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 .
Claims 1-20 are pending.
Claims 1-15 and 18-20 are amended. No claims are cancelled or added.
Response to Arguments
In view Applicant’s amendments to the claims, the claim interpretation note regarding enablement is moot and has been withdrawn.
Applicant's amendments arguments Section 101 have been fully considered and are persuasive. While Applicant’s arguments point to a variety of technical features including steganographic elements, pixel-level perturbations, depth maps, and 3-D placement features, those features are not present in the independent claims. Nevertheless, the amended claims are directed to a practical application of technology and the Section 101 rejection has been withdrawn.
Applicant's arguments with respect to Section 102 and 103 rejections have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20200357002 to Caton et al. teaches “‘security features” are ordinary, visible, optical marks, not the multi-layer, machine-detectable encoded seal of the claims.” See page 12 of the Amendment and Response to Office Action. However, that description is extremely disingenuous as even the abstract of Caton et al. discloses “hidden/covert security feature(s)”. Further, paragraph [0077] of Caton et al. states that “Hidden/covert security feature 122 of secured physical document 120 is, for example, alphanumeric characters, objects, symbols, or markers that are not easily visible to the human eye, yet can be detected using features of document security system 100.” Applicant argues the amended claims require certain features, but cites features recited in dependent claims and recited in the alternative. Limitations recited in the alternative are not required. Applicant argues that attributes are intentionally designed to be machine-detectable but human-imperceptible, but the specification only states, in paragraph [0027] that such seals “include depth features that may not be recognizable by casual observation by a human”, and only recite depth features in the alternative in claims 3 and 20. While Applicant argues that Caton's "hidden" features are not cryptographically encoded, pixel-level, machine-only attributes, the claims do not require cryptographically encoded, pixel-level, machine-only attributes. Arguments noting particular elements recited in the specification does not limit the claims. The claim language itself define the metes and bounds of the claims. Limitations recited in the alternative are not required, nor are things not recited in the claims. Therefore, Caton does anticipate amended independent claims 1 and 20. As such, the rejection is maintained. Nevertheless, the rejection has been updated as necessary to address the amended claim language.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-20 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Claims 1 and 20 recite “information encoded in one or more hidden attributes of the encoded security seal that are not visually perceptible without machine processing”. However, the specification does not convey possession of the idea that information in the seal is not visually perceptible without machine processing. Paragraph [0027] of the specification states that “the printed security seal 50 may include depth features that may not be recognizable by casual observation by a human, but can include elements that can be detected by using a depth sensor to create a depth map having line or image that appear when the depth sensor is held in a specific position from the printed security seal 50.” While the specification supports the hidden attributes, the specification, and claims discloses that such hidden attributes may be a set of angles associated with lines or text in the visible attributes, which are clearly visually perceptible but may not have a significant meaning to anyone not understanding what the angles are meant to convey. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-20 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.
Claims 1 and 20 recite “hidden attributes of the encoded security seal that are not visually perceptible without machine processing”. This phrase does not have any clear basis in the specification, and appears to be inconsistent with the claims descriptions of what may be hidden attributes. For example, claim 2 recites that the hidden attributes may include “a set of angles associated with lines or text in the one or more visible attributes” or “three dimensional system placement features encoded as spatial placement of printed elements on the print medium” which are both “visually perceptible”. As such, a plain language interpretation of claim 1 is contradicted by the plain language interpretation of claim 2. Similarly, claim 4 recites that the hidden attributes may include “hologram” which is also “visually perceptible”. Claim 8 recites that the hidden attributes may include “hidden attributes are embedded within modules of hidden within the barcode or QR code as intentional markings or imperfections that preserve standard decoding of the barcode or QR code” and such markings are also “visually perceptible”. As the claims recite hidden attributes of the encoded security seal that are not visually perceptible but also encompass attributes that are clearly visible, the scope of hidden attributes is unclear. Appropriate correction is required.
Dependent claims 2-19 are rejected at least for incorporating the rejected subject matter of the claims from which they depend. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of pre-AIA 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, 12, 14-18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20200357002 to Caton et al.
