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
This action is in reply to the application filed on 5/9/23, which is a CON of application 18/108451 issued as US 11,979,406, wherein:
Claims 1-20 have been canceled;
Claims 21-40 are new;
Claims 21-40 are currently pending and have been examined.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP §§ 706.02(l)(1) - 706.02(l)(3) for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA /25, or PTO/AIA /26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/process/file/efs/guidance/eTD-info-I.jsp.
Claims 21-26, 28-32, and 35-39 of Application 18/632682 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over: claims 1-16 of US Patent No. 11979406, claims 1-20 of US 11606360. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the claims of the ‘406 Patent, and the ‘360 Patent, recite all the limitations of claims 21-26, 28-32, and 35-39 of the instant Application No. 18/632682 as indicated in the comparison table below.
Claims of 18/632,682
US 11979406
US 11606360
21. A method comprising:
receiving, at a hub administration server from a user account associated with a user device, a provisioning request to provision a transaction server with provisioning information to create a transaction account associated with the user account;
sending, by the hub administration server, at least a portion of the provisioning request to each of a plurality of account administration servers to determine, based on the portion, which of the plurality of account administration servers stores an account associated with the user account;
in response to at least one of the plurality of account administration servers responding to the hub administration server that the at least one account administration server stores an account associated with the user account, sending a request, by the hub administration server to the at least one account administration server for provisioning information associated with the user account;
receiving, at the hub administration server, the provisioning information from the at least one account administration server; and
sending, by the hub administration server to the transaction server, the provisioning information to thereby create the transaction account.
8. A method for providing provisioning information to a transaction processor, the method comprising:
receiving, by a central data processor from at least one of a plurality of account administrator data processing systems, one or more client user account provisioning information;
storing, by the central data processor, the one or more client user account provision information in a data storage unit; receiving, by the central data processor from a transaction processor, a request to share at least one of the account provisioning information with the transaction processor;
transmitting, by the central data processor to the transaction processor, a user datum request;
receiving, by the central data processor from the transaction processor, a user datum;
determining, by the central data processor, whether the user datum is associated with at least one or more account provisioning data;
transmitting, by the central data processor to the transaction processor, an account administrator list identifying the at least one of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems associated with the at least one or more account provisioning data;
receiving, by the central data processor from the transaction data processing system, an account administrator selection message including identification of a user-selected account administrator from the account administrator list;
receiving, by the central data processor from the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, client user authentication information;
transmitting, by the central data processor to the transaction data processing system, an authentication request;
receiving, by the central data processor from the transaction data processing system, an authentication response including at least one client user-supplied authentication credential;
authenticating, by the central data processor, the account administrator selection message using the at least one client-user-supplied authentication credential and the client user authentication information;
transmitting, by the central data processor to the plurality of account administrator data processing systems and the transaction data processing system, user datum encryption information;
wherein the user datum is an encrypted user datum encrypted using the user datum encryption information and associated with a client user of the transaction data processing system, and the method further comprises: transmitting, by the central data processor, to each of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems, a user account query including the encrypted user datum;
retrieving, by the central data processor from the data storage unit, the account provisioning data associated with user-selected account administrator; and
transmitting, by the central data processor to the transaction processor, the account provisioning data associated with the user-selected account administrator.
1. A method for providing provisioning information to a transaction data processing system, the method comprising:
transmitting, by a central data processing system to a plurality of account administrator data processing systems and the transaction data processing system, user datum encryption information; receiving, by the central data processing system from the transaction data processing system, an encrypted user datum associated with a client user of the transaction data processing system;
transmitting, by the central data processing system to each of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems, a user account query including the encrypted user datum;
receiving, by the central data processing system from at least one of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems, a response comprising a notification that a user account administrated by that account administrator data processing system is associated with the client user; transmitting, by the central data processing system to the transaction data processing system, an account administrator list identifying the at least one of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems;
receiving, by the central data processing system from the transaction data processing system, an account administrator selection message including identification of a user-selected account administrator from the account administrator list;
receiving, by the central data processing system from the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, client user authentication information;
transmitting, by the central data processing system to the transaction data processing system, an authentication request;
receiving, by the central data processing system from the transaction data processing system, an authentication response including at least one client user-supplied authentication credential;
authenticating, by the central data processing system, the account administrator selection message using the at least one client-user-supplied authentication credential and the client user authentication information;
transmitting, by the central data processing system to the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, a provisioning request message including a request for client user account provisioning information,
wherein the action of transmitting the provisioning request message is carried out only in response to a positive authentication of the account administrator selection message;
receiving, by the central data processing system from the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, the client user account provisioning information; and transmitting, by the central data processing system to the transaction data processing system, the client user account provisioning information.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the provisioning request includes a hashed user datum associated with the user account and the portion includes the hashed user datum.
