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
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s “Amendment” filed on 09/10/2025 has been considered.
Claims 1, 8, 14, and 18 are amended. Claims 1-8 and 14-20 remain pending in this application and an action on the merits follow.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/10/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 5-8, 14, and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0228760 to Mason et al.
With regard to claims 1 and 14, Mason discloses a product registration device, comprising:
a display screen (Fig. 1, paragraphs 31 and 37, a touchscreen);
a network interface (Fig. 1, paragraph 36);
a storage memory unit for storing a customer identification (Fig. 1, paragraph 38 and 91, Once inputted, this user profile information may be transmitted to the enterprise server 210 for processing and/or storage);
a product reader configured to read commodity identification information from a product to be purchased (Fig. 1, paragraph 31, the user 102 may capture an image of the product barcode 106 using a camera 108 of the user device 104); and
a processor configured to (Fig. 1, paragraph 38):
register commodity identification information read by the product reader in a sales transaction associated with a transaction identification by sending the commodity identification information to an external server device connected via the network interface (paragraphs 93-94 and 98, the user interface 700 may prompt the shopper to reattempt the image capture process. Once successfully captured, the image of the product barcode may be utilized to identify coupon offers 704 relevant to the product. In some embodiments, and with reference to FIG. 2, the image of the product barcode may be transmitted from the user device 202 to the enterprise server 210, which may then identify relevant coupon offers and/or any associated coupon offer information. the generated wallet barcode 804 may include product information associated with each selected coupon offer 802 to be redeemed. The wallet barcode may also include information associated with the shopper, retailer, and/or supplier. For example, the wallet barcode may include a transaction number, a product identification number. Examiner notes that the product barcode/ product identification number scanned is transmitting to the enterprise server to register the product identification number and the identified coupon offers selected associated with a transaction number in a shopper’s wallet during a sale transaction process, which is considered as “register commodity identification information read by the product reader in a sales transaction associated with a transaction identification by sending the commodity identification information to an external server device”);
acquire the transaction identification for the sales transaction from the external server device (paragraph 98, The wallet barcode may also include information associated with the shopper, retailer, and/or supplier. For example, the wallet barcode may include a transaction number);
generate a code symbol encoding the acquired transaction identification and the customer identification from the storage memory unit (paragraphs 97-98, When the shopper is ready to check out and purchase the product(s) (and/or complete a transaction of another type), the user interface 800 may redeem the selected coupon offers 802 at a point-of-sale terminal of a retail location quickly and efficiently. The shopper may utilize the user interface 800 to generate a wallet barcode 804. The generated wallet barcode 804 may include product information associated with each selected coupon offer 802 to be redeemed. The wallet barcode may also include information associated with the shopper, retailer, and/or supplier. For example, the wallet barcode may include a transaction number, a product identification number, a store identification number, a point-of-sale terminal identification number, an employee identification number associated with the point-of-sale terminal at which the transaction occurs, location information associated with the shopper and/or the retailer, and/or the like. ); and
cause the display screen to display the generated code symbol (paragraphs 97-98, The user interface 800 may then display the wallet barcode 804 so that the wallet barcode 804 may be scanned at a point-of-sale terminal for redemption of the selected coupon offers 802.).
With regard to claims 5 and 20, Mason discloses the code symbol is a two-dimensional code (Fig. 1, the wallet barcode).
With regard to claims 6 and 19, Mason discloses the code symbol is a bar code (Fig. 1, the wallet barcode).
With regard to claim 7, Mason discloses the product reader is a camera unit (claim 23, the input device includes a camera).
With regard to claims 8 and 18, Mason discloses the customer identification is pre-stored in the storage memory unit before commodity identification information is registered in the sale transaction on the external server device (paragraph 52, the profile management unit 310 may prompt a shopper to register by inputting authentication credentials, personal information (e.g., an age, a gender, and/or the like)).
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 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.
Claims 2-4 and 15-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0228760 to Mason et al., in view of China Patent No. CN 112837071 to LV.
With regard to claims 2 and 15, Mason substantially discloses the claimed invention, however, Mason does not disclose the processor is further configured to display a customer identification entry screen on the display screen to permit a customer to store the customer identification in the storage memory unit.
However, LV teaches the processor is further configured to display a customer identification entry screen on the display screen to permit a customer to store the customer identification in the storage memory unit (the user also can click the " adding " of the card interface, entering the membership card information editing interface, recording the corresponding member card information, clicking and storing, returning to the card packet interface, page 18, lines 8-10).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mason to include, the processor is further configured to display a customer identification entry screen on the display screen to permit a customer to store the customer identification in the storage memory unit, as taught in LV, in order to reduce the interaction time and improve the settlement efficiency (LV, page 2, lines 35-36).
With regard to claims 3 and 16, Mason substantially discloses the claimed invention, however, Mason does not disclose the customer identification stored in the storage memory unit can be set to a null value according to customer selection.
However, LV teaches the customer identification stored in the storage memory unit can be set to a null value according to customer selection (if the feedback information is not continuously using the member payment, the payment server uses the non-member price for settlement, page 23, lines 7-8).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mason to include, the customer identification stored in the storage memory unit can be set to a null value according to customer selection, as taught in LV, in order to reduce the interaction time and improve the settlement efficiency (LV, page 2, lines 35-36).
With regard to claims 4 and 17, Mason substantially discloses the claimed invention, however, Mason does not disclose the processor is further configured to display a customer identification selection screen on the display screen to permit a customer to select the customer identification for the sales transaction from a plurality of customer identifications stored in the storage memory unit.
However, LV teaches the processor is further configured to display a customer identification selection screen on the display screen to permit a customer to select the customer identification for the sales transaction from a plurality of customer identifications stored in the storage memory unit (the card packet interface displays all the stored membership card information, the user selects one of the membership card according to the need, and clicking the corresponding membership card of the payment (eleventh operation), page 19, lines 13-16).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mason to include, the processor is further configured to display a customer identification selection screen on the display screen to permit a customer to select the customer identification for the sales transaction from a plurality of customer identifications stored in the storage memory unit, as taught in LV, in order to reduce the interaction time and improve the settlement efficiency (LV, page 2, lines 35-36).
Response to Arguments
Applicants' arguments filed on 09/10/2025 have been fully considered but they are not fully persuasive especially in light of the previously references applied in the rejections.
Applicants remark that “Mason does not disclose register commodity identification information read by the product reader in a sales transaction associated with a transaction identification by sending the commodity identification information to an external server device connected via the network interface”.
Examiner directs Applicants' attention to the office action above.
Conclusion
Please refer to form 892 for cited references.
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 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 from the examiner should be directed to Ariel Yu whose telephone number is 571-270-3312. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Obeid Fahd A can be reached on 571-270-3324. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ARIEL J YU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3627