Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 18/142,814

SKILLS CERTIFICATION

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
May 03, 2023
Priority
May 03, 2022 — provisional 63/337,664
Examiner
KONERU, SUJAY
Art Unit
3624
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Steady Platform LLC
OA Round
4 (Non-Final)
58%
Grant Probability
Moderate
4-5
OA Rounds
1m
Est. Remaining
95%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 58% of resolved cases
58%
Career Allowance Rate
424 granted / 727 resolved
+6.3% vs TC avg
Strong +37% interview lift
Without
With
+37.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 2m
Avg Prosecution
28 currently pending
Career history
760
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
18.5%
-21.5% vs TC avg
§103
78.6%
+38.6% vs TC avg
§102
1.1%
-38.9% vs TC avg
§112
1.6%
-38.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 727 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
DETAILED ACTION This Final Office Action is in response to Applicant's amendments and arguments filed on April 28, 2026. Applicant has amended claims 1, 9 and 17. Currently, claims 1-20 are pending. 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 Response to Amendments The 35 U.S.C. 101 rejections of claims 1-20 are withdrawn in light of applicant’s amendments to claims 1, 9 and 17. The 35 U.S.C. 101 rejections of claims 1-20 are maintained in light of applicant’s amendments to claims 1, 9 and 17. Response to Arguments Applicant’s remarks submitted on 4/28/26 have been considered. Applicant’s arguments related to the 101 rejection are persuasive and the 101 rejections have been withdrawn because of that and because the ordered combination of elements shows practical implementation by necessarily being rooted in technology. Applicant argues on p. 16 of the remarks that the 103 rejection is improper. Examiner disagrees. Applicant argues that Zabar does not show “scan data including at least one skill and an associated verification indicator.” Examiner notes that the claims recite scan data read by a computing device including at least one skill and an associated verification indicator for the at least one skill. Zabar shows at para [0036] that the employer can use a camera to scan a code which is used to authenticate certain credentials and employment history. This shows " scan data read by a computing device including at least one skill and an associated verification indicator for the at least one skill" is obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art given broadest reasonable interpretation. Credentials, diploma and employment history can be considered to show skills are obvious and the authenticating of that data and the diploma itself can be considered an associated verification indicator for the credentials. Ultimately, Zabar shows "scan data read by a computing device including at least one skill and an associated verification indicator for the at least one skill" is obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, the 103 rejections are maintained. 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. 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. Claims 1-5, 8-12, 16-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cicio (US 2019/0122161 A1) in view of Zabar (US 2014/0304183 A1). Claims 1, 9 and 17: Cicio, as shown, discloses the following limitations of claims 1, 9 and 17: A server (and corresponding method and non-transitory computer readable medium) comprising: a data store and a processor (Fig 1, showing a computing platform for implementing the system) configured to identify, based on user data stored in a software application hosted by the server, a skill included in the user data and a verification entity to validate the skill (see para [0020], "Skills assessments may include, but are not limited to: self, peer, instructor, tested, applied, manager, lab etc. In the event that more than an individual assessment is performed the platform aggregates and computes the average scoring and recommends courses using open integration standards and mapping of competencies and KSAs to existing eco-system applications (eg HR, SIS, LMS). The machine may calculate the aggregate of the extended role profile data, mapping to courses within existing learning management systems and external offerings, and tracks enrollment and completion at the competency and KSA level the machine that aggregates, validates and certifies this information in the Skills Passport 110. Calculations of results are then applied to measure skills performance/progression/predictive/potential and sense of purpose state of showcasing individual's personas over time. The machine's ability to aggregate date, apply NLP and predictive modeling analytics validate over time is critical to scale solutions with enterprise, academic institutions, state, governments and global large data. The machine model and math techniques may be used to apply against internal structured data (private networks) and unstructured and distributed architectures and networks (eg blockchain) to source, validate and audit virtual ledgers containing skills and competency assessments that align to this applications framework.", where it is obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that skill needs to be identified in order to be certified and see para [0062]-[0063]), establish a communication channel between the server and the external verification entity via an application programming interface (API) (see para [0022], "Skills Passport (overview): the aggregation of compute engine analytics and data structure to showcase talent using the most advanced technology. The Skills Passport represents an individual's skills-based DNA. Visualized in an interactive protected and secured authentication empowered platform, individuals showcase their fingerprint/DNA of skills and aligning/preparedness for perfect matching of job roles and pathways that will increase retention, employment, alignment with passion, decreased anxiety and depression