1… wherein the user datum is an encrypted user datum encrypted using the user datum encryption information and associated with a client user of the transaction data processing system, and the central data processor is further configured to: transmit, to each of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems, a user account query including the encrypted user datum,
1…transmitting, by a central data processing system to a plurality of account administrator data processing systems and the transaction data processing system, user datum encryption information; receiving, by the central data processing system from the transaction data processing system, an encrypted user datum associated with a client user of the transaction data processing system; transmitting, by the central data processing system to each of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems, a user account query including the encrypted user datum;
23. The method of claim 22, wherein the hashed user datum includes a hashed email address associated with the user account.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the client user account provisioning information includes at least one of a home address, a billing address, a mobile phone number, a home phone number, an Email address, a 16-digit credit card number, a 16-digit virtual card number, or a credit card expiration date.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the encrypted user datum includes one of a phone number or an email address.
24. The method of claim 21, further comprising: compiling a list of the at least one of the plurality of account administration servers that responded to the hub administration server; sending the list to the user device for the user account to select one of the at least one of the plurality of account administration servers that responded; and receiving, from the user account, a selection of one or more of the at least one of the plurality of account administration servers from the list.
1… transmit, to the transaction processor, an account administrator list identifying the at least one of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems associated with the at least one or more account provisioning data,
receive, from the transaction data processing system, an account administrator selection message including identification of a user-selected account administrator from the account administrator list,
1…transmitting, by the central data processing system to the transaction data processing system, an account administrator list identifying the at least one of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems;
receiving, by the central data processing system from the transaction data processing system, an account administrator selection message including identification of a user-selected account administrator from the account administrator list;
25. The method of claim 24, further comprising sending a confirmation request to the user device for the user account to confirm the selection, the confirmation request including a request to validate an identity of the user account to confirm the selection.
1…receive, from the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, client user authentication information, transmit, to the transaction data processing system, an authentication request, receive, from the transaction data processing system, an authentication response including at least one client user-supplied authentication credential,
authenticate the account administrator selection message using the at least one client-user-supplied authentication credential and the client user authentication information
1…receiving, by the central data processing system from the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, client user authentication information;
transmitting, by the central data processing system to the transaction data processing system, an authentication request;
receiving, by the central data processing system from the transaction data processing system, an authentication response including at least one client user-supplied authentication credential;
authenticating, by the central data processing system, the account administrator selection message using the at least one client-user-supplied authentication credential and the client user authentication information;
26. The method of claim 24, wherein sending the request to the at least one account administration server for provisioning information associated with the user account includes sending the request to the one or more account administration servers in the selection.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein:
the central data processor is configured to transmit to the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, a provisioning request message including a request for client user account provisioning information, wherein the action of transmitting the provisioning request message is carried out only in response to a positive authentication of the account administrator selection message, and the at least one client user-supplied authentication credential is included in the provisioning request message with the request for client user account provisioning information.
1…transmitting, by the central data processing system to the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, a provisioning request message including a request for client user account provisioning information, wherein the action of transmitting the provisioning request message is carried out only in response to a positive authentication of the account administrator selection message;
receiving, by the central data processing system from the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, the client user account provisioning information; and
27. The method of claim 21, further comprising: receiving a notification from the transaction server that the transaction account was successfully created and provisioned; and sending, by the hub administration server, a success notification to the user device indicating that the transaction account was successfully created and provisioned.
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28. A method comprising:
forwarding, by a transaction administration server to a hub administration server, a provisioning request received from a user device associated with a user account, the provisioning request to create a transaction account on the transaction administration server associated with the user account, the provisioning request including account holder datum;
receiving, from the hub administration server and based on the provisioning request, a list of account administration servers that indicated to the hub administration server that a corresponding account administration server has an account associated therewith that has account holder information that corresponds to the account holder datum;
forwarding, by the transaction administration server, the list to user device, and receiving from the user device a selected account administration server from the list;
sending, by the transaction administration server to the hub administration server, the selected account administration server; and receiving, by the transaction administration server from the hub administration server, provisioning information corresponding to the provisioning request to thereby provision the transaction account.