With regards to claims 1 and 20, Caton et al. teaches:
a user device including a camera and a memory storing an authentication app configured to capture a scanned image of an encoded security seal physically printed on a print medium associated with a package configured for protecting manufactured product and to transmit image data representing the scanned image (paragraph [0071], “According to some embodiments, the system provides configurable applications for mobile platforms that decode and authenticate hidden or covert security features. This can be accomplished using internal manipulation of the camera feed, image processing both on the smart device and a cloud-based server, and/or database lookup/authentication capability on the cloud-based server. In one example, the hosted security service supports a plurality of camera-enabled smart devices, wherein the digital image data acquired by each device is used to identify the presence or absence of hidden/covert security features in physical documents.”; paragraph [0102], “Thus, certain pharmaceutical/medical products may be packaged in product packaging that includes the hidden/security feature encoded with information for identifying, at least, the particular pharmaceutical/medical product and perhaps more detailed information, such as batch, source, etc.”);
a trust entity including: a processing device; and memory storing an authentication program having logical instructions that, when executed by the processing device (paragraph [0071], “Additionally, the hosted (e.g., cloud-based) security service processes the hidden or covert security features with respect to certain rules that determine what action(s) are returned to an originating smart device. Further, according to some embodiments, the hosted security service can, for audit purposes, maintain a record of all images processed using the document security system described herein.”; see also paragraphs [0221]-[0222]), cause the processing device to
receive, from the user device via a network interface, the image data representing the scanned image of an encoded security seal printed on a print medium associated with a package configured for protecting a manufactured product (paragraph [0075], “Raw digital images 112 are any images captured using camera 110 of the smart device 105. A user 175 can use camera 110 of their smart device 105 as a convenient means to capture raw digital images 112 of a physical document to be analyzed via security system 130. For example, user 175 can use camera 110 of their smart device 105 to capture raw digital images 112 of secured physical document 120 that include hidden/covert security feature(s) 122 or of unsecured physical document 124, wherein unsecured physical documents 124 do not include hidden/covert security feature 122. Both secured physical document 120 and unsecured physical document 124 can be any hardcopy document (e.g., hardcopy paper document, credit card, government-issued ID, currency, etc) or physical surface of any object (e.g., product packaging or product itself) that have, for example, alphanumeric characters, symbols, markers, and/or graphics thereon, such as applied by printing.”),
extract from the image data. a set of coded information embedded in the encoded security seal (paragraph [0068], “As a means of product identification and tracking, a barcode such as a Universal Product Code (UPC) or a Quick Response (QR) code is often printed on the packaging of consumer products. These printed codes are optically scanned for rapid decoding.”; paragraph [0075], “Both secured physical document 120 and unsecured physical document 124 can be any hardcopy document (e.g., hardcopy paper document, credit card, government-issued ID, currency, etc) or physical surface of any object (e.g., product packaging or product itself) that have, for example, alphanumeric characters, symbols, markers, and/or graphics thereon, such as applied by printing.”; paragraph [0083], “According to some embodiments, any information in parameters 115 can be modified to customize the detection capability for security purposes. Parameters 115 include, for example, line frequency, screen angles, text/content, image structure, color, and related data. Further, in some embodiments, the contents of parameters 115 are subscriber-specific.”; paragraph [0113], “Indications of authenticity can then be stored, along with information about the product being scanned and/or retail location of the scanned product by the security service for use in future investigations of product authenticity (e.g., for determining product diversions, counterfeits, and the like).”),
the set of coded information comprising information encoded in one or more hidden attributes of the encoded security seal that are not visually perceptible without machine processing (paragraph [0069], “The hidden security information can be, for example, objects, symbols, characters, and/or markers that are not easily visible to the human eye, yet can be detected by other means, such as by optical detection. Optimally, it would be desirable to authenticate hidden security information using smart devices, such as a smart phone or tablet, as smart devices are prevalent, configurable, and are often carried on a person thus readily available when authentication is desired.”; paragraph [0080], “Hidden/covert security features 122 are constructed, for example, using lines, dots, dashes, whitespaces, or microprint whose features are spaced too closely to be visible by the human eye. To the eye, these lines, dots, dashes, whitespace, or microprint simply appear as, for example, a tinted region revealing no discernable content.”), and
in response to analyzing the set of coded information, determine whether the manufactured product is authentic (paragraph [0174], “In some embodiments, the pattern is screened to match the hidden/covert security feature 122. According to some embodiments, the hidden/covert security feature 122 contains the phrase “VALID” or similar language to indicate the authenticity of a barcode or other image adjacent to the hidden/covert security feature 122.”; paragraph [0205], “A smart device 1402 captures an image of the printed security feature 1420 and communicates with a security service 1404 to authenticate/validate the security feature 1420. The authentication/validation of the security feature 1420 using the smart device 1402 may be carried out in accordance with the example processes described above in connection with FIGS. 1-13, for example. Upon confirmation of authenticity of the security feature 1420, which may be provided via the user interface of the smart device 1402, a user of the smart device 1402 may determine that the document 1400 is authentic.”).
