an item is unavailable in inventory or the amount of the item is below a threshold in inventory. The back office system 101 may update the menu on the interface 123 to indicate that the item is unavailable for example, by including a label such as "out of stock" or "unavailable," or displaying the item in a color or pattern to indicate that it is unavailable… the item may be removed from the interface 123 when it is determined to be unavailable; [0063] The negative response message 126 may also include a substitution inquiry 305 asking whether the customer would like at least one substitution. As discussed in more detail herein, the system may dynamically update the electronic menu to remove any items that are unavailable prior to a customer being able to enter the order request; [0066] Upon the back office system 101 determining that sufficient amounts of vodka and tonic water are in stock, the back office system 101 may promote transmission of a negative order response message 126 that indicates the establishment is out of gin and then asks if the customer would like to instead order a vodka and tonic);
transmitting, to a user device, the first ordering interface, wherein displaying the first product as unavailable for ordering comprises automatically disabling ordering of the first product, wherein the disabling of the ordering of the first product comprises disabling or removing the first product in the first ordering interface or by graying out a product listing of the at least one first product in the first ordering interface ([0045] the back office system 101 may determine when an item is unavailable in inventory or the amount of the item is below a threshold in inventory. The back office system 101 may update the menu on the interface 123 to indicate that the item is unavailable for example, by including a label such as "out of stock" or "unavailable," or displaying the item in a color or pattern to indicate that it is unavailable… the item may be removed from the interface 123 when it is determined to be unavailable; [0063] the system may dynamically update the electronic menu to remove any items that are unavailable prior to a customer being able to enter the order request; [0066] Upon the back office system 101 determining that sufficient amounts of vodka and tonic water are in stock, the back office system 101 may promote transmission of a negative order response message 126 that indicates the establishment is out of gin and then asks if the customer would like to instead order a vodka and tonic);
receiving, from the computing device, second current stock information that comprises second current amounts of availability for the multiple ingredients, wherein the second current stock information indicates the multiple ingredients are available for use ([0051] The back office system 101 may be communicatively coupled to an inventory use tracking means 106. The inventory use tracking means 106 may be configured to track in substantially real-time an amount of an item as it is used (e.g., poured to make a drink, spilled, etc.). The inventory use tracking means 106 may incorporate any kind of means for monitoring quantities of an item as it is used; [0053] the inventory use tracking means 106 communicates the amount to the back office system 101 each time the amount changes (e.g., each time a drink is poured, spilled, etc.));
configuring a second ordering interface to display the multiple products as available for ordering ([0025] the electronic menu could be provided as an app that is available for download to a customer's handheld device. Upon loading the app, the app could communicate with the system to obtain the electronic menu and any dynamic menu updates as well as the information associated with the various options; [0026] a customer can decide on the product that they would like to order and place that order using the electronic menu; [0029] By integrating the electronic menu with the inventory, a dynamic menu may be generated that only displays those items available or with all of their ingredients available; [0045] the back office system 101 may comprise an inventory component integrated with the item availability data 124 and the interface 123); and
transmitting the second ordering interface to the user device ([0025] the electronic menu could be directly provided to a customer's device. For example, the electronic menu could be provided as an app that is available for download to a customer's handheld device; [0039] The back office system 101 may be configured to communicate with an electronic device 104 such that a customer may use an electronic device 104);
Renfroe discloses accessing an ingredient database containing multiple ingredients and a recipe database that includes multiple product recipes and a mapping between multiple product recipe and multiple ingredients, wherein the mapping correlates the ingredient identifiers with the multiple product recipes to the ingredients (see at least Renfroe [0038][0075]). Renfroe further discloses receiving a first recipe for a first product comprising a first ingredient and a first ingredient identifier for the first ingredient ([0075]). Renfroe further discloses identifying, using the mapping of the recipe database and stock information, that the first product recipe that includes the first ingredient is unavailable ([0029][0045]). However, Renfroe does not explicitly disclose wherein each of the multiple product recipes includes a quantity of each ingredient in that product recipe and a unit of measure for each ingredient in that product recipe, and wherein the mapping correlates the quantities of the ingredients and the units of measure in the multiple product recipes to the multiple ingredients; receiving, from a computing device, a first product recipe comprising a first ingredient and a first ingredient identifier for the first ingredient; adding the first product recipe to the recipe database as one of the multiple product recipes; determining, based on the first ingredient identifier of the first ingredient, that the first ingredient of the first recipe is not indicated in the ingredient database; adding, in response to the determining that the first ingredient is not indicated in the ingredient database, the first ingredient to the ingredient database as one of the multiple ingredients; and updating the mapping between the multiple product recipes and the multiple ingredients to reflect a relationship between the first product recipe and the first ingredient.