8. A method for providing provisioning information to a transaction processor,
the method comprising:
receiving, by a central data processor from at least one of a plurality of account administrator data processing systems, one or more client user account provisioning information;
storing, by the central data processor, the one or more client user account provision information in a data storage unit; receiving, by the central data processor from a transaction processor, a request to share at least one of the account provisioning information with the transaction processor;
transmitting, by the central data processor to the transaction processor, a user datum request;
receiving, by the central data processor from the transaction processor, a user datum;
determining, by the central data processor, whether the user datum is associated with at least one or more account provisioning data; transmitting, by the central data processor to the transaction processor, an account administrator list identifying the at least one of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems associated with the at least one or more account provisioning data;
receiving, by the central data processor from the transaction data processing system, an account administrator selection message including identification of a user-selected account administrator from the account administrator list;
receiving, by the central data processor from the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, client user authentication information; transmitting, by the central data processor to the transaction data processing system, an authentication request; receiving, by the central data processor from the transaction data processing system, an authentication response including at least one client user-supplied authentication credential;
authenticating, by the central data processor, the account administrator selection message using the at least one client-user-supplied authentication credential and the client user authentication information;
transmitting, by the central data processor to the plurality of account administrator data processing systems and the transaction data processing system, user datum encryption information;
wherein the user datum is an encrypted user datum encrypted using the user datum encryption information and associated with a client user of the transaction data processing system, and the method further comprises: transmitting, by the central data processor, to each of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems, a user account query including the encrypted user datum;
retrieving, by the central data processor from the data storage unit, the account provisioning data associated with user-selected account administrator; and transmitting, by the central data processor to the transaction processor, the account provisioning data associated with the user-selected account administrator.
8. An automated system for providing provisioning information to a transaction data processing system, the system comprising: a datum encryption processor configured to:
generate user datum encryption information, and
transmit the user datum encryption information to a plurality of account administrator data processing systems and the transaction data processing system;
a user account identification data processor configured to:
receive, over a first network from the transaction data processing system, an encrypted user datum associated with a client user of the transaction data processing system, transmit, over a second network to each of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems, a user account query including the encrypted user datum,
receive, over the second network from at least one of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems, a response comprising a notification that a user account administrated by that account administrator data processing system is associated with the client user, transmit, over the first network to the transaction data processing system, an account administrator list identifying the at least one of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems, receive, over the first network from the transaction data processing system, an account administrator selection message including identification of a user-selected account administrator from the account administrator list,
receive, over the second network from the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, client user authentication information,
transmit, over the first network to the transaction data processing system, an authentication request, receive, over the first network, from the transaction data processing system, an authentication response including at least one client user-supplied authentication credential, and
authenticate the account administrator selection message using the at least one client-user-supplied authentication credential and the client user authentication information; and
a provisioning information broadcast data processor configured to: transmit, over the second network to the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, a provisioning request message including a request for client user account provisioning information, wherein the action of transmitting the provisioning request message is carried out only in response to a positive authentication of the account administrator selection message,
receive, over the second network from the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, the client user account provisioning information, and
transmit, over the first network to the transaction data processing system, the client user account provisioning information.
29. The method of claim 28, further comprising: receiving, at the transaction administration server, unique security information to encrypt the account holder datum that is unique to the user account; and applying the unique security information to the account holder datum to obtain encrypted account holder datum; wherein the provisioning request forwarded to the hub administration server includes the encrypted account holder datum.
8…transmitting, by the central data processor to the plurality of account administrator data processing systems and the transaction data processing system, user datum encryption information; wherein the user datum is an encrypted user datum encrypted using the user datum encryption information and associated with a client user of the transaction data processing system, and the method further comprises: transmitting, by the central data processor, to each of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems, a user account query including the encrypted user datum;
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises encrypting one or more client user account provisioning information.
10. The method of claim 8, wherein the encrypted user datum includes one of a phone number or an email address.
8… datum encryption processor configured to: generate user datum encryption information, and transmit the user datum encryption information to a plurality of account administrator data processing systems and the transaction data processing system; a user account identification data processor configured to: receive, over a first network from the transaction data processing system, an encrypted user datum associated with a client user of the transaction data processing system, transmit, over a second network to each of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems, a user account query including the encrypted user datum,
10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the encrypted user datum includes one of a phone number or an email address.