of current state. Data structure extension include portfolio work product (files, video, links), academic history (degrees, courses, schools, transcripts), financial and legal background history, work experience, professional certifications and personal interests. Data is verified and verified from its “source”. Source data may be accessed directly in private networks using APIs and/or distributed ledgers (Blockchain) to capture and track data. This information is credentialed (digital badge) and is controlled by the individual (privacy and empowerment)." where the source data being accessed using APIs shows communication with external verification and see para [0020]-[0021], showing include verification entities), receive, based on communications exchanged between the server and the external verification entity via the communication channel, data indicative of whether the skill is validated by the external verification entity (see para [0019]-[0022], showing competency assessments validated and securely communicated between entities and see para [0050]-[0051]), automatically generate a digital document that includes an identifier of the skill and a verification indicator that indicates the skill as being validated by the external verification entity (Figs 8A-8F, where the skill passport dashboard can be considered a digital document and see para [0062], " A digital multimedia resume may be created using the T-Shaped data structure. A user's skills passport may include uploaded documents (i.e. credentials), a skills section (validated data), a star rating (for example, 1-5), validation of the user's involvement in different jobs/positions/experiences, and certificates (start/end data, certification number, etc.)." showing that skill sections include validated data which can include the stars which can be a verification indicator given broadest reasonable interpretation in Fig 8F and see abstract "A skills portfolio passport is generated based on skills and competency assessments in combination with “real-time” applied knowledge data"), store the digital document in a trusted data store within the data store (see para [0044], "In various embodiments, a blockchain, or distributed ledger, provides a decentralized approach to tracking information. By eliminating the need for a central authority, information and transactions therewith may be circulated and verified over a network. A blockchain may provide a secure solution for tracking, for example, the ownership and transfer of assets. In a simplified example, a blockchain may provide proof of who owns what at any given point in time and be replicated on hundreds or thousands of computing nodes." and see para [0048], "In an embodiment of the present invention, a distributed secure transaction ledger, in the form of a block chain, may be used to communicate data between parties. As illustrated in FIG. 6, a block chain or decentralized secure transaction ledger 605 may be one that is maintained by nodes in a distributed network. Although each block of ledger 605 may contain differentiated information and may have distinct purposes, as illustrated in FIG. 6, block 610 contains a sample communication or message according to embodiments of the present invention.") Although Cicio discloses providing scan data at para [0054], Cicio does not specifically disclose receiving, from a computing device, scan data including at least one skill and an associated verification indicator read by the computing device. In analogous art, Zabar discloses the following limitations: receive, from a computing device, scan data read by the computing device including at least one skill and an associated verification indicator for the at least one skill read by the computing device (see para [0036], "FIG. 2 shows an exemplary credential award 200, including physical embodiment of credential 201 and credential verification device 202, as might be employed by the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1. Credential verification device 202 includes coded information ("code") 203. Credential verification device 202 forms a unique and individualized physical "carrier" for code 203. Code 203 represents a securely coded form of information that can be scanned or otherwise read. For example, code 203 might be information stored in a bar code, QR code and the like printed on a label, but might also be information stored in an NFC or RFID tag. The information in code 203 is at least partially securely encoded, and allows, for example, a reader to obtain a subset of the information including a universal resource locator (URL) to direct a browser to login to verification system 100. Securely encoded portions of the information might allow for verification system 100 to verify that the credential verification device 202 is authorized for use by the system, and identify the particular credential entity to verification system 100. Other embodiments might allow for other form of direct or dial-up login. The physical embodiment of credential 201, such as a diploma, might be awarded to the individual, along with credential verification device 200. Also, in for mobile applications, an employer might be able to use their camera to scan system generated. QR code that are embedded by the user in their resume and thus authenticate certain credentials and employment history directly from their resumes" where it is obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that a credential can be considered to show a skill); determine an authenticity of the scan data by a query including the received scan data and the digital document in the trusted data store based on whether the scan data matches the skill in the stored digital document having the verification indicator that indicates the skill as being validated by the external verification (see para [0041], "The user will get a notification that the company is seeking the user's verified credentials and will be asked to approve access by the company. The user will be able to approve access on a per