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 office action is in response to applicant's communication of February 2, 2026. The rejections are stated below. Claims 1-15 are pending and have been examined.
Response to Amendment/Arguments
Applicant’s arguments concerning claims 1-15 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 have been considered but are not persuasive. Examiner maintains the position that the amended claims remain directed to an abstract idea. The claimed system recites: determining a set of contributing variables; fitting a regression model on a combination of previous values, differentials, and accumulations; continuing the fitting for each contributing variable; and using the outcome to determine an enterprise forecast. These steps are mathematical operations and mental processes. See CyberSource Corp. v. Retail Decisions, Inc., 654 F.3d 1366, 1372 (Fed. Cir. 2011) (analyzing data and generating a forecast are abstract); In re Bilski, 545 F.3d 943, 956 (Fed. Cir. 2008) (hedging risk in commodities trading is abstract), aff’d sub nom. Bilski v. Kappos, 561 U.S. 593 (2010). The data pipeline process and customer schema limitations describe data management steps that link the exception to a particular environment.
Assuming that the claims are not directed to an abstract idea, the claims do not contain an inventive concept sufficient to transform the abstract idea into a patent-eligible application. The additional limitations of a data pipeline process and a customer schema recite activities that are described in the Specification as: a data pipeline process that “operates in combination with the data transformation layer to transform data into a model format” (0049); a “data pipeline or process” that “can be scheduled to execute at intervals (e.g., hourly/daily/weekly) to extract enterprise data” (0047); a “data quality component and data protection component” (0047); a “data pipeline or process” that “maintains, for each of a plurality of customers, a data analytics schema” (0096); and “activation plans” that “can be used to control the operation of the data pipeline or process services for a customer” (0099). The Specification does not identify any aspect of the data pipeline process or customer schema that is not already present in the prior art as of the priority date. The use of a regression model “on a combination of previous values, differentials, and accumulations” is a mathematical technique that has been described in the literature. The Specification notes that “the system can use linear regression or other mathematical models or modeling techniques” (0006). There is no indication in the Specification or the claim that the claimed combination of features provides any inventive concept that transforms the abstract idea into patent-eligible subject matter. See Alice, 573 U.S. at 225 (“[T]he mere recitation of a generic computer cannot transform a patent-ineligible abstract idea into a patent-eligible invention.”).
With respect to Applicant’s amendment, the rejection of claims 1-15 under 35 U.S.C. 112a and 112b have been withdrawn.
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 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
Claim 6 recites “providing, at a computer system comprising one or more microprocessors, and a memory, a data analytics environment operating thereon, wherein the system includes one or more software components operating as a data plane and providing access to one or more data warehouse instances;
wherein the system includes a data pipeline process that operates to retrieve
enterprise data from a tenant enterprise data environment, to be loaded to a data
warehouse instance associated with the tenant
wherein each tenant, of a plurality of tenants, is associated with a customer
schema that supplements data within their data warehouse instance;
receiving an enterprise data or information;
determining a set of contributing variables within the enterprise data or
information that are associated with an enterprise forecast;
fitting regression model on a combination of previous values, differentials, and accumulations based relationships within the enterprise data or information, for use in determining the enterprise forecast;
continuing the fitting of the regression model for each of the contributing variables within the enterprise data or information; and
using the outcome of the regression model to determine the enterprise
forecast for a particular time period”.
These limitations describe an abstract idea of forecasting a company’s cash flow and corresponds to Certain Methods of Organizing Human Activity( hedging, mitigating risk) and Mathematical Concepts (mathematical calculations). Accordingly, claim 6 recites an abstract idea (Step 2A: Prong 1: YES).
The claim also recites as additional elements such as “providing, at a computer system comprising one or more microprocessors, and a memory, a data analytics environment operating thereon, wherein the system includes one or more software components operating as a data plane and providing access to one or more data warehouse instances, wherein the system includes a data pipeline process that operates to retrieve … form a tenant enterprise data environment, data warehouse, customer schema” which do no more than implement the abstract idea and/or provide a particular technological environment. Therefore, claim 6 recites an abstract idea without a practical application (Step 2A - Prong 2: NO).
Further, as the additional elements of claim 6 do no more than serve as a tool to implement the abstract idea and/or provide a particular technological environment, they do not improve computer functionality or improve another technology or technical field. Thus, claim 6 is not patent eligible (Step 2B: NO).