With regards to claim 2, Caton et al. teaches
the encoded security seal includes one or more visible attributes and one or more hidden attributes that are not visually perceptible to a human observer (paragraph [0068], “As a means of product identification and tracking, a barcode such as a Universal Product Code (UPC) or a Quick Response (QR) code is often printed on the packaging of consumer products. These printed codes are optically scanned for rapid decoding. However, barcodes are readily visible on the product packaging and are susceptible to copying, adjustment, and other forgery. To reduce fraud, it is desirable to add hidden security information to product packaging as an alternative, or in conjunction with, barcode information and/or other tracking and identification information.”) and one or more hidden attributes that are not visually perceptible to a human observer (paragraph [0069], “The hidden security information can be, for example, objects, symbols, characters, and/or markers that are not easily visible to the human eye, yet can be detected by other means, such as by optical detection. Optimally, it would be desirable to authenticate hidden security information using smart devices, such as a smart phone or tablet, as smart devices are prevalent, configurable, and are often carried on a person thus readily available when authentication is desired.”; paragraph [0070], “While hidden or covert security features are not easily visible to the human eye, the document security system uses image processing to determine the presence or absence of hidden or covert security features in digital images of physical documents, wherein the digital images are captured using the smart devices.”; paragraph [0080], “Hidden/covert security features 122 are constructed, for example, using lines, dots, dashes, whitespaces, or microprint whose features are spaced too closely to be visible by the human eye. To the eye, these lines, dots, dashes, whitespace, or microprint simply appear as, for example, a tinted region revealing no discernable content.”; paragraph [0199], “FIG. 13C illustrates another example of a scannable region 1340 including both a barcode pattern 1342 with associated numbers 1344 and an embedded security feature 1346. The security feature 1346 includes encoded information as a series of latent images representing alphanumeric characters, which can be recognized by a character recognition module and associated with a serial number and/or other identifying information using the security service 130.”), and
wherein extracting the set of coded information includes obtaining the set of coded information from at least the one or more hidden attributes (paragraph [0071], “According to some embodiments, the system provides configurable applications for mobile platforms that decode and authenticate hidden or covert security features. This can be accomplished using internal manipulation of the camera feed, image processing both on the smart device and a cloud-based server, and/or database lookup/authentication capability on the cloud-based server. In one example, the hosted security service supports a plurality of camera-enabled smart devices, wherein the digital image data acquired by each device is used to identify the presence or absence of hidden/covert security features in physical documents.”).
With regards to claim 3, Caton et al. teaches the one or more hidden attributes include one or more of a) a set of angles associated with lines or text in the one or more visible attributes that are evaluated by the authentication program to reveal encoded characters or symbols, b) a depth map obtained by a depth sensor associated with the camera of the user device, and c) three dimensional system placement features encoded as spatial placement of printed elements on the print medium and detected from the depth map (paragraph [0069], “Optimally, it would be desirable to authenticate hidden security information using smart devices, such as a smart phone or tablet, as smart devices are prevalent, configurable, and are often carried on a person thus readily available when authentication is desired. However, several challenges limit the use of smart devices for optical detection of hidden security information. First, the camera systems in smart devices are designed to focus on faces, not hidden security information, and this is problematic if the hidden security information does not have contrast points for use in focusing. Also affecting the process is the effect of varying focal lengths on the image capture process, possibly requiring the smart device camera to be positioned at a predetermined distance and/or angle from the target in order to capture hidden security information.”; paragraph [0080], “Hidden/covert security features 122 are constructed, for example, using lines, dots, dashes, whitespaces, or microprint whose features are spaced too closely to be visible by the human eye. To the eye, these lines, dots, dashes, whitespace, or microprint simply appear as, for example, a tinted region revealing no discernable content.”; paragraph [0199], “FIG. 13C illustrates another example of a scannable region 1340 including both a barcode pattern 1342 with associated numbers 1344 and an embedded security feature 1346. The security feature 1346 includes encoded information as a series of latent images representing alphanumeric characters, which can be recognized by a character recognition module and associated with a serial number and/or other identifying information using the security service 130.”).
With regards to claim 4, Caton et al. teaches the one or more hidden attributes include one or more of a hologram and a steganographic image that encode at least a portion of the set of coded information including product-specific authentication data (paragraph [0260], “The product codes may be printed in black ink or a color or a combination of colors or reversed out of a white or black or color image, laser engraved, hot or cold foil stamping, die-cut or applied utilizing holographic foils and/or embedded in a holographic image. Moreover, the product codes can be printed utilizing inks other than traditional, such as thermal reactive, coin reactive, UV or IR light reactive, blind emboss or ink jet holographic to add another layer of authentication. For instance, in addition to decoding latent security features, some embodiments may involve illuminating the barcode with UV or applying heat to first make the security features visible via UV-reactive and/or heat-reactive inks A single or multiple bars (or other solid regions of a product code) can used as a background region into which latent characters can be incorporated (e.g., the bar region 2012). An example of multiple bars could include a barcode that has two solid bars at either end of the code, thus dual authenticating codes (on both solid bars) could be utilized.”).
