DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on July 14, 2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed July 14, 2026 has been entered. Claims 1-24 remain pending in the application. Claims 1, 17, and 22 are noted as amended and claim 24 is noted as newly added. Applicant’s amendments to the claims have overcome all previous objections set forth in the Final Office Action mailed March 18, 2026 and all objections therein have been withdrawn.
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 1-24 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 written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Claims 1 and 22 recite the new limitation “receive input from a lecturer device to advance through the plurality of ordered content segments, wherein the input defines start and end time boundaries of each of the plurality of ordered content segments” [emphasis added]. Paragraph 0057 of the instant specification provides support for the first portion of the newly added limitation as it recites the lecturer device may be configured to receive input from the lecturer to move through content segments. However, the specification does not describe how the input defines start and end time boundaries of each of the plurality of ordered content segments. In addition to the limitation being new matter, as the limitation is a computer implemented method/function, per MPEP 2161.01, the specification must provide description of the hardware and the algorithm for performing the function. The specification fails to provide the specific steps/algorithm for performing the function of defining start and end time boundaries. Therefore, the specification fails to sufficiently describe the claimed limitation amounting to new matter. Claims 1 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a).
Claims 2-21 and 23-24 are rejected by virtue of their dependency from claim 1.
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 1-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. Claims 1 and 22 recite a process and a computer system for performing the process, the process including the steps of one or more requests to the learners to provide structured feedback at a corresponding one or more of first content locations predefined to be interspersed among a plurality of ordered content segments, each segment including a portion of learning content for the lecture; one or more requests to the learners to provide unstructured feedback at a plurality of second content locations that are not predefined; receiving the structured feedback at one or more corresponding first time points within the corresponding one or more of the first content locations from at least one of the learners; receiving the unstructured feedback at one or more corresponding second time points within the plurality of second content locations from at least one of the learners; defining start and end time boundaries of each of the plurality of ordered content segments; upon analyzing the structured feedback and the unstructured feedback, estimating a plurality of engagement metrics each measuring a degree of engagement of the learners at a corresponding one of the plurality of ordered content segments during the lecture based at least in part on the one or more corresponding first time points, the one or more corresponding second time points, and the input to advance through the plurality of ordered content segments; and generating a visual representation of the engagement metrics, the visual representation including a graph of the degree of engagement over the plurality of ordered content segments and visually mapped to the corresponding ones of the plurality of ordered content segments. The recited steps, under their broadest reasonable interpretation, are requesting learners to provide structured and unstructured feedback at a plurality of content locations, receiving the structured and unstructured feedback, defining start and end time boundaries of each segment, analyzing the feedback, estimating a plurality of engagement metrics at corresponding time points, and generating a visual representation of the metrics including a graph of the engagement over time. The recited steps, as drafted, are a process that is a method of applying an abstract idea, specifically mental processes (evaluation (analyzing the feedback; estimating a plurality of metrics; generating a visual representation), observation/judgement (defining start and end time boundaries)) and/or certain methods of organizing human activity (requesting structured and unstructured feedback; receiving the feedback). If claim limitations, under their broadest reasonable interpretation, include a mental process and/or certain methods of organizing human activity, the limitations fall under the abstract ideas judicial exception and therefore recite ineligible subject matter. Accordingly, claims 1 and 22 recite abstract ideas.
The judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because the claims do not recite additional elements that are significantly more than the judicial exception or meaningfully limit the practice of the judicial exception. The additional elements are at least one processor [claim 22]; memory in communication with said at least one processor [claim 22]; software code stored in said memory, which when executed at said at least one processor causes the system to perform the method [claim 22]; transmitting to a plurality of learner devices, each operated by a corresponding learner of a plurality of learners, signals for providing a graphical user interface that presents the requests; the feedback from at least one of the learner devices operated by at least one of the learners; receiving input from a lecturer device to advance through the plurality of ordered content segments, wherein the input defines start and end time boundaries of each of the plurality of ordered content segments; and transmitting to a lecturer device, data for generating the visual representation, wherein the visual representation comprises a timeline spanning the plurality of timepoints and a plurality of segment demarcation graphical markers corresponding to respective ones of the ordered content segments, each of the segment demarcation graphical markers rendered at a location in time alignment with start and end time boundaries of a corresponding content segment of the plurality of ordered content segments, wherein selection of a given segment demarcation graphical marker of the plurality of segment demarcation graphical markers causes the lecturer device to display segment-specific data reflective of the engagement metrics for the corresponding content segment. The additional elements are insignificant extra-solution activity and instructions for applying the judicial exception with a generic computing device as, under their broadest reasonable interpretation, the additional step(s) is/are merely transmitting data over a network (see MPEP 2106.05(d)), receiving user input via a user/lecturer device, and presenting the content in a desired format. The other additional elements of a processor, memory, software, and graphical user interface are generic computer components for performing the above method, per MPEP 2106.05(f). Under their broadest reasonable interpretation, the additional elements are generic components of a computing device used to apply the abstract idea. Further, paragraph 0216 of the specification states the computing device may be a personal computer, laptop, smartphone, or any other computing device capable of being configured to carry out the methods. As such, these additional elements are interpreted as merely instructions to apply the judicial exception. With regard to the visual representation being a timeline including segment demarcation, the design of the visual representation is defining the data to be presented and an aesthetic design choice for presenting the analyzed data of the abstract ideas. While the selection of a graphical marker is a functional limitation, the selection is a further mental process and merely selecting which data is to be presented. Accordingly, the additional elements and steps do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because they do not impose any meaningful limitations on practicing the abstract idea. Therefore, the claims are directed to an abstract idea.
The claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because, as discussed above, the additional step(s) of transmitting signals, receiving user input, and data presentation is/are insignificant extra-solution activity performed during the abstract idea. The additional elements of a processor, memory, software code, and graphical user interface used to perform the process are generic computing components/device used to apply the judicial exception and therefore fall under the “apply it” limitation of the judicial exception and do not amount to significantly more per MPEP 2106.05(f). Further, the limitations, taken in combination, add nothing that is not already present when looking at the elements taken individually. As such, the claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because, under their broadest reasonable interpretation, the additional elements do not meaningfully limit the practice of the abstract idea and do not amount to significantly more than the judicial exceptions. Therefore, claims 1 and 22 are not directed to eligible subject matter as they are abstract ideas without significantly more.
Claims 2-21 and 23-24 are dependent from claim 1 and include all the limitations of the independent claims. Therefore, the dependent claims recite the same abstract idea. The limitations of the dependent claims fail to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. For example:
The limitations of claims 2-8 and 12-21 recite additional elements that are insignificant extra-solution activity including further transmission of data and signals to provide graphical user interfaces (see MPEP 2106.05(d)), defining the types of data manipulated (see MPEP 2106.05(g)), and mere data gathering (see MPEP 2106.05(g)). Therefore, the limitations fail to provide any teaching that integrates the judicial exceptions into a practical application or amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. For this reason, the analysis performed on the independent claim is also applicable on these claims.
The limitations of claims 9, 11, and 23-24 recite further abstract ideas including generating an insight (judgement mental process; CMOHA), providing the potential intervention (judgment MP; CMOHA), receiving feedback on the intervention (CMOHA), providing additional content selected from a store (judgement MP; CMOHA), and determining topics and sentiment, wherein the topics may relate to one or more content segments (evaluation MP). As the limitations are further abstract ideas, the limitations cannot meaningfully limit or amount to significantly more than the abstract ideas of the independent claims. The additional element of updating the machine learning model is recited at a high level of generality amounting to a computer algorithm for applying the judicial exceptions and merely generally linking the abstract ideas with AI/ML. The limitations fail to provide any teaching that integrates the judicial exceptions into a practical application or amounts to significantly more than the judicial exceptions. For this reason, the analysis performed on the independent claim is also applicable on these claims.
The limitation of claim 10 recites the insight is generated by applying a machine learning model. Due to the high-level of generality of the recitation of machine learning, the limitation is interpreted as mere computer code/algorithm for performing the functional limitations and falls under the instructions for applying an abstract idea. Therefore, the limitation fails to provide any teaching that integrates the judicial exceptions into a practical application or amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. For this reason, the analysis performed on the independent claim is also applicable on this claim.
Accordingly, claims 2-21 and 23-24 recite abstract ideas without significantly more and are not drawn to eligible subject matter.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-5, 7-9, and 13-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (US PGPub 20220141532), hereinafter referred to as Li, in view of Aleali (US 7,507,091), further in view of Bielak (US PGPub 20050154679), and further in view of Jain et al. (US PGPub 20200153915), hereinafter referred to as Jain.
