DETAILED ACTION
Acknowledgements
This Office Action is in response to Applicant’s correspondence filed on 1/20/26.
The Examiner notes that citations to United States Patent Application Publication paragraphs are formatted as [####], #### representing the paragraph number.
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.
Status of Claims
Claims 2-9, 11-15, 17-19, 21-24 are currently pending.
Claims 2-9, 11-15, 17-19, 21-24 are rejected as set forth below.
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 1/20/26 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. § 103
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 2-9, 11-15, 17-19, 21-24 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to any of the references being used in the current rejection.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112(a)
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 2-9, 11-15, 17-19, 21-24 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.
As per claims 21-23, the limitation “the second new block including implemented asset data including data representing at least one difference from the plans for updating the existing asset as compared to actual implemented updates to the existing asset" fails to comply with the written description requirement. Specifically, the Specification does not disclose the claimed function of the second new block including data that represents at least one difference from the plans for updating the existing asset as compared to actual implemented updates to the existing asset. Instead, the Specification merely discloses entering information about installed items to be stored by the blockchain ([0054]). See MPEP 2163.
By virtue of dependence, the dependent claims are similarly rejected.
As per claim 24, the limitation “causing a first link to at least one of a first website or a first digital manual associated with a planned asset included in the planned asset data to be stored in the first new block, the planned asset planned on being installed at the real property” fails to comply with the written description requirement. Specifically, the Specification does not disclose the claimed function storing a link to a website or a digital manual associated with a planned asset. Instead, the Specification merely discloses storing a link to a website or a digital manual associated with an installed asset ([0054]). See MPEP 2163.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 5-7, 12, 21-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over United States Patent No. 10943294 to Tarmann in view of United States Patent Application Publication No. 20130290052 to Settino.
As per claims 21-23, Tarmann teaches:
A computer-implemented method of storing and updating property development information using a computer system in communication with a blockchain network, the computer-implemented method implemented by at least one processor of the computer system in communication with at least one memory, the computer-implemented method comprising: (Fig 3A, col 17 lines 22-38, “Referring now to FIG. 3A, an exemplary distributed ledger system 200, such as a blockchain system, in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure is depicted. An example of a distributed ledger system 200 is the blockchain system 200 of FIG. 1 described above. FIG. 3A includes a plurality of nodes 212, 214, and 216, network connections 218, and a distributed ledger 220 having a blockchain 222. In a distributed ledger system 200, each node maintains a copy of the distributed ledger 220, which includes a copy of the blockchain 222. As changes are made to the distributed ledger 200, each node updates their respective copy of the distributed ledger 220. A consensus mechanism may be used by the nodes in the distributed ledger system 200 to decide whether it is appropriate to make changes to the distributed ledger 220, as explained more below.”)
requesting property development data by transmitting an asset identifier to a blockchain node computing device of the blockchain network, the asset identifier associated with a real property and an existing asset located on the real property and configured to identify a blockchain in the blockchain network storing the property development data; receiving the property development data from the blockchain node computing device after the blockchain node computing device retrieves the property development data from the blockchain; (Fig 3A, col 17 lines 22-38; Fig 10, col 27 lines 11-33, “Referring now to FIG. 10, a computer-implemented method 1000 of using one or more of a blockchain or a memory storage location to continuously update information about a real estate property identified as mortgage ready is depicted. The real estate property may be associated with one or more of a real estate property identification number (PIN) and/or a multiple listing service (MLS) number, for example. The method 1000 may include monitoring, via the one or more processors, information corresponding to the PIN and/or MLS number accessed from one or more of the blockchain (block 1002) or the memory storage location. The information is the information used to determine if the real estate property is mortgage ready, and includes one or more of real estate property age, historical appraisal data, age of roof, age of siding, age of driveway, age of appliances, basement remodel data, square footage data, number of bathrooms, number of bedrooms, flood or water damage data, neighborhood crime score, proximity to public transportation, proximity to the airport, proximity to major metropolitan area, proximity to recreation, school district data, fire or flood claims in the neighborhood, building materials data for new construction, and/or repairs data.”; col 13 lines 17-28, “The real estate property unit 24 may obtain the real estate property information in any of one or more ways. Alternatively, and/or additionally, the real estate property unit 24 may obtain the real estate property information by accessing a blockchain 21 of the computing system 20 of the county entity, as explained more below.”)
causing the blockchain node computing device to generate and store a first new block in the blockchain network, the first new block comprising first updated property development data superseding the property development data; causing the blockchain node computing device to generate and store a second new block in the blockchain network, the second new block comprising second updated property development data superseding the first updated property development data; (Fig 10, col 27 lines 11-33; col 27 lines 40-44, “The method 1000 may further include updating, at the memory, one or more of a block for the blockchain or the memory storage location, to include the new information about the real estate property (block 1006).”)