With regards to claim 5, Caton et al. teaches the one or more visible attributes include added or manipulated pixels and/or imperfections in one or more of an image, logo, text, and border associated with the one or more visible attributes (paragraph [0068], “As a means of product identification and tracking, a barcode such as a Universal Product Code (UPC) or a Quick Response (QR) code is often printed on the packaging of consumer products. These printed codes are optically scanned for rapid decoding. However, barcodes are readily visible on the product packaging and are susceptible to copying, adjustment, and other forgery. To reduce fraud, it is desirable to add hidden security information to product packaging as an alternative, or in conjunction with, barcode information and/or other tracking and identification information.”) the added or manipulated pixels and/or imperfections encoding at least part of the set of coded information (paragraph [0080], “Hidden/covert security features 122 are constructed, for example, using lines, dots, dashes, whitespaces, or microprint whose features are spaced too closely to be visible by the human eye. To the eye, these lines, dots, dashes, whitespace, or microprint simply appear as, for example, a tinted region revealing no discernable content.”; paragraph [0199], “FIG. 13C illustrates another example of a scannable region 1340 including both a barcode pattern 1342 with associated numbers 1344 and an embedded security feature 1346. The security feature 1346 includes encoded information as a series of latent images representing alphanumeric characters, which can be recognized by a character recognition module and associated with a serial number and/or other identifying information using the security service 130.”).
With regards to claim 6, Caton et al. teaches the one or more visible attributes further include arbitrary noise intended that is intentionally printed to deceive a counterfeiter while remaining decodable by the authentication program to deceive a counterfeiter (paragraph [0135], “http://www.sunsetlakesoftware.com/2012/02/12/introducing-gpuimage-framework) can be used for image processing capabilities including live video stream filtering, to view the target image and adjust for pattern detection. This software may be used to apply a convolution matrix to detect horizontal or vertical lines, adjust exposure based on image brightness, adjust contrast to increase edge sharpness within the image, adjust to median settings to remove stray pixels, filter out noise based on a threshold, and perform other functionality applicable to the present disclosure.”; paragraph [0146], “In another example, the absence of a hidden/covert security feature 122 may indicate a fraudulent or counterfeit product, such as when the product packaging is required to have a security feature to verify authenticity. Therefore, a text message (e.g., via SMS) is transmitted to the originating smart device 105, wherein the text message is COUNTERFEIT PRODUCT. Further, security service 130 optionally transmits a message to a law enforcement agency or other authoritative entity, which are third-party services 150.”).
With regards to claim 7, Caton et al. teaches the one or more visible attributes include a barcode or QR code configured both to reference a trusted web address and to encode tracking information readable by a standard barcode or QR code reader (paragraph [0008], “The present disclosure involves authenticating websites by providing websites with security images to be displayed as a graphic on the site. A user can then validate the site as authentic by taking a picture of the graphic and communicating with a server to determine whether the site is authentic. According to some embodiments, a website server requests an authentication graphic for each new session that is initiated.”; paragraph [0068], “As a means of product identification and tracking, a barcode such as a Universal Product Code (UPC) or a Quick Response (QR) code is often printed on the packaging of consumer products.”) and to encode tracking information readable by a standard barcode or QR code reader (paragraph [0080], “Hidden/covert security features 122 are constructed, for example, using lines, dots, dashes, whitespaces, or microprint whose features are spaced too closely to be visible by the human eye. To the eye, these lines, dots, dashes, whitespace, or microprint simply appear as, for example, a tinted region revealing no discernable content.”; paragraph [0175], “Thus, the pattern recognition capability in combination with the database lookup will confirm the destination country based on the configuration information. Similarly, city, state, date, and other tracking information can be associated with and accessed via the pattern and/or text embedded in the hidden/covert security feature 122. This tracking information can be combined with information based on barcoded information, such as a QR code, data matrix, PDF417, Aztec, UPC code, or other indicia, to allow for an additional level of verification, for example, by duplicating certain barcode information in the pattern and checking for data consistency.”; paragraph [0199], “FIG. 13C illustrates another example of a scannable region 1340 including both a barcode pattern 1342 with associated numbers 1344 and an embedded security feature 1346. The security feature 1346 includes encoded information as a series of latent images representing alphanumeric characters, which can be recognized by a character recognition module and associated with a serial number and/or other identifying information using the security service 130.”).
