DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Amendment
All pending claims 30-36 and 38-49 filed February 19, 2026 are examined in non-final office action.
Response to Arguments
35 USC 101-Subject Matter Eligibility
Applicant’s arguments, see remarks filed February 19, 2026 with respect to rejection under 35 USC 101 have been fully considered and are persuasive.
The rejection has been withdrawn. The present claims also have practical application under Step 2A (second prong) since it avoids issues that can arise as a result of the selection/purchase of duplicate gifts, or gifts which are already owned by the recipient or in respect of which the recipient has limited or no interest. Such purchases contribute to issues of increased computing processing and data communications bandwidth requirements and reduced communications bandwidth in the event a recipient elects to return or exchange a duplicate or unwanted item.
Furthermore, existing gift registries are typically limited to one particular retailer (e.g. one department store or one supplier) and hence the extent to which users (i.e. gift recipients) have control over the gift(s) chosen for them remains limited. The presently claimed invention seeks to address this problem by enabling users (i.e. gift recipients) to select items offered for sale by a variety or retailers in an online retail environment. However, the present inventors have recognized that this solution presents an additional problem since the internet accommodates a multitude of online retail providers such that a particular product or service can be offered for sale by multiple different online retailers with varying prices with varying delivery rates, stock availability etc.
Accordingly, gift recipients can spend a significant amount of time browsing the internet in an attempt to identify and select a particular retailer able to provide a desired product or service for the most competitive price, within a specific time period, and with an acceptable level of service. Once again, this results in wastage of computing processing and data communications bandwidth requirements, and the present invention (as claimed) also seeks to address this problem.
35 USC 102
Applicant’s arguments, see remarks filed February 19, 2026 with respect to the rejections of claims under 35 USC 102, have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, rejection under 35 USC 102 as anticipated by Manno has been withdrawn in favor of Manno in view of Hsu under 35 USC 103. This non-final action addresses subject matter of claim 37, canceled and incorporated in independent claims 30, 45 and 49, not taught by Manno alone. The combination of Manno in view of Hsu teach and/or suggest subject matter of claims 30, 45 and 49.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 30, 31, 33-35, 45, 47 and 49 are rejected under 35 USC 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Manno et al., WO 2015/051382 “Manno,” in view of Hsu et al., US 8,036,953 “Hsu.”
Manno teaches all the limitations of claims 30, 31, 33, 34, 45 and 49. In Manno see at least (underlined text is for emphasis):
Regarding claim 30: (Currently Amended) A computer-implemented method for collaborative gift purchasing, the method including:
receiving, by one or more processors, details relating to a first user including contact information relating to a plurality of additional users associated with the first user;
[Manno: 0032] The gifting system of the present disclosure allows for creation of a gift, such as a group gift or a social gift, based on a product selected from an eCommerce website. The gifting system converts attributes about the product selected from the eCommerce website into a gift idea or a gift suggestion. Gift organizers can use the system as a tool to collect funds toward a group gift and to deliver personalized messages, videos, and photos from all gift participants along with a notification of the gift idea and a stored value instrument that can be used by a gift recipient to purchase the selected product or any other product from an eCommerce website merchant. The gifting system can deliver notifications to a gift recipient of either a physical gift, a stored value instrument that can be used to purchase a product, or both the physical gift and the stored value instrument.
[Manno: 0033] According to a gifting method of the present disclosure, a gift organizer visits an eCommerce website and chooses to start a gift, such as a group gift or a social gift, based on a displayed product. First, the gift organizer selects the product and the gifting system imports all relevant information about the product, including a description of the product, its cost, and other information associated with the product.
[Manno: 0034] Next, the gift organizer logs in to the gifting system using, for example, a social log in, such as a login for Facebook, or a non-social log in, using a user ID and password.
[Manno: 0083] The method 500 includes steps taken by the gift organizer 110 to start a social or group gift using the gifting system 300. The process begins when the gift organizer 110 visits an eCommerce website using an electronic device such as a personal computer, mobile phone, tablet, or other device, and the eCommerce website server displays the website on the electronic device of the gift organizer 110 in step 505. At the eCommerce website 320, the gift organizer 110 selects a product 510 from a product catalog 322 of the eCommerce website 320. The gift organizer 110 may select a product that she would like to either give as a gift or recommend or suggest to the gift recipient 120 as a gift that can be purchased by the gift recipient 120 using a stored value instrument that would be delivered to the gift recipient 120 in place of the product suggested by the gift organizer 110. Please note: Gift organizer is a first user and is a member of a social network.
