DETAILED ACTION
This is a Final office action in response to claims on 05/30/2026. Claims 20-35 are pending. The effective filing date is 10/05/2023.
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/05/2023 was filed. The submission 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 § 101
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 20-35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
Step 1- Claims 20-33 is directed to a method, which is a statutory category. Claim 34 is directed to a system, a statutory category. Claim 35 is directed to a non-transitory computer readable medium, which is an article of manufacture, a statutory category. Claims 20-35 passes step 1.
Step 2A, Prong 1- Independent claim 20, and similarly claim 34 and 35, are recite:
A method for managing inventory items within a hierarchical chain of personnel, the method assigning and tracking responsibility for end item instances and their associated component instances among multiple levels of users and providing centralized reporting of inventory accountability (the method of assigning and tracking responsibilities for specific items, assignments being reported is a method of managing personal behavior under MPEP 2106.04(a)(2)(III)(C). See that the management of personal behavior includes storing limits that a user has selected, to be stored to make decisions, and here when responsibilities are assigned, tis has been decided by a user, and stored in the database), the method comprising:
receiving a hierarchy tree from a database, wherein the hierarchy tree defines at least a first user to second user relationship, at least one end item category of inventory items, a list comprising at least one serial number associated with an end item associated with the at least one end item category and first user, and at least one component and their associations to the end item (receiving information from a database is a form of receiving information, which is grouped as a mental process under MPEP 2106.04(a)(2)(III)(A) a claim to "collecting information, analyzing it, and displaying certain results of the collection and analysis," where the data analysis steps are recited at a high level of generality such that they could practically be performed in the human mind, Electric Power Group v. Alstom, S.A., 830 F.3d 1350, 1353-54, 119 USPQ2d 1739, 1741-42 (Fed. Cir. 2016));
generating a sublist of serial numbers, components and end items by receiving input from a first user device associated with the first user assigning the at least one serial number on the list to the second user, such that improper assignments are automatically prevented when a mismatch between the assignment and hierarchy tree is identified (the generation of serial numbers is done by the user inputting information to make a decision, which is a method of managing personal behavior since the user is making decision about the identification of items using serial numbers, see MPEP 2106.04(a)(2)(II)(C));
displaying on a second user device a first serial number, wherein the first serial number is the at least one serial number assigned to the sublist, the end item associated with the first serial number, and a first component associated with the end item as confirmed by the hierarchy tree and sublist, wherein the second user device is associated with the second user (the displaying of information is a mental process that can be performed in the human mind, as it is the expression of information being shared, under MPEP 2106.04(a)(2)(III)(A) a claim to "collecting information, analyzing it, and displaying certain results of the collection and analysis," where the data analysis steps are recited at a high level of generality such that they could practically be performed in the human mind, Electric Power Group v. Alstom, S.A., 830 F.3d 1350, 1353-54, 119 USPQ2d 1739, 1741-42 (Fed. Cir. 2016));
receiving user input to identify a quantity on hand of the first component, wherein the user input is confirmed to be generated by the second user associated with the first serial number defined by the relationship found in the hierarchy tree and sublist (receiving information from a user is a form of receiving information, which is grouped as a mental process under MPEP 2106.04(a)(2)(III)(A) a claim to "collecting information, analyzing it, and displaying certain results of the collection and analysis," where the data analysis steps are recited at a high level of generality such that they could practically be performed in the human mind, Electric Power Group v. Alstom, S.A., 830 F.3d 1350, 1353-54, 119 USPQ2d 1739, 1741-42 (Fed. Cir. 2016));
generating a component completion status by confirming input received through the second user device in comparison to the sublist (generation of a status is complete by comparing information and making a determination, the act of analyzing information is grouped as a mental process under MPEP 2106.04(a)(2)(III)(A) a claim to "collecting information, analyzing it, and displaying certain results of the collection and analysis," where the data analysis steps are recited at a high level of generality such that they could practically be performed in the human mind, Electric Power Group v. Alstom, S.A., 830 F.3d 1350, 1353-54, 119 USPQ2d 1739, 1741-42 (Fed. Cir. 2016));
in response to the component completion status, automatically displaying within the second user device at least one of a secondary component associated with the first end item (the displaying of information is a mental process that can be performed in the human mind, as it is the expression of information being shared, under MPEP 2106.04(a)(2)(III)(A) a claim to "collecting information, analyzing it, and displaying certain results of the collection and analysis," where the data analysis steps are recited at a high level of generality such that they could practically be performed in the human mind, Electric Power Group v. Alstom, S.A., 830 F.3d 1350, 1353-54, 119 USPQ2d 1739, 1741-42 (Fed. Cir. 2016));
