DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Arguments
2. Applicant filed the Request for Continued Examination on 07/22/2025. Claims 1-7, 9, and 11-20 are pending. Claims 1-2, 4-7, 9, 12-13, 16-17, and 20 are amended. Claim 10 is canceled. Claims 1-7, 9, and 11-20 are rejected. After careful consideration of applicant arguments, the examiner finds them to be not persuasive.
Rejection under 35 USC § 101
3. Applicant’s arguments toward 35 U.S.C. § 101 rejection is not persuasive. Amended independent claim 1 do not have additional elements that could lead to an improvement in the functioning of a computer, or an improvement to other technology or technical field.
4. Applicant is of the opinion that the claims do not recite an abstract idea.
Examiner respectfully disagrees.
Claims as a whole directed to purchasing stocks which is grouped under “Certain methods of organizing human activity is similar to commercial interactions”.
5. Applicant is of the opinion that the claims integrate the abstract idea into a practical application by “reciting multiple, specific, detailed, unique steps performed at particular devices that modify a blockchain by executing network protocols to add new blocks and use various tokens to track and modify records, execute smart contracts”, specifically, “the claimed techniques result in the use of tokens and a single blockchain that may facilitate decentralized operations for tracking both purchases and cryptocurrency wallets”.
Examiner respectfully disagrees.
Mentioned above claim features performed by using the computer components. The use of a processor/computer as a tool to implement the abstract idea does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it requires no more than a computer performing functions that correspond to acts required to carry out the abstract idea. Here, the claimed steps merely use blockchain and cryptocurrency wallets as tools for implementing the abstract idea of stock purchase. Purchasing stock using cryptocurrency is merely limiting the abstract idea of stock purchase to a particular technological environment. Using cryptocurrency and digital tokens to purchase stock does not improve the functioning of blockchain or any other technology. The claims do not, for example, purport to improve the functioning of a computer. Nor do they effect an improvement in any other technology or technical field. Accordingly, the additional elements do not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea, and the claim is directed to an abstract idea.
6. Applicant is of the opinion that the claims recite “significantly more” than the judicial exception, and states that the claims include limitations that are significantly more than “purchasing stocks”, and concludes that “claim 1 recites an ordered combination of steps for improvement in computer functionality as applied in distributed systems for tracking and updating user assets”.
Examiner respectfully disagrees.
Applicant’s argument is not persuasive for the reasons already discussed above – the additional elements do not involve improvements to the functioning of a computer, or to any other technology or technical field. As per the identification of the “additional elements” under Step 2A Prong Two and Step 2B, the rejection properly identifies the elements which are recited in the claim beyond the abstract idea, including a computing platform, a processor, memory, a computing device, a lightweight node in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, a first wallet, a block, associated with a blockchain, a latest block in the blockchain, other full node computing devices in the P2P network, a second computing device, a second wallet, a cryptocurrency, a second block. Under Step 2A Prong Two, the “additional elements” have been identified and the limitations are not indicative of integration into a practical application. Here, an ordered combination of the claimed steps is directed to purchasing stock using cryptocurrency and digital token. As noted before, this is merely limiting the abstract idea of stock purchase to a particular technological environment which does not amount to “significantly more” than the abstract idea. Note that Revised Step 2A overlaps with Step 2B, and thus, many of the considerations need not be reevaluated in Step 2B because the answer will be the same. The identification of the additional elements in the claim from Step 2A Prong Two is carried over as well as the conclusion from Step 2A Prong Two on the considerations discussed in MPEP 2106.05(a)-(c), (e), (f), and (h).
The claims are therefore not found patent eligible.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC §101
7. 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.
8. Claims 1-7, 9, and 11-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to a judicial exception (i.e., a law of nature, a natural phenomenon, or an abstract idea) without significantly more.
9. In the instant case, claims 1, 12, and 20 are directed to a “computing platform, method, and non-transitory computer-readable medium for management of digital tokens”.