[Manno: 0086] … The gifting system 300 determines whether or not the gift organizer 110 wants to invite friends in step 540. If it is determined that the organizer wants to invite contributors, the gifting system 300 receives information about the contributors from the gift organizer 110 in step 545. When the gift organizer 110 logs in with a social network, for example, FACEBOOK.sup.® or LINKED IN.sup.®, the gift organizer 110 may be presented with a list of friends, family, or other acquaintances to select gift contributors 130 from the social network. … The gifting system then sends invitations to the contributors 130 invited by the gift organizer 110 via an email, a text message, or a posting to a homepage of each of the contributors in the social network to which the contributors belong, or via mail if the contributors are offline friends of the gift organizer 110.
receiving, by one or more processors, from a data communications device associated with the first user, a nomination regarding a product or service that is available for purchase from one or more suppliers;
[Manno: 0084] When the gift organizer 110 chooses the product, they may start a group gift by clicking a button or link that initiates the page analyzer 304 of the gifting system 300 in step 515. The page analyzer 304 dynamically gathers attributes regarding the product suggested by the gift organizer 110 regardless of the form and/or configuration of the eCommerce website or the platform on which it is built. Next, the page analyzer 304 automatically sends information about the product, e.g., attributes of the product, to the gifting engine 306 in step 520.
causing, by one or more processors, details relating to the product or service nominated by the first user to be published such that the details are viewable on data communication devices associated with the plurality of additional users;
[Manno: 0041] Gift contributors can receive notification of the gift via social networks, email, and SMS. The notification may contain a link that directs the contributor to a view of the gift. If the invited contributor chooses to participate in the group gift, they can first login to the system using a social or non-social login. Then, they can add their contribution amount based on the recommended contribution or by entering any other amount.
monitoring, by one or more processors, receipt of requests from the data communication devices associated with the plurality of additional users to financially contribute funds to the purchase of said product or service for the first user, including when sufficient contributions have been made to fully fund the purchase of the product or service;
[Manno: 0088] … The gifting system 300 receives contributions from the gift organizer 110 and the gift contributors 130 in step 565. The total amount of contributions they pay can be more than, less than, or equal to the desired contribution amount for the suggested gift. They can contribute money using any form of accepted payment which could be a credit card, PayPal, Bitcoin, or other payment mechanisms. Once a contribution is made, a payment engine of the gifting system 300 updates the total contributions in step 570 and send invites to the gift contributors 130 in step 575 if any were invited earlier in the process. The method 500 is complete in step 580 by returning a confirmation page and in some cases sending out confirmation messages via email, SMS, or social network notification.
[Manno: 00101] The gift conversion method 800 begins when a product is selected by a gift organizer to give as a social or group gift. The product conversion module 308 of the gifting system 300 receives the total gift costs, which could include the price of the gift plus any additional fees in order to establish target value, a total cost, or desired contribution amount in step 810. When the gifting system 300 receives the initial contribution from the gift organizer in step 820, the gifting system 300 calculates the total gift value and compares it to the target value. In some cases, this comparison may be displayed to the gift organizer 110 and/or gift recipient 120 on a screen of an electronic devices being used by the gift organizer 110 and the gift recipient 120. Each time additional contributions 830 are made, the product conversion modules 308 add them to the total gift value and compare the total gift value to the target value.
based on detecting that sufficient contributions have been made to fully fund the purchase of the product or service, causing, by one or more processors, the product or service to be purchased from a supplier of the one or more suppliers; and
[Manno: 0016] The method still further includes determining the gift type, converting the contributed funds to a stored value instrument if it is determined that the gift type is a stored value instrument, and sending a message to order the product if it is determined that the gift type is a physical product.