With regard to claims 1 and 22, Li teaches a computer-implemented method [claim 1] (Paragraphs 0004, 0097; “method”) and system [claim 22] (Abstract; Paragraphs 0003, 0097; “system”) for conducting a lecture (Paragraph 0004; “for facilitating an online presentation session”; Paragraph 0032; “a lecture”), comprising:
at least one processor [claim 22] (Paragraphs 0003, 0095; “processor”);
memory in communication with said at least one processor [claim 22] (Paragraphs 0003, 0095; “a computer-readable medium storing executable instructions”);
software code stored in said memory, which when executed at said at least one processor causes the system to [claim 22] (Paragraphs 0003, 0095; “a computer-readable medium storing executable instructions”) perform the method comprising:
transmitting to a plurality of learner devices, each operated by a corresponding learner of a plurality of learners (Paragraphs 0033, 0044 teach the system includes client devices each used by a participant of the presentation), signals for providing a graphical user interface (Paragraph 0049 teaches the platform can transmit steams and data to each of the client devices including the presentation for display) that presents:
one or more requests to the learners to provide structured feedback at a corresponding one or more of first content locations (Paragraphs 0081-0082 teach the system includes creating live polls which a presenter may create and launch during the presentation), each segment including a portion of learning content for the lecture (Paragraphs 0026, 0027, 0049 teach the presentation content may be composed of or include a set of slides wherein each slide is a “segment” including portions of the content for the lecture wherein the metrics can be mapped to each slide, topic, or other portion (segment) of the presentation);
one or more requests to the learners to provide unstructured feedback at a plurality of second content locations that are not predefined (Paragraphs 0036-0037 teach the system can allow the audience to provide feedback throughout the presentation in the form of emojis);
receiving the structured feedback at one or more corresponding first time points within the corresponding one or more of the first content locations from at least one of the learner devices operated by at least one of the learners (Paragraphs 0065, 0070, 0083-0084 teach the system can receive participant answers/responses to the poll(s) via the user interface of the client devices of the participants wherein the poll answers are included in the reactions data which is mapped to a particular time (first time points) corresponding with portions/content of the presentation);
receiving the unstructured feedback at one or more corresponding second time points within the plurality of second content locations from at least one of the learner devices operated by at least one of the learners (Paragraphs 0036-0037, 0065, 0070 teach the system can allow the audience to provide feedback throughout the presentation in the form of emojis via the user interface of the client devices of the participants wherein the reactions are mapped to particular times (second time points) corresponding with portions/content of the presentation);
receiving input from a lecturer device to advance through the plurality of ordered content segments, wherein the input defines start and end time boundaries of each of the plurality of ordered content segments (Paragraphs 0044-0045, 0049, 0076 teach the system includes the presenter having a client device which can control the presentation including navigation signals (inputs) indicating a position within the presentation content including slides that the presenter is currently presenting thereby “advancing” through the slides (ordered content segments) wherein the feedback and metrics can be mapped to a particular time in the presentation including to a specific/each slide thereby while Li does not explicitly state “start and end time boundaries” the slide and mapping to the slide implicitly defines a time portion including a start time, when the slide is first presented and being discussed, and end time, when the presenter sends a navigation signal progressing the presentation, boundaries corresponding to each slide (ordered content segments));
upon analyzing the structured feedback and the unstructured feedback, estimating a plurality of engagement metrics each measuring a degree of engagement of the learners at a corresponding one of the plurality of ordered content segments during the lecture based at least in part on the one or more corresponding first time points, the one or more corresponding second time points, and the input to advance through the plurality of ordered content segments (Paragraphs 0026, 0070, 0078, 0084 teaches the system can determine a feedback score based on participant feedback wherein the feedback is mapped to particular times (time points) within the presentation wherein the feedback and results are presented in a report or reports); and
transmitting to the lecturer device, data for generating a visual representation of the engagement metrics (Paragraphs 0078-0079 teach the system can generate a presentation summary report that may be provided to the presenter).
Li may not explicitly teach the one or more first content locations predefined to be interspersed among a plurality of ordered content segments, each segment including a portion of learning content for the lecture; the engagement metrics being at a corresponding one of a plurality of time points during the lecture; and the visual representation including a graph of the degree of engagement over the plurality of ordered content segments and visually mapped to the corresponding ones of the plurality of ordered content segments. However, Aleali teaches a system and method for analyzing the cognitive involvement of audience members wherein each audience member is assigned a cognitive involvement (engagement) score based on activity scores and focus values and plots the metric on a graph based on the cognitive involvement over time and includes the corresponding slides to the time points (Col 8, line 60 – Col 9, line 29; Col 9, line 64 – Col 10, line 24).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Li to incorporate the teachings of Aleali by incorporating the teachings of measuring user engagement over time and plotting the engagement on a graph corresponding with presented content/slides of Aleali to the measured engagement of Li, as both references and the claimed invention are directed to audience/interactive presentation management systems measuring audience member engagement. One of ordinary skill in the art would modify Li by coding the system to measure the user engagement over time by accepting user reactions/feedback during the presentation and mapping the engagement to a time line and the presented content/slides thereby presenting the measured engagement as a graph over time. Upon such modification, the method and system of Li would include the engagement metrics being at a corresponding one of a plurality of time points during the lecture; and the visual representation including a graph of the degree of engagement over the plurality of ordered content segments and visually mapped to the corresponding ones of the plurality of ordered content segments. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate these teachings from Aleali with Li’s system and method in order to provide presenters comprehensive metrics and improved user interface.
