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 .
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA /25, or PTO/AIA /26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/process/file/efs/guidance/eTD-info-I.jsp.
Claims 1, 9 and 15 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claim 3 of issued Patent 11,442,789. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other. Claim 3 of the reference patent covers all the limitations of claims 1, 9 and 15 of the instant application and, as such, anticipates claims 1, 9 and 15 of the instant application.
The dependent claims of the issued patent contain every element of the dependent claims of the instant application, and as such, anticipate all of the dependent claims of the instant application.
Instant Application No. 18/794,437
Reference Patent No. 11,442,789
Claim 1: A method of secure software activation, comprising: receiving, on a server system, from a first client in a plurality of clients, a request to perform a task using the server system;
receiving, on a cloud system hosting a collaboration software module, from the first client, a set of raw data associated with the first client;
sending, from the server system to the cloud system, a set of secure user-defined functions (UDFs) applicable to the task, and further sending, from the server system to the cloud system, a first identifier of the first client, wherein each of the set of secure UDFs is encrypted using an encryption key;
executing, with a processor of the cloud system configured to provide the collaboration software module, processes of:
storing, on the cloud system, a known cloud identifier of the first client prior to provision of the first identifier of the first client to the cloud system by the server system, and determining, upon receipt of the first identifier of the first client on the cloud system, that the first identifier matches the known cloud identifier of the first client;
upon a determination that the first identifier matches the cloud’s known identifier of the first client, applying the set of UDFs to the raw data;
placing a result of said applying in a memory space of the cloud and making the result accessible to the first client;
receiving and granting an access request from the first client to access the result based on the first identifier;
receiving, on the cloud system, from the first client, a second identifier of a second client;
providing, from the server system, to the first client, the encryption key;
with the collaboration software module, receiving and granting a second client access request from the second client to access the result based on the second identifier, wherein said second client access request includes a copy of the encryption key obtained from the first client by the second client.
Claim 3: A method of secure software activation, comprising: receiving, on a server system, from a first client in a plurality of clients, a request to perform a task using the server system;
receiving, on a cloud system hosting a collaboration software module, from the first client, a set of raw data associated with the first client;
accessing, on the server system, a library of user-defined functions (UDFs); after accessing the library, identifying, by action of the server system, a set of UDFs in the library applicable to said task, based on an intended result of the task; embedding an encryption key into the set of UDFs to produce a set of secure UDFs; sending, from the server system to the cloud system, the secure UDFs and a first identifier of the first client;
executing, with a processor of the cloud system configured to provide theft collaboration software module, processes of:
storing, on the cloud system, a known cloud identifier of the first client prior to provision of the first identifier of the first client to the cloud system by the server system, and determining upon receipt of the first identifier of the first client on the cloud system, that the first identifier matches the known cloud identifier of the first client;
upon a determination that the first identifier matches the cloud’s known identifier of the first client, applying the set of UDFs to the raw data;
placing a result of said applying in a memory space of the cloud and making the result accessible to the first client; and
receiving and granting an access request from the first client to access the result based on the first identifier;
receiving, on the cloud system, from the first client, a second identifier of a second client;
providing, from the server system, to the first client, the encryption key;
with the collaboration software module, receiving and granting a second client access request from the second client to access the result based on the second identifier, wherein said second client access request includes a copy of the encryption key obtained from the first client by the second client.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RODMAN ALEXANDER MAHMOUDI whose telephone number is (571)272-8747. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 11:00am – 7:00pm.
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/RODMAN ALEXANDER MAHMOUDI/Examiner, Art Unit 2499