DETAILED ACTION
Status of Claims
This action is in reply to amendment and response filed on 12/30/25. Claims 1, 7-20 were amended. Claims 1-20 are pending and examined.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's amendments and arguments have been fully considered but are not persuasive.
The Applicant essentially argues that the amended claims overcome the rejection.
The Examiner disagrees.
pp. 1 - 5,
In regards, the Applicant's arguments associated with mental process, the previous rejections never argued that the claims recite a mental process. Instead, the previous rejections and current rejection argue that the claims recite certain method of organizing human activity, specifically verifying and authorizing a transaction associated with customer information.
Next, the Applicant argues that the amended claims overcome the rejection because the recited additional elements integrate the abstract idea into a practical application.
The Examiner disagrees.
The Applicant provides a number of additional elements including mainframe dedicated memory to run applications and connections between servers and the mainframe run applications. However, the additional elements amount to disclosure of an application that executes on a client/server architecture. In that, any application that runs on any computing device is provided a section of memory in which to execute. As such, the additional elements amount to "apply it", see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2). Furthermore, the claims do not disclose technological details on how the dedicated memory in the mainframe is unique or different from an application using a memory on a computing device, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(1). As such, the claims merely disclose a solution.
Next, the Applicant also discusses queues in servers communicating with the applications running on the mainframe dedicated memory. The claims again do not disclose technological details of how the direct communication between server app. and main frame app. is any different then any application executing in a client/server architecture. Specifically, the claims do not disclose technological details of how a queue on the server is selected or how the "textual environment" of the message is detected, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(1). As such, the claims merely disclose a solution.
Other recited additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as they are no more than “apply it” because they are mere “[u]se of a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2).
The claims as a whole are significantly more than the abstract idea because the additional elements do no more than provide mere instructions to apply the abstract idea using “a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2), and/or the claim fails to recite the technological details of “how a solution to a problem is accomplished”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(1). Therefore, the claim elements when considered separately and in an ordered combination, do not add significantly more than implementing the abstract idea of verifying and authorizing a transaction associated with customer information.
As such, the rejection is maintained. An updated rejection addressing the amended claims is provided below.
Reasons why the references do not teach the claims
References of record include US 20110246612 A1 (Buchhop) Integration of Different Mobile Device Types with a Business Infrastructure and US 20140207592 A1 (Kavis) Real-Time Transaction Data Processing and Reporting Platform.
Buchop and Kavis, individually or in combination, teach,
a mainframe computing device including a mainframe processor and a mainframe memory communicatively coupled to the mainframe processor, the mainframe computing device configured to process transaction requests transmitted in electronic messages from remote client devices through various transaction channels and further including one or more applications that are executable by the mainframe processor within each of a plurality of regions defined within the mainframe memory to configure each region to read or decode electronic messages comprising a unique text environment of a plurality of possible text environments;
a computing device including a processor and a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the computing device interposed between the transaction channels and the mainframe computing device and including a transaction server application that is executable by the processor of the computing device to implement a transaction server having a plurality of transaction initiation queues, where each transaction initiation queue is configured by the transaction server application to read or decode electronic messages comprising one of the unique text environments of the plurality of possible text environments that are readable or decodable by the one or more applications of the mainframe computing device;
dedicated static connections communicatively coupling the plurality of transaction initiation queues of the transaction server of the computing device to the plurality of regions of the mainframe computing device, such that each coupled transaction initiation queue of the transaction server and corresponding region of the mainframe computing device reads or decodes electronic messages having the same text environment;
wherein the transaction server application is further executable by the computing device processor to cause the computing device processor to:
receive, at the transaction server, from an application executing on a client device of the remote client devices, an electronic message conveying a transaction request,
determine a text environment of the electronic message.
Buchop and Kavis, individually or in combination, do not teach,
place the electronic message in a selected transaction initiation queue of the plurality of transaction initiation queues based on the text environment of the electronic message, and
transmit the electronic message, in its original text environment, from the selected transaction initiation queue, to the corresponding region of the mainframe computing device in a first direction over the dedicated static connection therebetween;
wherein the one or more applications within the corresponding region on the mainframe computing device are further executable by the mainframe processor to:
receive, at the corresponding region, the electronic message from the selected transaction initiation queue of the transaction server,
read or decode the electronic message in its original text environment using the one or more applications within the corresponding region,
generate an electronic message response to the transaction request in the electronic message, wherein the electronic message response is based, at least in part, on customer information retrieved from a database by the one or more applications within the corresponding region after receipt of the electronic message from the selected transaction initiation queue,
transmit the electronic message response from the mainframe computing device to the selected transaction initiation queue, in a second direction over the dedicated static connection therebetween, where the electronic message response has the same text environment as the electronic message received by the transaction server from the client device; and
based, at least in part, on the customer information retrieved from the database by the one or more applications within the corresponding region, initiate processing of or deny processing of the transaction request in the electronic message.
