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 statement (IDS) submitted on 06/05/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities: The examiner suggest amending the claim for “Wherein” in line 2 to begin with a lower case letter (i.e. wherein). Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 5 and 10 are objected to because of the following informalities: The examiner suggest amending the claims to include a colon after the word comprising (i.e. comprising: ) to provide better quality. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Interpretation
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) are “a registration request device to acquire…”, “a data management device to acquire…”, “ a search request device to acquire…”, a key transformation device to perform…”, “a re-encryption device to acquire…”, and “a divided key generation device to generate…” in claims 1-8. Support for these limitations are discloses in applicant’s specification paragraphs 0061, 0104, 0135, 0120, 0168, 0183, 0225, 0262, 0287-0288, 0305, 0391 and 0413.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-13 are allowed, however, claims 2, 5 and 10 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the claim objections.
Examiner’s Statement of Reasons for Allowance
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: After a fully conducted search and consideration, the prior art either taken alone or in combination neither anticipates nor render obvious to the claimed subject matter of the instant application. The closest prior art of record ITO et al. (US Pub No. 2016/0330022) discloses cryptographic system (10) uses a cryptographic scheme capable of decrypting ciphertext on which one of two pieces of information corresponding to each other is set, with a decryption key on which the other piece of information is set. A key generation apparatus (401) generates a user private key on which one of key information u and key information y corresponding to each other is set, and a re-encryption key to convert ciphertext which can be decrypted with an attribute private key on which one of user attribute information x and user attribute information v corresponding to each other is set, into a re-ciphertext on which the other of the key information u and the key information y is set. A ciphertext storage apparatus (201) stores ciphertext on which the other of the user attribute information x and the user attribute information v is set. A re-encryption apparatus (301) re-encrypts the ciphertext stored in the ciphertext storage apparatus with the re-encryption key to generate the re-ciphertext. A user terminal (601) decrypts the re-ciphertext with the user private key. (ITO, Abstract) which is equivalent to claim limitations “a searchable encryption system comprising: a registration request device to acquire a registration key EK1 of a registration secret key EK, plaintext data, and a public parameter, and encrypt the plaintext data using the registration key EK1 and the public parameter so as to generate encrypted data, generated using a master key and the public parameter, and being composed of the registration key EK1 used for encrypting data (ITO, page 5, paragraphs 0119-0124, page 6, paragraphs 0145-0151, page 3, paragraph 0076, page , paragraphs 0099; user private key based on public parameter, master key and attribute private key ID; encrypt registering data) and a registration auxiliary key EK2 used for transforming encrypted data (ITO, page 3, paragraph 0076 and page 7, paragraphs 0167-0171; re-encryption key), and a data management device to acquire the registration auxiliary key EK2, the public parameter, and the encrypted data, transform the encrypted data using the registration auxiliary key EK2 and the public parameter (ITO, page 3, paragraph 0076 and page 7, paragraphs 0167-0171; re-encryption key)”; other relevant prior art KOIKE et al. (US Pub No. 2016/0380768) discloses data management device according to an embodiment stores first encrypted data obtained by encrypting plain text data with a first public key of a first user device. The data management device stores a first re-encryption key for re-encrypting the first encrypted data without decrypting to obtain first re-encrypted data decryptable with a private key of a second user device. The data management device stores a conversion key generated from a first private key corresponding to the first public key and a second private key of the first user device. The data management device converts the first encrypted data into second encrypted data with the conversion key. The data management device The data management device converts the first re-encryption key into a second re-encryption key with the conversion key. (KOIKE, Abstract), NAITO et al. (US Pub No. 2024/0022397) discloses a data file encryption transmission/reception system includes a computer with a registration module that encrypts input data files. The registration module includes a string conversion module that configured to convert the data file to be encrypted to string data, a key generation module that configured to generate a common key, and to divide the common key