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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 03/11/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues, “Even assuming, arguendo, that the general notion of "determining display mode based on user state" is an abstract idea, amended claim 1 as a whole does not constitute a judicial exception. The claim does not merely recite this hypothetical concept; instead, the claim embeds it within a complete sequence of computer-specific technical steps that are indispensable to implementation:” The Examiner disagrees. Applicant’s claims are concerned with the sharing of multimedia objects between users. This is plainly directed to marketing or sales activities or behaviors; business relations) managing personal behavior or relationships or interactions between people.
Applicant argues that the claims provide a technical improvement. The Examiner disagrees. The claims merely recite abstract ideas with additional elements that are being used as a tool to perform the abstract ideas/steps.
While Applicant argues points related to “Technical logic requiring computer execution: and Ensures technical reliability and consistency:” These concepts are not particularly relevant to an eligibility analysis. Accordingly, Applicant’s arguments are not persuasive and the rejections are maintained.
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 1-2 and 5-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter because the claimed invention is directed to a judicial exception (i.e., a law of nature, a natural phenomenon, or an abstract idea) without significantly more.
MPEP 2106 Step 2A-Prong 1
The claims recite:
displaying user identification information of at least one target user in a display interface; the target user is a user who posts;
determining a display mode corresponding to a triggering user identification information based on a triggering operation on the user identification information and a posting state of a current user; and
displaying based on the display mode.
wherein the posting state comprises a posted state or an unposted state, and the display mode comprises a first display mode corresponding to the posted state and a second display mode corresponding to the unposted state;
wherein the first display mode and the second display mode are different in visualization degree of a content related to the target;
wherein the visualization degree corresponding to the first display mode comprises that all associated content is visible, and the visualization degree corresponding to the second display mode comprises that the associated content is invisible and/or information that guide a posting of the target
The claims falls into the abstract idea groupings of (b) Certain Methods Of Organizing Human Activity ** fundamental economic principles or practices (including hedging, insurance, mitigating risk) commercial or legal interactions (including agreements in the form of contracts; legal obligations; advertising, marketing or sales activities or behaviors; business relations) managing personal behavior or relationships or interactions between people (including social activities, teaching, and following rules or instructions)**
The limitations under their broadest reasonable interpretation, covers performance of certain methods of organizing human activity, but for the recitation of generic computer components. That is, other than recited, “a target multimedia object, apparatus, storage device, processors, non-transitory computer-readable medium”, nothing in the claim element precludes the step from practically being managing personal behavior or relationships or interactions between people. Accordingly, the claims recite an abstract idea.
MPEP 2106 Step 2A-Prong 2
The recited limitations are not indicative of integration into a practical application. In particular, the claims only recite the following additional elements, a target multimedia object, apparatus, storage device, processors, non-transitory computer-readable medium. These additional elements are recited at a high-level of generality such that in conjunction with the abstract limitations, they amount to no more than:
Adding the words “apply it” (or an equivalent) with the judicial exception, or mere instructions to implement an abstract idea on a computer, or merely uses a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea - see MPEP 2106.05(f);
- (non-transitory computer readable medium, processor, storage device, non-transitory computer-readable medium)
Generally linking the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field of use -(a target multimedia object)
The claims do not include additional elements individually or in an ordered combination that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. Integration into a practical application requires the additional element(s) to apply, rely on, or use the judicial exception in a manner that imposes a meaningful limit on the judicial exception, such that the claim is more than a drafting effort designed to monopolize the exception. This is not the case in the instant application. Further, as discussed above with respect to integration of the abstract idea into a practical application, the additional elements amount to no more than: mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component.
MPEP 2106 Step 2B
Eligibility requires that the claim recites additional elements that amount to an inventive concept (aka “significantly more”) than the recited judicial exception. As discussed above, this is where the instant application falls short. The claims do not include additional elements individually or in an ordered combination that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception
Dependent Claims Step 2A:
The limitations of the dependent claims but for those addressed below merely set forth further refinements of the abstract idea without changing the analysis already
presented (that is, they further limit the organizing of human activities at step 2A —
Prong One without adding any new additional elements other than those already
analyzed above with respect to the independent claims at 2A — Prong Two; Claims 4-6, 8-11, 13-17 describe a target multimedia object, 3-6, 10-11 and 14 describes varied content, but these additional elements do not remedy the deficiencies.
Dependent Claims Step 2B:
The dependent claims merely use the same general technological environment
and instructions to implement the abstract idea as the independent claims without
adding any new additional elements. Accordingly, they are not directed to significantly
more than the exception itself, and are not eligible subject matter under § 101.
The claims are not rejected by the prior art of record.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TONYA S JOSEPH whose telephone number is (571)270-1361. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6:30-2:30, First Fridays Off.
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/TONYA JOSEPH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3628