generating a serial number completion status by confirming input received through the second user device in comparison to the sublist based on receiving a component completion status for each component associated with the first serial number in the sublist (generation of a status is complete by comparing information and making a determination, the act of analyzing information is grouped as a mental process under MPEP 2106.04(a)(2)(III)(A) a claim to "collecting information, analyzing it, and displaying certain results of the collection and analysis," where the data analysis steps are recited at a high level of generality such that they could practically be performed in the human mind, Electric Power Group v. Alstom, S.A., 830 F.3d 1350, 1353-54, 119 USPQ2d 1739, 1741-42 (Fed. Cir. 2016));
in response to the serial number completion status, automatically displaying within the second user device a second serial number associated with the end item of the first serial number and the first component confirmed through the hierarchy tree wherein display of the second serial number information is prevented until the serial number completion status is satisfied (the displaying of information is a mental process that can be performed in the human mind, as it is the expression of information being shared, under MPEP 2106.04(a)(2)(III)(A) a claim to "collecting information, analyzing it, and displaying certain results of the collection and analysis," where the data analysis steps are recited at a high level of generality such that they could practically be performed in the human mind, Electric Power Group v. Alstom, S.A., 830 F.3d 1350, 1353-54, 119 USPQ2d 1739, 1741-42 (Fed. Cir. 2016));
generating an inventory report by comparing the serial number completion status and component completion status to the sublist (generation of a report is completed by comparing information and making a determination, the act of analyzing information is grouped as a mental process under MPEP 2106.04(a)(2)(III)(A) a claim to "collecting information, analyzing it, and displaying certain results of the collection and analysis," where the data analysis steps are recited at a high level of generality such that they could practically be performed in the human mind, Electric Power Group v. Alstom, S.A., 830 F.3d 1350, 1353-54, 119 USPQ2d 1739, 1741-42 (Fed. Cir. 2016)); and
automatically displaying the inventory report on the first or second user device (the displaying of information is a mental process that can be performed in the human mind, as it is the expression of information being shared, under MPEP 2106.04(a)(2)(III)(A) a claim to "collecting information, analyzing it, and displaying certain results of the collection and analysis," where the data analysis steps are recited at a high level of generality such that they could practically be performed in the human mind, Electric Power Group v. Alstom, S.A., 830 F.3d 1350, 1353-54, 119 USPQ2d 1739, 1741-42 (Fed. Cir. 2016)).
Claims 20, 34 and 35 do not pass step 2A, Prong 1.
Step 2A, Prong 2-The additional elements of the independent claims 20, and similarly claims 34 and 35, include a computing system, processor, and memory. This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because the elements are used as a tool to perform the abstract idea. Under MPEP 2106.05(f)(2) when the computer is used in its ordinary capacity for tasks, such as receiving, storing and transmitting data, or that a general-purpose computer is added after the fact to an abstract idea, this does not integrate the judicial exception into a practical application. Here, the use of a processor to receive, display and perform an analysis is the use in its ordinary capacity. The same applies to the computer memory, in that it is used to store instructions and the information being transmitted and analyzed.
Claims 20, 34 and 35 do not pass step 2A, Prong 2.
Step 2B-The independent claim 20, and similarly claim 34 and 35, do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because the additional element presented are general purpose computers, in that they are recited as processor and memory that are ordinarily part of a computer, and does no add significantly more than the abstract idea under MPEP 2106.05(f).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 05/30/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 20-35 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
All prior claims have been deleted, and claims 20-25 are all new, and therefore require a new 101 analysis and rejection, which does not rely on the previous reasoning.
The 102 and 103 has been removed, since the new claims, and after Applicant interview, Examiner notes that the claim is directed to a specific serial number being created for a specific item and is distinct from the prior art that relies on a SKU, which is assigned to a broad range of items of similar nature. This instant invention is directed toward a specific item having a specific number and being able to locate a specific item stored within an inventory.
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 2021/0357855 A1 Avery Jr. teaches managing inventory (Abstract).
US 20070112574 A1 Green teaches RFID tagging items for lifecycle management of items (Abstract).
US 2022/0092680 A1 DeFrancesco et al. teaches an inventory check (DeFrancesco Abstract, inventory database; Fig. 7).
US 2021/0042572 A1 Price et al. teaches an inventory search system (Price [0125] the inventory search system may choose to skip a step).
Conclusion
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.
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/JESSICA E SULLIVAN/ Examiner, Art Unit 3627
/FAHD A OBEID/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3627
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