[Manno: 00103] Additionally, in some cases when a physical gift is the end gift, there may be additional value remaining on the total gift value, the product conversion module 308 will check for funds remaining 870 and when funds remain, the product conversion module 308 will convert it to a stored value instrument 880 that is delivered to the gift recipient and which is activated when claimed by the recipient. Ordering of either the physical gift or a stored value instrument will end the conversion process 890.
[Manno: 00102] When it is determined that a predetermined time has passed in step 840, the product conversion module 308 determines the gift type and checks the business rules, and any manual configuration settings regarding how the gift will be delivered. If the gift type is a physical product, the order module 318 orders the physical product in step 860 by converting the gift value into a stored value instrument that is passed to the eCommerce website as payment for the physical product.
[Manno: 00103] Additionally, in some cases when a physical gift is the end gift, there may be additional value remaining on the total gift value, the product conversion module 308 will check for funds remaining 870 and when funds remain, the product conversion module 308 will convert it to a stored value instrument 880 that is delivered to the gift recipient and which is activated when claimed by the recipient. Ordering of either the physical gift or a stored value instrument will end the conversion process 890.
[Manno: 00117] In step 940, the gifting system server determines whether a predetermined condition is met. The predetermined condition may be met when a date and time set by the gift originator has been reached, when the total contribution amount exceeds the desired contribution amount, or when all the gift contributors have made contributions. The predetermined condition may be preset by the gift originator or the gifting system server. Please note: The predetermined condition sets a value representing sufficient contributions.
when there is more than one supplier available for selection, automatically selecting, by one or more processors, a particular supplier based upon one or more attributes of the particular supplier, …
Rejection is based in part upon the teachings applied to claim 30 by Manno and further upon the combination of Manno-Hsu.
Although Manno teaches:
[0002] Choosing the right gift is often a challenging task because of the unique needs and wants of a gift recipient along with the many choices offered from a multitude of merchants via eCommerce websites.
Manno does not expressly mention automatically selecting a particular supplier based upon one or more attributes of the particular supplier. Hsu on the other hand would have taught Manno such techniques.
In Hsu see at least:
(Hsu: D42: col. 7, lines 14-21) The present invention provides a number of unique advantages for givers and recipients. In one embodiment of the invention, gift recipients register multiple gift ideas with a gift registry. These multiple gift ideas each include an associated gift amount to assist a prospective gift giver in their selection of an appropriate gift from the list of gift ideas. The system includes information from gift vendors to assist the recipient and the giver in their selections.
(Hsu: D229: col. 23, lines 1-5) … The auction is timed, with the vendor offering the best price and delivery terms at the end of the auction being automatically selected. Once the auction for the gift is closed, system 100 arranges for the vendor to deliver the gift. Please note: Best price and delivery terms qualify as vendor attributes.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date would have recognized that applying the known techniques of Hsu, which automatically select the vendor offering the best price and delivery terms at the end of the auction, would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved system. It would have been recognized that applying the techniques of Hsu to the teachings of Manno would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such data processing features into similar systems. Obviousness under 35 USC 103 in view of the Supreme Court decision KSR International Co. vs. Teleflex Inc.
In Manno-Hsu see at least:
… wherein the one or more attributes includes any one or more of:
an estimated arrival time of the nominated product or service; and
[Manno: 0039] The system then presents delivery options that can be set by the gift organizer. These delivery options could include but are not limited to delivery date, delivery time, and delivery method, and type of gift, which could be either a physical gift or a stored value instrument.
Regarding claim 31: Rejection is based upon the teachings and rationale applied to claim 30 by Manno-Hsu and further upon Manno-Hsu:
[Manno: 00105] The gift organizer surfs eCommerce websites using an electronic device and can find a product to suggest as a gift to the gift recipient. The gift organizer may select a link located near the product. When the link is selected by the gift giver, a server running the eCommerce website is directed to send information (i.e., a request to suggest a product as a gift) related to the selected product to the gifting system server.
Regarding claim 33: Rejection is based upon the teachings and rationale applied to claim 30 by Manno-Hsu and further upon Manno-Hsu:
[Manno: 0066] The organizer module 310 is also used to invite others to participate in a group gift. Once again, the organizer module 310 connects with the social network 328 to view a list of friends of the gift organizer 110, who can be invited to participate as the gift contributor 130. However, the gift contributor 130 does not have to be a part of social network 328 and may be invited via an email or SMS message.