Claims 1 and 11 also recite the abstract idea of idea of forecasting a company’s cash flow and corresponds to Certain Methods of Organizing Human Activity (hedging, mitigating risk) and Mathematical Concepts (mathematical calculations) step one of step 2A (MPEP 2106.04). Claim 1 includes the additional elements of “a computer system comprising one or more microprocessors, and a memory, a data analytics environment operating thereon, wherein the system includes one or more software components operating as a data plane and providing access to one or more data warehouse instances, wherein the system includes a data pipeline process that operates to retrieve … form a tenant enterprise data environment, data warehouse, customer schema”. Claim 11 includes the additional elements of “a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, including instructions stored thereon which when read and executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers, providing, at a computer system comprising one or more microprocessors, and a memory, a data analytics environment operating thereon, wherein the system includes one or more software components operating as a data plane and providing access to one or more data warehouse instances, wherein the system includes a data pipeline process that operates to retrieve … form a tenant enterprise data environment, data warehouse, customer schema”. The additional elements do no more than serve as a tool to implement the abstract idea and/or link the abstract idea a particular technological environment. Therefore, as they do no more than serve as a tool to implement the abstract idea and/or provide a particular technological environment, they do not improve computer functionality or improve another technology or technical field.
Claim 2 recites “wherein the regression model assesses a set of variables related to the enterprise forecast, and their values and rate of change of such values, within a particular forecast window, and based on such assessment, the enterprise forecast is generated for that time period, or for a subsequent time period” which further defines the abstract idea.
Claim 3 recites “wherein the enterprise forecast comprises a cash flow position” which further defines the abstract idea.
Claim 4 recites “wherein the method is performed by one or more components of a data analytics environment” as additional elements. The additional elements do no more than serve as a tool to implement the abstract idea and/or link the abstract idea a particular technological environment. Therefore, as they do no more than serve as a tool to implement the abstract idea and/or provide a particular technological environment, they do not improve computer functionality or improve another technology or technical field.
Claim 5 recites “wherein the method comprises receiving an enterprise data or information into the … for purposes of providing cash flow position or other enterprise forecasts, and one of displaying or communicating such enterprise forecasts to other systems or processes for use thereof” which further defines the abstract idea. The claim recites “data analytics environment” as an additional elements. The additional element does no more than serve as a tool to implement the abstract idea and/or link the abstract idea a particular technological environment. Therefore, as it does no more than serve as a tool to implement the abstract idea and/or provide a particular technological environment, it does not improve computer functionality or improve another technology or technical field.
Claim 7 recites “wherein the regression model assesses a set of variables related to the enterprise forecast, and their values and rate of change of such values, within a particular forecast window, and based on such assessment, the enterprise forecast is generated for that time period, or for a subsequent time period” which further defines the abstract idea.
Claim 8 recites “wherein the enterprise forecast comprises a cash flow position” which further defines the abstract idea.
Claim 9 recites “wherein the method is performed by one or more components of a data analytics environment” as additional elements. The additional elements do no more than serve as a tool to implement the abstract idea and/or link the abstract idea a particular technological environment. Therefore, as they do no more than serve as a tool to implement the abstract idea and/or provide a particular technological environment, they do not improve computer functionality or improve another technology or technical field.
Claim 10 recites “wherein the method comprises receiving an enterprise data or information into the … for purposes of providing cash flow position or other enterprise forecasts, and one of displaying or communicating such enterprise forecasts to other systems or processes for use thereof” which further defines the abstract idea. The claim recites “data analytics environment” as an additional elements. The additional element does no more than serve as a tool to implement the abstract idea and/or link the abstract idea a particular technological environment. Therefore, as it does no more than serve as a tool to implement the abstract idea and/or provide a particular technological environment, it does not improve computer functionality or improve another technology or technical field.
Claim 12 recites “wherein the regression assesses a set of variables related to the enterprise forecast, and their values and rate of change of such values, within a particular forecast window, and based on such assessment, the enterprise forecast is generated for that time period, or for a subsequent time period” which further defines the abstract idea.
Claim 13 recites “wherein the enterprise forecast comprises a cash flow position” which further defines the abstract idea.
Claim 14 recites “wherein the method is performed by one or more components of a data analytics environment” as additional elements. The additional elements do no more than serve as a tool to implement the abstract idea and/or link the abstract idea a particular technological environment. Therefore, as they do no more than serve as a tool to implement the abstract idea and/or provide a particular technological environment, they do not improve computer functionality or improve another technology or technical field.
Claim 15 recites “wherein the method comprises receiving an enterprise data or information into the … for purposes of providing cash flow position or other enterprise forecasts, and one of displaying or communicating such enterprise forecasts to other systems or processes for use thereof” which further defines the abstract idea. The claim recites “data analytics environment” as an additional elements. The additional element does no more than serve as a tool to implement the abstract idea and/or link the abstract idea a particular technological environment. Therefore, as it does no more than serve as a tool to implement the abstract idea and/or provide a particular technological environment, it does not improve computer functionality or improve another technology or technical field.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Colcord et al. [US Pub No. 2022/0012251 A1] in view of Vu et al. [US Pub No. 2022/0327058 A1] and further in view of Sekar [US Pub No. 2020/0394061 A1].