Award basis (Diploma, transcripts, sports awards, and the like) or provide complete access to die company searching for the user's information. Once approved, the company will receive an email with a link to the user's awards." and see para [0046], ", the reported credential information for each employed individual is verified by verification system 100. At step 604, verification server 101 processes the reported credential information and identifies those specific credentials or qualifications that require maintenance action by either i) the member or ii) the employed individual. At step 605, the processed, reported credential information is stored in database 102, along with due dates, compliance dates, course requirements, and the like for specific credentials or qualifications associated with each corresponding employed individual." and Figs 5-6); and transmit, in response to the authenticity determination that the scan data matches the skill in the stored digital document, a notification to the computing device that the at least one skill in the scan data corresponds to a validated skill (see para [0042], " For seal expiration/validity, the verification system 100 retrieves third party information regarding credential expiration date that is constantly cross checked against our internal database for accuracy and allows for reporting and alerts to the user and other subscribers to the system (as long as they have the user's permission)." and see para [0046], "At step 606, verification server 101 periodically accesses and checks the processed, reported credential information for upcoming due dates for maintenance action. At step 607, verification server 101 periodically reports to the member (and the user) any upcoming, overdue or unfulfilled maintenance actions by either i) the member or ii) the employed individual. Another aspect of the system is that the employer, university and other awarding institutions might provide the verification system with the user's picture, thus enabling authentication of the user's image for future employers and other third parties."). It would have been obvious to one or ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to combine the teachings of Zabar with Cicio because receiving scan data that includes skills and verified data enables more efficient verification of applications and users of their credentials by employers (see Zabar, para [0005]-[0009]). Moreover, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to include the verification system as taught by Zabar in the method of real-time skills based and competency assessment of Cicio, since the claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements, and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable. Claims 2, 10 and 18: Further, Cicio discloses the following limitations: wherein the processor is configured to embed a digital code into the digital document, map the digital code to an identifier of the digital document, and store the mapping within a mapping table in the data store (see para [0054], "The disclosed embodiments provide a supply chain as applied to people to create a skill's passport for an individual user. Essentially a supply chain for people. The skill's passport may take on a T-Shaped data structure for an individual, their identity, and their unique brand. In one embodiment, the T-Shaped data structure may be maintained on a blockchain. A link or code to the data structure may be provided in hard copy form, such as on a business card. The link or code may be in scan able format, such as a QR code, or the like. Information provide may include, but is certainly not limited to, the person's biography, skills, past job/work/life experience, and education credentials/history. Further, the T-Shaped data structure may provide a data visualization of a person's passport providing at least three components:" where the QR code can considered such an embedded code) Claims 3, 11 and 19: Further, Cicio discloses the following limitations: wherein the processor is further configured to receive scan data comprising a scanned digital code from a computing device, determine that the scanned digital code is mapped to the identifier of the digital document via the mapping table (see para [0054], "The disclosed embodiments provide a supply chain as applied to people to create a skill's passport for an individual user. Essentially a supply chain for people. The skill's passport may take on a T-Shaped data structure for an individual, their identity, and their unique brand. In one embodiment, the T-Shaped data structure may be maintained on a blockchain. A link or code to the data structure may be provided in hard copy form, such as on a business card. The link or code may be in scan able format, such as a QR code, or the like. Information provide may include, but is certainly not limited to, the person's biography, skills, past job/work/life experience, and education credentials/history. Further, the T-Shaped data structure may provide a data visualization of a person's passport providing at least three components:"), and transmit a successful authentication response to the computing device (see para [0048]-[0050], "In an embodiment of the present invention, a distributed secure transaction ledger, in the form of a block chain, may be used to communicate data between parties. As illustrated in FIG. 6, a block chain or decentralized secure transaction ledger 605 may be one that is maintained by nodes in a distributed network. Although each block of ledger 605 may contain differentiated information and may have distinct purposes, as illustrated in FIG. 6, block 610 contains a sample communication or message according to embodiments of the present invention. In an embodiment of the present invention, ledger 605 may be used to send messages between at least two users of a system through, for example, nodes in a network. By way of non-limiting example only, a message in block 620 of the ledger 605 may contain a header 622 and contents 630. The header 622 