Li in view of Aleali may not explicitly teach the one or more first content locations predefined to be interspersed among a plurality of ordered content segments, each segment including a portion of learning content for the lecture. However, Bielak teaches a system and method for creating and presenting interactive presentations wherein the system includes using placeholder slides within a presentation that can be replaced with user polls and quizzes (Abstract; Paragraphs 0081, 0106-0107).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Li in view of Aleali to incorporate the teachings of Bielak by incorporating the teachings of inserting user polls or quizzes in a slide presentation based on placeholder slides of Bielak to the presentations and polls of Li, as the references and the claimed invention are directed to interactive presentation management systems. One of ordinary skill in the art would modify Li in view of Aleali by coding the system to allow the presenter to define when the live polls will take place during the presentation by using placeholder slides within the presentation as Li already teaches the polls can be launched during/throughout the presentation. Upon such modification, the method and system of Li in view of Aleali would include the one or more first content locations predefined to be interspersed among a plurality of ordered content segments, each segment including a portion of learning content for the lecture. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate these teachings from Bielak with Li in view of Aleali’s system and method in order to improve efficiency for presenters to create the presentations and allow presenters to preset when the polls are launched.
Li in view of Aleali and Bielak may not explicitly teach wherein the visual representation comprises a timeline spanning the plurality of ordered content segments and a plurality of segment demarcation graphical markers corresponding to the corresponding ones of the ordered content segments, each of the segment demarcation graphical markers rendered at a location in time alignment with the start and end time boundaries of the corresponding content segment of the plurality of ordered content segments, wherein selection of a given segment demarcation graphical marker of the plurality of segment demarcation graphical markers causes the lecturer device to display segment-specific data reflective of the engagement metrics for the corresponding content segment. However, Jain teaches a participant engagement detection and control system including mapping user actions and content to time intervals of a timeline and presenting the participant and presenter actions in the form of a timeline including interval segments (demarcations) that can align with slides (corresponding content) and wherein the presenter can configure the time intervals for the session/timeline thereby selecting intervals for data analysis and wherein the engagement can be broken down by the intervals thereby presenting “segment-specific” data corresponding to the content of that time interval (Fig. 2; Paragraphs 0064, 0067, 0111-0113, 0132-0133).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Li in view of Aleali and Bielak to incorporate the teachings of Jain by incorporating the teachings of presenting tracked user actions including polls and engagement over a timeline with interval segments of Jain to the user actions of Li and timeline of Aleali, as the references and the claimed invention are directed to interactive presentation management systems. One of ordinary skill in the art would modify Li in view of Aleali and Bielak by coding the system to track the time mapped reactions including the poll results and feedback of Li to the slides as taught by Li and presenting the feedback and user actions on a timeline including configured intervals that correspond to presented content such that the corresponding engagement and user actions are presented in each interval segment wherein the intervals correspond to the slides based on the particular slide times of Li. Upon such modification, the method and system of Li in view of Aleali and Bielak would include wherein the visual representation comprises a timeline spanning the plurality of ordered content segments and a plurality of segment demarcation graphical markers corresponding to the corresponding ones of the ordered content segments, each of the segment demarcation graphical markers rendered at a location in time alignment with the start and end time boundaries of the corresponding content segment of the plurality of ordered content segments, wherein selection of a given segment demarcation graphical marker of the plurality of segment demarcation graphical markers causes the lecturer device to display segment-specific data reflective of the engagement metrics for the corresponding content segment. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate these teachings from Jain with Li in view of Aleali and Bielak’s system and method in order to improve the presenter user interface and present the information in a clear and understandable way.
With regard to claim 2, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 1 (see the prior art rejection of claim 1 above), further comprising: in response to receiving the unstructured feedback, transmitting to the learner devices signals to cause a visual indicator of the unstructured feedback to be displayed by way of the graphical user interface (Paragraphs 0036-0037 teach the presenter can configure the settings to allow the emoji feedback to be visible to all participants of the presentation).
With regard to claim 3, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 2 (see the prior art rejection of claim 2 above), wherein the visual indicator is displayed in real-time during the lecture (Paragraph 0036 teaches the feedback may be presented in real time).
