DETAILED ACTION
Remarks
This office action is issued in response to communication filed on 12/11/2025. Claims 1-20 are pending in this Office 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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on 12/11/2025 with respect to rejection of claims under 35 USC 102 and 103 have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground of rejection.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 1-2,4-5,7-10,12-13,15-18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rao et al.(US Patent Application Publication 2019/0325499 A1, hereinafter “Rao”) and further in view of McGinnis et al.(US Patent Application Publication 2021/0312531 A1, hereinafter “McGinnis”)
As to claim 1, Rao teaches a computing system comprising: a storage configured to store a software application and a dependent data set; and a processor configured to detect selection of a value from among a plurality of values displayed via a first graphical element within a user interface of the software application,(Rao Fig.3 and par [0039] teaches user selects the year 2005 from the user interface at stage 306)
map in response to the selection of the selected value, the selected value to a plurality of dependent values based on a plurality of data pairs stored in the dependent data set, the dependent data set storing all of the data therein as multiple sub-sequences of data sequence pairs and one of the subsequences of data sequence pairs correlated the selected value to a different one of the plurality of dependent values, respectively, therein; dynamically display the plurality of dependent values mapped to the selected value via a second graphical element within the user interface; (Rao par [0040] teaches displaying prompts for selecting a make of the vehicle or select an available make from a populated list . The available makes of vehicles in the populated list are based on the previous user input at stages 304 or 306)
detect selection of a second value from among the plurality of dependent values displayed via the second graphical element within the user interface; (Rao par [0040] teaches user selects the make “Lexus” from the populated list )
map, in response to the selection of the selected second value, the selected second value to a plurality of third values based on a plurality of additional data pairs stored in the dependent data set that each map the second value to a different one of the plurality of third values, respectively, and dynamically display the plurality of third values mapped to the selected second value via a third graphical element displayed within the user interface. (Rao par [0041] teaches in response to the user input , the user interface changes to display prompts for selecting a model of a vehicle., The available models of vehicles in the populated list are based on the previous user input at stages 304,306, and 308)
Rao fails to expressly teach the selected value to a plurality of dependent values based on a plurality of data pairs stored in the dependent data set, the dependent data set storing all of the data therein as multiple sub-sequences of data sequence pairs and one of the subsequences of data sequence pairs correlated the selected value to a different one of the plurality of dependent values, respectively, therein;
However, McGinnis teaches the selected value to a plurality of dependent values based on a plurality of data pairs stored in the dependent data set (McGinnis [0060] teaches the set consisting of every product that is for sale by the merchant in one or more stores will be referred to as the global collection of products) , the dependent data set storing all of the data therein as multiple sub-sequences of data sequence pairs ((McGinnis par [0060] teaches an indication of which one of the merchant’s stores the product is offered for sale ) and one of the subsequences of data sequence pairs correlated the selected value to a different one of the plurality of dependent values, respectively, therein;(McGinnis par [0070] teaches 3 stores, US, Canada and France)
Therefore , it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to combine the teachings of Rao and McGinnis to achieve the claimed invention. One would have been motivated to make such combination to save time by allow merchant to view the global collection of products offered for sale by the merchant across all the merchant’s stores. (McGinnis par [0007])
As to claim 2, Rao and McGinnis teach the computing system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to generate the dependent data set by breaking up an initial data set comprising a plurality of dependent linear sequences of user interface selections into multiple pluralities of sub-sequences that are represented as data sequence pairs. (Rao par [0040] teaches the available makes of vehicles in the populated list are based on the previous user input at stages 304 or 306. Each populated corresponding to the user selection is interpreted as sub-sequence)
As to claim 4, Rao and McGinnis teach the computing system of claim 1, wherein the first graphical element includes a first menu embedded within a page of the software application, and the second graphical element includes a second menu embedded within the page of the software application. ( Rao Fig.3 and par [0039] teaches displaying controls or prompts )
