Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/188,429

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR BLOCKING SPOOFED COMMUNICATIONS WITH IDENTITY MAPPING TO SAFEGUARD RECIPIENT PRIVACY AND PREVENT FRAUD

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Mar 22, 2023
Examiner
KIM, TAE K
Art Unit
2496
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Capital One Services LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
74%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2m
Est. Remaining
80%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 74% — above average
74%
Career Allowance Rate
491 granted / 661 resolved
+16.3% vs TC avg
Moderate +5% lift
Without
With
+5.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 6m
Avg Prosecution
16 currently pending
Career history
690
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.2%
-38.8% vs TC avg
§103
72.7%
+32.7% vs TC avg
§102
19.1%
-20.9% vs TC avg
§112
4.1%
-35.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 661 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION This Action is in consideration of the Applicant’s response on March 10, 2026. Claims 21, 22, and 31 are amended by the Applicant. Claims 27 – 30 and 37 – 40 are withdrawn as being a non-elected species. Claims 1 – 20 were previously canceled. Claims 21 – 26 and 31 – 36, where Claims 21, 22, and 31 are in independent form, are presented for examination. 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 . Election/Restrictions Applicant's election with traverse of Invention II, Species A in the reply filed on March 10, 2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that Claim 21, Invention I, is drawn to a similar invention as Invention II. Based on the amendments provided in the response, Claim 21 is similar to the claims of Invention II, Species A. However, regarding the election of Species A versus Species B, the Applicant’s arguments are not found persuasive because the applicant only distinguishes particular claims that do have the exact language in the election requirement. For example, the arguments indicate that Claims 24 and 26 do not recite the displaying of information, yet Claims 23 and 25 do. The type of information being displayed is related to the limitations found in Claims 24 and 26, thus grouped in the same species. Likewise, limitations for training a model are found in Claims 27 and 30, but not in Claims 28 and 29. But the de-indentifying of incoming communications is found in the claims of Species B and grouped together. Based on the amendments, Claim 21 is rejoined, leaving Claims 27 – 30 and 37 – 40 as being non-elected claims. The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a): (a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112: The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Claims 21 – 26 and 31 – 36 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the enablement requirement. 1. Regarding Claims 21, 22, and 31, the claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to enable one skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and/or use the invention. Nothing within the specification defines or describes how and “unknown hash” is generated or created by using the sender identity and communication data. Furthermore, the specification does not disclose what is an “unknown hash,” which is then input into an AI model to generate a score. 2. Regarding Clams 23 – 26 and 32 – 36, the claims are rejected based on their dependency of Claims 22 and 31 and under the same rationale. 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 21 – 26 and 31 – 36 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. 3. Regarding Claims 21, 22, and 31, the term “unknown hash” is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “unknown hash” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. Based on the plain meaning of the term “unknown hash,” is a value that resulted from a hash function. If the identity map comprises one or more unknown hashes, doesn’t that indicate that the “unknown hash” value is known. Nothing in the specification indicates how an unknown value can be returned and then input into an AI model. 4. Regarding Clams 23 – 26 and 32 – 36, the claims are rejected based on their dependency of Claims 22 and 31 and under the same rationale. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. PGPub. 2017/0295195. Contacts Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TAE K KIM whose telephone number is (571)270-1979. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-5:30. 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, Jorge Ortiz-Criado can be reached at 5712727642. 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. /TAE K KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2496
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 22, 2023
Application Filed
Jun 03, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
74%
Grant Probability
80%
With Interview (+5.3%)
3y 6m (~2m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 661 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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