10. Claim 12 recites “purchasing stocks”. Specifically, the claim recites ““receiving … a first request for stock purchase, wherein the request indicates a first quantity of shares of the stock, a value for each share, and an identifier associated with the stock; generating a first token indicating the first quantity of shares, the identifier associated with the stock, and a first … identifier associated with a user …; creating … comprises at least the first token and a hash value …; executing one or more network protocols, wherein executing the one or more network protocols: adds …; and broadcasts …, wherein broadcasting … causes addition … to respective local copies …; receiving … wherein … a second request for purchase of the stock, wherein the second request indicates a second quantity of shares of the stock, a second value for each share, and the identifier associated with the stock; generating, based on the receiving the second request for purchase of the stock, a plurality of tokens comprising: a second token indicating the second quantity of shares, the identifier associated with the stock, and a second … identifier associated with a user …, a third token indicating a third quantity of shares of the stock, the identifier associated with the stock, and the first … identifier, wherein the third quantity is equal to a difference between the first quantity and the second quantity, a fourth token indicating an increase in a … balance associated with the first … identifier, and a fifth token indicating a decrease in a … balance associated with the second … identifier; creating … associated with … wherein … comprises at least the second token, the third token, the fourth token, the fifth token, and a hash value …; and executing the one or more network protocols, wherein executing the one or more network protocols: adds …; and broadcasts … wherein broadcasting … causes addition … to the respective local copies …”. Subject matter grouped under “Certain methods of organizing human activity” (e.g., commercial or legal interactions) and an abstract idea in prong one of step 2A (MPEP 2106.04(a)).
11. This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because, when analyzed under prong two of step 2A (MPEP 2106.04 II), the additional elements of claim 12 such as “a computing device”, “the computing device is a lightweight node in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network”, “a first wallet”, “a block, associated with a blockchain”, “a latest block in the blockchain”, “other full node computing devices in the P2P network”, “a second computing device”, “the second computing device is a lightweight node in the P2P network”, “a second wallet”, “a cryptocurrency”, “a second block”, and “a latest block in the blockchain” represent the use of a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea and/or does no more than generally link the abstract idea to a particular field of use. With respect to “creating a block, associated with a blockchain, wherein the block comprises at least the first token and a hash value of a latest block in the blockchain” and “creating a second block, associated with the blockchain, wherein the second block comprises at least the second token, the third token, the fourth token, the fifth token, and a hash value of a latest block in the blockchain”, the claim lacks details regarding what comprises “creating a block …” and “creating a second block…” respectively. Therefore, as Applicant has neither placed a restriction on how “creating” is performed nor described how the function is accomplished, the limitations do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as they are no more than “apply it” (MPEP 2106.05(f)(1)).
12. When analyzed under step 2B (MPEP 2106.04 II), as the additional elements do no more than represent the use of a computer, or computer technology, as a tool to perform purchasing stocks and/or generally link the abstract idea to a particular technological environment or field of use, they do not improve computer functionality or provide an improvement to another technology or technological field.
13. Hence, claim 12 is not patent eligible.
14. Claims 1 and 20 are also recite “purchasing stocks”. Subject matter grouped under “Certain methods of organizing human activity” (e.g., commercial or legal interactions) and an abstract idea in prong one of step 2A (MPEP 2106.04(a)).
15. As in the case of claim 12, the judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because, when analyzed under prong two of step 2A (MPEP 2106.04 II), the additional elements of the claims 1 and 20 such as “a processor”, “memory”, “a computing device”, “the computing device is a lightweight node in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network”, “a first wallet”, “a block, associated with a blockchain”, “a latest block in the blockchain”, “other full node computing devices in the P2P network”, “a second computing device”, “the second computing device is a lightweight node in the P2P network”, “a second wallet”, “a cryptocurrency”, “a second block”, “a latest block in the blockchain”, and “a non-transitory computer-readable medium” represent the use of a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea and/or does no more than generally link the abstract idea to a particular field of use. With respect to “creating a block, associated with a blockchain, wherein the block comprises at least the first token and a hash value of a latest block in the blockchain” and “creating a second block, associated with the blockchain, wherein the second block comprises at least the second token, the third token, the fourth token, the fifth token, and a hash value of a latest block in the blockchain”, the claim lacks details regarding what comprises “creating a block …” and “creating a second block…” respectively. Therefore, as Applicant has neither placed a restriction on how “creating” is performed nor described how the function is accomplished, the limitations do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as they are no more than “apply it” (MPEP 2106.05(f)(1)).