Tarmann does not explicitly teach, but Settino teaches:
storing planned asset data associated with plans for updating the existing asset in a database; storing implemented asset data including data representing at least one difference from the plans for updating the existing asset as compared to actual implemented updates to the existing asset in a database. ([0038], “The present disclosure makes reference to the use of the disclosed methods and systems for residential real estate renovation work.”; [0060] – [0062], “The disclosed systems and methods may be suitable for managing renovation work of various types, as listed in the definitions. A typical renovation may include multiple renovation tasks or activities. One or more activities may have dependencies on one or more other activities (e.g., approval may be required before custom manufacturing baseboards which may not be installed until the floor and walls are done, etc).”; [0068], “A communication method to alert the skilled technicians of new work with the ability to update the scheduling function with their renovation progress should also be available.”; [0072], “All of this information would then be stored, updated and accessed on a database.”)
One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that applying the known technique of Settino to the known invention of Tarmann would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved invention. It would have been recognized that the application of the technique would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such real estate development features into a similar invention. Further, it would have been recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that modifying the updated development data stored in the new blocks of the blockchain network to include planned asset data associated with plans for updating the existing asset and implemented asset data including data representing at least one difference from the plans for updating the existing asset as compared to actual implemented updates to the existing asset results in an improved invention because applying said technique allows for stakeholders to easily monitor the development progress of the real estate property asset, thus improving the overall usability of the invention.
As per claims 5, Tarmann teaches:
further comprising receiving a request for information from a customer requesting to maintain the existing asset, wherein maintaining the existing asset comprises one of developing the asset or repairing the existing asset; (Fig 10, col 27 lines 11-33)
As per claims 6, Tarmann teaches:
wherein said receiving the request for information comprises receiving an update real estate property request associated with maintaining the existing asset; (Fig 10, col 27 lines 11-33)
As per claims 7, Tarmann teaches:
wherein receiving the update real estate property request further comprises at least one of asset data associated with the existing asset, customer data, or requested maintenance terms associated with maintaining the existing asset; (Fig 10, col 27 lines 11-33)
As per claims 12, Tarmann teaches:
receiving an update to the first updated property development data; and in response to said receiving an update, transmitting a subsequent update instruction to the blockchain node computing device, the subsequent update instruction causing the blockchain node computing device to generate a subsequent new block in the blockchain, the subsequent new block including the update to the updated property development data; (Fig 3B, col 17 lines 47-61)
Claims 9, 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over United States Patent No. 10943294 to Tarmann in view of United States Patent Application Publication No. 20130290052 to Settino, and further in view of United States Patent Application Publication No. 20150294308 to Pauker.
As per claims 9, Tarmann as modified does not explicitly teach, but Pauker teaches:
accessing a public key for decrypting data from a local storage device associated with the computer system; ([0038], “For example, the private key of the source wallet may be used to encrypt transaction 130 or a portion of transaction 130 to generate the signature that is stored in transaction 130. The public key of the source wallet may be used by others (e.g., other network nodes) to decrypt the signature and confirm the authenticity of the transaction.”)
One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that applying the known technique of Pauker to the known invention of Tarmann as modified would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved invention. It would have been recognized that the application of the technique would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such cryptography features into a similar invention. Further, it would have been recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that modifying the invention to include the step of accessing a public key for decrypting data, i.e. property development data, from a local storage device associated with the computer system results in an improved invention because applying said technique ensures that only authorized entities can access the property development information, thus improving the overall security of the invention.
As per claims 11, Tarmann teaches:
transmitting the first updated property development data in an unencrypted format; (col 27 lines 40-44)
Tarmann as modified does not explicitly teach, but Pauker teaches:
causing the blockchain node computing device to encrypt the data; ([0038], “For example, the private key of the source wallet may be used to encrypt transaction 130 or a portion of transaction 130 to generate the signature that is stored in transaction 130. The public key of the source wallet may be used by others (e.g., other network nodes) to decrypt the signature and confirm the authenticity of the transaction.”)
One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that applying the known technique of Pauker to the known invention of Tarmann as modified would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved invention. It would have been recognized that the application of the technique would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such cryptography features into a similar invention. Further, it would have been recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that modifying the invention to include the step of causing the blockchain node computing device to encrypt the data, i.e. the updated property development data, results in an improved invention because applying said technique ensures that only authorized entities can access the property development information, thus improving the overall security of the invention.
Claims 2-4, 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over United States Patent No. 10943294 to Tarmann in view of United States Patent Application Publication No. 20130290052 to Settino, and further in view of United States Patent Application Publication No. 20220284524 to Cameron.