30. The method of claim 29, wherein the list of account administration servers includes a list of account administration servers that indicated to the hub administration server that the corresponding account administration server has an account associated therewith that has account holder information that corresponds to the encrypted account holder datum.
8… determining, by the central data processor, whether the user datum is associated with at least one or more account provisioning data; transmitting, by the central data processor to the transaction processor, an account administrator list identifying the at least one of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems associated with the at least one or more account provisioning data;
8…transmit, over the first network to the transaction data processing system, an account administrator list identifying the at least one of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems,
receive, over the first network from the transaction data processing system, an account administrator selection message including identification of a user-selected account administrator from the account administrator list,
31. The method of claim 28, further comprising sending, by the transaction administration server to the hub administration server, a notification indicating that the account provisioning was successfully completed.
15. The method of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises: receiving, by the central data processor from the transaction processor, a message indicating whether the client user account provisioning information has been provisioned successfully to the transaction processor.
14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the user confirmation data processor configured to receive, over the first network from the transaction data processing system, a message indicating whether the client user account provisioning information has been provisioned successfully to the transaction data processing system.
32. The method of claim 28, further comprising receiving from the user device a plurality of selected account administration servers from the list.
8… receiving, by the central data processor from the transaction data processing system, an account administrator selection message including identification of a user-selected account administrator from the account administrator list;
8…receiving, by the central data processing system from the transaction data processing system, an account administrator selection message including identification of a user-selected account administrator from the account administrator list;
receiving, by the central data processing system from the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, client user authentication information;
33. The method of claim 32, wherein the provisioning information is received from the plurality of account administration servers, each of the plurality of account administration servers being associated with a different contactless card associated with the user account.
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34. A server comprising: a memory having executable instructions stored thereon; and a processing circuit to execute the instructions, which when executed by the processing circuit, cause the processing circuit to:
receive, from a user device associated with a user account, a provisioning request to provision a transaction server with provisioning information to create a transaction account associated with the user account,
the provisioning request including a user datum associated with the user account; send at least the user datum to each of a plurality of account administration servers to determine, based on the user datum, which of the plurality of account administration servers stores an account associated with the user datum;
in response to at least one of the plurality of account administration servers responding to the hub administration server that the at least one account administration server stores an account associated with the user datum,
send a request to the at least one account administration server for provisioning information associated with the user datum; receive the provisioning information from the at least one account administration server; and send the provisioning information to the transaction server to thereby create the transaction account.
16. A non-transitory, computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a central data processor, cause the central data processor to perform actions comprising:
receiving, from at least one of a plurality of account administrator data processing systems, one or more client user account provisioning information; storing the one or more client user account provision information in a data storage unit; receiving, from a transaction processor, a request to share at least one of the account provisioning information with the transaction processor;
transmitting, to the transaction processor, a user datum request; receiving, from the transaction processor, a user datum; determining whether the user datum is associated with at least one or more account provisioning data;
transmitting, to the transaction processor, an account administrator list identifying the at least one of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems associated with the at least one or more account provisioning data;
receiving, from the transaction data processing system, an account administrator selection message including identification of a user-selected account administrator from the account administrator list;
receiving, from the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, client user authentication information; transmitting, to the transaction data processing system, an authentication request; receiving, from the transaction data processing system, an authentication response including at least one client user-supplied authentication credential; authenticating the account administrator selection message using the at least one client-user-supplied authentication credential and the client user authentication information;
wherein the central data processor is configured to transmit to the plurality of account administrator data processing systems and the transaction data processing system, user datum encryption information, wherein the user datum is an encrypted user datum encrypted using the user datum encryption information and associated with a client user of the transaction data processing system, and the central data processor is further configured to: transmit, to each of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems, a user account query including the encrypted user datum, retrieving, from the data storage unit, the account provisioning data associated with user-selected account administrator; and
transmitting, to the transaction processor, the account provisioning data associated with the user-selected account administrator.
