Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/198,985

DECENTRALIZED DATA MAP FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A DATA ACCESSOR

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
May 18, 2023
Examiner
BRAHMACHARI, MANDRITA
Art Unit
2144
Tech Center
2100 — Computer Architecture & Software
Assignee
BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
76%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 0m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 76% — above average
76%
Career Allow Rate
311 granted / 407 resolved
+21.4% vs TC avg
Strong +30% interview lift
Without
With
+29.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 0m
Avg Prosecution
27 currently pending
Career history
434
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
10.5%
-29.5% vs TC avg
§103
54.5%
+14.5% vs TC avg
§102
7.8%
-32.2% vs TC avg
§112
17.9%
-22.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 407 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 . DETAILED ACTION The action is in response to claims dated 5/18/2023. Claims pending in the case: 1-13 Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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. Claim(s) 1-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Michaud (US 20230362091) in view of Guevara (US 20200150305) and Mathews (US 20180176197) Regarding Claim 1, Michaud teaches, A multi-layered data map in a data mesh, comprising: a data mesh (Michaud: [37, 48]: data mesh); a computer processor located in the data mesh (Michaud: Fig. 2 [33, 48]: data mesh process include processor); one or more data storage units in electronic communication with the data mesh (Michaud: Fig. 1B, [33, 40]: data mesh architecture with storage units), wherein one or more sets of data are stored in the one or more data storage units (Michaud: Fig. 1B, [25, 47, 51]: data mesh architecture with distributed storage units); one or more user devices in electronic communication with the data mesh (Michaud: Fig. 1B, [25, 54]: data mesh architecture with end users); … ; wherein the computer processor is configured to implement one or more machine learning systems (Michaud: [33-35]: “data mesh process 248 may utilize machine learning” data mesh with machine learning models) to: identify a content of the one or more sets of data distributed across the one or more data storage units (Michaud: [33]: “the model M can be used very easily to classify new data points” – identify content for the mesh); for each set of data of the one or more sets of data, … a level of sensitivity, …(Michaud: [61]: “a data source for compliance with a data privacy policy or data sovereignty policy”; [80]: “data security role”); identify one or more locations where the one or more sets of data are distributed across the one or more data storage units (Michaud: [52, 63, 71]: content locations; [78]: “mapping that indicates the physical locations of the data”); identify one or more points of interest within the one or more sets of data, wherein the one or more points of interest are one or more pieces of data and have been identified by the one or more machine learning systems to have a higher probability of recognition by an accessor than data in the one or more data sets other than the one or more points of interest (Michaud: [78-79]: identify based on a query relevant data of interest (points of interest)); …; in response to a request for data which meets pre-determined criteria from an accessor using a user device who presents one or more credentials (Michaud: [10, 61, 78-79]: user query for data as per user role), consult with the data map to: identify data from the one or more sets of data distributed across the one or more data storage units which meet the criteria for the request for data (Michaud: [78-79]: identify user query data); …; identify one or more locations associated with the identified data which are permitted to be shared with the accessor (Michaud: [78-79]: locate data as per user query; [52]: use “mapping of data topics/data types and location information for each of those topics/data types”); and identify one or more points of interest associated with the identified data which are permitted to be shared with the accessor (Michaud: [63-64, 71, 78-79]: identify content of interest based on query); and provide the accessor with the identified data which are permitted to be shared with the accessor, the one or more locations associated with the data, and the one or more points of interest associated with the data (Michaud: [81-83]: the information related to the data of interest is provided which are aggregated for presentation); However, Michaud does not specifically teach, a data map in electronic communication with the data mesh; for each set of data of the one or more sets of data, determine a level of sensitivity, wherein to access a set of data with a pre-determined level of sensitivity, one or more credentials are required; identify one or more points of interest within the one or more sets of data, wherein the one or more points of interest are one or more pieces of data and have been identified by the one or more machine learning systems to have a higher probability of recognition by an accessor than data in the one or more data sets other than the one or more points of interest; populate the data map with the content of the one or more sets of data, the one or more locations of the one or more sets of data, the level of sensitivity associated with each of the one or more sets of data, and one or more points of interest within the one or more sets of data; consult with the data map to: identify data determine which of the identified data are at a level of sensitivity permitted to be shared with the accessor based on the presented one or more credentials; Guevara teaches, a data map in electronic communication with the data mesh (Guevara: Fig. 1 [21, 23]: generate a data map); identify one or more points of interest within the one or more sets of data, wherein the one or more points of interest are one or more pieces of data and have been identified by the one or more machine learning systems to have a higher probability of recognition by an accessor than data in the one or more data sets other than the one or more points of interest (Guevara: Fig. 1 [21-23]: identify specific data and data attributes to generate a relevant (probability of recognition for a purpose) data map); populate the data map with the content of the one or more sets of data, the one or more locations of the one or more sets of data, the level of sensitivity associated with each of the one or more sets of data, and one or more points of interest within the one or more sets of data (Guevara: Fig. 1 [21-23]: identify content data and data attributes to generate a relevant data map; level of sensitivity is a data attribute); It is obvious that a data map includes level of sensitivity of data in the map for data processing; consult with the data map to: identify data (Guevara: Fig. 1 [24, 35]: use data map to produce content for user); It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Michaud and Guevara because the combination would enable using a data map to retrieve data from data mesh by aggregating content of specific purpose in the data map to be used for a user query. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teachings because the combination would improve the system’s the ability to use data captured from different sources, involve different purposes, and be stored in different databases in a comprehensive manner to predict outcomes (see Guevara [2]); Mathews further teaches, for each set of data of the one or more sets of data, determine a level of sensitivity, wherein to access a set of data with a pre-determined level of sensitivity, one or more credentials are required (Mathews: [18]: request access to data; determines that security key is needed for some data portions (sensitive); “determine an access tier associated with the security key”; [36]: access level for sensitive data); determine which of the identified data are at a level of sensitivity permitted to be shared with the accessor based on the presented one or more credentials (Mathews: [18]: determine access to sensitive content based on security key of proper authorized individual); It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Michaud, Guevara and Mathews because the combination would enable a verification process for access to secure content. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teachings because the combination would “improve data security systems and methods utilized by a business organization to protect their data from exposure to unauthorized individuals” (see Mathews [2]). Regarding claim 2, Michaud, Guevara and Mathews teach the invention as claimed in claim 1 above and, wherein the one or more machine learning systems are deep learning systems (Michaud: [35]: machine learning techniques for data mesh processing – multi layered neural networks (deep learning)) (Guevara: [43]: multi-layer neural networks). Regarding claim 3, Michaud, Guevara and Mathews teach the invention as claimed in claim 1 above and, wherein the one or more machine learning systems are artificial intelligence systems (Michaud: [35]: “artificial neural networks”). Regarding claim 4, Michaud, Guevara and Mathews teach the invention as claimed in claim 1 above and, wherein the one or more machine learning systems present data from a viewpoint of a consumer (Michaud: [64]: data for different user roles – consumer); The Examiner further notes that the fact that the user is a consumer is not functionally involved in the steps recited. Thus, this will not distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art in terms of patentability. Regarding claim 5, Michaud, Guevara and Mathews teach the invention as claimed in claim 1 above and, wherein the one or more machine learning systems present data from a viewpoint of a back-end operator (Michaud: [64]: data for different user roles – user may be back-end operator); The Examiner further notes that the fact that the user is a back-end operator is not functionally involved in the steps recited. Thus, this will not distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art in terms of patentability. Regarding claim 6, Michaud, Guevara and Mathews teach the invention as claimed in claim 1 above and, wherein the one or more machine learning systems present data from a viewpoint of a sales representative (Michaud: [64]: data for different user roles – user may be a sales representative); The Examiner further notes that the fact that the user is a sales representative is not functionally involved in the steps recited. Thus, this will not distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art in terms of patentability. Regarding Claim(s) 7-12, this/these claim(s) is/are similar in scope as claim(s) 1-6. Therefore, this/these claim(s) is/are rejected under the same rationale. Regarding Claim 13, Michaud teaches, A system that uses a multi-layered data map to identify and share sensitive data stored in a data mesh which minimizes risk of unapproved access to sensitive data, comprising: a data mesh (Michaud: [37, 48]: data mesh); a data orchestrator located in the data mesh, the data orchestrator comprising a computer processor (Michaud: Fig. 2 [33, 48]: data mesh process include processor); one or more data storage units located in the data mesh and in electronic communication with the data orchestrator (Michaud: Fig. 1B, [33, 40]: data mesh architecture with storage units), wherein: one or more sets of data are stored in the one or more data storage units (Michaud: Fig. 1B, [33, 40]: data in storage units); and … ; one or more controllers located in the data mesh and in electronic communication with the data orchestrator and the one or more data storage units (Michaud: Fig. 1B-2 [33, 48]: data mesh process for data access from storage); one or more user devices located in the data mesh and in electronic communication with the data orchestrator (Michaud: Fig. 1B-2 [33, 48]: data mesh process for data access from storage; [78-79]: user query for data); … ; wherein the data orchestrator is configured to implement one or more machine learning systems (Michaud: [33-35]: “data mesh process 248 may utilize machine learning” to: identify a content of the one or more sets of data distributed across the one or more data storage units (Michaud: [33]: “the model M can be used very easily to classify new data points” – identify content for the mesh); identify a pre-determined level of sensitivity for each of the one or more sets of data (Michaud: [61]: “a data source for compliance with a data privacy policy or data sovereignty policy”; [80]: “data security role”), …; identify one or more locations where the one or more sets of data are distributed across the one or more data storage units (Michaud: [52, 63, 71]: content locations; [78]: “mapping that indicates the physical locations of the data”); identify one or more points of interest within the one or more sets of data, wherein the one or more points of interest are one or more pieces of data that have been pre- determined to have a higher probability of recognition by an accessor than data in the one or more sets