DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the communication filed on 01/02/2026.
Claims 1-4, 6-13, 15-22 are pending.
Claims 1-2, 6-8, 10, 15-17 and 19-20 have been amended.
Claims 5 and 14 are canceled.
Claims 21 and 22 are new.
Claims 1-4, 6-13 and 15-22 are object to as containing allowable subject matter.
The Examiner cites particular sections in the references as applied to the claims below for the convenience of the applicant(s). Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested that, in preparing responses, the applicant(s) fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.
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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
The 101 rejection is not withdrawn. The amendments do not overcome the 101 rejection because the amendments, generating, storing and combining, do not integrate the judicial exception into a practical application. For example, the amendments to not transmit, use or otherwise take advantage of the calculation results (ciphertext of the plaintext data).
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to abstract idea – mental process without significantly more. The claims recite generating, and selecting two prices of data and calculating ciphertext using the two components of ciphertext data. This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because the steps can be categorized as mental steps or processes which can be performed in the human mind. For example, generating and selecting pieces of ciphertext data and using it to generate a ciphertext can be performed in the human mind or with pen and paper. The claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because the additional elements recited “computer-implemented” and computer memory devices” amount to generic computer elements and fail to integrate the judicial exception into a practical application. The dependent claims are also rejected under the same rational because they recite similar steps and do not cure the enumerated deficiencies. Dependent claims further recite steps that are directed to mental steps and don’t integrate the abstract idea into practical application, therefore, are also rejected under the same rationale set forth above.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The 112 rejections have been withdrawn due to Applicant’s amendments.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 01/02/2026 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 103 rejection has been withdrawn.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's
disclosure.
Kong 2021-08-12 (US 20210377010) teaches a key management method and a related device, the method including: selecting a random number and a key according to an operation instruction inputted by a user; generating a first encryption ciphertext of the key, according to the random number, the key, a first public key, and a second public key, the first public key being determined according to a point on an elliptic curve and a private key of a hardware security module (HSM), and the second public key being determined according to the point on the elliptic curve and a private key of the client; generating a symmetric key sequence according to the key and a preselected hash function; encrypting data according to the symmetric key sequence to obtain a data ciphertext; and transmitting the first encryption ciphertext and the data ciphertext to a cloud server.
Ghazi 2023-04-07 (US 20230327850) teaches systems and methods for the computation of sparse, (ε, δ)-differentially private (DP) histograms in the two-server model of secure multi-party computation (MPC). Example protocols enable two semi-honest non-colluding servers to compute histograms over the data held by multiple users, while only learning a private view of the data.
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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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 THOMAS A CARNES whose telephone number is (571)272-4378. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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, Shewaye Gelagay can be reached at (571) 272-4219. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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THOMAS A. CARNES
Examiner
Art Unit 2436
/THOMAS A CARNES/Examiner, Art Unit 2436
/SHEWAYE GELAGAY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2436