With regards to claim 8, Caton et al. teaches the one or more hidden attributes are embedded within modules of the barcode or QR code (paragraph [0173], “According to some embodiments, the pattern of FIG. 6 or similar pattern is concealed within the hidden/covert security feature 122, using previously described security features such as Prism™, Veriglow™, and/or other security features. The pattern may be positioned such that it is adjacent to, surrounding or otherwise in close proximity to additional image and/or text information. In some embodiments, the additional image information is a one dimensional barcode (UPC), two dimensional barcode (for example, QR, data matrix, PDF417, or Aztec), or other image information. Examples of the combination of a barcode with a pattern and additional hidden text are illustrated in FIG. 9A-9D.”)
as intentional markings or imperfections that preserve standard decoding of the barcode or QR code while additionally encoding at least a portion of the set of coded information that is decodable by the authentication program (paragraph [0080], “Hidden/covert security features 122 are constructed, for example, using lines, dots, dashes, whitespaces, or microprint whose features are spaced too closely to be visible by the human eye. To the eye, these lines, dots, dashes, whitespace, or microprint simply appear as, for example, a tinted region revealing no discernable content.”; paragraph [0199], “FIG. 13C illustrates another example of a scannable region 1340 including both a barcode pattern 1342 with associated numbers 1344 and an embedded security feature 1346. The security feature 1346 includes encoded information as a series of latent images representing alphanumeric characters, which can be recognized by a character recognition module and associated with a serial number and/or other identifying information using the security service 130.”).
With regards to claim 12, Caton et al. teaches the scanned image is obtained by a device associated with a distributor or retailer in a supply chain between a manufacturer of the manufactured product and a consumer of the manufactured product (paragraph [0105], “If the encoded information is associated with a particular marketing promotion, information about the marketing promotion (e.g., a reduced sale price, reward points, customer loyalty program benefits, and the like) can then be delivered to the smart device 105 for viewing by the user 175. Moreover, any marketing promotion information delivered to the smart device 105 can enable the user 175 to redeem any benefits of the specified promotions. In some examples, marketing promotions may be redeemable by the user substantially in real time, to allow the user 175 that scans the security feature 122 on product packaging in a retail store environment to take advantage of any available promotions before leaving the particular store.”),
the device comprising a camera and an application configured to capture the scanned image and communicate with the trust entity for verification of authenticity at that point in the supply chain (paragraph [0132], paragraph [0144], “At 426, tracking and image information is stored in the database 140. In some embodiments, each record in tracking data 146 includes tracking information for a particular digital image transaction, such as, for example, user ID, device ID, network address, timestamp, etc. Additionally or alternatively, for each record that is created, the image data of the processed digital image 118 and/or the image data of the identified hidden/covert security feature 122 are stored in image data 148 of database 140.”).
With regards to claim 14, Caton et al. teaches the logical instructions further cause the processing device to record multiple sets of coded information extracted from scanned images of multiple encoded security seals printed in association with multiple packages (paragraph [0087], “Additionally, system 100 allows for configurable security features, such that the hidden/covert security feature(s) 122 can be adjusted and/or optimized for particular customers and/or secured physical documents 120, yet multiple types of hidden/covert security features 122 can be analyzed by a smart device 105”),
wherein each set of coded information includes a non-repeatable nonce uniquely associated with a respective package (paragraph [0241], “At block 1724, the security service 1640 can also optionally update the stored listing of authentication graphics to remove the graphic validated in block 1718. By removing the graphic from the list of valid authentication graphics after a single validation, the security service 1740 can prevent the system 1600 from being used to validate multiple websites from a single authentication graphic.”), and
wherein determining that the manufactured product is authentic includes observing that the respective non-repeatable nonce has not been previously replayed or recorded as used in association with another package (paragraph [0241], “At block 1724, the security service 1640 can also optionally update the stored listing of authentication graphics to remove the graphic validated in block 1718. By removing the graphic from the list of valid authentication graphics after a single validation, the security service 1740 can prevent the system 1600 from being used to validate multiple websites from a single authentication graphic.”).
With regards to claim 15, Caton et al. teaches in response to determining whether the manufactured product is authentic, the logical instructions further cause the processing device to provide an indication to a consumer of the manufactured product as to whether the manufactured product is authentic or counterfeit by generating, for display at the user device, a message indicating an authenticity result (paragraph [0095], “Once the data relating to hidden/covert security feature 122 has been verified, decision processor 134 queries rules data 144 for information about actions to be taken. Like parameters 115, the information in rules data 144 may be subscriber-specific. In one example, rules data 144 may indicate to transmit a text message (e.g., via SMS) to the originating smart device 105. Using the example of a hidden/covert security feature 122 on a product package, wherein the hidden/covert security feature 122 indicates product information, examples of text messages include AUTHENTIC PRODUCT, NOT AUTHENTIC PRODUCT, FOR USE IN USA ONLY, or any other customized message as appropriate for a particular product package.”).
