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 .
This is a Non-Final Office Action on the merits. Claims 1-3, 11-14 and 17-18 are currently pending and are addressed below. Claims 4-10, 15-16 and 19-20 have been cancelled.
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 01 May 2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's amendments and arguments with respect to the rejection of claim 1-5 and 11-20 under 35 USC 103 as set forth in the office action of 02 February 2026 have been considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection of claim 1-5 and 11-20 under 35 USC 103 as set forth in the office action of 02 February 2026 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s amendments and/or arguments with respect to the rejection of Claims 1-5 and 11-20 under 35 USC 101 as set forth in the office action of 02 February 2026 have been considered and are NOT persuasive. Specifically, Applicant argues:
The following is the analysis of claim 1 which is complied with the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 101:
Step 1: Claim 1 relates to a method, which is a statutory category of patentable subject matter.
Step 2A: Claim 1 does not recite an abstract idea.
In claim 1, it is specified that the execution subject of the method is an electronic device. Therefore, the steps in claim 1 are all performed by this electronic device. Claim 1 does not involve a process where an operator collects (receives, detects, etc.) data solely through visual observation and makes simple judgments (determines, analyzes, compares, etc.) merely through mental processes or with pen and paper assistance. The steps recited in claim 1, such as 'splitting a road trajectory into structured road segments with an index, starting point, end point, middle point, and total length,' 'calculating the segment with the shortest projection distance,' and 'separately processing trajectory points used for logical determination from those used for display,' are not abstract concepts of the human mind. Instead, they are specific re-organizations of electronic map data structures and optimizations of computational workflows. This optimization directly brings about improvements in system performance, which in itself constitutes an advancement in computer technology.
Step 2B: Claim 1 includes significantly more than the judicial exception.
According to the background of this application, with the rapid development of the Internet of Things, the application of Internet of Vehicles technology is becoming more and more widespread. In Internet of Vehicles technology, the location of a vehicle can be monitored in real- time and displayed on an electronic map. To improve the display effect of the vehicle trajectory on the electronic map, it is usually necessary to correct deviations of the vehicle trajectory based on the vehicle's location. The conventional manner of vehicle trajectory deviation correction is generally to perform trajectory deviation correction in conjunction with the historical vehicle trajectory. The conventional manner has significant scene constraints and limited applicability.
So, claim 1 addresses the technical problems of: © in the field of Internet of Vehicles technology, in various scenarios such as map navigation, location determination, and distance measurement, the existing trajectory correction methods being highly constrained by specific scenarios and having limited applicability, and how to improve the display efficiency without compromising the display of important information.
Specifically, claim 1 recites the following technical steps:
Obtaining a first road trajectory, which includes a plurality of first trajectory points.
Obtaining trajectory display information of the first road trajectory with respect to an electronic map, where the trajectory display information includes information of road positions on the electronic map that match the plurality of first trajectory points. Splitting, by an electronic device and based on a road structure of the first road trajectory, the first road trajectory into N trajectory segments, obtaining structured information of the N trajectory segments, and storing the structured information of the N trajectory segments. And the structured information includes: a trajectory segment index, a trajectory segment starting point, a trajectory segment end point, a trajectory segment middle point, and a total length of the trajectory segment. Correcting, by the electronic device and based on the structured information of the N trajectory segments and the trajectory display information, a vehicle trajectory deviation on the electronic map;
obtaining a display point set of the N trajectory segments by the electronic device, wherein the display point set comprises K first trajectory points of each of the N trajectory segments, and the K first trajectory points of each of the N trajectory segments are used for display, wherein K is a positive integer less than or equal to M;
obtaining position information reported by a vehicle in real-time by the electronic device and based on the real-time reported position information, calculating the projection distance to determine the target trajectory segment, then determining the target trajectory point, and finally using the first display information and the second display information to display the target trajectory point and the display point set, respectively.
These steps involve the reorganization of electronic map data structures (splitting a continuous trajectory into structured road segments with starting points, end points, and directions), data dimensionality reduction (filtering K display points from M trajectory points), geometric calculation (shortest projection distance), and hierarchical processing of display rendering (separately displaying the corrected target points and the preprocessed display point set). These are all specific technical improvements to data structures and processing logic within a computer/Internet of Vehicles system, rather than merely executing mental steps or business rules that could be performed by the human mind.