However, in the field of recipe and menu creation/management (see at least Ross [abstract][0027-0036]), Ross, on the other hand, teaches wherein each of the multiple product recipes includes a quantity (units) of each ingredient in that product recipe and a unit of measure (weight/volume) for each ingredient in that product recipe ([0039] convert each recipe ingredient's weight or volume into a common unit of measure for weight 306; [0042] select the applicable units of measurement for that ingredient 402; [0044] scaling the ingredients in a recipe to a pre-determined portion amount 601… the portion amount can be 50 portions), and
wherein the mapping correlates the quantities of the ingredients and the units of measure in the multiple product recipes to the multiple ingredients ([0042] If at any time during the ingredient selection process used during the recipe authoring process, a recipe author can add an ingredient and select the applicable units of measurement for that ingredient 402; [0047] converting all ingredient weights to the desired yield 607, which can equal the pre-determined portion amount; see [0025] the relationships between the menus, recipes, and ingredients, when in use by the system during creation of a menu or recipe, can be stored in a relational database 110 that can be used to store connections between one or more of the items);
receiving, from a computing device, a first product recipe comprising a first ingredient and a first ingredient identifier for the first ingredient ([0037] the recipe authoring process is initiated by a recipe author inputting basic recipe attributes and approved ingredients to the recipe; [0038] the system will prompt the recipe author to add an ingredient… and determine if the ingredient to be added is already defined as an approved ingredient 315);
adding the first product recipe to the recipe database as one of the multiple product recipes ([0035-0036] once a newly created recipe is approved, it may be added to a menu and persisted in the relational database as menu items 215; see [0025] the relationships between the menus, recipes, and ingredients, when in use by the system during creation of a menu or recipe, can be stored in a relational database 110 that can be used to store connections between one or more of the items);
determining, based on the first ingredient identifier of the first ingredient, that the first ingredient of the first recipe is not indicated in the ingredient database ([0038] Upon introduction of a new ingredient, the system will determine if the ingredient to be added is already defined as an approved ingredient 315. If not, the recipe author will be prompted to create a new ingredient 318; see [0025] the relationships between the menus, recipes, and ingredients, when in use by the system during creation of a menu or recipe, can be stored in a relational database 110 that can be used to store connections between one or more of the items);
adding, in response to the determining that the first ingredient is not indicated in the ingredient database, the first ingredient to the ingredient database as one of the multiple ingredients ([0038] Upon introduction of a new ingredient, the system will determine if the ingredient to be added is already defined as an approved ingredient 315. If not, the recipe author will be prompted to create a new ingredient 318; [0042] a recipe author can create a new ingredient by inputting the ingredient’s attributes 401… the ingredient can then be saved 403 and persisted in the relational database 404… and added to the list of approved ingredients for use in a recipe);
updating the mapping between the multiple product recipes and the multiple ingredients to reflect a relationship between the first product recipe and the first ingredient ([0042] a recipe author can create a new ingredient by inputting the ingredient’s attributes 401… the ingredient can then be saved 403 and persisted in the relational database 404; [0035-0036] once a newly created recipe is approved, it may be added to a menu and persisted in the relational database as menu items 215; see [0025] the relationships between the menus, recipes, and ingredients, when in use by the system during creation of a menu or recipe, can be stored in a relational database 110 that can be used to store connections between one or more of the items).