With regards to claim 16, Caton et al. teaches the print medium is one or more of a) an outer surface of the package and b) a label attached to the outer surface of the package (paragraph [0203], “In brief, the security features described herein may be rendered by printed elements on a printable substrate, by an electronic display, or by a surface geometry pattern created in a physical substrate.”).
With regards to claim 17, Caton et al. teaches the print medium is one or more of a) a piece of paper or card placed inside the package during manufacturing and b) an inside surface of the package (paragraph [0203], “In brief, the security features described herein may be rendered by printed elements on a printable substrate, by an electronic display, or by a surface geometry pattern created in a physical substrate.”
With regards to claim 18, Caton et al. teaches the set of coded information includes one or more of validity information, manufacturer information, manufacturing date, manufacturing location, product information, product serial number, product expiration date, and expiration date of a certificate associated with a manufacturer or product the expiration date corresponding to a digital certificate issued by the trust entity (paragraph [0211], “According to some embodiments, elements of this disclosure may be used to authenticate a variety of documents and related products, including but not limited to the following: protection/secondary authentication of product codes on product packaging (such as verification of destination country for pharmaceutical products), authentication of unique or expensive goods (such as signed memorabilia), control of imports/exports (such as for luxury goods commonly counterfeited), warehouse management and tracking (such as the destination information and expiration date of perishable items), authentication of important documents such as ID cards or title documents, verification of promotional materials or gaming tickets, identification of product recalls, and many other applications relying on the authentication, via a smart device, of hidden security information within a document.”).
With regards to claim 20, Canton et al. teaches
capturing, at the user device including a camera and an authentication app stored in memory, image data representing a scanned image of an encoded security seal printed on a print medium associated with a package configured for protecting a manufactured product (paragraph [0068], “As a means of product identification and tracking, a barcode such as a Universal Product Code (UPC) or a Quick Response (QR) code is often printed on the packaging of consumer products. These printed codes are optically scanned for rapid decoding.”; paragraph [0071], “According to some embodiments, the system provides configurable applications for mobile platforms that decode and authenticate hidden or covert security features. This can be accomplished using internal manipulation of the camera feed, image processing both on the smart device and a cloud-based server, and/or database lookup/authentication capability on the cloud-based server. In one example, the hosted security service supports a plurality of camera-enabled smart devices, wherein the digital image data acquired by each device is used to identify the presence or absence of hidden/covert security features in physical documents.”; paragraph [0075], “Both secured physical document 120 and unsecured physical document 124 can be any hardcopy document (e.g., hardcopy paper document, credit card, government-issued ID, currency, etc) or physical surface of any object (e.g., product packaging or product itself) that have, for example, alphanumeric characters, symbols, markers, and/or graphics thereon, such as applied by printing.”; paragraph [0083], “According to some embodiments, any information in parameters 115 can be modified to customize the detection capability for security purposes. Parameters 115 include, for example, line frequency, screen angles, text/content, image structure, color, and related data. Further, in some embodiments, the contents of parameters 115 are subscriber-specific.”; paragraph [0113], “Indications of authenticity can then be stored, along with information about the product being scanned and/or retail location of the scanned product by the security service for use in future investigations of product authenticity (e.g., for determining product diversions, counterfeits, and the like).”);
transmitting, from the user device to the trust entity via a network interface, the image data representing the scanned image (paragraph [0071], “Additionally, the hosted (e.g., cloud-based) security service processes the hidden or covert security features with respect to certain rules that determine what action(s) are returned to an originating smart device. Further, according to some embodiments, the hosted security service can, for audit purposes, maintain a record of all images processed using the document security system described herein.”; see also paragraphs [0221]-[0222]);
extracting, by executing an authentication program stored in memory of the trust entity, a set of coded information embedded in the encoded security seal from the transmitted image data, the set of coded information comprising information encoded in one or more hidden attributes of the encoded security seal that are not visually perceptible without machine processing (paragraph [0075], “Raw digital images 112 are any images captured using camera 110 of the smart device 105. A user 175 can use camera 110 of their smart device 105 as a convenient means to capture raw digital images 112 of a physical document to be analyzed via security system 130. For example, user 175 can use camera 110 of their smart device 105 to capture raw digital images 112 of secured physical document 120 that include hidden/covert security feature(s) 122 or of unsecured physical document 124, wherein unsecured physical documents 124 do not include hidden/covert security feature 122. Both secured physical document 120 and unsecured physical document 124 can be any hardcopy document (e.g., hardcopy paper document, credit card, government-issued ID, currency, etc) or physical surface of any object (e.g., product packaging or product itself) that have, for example, alphanumeric characters, symbols, markers, and/or graphics thereon, such as applied by printing.”),