With regard to claim 4, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 1 (see the prior art rejection of claim 1 above), wherein the unstructured feedback comprises an emoji selected from a plurality of emojis (Paragraphs 0036-0037 teach the feedback can be in the form of reaction icons or emojis).
With regard to claim 5, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 4 (see the prior art rejection of claim 4 above), wherein the plurality of emojis include emojis corresponding to a plurality of sentiments expressible by the learners (Fig. 8; Paragraphs 0036-0037 teach the feedback can be in the form of reaction icons or emojis wherein the emojis are a plurality of graphic symbols representing various ideas/sentiments).
With regard to claim 7, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 1 (see the prior art rejection of claim 1 above), wherein the request for structured feedback includes a question with multiple answers, each answer selectable by the learners (Paragraph 0082 teaches the polls may include a question and a set of two or more answers the user/participant may select).
With regard to claim 8, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 1 (see the prior art rejection of claim 1 above), but may not explicitly teach further comprising: receiving, in association with each of the unstructured feedback and the structured feedback, an identifier of the particular learner of the plurality of learners providing the feedback. However, Bielak further teaches the system can track the identity of users using user identifiers which allow for tracking user feedback and responses (Paragraphs 0096-0097).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Li in view of Aleali to incorporate the teachings of Bielak by incorporating the teachings of tracking user identities using a user identifier corresponding to user feedback and responses of Bielak to the presentations and polls of Li, as the references and the claimed invention are directed to interactive presentation management systems. One of ordinary skill in the art would modify Li in view of Aleali by coding the system to include user identifiers for each user or participant as Li and Aleali already teach tracking the engagement and feedback of each participant but fail to teach identifying/including an identifier of each participant. Specifically, Li teaches each participant data stream may be for one or more users of a communication device and Aleali does not describe how the identification of each individual audience member occurs. Upon such modification, the method and system of Li in view of Aleali would include further comprising: receiving, in association with each of the unstructured feedback and the structured feedback, an identifier of the particular learner of the plurality of learners providing the feedback. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate these teachings from Bielak with Li in view of Aleali’s system and method in order to better track each individual audience member and produce individualized metrics.
With regard to claim 9, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 8 (see the prior art rejection of claim 8 above), but may not explicitly teach further comprising: upon processing the unstructured feedback and the structured feedback and the identifiers of the learners providing the feedback, generating an insight regarding a potential intervention for a particular learner of the plurality of learners. However, Jain further teaches the system can determine content (intervention) to recommend to a participant based on their engagement and actions in order to improve their engagement and/or comprehension (Paragraphs 0075, 0093, 0095, 0150).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Li in view of Aleali and Bielak to incorporate the teachings of Jain by incorporating the teachings of providing additional content or resources based on a learners engagement of Jain, as the references and the claimed invention are directed to interactive presentation management systems including user engagement. One of ordinary skill in the art would modify Li in view of Aleali and Bielak by coding the system to use the audience member/participant specific metrics of Li in view of Aleali and Bielak to generate insights and determine content (intervention) to provide to the particular learner in addition to the recommendations/improvements of Li. Upon such modification, the method and system of Li in view of Aleali and Bielak would include further comprising: upon processing the unstructured feedback and the structured feedback and the identifiers of the learners providing the feedback, generating an insight regarding a potential intervention for a particular learner of the plurality of learners. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate these teachings from Jain with Li in view of Aleali and Bielak’s system and method in order to improve user/participant engagement.
With regard to claim 13, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 9 (see the prior art rejection of claim 9 above), but may not explicitly teach wherein the insight includes an identifier of recommended learning content suitable for the potential intervention. However, Jain further teaches the system can determine content (intervention) to recommend to a participant based on their engagement and actions in order to improve their engagement and/or comprehension (Paragraphs 0075, 0093, 0095, 0150).
As discussed above, It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Li in view of Aleali and Bielak to incorporate the teachings of Jain by incorporating the teachings of providing additional content or resources based on a learners engagement of Jain, as the references and the claimed invention are directed to interactive presentation management systems including user engagement. One of ordinary skill in the art would modify Li in view of Aleali and Bielak by coding the system to use the audience member/participant specific metrics of Li in view of Aleali and Bielak to generate insights and determine content (insight) to provide to the particular learner in addition to the recommendations/improvements of Li. Upon such modification, the method and system of Li in view of Aleali and Bielak would include further comprising: upon processing the unstructured feedback and the structured feedback and the identifiers of the learners providing the feedback, generating an insight regarding a potential intervention for a particular learner of the plurality of learners. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate these teachings from Jain with Li in view of Aleali and Bielak’s system and method in order to improve user/participant engagement.