The steps of Ross are applicable to the method of Renfroe, as they share characteristics and capabilities, namely, they are directed to management of menu items. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the menu item management method as taught by Renfroe, to include correlating units of measure between recipes and ingredients, receiving, from a computing device, a first product recipe comprising a first ingredient and a first ingredient identifier for the first ingredient, adding the first product recipe to the recipe database as one of the multiple product recipes, determining that the first ingredient of the first recipe is not indicated in the ingredient database, adding, in response to the determining that the first ingredient is not indicated in the ingredient database, the first ingredient to the ingredient database as one of the multiple ingredients, and updating the mapping between the multiple product recipes and the multiple ingredients to reflect a relationship between the first product recipe and the first ingredient, as taught by Ross. One of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing would have been motivated to expand the method of Renfroe in order to allow providers to provide new menu items (Ross, [0003][0036]).
While Renfroe teaches automatically disabling of the first product, wherein the disabling comprises disabling or removing the first product in the first ordering interface, Renfroe in view of Ross does not explicitly disclose wherein disabling of the ordering comprises disabling or removing an add to cart icon for the first product.
Additionally, Waldman teaches disabling or removing an add to cart icon for the first product ([0029] if an item is unavailable, the shopping platform 110 omits the item from the browsing interface or presenting an indication to the user device 105 that the item is unavailable, including omitting a graphical user interface object used to initiate a purchase of the item or removing the functionality of the object; [0031] the shopping platform 110 determines if a request has been received to add an item to an electronic shopping cart or otherwise initiate purchase of the item).
The steps of Waldman are applicable to the method of Renfroe in view of Ross, as they share characteristics and capabilities, namely, they are directed to management of menu item availability. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the menu item management method as taught by Renfroe in view of Ross, to include disabling or removing an add to cart icon, as taught by Waldman. One of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing would have been motivated to expand the method of Renfroe in view of Waldman in order to improve customer experience by maintaining rapidly changing product data across different retailers and retail locations (Waldman, [0002]).
Regarding Claim 22, Renfroe, Ross and Waldman teach the limitations of claim 21.
Renfroe does not explicitly disclose wherein at least a portion of the multiple product recipes correspond to different sizes of a particular product and each product recipe in the portion of the multiple product recipes is a separate entry in the recipe database.
Ross, on the other hand, teaches wherein at least a portion of the multiple product recipes correspond to different sizes of a particular product ([0037] the recipe author can input the weight or volume of a particular ingredient in a unit of measure that is applicable to that particular ingredient; [0038] prompt the user to input the weight or volume of the ingredient needed for the recipe 317) and
each product recipe in the portion of the multiple product recipes is a separate entry in the recipe database ([0037-0040] the recipe author can input attributes including ingredients during the recipe authoring process… the system can persist the recipe within the relational database; see [0025] The relationships between the menus, recipes, and ingredients, when in use by the system during creation of a menu or recipe, can be stored in a relational database 110).
The steps of Ross are applicable to the method of Renfroe, as they share characteristics and capabilities, namely, they are directed to management of menu items. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the menu item management method as taught by Renfroe, to include wherein at least a portion of the multiple product recipes correspond to different sizes of a particular product and each product recipe in the portion of the multiple product recipes is a separate entry in the recipe database, as taught by Ross. One of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing would have been motivated to expand the method of Renfroe for the same reasons discussed above with respect to claim 1.
Regarding Claim 25, Renfroe and Waldman teach the limitations of claim 1.
Renfroe further discloses wherein using the second stock information and the mapping, the second ordering interface is further configured to display an inventory for at least one product available for ordering ([0045] the back office system 101 may determine when an item is unavailable in inventory or the amount of the item is below a threshold in inventory. The back office system 101 may update the menu on the interface 123 to indicate that the item is unavailable for example, by including a label such as "out of stock" or "unavailable," or displaying the item in a color or pattern to indicate that it is unavailable; [0056] In some embodiments, when the stocked inventory amount of an item reaches zero and when the remaining amount of the item measured via the inventory use tracking means falls below a threshold amount (e.g., the amount of the item left in the bottle 116 on the floor is less than 1 oz.), then the back office system 101 will determine that there is not any more of the item available for customers. In turn, the back office system 101 may update menu item availability data 124… the determination that there is not any more of the item available for customers may be used to dynamically update the electronic menu: for example, by removing items no longer available or changing their appearance to indicate that the items are unavailable) (Examiner notes that providing a display indicating that a product is out of stock has been interpreted as displaying an inventory for a product).
