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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1 and 3-24 are pending in this application.
Claim 2 is canceled.
Response to Arguments
Regarding Rejection under 35 U.S.C. 101
Applicant’s arguments with respect to rejections have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding Claim 1, the Applicant argues that the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 101 is improper because the amended claim recites specific algorithm steps and a practical application which corresponds to an improvement to the technical field (REMARKS, on page 12 of 16, 5th paragraph – page 13 of 16, 4th paragraph).
However, Examiner respectfully disagrees that the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 101 is proper because the newly amended claim 1 is still directed to abstract idea. The patent-eligibility analysis below follows 2024 Guidance Update on Patent Subject Matter Eligibility, Including on Artificial Intelligence, dated July, 2024 and Memorandum on Subject Matter Eligibility Declarations, dated December 4, 2025.
These activities of claim 1 reflect estimating candidate symbols from the input and then increases the likelihood of candidates containing a registered symbol. If the temporary output contains the registered symbol, the operator (human) consults a combination table and converts the registered symbol into the user’s specific symbol before outputting it and updates a library/table/storage/model by rewriting some outputs into alternate forms that correspond to user-designated expressions. There steps are information processing and decision-making — activities that can be performed in the human mind or with pen and paper, and requires no more than a performing of generic computer functions (e.g. collecting data, calculating), and that courts/USPTO treat as abstract ideas.
Even though the claim references a/the “trained model” these are recited functionally, without technical detail about how they are implemented in a non-conventional way.
Applicant’s invention is not technological improvement of the existing, but helping to achieve better human functionality in the field of language processing using a generic computer. Even though the disclosed invention is described in the background as improving computer technology, the claim provides no meaningful limitations such that this improvement is realized. When the claimed system changes the architecture itself—e.g., how information flows, not just what it does—that may satisfy eligibility.
Therefore, the claim 1 does not amount to significantly more than the abstract idea itself. With respect to independent claims 21 and 23, the claims 21 and 23 are similar to claim 1.
With respect to dependent claims 3-20, 22 and 24, the claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
As such, claims 1 and 3-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 as being directed to non-statutory subject matter. Thus, the rejection is maintained at this time. Please see the rejection below for the whole analysis.
Regarding Rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103
Applicant’s arguments with respect to rejections have been fully considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to any of the references being used in the current rejection. The amended limitations raise new grounds for rejections and further that the Examiner is therefore applying a new reference.
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 and 3-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
Step 2A, Prong One: The independent claim 21 recites “transforming input data into an output symbol and outputting the output symbol, wherein a bias module increases a likelihood of a candidate symbol that includes a registered symbol, and a combination table indicates a combination of a specific symbol designated by a user and a registered symbol corresponding to the specific symbol, the information processing method comprising: extracting a feature value from the input data; applying the feature value to a trained model to estimate at least one candidate symbol and a likelihood of the at least one candidate symbol; performing, using the bias module, an increasing process of increasing the likelihood of the candidate symbol that includes the registered symbol corresponding to the specific symbol designated by the user, among the at least one candidate symbol; performing, using the bias module, an increasing process of increasing the likelihood of the candidate symbol that includes the registered symbol, among the at least one candidate symbol; determining a temporary output symbol based on a respective likelihood of the at least one candidate symbol after the increasing process is performed; and when the registered symbol is included in the temporary output symbol, referring to the combination table, performing a transformation process of transforming the registered symbol into the specific symbol corresponding to the registered symbol, and outputting, as the output symbol, the temporary output symbol on which the transformation process has been performed, wherein the bias module is a bias table in which a bias value for increasing the likelihood of the candidate symbol that includes the registered symbol and the registered symbol are defined in association with each other, and the processor outputs the specific symbol from the transformation process as the output symbol, so that the outputted specific symbol matches the specific symbol associated with the input data”.
Claims 1, 21 and 23 recite obtaining audio, converting/transcribing audio to text, determining/increasing likelihood of the text according to the speaker’s bias, referring a table and generating a final text.
[Abstract idea indicators]
Transcribing speech into text is the conversion of verbal content to written form—a task humans routinely perform mentally or with conventional tools.
Determining or increasing scores based on user’s bias, i.e., a cognitive process.
Mapping or referring it to a table are decision-making and planning steps that are mental processes.
Accordingly, the claims are directed to the judicial exception of a mental process.
Step 2A, Prong Two: This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application. The computer is recited at a high-level of generality (i.e., as performing a generic computer function and being used as an applying) such that it amounts no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer. Accordingly, there 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. The claim is directed to an abstract idea.
Step 2B — Claims Do Not Recite an Inventive Concept That Transforms the Mental Process into Patent-Eligible Subject Matter
The claims add generic, well-understood computer components (memory, processor) and broadly recite use of “a trained model” without describing any specific, unconventional structure, algorithmic detail, data structure, or system architecture that provides a concrete technical improvement in computer functionality.
Applying Alice step two and relevant Federal Circuit precedent:
The recitation of conventional computer components (memory and processor) performing routine functions does not supply an inventive concept.
The mere invocation of “trained model” without particularity does not demonstrate an unconventional machine or technique or a specific improvement in computer technology.
The claims recite high-level, result-oriented steps (e.g., “extract,” “determine,” “refer”) that describe mental processes rather than specific technical means for performing those processes.
Because the claims lack limitations that tie the mental-process steps to a particular way of achieving a technological improvement (for example, a novel model architecture, specialized data representation, unique training regimen that yields demonstrable technical performance gains, a specialized streaming/decoding pipeline that reduces latency by a quantifiable amount, or hardware/software co-design), the additional elements do not transform the mental processes into significantly more.
With respect to claims 1 and 23, the claim is similar to claim 21 and claims 1 and 23 recite additional element of “processor”, “memory” and “non-transitory recording medium”. The processor and memory are recited at a high-level of generality (i.e., as a generic processor performing generic computer functions and being used as an applying) such that it amounts no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component as well. These claims further do not remedy the judicial exception being integrated into a practical application and further fail to include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
Therefore, claims 1, 21 and 23 fail to recite an inventive concept sufficient to transform the judicial exception into patent-eligible subject matter.
With respect to dependent claim 3, claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
With respect to dependent claim 4, claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
With respect to dependent claim 5, claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
With respect to dependent claim 6, claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
With respect to dependent claim 7, claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
With respect to dependent claim 8, claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
With respect to dependent claim 9, claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
With respect to dependent claim 10, claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
With respect to dependent claim 11, claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
With respect to dependent claim 12, claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
With respect to dependent claim 13, claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
With respect to dependent claim 14, claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
With respect to dependent claim 15, claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
With respect to dependent claim 16, claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
With respect to dependent claim 17, claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
With respect to dependent claim 18, claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
With respect to dependent claim 19, claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
With respect to dependent claim 20, claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
With respect to dependent claims 22 and 24, claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
Accordingly, the limitations of the Claims are not sufficient to add significantly more to improve technological functionality.
D. Conclusion — Rejection
Claims 1 and 3-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 101 as being directed to a judicial exception (mental processes) and failing to recite additional elements that amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Please see attached form PTO-892.
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 SEONG-AH A. SHIN whose telephone number is (571)272-5933. The examiner can normally be reached 9 AM-3PM.
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Seong-ah A. Shin
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2659
/SEONG-AH A SHIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2659
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