With regard to claim 14, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 1 (see the prior art rejection of claim 1 above), further comprising: transmitting to the plurality of learner devices signals for causing a chatbox to be presented by way of the graphical user interface, the chatbox allowing the learners to exchange electronic messages during the lecture (Paragraph 0032 teaches the system can be implement by a communications platform including a chat function (chatbox) allowing users to communicate with each other and the presenter).
With regard to claim 15, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 14 (see the prior art rejection of claim 14 above), wherein the estimating a plurality of engagement metrics includes processing the electronic messages (Paragraphs 0031-0032, 0037, 0078 teach the system determines the presentation score/engagement based on user feedback/reactions wherein the reactions can be derived from user actions and behavior including the chat/messages received through the communications platform).
With regard to claim 16, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 1 (see the prior art rejection of claim 1 above), further comprising: receiving signals reflective of computer input activity of at least one of the learners (Paragraph 0076 teaches the system can detect a user’s manual navigation of the presentation via a keyboard, mouse, or other navigational to input to the client device and registering the manual navigation as reaction data).
With regard to claim 17, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 16 (see the prior art rejection of claim 16 above), wherein the estimating a plurality of engagement metrics includes processing the computer input activity of the at least one of the learners (Paragraphs 0076, 0078 teaches the system can detect a user’s manual navigation of the presentation via a keyboard, mouse, or other navigational to input to the client device and registering the manual navigation as reaction data which is used along with the feedback to determine the feedback score/engagement metrics).
With regard to claim 18, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 1 (see the prior art rejection of claim 1 above), wherein the degree of engagement includes a quality of engagement (Paragraphs 0078-0079; Figs 9-10 show the presentation summary report can include details for the ratings/scores including slide design, speaker skills, interesting content, and audience interaction (quality of engagement)).
With regard to claim 19, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 1 (see the prior art rejection of claim 1 above), further comprising: transmitting to at least one of the plurality of learner devices signals for providing a graphical user interface that presents the plurality of ordered content segments to a corresponding at least one learner (Paragraph 0088 teaches the system sends second media streams (signals) containing the presentation/media for display on the one or more participant client devices wherein there may be one or more participants per paragraph 0028).
With regard to claim 20, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 1 (see the prior art rejection of claim 1 above), further comprising: transmitting to a presentation device signals for providing a graphical user interface that presents the plurality of ordered content segments to one or more of the learners of a plurality of learners (Paragraph 0088 teaches the system sends second media streams (signals) containing the presentation/media for display on the one or more participant client devices wherein there may be one or more participants per paragraph 0028).
With regard to claim 21, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 1 (see the prior art rejection of claim 1 above), wherein the lecture comprises at least one of a virtual lecture, an in-person lecture, and a hybrid lecture (Paragraphs 0028, 0030-0031 teach the presentations may be in person, online (virtual), or meetings including online participants (hybrid)).
With regard to claim 23, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 9 (see prior art rejection of claim 9 above), but may not explicitly teach wherein the potential intervention comprises providing additional content selected from a store of additional resources, wherein the additional content relates to topics of the portion of learning content in one or more content segments. However, Jain further teaches the system can determine content (intervention) to recommend to a participant based on their engagement and actions in order to improve their engagement and/or comprehension wherein the additional/recommended content can be introductory content or a hint or other content related to the corresponding presented content during the interval of the user’s measured low engagement and wherein the content including the additional content is stored and retrieved from services (store of additional resources) such as online learning-session services, database services, and other content sources (Paragraphs 0034, 0075, 0093, 0095, 0150).
As discussed above, It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Li in view of Aleali and Bielak to incorporate the teachings of Jain by incorporating the teachings of providing additional content or resources based on a learners engagement of Jain, as the references and the claimed invention are directed to interactive presentation management systems including user engagement. One of ordinary skill in the art would modify Li in view of Aleali and Bielak by coding the system to use the audience member/participant specific metrics of Li in view of Aleali and Bielak to generate insights and determine content (intervention) to provide to the particular learner in addition to the recommendations/improvements of Li wherein the additional content can be retrieved from available sources over a network. Upon such modification, the method and system of Li in view of Aleali and Bielak would include wherein the potential intervention comprises providing additional content selected from a store of additional resources, wherein the additional content relates to topics of the portion of learning content in one or more content segments. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate these teachings from Jain with Li in view of Aleali and Bielak’s system and method in order to improve user/participant engagement.
Claim(s) 6 and 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain as applied to claims 1 and 4 above, and further in view of Zavesky et al. (US PGPub 20240015262).