That is, it is through the specific execution of the road network structured information (based on projection distance matching, and the preprocessing and separation of the display point set) that the real-time computational burden is reduced, display efficiency is improved, and the ability to support larger-scale vehicle monitoring is achieved. This brings significant application value in terms of 'improving the utilization of computer system resources and processing capabilities.
Therefore, in the present application, by using technical means such as road structure splitting, projection distance matching, and display point set separation, the problems of vehicle trajectory drift on an electronic map and low display efficiency are solved, which constitutes a specific improvement to the technical process of vehicle positioning and map matching.
According to the description on page 15 of the international publication document:
By grouping the trajectory points for vehicle position logical determination and the trajectory points for trajectory display, the trajectory points in the display point set are used to display the first road trajectory in conjunction with the electronic map, and all trajectory points in the first road trajectory are used for logical determination in conjunction with the real-time positions of the vehicle. When displaying the real-time position and trajectory of the vehicle, a good display effect and efficiency can be achieved by simply using the target trajectory points corresponding to the corrected vehicle position in conjunction with the display point set. In this way, a favorable balance between the efficiency and the effect of vehicle trajectory tracking and display can be achieved. This technical design of preprocessing by separating logical determination data from display data and using them at different stages is not a conventional design of traditional vehicle trajectory deviation correction systems. It significantly reduces the real-time computational burden ('low real-time computational burden, high efficiency') and can support the monitoring of a larger quantity of vehicles. This constitutes an improvement in the utilization of computer system resources and real-time processing capabilities.
Splitting the first road trajectory into N trajectory segments based on the road structure of the first road trajectory, obtaining structured information of the N trajectory segments, and storing the structured information of the N trajectory segments-this approach of performing targeted trajectory segmentation using road geometric and topological features and storing the segmentation results in a structured form such as 'trajectory segment index, trajectory segment starting point, trajectory segment end point, trajectory segment middle point, trajectory segment total length'-is a specific technical preprocessing for subsequent real-time projection matching and does not belong to any generic data organization method.
In claim 1, Through the steps of 'obtaining a first road trajectory by the electronic device, wherein the first road trajectory comprises a plurality of first trajectory points; obtaining trajectory display information of the first road trajectory with respect to an electronic map by the electronic device, wherein the trajectory display information comprises information of road positions on the electronic map that match the plurality of first trajectory points; splitting the first road trajectory into N trajectory segments based on a road structure of the first road trajectory, acquiring structured information and storing the structured information by the electronic device, each trajectory segment comprising M consecutive first trajectory points, and the each trajectory segment having a single path direction, wherein the single path direction is the path direction from the first trajectory point of the M first trajectory points to a last trajectory point of the M first trajectory points in the each trajectory segment, wherein N is a positive integer and M is an integer greater than 1, wherein the structured information comprises trajectory segment index, trajectory segment starting point, trajectory segment end point, trajectory segment middle point and total length of trajectory segment; correcting a vehicle trajectory deviation on the electronic map based on the structured information of the N trajectory segments and the trajectory display information by the electronic device' - among the above technical features, by using the electronic device to structure the first road trajectory, split it into N trajectory segments, obtain the structured information of the N trajectory segments, and store the structured information of the N trajectory segments, subsequent real-time vehicle trajectory deviation correction can be performed directly based on the structured information of the N trajectory segments and the trajectory display information, thereby making the applicable scenarios of the method unconstrained.
Through the steps of 'obtaining position information reported by a vehicle in real-time by the electronic device; determining a target trajectory segment from the N trajectory segments by the electronic device, wherein the target trajectory segment is a trajectory segment among the N trajectory segments with a shortest projection distance to the position; determining a target trajectory point in the target trajectory segment that corresponds to the position by the electronic device; obtaining first display information corresponding to the target trajectory point from the trajectory display information by the electronic device; displaying the target trajectory point on the electronic map based on the first display information by the electronic device' - here, the vehicle positions are usually matched with the trajectory points on the trajectory segments. After a successful match, the trajectory point on the trajectory segment is used to replace the position reported by the vehicle for display. Since the trajectory point has been map- matched to the electronic map, the position of the displayed vehicle has undergone the deviation correction operation, thereby achieving a good display effect.