15. A non-transitory, computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed on a data processing system, perform actions comprising:
transmitting, by a central data processing system to a plurality of account administrator data processing systems and a transaction data processing system, user datum encryption information; receiving, by the central data processing system from the transaction data processing system, an encrypted user datum associated with a client user of the transaction data processing system;
transmitting, by the central data processing system to each of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems, a user account query including the encrypted user datum;
receiving, by the central data processing system from at least one of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems, a response comprising a notification that a user account administrated by that account administrator data processing system is associated with the client user;
transmitting, by the central data processing system to the transaction data processing system, an account administrator list identifying the at least one of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems;
receiving, by the central data processing system from the transaction data processing system, an account administrator selection message including identification of a user-selected account administrator from the account administrator list;
receiving, by the central data processing system from the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, client user authentication information;
transmitting, by the central data processing system to the transaction data processing system, an authentication request;
receiving, by the central data processing system from the transaction data processing system, an authentication response including at least one client user-supplied authentication credential;
authenticating, by the central data processing system, the account administrator selection message using the at least one client-user-supplied authentication credential and the client user authentication information;
transmitting, by the central data processing system to the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, a provisioning request message including a request for client user account provisioning information, wherein the action of transmitting the provisioning request message is carried out only in response to a positive authentication of the account administrator selection message;
receiving, by the central data processing system from the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, the client user account provisioning information; and
transmitting, by the central data processing system to the transaction data processing system, the client user account provisioning information.
35. (New) The server of claim 34, wherein the user datum includes a hashed email address associated with the user account.
10. The method of claim 8, wherein the encrypted user datum includes one of a phone number or an email address.
10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the encrypted user datum includes one of a phone number or an email address.
36. The server of claim 34, wherein the processing circuit is further caused to: compile a list of the at least one of the plurality of account administration servers that responded to the hub administration server indicating that a corresponding account administration server stores an account associated with the user datum; and send the list to the user device for the user account to select one of the at least one of the plurality of account administration servers that responded.
16…transmitting, to the transaction processor, an account administrator list identifying the at least one of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems associated with the at least one or more account provisioning data;
receiving, from the transaction data processing system, an account administrator selection message including identification of a user-selected account administrator from the account administrator list;
15…transmitting, by the central data processing system to the transaction data processing system, an account administrator list identifying the at least one of the plurality of account administrator data processing systems;
receiving, by the central data processing system from the transaction data processing system, an account administrator selection message including identification of a user-selected account administrator from the account administrator list;
37. The server of claim 36, wherein the processing circuit is further caused to receive, from the user device, a selection of one or more of the at least one of the plurality of account administration servers from the list.
16… receiving, from the transaction data processing system, an account administrator selection message including identification of a user-selected account administrator from the account administrator list;
receiving, from the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, client user authentication information;
15…receiving, by the central data processing system from the transaction data processing system, an account administrator selection message including identification of a user-selected account administrator from the account administrator list;
38. The server of claim 37, wherein the processing circuit is further caused to send a confirmation request to the user device for the user account to confirm the selection, the confirmation request including a request to validate an identity of the user account to confirm the selection.
16… receiving, from the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, client user authentication information; transmitting, to the transaction data processing system, an authentication request; receiving, from the transaction data processing system, an authentication response including at least one client user-supplied authentication credential;
authenticating the account administrator selection message using the at least one client-user-supplied authentication credential and the client user authentication information;
15…receiving, by the central data processing system from the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, client user authentication information;
transmitting, by the central data processing system to the transaction data processing system, an authentication request; receiving, by the central data processing system from the transaction data processing system, an authentication response including at least one client user-supplied authentication credential;
authenticating, by the central data processing system, the account administrator selection message using the at least one client-user-supplied authentication credential and the client user authentication information;
39. The server of claim 37, wherein sending the request to the at least one account administration server for provisioning information associated with the user account includes the processing circuit being caused to send the request to the one or more account administration servers in the selection.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein:
the central data processor is configured to transmit to the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, a provisioning request message including a request for client user account provisioning information, wherein the action of transmitting the provisioning request message is carried out only in response to a positive authentication of the account administrator selection message, and the at least one client user-supplied authentication credential is included in the provisioning request message with the request for client user account provisioning information.
15…transmitting, by the central data processing system to the account administrator data processing system associated with the user-selected account administrator, a provisioning request message including a request for client user account provisioning information, wherein the action of transmitting the provisioning request message is carried out only in response to a positive authentication of the account administrator selection message;
40. The server of claim 34, wherein the processing circuit is further caused to: receive a notification from the transaction server that the transaction account was successfully created and provisioned; and send a success notification to the user device indicating that the transaction account was successfully created and provisioned.