Regarding claim 34: Rejection is based upon the teachings and rationale applied to claim 30 by Manno-Hsu and further upon Manno-Hsu:
[Manno: 0066] … The gifting system then sends invitations to the contributors 130 invited by the gift organizer 110 via an email, a text message, or a posting to a homepage of each of the contributors in the social network to which the contributors belong, or via mail if the contributors are offline friends of the gift organizer 110.
[Manno: 00114] … The invitation message may include a message from the gift originator, a description of a product as a gift suggestion, and a requested contribution amount. If the invited friend accepts the invitation, the invited friend becomes a gift contributor. Please note: Manno is describing a social media campaign.
Regarding claims 35: Rejection is based upon the teachings and rationale applied to claim 30 by Manno-Hsu and further upon Manno-Hsu:
[Manno: 0032] The gifting system of the present disclosure allows for creation of a gift, such as a group gift or a social gift, based on a product selected from an eCommerce website.
[Manno: 0086] … If it is determined that the organizer wants to invite contributors, the gifting system 300 receives information about the contributors from the gift organizer 110 in step 545. When the gift organizer 110 logs in with a social network, for example, FACEBOOK.sup.® or LINKED IN.sup.®, the gift organizer 110 may be presented with a list of friends, family, or other acquaintances to select gift contributors 130 from the social network
Regarding claims 45 and 49: Rejections are based upon the teachings and rationale applied to claim 30 by Manno-Hsu and further upon Manno-Hsu regarding system computing elements, e.g. processor(s), see Fig. 4 (410, 415, 425, 435, 445) [0078].
Regarding claims 47: Rejection is based upon the teachings and rationale applied to claims 30 and 45 by Manno-Hsu and dependent claim 35 reciting similar subject matter.
Claims 32 and 46 are rejected under 35 USC 103 as being unpatentable over Manno, WO 2015/051382, and Hsu, US 8,036,953, as applied to claims 31 and 45, further in view of Gershon et al., US 2014/0052584 “Gershon.”
Rejections are based in part upon teachings and rationale applied to claims 31 and 45 by Manno-Hsu and further upon the combination of Manno-Hsu-Gershon. Although Manno-Hsu’s gift organizer, i.e. the first user, accesses and finds products at one or more merchant eCommerce websites, Manno-Hsu do not expressly mention using search and filter features. Gershon on the other hand would have taught Manno-Hsu such techniques.
In Gershon see at least:
[Gershon: 0026] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the claimed invention, the aforesaid method filters the search result based on the availability of the products from the inventory management systems.
[Gershon: 0066] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the claimed invention, the aforesaid code comprises instruction for the color search engine to receive textual search criteria from the client device by the server over the communications network. The textual search criteria comprises at least one of the following: product description, product availability, size information, merchant information, product category, brand information, pattern information, complementary colors or complementary colored products; and filtering the search results based on the textual search criteria.
[Gershon: 0130] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the claimed invention, the user can input additional color search criteria 600 and/or additional textual search criteria 610 into the GUI 700 so the color search engine 120 can narrow or filter the search results 620, for example, to find specific types of products that are currently available for purchase from merchants within the user's current geo-location.
[Gershon: 0148] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the claimed invention, the user can add one or more of the products displayed on the display area 706 to the user registry 810, e.g., to the user's wish list 820, or to the registry 810 of a member of user's approved social group 860. The registry module 140 allows a user to store, share, and edit a listing of products, such as a wish list 820 or other registry of products. A user may select to save a selected product to a listing of products, such as a wish list 820. A user and her members of her approved social group 860, if permission is granted by the user, can view any saved listing by accessing the registry module 140 over the communications network 400 using her client device 300.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date would have recognized that applying the known techniques of Gershon, which implement search and filter features would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved system. It would have been recognized that applying the techniques of Gershon to the teachings of Manno-Hsu would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such data processing features into similar systems. Obviousness under 35 USC 103 in view of the Supreme Court decision KSR International Co. vs. Teleflex Inc.
Claims 36, 38 and 44 are rejected under 35 USC 103 as being unpatentable over Manno, WO 2015/051382, and Hsu, US 8,036,95, further in view of Salvatore, US 2016/0335709.