16. When analyzed under step 2B (MPEP 2106.04 II), as the additional elements do no more than represent the use of a computer, or computer technology, as a tool to perform purchasing stocks and/or generally link the abstract idea to a particular technological environment or field of use, they do not improve computer functionality or provide an improvement to another technology or technological field.
17. Hence, claims 1 and 20 are not patent eligible.
18. Dependent claim 2 further describes the abstract idea of purchasing stocks, as recites “generating a sixth token indicating a decrease in the … balance associated with the first … identifier, wherein … further comprises the sixth token, and the hash value …”. The additional elements such as “the cryptocurrency”, “the wallet”, “the block”, and “the latest block in the blockchain” represent the use of a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea and do no more than generally link the abstract idea to a particular field of use. And, therefore, do not improve the functioning of a computer, or to any other technology or technical field.
Dependent claims 3 and 14 further describe the abstract idea of purchasing stocks, as each recites “wherein the decrease in the… balance associated with the first … identifier is equal to total value of the stock purchase associated with the request for stock purchase”. The additional elements such as “the cryptocurrency” and “wallet” represent the use of a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea and does no more than generally link the abstract idea to a particular field of use. And, therefore, does not improve the functioning of a computer, or to any other technology or technical field.
Dependent claim 4 further describes the abstract idea of purchasing stocks, as recites “… wherein the generating the first token and the sixth token is performed in response to …”. The additional element such as “executing a smart contract” represents the use of a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea and does no more than generally link the abstract idea to a particular field of use. And, therefore, does not improve the functioning of a computer, or to any other technology or technical field.
Dependent claim 5 further describes the abstract idea of purchasing stocks, as recites “receiving an indication of a third quantity of shares of the stock associated with the first … identifier and a stake duration; and detecting expiration of the stake duration without a reduction in a quantity of shares of the stock associated with the first … identifier, generating, based on the detected expiration, a sixth token indicating an increase in the … balance associated with the first … identifier”. The additional elements such as “wallet” and “the cryptocurrency” represent the use of a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea and does no more than generally link the abstract idea to a particular field of use. And, therefore, does not improve the functioning of a computer, or to any other technology or technical field.
Dependent claim 6 further describes the abstract idea of purchasing stocks, as each recites “the receiving the first request for the stock purchase comprises receiving … request for the stock purchase; and further including instructions that, when executed … cause … to perform steps including: … wherein the generating the first token is based on … and in response to receiving… request.”. The additional elements such as “a smart contract operation”, “the processor” and “executing a smart contract stored in the blockchain” represent the use of a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea and do no more than generally link the abstract idea to a particular field of use. And, therefore, do not improve the functioning of a computer, or to any other technology or technical field.
Dependent claim 7 further describes the abstract idea of purchasing stocks, as recites “sending, a purchase request …; and receiving an indication of approval …. wherein the generating a plurality of tokens is based on receiving the indication of approval …”. The additional element such as “the computing device” represents the use of a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea and does no more than generally link the abstract idea to a particular field of use. And, therefore, does not improve the functioning of a computer, or to any other technology or technical field.
Dependent claim 9 further recites the additional elements such as “the computing platform”, “a full node computing node”, “the P2P network”, and “a plurality of computing nodes” represent the use of a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea and do no more than generally link the abstract idea to a particular field of use. And, therefore, do not improve the functioning of a computer, or to any other technology or technical field.
Dependent claims 11 and 19 further describe the abstract idea of purchasing stocks, as each recites “wherein … comprises a nonce value, wherein … comprises hashing the nonce value with a digest that combines the first token and the hash value … to generate the first hash value, wherein the first hash value comprises a predetermined number of consecutive alphanumerical characters at a predetermined position”. The additional elements such as “the creating the block” and “the latest block” represent the use of a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea and does no more than generally link the abstract idea to a particular field of use. And, therefore, does not improve the functioning of a computer, or to any other technology or technical field.