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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 21-40 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. The claims recite a server and method for creating a transaction account which is considered a judicial exception because it falls under Certain Methods of Organizing Human Activity such as commercial or legal interactions, including: agreements in the form of contracts; marketing, sales activities or behaviors; and business relations. This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application as discussed below and the claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception as discussed below.
This rejection follows the 2019 Revised Patent Subject Matter Eligibility Guidance, 84 Fed Reg 4, January 7, 2019, pp. 50-57 (“2019 PEG”)(MPEP 2106).
Analysis
Step 1 (Statutory Categories) – 2019 PEG pg. 53 (See MPEP 2106.03)
Claims 21-40 are directed to the statutory category of a process, machine, or manufacture.
Step 2A, Prong 1 (Do the claims recite an abstract idea?) – 2019 PEG pg. 54 (See MPEP 2106.04(a)-(c))
For independent claims 21, 28, and 34, the claims recite an abstract idea of: creating a transaction account. The steps of independent claim 1 recite the abstract idea (in bold below) of: A method comprising: receiving, at a hub administration server from a user account associated with a user device, a provisioning request to provision a transaction server with provisioning information to create a transaction account associated with the user account; sending, by the hub administration server, at least a portion of the provisioning request to each of a plurality of account administration servers to determine, based on the portion, which of the plurality of account administration servers stores an account associated with the user account; in response to at least one of the plurality of account administration servers responding to the hub administration server that the at least one account administration server stores an account associated with the user account, sending a request, by the hub administration server to the at least one account administration server for provisioning information associated with the user account; receiving, at the hub administration server, the provisioning information from the at least one account administration server; and sending, by the hub administration server to the transaction server, the provisioning information to thereby create the transaction account. Independent claims 28 and 34 recite similar steps that recite the abstract idea. Independent claims 21, 28, and 34, as drafted, are a process that, under the broadest reasonable interpretation, covers Certain Methods of Organizing Human Activity, since they recite such as commercial or legal interactions, including: agreements in the form of contracts; marketing, sales activities or behaviors; and business relations. If the claim limitations, under the broadest reasonable interpretation, covers methods of organizing human activity but for the recitation of additional elements including generic computer components, then it falls within the “Certain Methods of Organizing Human Activity” grouping of abstract ideas. Other than reciting the abstract idea, the independent claims recite additional elements including generic computer components such as “a hub administration sever, a user device, a transaction server, account administration servers, a transaction administration server, and a server comprising a processing circuit executing instructions stored in a memory”, and nothing in the claims precludes the steps from being performed as a method of organizing human activity. Accordingly, the independent claims recite an abstract idea.
Dependent claims 22-27, 29-33, and 35-40 recite similar limitations as independent claims 21, 28, and 34; and when analyzed as a whole are held to be patent ineligible under 35 U.S.C 101 because the additional recited limitations only refine the abstract idea further. Other than reciting the abstract idea, the dependent claims recite similar additional elements including generic computer components as the independent claims, such as “the account administration servers, the hub administration server, the user device, the transaction server, the transaction administration server, the server, the processing circuit”. If a claim limitation, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, covers commercial or legal interactions, but for the recitation of generic computer components, then it falls within the “Certain Methods of Organizing Human Activity” grouping of abstract ideas.
Step 2A, Prong 2 (Does the claim recite additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application?) – 2019 PEG pg. 54 (See MPEP 2106.04(d)-(c))
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application. In particular, independent claims 21, 28, and 34 only recite the additional elements of “a hub administration sever, a user device, a transaction server, account administration servers, a transaction administration server, and a server comprising a processing circuit executing instructions stored in a memory”. A plain reading of the Figures and associated descriptions in the specification reveals that generic processors may be used to execute the claimed steps. The additional elements are recited at a high level of generality (i.e., as a generic processor performing generic computer functions) such that it amounts to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using generic computer components (See MPEP 2106.05(f)) and limits the judicial exception to a particular environment (See MPEP 2106.05(h)). Mere instructions to apply an exception using a generic computer component and limiting the judicial exception to a particular environment doesn’t integrate the abstract idea into a practical application in Step 2A. Accordingly, these additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it does not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. Hence, independent claims 21, 28, and 34 are directed to an abstract idea.