may comprises at least one block ID 624 for block 620, a block ID 626 of the previous block, and a nonce value 628, an arbitrary number that may be used as a cryptographic hash function. These values and block information may be used in linking blocks together to form a chain. The contents 630 may comprise one or more messages 632 and may also include other data 634. In an embodiment on the present invention, a message 632 may comprise a unique identifier of the owner/originator/sender of the message. This information may be used for one or more purposes, such as, for example, to identify the owner or sender to provide a way by which a third-party node or nodes that handle and or process the ledger 605. Additionally, the identifier of the owner/sender may be used or linked to an authentication module and/or server associated with using the block chain as a communication channel, or for other actions. Indeed, block 620 may include any number of identifiers which may for example, be used to indicate whether or not the ledger 605 should be directed to a different identifier than the originator of the message 632. As would be appreciated by those skilled in the art, message 632 may include data for processing, which may be obfuscated using, for example, homomorphy transformation.") In addition, Zabar shows this limitation would have been obvious based Fig. 5, where the code is read and authenticated. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to include the verification system as taught by Zabar in the method of real-time skills based and competency assessment of Cicio, since the claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements, and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable. Claims 4 and 12: Further, Cicio discloses the following limitations: wherein the processor is configured to transmit identifiers of known skills of the user to a user interface of the computing device in response to a determination that the scanned digital code is mapped to the identifier of the digital document (see para [0054]-[0056] and Figs 8a-8f, showing skill passport can take data from scanned codes) Claims 8 and 16: Further, Cicio discloses the following limitations: wherein the processor is configured to identify a plurality of skills associated with the user from the list of skills queried from the database (see para [0020], "Skills assessments may include, but are not limited to: self, peer, instructor, tested, applied, manager, lab etc. In the event that more than an individual assessment is performed the platform aggregates and computes the average scoring and recommends courses using open integration standards and mapping of competencies and KSAs to existing eco-system applications (eg HR, SIS, LMS). The machine may calculate the aggregate of the extended role profile data, mapping to courses within existing learning management systems and external offerings, and tracks enrollment and completion at the competency and KSA level the machine that aggregates, validates and certifies this information in the Skills Passport 110. Calculations of results are then applied to measure skills performance/progression/predictive/potential and sense of purpose state of showcasing individual's personas over time. The machine's ability to aggregate date, apply NLP and predictive modeling analytics validate over time is critical to scale solutions with enterprise, academic institutions, state, governments and global large data. The machine model and math techniques may be used to apply against internal structured data (private networks) and unstructured and distributed architectures and networks (eg blockchain) to source, validate and audit virtual ledgers containing skills and competency assessments that align to this applications framework.", were it is obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that skill needs to be identified in order to be certified and it is obvious computers use database functionality for storing and accessing data), establish independent communication channels with a plurality of verification entities associated with the plurality of skills (see para [0022], "Skills Passport (overview): the aggregation of compute engine analytics and data structure to showcase talent using the most advanced technology. The Skills Passport represents an individual's skills-based DNA. Visualized in an interactive protected and secured authentication empowered platform, individuals showcase their fingerprint/DNA of skills and aligning/preparedness for perfect matching of job roles and pathways that will increase retention, employment, alignment with passion, decreased anxiety and depression of current state. Data structure extension include portfolio work product (files, video, links), academic history (degrees, courses, schools, transcripts), financial and legal background history, work experience, professional certifications and personal interests. Data is verified and verified from its “source”. Source data may be accessed directly in private networks using APIs and/or distributed ledgers (Blockchain) to capture and track data. This information is credentialed (digital badge) and is controlled by the individual (privacy and empowerment)." and see para [0020]-[0021], showing include verification entities ), verify the plurality of skills via the plurality of independent communication channels respectively based on communications exchanged with the plurality of verifications entities (see para [0019]-[0022], showing competency assessments validated and securely communicated between entities), and populate the digital document with identifiers of the plurality of skills with a plurality of verification indicators (Figs 8A-8F, where the skill passport dashboard can be considered a digital document and see para [0062], showing that skill sections include validated data which can include the stars (indicators) for proficiency in Fig 8F) Claims 5-6, 13-14, 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cicio and Zabar, as described above, and