Regarding claims 36 and 38: Rejections are based in part upon teachings applied to claim 30 by Manno-Hsu and further upon the combination of Manno-Hsu-Salvatore. Although Manno-Hsu’s gift organizer, i.e. the first user, accesses and finds products at one or more merchant eCommerce websites, Manno-Hsu do not expressly mention automatically searching for a merchant location and merchant inventory database matching a recipient’s gift/wish list. Salvatore on the other hand would have taught Manno-Hsu such techniques.
In Salvatore see at least:
[Salvatore: 0008] The present technology accordingly provides a system that notifies users of the proximity of merchants selling items on friends' and loved ones' wish lists. The technology utilizes geolocation identification of the user and employs databases of other users' gift ideas, merchant locations, and merchant inventories to inform users of when they are close to a merchant selling an item on a person's list. The merchant inventories may be based on the merchant's online offerings or based on the specific merchant location's inventory items, in some embodiments. The geolocation of the user may be identified using GPS technology, indoor positioning systems such as Apple's iBeacon, Google's Eddystone, or the like, or other emerging geolocation systems. The technology further notifies its users about upcoming gift-giving events, such as birthdays, and may provide price and availability information about similar substitute items or the same items from one or more other merchants.
[Salvatore: 0013] Further limitations on the parameters for triggering an alert might include identifying chosen merchants and/or identifying particular categories of gifts. An alert might be triggered only if the gift is sold by a chosen merchant within the threshold proximity or if the gift falls within an identified category of gifts. A user might also specify a budget he or she is willing to spend on one or more members. If a gift item on one of those members' lists costs more than the specified budget threshold, the system would not send an alert. Such a parameter could be facilitated by adding price information to the inventories stored on the merchant database.
[Salvatore: 0032] … Gift lists may be organized based on criteria such as price, store location, occasion, category, priority, time, etc. In some embodiments, gift items may also be distinguished as “reserved” or “available” for the benefit of secondary users while remaining indistinguishable to the primary user to retain the element of surprise in receiving gifts.
[Salvatore: 0035] In still further embodiments, an alert notification may provide information, such as price and availability, about similar substitute gift items from other merchants. Or the alert notification might indicate other merchants selling the same gift item at a different price. Such alert notifications will assist the user in performing price comparisons and making informed decisions at the time of purchase. For example, an alert notification might indicate that amazon sells the same item as the merchant the user is shopping at for a lower price, allowing the user to decide whether the amount of savings would justify waiting for the item to be shipped. Please note: Lower price is a favorable attribute.
[Salvatore: 0042] Populating a member's gift lists might be accomplished, in some embodiments, via a toolbar tag through an internet browser service. Such a tag might include a detailed template about the gift item, such as stores selling the items, profile details about the member (e.g. size preferences, color preferences, etc.), gift-giving occasion (e.g. wanted for birthday, holiday, etc.), sharing status (e.g. share item or list with public, followers only, members of a group only, select members only, etc.), and level of priority (e.g. 1-10, high-med-low, 1-5 stars, etc.).
[Salvatore: 0043] The present technology may also, in some embodiments, employ a news feed of recent postings on other members' gift lists. Like the alert notifications, the news feed might be limited to specific members, specific items, specific categories, specific lists, items associated with a member with an upcoming gift-giving event, etc. The news feed could also be organized or filtered by these same attributes.
[Salvatore: 0048] The computing device 20 compares the gift items stored in the member database 32 with the merchant inventory stored in the merchant database 34 to identify merchants selling items on the members' gift lists. The computing device 20 also compares the geolocation of the mobile device 10 with the merchant geolocations stored in the merchant database 34 to identify those merchants located within a threshold proximity of the mobile device 10. The computing device 20 generates one or more alerts 24 if a merchant selling a gift item on a member's gift lists is within the threshold proximity of the mobile device 10. In some embodiments, the computing device 20 only generates an alert if other parameters are met. Additional parameters 18 may be user defined, as depicted, and stored in the member database 32. The computing device 20 may retrieve the alert notification parameters from the member database 32 and generate an alert only if the additional filters have been met. The computing device 20 then sends the one or more alerts 24 over the network 30 to the mobile device 10 relaying the merchant and gift item information.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date would have recognized that applying the known techniques of Salvatore, which automatically search for a merchant location and merchant inventory database matching a recipient’s gift/wish list and establish priority of items in a gift list, would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved system. It would have been recognized that applying the techniques of Salvatore to the teachings of Manno-Hsu would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such data processing features into similar systems. Obviousness under 35 USC 103 in view of the Supreme Court decision KSR International Co. vs. Teleflex Inc.
