DETAILED ACTION
This non-final rejection is responsive to the claims filed 29 September 2025. Claims 1-20 are pending. Claims 1, 8, and 15 are independent claims. A new non-final rejection is asserted.
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 Remarks
Claim Rejections – 35 U.S.C. 103
Applicant argues (24 February 2025) that the cited references do not teach the newly amended independent claims. In particular, the displaying of the formula built as a tree or in a mathematical notation.
Examiner agrees that Yeck does not teach the newly amended claims. However, Nhan provides this additional functionality, as further detailed below.
The foregoing applies to all independent claims and their dependent claims.
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 1-3, 5, 8-10, 12, 15-17, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yeck (US 2013/0080373 A1) hereinafter known as Yeck in view of Nhan (US 2022/0019323 A1) hereinafter known as Nhan.
Regarding independent claim 1, Yeck teaches:
accessing data from a laboratory analytical instrument associated with an analytical method encoded in a workflow, the data organized into one or more fields; (Yeck: Figs. 1A-2 and ¶[0029] and ¶[0060]; Yeck teaches a biochemical analysis system which imports experimental datasets and allows for statistical calculations. Data can be imported from files (output by laboratory apparatus). Further, Figs. 4, 5, 8, and 11 and ¶[0083]-¶[0085] teach example workflows such as the user importing data, filtering, and manipulating data.)
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An embodiment of Yeck does not explicitly teach but another embodiment teaches:
receiving a request to define a custom field for use in a stage of the workflow, the custom field representing a field that is not directly or explicitly measured by the laboratory analytical instrument, but derived at least partially from a measured field through a custom field calculation; (Yeck: Figs. 2-9 and ¶[0025], ¶[0047]-¶[0048], ¶[0051], ¶[0053], ¶[0083]-¶[0085]; Yeck teaches the user selecting control group data, comparison, and filtering parameters. The user may also select the type of statistical analysis of interest. The data analysis information is calculated whenever each value is changed. Further, Fig. 3 and ¶[0065] teaches the user being able to select a compare field, control field, and filter options. The foregoing parameters are interpreted as representing a field that is not directly or explicitly measured by the laboratory analytical instrument, but derived at least partially form a measured field through a custom field calculation. In other words, the user in Yeck may define a custom field of parameters which use the data from a laboratory instrument to derive data which is not directly or explicitly measured by the laboratory instrument.)
displaying, in an interface, a formula editor workspace that comprises a list of the one or more fields of the data, a list of available operators, and a formula editor ... comprising an interactive placeholder ... ; (Yeck: Figs. 3-9 and ¶[0065], ¶[0075], and ¶[0083]-¶[0085]; Yeck teaches an analysis control section where the user is able to select various fields of data, statistical tests, and filters. Further, there are statistical options 309 which provide different statistical test for analyzing the compare field and the control. The data selected is shown in the analysis control section where the user is able to select the checkboxes to select specific filtering criteria, which may be interpreted as placeholders.)
performing at least one of: receiving a selection of one of the available operators and incorporating the selected operator into the custom field in place of the interactive placeholder, or receiving a selection of one of the one or more fields and incorporating the selected field into the custom field in place of the interactive placeholder; and (Yeck: Figs. 3-9 and ¶[0065], ¶[0075], and ¶[0083]-¶[0085]; Yeck teaches an analysis control section where the user is able to select various fields of data, statistical tests, and filters. Further, there are statistical options 309 which provide different statistical test for analyzing the compare field and the control. The data selected is shown in the analysis control section where the user is able to select the checkboxes to select specific filtering criteria, which may be interpreted as placeholders.)
associating the custom field with the stage of the workflow, the associating making the custom field accessible to the workflow. (Yeck: Fig. 9 and ¶[0077]; Yeck teaches performing the statistical analysis based on the selections of the user. The foregoing is interpreted as associating all the fields that the user has selected with the workflow, i.e. the statistical analysis.)
Yeck is in the same field of endeavor as the present invention, as it is directed to analyzing data from laboratory instruments. It would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to a person of ordinary skill in the art, to combine lab instrument data with further performing an analysis based on the specifications of the user. An embodiment of Yeck already teaches retrieving data from a laboratory instrument. Thomas further provides the additional functionality of performing an analysis on the data based on the specifications of the user. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine these teachings because the combination would allow the user to customize the data calculation.
Yeck does not explicitly teach but Nhan teaches:
... displaying a formula being built as a tree or in a mathematical notation, the formula being built comprising an interactive placeholder that represents an empty graphical node into which one of the available operators or one of the available operands can be placed; (Nhan: Fig. 4C-4D and ¶[0049]; Nhan teaches a custom field formula view in mathematical notation where the user may replace the operands, which is interpreted as a placeholder.)