the one or more hidden attributes including at least one of (i) a depth pattern represented in a depth map obtained by a depth sensor associated with the camera and (ii) a steganographic or holographic image overlaid with visible attributes of the encoded security seal (paragraph [0260], “Among other aspects, the authenticated product code may be implemented as a 1-dimensional barcode (UPC code),a 2-dimensional printed code (e.g., QR code within its internal locator solid squares), a pdf 417 barcode, a GS1 stacked databar barcode or the like. The product codes may be printed in black ink or a color or a combination of colors or reversed out of a white or black or color image, laser engraved, hot or cold foil stamping, die-cut or applied utilizing holographic foils and/or embedded in a holographic image. Moreover, the product codes can be printed utilizing inks other than traditional, such as thermal reactive, coin reactive, UV or IR light reactive, blind emboss or ink jet holographic to add another layer of authentication.”); and
in response to analyzing the set of coded information, determining at the trust entity and based at least in part on the set of coded information, whether the manufactured product is authentic (paragraph [0174], “In some embodiments, the pattern is screened to match the hidden/covert security feature 122. According to some embodiments, the hidden/covert security feature 122 contains the phrase “VALID” or similar language to indicate the authenticity of a barcode or other image adjacent to the hidden/covert security feature 122.”; paragraph [0205], “A smart device 1402 captures an image of the printed security feature 1420 and communicates with a security service 1404 to authenticate/validate the security feature 1420. The authentication/validation of the security feature 1420 using the smart device 1402 may be carried out in accordance with the example processes described above in connection with FIGS. 1-13, for example. Upon confirmation of authenticity of the security feature 1420, which may be provided via the user interface of the smart device 1402, a user of the smart device 1402 may determine that the document 1400 is authentic.”).
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.
Claims 9-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20200357002 to Caton et al. as applied to claims 1-8, 12, 14-18 and 20 above, in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20180316852 to Graham et al.
With regards to claim 9, Caton et al. teaches the scanned image is obtained by the camera of the user device associated with a consumer who has purchased the manufactured product (paragraph [0008], “A user of the website can then query the security service to validate the displayed authentication graphic by capturing an image of the graphic and communicating with the security service. For example, the user can use a camera-equipped device that is loaded with an image capture application which operates to provide focusing, filtering, and image capture capability.”), but fails to explicitly teach guide the consumer through capturing processes. However, Graham et al. teaches
the authentication app is configured to guide the consumer through capturing the scanned image and transmitting the image data to the trust entity (paragraph [0024], “In the example of FIG. 1, the components of the recognition server 101 are configured to implement an image recognition application 103 a described in more detail below. In some embodiments, the recognition server 101 receives images of an item through a guided information capture process, and stores the images in a database to create or augment the database. The guided information capture process provides instructions and parameters to a user so that the user can follow the instructions and use the parameters to capture an image with the characteristics needed for computer vision and making the database more complete. The resulting database supports robust image recognition because images captured in a guided information capture process and stored in the database may share more similarities with any random query image, and therefore lead to a higher probability of a match or a larger number of matches.”).
This part of Graham et al. is applicable to the system of Caton et al. as they both share characteristics and capabilities, namely, they are directed to product authentication. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Caton et al. to include the image capture guidance as taught by Graham et al. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify Caton et al. in order to support a robust image recognition for methods for acquiring, processing, analyzing and understanding digital images, and extraction of high-dimensional data from the real world in order to produce numerical or symbolic information (see paragraphs [0003]-[0004] of Graham et al.).
With regards to claim 10, Caton et al. teaches receiving the scanned image is performed by the trust entity comprising a certificate authority in communication with the user device (paragraph [0008], “A user of the website can then query the security service to validate the displayed authentication graphic by capturing an image of the graphic and communicating with the security service. For example, the user can use a camera-equipped device that is loaded with an image capture application which operates to provide focusing, filtering, and image capture capability.”; paragraph [0106], “In other examples, the promotional information delivered to the smart device 105 can enable the user 175 to access a negotiable instrument, such as a coupon, gift certificate, promotional certificate, etc. Such negotiable instruments may be made available via an in-store kiosk, a customer service window, etc. Retrieving such negotiable instruments from a kiosk, window, etc., may require entering a code, or providing a scannable barcode, etc., to allow the kiosk to recognize the particular negotiable instrument to provide”).