Regarding claim 44: Rejection is based upon the teachings and rationale applied to the combination of Manno-Hsu-Salvatore regarding gift item priority, see Salvatore as recited above.
Claim 39 is rejected under 35 USC 103 as being unpatentable over Manno, WO 2015/051382, and Hsu, US 8,036,95, applied to claim 30, further in view of Isaacson et al., US 2018/0315040 “Isaacson.”
Rejection is based in part upon teachings applied to claim 30 by Manno-Hsu and further upon the combination of Manno-Hsu-Isaacson. Although Manno-Hsu’s gift registry collects gift contributions for a nominated gift, Manno-Hsu do not expressly mention contributors influencing the selection of the merchant. Isaacson on the other hand would have taught Manno-Hsu such techniques.
In Isaacson see at least:
[Isaacson: 0202] The group virtual egift works in the context of the present disclosure because the system gathers the various moneys into a single amount and gives that amount to the recipient as a virtual egift. Therefore, following the development of a virtual egift, the system can present the recipient Rachel with an email or other communication that lists the 22 people that have contributed to a virtual egift of $61. There may be no identifiable scope to this use and it may immediately go into Rachel's Visa account or debit account. In one variation, each giver votes for a restaurant, merchant, vendor, or a particular use. The givers' votes can have a one person, one vote weight or the vote weights can be associated with the amount of money contributed to the virtual egift. The social network, such as Facebook, can present a “game” to givers where each is encouraged to contribute more money to “beat” other givers for first place.
[Isaacson: 0203] A human can initiate the group virtual egift and become an organizer for the virtual egift. The organizer can set the terms of the egift, the contribution period, and other aspects associated with the virtual egift. The organizer can also filter messages to the recipient from the other contributors associated with the virtual egift, and so forth. The organizer can decide, for example, whether to enable voting for the virtual egift merchant and can manually select a particular vendor, item, or other restriction for the virtual egift.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date would have recognized that applying the known techniques of Isaacson, which allow gift donors to vote of the merchant providing the gift, would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved system. It would have been recognized that applying the techniques of Isaacson to the teachings of Manno-Hsu would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such data processing features into similar systems. Obviousness under 35 USC 103 in view of the Supreme Court decision KSR International Co. vs. Teleflex Inc.
Claims 40 and 41 are rejected under 35 USC 103 as being unpatentable over Manno, WO 2015/051382, and Hsu, US 8,036,95, applied to claim 30, further in view of Kingston et al., US 2014/0074701 “Kingston.”
Regarding claim 40: Rejection is based in part upon teachings applied to claim 30 by Manno-Hsu and further upon the combination of Manno-Hsu-Kingston. Although Manno-Hsu do not expressly mention anonymous contributors, Kingston on the other hand would have taught Manno-Hsu such techniques.
In Kingston see at least:
[Kingston: 0047] A giving opportunity may be offered in the form of a registry. The registry may be a gift registry. The gift registry may be an electronic gift registry. The gift registry may be configured to allow a beneficiary to request a gift and/or a number of gifts. The registry may be hosted by an intermediary. The registry may be hosted by the beneficiary. The registry may be hosted by a third-party website and/or entity.
[Kingston: 0126] The donor of a gift payment may request that he remains anonymous to the beneficiary. The donor may issue an anonymous gift transfer directly to the beneficiary. The anonymous gift transfer may be marked for use in specific transactions or occurrences. For example, a donor may transfer a gift as an act of charity to a neighbor for the payment of a mortgage bill. In another example, the donor may transfer the gift payment anonymously, such that the beneficiary does not know who donated the mortgage payment. Please note: Should the donor request anonymity, the donor’s name is not published otherwise, the donor’s name is published.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date would have recognized that applying the known techniques of Kingston, which provide an option for the donor to request the donation not to be published, would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved system. It would have been recognized that applying the techniques of Kingston to the teachings of Manno-Hsu would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such data processing features into similar systems. Obviousness under 35 USC 103 in view of the Supreme Court decision KSR International Co. vs. Teleflex Inc.