With regard to claim 6, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 4 (see the prior art rejection of claim 4 above), and detecting a pace of the presentation and notifying a presenter to adjust the pace if too quick or too slow (Paragraph 0066), but may not explicitly teach wherein the plurality of emojis include an emoji indicating a request to increase the pace of the lecture, and an emoji indicating a request to decrease the pace of the lecture. However, Zavesky teaches a system and method for facilitating learning including presentations wherein users can communicate with emojis wherein the emojis can imply a request to slow down or speed up the content/presentation (Paragraph 0102).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain to incorporate the teachings of Zavesky by applying the teachings of emojis representing a request to speed up or slow down content of Zavesky to the presentations and emojis of Li, as the references and the claimed invention are directed to interactive presentation management systems. One of ordinary skill in the art would modify Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain by coding the system to recognize certain emojis as a signal/request to speed up or slow down the presentation/content. Upon such modification, the method and system of Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain would include wherein the plurality of emojis include an emoji indicating a request to increase the pace of the lecture, and an emoji indicating a request to decrease the pace of the lecture. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate these teachings from Zavesky with Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain’s system and method as emojis are a graphical/representative form of communication and can have the desired implied meaning in order to improve user communication and inform presenters of the sentiments of the audience/participants.
With regard to claim 24, Li, as modified, further teaches the feedback can be related to a slide (content segment) and/or topic of the presentation (Paragraph 0026), but may not explicitly teach wherein analyzing the structured feedback and the unstructured feedback comprises determining topics and sentiment, wherein the topics may relate to one or more content segments. However, Zavesky further teaches the system can perform sentiment analysis of the learner interactions/feedback to determine a sentiment of the user including comprehension and the topic of the presentation and/or discussion (Paragraphs 0101-0102, 0106, 0118).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain to incorporate the teachings of Zavesky by applying the teaching analyzing the user interactions and feedback using sentiment analysis of Zavesky to the presentations, feedback/reactions, and emojis of Li, as the references and the claimed invention are directed to interactive presentation management systems. One of ordinary skill in the art would modify Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain by coding the system to perform sentiment analysis to determine topics of discussion and sentiment of the audience/users and relaying the information to the presenter to improve the presentation. Upon such modification, the method and system of Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain would include wherein analyzing the structured feedback and the unstructured feedback comprises determining topics and sentiment, wherein the topics may relate to one or more content segments. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate these teachings from Zavesky with Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain’s system and method in order to improve presenter performance and inform presenters of the sentiments of the audience/participants.
Claim(s) 10-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li in view of Aleali and Bielak as applied to claim 8 above, and further in view of Sha et al. (US PGPub 20230215288).
With regard to claim 10, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 9 (see the prior art rejection of claim 9 above), and generating the recommendations/feedback by using machine learning models (Paragraphs 0027, 0038) but may not explicitly teach wherein the insight is generated by applying a machine learning model. However, Sha teaches a system and method for measuring user engagement and providing haptic feedback/an intervention based on insights for the learner/user using machine learning models to output/generate the insights and recommendations (Paragraphs 0067-0069).
As discussed above, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain to incorporate the teachings of Sha by incorporating the teachings of providing insights/recommendations for potential interventions based on a learners engagement using machine learning models of Sha, as the references and the claimed invention are directed to interactive presentation management systems including user engagement. One of ordinary skill in the art would modify Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain by coding the system to apply the machine learning models of Li to generate the insights/recommendations for interventions for the particular audience members/participants such as what content to provide to improve user engagement as taught by Jain. Upon such modification, the method and system of Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain would include wherein the insight is generated by applying a machine learning model. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate these teachings from Sha with Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain’s system and method in order to improve user/participant engagement and efficiently determine interventions.
With regard to claim 11, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 10 (see the prior art rejection of claim 9 above), and generating the recommendations/feedback by using machine learning models (Paragraphs 0027, 0038) but may not explicitly teach further comprising: providing the potential intervention to the particular learner as an intervention; receiving feedback on the intervention from the particular learner; and updating the machine learning model based in part on the feedback from the particular learner. However, Sha further teaches providing the haptic feedback or recommendation to the user/learner, receiving user feedback on the haptic feedback, engagement level, and insights, and training/updating the machine learning model based on the user feedback (Paragraphs 0034-0035, 0068, 0073).
As discussed above, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain to incorporate the teachings of Sha by incorporating the teachings of providing insights/recommendations for potential interventions based on a learners engagement using machine learning models of Sha, as the references and the claimed invention are directed to interactive presentation management systems including user engagement. One of ordinary skill in the art would modify Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain by coding the system to provide the haptic feedback, insights, and/or recommendations, receive user feedback on the intervention, and updating the model based on the feedback. Upon such modification, the method and system of Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain would include further comprising: providing the potential intervention to the particular learner as an intervention; receiving feedback on the intervention from the particular learner; and updating the machine learning model based in part on the feedback from the particular learner. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate these teachings from Sha with Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain’s system and method in order to improve user/participant engagement.