Through the steps of 'obtaining a display point set of the N trajectory segments by the electronic device, wherein the display point set comprises K first trajectory points of each of the N trajectory segments, and the K first trajectory points of each of the N trajectory segments are used for display, wherein K is a positive integer less than or equal to M; obtaining second display information of each first trajectory point in the display point set from the trajectory display information by the electronic device; displaying the each first trajectory point in the display point
set on the electronic map based on the second display information by the electronic device', trajectory points which are valuable for position display and trajectory display can be filtered from the plurality of first trajectory points to form a display point set. The display point set is much smaller in size than the trajectory point set in the first road trajectory, which significantly improves the display efficiency of the first road trajectory on the electronic map without compromising the display of important information, thereby achieving a good balance between display efficiency and display effect.
Therefore, for claim 1, by using the electronic device to structure the first road trajectory, split it into N trajectory segments, obtain the structured information of the N trajectory segments, and store the structured information, subsequent real-time vehicle trajectory deviation correction can be performed directly based on the structured information of the N trajectory segments and the trajectory display information, thus making the applicable scenarios unconstrained. By matching the vehicle position with a trajectory point on a trajectory segment, after a successful match, the trajectory point on the trajectory segment replaces the reported vehicle position for display. Because this trajectory point has been map-matched to the electronic map, the displayed vehicle position has already undergone the deviation correction operation, thereby achieving a good display effect. Furthermore, by filtering trajectory points having value for position display and trajectory display to form a display point set, the data volume is significantly reduced, which significantly improves display efficiency without losing key information when displaying the first road trajectory on the electronic map, achieving an excellent balance between display efficiency and effect.
So, claim 1 is a specific technical solution proposed for specific technical problems, such as vehicle trajectory drift on electronic maps, the computational burden of real-time monitoring of large-scale vehicles.
Thus, it can be considered that claim 1 as a whole, through the cooperation of the above steps, enables real-time vehicle trajectory deviation correction directly based on the N trajectory segments, rendering its applicable scenarios unconstrained and significantly improving display efficiency without losing key information. That is, claim 1 as a whole solves the identified specific technical problems and embodies an inventive concept. Therefore, claim 1 complies with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. § 101. For similar reasons as claim 1, Applicant submits that claims 11 and 12 also comply with 35 U.S.C. § 101.
The Examiners Response:
Examiner has carefully considered Applicant’s amendments and arguments and respectfully disagrees. Regarding the claimed invention, the claims as of right now merely have steps which acquire information from vehicles collecting information and map information for use in mental processing steps that split and correct a vehicle trajectory deviation using the acquired vehicle trajectories and map information. See MPEP 2106.04(a)(2), a claim to "collecting information, analyzing it, and displaying certain results of the collection and analysis," where the data analysis steps are recited at a high level of generality such that they could practically be performed in the human mind, Electric Power Group v. Alstom, S.A., 830 F.3d 1350, 1353-54, 119 USPQ2d 1739, 1741-42 (Fed. Cir. 2016).
The claims in their current form do not show the real-time computational burden being reduced, display efficiency improved, and the ability to support larger-scale vehicle monitoring being achieved, it is the subject matter of the claims, not embodiments disclosed in the Specification, that we analyze. ChargePoint, Inc. v. SemaConnect, Inc., 920 F.3d 759, 769 (Fed. Cir. 2019) (“[A]ny reliance on the specification in the § 101 analysis must always yield to the claim language. . . . [T]he specification cannot be used to import details from the specification if those details are not claimed.”). The improvement of improving the utilization of computer system resources and processing capabilities and improvement to the technical process of vehicle positioning and map matching is never explicitly mentioned in the currently amended claims and it is not clear how the current claims would lead to such claimed improvements. Finally, for the improvement to be indicative of integration into a practical application, it cannot be an improvement to an abstract idea, it must be "to the functioning of a computer, or to any other technology or technical field (MPEP 2106.05(a)). As such, even in combination, these additional elements, under broadest reasonable interpretation, do not integrate the abstract idea into practical application because they do not impose any meaningful limitations on practicing the abstract idea.
