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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 06/12/2024 and 06/17/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
In claim 18, the recitation of “at least one of the followings:” would ordinarily be construed as permitting the selection of at least one from the five distinct limitations (or paragraphs) that follow. However, it is unclear how these five paragraphs are to be distinguished, since they are not fully independent but instead refer back to one another. For example, the 1st paragraph recites “at least one identifier”, which is subsequently referred to in the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs as “the obtained at least one identifier” and “the at least one identifier”, respectively. Similarly, the 4th paragraph recites “the at least one indication”, which is further referenced in the 5th paragraph as “the encrypted at least one indication.” This interdependency renders the scope of the claim ambiguous.
Nevertheless, in order to advance prosecution, the Examiner has interpreted the claim in the overall context as grouping the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd paragraphs into a selection, and the 4th and 5th paragraphs into another selection. Accordingly, claim 18 is rejected under 35 USC 112 (b) as being indefinite.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 7, 11, 13, 15, 21, 31, 39 and 41 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tran et al., US- 20210256070-A1 (hereinafter “Tran ‘070”) in view of ZHU, US-20210326464-A1 (hereinafter “ZHU ‘464”).
Per claim 1 (independent):
Tran ‘070 discloses: A computer-implemented method for providing a trackable digital asset, the computer-implemented method comprising:
obtaining a digital asset;
embedding data suitable for identifying the digital asset in at least one portion of the digital asset to generate the trackable digital asset
([0361], a decentralized property system and method are provided to allow ownership rights to be transferred directly from one party to another (by providing a trackable digital asset) ... Using a blockchain ... Digital assets (a digital asset) can be uniquely identified by digital fingerprints using cryptographically-safe hash functions. Fingerprints computed from images of the asset may be used in a method to uniquely identify physical assets; [0362], In an aspect, encoded data derived from images of local regions of a physical object (embedding data in at least one portion of the digital asset) are used to securely reference ("fingerprint") physical assets (by identifying the digital asset) based on unique surface-level texture patterns, rendering the physical asset traceable as a digital item (providing a trackable digital asset). For pets, encode picture and sound can render the asset traceable. For newborn the encoded picture, sound, and fingerprint/footprint render the child traceable. A cryptographically-safe hash function is used to fingerprint digital assets; Note that according to [0236] and [0261], examples are provided in which a processing device is used to capture a photograph of a newborn child to generate a birth registration report, or in which patient data is captured at a hospital to generate health data. In other words, these passages illustrate the process of creating a digital asset from a physical asset);
obtaining at least one indication of at least one one-way cryptographic encryption of at least one portion of the trackable digital asset;
providing at least one indication of at least the encrypted at least one portion of the trackable digital asset
([0373], a method for recording ownership rights in an asset includes: generating an asset record having a fingerprint comprising a hash of a digital representation of the asset (the trackable digital asset), a public key of a client who generates the asset record, and a digital signature comprising a private key of the creating client; communicating with one or more nodes of a peer-to-peer network to generate an entry in a public ledger (obtaining at least one indication to be provided in the public ledger) by performing the steps of: generating at least one issue record comprising a hash of the fingerprint (at least one one-way cryptographic encryption; also see [0362], “A cryptographically-safe hash function is used to fingerprint digital assets”, that is, the hash of the fingerprint is at least one one-way cryptographic encryption as described in [0088] of the specification), the public key of the creating client, and an owner signature comprising a hash of the digital signature of the creating client with the hashed fingerprint – at least the encrypted at least one portion of the trackable digital asset – and the public key of the creating client);
wherein an authenticity of a given digital asset is determined by comparing the obtained at least one indication of the at least one one-way cryptographic encryption of the at least one portion of the trackable digital asset with at least one indication of at least one one-way cryptographic encryption of at least one portion of the given digital asset ([0361], a decentralized property system and method are provided to allow ownership rights to be transferred directly from one party to another ... Using a blockchain ... Digital assets (a given digital asset) can be uniquely identified (i.e., identifying an authenticity) by digital fingerprints using cryptographically-safe hash functions (one one-way cryptographic encryption). Fingerprints computed from images of the asset may be used in a method to uniquely identify physical assets ... Digital signatures and other methods like fingerprinting provide a method to issue and transfer titles. An Asset Record that includes specific attributes describing the property is created to digitally represent the asset; [0362], A cryptographically-safe hash function is used to fingerprint digital assets. The system provides a framework for authenticating (by comparing) different objects or materials via extracting and matching their fingerprints; Note that authentication for transfer of ownership cannot be achieved without obtaining a match by comparing the indication (or entry) of one-way cryptographic encryption of the given digital asset with the indication of one-way cryptographic encryption of the trackable digital asset stored in the public ledger).
