DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-20 are pending. This is in response to the application filed on June 7, 2024. This application is a Divisional of 17/508,023 filed on October 22, 2021 Patent 12,039,041.
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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim(s) does/do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because the computer program product is broadly interpreted as software since there is no definition that is a physical device (Specification states a computer readable storage medium is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se. However, par. [0022] discloses a computer program product may include a computer readable storage medium)
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-8 and 11-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Pub 20190253250 (hereinafter Bruner)
Regarding claim 1, Bruner discloses a computer program product for detecting an overlay on a device, the computer program product comprising one or more computer readable storage media having program instructions collectively stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions executable to:
monitor for a signal from at least one sensor in an array of sensors located in predetermined positions associated with a surface of the device (Background section, Fig. 4 and par. [0088]-[0092] discloses a process of accepting physical currency at a payment for services, such as laundry machines, vending machines, arcade machines, gambling machines, etc. where a first sensor registers an event when a physical currency is inserted into one or more slots or openings into one of the aforementioned machines);
in response to the monitoring, detect the signal from the at least one sensor indicating activation of the at least one sensor; initiate a timer in response to the activation of the at least one sensor (par. [0089] discloses when the physical currency is deposited within the slot and/or other opening, the first sensor detects the physical currency and generates a signal to activate a timing circuit);
determine a number of sensors activated in the array of sensors; determine whether the number of sensors activated exceeds a threshold sensor number (par. [0089]-[0090] discloses the timing circuit starts a currency traversal timer and a second sensor generates a second signal configured to stop or pause the timing circuit. Hence, the second sensor is the threshold value used to calculate the travel time of the currency (e.g. bill or coin));
in response to a determination the number of sensors activated exceeds the threshold sensor number and a value of the timer exceeds a threshold timer value, determine a security action; and initiate the security action (par. [0091] discloses different actions if the currency traversal time is below a lower threshold value, between the lower threshold value and upper threshold value or above the upper threshold value. If the elapsed time of the timing circuit is above the upper threshold value, the process identifies a malfunction in the currency mechanism and generates a malfunction indication. For example, in various embodiments, the system may be configured to activate a visual indication (such as a light, screen, etc.), an audible indication (such as a siren, buzzer, etc.), or a digital indication (such as a digital message reviewable by an audit mechanism, etc.)).
Regarding claim 2, Bruner discloses wherein the determining the security action comprises calculating a risk value (see claim 1 rejection for an alert only raise when elapsed time above the upper threshold value).
Regarding claim 3, Bruner discloses wherein the determining the security action comprises selecting the security action from plural predefined security actions based on the calculated risk value (Figs. 3-4 and related text disclose in the case the timer value exceed the lower threshold but the second sensor never activated the selected action is doing nothing but returning to the standby state. In the case the timer value exceed the upper threshold, the selected action is sending an alert).
Regarding claim 4, Bruner discloses wherein the plural predefined security actions include: disabling the device; sending an alert to a user device (see claim 1 rejection); activating a camera that is integrated with the device; and activating a camera that is external to and pointed at the device.
Regarding claim 5, Bruner discloses wherein the risk value is calculated based on a predefined risk appetite of the device and the number of sensors activated (Fig. 3 and par. [0082]-[0084] disclose the first sensor maybe activated but no currency is inserted or detected then the machine return to the standby mode. This scenario suggests no risk if only one sensor activated).
Regarding claim 6, Bruner discloses wherein the at least one sensor comprises a magnetic field sensor (par. [0023] discloses a sensor can be any kind of sensor used for sensing bills and coins. Bruner does not exclude a magnetic field sensor. Also see Fig. 8 and related text discloses the controller comprises a communications interface that can utilize an electromagnetic device).
Regarding claim 7, Bruner discloses wherein the at least one sensor comprises a Hall sensor (see claim 6 rejection).
Regarding claim 8, Bruner discloses wherein the device comprises a keypad (par. [0023] and [0116] discloses a sensor can comprise a subsystem which can be a keyboard).
Regarding claims 11-18, they are rejected in view of claims 1-8 rejections respectively.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claims 10 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bruner
Regarding claims 10 and 20, Bruner discloses wherein the keypad is included in an automated teller machine (although Bruner does not expressly disclose the machine to accept currency deposit as an ATM but can be any machine accepting payment. Hence, one skilled in the art would have understood such implementation should be an obvious variation since an ATM would accept currency deposit the same way using a similar validation process before allowing a deposit into one’s bank account).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9 and 19 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.
Inquiry communication
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRI M TRAN whose telephone number is (571)270-1994. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri: 9am-5pm.
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/TRI M TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2432