further in in view of Wadha et al. (US 2019/0280854 A1) (hereinafter Wadha). Claims 5, 13 and 20: Cicio and Zabar do not explicitly disclose generate the document via a smart contract installed on the blockchain ledger. In analogous art, Wadha discloses the following limitations: wherein the processor is configured to store the digital document within a blockchain ledger, generate the digital document via a smart contract installed on the blockchain ledger, and store the mapping within a mapping table embedded in the smart contract (see para [0020], "blockchain based smart contracts may be created for user stakeholders to enter into an agreement to share their relevant CV information, for example. The back end system administrator may be one owner of the smart contract, the other user stakeholder may be another owner of the smart contract (network participants)." and see para [0025], " In the example, 106 is a typical stakeholder user, one who wishes to establish their own profile page, share CV data, and otherwise keep track of verified Skill Passport information as described herein. Typical CV information may be submitted to the back end system 102, such as but not limited to, academic institutions attended, classes taken, grades achieved, honors received, degrees/programs completed, wage data, and other employment history. Further, more fulsome information may be submitted as well, in order to provide a better picture about the users as whole people. Information such as attendance records, group participation, sports participation, society and club leadership roles may be a part of a users' experience that they want to portray to any of various third parties." and see para [0048], " In the example using CVs, through this blockchain architecture, smart contracts may be created for stakeholders to enter into an agreement to share their relevant CV information. In some examples, one entity 302 could be the single owner of the smart contract, the other stakeholder will be another owner of the smart contract as a network participant. Through such a smart contract, encryption services embedded inside the HPA virtual machine, information submitted by network participants will be encrypted and then published onto blockchain ledgers. And by using the decryption key, the back end management systems 302 will be able to decrypt the information at the application interface layer 310 to search and retrieve data from the block ledgers. The HPA 340 will physically save the private key for corresponding stakeholders and will be used for signing the transactions published to the Blockchain ledger." and see para [0043]-[0045]) It would have been obvious to one or ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to combine the teachings of Wadha with Cicio and Zabar because including a smart contract provides a real world commercial use of ledger creations that can improve the confidence in the underlying data (see Cicio, para [0002]-[0003]). Moreover, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to include the system for a skills passport blockchain platform as taught by Wadha in the Cicio and Zabar combination, since the claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements, and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable. Claim 6 and 14: Further, Cicio discloses the following limitations: wherein the method further comprises receiving scan data comprising a scanned digital code from a computing device, determining that the scanned digital code is mapped to the identifier of the digital document via the mapping table embedded in the smart contract (see para [0054], "The disclosed embodiments provide a supply chain as applied to people to create a skill's passport for an individual user. Essentially a supply chain for people. The skill's passport may take on a T-Shaped data structure for an individual, their identity, and their unique brand. In one embodiment, the T-Shaped data structure may be maintained on a blockchain. A link or code to the data structure may be provided in hard copy form, such as on a business card. The link or code may be in scan able format, such as a QR code, or the like. Information provide may include, but is certainly not limited to, the person's biography, skills, past job/work/life experience, and education credentials/history. Further, the T-Shaped data structure may provide a data visualization of a person's passport providing at least three components:" where it is obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art table embedded could be from the smart contract shown in Wadha), and transmitting a successful authentication response to the computing device (see para [0048]-[0050], "In an embodiment of the present invention, a distributed secure transaction ledger, in the form of a block chain, may be used to communicate data between parties. As illustrated in FIG. 6, a block chain or decentralized secure transaction ledger 605 may be one that is maintained by nodes in a distributed network. Although each block of ledger 605 may contain differentiated information and may have distinct purposes, as illustrated in FIG. 6, block 610 contains a sample communication or message according to embodiments of the present invention. In an embodiment of the present invention, ledger 605 may be used to send messages between at least two users of a system through, for example, nodes in a network. By way of non-limiting example only, a message in block 620 of the ledger 605 may contain a header 622 and contents 630. The header 622 may comprises at least one block ID 624 for block 620, a block ID 626 of the previous block, and a nonce value 628, an arbitrary number that may be used as a cryptographic hash function. These values and block information may be used in linking blocks together to form a chain. The contents 630 may comprise one or more messages 632 and may also include other data 634. In an embodiment on the present invention, a message 632 may comprise a unique identifier of the owner/originator/sender of the