Tran ‘070 does not disclose but ZHU ‘464 discloses: encrypting, using a password, at least one portion of the trackable digital asset (FIG. 3, [0033], for digital right management (DRM) ... the solution for DRM may automate the user's interaction with the blockchain infrastructure. For example, in response to an access request from a verified user, using a user device, to access a document, the corresponding document contents may be encrypted with a document password (encrypting, using a password, at least one portion of the trackable digital asset) and may be transmitted through a delivery channel; [0034], an HTML-based container document (the trackable digital asset) may include the following exemplary components: document contents (at least one portion of the trackable digital asset), encrypted with a native document password ... a document hash value, signed by the repository server or a submitter, for integrity verification).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Tran ‘070 with the encryption of a document via a document password prior to transmission in a format of the container document for DRM as taught by ZHU ‘464 because the user's ability to redistribute a decrypted version of document and bypass the access control mechanism may be limited, and the restrictions on the content use may be enforced [0033]. Additionally, ZHU ‘464 is analogous to the claimed invention because it teaches the solution for DRM may automate the user's interaction with the blockchain infrastructure [0033].
Per claim 3 (dependent on claim 1):
Tran ‘070 in view of ZHU ‘464 discloses the elements detailed in the rejection of claim 1 above, incorporated herein by reference.
Tran ‘070 discloses: The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of
the embedding of the data in the at least one portion of the digital asset is performed by at least one of:
combining at least one portion of the data with at least a portion of the digital asset;
using at least one steganography technique;
the at least one one-way cryptographic encryption of the at least one portion of the trackable digital asset is performed using at least one hashing technique; and
the encrypting the at least one portion of the trackable digital asset is performed using one of an asymmetric encryption and a symmetric encryption
([0373], a method for recording ownership rights in an asset includes: generating an asset record having a fingerprint comprising a hash of a digital representation of the asset (the trackable digital asset), a public key of a client who generates the asset record, and a digital signature comprising a private key of the creating client; communicating with one or more nodes of a peer-to-peer network to generate an entry in a public ledger by performing the steps of: generating at least one issue record comprising a hash of the fingerprint (the at least one one-way cryptographic encryption; also see [0362], “A cryptographically-safe hash function is used to fingerprint digital assets”, that is, the hash (one hashing technique) of the fingerprint is at least one one-way cryptographic encryption as described in [0088] of the specification), the public key of the creating client, and an owner signature comprising a hash of the digital signature of the creating client with the hashed fingerprint and the public key of the creating client).
Per claim 7 (dependent on claim 1):
Tran ‘070 in view of ZHU ‘464 discloses the elements detailed in the rejection of claim 1 above, incorporated herein by reference.