Regarding Claim 26, Renfroe and Waldman teach the limitations of claim 25.
Renfroe further discloses using the mapping and the second current stock information, estimating future stock information for at least some of the multiple ingredients, wherein the future stock information is based on past product sales, estimated future product sales, or both past product sales and estimated future product sales ([0032] the inventory management component may be used to predict and/or automate inventory ordering… the inventory information being input into the system may allow the management to know how much is being used and when, and The information can then be analyzed using data modeling to predict patterns and plan accordingly. For instance, a bar and restaurant owner may see a large spike in mimosa and Bloody Mary orders on a Sunday for brunch. The system could be used to detect and predict that every Sunday there will be a spike in these orders. Based on the available inventory information, the inventory management component could also have the ability to determine the amount of champagne and orange juice, or vodka and tomato juice, to stock in order to meet historical demand for the past month's worth of Sundays, or the past year's worth, or the past three years' worth, etc.); and
reducing the inventory for products associated with the at least some of the multiple ingredients based on the estimated future product sales ([0057] A dynamic threshold may be based on expected usage amounts or rates based on past sales information. The expected usage threshold may be used to provide discounts when the inventory of an item exceeds the expected usage threshold… When the inventory amount of an item exceeds the expected usage threshold, the system may send a message to the back office system 101 to provide a discount or other incentive to sell the item. The back office system 101 may update the menu on the interface 123 to indicate that the item is available at a discount to incentivize sales of the item).
Regarding Claim 27, Renfroe and Waldman teach the limitations of claim 1.
Renfroe further discloses using the mapping and the second current stock information, estimating future stock information for at least some of the multiple ingredients, wherein the future stock information is based on past product sales, estimated future product sales, or both past product sales and estimated future product sales ([0032] the inventory management component may be used to predict and/or automate inventory ordering… the inventory information being input into the system may allow the management to know how much is being used and when, and The information can then be analyzed using data modeling to predict patterns and plan accordingly. For instance, a bar and restaurant owner may see a large spike in mimosa and Bloody Mary orders on a Sunday for brunch. The system could be used to detect and predict that every Sunday there will be a spike in these orders. Based on the available inventory information, the inventory management component could also have the ability to determine the amount of champagne and orange juice, or vodka and tomato juice, to stock in order to meet historical demand for the past month's worth of Sundays, or the past year's worth, or the past three years' worth, etc.); and
adjusting product availability for products associated with the at least some of the multiple ingredients based on the second current stock information and the estimated future stock information ([0032] a bar and restaurant owner may see a large spike in mimosa and Bloody Mary orders on a Sunday for brunch. The system could be used to detect and predict that every Sunday there will be a spike in these orders. Based on the available inventory information, the inventory management component could also have the ability to determine the amount of champagne and orange juice, or vodka and tomato juice, to stock in order to meet historical demand for the past month's worth of Sundays, or the past year's worth, or the past three years' worth, etc.; [0055] when the usage rate of an item is twice the expected or predicted rate, the threshold amount to trigger re-ordering may be double. This may ensure that additional stock is ordered before the supply reaches zero in a certain period of time; [0069][0071]).
Claim 28 recites a method comprising substantially similar limitations as claim 25. All limitations as recited have been analyzed and rejected with respect to claim 25, and do not introduce any additional narrowing of the scopes of the claims as analyzed. Therefore, claim 28 is rejected for the same rationale.
Claims 4-6 and 23-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Renfroe in view of Ross in view of Waldman, and further in view of previously cited Uchida (US 2016/0110423 A1).
Regarding Claim 4, Renfroe, Ross and Waldman teach the limitations of claim 1.
Renfroe further discloses wherein products are offered ([0039]). However, Renfroe in view of Ross in view of Waldman does not explicitly disclose wherein the multiple product recipes include a first class of recipes comprising base product recipes for base products and a second class of recipes comprising modifier recipes for modifier products, wherein the modifier products function as an add-on to the base products.