As to claim 5, Rao and McGinnis teach the computing system of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to dynamically display a plurality of menu entries within the second menu based on a selection of a menu entry within the first menu and a plurality of data pairs which map the menu entry to the plurality of menu entries. ( Rao par [0041] teaches the available models of vehicles in the populated list are based on the previous user input at stages 304,306, and 308)
As to claim 7, Rao and McGinnis teach the computing system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to, in response to detecting the selected second value, filter out data sequence pairs from a first plurality of data sequence pairs based on the selected value to map the selected value to the plurality of dependent values .( Rao par [0040] teaches displaying prompts for selecting a make of the vehicle or select an available make from a populated list . The available makes of vehicles in the populated list are based on the previous user input at stages 304 or 306. Populating the list corresponding to the previously selected value is being interpreted as “filter”)
As to claim 8, Rao and McGinnis teach the computing system of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to filter out data sequence pairs from a second sub-sequence of the plurality of data sequence pairs based on the second selected value to map the second selected value to the plurality of third values, in response to detecting the selected second value.( Rao par [0041] teaches in response to the user input , the user interface changes to display prompts for selecting a model of a vehicle., The available models of vehicles in the populated list are based on the previous user input at stages 304,306, and 308)
Claims 9-10 ,12-13 and 15-16 merely recite a method performed by the system of claims 1-2, 4-5 and 7-8. Accordingly, Rao and McGinnis teach the every limitation of claims 9-10, 12-13 and 15-16 as indicates in the above rejection of claims 1-2, 4-5 and 7-8 respectively.
Claims 17-18 and 20 merely recite a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions executed by the system of clams 1-2 and 4. Accordingly, Rao and McGinnis teach the every limitation of claims 17-18 and 20 as indicates in the above rejection of claims 1-2 and 4.
Claims 3,6,11,14 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rao , and McGinnis and further in view of Hseush et al.(US Patent Application Publication 2017/0177670 A1, hereinafter “Hseush”)
As to claim 3, Rao and McGinnis teach the computing system of claim 2 but fail to teach wherein each linear sequence includes a sequence of N data values which are sequentially dependent, respectively, and the processor is configured to generate N-1 data value pairs for each linear sequence set by breaking up the sequence of N data values into N-1 data pairs in a partially overlapping sequence, wherein N is a positive integer equal to or greater than 1 .
However, Hseush teaches wherein each linear sequence includes a sequence of N data values which are sequentially dependent, respectively, and the processor is configured to generate N-1 data value pairs for each linear sequence set by breaking up the sequence of N data values into N-1 data pairs in a partially overlapping sequence. (Hseush par [0026] teaches pair of product 5 and product1 and pair of product5 and product2)
Therefore , it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to combine the teachings of Rao, McGinnis and Hseush to achieve the claimed invention. One would have been motivated to make such combination to provide a query mechanism that can easily express complex data patterns in a high level manner , and find out the interested entities or groups that meet the specified data patterns.(Hseush par [0006])
As to claim 6, Rao and McGinnis teach the computing system of claim 1 but fail to teach wherein the processor is configured to generate the dependent data set by converting an initial sequential data set into a plurality of partially overlapping data sequence pairs which map together two sequential values in the initial sequential data set and include one value from a previous data sequence pair.
However, Hseush teaches generate the dependent data set by converting an initial sequential data set into a plurality of partially overlapping data sequence pairs which map together two sequential values in the initial sequential data set and include one value from a previous data sequence pair. (Hseush par [0026] teaches pair of product 5 and product1 and pair of product5 and product2)
Therefore , it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to combine the teachings of Rao , McGinnis and Hseush to achieve the claimed invention. One would have been motivated to make such combination to provide a query mechanism that can easily express complex data patterns in a high level manner , and find out the interested entities or groups that meet the specified data patterns.(Hseush par [0006])
As to claims 11 and 19, see the above rejection of claim 3.
As to claims 14, see the above rejection of claims 6.
Conclusion
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/HIEN L DUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2147