Tran ‘070 discloses: The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of
the at least one indication of the at least one one-way cryptographic encryption of the at least one portion of the trackable digital asset is a plurality of indications of at least one one-way cryptographic encryption, each indication of at least one one-way cryptographic encryption associated with a corresponding portion of the trackable digital asset, wherein the authenticity of the given digital asset is determined by comparing the obtained plurality of indications of at least one one-way cryptographic encryption of the given digital asset with a corresponding plurality of indications of at least one one-way cryptographic encryptions of the trackable digital asset;
providing the at least one indication of at least the encrypted at least one portion of the trackable digital asset further comprises:
the providing the at least one indication of at least the encrypted at least one portion of the trackable digital asset further providing the obtained at least one indication of the at least one one-way cryptographic encryption of the at least one portion of the trackable digital asset; and
providing the at least one indication of at least the encrypted at least one portion of the trackable digital asset further comprises at least one of:
minting at least one of the at least one indication of at least the encrypted at least one portion of the trackable digital asset and the obtained at least one indication of the at least one one-way cryptographic encryption of the at least one portion of the trackable digital asset in a blockchain: and
providing at least one of the at least one indication of at least the encrypted at least one portion of the trackable digital asset and the obtained at least one indication of the at least one one-way cryptographic encryption of the at least one portion of the trackable digital asset to at least one of a smart contract, a system manager. a server, a computing node, a processing device, a software and a storage device
([0361], a decentralized property system and method are provided to allow ownership rights to be transferred directly from one party to another ... Using a blockchain ... Digital assets (the given digital asset) can be uniquely identified (i.e., determining the authenticity) by digital fingerprints using cryptographically-safe hash functions (one one-way cryptographic encryption). Fingerprints computed from images of the asset may be used in a method to uniquely identify physical assets ... Digital signatures and other methods like fingerprinting provide a method to issue and transfer titles. An Asset Record that includes specific attributes describing the property is created to digitally represent the asset; [0362], A cryptographically-safe hash function is used to fingerprint digital assets. The system provides a framework for authenticating (by comparing) different objects or materials via extracting and matching their fingerprints; Note that authentication for transfer of ownership cannot be achieved without obtaining a match by comparing the indication (or entry) of one-way cryptographic encryption of the given digital asset with the indication of one-way cryptographic encryption of the trackable digital asset stored in the public ledger; It appears evident that, in a blockchain system operating within a cloud environment, multiple hashed fingerprints corresponding to multiple digital assets are stored as multiple entries, i.e., a plurality of indications of at least one one-way cryptographic encryption).
Per claim 11 (dependent on claim 1):
Tran ‘070 in view of ZHU ‘464 discloses the elements detailed in the rejection of claim 1 above, incorporated herein by reference.
Tran ‘070 discloses: The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of:
the obtaining of the digital asset, the embedding of the data in the at least one portion of the digital asset, the obtaining of the at least one indication of the at least one oneway cryptographic encryption of the at least one portion of the trackable digital asset; the encrypting of the at least one portion of the trackable digital asset and the providing of the at least one indication of at least the encrypted at least one portion of the trackable digital asset is performed by at least one of a smart contract, a computing node, a server, a processing device, a software, a storage device and a system manager;
at least one of the obtaining of the at least one indication of the at least one one-way cryptographic encryption of at least one portion of the trackable digital asset and the encrypting at least one portion of the trackable digital asset is performed on a totality of the trackable digital asset
([0373], a method for recording ownership rights in an asset includes: generating an asset record having a fingerprint comprising a hash of a digital representation of the asset (the trackable digital asset), a public key of a client who generates the asset record, and a digital signature comprising a private key of the creating client; communicating with one or more nodes of a peer-to-peer network to generate an entry in a public ledger (obtaining of the at least one indication to be provided in the public ledger) by performing the steps of: generating at least one issue record comprising a hash of the fingerprint (at least one one-way cryptographic encryption; also see [0362], “A cryptographically-safe hash function is used to fingerprint digital assets”, that is, the hash of the fingerprint is at least one one-way cryptographic encryption as described in [0088] of the specification), the public key of the creating client, and an owner signature comprising a hash of the digital signature of the creating client with the hashed fingerprint – at least the encrypted at least one portion of the trackable digital asset – and the public key of the creating client; [0362], In an aspect, encoded data derived from images of local regions of a physical object (embedding of the data in the at least one portion of the digital asset) are used to securely reference ("fingerprint") physical assets based on unique surface-level texture patterns, rendering the physical asset traceable as a digital item. For pets, encode picture and sound can render the asset traceable. For newborn the encoded picture, sound, and fingerprint/footprint render the child traceable. A cryptographically-safe hash function is used to fingerprint digital assets; [0364], 1. A method for recording ownership in data generated by an IOT device, the method comprising: generating a digital asset by an IOT device – performed by a processing device).