Dependent claim 13 further describes the abstract idea of purchasing stocks, as recites “generating a sixth token indicating a decrease in the … balance associated with the first … identifier, wherein … further comprises the sixth token, and the hash value …”. The additional elements such as “wallet”, “the cryptocurrency”, “the block”, and “the latest block in the blockchain” represent the use of a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea and do no more than generally link the abstract idea to a particular field of use. And, therefore, do not improve the functioning of a computer, or to any other technology or technical field.
Dependent claim 15 further describes the abstract idea of purchasing stocks, as recites “wherein the generating the first token and the sixth token is based on …”. The additional element such as “execution of a smart contract” represents the use of a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea and does no more than generally link the abstract idea to a particular field of use. And, therefore, does not improve the functioning of a computer, or to any other technology or technical field.
Dependent claim 16 further describes the abstract idea of purchasing stocks, as recites “receiving an indication of a third quantity of shares of the stock associated with the first wallet identifier and a stake duration; detecting an expiration of the stake duration without a reduction in a quantity of shares of the stock associated with the first … identifier; and generating, in response to detecting the expiration, a sixth token indicating an increase in the … balance associated with the first … identifier”. The additional elements such as “wallet” and “the cryptocurrency” represent the use of a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea and does no more than generally link the abstract idea to a particular field of use. And, therefore, does not improve the functioning of a computer, or to any other technology or technical field.
Dependent claim 17 further describes the abstract idea of purchasing stocks, as each recites “the receiving the request for the stock purchase comprises receiving … request for the stock purchase; and … the generating the first token is based on … and in response to receiving… request”. The additional elements such as “a smart contract operation” and “executing a smart contract stored in the blockchain” represent the use of a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea and do no more than generally link the abstract idea to a particular field of use. And, therefore, do not improve the functioning of a computer, or to any other technology or technical field.
Dependent claim 18 further describes the abstract idea of purchasing stocks, as recites “sending, based on the indication of the first … identifier in the second request, a purchase request … wherein the generating the plurality of tokens is based on receiving an indication of approval …”. The additional elements such as “wallet” and “the computing device” represent the use of a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea and does no more than generally link the abstract idea to a particular field of use. And, therefore, does not improve the functioning of a computer, or to any other technology or technical field.
Conclusion
19. The claims as a whole do not amount to significantly more than the abstract idea itself. This is because the claims do not effect an improvement to another technology or technical field; the claims do not amount to an improvement to the functioning of a computer system itself; and the claims do not move beyond a general link of the use of an abstract idea to a particular technological environment.
20. Accordingly, there are no meaningful limitations in the claims that transform the judicial exception into a patent eligible application such that the claims amount to significantly more than the judicial exception itself.
Conclusion
21. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US20200111159A1 – Sambhar – Discloses systems and methods for distributed ledger-based stock transactions, wherein transactions may include: receiving a stock purchase order for a stock comprising a purchase parameter, identifying an available stock in a distributed ledger stock pool that meets the purchase parameter, executing the stock purchase transaction by generating transaction data for the stock purchase order, writing the transaction data to a distributed ledger and transferring a transaction amount from an electronic wallet for a buyer of the stock to an electronic wallet for a seller of the stock.
US20230169479A1 – Song – Discloses a system for a blockchain-based share substantial trade for an owner unspecified common asset that allowing trade parties to perform a trade, on the basis of blockchain.
US20210374695A1 – Hanisch – Discloses a method and system for monetizing a physical asset owned by a seller using an Internet-based platform accessible via a website interface configured to facilitate a transaction between a buyer and the seller.
US20190188701A1 – Parsons et al. – Discloses methods and systems for transforming brokerage order request, blockchain transaction request, agency action request inputs via traching components into brokerage order confirmation, transaction confirmation, agency action notification outputs.
22. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AMANULLA ABDULLAEV whose telephone number is (571)272-4367. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:30AM -4:30PM ET.
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/AMANULLA ABDULLAEV/Examiner, Art Unit 3692
/ARUNAVA CHAKRAVARTI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3692
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