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 1-3, 11-14 and 17-18 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 vehicle trajectory deviation" in Line 24. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "a vehicle trajectory deviation" in Line 23. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 12 recites the limitation "a vehicle trajectory deviation" in Line 23. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
All dependent claims are rejected for depending on rejected independent claims.
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 1-3, 11-14 and 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
101 Analysis – Step 1
Claim 1 is directed to a method, claim 11 is directed to a device and claim 12 is directed to one or more non-transitory computer-readable media. Therefore, claims 1, 11 and 12 are within at least one of the four statutory categories.
101 Analysis – Step 2A, Prong I
Regarding Prong I of the Step 2A analysis in the 2019 PEG, the claims are to be analyzed to determine whether they recite subject matter that falls within one of the follow groups of abstract ideas: a) mathematical concepts, b) certain methods of organizing human activity, and/or c) mental processes.
Independent claim 1 includes limitations that recite an abstract idea (emphasized below) and will be used as a representative claim for the remainder of the 101 rejection. The other analogous claims 11 and 12 are rejected for the same reasons as the representative claim 1 as discussed here. Claim 1 recites:
A vehicle trajectory deviation correction method, performed by
obtaining a first road trajectory by the electronic device, wherein the first road trajectory comprises a plurality of first trajectory points;
obtaining trajectory display information of the first road trajectory with respect to an electronic map by the electronic device, wherein the trajectory display information comprises information of road positions on the electronic map that match the plurality of first trajectory points;
splitting the first road trajectory into N trajectory segments based on a road structure of the first road trajectory, acquiring structured information and storing the structured information by the electronic device, each trajectory segment comprising M consecutive first trajectory points, and the each trajectory segment having a single path direction, wherein the single path direction is the path direction from the first trajectory point of the M first trajectory points to a last trajectory point of the M first trajectory points in the each trajectory segment, wherein N is a positive integer and M is an integer greater than 1, wherein the structured information comprises trajectory segment index, trajectory segment starting point, trajectory segment end point, trajectory segment middle point and total length of trajectory segment;
correcting a vehicle trajectory deviation on the electronic map based on the structured information of the N trajectory segments and the trajectory display information by the electronic device.;
wherein the correcting a vehicle trajectory deviation on the electronic map based on the structured information of the N trajectory segments and the trajectory display information by the electronic device comprises:
obtaining position information reported by a vehicle in real-time by the electronic device;
determining a target trajectory segment from the N trajectory segments by the electronic device, wherein the target trajectory segment is a trajectory segment among the N trajectory segments with a shortest projection distance to the position;
determining a target trajectory point in the target trajectory segment that corresponds to the position by the electronic device;
obtaining first display information corresponding to the target trajectory point from the trajectory display information by the electronic device;
displaying the target trajectory point on the electronic map based on the first display information by the electronic device;
wherein before the displaying the target trajectory point on the electronic map based on the first display information by the electronic device, the method further comprises:
obtaining a display point set of the N trajectory segments by the electronic device, wherein the display point set comprises K first trajectory points of each of the N trajectory segments, and the K first trajectory points of each of the N trajectory segments are used for display, wherein K is a positive integer less than or equal to M;
obtaining second display information of each first trajectory point in the display point set from the trajectory display information by the electronic device;
displaying the each first trajectory point in the display point set on the electronic map based on the second display information by the electronic device.