Per claim 13 (dependent on claim 1):
Tran ‘070 in view of ZHU ‘464 discloses the elements detailed in the rejection of claim 1 above, incorporated herein by reference.
Tran ‘070 discloses: The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
obtaining at least one thumbnail representing at least one of the digital asset and the trackable digital asset; and
providing at least one indication of the obtained at least one thumbnail;
wherein at least one of
the obtaining of the at least one thumbnail comprising embedding additional data in at least one portion of the at least one thumbnail; and
the trackable digital asset is an encrypted trackable digital asset
([0361], a decentralized property system and method are provided to allow ownership rights to be transferred directly from one party to another (through the trackable digital asset) ... Using a blockchain ... Digital assets (the digital asset) can be uniquely identified by digital fingerprints using cryptographically-safe hash functions. Fingerprints computed from images of the asset may be used in a method to uniquely identify physical assets; [0362], In an aspect, encoded data derived from images of local regions of a physical object are used to securely reference ("fingerprint") physical assets (the trackable digital asset) based on unique surface-level texture patterns, rendering the physical asset traceable as a digital item. For pets, encode picture and sound can render the asset traceable. For newborn the encoded picture, sound, and fingerprint/footprint render the child traceable. A cryptographically-safe hash function (generating an encrypted trackable digital asset) is used to fingerprint digital assets; [0191], The physical goods and materials are identified and linked with their digital representation on the blockchain using a label (e.g., serial numbers, bar codes, digital tags like RFID and NFC, genetic tags) that uniquely identifies a physical good with its digital counterpart (by embedding additional data in at least one portion of the at least one thumbnail) ... QR-code, i.e., obtaining at least one thumbnail).
Per claim 15 (dependent on claim 1):
Tran ‘070 in view of ZHU ‘464 discloses the elements detailed in the rejection of claim 1 above, incorporated herein by reference.
Tran ‘070 discloses: The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of:
the obtaining of the digital asset comprises digitalizing an asset
the providing of the at least one indication of at least the encrypted at least one portion of the trackable digital asset further comprises transforming the at least one indication of at least the encrypted at least one portion of the trackable digital asset into an encrypted trackable asset
([0361], a decentralized property system and method are provided to allow ownership rights to be transferred directly from one party to another ... Using a blockchain ... Digital assets (the digital asset) can be uniquely identified by digital fingerprints using cryptographically-safe hash functions. Fingerprints computed from images of the asset may be used in a method to uniquely identify physical assets (an asset to be digitalized); [0362], In an aspect, encoded data derived from images of local regions of a physical object (digitalizing an asset) are used to securely reference ("fingerprint") physical assets based on unique surface-level texture patterns, rendering the physical asset traceable as a digital item. For pets, encode picture and sound can render the asset traceable. For newborn the encoded picture, sound, and fingerprint/footprint render the child traceable. A cryptographically-safe hash function is used to fingerprint digital assets; Note that according to [0236] and [0261], examples are provided in which an IoT device is used to capture a photograph of a newborn child to generate a birth registration report, or in which patient data is captured at a hospital to generate a digital asset. In other words, these passages illustrate the process of creating a digital asset from a physical asset; [0373], a method for recording ownership rights in an asset includes: generating an asset record (an encrypted trackable asset) having a fingerprint comprising a hash of a digital representation of the asset, a public key of a client who generates the asset record, and a digital signature comprising a private key of the creating client; communicating with one or more nodes of a peer-to-peer network to generate an entry in a public ledger (the at least one indication of at least the encrypted at least one portion of the trackable digital asset) by performing the steps of: generating at least one issue record comprising a hash of the fingerprint (at least one one-way cryptographic encryption; also see [0362], “A cryptographically-safe hash function is used to fingerprint digital assets”, that is, the hash of the fingerprint is at least one one-way cryptographic encryption as described in [0088] of the specification), the public key of the creating client, and an owner signature comprising a hash of the digital signature of the creating client with the hashed fingerprint – at least the encrypted at least one portion of the trackable digital asset – and the public key of the creating client).