As per claims 2, 17, Tarmann as modified does not explicitly teach, but Cameron teaches:
receiving the request for information from a customer requesting to build a new real estate property asset; ([0018], “The present invention relates to systems and methods for a blockchain based real estate property registration and monitoring system. The system operates by creating a block or record for each change or registration relating to a specific piece of real estate (i.e. a real estate property) and this block or record will contain a unique identifier specific to that piece of property and this unique identifier will be on all records that relate to that specific real estate property.”; [0022], “An example of a series of interconnected events that are executed in parallel is the sale of a newly constructed home to a buyer who is registering a government guaranteed mortgage, a homeowner's insurance policy, and a new home warranty. Once all relevant stakeholders to each event have approved of the records for their individual events, then the transfer of ownership record can be committed as a block to the blockchain, simultaneously the blocks representing the registered mortgage, the government guarantee, the property insurance registration, and the new home warranty registration can be committed as blocks to the blockchain.”)
One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that applying the known technique of Cameron to the known invention of Tarmann as modified would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved invention. It would have been recognized that the application of the technique would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such real estate documentation features into a similar invention. Further, it would have been recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that modifying the step of receiving a request for information so the request for information is received from a customer requesting to build a new real estate property asset results in an improved invention because applying said technique ensures that new real estate property can be properly documented and managed, thus improving the overall usability of the invention.
As per claims 3, 18, Cameron teaches:
wherein said receiving the request for information comprises receiving a new real estate property build request associated with building the new real estate property asset; ([0022])
As per claims 4, 19, Cameron teaches:
wherein receiving the new real estate property build request further comprises at least one of asset data associated with the new real estate property asset, customer data, or requested build terms associated with building the new real estate property asset; ([0022])
Claim 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over United States Patent No. 10943294 to Tarmann in view of United States Patent Application Publication No. 20130290052 to Settino, and further in view of United States Patent Application Publication No. 20150294308 to Pauker and United States Patent Application Publication No. 20220198562 to Cella.
As per claim 8, Tarmann as modified does not explicitly teach, but Pauker teaches:
a public key for decrypting data; ([0038], “For example, the private key of the source wallet may be used to encrypt transaction 130 or a portion of transaction 130 to generate the signature that is stored in transaction 130. The public key of the source wallet may be used by others (e.g., other network nodes) to decrypt the signature and confirm the authenticity of the transaction.”)
One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that applying the known technique of Pauker to the known invention of Tarmann as modified would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved invention. It would have been recognized that the application of the technique would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such cryptography features into a similar invention. Further, it would have been recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that modifying the invention to include a public key for decrypting data, i.e. property development data, results in an improved invention because applying said technique ensures that only authorized entities can access the property development information, thus improving the overall security of the invention.
Tarmann as modified does not explicitly teach, but Cella teaches:
accessing a public key from the blockchain node computing device. ([0909], “In some embodiments, the ledger management system 16910 may also generate and assign private key and public key pairs to users such as one or more of the knowledge providers 16806 and/or one or more knowledge recipients 16818 of the digital knowledge 16804 (also referred to as “knowledge recipients”) and/or to each node 16916 in the ledger network 16970.”)
One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that applying the known technique of Cella to the known invention of Tarmann as modified would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved invention. It would have been recognized that the application of the technique would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such cryptography features into a similar invention. Further, it would have been recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that modifying the step of accessing a public key so the public key is accessed from the first blockchain node computing device results in an improved invention because applying said technique ensures that the public key is stored on a trusted entity such as the first blockchain node computing device, thus improving the overall security of the invention.
Claims 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over United States Patent No. 10943294 to Tarmann in view of United States Patent Application Publication No. 20130290052 to Settino, and further in view of United States Patent Application Publication No. 20220198562 to Cella.
As per claim 13, Tarmann as modified does not explicitly teach, but Cella teaches:
receiving a plurality of data associated with the existing asset; generating a container file for the existing asset to include the plurality of data; generating a non-fungible token (NFT) for the existing asset based upon the container file; and storing the NFT and the container file for the existing asset. ([0226], “Without limitation to any other aspect or description of the present disclosure, items and service include any items and service, including, without limitation, items and services as applied to physical items (e.g., a vehicle, a ship, a plane, a building, a home, real estate property, undeveloped land, a farm, a crop, a municipal facility, a warehouse.”; [1000], “In some embodiments, knowledge token 17038 is a non-fungible token. Non-fungible token or NFT represents a digital knowledge asset that is unique, or one-of-a-kind and has at least a unique identifier, and/or other distinguishable asset-specific information. The instances of digital knowledge may be referred to as “digital knowledge assets”.”)