of data other than the one or more points of interest (Michaud: [78-79]: identify based on a query relevant data of interest (points of interest)); … ; when the data orchestrator receives a request for one or more sets of data from an accessor: receive credentials from the accessor (Michaud: [78-79]: user query for data); look up … to find one or more sets of data that meet the request from the accessor, and which are permitted to be shared … (Michaud: [78-79]: identify user query data); …; and in response to the request for one or more sets of data from the accessor, provide the accessor with an identified one or more sets of data which are permitted to be shared with the accessor…, the one or more locations associated with the one or more sets of data, and the one or more points of interest associated with the one or more sets of data (Michaud: [81-83]: the information related to the data of interest is provided); However, Michaud does not specifically teach, the one or more data storage units are kept in a dormant state; a data map located in the data mesh and in electronic communication with the data orchestrator; wherein the pre-determined level of sensitivity indicates what credentials are required to access each of the one or more sets of data; populate the data map with the content of the one or more sets of data, the pre- determined level of sensitivity for each of the one or more sets of data, the one or more locations of the one or more sets of data, and the one or more points of interest within the one or more sets of data; look up in the data map to find one or more sets of data; data which are permitted to be shared based on the credentials from the accessor; provide the credentials from the accessor to the one or more controllers positioned between the data orchestrator and the one or more data storage units; receive clearance from the one or more controllers to access the one or more data storage units, wherein the one or more controllers wakes up the one or more data storage units from the dormant state; and provide the credentials from the accessor to the one or more data storage units; based on the credentials from the accessor; Guevara teaches, a data map located in the data mesh and in electronic communication with the data orchestrator (Guevara: Fig. 1 [21, 23]: a data map to be used for data access); populate the data map with the content of the one or more sets of data, the pre- determined level of sensitivity for each of the one or more sets of data, the one or more locations of the one or more sets of data, and the one or more points of interest within the one or more sets of data (Guevara: Fig. 1 [21-23]: identify content data and data attributes to generate a relevant data map; level of sensitivity is a data attribute); It is obvious that a data map includes level of sensitivity of data in the map for data processing; look up in the data map to find one or more sets of data (Guevara: Fig. 1 [24, 35]: use data map to produce content for user); It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Michaud and Guevara because the combination would enable using a data map to retrieve data from data mesh by aggregating content of specific purpose in the data map to be used for a user query. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teachings because the combination would improve the system’s the ability to use data captured from different sources, involve different purposes, and be stored in different databases in a comprehensive manner to predict outcomes (see Guevara [2]); Mathews further teaches, the one or more data storage units are kept in a dormant state (Mathews: [18]: sensitive data may be accessed only after security key is provided – data in dormant state prior to the trigger to access it); wherein the pre-determined level of sensitivity indicates what credentials are required to access each of the one or more sets of data (Mathews: [18]: data based on security code; [36]: access levels for sensitive data); data which are permitted to be shared based on the credentials from the accessor (Mathews: [18]: data based on security code; [36]: access levels for sensitive data); provide the credentials from the accessor to the one or more controllers positioned between the data orchestrator and the one or more data storage units (Mathews: [18]: determine access to sensitive content based on security key of proper authorized individual; [41]: “The data management server 120 may process the data requests received from the user device 110 and relay the request to a data server 130 to retrieve the data from the data repository” - data management server (controller) positioned between requesting device and storage); receive clearance from the one or more controllers to access the one or more data storage units, wherein the one or more controllers wakes up the one or more data storage units from the dormant state (Mathews: [18]: sensitive data may be accessed only after security key is provided – woken by the trigger to access it); and provide the credentials from the accessor to the one or more data storage units (Mathews: [18]: security key to access data); based on the credentials from the accessor (Mathews: [18]: data based on security key); It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Michaud, Guevara and Mathews because the combination would enable a verification process for access to secure content. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teachings because the combination would “improve data security systems and methods utilized by a business organization to protect their data from exposure to unauthorized individuals” (see Mathews [2]). Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure in the attached 892. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MANDRITA BRAHMACHARI whose telephone number is (571)272-9735. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday, 11 am to 8 pm EST. 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, Tamara Kyle can be reached at 571 272 4241. 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. /Mandrita Brahmachari/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2144
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Prosecution Timeline

May 18, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 09, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §103 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
76%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+29.8%)
3y 0m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 407 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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