Regarding claim 41: Rejection is based upon the teachings and rationale applied to claim 40 by Manno-Hsu-Kingston and further upon the combination of Manno-Hsu-Kingston.
In Manno-Hsu-Kingston see at least:
[Manno: 00115] … Whenever a contribution is received in step 935, the gifting system server may update a total contribution amount in step 938. In an aspect, the gifting system server may graphically show the total contribution amount in comparison to the target amount, from example, through the use of a progress bar.
[Manno: 00117] In step 940, the gifting system server determines whether a predetermined condition is met. The predetermined condition may be met when a date and time set by the gift originator has been reached, when the total contribution amount exceeds the desired contribution amount, or when all the gift contributors have made contributions. The predetermined condition may be preset by the gift originator or the gifting system server.
Claim 42 is rejected under 35 USC 103 as being unpatentable over Manno, WO 2015/051382, and Hsu, US 8,036,95, applied to claim 31, further in view of Mullen et al., US 2014/0370972 “Mullen.”
Rejection is based in part upon teachings applied to claim 31 by Manno-Hsu and further upon the combination of Manno-Hsu-Mullen. Although Manno-Hsu’s gift registry transfers funds for gift purchase and/or stored value card, Manno-Hsu do not expressly mention transferring contributions from contributors’ accounts to an account associated with a trusted entity. Mullen on the other hand would have taught Manno-Hsu such techniques.
In Mullen see at least:
[Mullen: 0020] Aspects of the present invention relate, for example, to an activity-based fundraiser such as a gameathon, or other game contest or competition played by students via the Internet or other network, for example, during which students who have not yet entered college (e.g., elementary, middle and high school students) solicit pledges for games played from parents, grandparents, relatives and friends, among other donors. Soliciting pledges may include, but is not limited to, soliciting gifts, donations, contributions, grants and rewards, among other benefits.
[Mullen: 0044] In addition, the method may include selecting financial institutions for an activity-based fundraiser that may include a gameathon 304. In an aspect, an administrator may select one or more financial institutions to receive the funds raised by participants of the gameathon. Financial institutions may include, but are not limited to, banks including online banks, investment firms, credit unions, credit cards, payment services, savings registries, and online money transfer services. For example, the administrator may select a financial institution from a list of participating financial institutions and/or search the system for a particular partner financial institution. The financial institutions may be filtered, for example, by country, state, county, city and zip code. The financial institutions may be presented by the system with a name and logo of the financial institution along with any contact information the system may have for the financial institution. The system may also allow an administrator to edit a financial institution's information, disable and/or delete a financial institution.
[Mullen: 0075] … The financial institutions associated with gameathons that the participant may be able to select from may include, for example, banks that may offer traditional savings accounts such as IRAs, credit unions that may offer savings accounts such as Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA)s or Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA)s, online banks that may offer savings vehicles such as trust funds, savings gift registries that may place funds in an account such as an escrow account until the funds are transferred to a college savings account, and investment banks that may place funds in savings accounts such as a money market account or 529 account.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date would have recognized that applying the known techniques of Mullen, which implement savings gift registries that place funds in an account such as an escrow account until the funds are transferred to a college savings account, would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved system. It would have been recognized that applying the techniques of Mullen to the teachings of Manno-Hsu would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such data processing features into similar systems. Obviousness under 35 USC 103 in view of the Supreme Court decision KSR International Co. vs. Teleflex Inc.
Claims 43 and 48 are rejected under 35 USC 103 as being unpatentable over Manno, WO 2015/051382, and Hsu, US 8,036,95, applied to claims 30 and 45, further in view of Hu, US 2015/0095191.
Rejections are based upon the teachings applied to claims 30 and 45 by Manno-Hsu and further upon the combination of Manno-Hsu-Hu.