Per claim 21 (dependent on claim 1):
Tran ‘070 in view of ZHU ‘464 discloses the elements detailed in the rejection of claim 1 above, incorporated herein by reference.
Tran ‘070 discloses: A computer-implemented method for trading at least one of an ownership of and an access to the trackable digital asset between a buyer and a seller, the computer-implemented method comprising:
organizing a transaction between a buyer and a seller to purchase the at least one of the ownership of and the access to the trackable digital asset, the trackable digital asset being generated according to the computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 1; and
([0361], a decentralized property system and method are provided to allow ownership rights to be transferred directly (trading at least one of an ownership of and an access to the trackable digital asset) from one party to another (between a buyer and a seller) ... Using a blockchain ... Digital assets (a digital asset) can be uniquely identified by digital fingerprints using cryptographically-safe hash functions. Fingerprints computed from images of the asset may be used in a method to uniquely identify physical assets; [0362], In an aspect, encoded data derived from images of local regions of a physical object are used to securely reference ("fingerprint") physical assets based on unique surface-level texture patterns, rendering the physical asset traceable as a digital item (providing the trackable digital asset). For pets, encode picture and sound can render the asset traceable. For newborn the encoded picture, sound, and fingerprint/footprint render the child traceable. A cryptographically-safe hash function is used to fingerprint digital assets; [0329], The system makes healthcare data (the trackable digital asset) easily accessible ... to all patient stakeholders, including the patient themselves, family, caregivers, clinics, providers, insurance companies and all those with a stake in their patients' health. Each and every one of these stakeholders or network peers approved by the patient can easily join health blockchains as either nodes or buyer or seller (organizing a transaction between a buyer and a seller) of tokens or payments to gain access to patient data, utilizing a variety of open access methods and smart contracts that store and monitor real-time contractual conditions agreed to by and between various stakeholders);
authenticating the trackable digital asset using the at least one indication of the at least one one-way cryptographic encryption of at least one portion of the trackable digital asset ([0361], a decentralized property system and method are provided to allow ownership rights to be transferred directly from one party to another ... Using a blockchain ... Digital assets can be uniquely identified (authenticating the trackable digital asset) by digital fingerprints using cryptographically-safe hash functions (one one-way cryptographic encryption). Fingerprints computed from images of the asset may be used in a method to uniquely identify physical assets ... Digital signatures and other methods like fingerprinting provide a method to issue and transfer titles. An Asset Record that includes specific attributes describing the property is created to digitally represent the asset; [0362], A cryptographically-safe hash function is used to fingerprint digital assets. The system provides a framework for authenticating (authentication) different objects or materials via extracting and matching their fingerprints; Note that authentication for transfer of ownership cannot be achieved without obtaining a match by comparing the indication (or entry) of one-way cryptographic encryption of the given digital asset with the indication of one-way cryptographic encryption of the trackable digital asset stored in the public ledger).
Per claim 31 (dependent on claim 21):
Tran ‘070 in view of ZHU ‘464 discloses the elements detailed in the rejection of claim 21 above, incorporated herein by reference.