With regards to claim 11, Caton et al. teaches the user device is a mobile device, and wherein receiving, extracting, and determining are performed by an app or Software Development Kit (SDK) running on the mobile device in cooperation with the authentication program of the trust entity (paragraph [0007], “According to some embodiments, a smart device is equipped with a camera and a capture application which combine to provide focusing, filtering, and image capture capability. According to some embodiments, the smart device is configured to capture and preprocess images containing hidden security features, and communicate with a network-based security service for decoding and authentication of hidden security features. According to some embodiments, the smart device is configured to communicate with a decoding application, decision processor, and database on the smart device to decode and authenticate hidden security features.”).
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20200357002 to Caton et al. as applied to claims 1-8, 12, 14-18 and 20 above, in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20200364817 to Liu et al.
With regards to claim 13, Caton et al. fails to explicitly teach a blockchain format, but Liu et al. teaches the logical instructions further enable the processing device to store one or more sets of encoded information in a blockchain format and determine authenticity of the manufactured product throughout the supply chain (paragraph [0122], “Reference is now made to FIG. 7 showing the process 40 of recording the data on the blockchain 24 carried out by the infrastructure 16 of an embodiment of the present invention. The process 40 comprising the steps of initialisation 42, collecting supply chain data 43, generating transaction records 44, signing transaction records 45, and sending transaction records to the blockchain 46.”)
including storing, in a blockchain data structure, for each scanned image obtained at respective points in the supply chain, a corresponding set of encoded information extracted from the encoded security seal together with metadata identifying at least one of a scanning party and a location in the supply chain (paragraph [0118], “The mobile application adapted to carry out the functions of: Authentication, Scanning products, and Sending data for blockchain transaction. The Authentication function is adapted to identify each object of the system 10. Scanning product function is adapted to allow Employee using the mobile application to gather unique ID associated with the object. The unique ID will be processed on the mobile device and wait to be uploaded to the blockchain. The Send blockchain transaction function can be performed when the mobile devices have access to the Internet and send information such as the product location, product details and employee information or the authenticated code thereof to the blockchain through the Internet. From there the tracking information will be stored in the blockchain and can be displayed when needed.”).
This part of Liu et al. is applicable to the system of Caton et al. as they both share characteristics and capabilities, namely, they are directed to product authentication and security. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Caton et al. to include the blockchain security measures as taught by Liu et al. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify Caton et al. in order to provide unalterable and traceable product authentication (see paragraph [0008] of Liu et al.).
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20200357002 to Caton et al. as applied to claims 1-8, 12, 14-18 and 20 above, in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20200372441 to Ruffkess et al.
With regards to claim 19, Caton et al. fails to explicitly teach a RSA encoding, but Ruffkess et al. the set of coded information includes encrypted information using Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) cryptography (paragraph [0047], “In particular embodiments, the data received at step 302 may have been encrypted by hashing or by any other suitable method of encryption (e.g., Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA), Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Data Encryption Standard (DES), Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES), Twofish, Blowfish, etc.). In various embodiments, the system may receive the delivery verification information from the logistics provider/third party system via any suitable wireless communication protocol (e.g., TCP, TLS, HTTP, HTTPS, UDP, FTP, etc.).”) , and wherein
analyzing the set of coded information includes using a corresponding RSA key to decrypt or verify the encrypted information as part of determining whether the manufactured product is authentic (paragraph [0038], “For example, the above describes a courier delivering a package from a retailer warehouse to a particular package destination, but the systems, apparatuses and methods herein may be useful for any use in connection with securing items to prevent tampering by unauthorized parties.”; paragraph [0039], “In another alternate embodiment, the present disclosure may be used to monitor the status of an inventory of items 124 stored within the secured container 108. Continuing with this example, an employee 112 may scan his/her employee identification badge using locking mechanism 110. If authorized, the employee 112 may open and remove items 124 from the secured container 108. Once the secured container 108 has been closed/locked, the employee 112 may be prompted to scan the items 124 (or barcodes on the same) using the locking mechanism 110 so that the system may track which items 124 have been removed and by which employees 124.”; paragraph [0047]).
This part of Ruffkess et al. is applicable to the system of Caton et al. as they both share characteristics and capabilities, namely, they are directed to product authentication and security. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Caton et al. to include the blockchain and RSA encryption security measures as taught by Ruffkess et al. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify Caton et al. in order to provide unalterable and traceable product authentication (see paragraphs [0013]-[0014] and [0030]-[0032] of Ruffkess et al.).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/J.D.S./Examiner, Art Unit 3626
/JESSICA LEMIEUX/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3626
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