Nhan is analogous to the present invention, since it is reasonably pertinent to the problem faced by the inventor, i.e. statistical analysis of data. It would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to a person of ordinary skill in the art, to combine retrieving lab instrument data and allowing the user to configure its analysis as taught in Yeck with further providing a custom field formula view in mathematical notation as taught in Nhan. Yeck already teaches allowing the user to configure the statistical analysis of the lab instrument data. However, Yeck does not explicitly teach further providing a custom field formula view in mathematical notation. Nhan provides this additional functionality. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the teachings of Yeck to include teachings of Nhan because the combination would allow the user to efficiently configure the data.
Regarding claim 2, Yeck in view of Nhan further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 1 (as cited above).
Yeck further teaches:
further comprising computing a value for the custom field during the stage of the workflow. (Yeck: Fig. 9 and ¶[0077]; Yeck teaches performing the statistical analysis based on the selections of the user. The foregoing is interpreted as associating all the fields that the user has selected with the workflow, i.e. the statistical analysis.)
Regarding claim 3, Yeck in view of Nhan further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 1 (as cited above).
Yeck further teaches:
wherein the analytical method performs measurements on one or more injections into the laboratory analytical instrument, each injection including one or more components, and further comprising receiving a scope for the custom field, the scope specifying that the custom field calculation should be applied: to all components in each injection, to each component across all the injections, to all components across all the injections, or to peaks in the data. (Yeck: ¶[0038], ¶[0065], and ¶[0075]; Yeck allows the user to perform the statistical analysis on either plasma or the serum of the sample.)
Regarding claim 5, Yeck in view of Nhan further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 1 (as cited above).
Nhan further teaches:
further comprising: receiving a selection of a formula renderer interface element; and displaying the custom field in a formula renderer view in a mathematical notation. (Nhan: Fig. 4C; Nhan teaches a custom field formula view in mathematical notation.)
Regarding claims 8-10, 12, 15-17, and 19, these claims recite a computer-readable storage medium and a computing apparatus that performs the method of claims 1-3 and 5; therefore, the same rationale of rejection applies.
Claims 4, 11, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yeck in view of Nhan in view of Zdenek (US 2007/0033519 A1) hereinafter known as Zdenek.
Regarding claim 4, Yeck in view of Nhan further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 1 (as cited above).
Yeck does not explicitly teach the limitations of claim 4.
However, Zdenek teaches:
further comprising: receiving a selection of a tree view interface element; and displaying the custom field as a tree including a set of nodes representing operators and a set of leaf nodes representing operands. (Zdenek: Fig. 1 and ¶[0050]-¶[0051]; Zdenek teaches displaying formulas as tree nodes, which the user is able to select.)
Zdenek is analogous to the present invention, since it is reasonably pertinent to the problem faced by the inventor, i.e. representing custom configuration of a calculation. It would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to a person of ordinary skill in the art, to combine retrieving lab instrument data and allowing the user to configure its analysis as taught in Yeck with further a tree interface that represents the custom calculation as taught in Zdenek. Yeck already teaches allowing the user to configure the statistical analysis of the lab instrument data. However, Yeck does not explicitly teach a tree interface that represents the custom calculation. Zdenek provides this additional functionality. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the teachings of Yeck to include teachings of Zdenek because the combination would allow the user to efficiently configure the data.
Regarding claim 11 and 18, these claims recite a computer-readable storage medium and a computing apparatus that performs the method of claim 4; therefore, the same rationale of rejection applies.
Claims 6, 7, 13, 14, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yeck in view of Nhan in view of Sonny (https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/how-do-i-prevent-excel-from-automatically-locking/8a35ad6c-150c-430d-b3a4-13e50b081044, attached as pdf) hereinafter known as Sonny.
Regarding claim 6, Yeck in view of Nhan further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 1 (as cited above).
Yeck in view of Nhan does not explicitly teach the limitations of claim 6.
However, Sonny teaches:
further comprising displaying a textual representation of the custom field in a text box in the interface, wherein the text box is configured to receive a pasted formula from a clipboard but is configured not to allow the formula to be edited within the text box. (Sonny: pg. 1; Sonny teaches pasting a formula and the cell locking.)
Sonny is analogous to the present invention, since it is reasonably pertinent to the problem faced by the inventor, i.e. pasting protected data. It would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to a person of ordinary skill in the art, to combine retrieving lab instrument data and allowing the user to configure its analysis and providing a custom field formula view in mathematical notation as taught in Yeck in view of Nhan with further protecting the field against edits but allowing a paste operation as taught in Sonny. Sonny provides this additional functionality. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the teachings of Yeck and Nhan to include teachings of Sonny because the combination would allow the predictable result of protecting the pasted data.
Regarding claim 7, Yeck in view of Nhan in view of Sonny further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 6 (as cited above).
Nhan further teaches:
further comprising displaying a cursor at a location in the text box corresponding to a current editing action for the custom field. (Nhan: Fig. 5C; Nhan teaches a custom field formula view in mathematical notation and displaying a cursor.)
Regarding claims 13, 14, and 20, these claims recite a computer-readable storage medium and a computing apparatus that performs the method of claims 6 and 7; therefore, the same rationale of rejection applies.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEX OLSHANNIKOV whose telephone number is (571)270-0667. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-6.
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/ALEKSEY OLSHANNIKOV/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2118