In Manno-Hsu see at least:
[Manno: 0043] To complete the contribution process, a gift contributor can make a payment using an approved payment method and the gifting system can convert the payment and apply it to the total gift value. The gifting system can also send out any applicable notifications and provide the contributor with a confirmation that the process completed successfully.
[Manno: 0053] Email network server 230 is used by the gifting system server 200 to send and receive email communications to users for the purpose of system notifications including invitations to participate in gifts, receipts of gifts, automated confirmations of orders, and gift status updates.
[Manno: 0054] In addition to the email network server 230, the gifting system server 200 can also communicate with users via the SMS network server 240, which may be used by the gifting system server 200 to send and receive email communications to users for the purpose of system notifications including invitations to participate in gifts, notifications of receipt of gifts, and automated confirmations of orders or gift status updates.
[Manno: 0070] The organizer module 310 is also used to allow the gift organizer 110 to make a payment toward the gift. Payments are sent to the payment provider 336 and, upon receipt of the payment confirmation from the payment provider 336, the organizer module 310 will generate a confirmation web page and send an order confirmation via the email provider system 330 to the gift organizer 110. Please note: The gift organizer, i.e. first user, may likewise be the gift recipient- no restrictions on recipient.
Please note: In summary, Manno-Hsu teach the following:
a new contribution is made toward the purchase of the nominated product or service,
sufficient contributions have been made to fully fund the purchase of the nominated product or service,
the nominated product or service has been delivered to the first user, and
the product or service has been received by the first user.
Although Manno-Hsu do not expressly mention generating an alert when a new supplier of the nominated product or service has been selected, Hu on the other hand would have taught Manno-Hsu such techniques.
In Hu see at least:
[Hu: 0023] In an embodiment, the merchant in the first geographic region (e.g., the global merchant) may register, volunteer, or opt-in to provide items in a second geographic region. For example, the global merchant can log in to a network page to access a management computer (e.g., the service provider computers 104) that connects merchants with other merchants (e.g., a global merchant community or global merchant network). The management computer may help allow the global merchant located in a first geographic region to offer one or more items in a second geographic region through the user of a local merchant. Please note: Merchant opt-in to provide items in a second geographic region are new to the second geographic region.
[Hu: 0067] FIG. 3 illustrates an example graphical user interface for requesting an item, according to at least one example. The graphical user interface (GUI) 300 can include a selection tool 310, potential items 312 (e.g., in an image, text description, or other format), item categories 314, source geographic region 316, and other information (e.g., source price, estimated shipping and handling costs, estimated import fees, status, quantity available, etc.). The status 318 corresponding with an item can include one or more actions (e.g., research the item, list the item, remove the item from a list, send the item to a merchant's wish list to provide to customers at a later time, remove the item from a wish list, etc.) or the current status of the item (e.g., newly added to a list of potential items, available but previously added, currently on a merchant's wish list, etc.). Please note: Current status of the item newly added to a list of potential items qualifies as an alert.
[Hu: 0103] At 625, the local merchant can identify as a local merchant. For example, the local merchant may notify the service provider that the local merchant would like to provide items in a particular geographic region. In some examples, the local merchant may qualify as a local merchant (e.g., based on user feedback, based on amount of annual sales in the local geography, etc.). Please note: For situations where the merchant qualifies as a local merchant, the merchant qualifies as a new merchant. For examination purposes, items listed by the new merchant qualify as newly added items. Current status of the item newly added to a list of potential items qualifies as an alert.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date would have recognized that applying the known techniques of Hu, which add a new merchant and generate alerts to customers of newly added merchant and merchant products, would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved system. It would have been recognized that applying the techniques of Hu to the teachings of Manno-Hsu would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such data processing features into similar systems. Obviousness under 35 USC 103 in view of the Supreme Court decision KSR International Co. vs. Teleflex Inc.
Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 2013/0117151 (Macaisa et al.) “Gift Registry,” discloses: [Abstract] A social gift registry provides tools to aid those planning for major milestones in life to engage a network of friends, family, and others in communicating information about the life event, helping to identify and track gifts for the celebrants, and enabling the management of the activities involved in the celebration.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT M POND whose telephone number is (571)272-6760. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 8:30 AM-6:30 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeffrey Smith can be reached at 571-272-6763. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/ROBERT M POND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3688 March 28, 2026