Regarding claim 1, Colcord discloses a system for generating enterprise forecasts, comprising:
a computer comprising one or more microprocessors, and a cloud or other computing data analytics environment operating thereon, wherein the system includes one or more software components operating as a data plane and providing access to one or more data warehouse instances (0002, 0004);
wherein the system includes a data pipeline process that operates to retrieve
enterprise data from a tenant enterprise data environment, to be loaded to a data
warehouse instance associated with the tenant (0005, 0008, 0010, 0166).
Colcord does not disclose however Sekar teaches wherein each tenant, of a plurality of tenants, is associated with a customer schema that supplements data within their data warehouse instance (0008, 0010, claim 1).
Colcord does not disclose however Vu teaches wherein the system includes an enterprise forecast component that performs a method comprising:
receiving an enterprise data or information;
Colcord does not disclose however Vu teaches determining a set of contributing variables within the enterprise data or information that are associated with an enterprise forecast (Abstract, 0085).
Colcord does not disclose however Vu teaches fitting a regression model on a combination of previous values, differentials, and accumulations based relationships within the enterprise data or information, for use in determining the enterprise forecast (0005, 0023, 0031, 0128).
Colcord does not disclose however Vu teaches continuing the fitting of the regression model for each of the contributing variables within the enterprise data or information (Abstract, 0002, 0028, 0073; 0084-0085).
Colcord does not disclose however Vu teaches using the outcome of the regression model to determine the enterprise forecast for a particular time period (0035).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to combine the multi-tenant data pipeline architecture of Colcord with the tenant-specific schema isolation of Sekar to create a scalable enterprise data platform. Recognizing that such a platform could be used for analytical purposes, they would have further looked to Vu's automated time series forecasting system which uses linear regression on sequential data to generate business forecasts. This combination addresses the predictable need for tenant-isolated, forecasting-capable data analytics systems, resulting in no more than the sum of its parts.
Claim 6 recites method comprising steps that correspond directly to the system limitations of claim 1. Claim 11 recites a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions to perform the same method steps. Each limitation is taught by the exact citations Colcord, Sekar, and Vu. Therefore, the rejections of claims 6 and 11 stand on the same grounds.
Regarding claims 2, 7, and 12, Colcord in view of Sekar and Vu disclose wherein the linear regression assesses a set of variables related to the enterprise forecast, and their values and rate of change of such values, within a particular forecast window, and based on such assessment, the enterprise forecast is generated for that time period, or for a subsequent time period (Vu Abstract, 0002-0003, 0028-0029, 0035, 0073, 0084-0085). Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to combine the multi-tenant data pipeline architecture of Colcord with the tenant-specific schema isolation of Sekar to create a scalable enterprise data platform. Recognizing that such a platform could be used for analytical purposes, they would have further looked to Vu's automated time series forecasting system which uses linear regression on sequential data to generate business forecasts. This combination addresses the predictable need for tenant-isolated, forecasting-capable data analytics systems, resulting in no more than the sum of its parts.
Regarding claims 3, 8, and 13, Colcord in view of Sekar and Vu disclose wherein the enterprise forecast comprises a cash flow position (Vu 0022-0023). Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to combine the multi-tenant data pipeline architecture of Colcord with the tenant-specific schema isolation of Sekar to create a scalable enterprise data platform. Recognizing that such a platform could be used for analytical purposes, they would have further looked to Vu's automated time series forecasting system which uses linear regression on sequential data to generate business forecasts. This combination addresses the predictable need for tenant-isolated, forecasting-capable data analytics systems, resulting in no more than the sum of its parts.
Regarding claims 4, 9, and 14, Colcord in view of Sekar and Vu disclose wherein the method is performed by one or more components of a data analytics environment (Colcord Abstract, 0004).
Regarding claims 5, 10, and 15, Colcord in view of Sekar and Vu disclose wherein the method comprises receiving an enterprise data or information into the data analytics environment for purposes of providing cash flow position or other enterprise forecasts (Colcord 0010), and one of displaying or communicating such enterprise forecasts to other systems or processes for use thereof (Vu 0022). Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to combine the multi-tenant data pipeline architecture of Colcord with the tenant-specific schema isolation of Sekar to create a scalable enterprise data platform. Recognizing that such a platform could be used for analytical purposes, they would have further looked to Vu's automated time series forecasting system which uses linear regression on sequential data to generate business forecasts. This combination addresses the predictable need for tenant-isolated, forecasting-capable data analytics systems, resulting in no more than the sum of its parts.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN T POE whose telephone number is (571)272-9789. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:30am through 6pm est.
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/K.T.P/Examiner, Art Unit 3692 /KEVIN T POE/
/RYAN D DONLON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3692 July 2, 2026
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