Uchida, on the other hand, teaches wherein the multiple product recipes include a first class of recipes comprising base product recipes for base products (“Main Dish”) and a second class of recipes comprising modifier recipes for modifier products (“Side Dish”), wherein the modifier products function as an add-on to the base products ([0043] in a case where the recipe is for pasta, recipes are extracted in which pasta serves as a main dish, as well as recipes in which pasta serves as a side dish; [0057] along with recipes for the main ingredients, information on various kinds of recipes registered as a side dish is displayed on the search result page… see [0052] recipe information DB 14a; [0056] in a case where a user inputs a recipe name “pasta”, the recipe extraction unit 16 may extract a “hamburger” recipe that includes “pasta” as a side dish).
The steps of Uchida are applicable to the method of Renfroe in view of Ross in view of Waldman, as they share characteristics and capabilities, namely, they are directed to managing recipe information. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the recipe management method as taught by Renfroe in view of Ross in view of Waldman, to include wherein the multiple product recipes include a first class of recipes comprising base product recipes for base products and a second class of recipes comprising modifier recipes for modifier products, wherein the modifier products function as an add-on to the base products, as taught by Uchida. One of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing would have been motivated to expand the method of Renfroe in view of Ross in view of Waldman in order to appropriately display a cooking recipe desired by a user (Uchida, [0004][0005]).
Regarding Claim 5, Renfroe, Ross, Waldman and Uchida teach the limitations of claim 4.
Renfroe further discloses wherein automatically disabling ordering of the at least one particular product includes disabling products ([0045] the back office system 101 may determine when an item is unavailable in inventory or the amount of the item is below a threshold in inventory. The back office system 101 may update the menu on the interface 123 to indicate that the item is unavailable for example, by including a label such as "out of stock" or "unavailable," or displaying the item in a color or pattern to indicate that it is unavailable). However, Renfroe in view of Ross in view of Waldman does not explicitly teach wherein products are both a modifier product and a base product.
Uchida, on the other hand, teaches wherein products are both a modifier product and a base product ([0043] in a case where the recipe is for pasta, recipes are extracted in which pasta serves as a main dish, as well as recipes in which pasta serves as a side dish; [0057] along with recipes for the main ingredients, information on various kinds of recipes registered as a side dish is displayed on the search result page… see [0052] recipe information DB 14a; [0056] in a case where a user inputs a recipe name “pasta”, the recipe extraction unit 16 may extract a “hamburger” recipe that includes “pasta” as a side dish).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the recipe management method as taught by Renfroe in view of Ross in view of Waldman, to include wherein products are both a modifier product and a base product, as taught by Uchida for the same reasons discussed above with respect to claim 4.
Regarding Claim 6, Renfroe, Ross and Waldman teach the limitations of claim 1.
Renfroe in view of Ross in view of Waldman does not explicitly disclose wherein the multiple ingredients include base ingredients for base product recipes for base products and add-on ingredients for modifier recipes for modifier products.
Uchida, on the other hand, teaches wherein the multiple ingredients include base ingredients for base product recipes for base products and add-on ingredients for modifier recipes for modifier products ([0043] in a case where the recipe is for pasta, recipes are extracted in which pasta serves as a main dish, as well as recipes in which pasta serves as a side dish; [0057] along with recipes for the main ingredients, information on various kinds of recipes registered as a side dish is displayed on the search result page… see [0052] recipe information DB 14a; [0056] in a case where a user inputs a recipe name “pasta”, the recipe extraction unit 16 may extract a “hamburger” recipe that includes “pasta” as a side dish) (Note: recipes that are extracted as a “side dish” have been interpreted as modifier recipes/products, as Applicant’s specification ([0006]) discloses that a modifier supplements the base product, or main dish).
Regarding Claim 23, Renfroe, Ross and Waldman teach the limitations of claim 21.
Renfroe in view of Ross in view of Waldman does not explicitly disclose wherein the multiple product recipes include a first class of recipes comprising base product recipes for base products and a second class of recipes comprising modifier recipes for modifier products, wherein the modifier products are included in the base products.