Dependent claims 22-27, 29-33, and 35-40, recite similar additional elements as the independent claims including generic computer components, such as “the account administration servers, the hub administration server, the user device, the transaction server, the transaction administration server, the server, the processing circuit”. The judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because the additional elements in the dependent claims are also recited at a high-level of generality such that it amounts to more no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using generic computer components. Therefore, the additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because they also do not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. Also, the claims do not affect an improvement to another technology or technical field; the claims do not amount to an improvement of the functioning of a computer system itself; the claims do not effect a transformation or reduction of a particular article to a different state or thing; and the claims do not move beyond a general link of the use of an abstract idea to a particular technological environment.
Step 2B (Does the claim recite additional elements that amount to significantly more than the judicial exception?) – 2019 PEG pg. 56 (See MPEP 2106.05)
Independent claims 21, 28, and 34 do not include additional elements that 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 recited additional elements amount to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component (See MPEP 2106.05(f)) and limits the judicial exception to the particular environment of computers (See MPEP 2106.05(h)). The additional elements of the instant underlying process, when taken in combination, together do not offer substantially more than the sum of the function of the elements when each is taken alone. Mere instructions to apply an exception using a generic computer component cannot provide an inventive concept in Step 2B.
In addition, the dependent claims 22-27, 29-33, and 35-40 do not include additional elements that 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 elements of the dependent claims to perform the claimed limitations, amounts to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component (See MPEP 2106.05(f)). Similar to the independent claims, mere instructions to apply an exception using a generic computer component cannot provide an inventive concept. Also, for the same reasoning as the independent claims, the additional elements of the limitations of the dependent claims, when considered individually and as an ordered combination, together do not offer significantly more than the sum of the functions of the elements when each is taken alone and the dependent claims as a whole, do not amount to significantly more than the abstract idea itself. For these reasons, the dependent claims also are not patent eligible.
Subject Matter Overcoming 35 USC §102/§103
Claims 1-20 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejections under 35 U.S.C. 101 set forth in this Office Action.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for subject matter of independent clams 21, 28, and 34 overcoming the prior art rejections under 35 USC §102/§103.
The closest prior art of record is US 2015/0095219 to Hurley (hereinafter referred to as Hurley), US 2016/0218875 to Lee Saint et al. (hereinafter referred to as Lee Saint), and US 2017/0046696 to Powell et al. (hereinafter referred to as Powell). Allowable subject matter is indicated because none of the prior art of record, alone or in combination, appears to teach or fairly suggest or render obvious the combination set forth in independent claims 21, 28, and 34. For independent claim 21, the prior art of Hurley, Lee Saint, and Powell specifically do not disclose: “receiving, at a hub administration server from a user account associated with a user device, a provisioning request to provision a transaction server with provisioning information to create a transaction account associated with the user account; sending, by the hub administration server, at least a portion of the provisioning request to each of a plurality of account administration servers to determine, based on the portion, which of the plurality of account administration servers stores an account associated with the user account; in response to at least one of the plurality of account administration servers responding to the hub administration server that the at least one account administration server stores an account associated with the user account, sending a request, by the hub administration server to the at least one account administration server for provisioning information associated with the user account; receiving, at the hub administration server, the provisioning information from the at least one account administration server; and sending, by the hub administration server to the transaction server, the provisioning information to thereby create the transaction account”. Similar reasoning and rationale apply to the other independent claims 28, and 34. Dependent claims 22-27, 29-33, and 35-4 are allowable over the prior art by virtue of their dependency on an allowed claim.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Bloy et al. (US 12315007) teaches systems for providing application and provisioning operations associated with an institution within ongoing online interactions with one or more merchants transactions.
Watson et al. (US 6226624) teaches systems and methods for preauthorization of individual account remote transactions.
Douglas et al. (US 11,810,123) teaches a method for provisioning account information for a payment card.
Sigmund (US 20170372275) teaches a method and system for authorizing and processing payment transactions over a network.
Best et al. (US 20160148177) teaches a method and system for pushing payment or account information to multiple retail and payment sites.
Raj et al. (US 11861607) teaches a mobile tokenization hub using dynamic identity information.
Flitcroft et al. (US 7593896) teaches an improved way of using existing credit cards in remote credit card transactions.
Sharma et al. (US 20200184482) teaches systems and methods are provided for use in provisioning accounts to applications included in mobile device
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/PAUL S SCHWARZENBERG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3695 3/11/2026