message. This information may be used for one or more purposes, such as, for example, to identify the owner or sender to provide a way by which a third-party node or nodes that handle and or process the ledger 605. Additionally, the identifier of the owner/sender may be used or linked to an authentication module and/or server associated with using the block chain as a communication channel, or for other actions. Indeed, block 620 may include any number of identifiers which may for example, be used to indicate whether or not the ledger 605 should be directed to a different identifier than the originator of the message 632. As would be appreciated by those skilled in the art, message 632 may include data for processing, which may be obfuscated using, for example, homomorphy transformation.") It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to include the system for a skills passport blockchain platform as taught by Wadha in the Cicio and Zabar combination, since the claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements, and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art would Claims 7 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cicio and Zabar, as described above, and further in in view of Das (US 2019/0325398 A1) Claims 7 and 15: Cicio and Zabar do not explicitly disclose query a database with the predefined code for a list of skills of the job type. In analogous art, Das discloses the following limitations: wherein the processor is further configured to identify a job type of the user from the user data, map the job type to a predefined code, and query a database with the predefined code for a list of skills of the job type (see para [0007], "General aspects of the system can comprise the steps of: instantiating in memory a resume corresponding to a first user; identifying a portion of said resume having at least one predefined skill contained within said resume; instantiating posting forums in a database; identifying a posting made by said first user in said database; associating said posting with said at least one predefined skill; associating said posting with said portion of said resume having at least one predefined skill, such that a viewer of a resume can access said posting from said instantiated resume. Other embodiments of this aspect can comprise corresponding computer systems, apparatus, and computer programs recorded on one or more computer storage devices, each configured to perform the actions of the methods." and see para [0032], "The gathered resume data than then be stored in a databased 210 wherein each post made by a user can be tagged with an identifier or identifiers, such as #“skill”, and associated with the relevant skill/component of the specific user's resume. Thus, as a user creates more forum posts and partakes in platform activities, their skill level can increase and their skills can be verified, providing employers more confidence in assertions made in a user's/registrant's resume and making them a more valuable candidate for particular hiring opportunities." and see para [0045], [0048]) It would have been obvious to one or ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to combine the teachings of Das with Cicio and Zabar because querying a database with such predefined code for a list of skills enables more effective processing of online data that can be used and associated with online generated services (see Das, para [0003]-[0004]). Moreover, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to include the method for generating skill-centric resumes with verifiable skills as taught by Das in the Cicio and Zabar combination, since the claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements, and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Vootkur (US 2017/0243163 A1), a system that allows members to add portfolio objects including accomplishments and journeys where each portfolio object may associated with a category and based on the category, members on the platform provide structure information associated with the portfolio objects THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SUJAY KONERU whose telephone number is (571)270-3409. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 8:30 AM to 5 pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Patricia Munson can be reached on 571- 270-5396. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /SUJAY KONERU/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3624
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Prosecution Timeline

Show 1 earlier event
Jan 31, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
May 30, 2025
Response Filed
Jun 09, 2025
Final Rejection mailed — §103
Dec 09, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Dec 19, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Jan 28, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Apr 28, 2026
Response Filed
May 12, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12626611
USING CLOUD-BASED DATA FOR INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION SYSTEM TRAINING
3y 0m to grant Granted May 12, 2026
Patent 12618908
VEHICLE POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM
2y 8m to grant Granted May 05, 2026
Patent 12619932
VALUE CHAIN WORKLOAD AUTOSCALING IN AN INDUSTRY CLOUD
2y 0m to grant Granted May 05, 2026
Patent 12608671
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR AUTOMATICALLY EVALUATING ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES AND BUSINESS PROCESS DOCUMENTATION FOR COMPLIANCE WITH RELEVANT STANDARDS, REQUIREMENTS, AND POLICIES
1y 11m to grant Granted Apr 21, 2026
Patent 12596979
PERSONALIZED RISK AND REWARD CRITERIA FOR WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT
3y 6m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

4-5
Expected OA Rounds
58%
Grant Probability
95%
With Interview (+37.1%)
3y 2m (~1m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 727 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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