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. (Step 1) The claims recite an apparatus (claims 1-7), an article of manufacture (claims 8-14) and a process (claims 15-20). For the purposes of this analysis, representative claim 1 (from claims 1, 8 and 15) is addressed. (Step 2A, prong 1) Abstract ideas are in bold below, and represent organizing human activity as a method of verifying and authorizing a transaction associated with customer information (see at least para. 25 of the specification as filed), as are all a form of commercial or legal interactions and managing personal behavior or relationships or interactions between people.
A system, comprising:
a mainframe computing device including a mainframe processor and a mainframe memory communicatively coupled to the mainframe processor, the mainframe computing device configured to process transaction requests transmitted in electronic messages from remote client devices through various transaction channels and further including one or more applications that are executable by the mainframe processor within each of a plurality of regions defined within the mainframe memory to configure each region to read or decode electronic messages comprising a unique text environment of a plurality of possible text environments;
a computing device including a processor and a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the computing device interposed between the transaction channels and the mainframe computing device and including a transaction server application that is executable by the processor of the computing device to implement a transaction server having a plurality of transaction initiation queues, where each transaction initiation queue is configured by the transaction server application to read or decode electronic messages comprising one of the unique text environments of the plurality of possible text environments that are readable or decodable by the one or more applications of the mainframe computing device;
dedicated static connections communicatively coupling the plurality of transaction initiation queues of the transaction server of the computing device to the plurality of regions of the mainframe computing device, such that each coupled transaction initiation queue of the transaction server and corresponding region of the mainframe computing device reads or decodes electronic messages having the same text environment;
wherein the transaction server application is further executable by the computing device processor to cause the computing device processor to:
receive, at the transaction server, from an application executing on a client device of the remote client devices, an electronic message conveying a transaction request,
determine a text environment of the electronic message,
place the electronic message in a selected transaction initiation queue of the plurality of transaction initiation queues based on the text environment of the electronic message, and
transmit the electronic message, in its original text environment, from the selected transaction initiation queue, to the corresponding region of the mainframe computing device in a first direction over the dedicated static connection therebetween;
wherein the one or more applications within the corresponding region on the mainframe computing device are further executable by the mainframe processor to:
receive, at the corresponding region, the electronic message from the selected transaction initiation queue of the transaction server,
read or decode the electronic message in its original text environment using the one or more applications within the corresponding region,
generate an electronic message response to the transaction request in the electronic message, wherein the electronic message response is based, at least in part, on customer information retrieved from a database by the one or more applications within the corresponding region after receipt of the electronic message from the selected transaction initiation queue,
transmit the electronic message response from the mainframe computing device to the selected transaction initiation queue, in a second direction over the dedicated static connection therebetween, where the electronic message response has the same text environment as the electronic message received by the transaction server from the client device; and
based, at least in part, on the customer information retrieved from the database by the one or more applications within the corresponding region, initiate processing of or deny processing of the transaction request in the electronic message.
(Step 2A prong 2) The additional elements are as follows:
"A system, comprising". These additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as they are no more than “apply it” because they are mere “[u]se of a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2).
"a mainframe computing device including a mainframe processor and a mainframe memory communicatively coupled to the mainframe processor, the mainframe computing device configured to process transaction requests transmitted in electronic messages from remote client devices through various transaction channels and further including one or more applications that are executable by the mainframe processor within each of a plurality of regions defined within the mainframe memory to configure each region to read or decode electronic messages comprising a unique text environment of a plurality of possible text environments". These additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as they are no more than “apply it” because they are mere “[u]se of a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2). Furthermore, "one or more applications that are executable by the mainframe processor within each of a plurality of regions defined within the mainframe memory to configure each region to read or decode electronic messages comprising a unique text environment of a plurality of possible text environments" does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as it is no more than “apply it” because the claims fail to recite the technological details of how the applications executing in mainframe memory regions configure the memory regions to read/decode the messages with a unique text environment, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(1).
a computing device including a processor and a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the computing device interposed between the transaction channels and the mainframe computing device and including a transaction server application that is executable by the processor of the computing device to implement a transaction server having a plurality of transaction initiation queues, where each transaction initiation queue is configured by the transaction server application to read or decode electronic messages comprising one of the unique text environments of the plurality of possible text environments that are readable or decodable by the one or more applications of the mainframe computing device". These additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as they are no more than “apply it” because they are mere “[u]se of a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2). Furthermore, "each transaction initiation queue is configured by the transaction server application to read or decode electronic messages comprising one of the unique text environments of the plurality of possible text environments that are readable or decodable by the one or more applications of the mainframe computing device" does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as it is no more than “apply it” because the claims fail to recite the technological details of how transaction initiation queues read/decode messages in unique text environments, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(1).