The examiner submits that the foregoing bolded limitation(s) constitute a “mental process” because under its broadest reasonable interpretation, the claim covers performance of the limitation in the human mind. For example, “splitting …”, “correcting…” and “determining …” all the various data in the context of this claim encompasses a person looking at data collected (received, detected, etc.) and forming a simple judgement (determination, analysis, comparison, etc.) either mentally or using a pen and paper. Accordingly, the claim recites at least one abstract idea. The Examiner notes that under MPEP 2106.04(a)(2)(III), the courts consider a mental process (thinking) that "can be performed in the human mind, or by a human using a pen and paper" to be an abstract idea. CyberSource Corp. v. Retail Decisions, Inc., 654 F.3d 1366, 1372, 99 USPQ2d 1690, 1695 (Fed. Cir. 2011). As the Federal Circuit explained, "methods which can be performed mentally, or which are the equivalent of human mental work, are unpatentable abstract ideas the ‘basic tools of scientific and technological work’ that are open to all.’" 654 F.3d at 1371, 99 USPQ2d at 1694 (citing Gottschalk v. Benson, 409 U.S. 63, 175 USPQ 673 (1972)). See also Mayo Collaborative Servs. v. Prometheus Labs. Inc., 566 U.S. 66, 71, 101 USPQ2d 1961, 1965 ("‘[M]ental processes[] and abstract intellectual concepts are not patentable, as they are the basic tools of scientific and technological work’" (quoting Benson, 409 U.S. at 67, 175 USPQ at 675)); Parker v. Flook, 437 U.S. 584, 589, 198 USPQ 193, 197 (1978) (same).
101 Analysis – Step 2A, Prong II
Regarding Prong II of the Step 2A analysis in the 2019 PEG, the claims are to be analyzed to determine whether the claim, as a whole, integrates the abstract into a practical application. As noted in the 2019 PEG, it must be determined whether any additional elements in the claim beyond the abstract idea integrate the exception into a practical application in a manner that imposes a meaningful limit on the judicial exception. The courts have indicated that additional elements merely using a computer to implement an abstract idea, adding insignificant extra solution activity, or generally linking use of a judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field of use do not integrate a judicial exception into a “practical application.”
In the present case, the additional limitations beyond the above-noted abstract idea are as follows (where the underlined portions are the “additional limitations” while the bolded portions continue to represent the “abstract idea”):
A vehicle trajectory deviation correction method, performed by
obtaining a first road trajectory by the electronic device, wherein the first road trajectory comprises a plurality of first trajectory points;
obtaining trajectory display information of the first road trajectory with respect to an electronic map by the electronic device, wherein the trajectory display information comprises information of road positions on the electronic map that match the plurality of first trajectory points;
splitting the first road trajectory into N trajectory segments based on a road structure of the first road trajectory, acquiring structured information and storing the structured information by the electronic device, each trajectory segment comprising M consecutive first trajectory points, and the each trajectory segment having a single path direction, wherein the single path direction is the path direction from the first trajectory point of the M first trajectory points to a last trajectory point of the M first trajectory points in the each trajectory segment, wherein N is a positive integer and M is an integer greater than 1, wherein the structured information comprises trajectory segment index, trajectory segment starting point, trajectory segment end point, trajectory segment middle point and total length of trajectory segment;
correcting a vehicle trajectory deviation on the electronic map based on the structured information of the N trajectory segments and the trajectory display information by the electronic device.;
wherein the correcting a vehicle trajectory deviation on the electronic map based on the structured information of the N trajectory segments and the trajectory display information by the electronic device comprises:
obtaining position information reported by a vehicle in real-time by the electronic device;
determining a target trajectory segment from the N trajectory segments by the electronic device, wherein the target trajectory segment is a trajectory segment among the N trajectory segments with a shortest projection distance to the position;
determining a target trajectory point in the target trajectory segment that corresponds to the position by the electronic device;
obtaining first display information corresponding to the target trajectory point from the trajectory display information by the electronic device;
displaying the target trajectory point on the electronic map based on the first display information by the electronic device;
wherein before the displaying the target trajectory point on the electronic map based on the first display information by the electronic device, the method further comprises:
obtaining a display point set of the N trajectory segments by the electronic device, wherein the display point set comprises K first trajectory points of each of the N trajectory segments, and the K first trajectory points of each of the N trajectory segments are used for display, wherein K is a positive integer less than or equal to M;
obtaining second display information of each first trajectory point in the display point set from the trajectory display information by the electronic device;
displaying the each first trajectory point in the display point set on the electronic map based on the second display information by the electronic device.
