DETAILED ACTION
Status of Claims
This office action supersedes previous Non-Final office action.
This is in reply to the remarks filed on November 12, 2025.
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 1-20 are currently pending and have been examined.
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 101 because the claimed invention is directed to a judicial exception (i.e., an abstract idea) without “significantly more.”
Regarding Claims 1, 11 and 17, the claims recite receiving and displaying performance metrics corresponding to a power tool which is a mental process (observation/evaluation). The limitations on receiving identification information, displaying information, receiving a selection, determining metrics and displaying a report could be all performed by a human with the help of paper and pencil. Other than reciting a mobile device and a user interface, nothing in the claim precludes the steps for being performed by a human with the help of paper and pencil. This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application. The computers are recited at a high-level of generality such that it amounts no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using generic computer components. Accordingly, this additional element does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it does not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. Simply implementing the abstract idea on a generic computer environment is not a practical application of the abstract idea and does not take the claim out of the mental process. The claims are directed to an abstract idea.
The claims do not include additional elements that even in combination are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. As discussed above, with respect to integration of the abstract idea into a practical application, the additional element of using computers to perform the data gathering steps for receiving, displaying and determining information amounts to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using generic computer components. Mere instructions to apply an exception using generic computer components cannot provide an inventive concept. As disclosed on paragraph 0130 of Applicant’s specification the technology used is known Bluetooth technology. There is no new technology or any technological improvement involved. The invention is simply using generic computer elements as a tool to apply the abstract idea. The claims are not patent eligible.
Regarding dependent claims 2-10, 12-16 and 18-20, these claims are directed to limitations which serve to limit the processing steps and the information used. These claims neither introduce a new abstract idea nor additional limitations which are significantly more than an abstract idea. They provide descriptive details that offer helpful context, but have no impact on statutory subject matter eligibility.
Therefore the limitations on the invention, when viewed individually and in ordered combination are directed to in-eligible subject matter.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-20 are allowable over prior art and would be allowed if 101 rejections are overcome. Best prior art on Fukumoto discloses receiving and displaying maintenance information from a single power tool that is connected to an adapter. However, the limitations on receiving via a short-range transceiver of a mobile electronic device identification signals from a plurality of power tool devices and displaying via a user interface of the mobile electronic device identification information of the plurality of power tool devices; receiving via the user interface, a selection of a reporting option, displaying a reporting page corresponding to the reporting option; receiving a selection of a power tool device from a plurality of power tool devices for display; determining a plurality of performance metrics corresponding to the power tool device and displaying a report including the plurality of performance metrics on the reporting page in combination with the other limitations on independent claims 1, 11 and 17 are novel and non-obvious over the prior art of record.
CONCLUSION
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/DENISSE Y ORTIZ ROMAN/Examiner, Art Unit 3627 /ARIEL J YU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3627