"dedicated static connections communicatively coupling the plurality of transaction initiation queues of the transaction server of the computing device to the plurality of regions of the mainframe computing device, such that each coupled transaction initiation queue of the transaction server and corresponding region of the mainframe computing device reads or decodes electronic messages having the same text environment". These additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as they are no more than “apply it” because they are mere “[u]se of a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2). Furthermore, these additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as it is no more than “apply it” because the claims fail to recite the technological details of how connection(s) coupling queues in the server to mainframe memory regions provide read/decode operations in the mainframe, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(1).
"wherein the transaction server application is further executable by the computing device processor to cause the computing device processor to". These additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as they are no more than “apply it” because they are mere “[u]se of a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2).
"determine a text environment of the electronic message". These additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as it is no more than “apply it” because the claims fail to recite the technological details of how the text environment of the message is determined, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(1).
"place the electronic message in a selected transaction initiation queue of the plurality of transaction initiation queues based on the text environment of the electronic message". These additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as it is no more than “apply it” because the claims fail to recite the technological details of how the queue is selected, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(1).
"transmit the electronic message, in its original text environment, from the selected transaction initiation queue, to the corresponding region of the mainframe computing device in a first direction over the dedicated static connection therebetween". These additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as they are no more than “apply it” because they are mere “[u]se of a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2).
"wherein the one or more applications within the corresponding region on the mainframe computing device are further executable by the mainframe processor to". These additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as they are no more than “apply it” because they are mere “[u]se of a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2).
"receive, at the corresponding region, the electronic message from the selected transaction initiation queue of the transaction server". These additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as they are no more than “apply it” because they are mere “[u]se of a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2).
"read or decode the electronic message in its original text environment using the one or more applications within the corresponding region". These additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as they are no more than “apply it” because they are mere “[u]se of a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2). These additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as it is no more than “apply it” because the claims fail to recite the technological details of how application reads/decodes the message in its original text environment, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(1).
"[generate an electronic message response …, wherein the electronic message response is based, at least in part, on customer information retrieved from] a database by the one or more applications within the corresponding region after receipt of the electronic message from the selected transaction initiation queue". The database retrieval does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as it is no more than “apply it” because they are mere “[u]se of a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2).
"transmit the electronic message response from the mainframe computing device to the selected transaction initiation queue, in a second direction over the dedicated static connection therebetween, where the electronic message response has the same text environment as the electronic message received by the transaction server from the client device". These additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as they are no more than “apply it” because they are mere “[u]se of a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2).
(Step 2B) The claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. As discussed above with respect to integration into a practical application, the additional elements do no more than provide mere instructions to apply the abstract idea using “a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2), and/or the claim fails to recite the technological details of “how a solution to a problem is accomplished”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(1). Therefore, the claim elements when considered separately and in an ordered combination, do not add significantly more than implementing the abstract idea of verifying and authorizing a transaction associated with customer information.
Continuing the analysis with dependent claims, claims 2-7, 9-14 and 16-20, recite additional details which only further narrow the abstract idea and do not add any additional features, alone or in combination, that would provide a practical application or provide significantly more.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-7, 8-14 and 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
With respect to claims 1, 8 and 15 (claim 15 mirror claim 1), it is unclear what is meant by “original text environment”. The claims all receive messages, and determine the text environment (see claim 1 for example, “receive, at the transaction server, from an application executing on a client device of the remote client devices, an electronic message conveying a transaction request, determine a text environment of the electronic message…” and claim 8 “:receive, at the transaction server, via a transaction channel of the plurality of transaction channels, from an application executing on a client device, an electronic message conveying a transaction request, determine a text environment of the electronic message”). It appears the original environments were the devices from which the mainframe received the communications. However, the claims then require the mainframe to operate in the “original text environment” (see claim 1, “read or decode the electronic message in its original text environment “ and claim 8 “transmit the electronic message, in its original text environment, from the selected transaction initiation queue”). It does not appear the mainframe is the original environment, so logically, it cannot be that the mainframe can perform these functions “in its original text environment”.
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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/BROCK E TURK/Examiner, Art Unit 3692
/RYAN D DONLON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3692
October 6, 2026
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