For the following reason(s), the examiner submits that the above identified additional limitations do not integrate the above-noted abstract idea into a practical application.
Regarding the additional limitations above, the examiner submits that these limitations are insignificant extra-solution activities that merely use a computer (processor) to perform the process. In particular, the obtaining steps from/using sensor system(s)/memory are recited at a high level of generality (i.e. as a general means of obtaining information for use in the splitting and other steps), and amounts to mere data gathering, which is a form of insignificant extra-solution activity. The displaying steps are also recited at a high level of generality and amounts to mere post solution action, which is a form of insignificant extra-solution activity. Lastly, claims 1, 11 and 12 further recite “A vehicle trajectory deviation correction method, performed by an electronic device”, “An electronic device, comprising: a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and capable of running on the processor, wherein the computer program is configured to be executed by the processor” and “A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing therein a computer program, wherein the computer program is configured to be executed by a processor to implement” merely describes how to generally “apply” the otherwise mental judgements in a generic or general purpose map matching environment. See Alice Corp. Pty. Ltd. v. CLS Bank Int'l, 573 U.S. at 223 (“[T]he mere recitation of a generic computer cannot transform a patent-ineligible abstract idea into a patent-eligible invention.”). The device(s) and processor(s) are recited at a high level of generality and merely automates the steps.
Thus, taken alone, the additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application. Further, looking at the additional limitation(s) as an ordered combination or as a whole, the limitation(s) add nothing that is not already present when looking at the elements taken individually. For instance, there is no indication that the additional elements, when considered as a whole, reflect an improvement in the functioning of a computer or an improvement to another technology or technical field, apply or use the above-noted judicial exception to effect a particular treatment or prophylaxis for a disease or medical condition, implement/use the above-noted judicial exception with a particular machine or manufacture that is integral to the claim, effect a transformation or reduction of a particular article to a different state or thing, or apply or use the judicial exception in some other meaningful way beyond generally linking the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment, such that the claim as a whole is not more than a drafting effort designed to monopolize the exception (MPEP § 2106.05). Accordingly, the additional limitation(s) do/does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it does not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea.
101 Analysis – Step 2B
Regarding Step 2B of the 2019 PEG, as discussed above with respect to integration of the abstract idea into a practical application, the additional element of using a processor to perform the steps amounts to nothing more than applying the exception using a generic computer component. Generally applying an exception using a generic computer component cannot provide an inventive concept. And as discussed above, the additional limitations discussed above are insignificant extra-solution activities.
The additional limitations of obtaining information and values/features detecting/detectable are well-understood, routine and conventional activities because the background recites that the sensors are all conventional sensors or the data can come from a memory storage, and the specification does not provide any indication that the processor is anything other than a conventional computer. MPEP 2106.05(d)(II), and the cases cited therein, including Intellectual Ventures I, LLC v. Symantec Corp., 838 F.3d 1307, 1321 (Fed. Cir. 2016), TLI Communications LLC v. AV Auto. LLC, 823 F.3d 607, 610 (Fed. Cir. 2016), and OIP Techs., Inc., v. Amazon.com, Inc., 788 F.3d 1359, 1363 (Fed. Cir. 2015), indicate that mere collection or receipt of data over a network is a well‐understood, routine, and conventional function when it is claimed in a merely generic manner. Hence, the claim is not patent eligible.
Dependent claims 2-3, 13-14 and 17-18 do not recite any further limitations that cause the claims to be patent eligible. Rather, the limitations of dependent claims are directed toward additional aspects of the judicial exception and/or additional elements that do not integrate the judicial exception into a practical application. The dependent claims merely have additional steps such as “obtaining”, “correcting”, “deleting”, and “adding”. Therefore, dependent claims 2-3, 13-14 and 17-18 are not patent eligible.
Therefore, claims 1-3, 11-14 and 17-18 are ineligible under 35 USC §101.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAP MATCHING TRACE POINTS TO A DIGITAL MAP (US 20200049512 A1)
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/MOISES GASCA ALVA/Examiner, Art Unit 3667
/FARIS S ALMATRAHI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3667
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