With regard to claim 12, Li, as modified, further teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 9 (see the prior art rejection of claim 9 above), but may not explicitly teach wherein the insight includes data reflecting a profile of the given learner. However, Sha further teaches using student/user profile, user preferences, and/or baseline behavior data to generate the engagement level and insights/interventions (Paragraphs 0067, 0070).
As discussed above, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain to incorporate the teachings of Sha by incorporating the teachings of providing insights/recommendations for potential interventions based on a learners engagement using student profiles, baseline behavior, and preferences of Sha, as the references and the claimed invention are directed to interactive presentation management systems including user engagement. One of ordinary skill in the art would modify Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain by coding the system to include user data including user/student profiles, baseline behavior, and preferences. Upon such modification, the method and system of Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain would include wherein the insight includes data reflecting a profile of the given learner. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate these teachings from Sha with Li in view of Aleali, Bielak, and Jain’s system and method in order to improve user/participant engagement.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments, see Remarks, filed July 14, 2026, with respected to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-23 under 35 U.S.C. 101 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant’s arguments are as follows: A) the claims do not recite judicial exceptions as the method and system are “computer-implemented”, B) under Step 2A Prong Two, the judicial exceptions are integrated into practical application as the amended limitations recite receiving an input at the lecturer device and “coordination between the learner devices and the lecturer device”, and C) under step 2B, the claims as a whole amount to significantly more because the claimed limitations recite a specific manner of obtaining, processing, and transmitting data for display. With regard to Applicant’s argument A, the claims do recite judicial exceptions as discussed above and the mere recitation of a computing device and/or computer implementation does not prevent the claims from reciting judicial exceptions per MPEP 2106.04(a)(2) as the courts do not distinguish between claims reciting mental processes performed by humans and those performed on a computer and that certain methods of organizing human activity can include interactions between a human and a computing device. With regard to argument B, the argument is not commensurate with the claim language as there is not recitation or teachings relating to “coordination between the learner devices and the lecturer device” and lacks substantiative arguments as to how such coordination or receiving an input is a practical application beyond the conclusory statement. Therefore, there is nothing of substance for the examiner to rebut. Wither regard to receiving an input at a computing device, receiving a user input is mere data gathering and generic interaction with a computing device/user interface which is insignificant extra-solution activity and generally linking the judicial exceptions with computing technology. Finally, with regard to argument C, applicant’s argument is again a conclusory statement and does not provide substantiative arguments for the examiner to rebut. The Examiner does not find that the claimed limitations recite a specific process that amounts to significantly more than the judicial exceptions as discussed above. Further, Applicant is alluding to the claims being allowable over 35 U.S.C. 101 for being novel, but the analysis under 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 is separate and distinct from 101 analysis and novelty holds no bearing over 101 analysis per MPEP 2106.05. The claimed limitations do not provide sufficient evidence of a practical application or inventive concept amounting to significantly more than the judicial exceptions as discussed above. Therefore, the claims stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101.
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, filed July 14, 2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-23 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Specifically, the arguments are directed to the newly amended limitations of receiving input to advance through the content segments which is taught by the primary reference of Li and could be further taught by the Bielak reference which teaches receiving a command from the presenter to progress a slide presentation to a next slide. Further arguments discuss Li “teaching away from the limitation” because Li recites independent navigation by participants separate from the presenter navigation signals. This does not teach away from the feedback being related to the presented slides as Li teaches such navigation is included to determine if a user needs more time reviewing a slide or appears to lack comprehension and the feedback is tied to the presented slides at the particular time as discussed above. Finally, Applicant attempts to argue that Jain teaches only “equally-spaced time intervals”, but Jain teaches the time intervals can be a list/different intervals or can be equally-spaced. As discussed above, one of ordinary skill in the art could apply the teaching by using the slide based mapping of Li and providing the time intervals corresponding to the slide presentations. Assuming in arguendo Jain did only teach equally spaced intervals, adjusting the interval lengths would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art as a design choice of the timeline to provide slide based mapping of feedback and visual representations as taught by Li. Newly added claim 24 is taught by Zavesky as discussed above. Therefore, as discussed above, the claims stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 in view of the previously cited combination of prior art.
Conclusion
Accordingly, claims 1-24 are rejected.
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/CORRELL T FRENCH/Examiner, Art Unit 3715
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