and the string data into first input information and second input information, a common key encryption module is configured to encrypt the first input information with the common key, to thereby generate common key encrypted data, a searchable encryption module that configured to encrypt the second input information in accordance with searchable encryption with a user secret key set in advance, to thereby generate searchable encrypted data and a communication module is configured to register a set of the common key encrypted data and the searchable encrypted data in the data management server. (NAITO, Abstract), ISSHIKI et al. (US Pub No. 2024/0273173) discloses a registration information generation apparatus for generating registration information based on registration-side input information including one or both of elements corresponding to a first set and elements corresponding to a second set, the registration information generation apparatus being configured to generate intermediate information by performing distribution processing for performing secret-sharing for the elements corresponding to the first set in input information, and a duplication processing for duplicating the elements corresponding to the second set in input information, and generate the registration information by replacing a sort order of elements in the intermediate information using a replacement key. (ISSHIKI, Abstract), Kawai et al. (US Pub No. 2020/0065305) discloses a search device (60) determines whether or not an auxiliary tag AT corresponding to an auxiliary query AQ obtained by conversion of a keyword exists, among auxiliary tags AT stored in an auxiliary tag storage unit (632) and obtained by conversion of a search word. When it is determined that the auxiliary tag AT corresponding to the auxiliary query AQ exists, the search device (60) specifies an encryption tag ET corresponding to a search query SQ being set with attribute information x indicating an attribute of a user, and the keyword, among encryption tags ET stored in an encryption tag storage unit (633) and being set with an access condition v indicating an accessible attribute, and the search word. (Kawai, Abstract), and Kaji (US Patent No. 8,184,813) discloses a predetermined initial encryption key at least once to the first unidirectional reverse replacement and at least once to the second trapdoor-equipped unidirectional replacement; and master encryption key generation means for generating a master encryption key, for regenerating the individual encryption keys, by subjecting any one of the individual encryption keys generated by said individual encryption keys generation means at least once to at least one of the first unidirectional reverse replacement and the second unidirectional reverse replacement, wherein the first trapdoor-equipped unidirectional replacement is an RSA function x.sup.e1 (mod n), and the second trapdoor-equipped unidirectional replacement is an RSA function x.sup.e2 (mod n), where x is input data to be subjected, n=p.times.q, where p and q are respectively different prime numbers, e.sub.1=b.sub.0.times.b.sub.1, and e.sub.2=b.sub.0.times.b.sub.2, where each of b.sub.0, b.sub.1, and b.sub.2 is a positive integer that cannot divide a minimum common factor of p-1 and q-1 and that cannot be divided by the minimum common factor of p-1 and q-1, and n, e.sub.1, and e.sub.2 publicly disclosed. (Kaji, column 20-21, claim 1), however, the prior art taken alone or in combination fails to teach or suggest “a registration request device to acquire a registration key EK1 of a registration secret key EK, plaintext data, and a public parameter, and encrypt the plaintext data using the registration key EK1 and the public parameter so as to generate encrypted data, the registration secret key EK being generated using a master key and the public parameter, and being composed of the registration key EK1 used for encrypting data and a registration auxiliary key EK2 used for transforming encrypted data, the registration key EK1 being EK1=G^ek1 mod N, where G, ek1, and N are positive integers obtained based on the master key and the public parameter, the registration auxiliary key EK2 being an integer from 1 to (Z−1) with which X=ek1*EK2 mod Z, where X and Z are positive integers obtained based on the master key and the public parameter; and a data management device to acquire the registration auxiliary key EK2, the public parameter, and the encrypted data, transform the encrypted data using the registration auxiliary key EK2 and the public parameter, and register transformed encrypted data obtained by transformation in a registration database in association with an identifier that identifies the plaintext data” (as recited in claim 1, 10 & 12-13). Claims are allowed in light of the above claim limitations when in combination with the remaining claim limitations.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHAQUEAL D WADE whose telephone number is (571)270-0357. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-5:00.
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/SHAQUEAL D WADE-WRIGHT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2407