DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of Claims
Claims 1, 2 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1, 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “a third buyer identifier” received from an electronic device in page 2, 3rd paragraph. It is not clear if it is referring to the same “a third buyer identifier” received from an application from page 2, 2nd paragraph, or a different fifth instruction. The scope of the claim could not be determined and is considered indefinite.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “a second internal identifier” received from an electronic device in page 2, 3rd paragraph. It is not clear if it is referring to the same “a second internal identifier” received from an application from page 2, 2nd paragraph, or a different fifth instruction. The scope of the claim could not be determined and is considered indefinite.
Claim 2 is rejected for being dependent on a rejected claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
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, 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Irwin et al. [US 20150371187] in view of Chapman [US 6003761].
As to claim 1. Irwin discloses A computer implemented system for controlling pickup from a drive thru lane, the system comprising:
a box, [fig. 1, 1A, 0081] storage receptacle 132, having a first internal identification number, [0142] receptacle address, an external identification number, [fig. 1E, 0128] box number displayed on the box, associated with the first internal identifier, [0115] the box number associated with the address to be presented to a computer system as the receptacle identifier, and at least one door secured by a lock having a secured and an unsecured position, [0082, 0083] door 136 secured by a lock that can be opened, wherein the at least one door is accessible, [fig. 1];
at least one interface, [fig. 6, 0136] control unit 144 comprising a transceiver 172, adapted to receive, [0162], and transmit data, [0136] in communication with a first party’s application and a second party’s electronic device, [0162] control unit receives user data from user’s mobile device, wherein the hardware of the mobile device itself does not send user data, and it requires an application software in the phone to perform the steps of sending user data;
one or more servers, [fig. 9, 0211] central management system CMS 404, in secure communication with the at least one interface and the box, [fig. 9] system 404 in communication with storage unit 402, the one or more servers having:
a first instruction embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium, the first instruction operable to receive registration information received from the first party through the at least one interface, [0210, 0276] customer registers by providing information, the registration information comprising a first party identifier, [0276] username, name, address, email, telephone number, the first internal identifier, and the first external identifier, [0117] user information associated with receptacle, [0115, 0219] including storage unit identifier; [fig. 9, 0350, 0352] wherein the network is the CMS server 404;
a second instruction embodied in the non-transitory computer readable medium, the second instruction operable to receive a first buyer identifier, [0263] receive stored user identification for verification purpose, a status of not checked-in, [0174] system automatically logs users off after a specified time, therefore, the default status of the log-in state is a not logged-in, and an order number, [0271] pickup confirmation and item number received, from the first party application through the at least one interface, [0268, 0269];
a third instruction embodied in the non-transitory computer readable medium, the third instruction operable to receive a second buyer identifier, [0162, 0252, 0268, 0271] receive user identification, from the second party's electronic device through the at least one interface, [0220, 0316] access management performed through a user’s device;
a fourth instruction embodied in the non-transitory computer readable medium, the fourth instruction operable to change the status to checked-in if the first buyer identifier matches the second buyer identifier, [0256, 0271] change status to logged-in if user identification matches with stored user identifications;
a fifth instruction embodied in the non-transitory computer readable medium, the fifth instruction operable to receive a third buyer identifier, [0162, 0268] receive user identification, and a second internal identifier from the second party application through the at least one interface, [0189] select storage unit, [0200] deposit information stored, [0288] including storage unit address;
a sixth instruction embodied in the non-transitory computer readable medium, the sixth instruction operable to receive a third buyer identifier and a second internal identifier from the second party’s electronic device through the at least one interface, [0126] user mobile device presents the access information 151 to the control unit 144, [0128, 0288, 0349, 0350] receive personal identifier, and a storage unit identifier, from the mobile device in the form of a QR or bar code; [fig. 9, 0350, 0352] wherein the network is the CMS server 404;
a seventh instruction embodied in the non-transitory computer readable medium, the seventh instruction operable to switch the lock from an unsecured position to a secured position if the first buyer identifier matches the third buyer identifier and first internal identifier matches the second internal identifier, [0163, 0350] confirm if the received identifier matches with the user information, [0164, 0166] if the user is identified, unlock the storage receptacle;
a eighth instruction embodied in the non-transitory computer readable medium, the eighth instruction operable to associate the order number with the box, [0092, 0334] information associating the item to the storage unit communicated; and
Irwin fails to disclose a system with a drive-thru lane; wherein the door is accessible through the drive-thru lane.
Chapman teaches a drive-up mail distribution, storage and pick-up assembly that can be implemented as a driver-through mail pick-up system, [col. 4, lines 4-18].
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Irwin with that of Chapman so that the system can be implemented to reduce the amount of time for storing and retrieving mail.
As to claim 2. Irwin discloses The computer implemented system of claim 1 further comprising: a ninth instruction embodied in the non-transitory computer readable medium, the ninth instruction operable to receive a request from the first party application to switch the lock from a secured position to an unsecured position after the seventh instruction is executed, [0166] unlock the storage receptacle.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 01/28/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Argument 1: The teachings of Irwin for authenticating the user to unlock the locker works opposite to the claims of the present invention.
Response 1: Irwin receives the user identification for authenticating the user, if the user is authenticated, the system unlocks the receptacle. It works the same as the claimed method of authentication in the current application.
Conclusion
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/Benyam Haile/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2688