Uchida, on the other hand, teaches wherein the multiple product recipes include a first class of recipes comprising base product recipes for base products and a second class of recipes comprising modifier recipes for modifier products, wherein the modifier products are included in the base products ([0043] in a case where the recipe is for pasta, recipes are extracted in which pasta serves as a main dish, as well as recipes in which pasta serves as a side dish; [0057] along with recipes for the main ingredients, information on various kinds of recipes registered as a side dish is displayed on the search result page… see [0052] recipe information DB 14a; [0056] in a case where a user inputs a recipe name “pasta”, the recipe extraction unit 16 may extract a “hamburger” recipe that includes “pasta” as a side dish).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the recipe management method as taught by Renfroe in view of Ross in view of Waldman, to include wherein the multiple product recipes include a first class of recipes comprising base product recipes for base products and a second class of recipes comprising modifier recipes for modifier products, wherein the modifier products are included in the base products, as taught by Uchida, for the same reasons discussed above with respect to claim 4.
Regarding Claim 24, Renfroe, Ross and Waldman teach the limitations of claim 21.
Renfroe further discloses wherein disabling ordering of the at least one product includes disabling products ([0045] the back office system 101 may determine when an item is unavailable in inventory or the amount of the item is below a threshold in inventory. The back office system 101 may update the menu on the interface 123 to indicate that the item is unavailable for example, by including a label such as "out of stock" or "unavailable," or displaying the item in a color or pattern to indicate that it is unavailable). However, Renfroe in view of Ross in view of Waldman does not explicitly teach wherein products are both a modifier product and a base product that includes the modifier product.
Uchida, on the other hand, teaches wherein products are both a modifier product and a base product that includes the modifier product ([0043] in a case where the recipe is for pasta, recipes are extracted in which pasta serves as a main dish, as well as recipes in which pasta serves as a side dish; [0057] along with recipes for the main ingredients, information on various kinds of recipes registered as a side dish is displayed on the search result page… see [0052] recipe information DB 14a; [0056] in a case where a user inputs a recipe name “pasta”, the recipe extraction unit 16 may extract a “hamburger” recipe that includes “pasta” as a side dish).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the recipe management method as taught by Renfroe in view of Ross in view of Waldman, to include wherein products are both a modifier product and a base product that includes the modifier product, as taught by Uchida, for the same reasons discussed above with respect to claim 4.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Renfroe in view of Ross in view of Waldman, and further in view of previously cited Morgan (US 2023/0137742 A1).
Regarding Claim 7, Renfroe, Ross and Waldman teach the limitations of claim 1.
Renfroe further discloses wherein the first current stock information for the multiple ingredients includes first stock information for the first ingredient of the multiple ingredients and second stock information for a second ingredient of the multiple ingredients ([0050] The back office system 101 may comprise a database for storing data relating to a stock inventory amount for each item 108-112. Thus, the back office system 101 may be capable of monitoring the stocked inventory amount for one or more, or in some cases every, item 108-112 based on information received from the stock inventory tracking means 107). However, Renfroe in view of Ross in view of Waldman does not explicitly teach wherein the first ingredient and the second ingredient are stocked by different business entities, each business entity providing a portion of the current stock information.
Morgan, on the other hand, discloses a similar method for recipe-based shopping ([0041]), and additionally discloses wherein the first ingredient and the second ingredient are stocked by different business entities, each business entity providing a portion of the current stock information ([0013] System 100 comprises a cloud/server 110, a plurality of customer-operated devices 120, one or more retail servers 130, and a plurality of in-store transaction terminals 140; [0017] Retailers comprise product catalogues that provide data for items of the retailer; [0033] the transaction system 133 further provides access to each store's current inventory of items, such that list/feedback manager 115 can determine when a given store is out of a needed ingredient for a user chosen food dish and alert the user through app 123 to select a different store because of the missing ingredient at the user's selected store).
The steps of Morgan are applicable to the method of Renfroe in view of Ross in view of Waldman, as they share characteristics and capabilities, namely, they are directed to recipe-based shopping. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the recipe-based shopping method as taught by Renfroe in view of Ross in view of Waldman, to include wherein the first ingredient and the second ingredient are stocked by different business entities, each business entity providing a portion of the current stock information, as taught by Morgan. One of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing would have been motivated to expand the method of Renfroe in view of Ross in view of Waldman in order to assist users in shopping for and finding available food items that they need (Morgan, [0001-0004]).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/ZACHARY RYAN DONAHUE/Examiner, Art Unit 3689
/VICTORIA E. FRUNZI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3689 6/2/2026
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