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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-12, 14-19, 21, and 22 are pending in this office action.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on August 27, 2026, has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-12, 14-19, 21, and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Roper, Jr. et al. (U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2026/0017451, continuation of PCT/US24/27912, filed May 5, 2024, and provisional 63/516,624, filed July 31, 2023).
Regarding claims 1 and 15, Roper, Jr. et al. teaches a device, comprising: a memory (fig. 27, ref. num 2718); and at least one processor coupled with the memory and configured to cause the device to (fig. 27, ref. num 2714): receive access instructions that indicate a first portion of a file is accessible by a first user account and a second portion of the file is accessible by a second user account, the first portion and the second portion being discrete segments of the file (paragraph 0268 and 0293); generate, based at least in part on the access instructions, a portioned file including access control granting a first level of access of the portioned file to the first user account, and granting a second level of access of the portioned file to the second user account, the first level of access being different from the second level of access (paragraph 0348); and transmit, over a network, the portioned file to the second user account, the portioned file including the first portion, the second portion, and the access controls (paragraph 0319 and 0325).
Regarding claims 2, 10 and 16, Roper, Jr. et al. teaches wherein the access instructions are generated by an artificial intelligence algorithm based at least partially on a received agenda (paragraph 0332).
Regarding claims 3, 11 and 17, Roper, Jr. et al. as modified by Yu et al. teaches wherein the received agenda is an email received by the first user account (paragraph 0451).
Regarding claims 4, 12, and 18, Roper, Jr. et al. teaches wherein the received agenda specifies the first level of access and the second level of access (paragraph 0065).
Regarding claim 5, Roper, Jr. et al. teaches wherein the received agenda includes a template of the file specifying a type of the file (paragraph 0051).
Regarding claim 6, Roper, Jr. et al. teaches wherein the received agenda specifies a number of portions to be included in the portioned file (paragraph 0331).
Regarding claims 7 and 19, Roper, Jr. et al. teaches wherein the first level of access includes access to the first portion of the file and restricts access to the second portion of the file, while the second level of access includes access to the second portion of the file and restricts access to the first portion of the file (paragraph 0348).
Regarding claim 8, Roper, Jr. et al. teaches wherein the first level of access includes one or more of a view access, a comment access, and an edit access to the first portion and one or more of the view access, the comment access, and the edit access to the second portion, and the second level of access includes one or more of the view access, the comment access, and the edit access to the first portion and one or more of the view access, the comment access, and the edit access to the second portion (paragraph 0347).
Regarding claim 9, Roper, Jr. et al. teaches a device, comprising: a memory (fig. 27, ref. num 2718); and at least one processor coupled with the memory and configured to cause the device to (fig. 27, ref. num 2714): receive a portioned file from a first user account, the portioned file including at least a first portion of the portioned file, a second portion of the portioned file, and access controls generated from access instructions, the access controls indicating the second portion is accessible by a second user account associated with the device, the first portion and the second portion being discrete segments of the portioned file (paragraph 0292); display, via a graphical user interface of the device, the portioned file (fig. 15, ref. num 1520 and 1530); and receive user input, via the graphical user interface and based at least in part on the access controls, to access the second portion indicated to be accessible by the second user account (paragraph 0348).
Regarding claim 14, Roper, Jr. et al. teaches wherein to access the second portion includes at least one of view access, comment access, and edit access to the second portion (paragraph 0347).
Regarding claim 21, Roper, Jr. et al. teaches wherein the second level of access restricts access to the first portion of the file by hiding the first portion from the second user account (fig. 15, ref. num 1520).
Regarding claim 22, Roper, Jr. et al. teaches wherein the access instructions indicate a third portion of the file is accessible by a third user account, the access control further grant a third level of access of the portioned file to the third user account, and the portioned file includes the third portion (paragraph 0274).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRANDON HOFFMAN whose telephone number is (571)272-3863. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30AM-5:00PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeffrey Pwu can be reached at (571)272-6798. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BRANDON HOFFMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2433
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