Tran ‘070 discloses: The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 21, wherein the organizing of the transaction comprises one of organizing at least one of a bidding process, a buying process, a trading process and an offering process to complete the transaction between the buyer and the seller and providing at least one condition to meet to complete the transaction between the buyer and the seller ([0361], a decentralized property system and method are provided to allow ownership rights to be transferred directly (organizing a buying process) from one party to another (between a buyer and a seller) ... Using a blockchain ... Digital assets can be uniquely identified by digital fingerprints using cryptographically-safe hash functions. Fingerprints computed from images of the asset may be used in a method to uniquely identify physical assets; [0329], The system makes healthcare data easily accessible ... to all patient stakeholders, including the patient themselves, family, caregivers, clinics, providers, insurance companies and all those with a stake in their patients' health. Each and every one of these stakeholders or network peers approved by the patient can easily join health blockchains as either nodes or buyer or seller (the organizing of the transaction) of tokens or payments to gain access to patient data, utilizing a variety of open access methods and smart contracts that store and monitor real-time contractual conditions (at least one condition to meet to complete the transaction) agreed to by and between various stakeholders (between the buyer and the seller)).
Per claim 39 (dependent on claim 1):
Tran ‘070 in view of ZHU ‘464 discloses the elements detailed in the rejection of claim 1 above, incorporated herein by reference.
Tran ‘070 discloses: The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of
the obtaining of the at least one indication of the at least one one-way cryptographic encryption of at least one portion of the trackable digital asset comprises generating the at least one indication of the at least one one-way cryptographic encryption of at least one portion of the trackable digital asset;
the providing of the at least one indication of at least the encrypted at least one portion of the trackable digital asset comprises providing at least the encrypted at least one portion of the trackable digital asset
([0373], a method for recording ownership rights in an asset includes: generating an asset record having a fingerprint comprising a hash of a digital representation of the asset (the trackable digital asset), a public key of a client who generates the asset record, and a digital signature comprising a private key of the creating client; communicating with one or more nodes of a peer-to-peer network to generate an entry in a public ledger (generating the at least one indication to be provided in the public ledger) by performing the steps of: generating at least one issue record comprising a hash of the fingerprint (the at least one one-way cryptographic encryption of at least one portion of the trackable digital asset ; also see [0362], “A cryptographically-safe hash function is used to fingerprint digital assets”, that is, the hash of the fingerprint is at least one one-way cryptographic encryption as described in [0088] of the specification), the public key of the creating client, and an owner signature comprising a hash of the digital signature of the creating client with the hashed fingerprint – providing at least the encrypted at least one portion of the trackable digital asset – and the public key of the creating client);
the authenticity of the given digital asset is determined by comparing the generated at least one indication of the at least one one-way cryptographic encryption of the at least one portion of the trackable digital asset with at least one indication of at least one one-way cryptographic encryption of at least one portion of the given digital asset;
([0361], a decentralized property system and method are provided to allow ownership rights to be transferred directly from one party to another ... Using a blockchain ... Digital assets (a given digital asset) can be uniquely identified (i.e., determining the authenticity) by digital fingerprints using cryptographically-safe hash functions (one one-way cryptographic encryption). Fingerprints computed from images of the asset may be used in a method to uniquely identify physical assets ... Digital signatures and other methods like fingerprinting provide a method to issue and transfer titles. An Asset Record that includes specific attributes describing the property is created to digitally represent the asset; [0362], A cryptographically-safe hash function is used to fingerprint digital assets. The system provides a framework for authenticating (by comparing) different objects or materials via extracting and matching their fingerprints; Note that authentication for transfer of ownership cannot be achieved without obtaining a match by comparing the indication (or entry) of one-way cryptographic encryption of the given digital asset with the (generated) indication of one-way cryptographic encryption of the trackable digital asset stored in the public ledger).
Per claim 41 (dependent on claim 1):
Tran ‘070 in view of ZHU ‘464 discloses the elements detailed in the rejection of claim 1 above, incorporated herein by reference.
The limitations of the claim(s) correspond(s) to features of claim 1 and the claim(s) is/are rejected for the reasons detailed with respect to claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 18, 22, 32 and 43-44 is/are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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/SANGSEOK PARK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2499
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