One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that applying the known technique of Cella to the known invention of Tarmann as modified would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved invention. It would have been recognized that the application of the technique would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such NFT features into a similar invention. Further, it would have been recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that modifying the invention to receive a plurality of data associated with the real estate property asset; generate a container file for the real estate property asset to include the plurality of data; generate a non-fungible token (NFT) for the real estate property asset based upon the container file; and store the NFT and the container file for the real estate property asset results in an improved invention because applying said technique leverages the unique properties of NFT’s, i.e. being inherently unique and tied to a specific address, thus making it easier to track ownership, history, and authenticity and therefore improving the overall security of the invention.
As per claim 14, Cella teaches:
retrieving the NFT to access the plurality of data associated with the existing asset; and inputting the plurality of data to an altered reality technology. ([1000]; [0599], “In embodiments, the digital twin management system 15502 generates digital twins. Taking this example one step further, a digital twin of an industrial facility (e.g., a factory) may include a digital twin representing the layout of the industrial facility, including the arrangement of physical assets and systems in or around the facility, as well as digital assets of the assets within the facility (e.g., the digital twin of the machine), as well as digital twins of storage areas in the facility, digital twins of humans collecting vibration measurements from machines throughout the facility, and the like.”; [0603], “Digital twins may be represented in a number of different forms. For example, a user may view a 3D rendering of an environment (e.g., using monitor or a virtual reality headset).”)
As per claim 15, Cella teaches:
wherein the altered reality technology comprises one of augmented reality technology and virtual reality technology. ([0603])
Claim 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over United States Patent No. 10943294 to Tarmann in view of United States Patent Application Publication No. 20130290052 to Settino, and further in view of United States Patent Application Publication No. 20010051883 to Loveland.
As per claim 24, Settino teaches:
causing planned asset data to be stored in the first new block; and causing implemented asset data to be stored in the second new block; (see rejection of claim 21)
Tarmann as modified does not explicitly teach, but Loveland teaches:
causing a first link to at least one of a first website or a first digital manual associated with a planned asset included in the planned asset data to be stored in a database, the planned asset planned on being installed at the real property; and causing a second link to at least one of a second website or a second digital manual associated with an implemented asset included in the implemented asset data to be stored in a database, the implemented asset implemented at the real property in place of the planned asset. ([0036], “Preferred embodiments of master structure data 2 comprise an electronic model of a structure which accurately portrays real and personal property 6. FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the real property inventory 32, personal property inventory 34, and the warranty and policy data 36 for all items contained within real and personal property data 6.”; [0039], “Information stored 52 about inventory items 42 could be, but is not limited to, their location on the floor plan of the model, the sizing/footprint of the item, its name, existing options and special features, their serial numbers, model numbers, manufacturer, policies and warranties, notes, instructions, date and place of purchase, original value, picture of each item, maintenance schedules, and service and maintenance histories. Associated with such inventory items 50 are personal property data tags 48. Like data tags 40 previously described, data tags 48 provide a reference to warranty and insurance information. Furthermore, data tags 48 provide means for referencing inventory items 50 to claim and service history 46 of particular items.”; [0050], “Completed projects history 90 may include information such as project estimates, project negotiations, project dates, completion times, vendors and/or professionals who worked on the project, materials and supplies purchased with their associated costs, and any other information relevant to a project. In addition, the database could be modified to include information pertaining to proposed projects and projects that are currently ongoing.”)
One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that applying the known technique of Loveland to the known invention of Tarmann as modified would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved invention. It would have been recognized that the application of the technique would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such real estate development features into a similar invention. Further, it would have been recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that modifying the steps of causing planned/implemented asset data to be stored in a new block so they include links to at least one of a website or a digital manual associated with a planned/implemented assets results in an improved invention because applying said technique allows for stakeholders to easily access pertinent information related to the assets, therefore improving the overall usability of the invention.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
United States Patent Application Publication No. 20220198591 to Ikhlas discloses an invention including a software and/or hardware platform, including computer software applications (apps), a personal injury prevention projector (PIPP) and a backend system that can be used in the realm of property management. The system involves leveraging highly secure data storage mechanisms, such as Blockchain technology. The system can maintain an immutable record of property maintenance complaints and/or notices on the Blockchain to provide secure records (e.g., tamper proof, provides proof of receipt) that can be employed in mitigating fabrication and/or fraudulent claims relating to an owner's receipt (or non-receipt) of notice of a hazard which subsequently causes personal injuries, in order to support the defense of a property owner. The system automates property maintenance complaints and/or notices, recording them in a centralized storage location (e.g., Blockchain), which is usable as proof of receipt for the property owner and presented in a court in admissible form.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAY HUANG whose telephone number is (408)918-9799. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00a - 5:30p PT.
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/JAY HUANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3619
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