DETAILED 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 8/3/26 has been entered.
Status of Claims
This action is in reply to RCE, amendment and response filed on 8/3/26. Claim 15 was amended. Claims 15-20 are pending and examined.
Response to Arguments
101: The Applicant’s amendments and arguments have been fully considered, but are not persuasive.
The Applicant essentially argues that use of blockchain based marketplace integrates the abstract idea into a practical application.
The Examiner disagrees.
The claims disclose mere use of distributed computing in its ordinary capacity to store financial information and as such do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2). Furthermore, the claim fails to recite the technological details of how the marketplace is implemented and how the digital voucher is removed and destroyed from the blockchain and as such amounts to merely apply it, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(1).
Specifically,
“a user” authenticated by an encryption component does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as it is no more than “apply it” because the claim fails to recite the technological details of how the “encryption component” authenticates “the user”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(1).
Deploying information (digital voucher) by hashing the information storing next to existing hashed blocks in the blockchain do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as they are no more than “apply it” because they are mere “[u]se of a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2). Deploying by hashing and storing the information on a block in the blockchain is use of a distributed computer in its ordinary capacity for economic tasks because it involves distributed storage of for sale asset.
Implementing a blockchain based marketplace does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as it is no more than “apply it” because the claim fails to recite the technological details of how the blockchain based marketplace is implemented, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(1). Furthermore, recording the sale transaction and validating it on the blockchain using public/private key based security do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as they are no more than “apply it” because they are mere “[u]se of a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2) and merely uses distributed computing and associated security features to store sale transaction information in its ordinary capacity for economic tasks.
Destroying and removing the digital voucher from the blockchain does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as it is no more than “apply it” because the claim fails to recite the technological details of how the voucher is destroyed and removed from blockchain, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(1).
As such, the rejection is maintained and an updated rejection addressing the amended claims is provided below.
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 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. (Step 1) The claims recite a process (claims 15-20). For the purposes of this analysis, representative claim 15 is addressed. (Step 2A, prong 1) Abstract ideas are in bold below, and represent organizing human activity as a method of verifying a user and facilitating a sale of a financial asset associated with the user, as are all a form of commercial or legal interactions.
obtaining from an interface a request to generate a digital voucher, where the request is obtained from a user that is authenticated and authorized by an encryption component;
in response to authenticating and authorizing the user, deploying the digital voucher on a distributed ledger, wherein deploying the digital voucher comprises hashing details of a digital voucher transaction to generate a unique transaction identifier and storing the unique transaction identifier on the distributed ledger in a block containing a cryptographic hash of one or more preceding blocks;
implementing a marketplace for transactions associated with the digital voucher, where the marketplace is blockchain-based and is configured to facilitate a sale of the digital voucher from a seller to a buyer, wherein a transaction of the sale is recorded on the distributed ledger and is validated by network nodes verifying a digital signature created with a private key using a corresponding public key; and
in response to a redemption of the digital voucher, destroying the digital voucher and removing the digital voucher from the distributed ledger.
(Step 2A prong 2) The additional elements are as follows:
“[obtaining] from an interface [a request to generate a] digital [voucher]”. Obtaining information (request) from an interface and digital do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as they are no more than “apply it” because they are mere “[u]se of a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2). Furthermore, “a user” authenticated by an encryption component does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as it is no more than “apply it” because the claim fails to recite the technological details of how the “encryption component” authenticates “the user”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(1).
“[in response …] deploying the digital [voucher] on a distributed ledger, wherein deploying the digital [voucher] comprises hashing details of a digital [voucher transaction …] and storing [the unique transaction identifier] on the distributed ledger in a block containing a cryptographic hash of one or more preceding blocks”. Deploying information (digital voucher) by hashing the information storing next to existing hashed blocks in the blockchain do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as they are no more than “apply it” because they are mere “[u]se of a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2). Deploying by hashing and storing the information on a block in the blockchain is use of a distributed computer in its ordinary capacity for economic tasks because it involves distributed storage of for sale asset.
“implementing a marketplace [for transactions associated with the] digital [voucher], where the marketplace is blockchain-based and is configured to [facilitate …], wherein [a transaction …] is recorded on the distributed ledger and is validated by network nodes verifying a digital signature created with a private key using a corresponding public key”. Implementing a blockchain based marketplace does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as it is no more than “apply it” because the claim fails to recite the technological details of how the blockchain based marketplace is implemented, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(1). Furthermore, recording the sale transaction and validating it on the blockchain using public/private key based security do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as they are no more than “apply it” because they are mere “[u]se of a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2) and merely uses distributed computing and associated security features to store sale transaction information in its ordinary capacity for economic tasks.
“destroying the digital [voucher] and removing the digital [voucher] from the distributed ledger”. Destroying and removing the digital voucher from the blockchain does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application as it is no more than “apply it” because the claim fails to recite the technological details of how the voucher is destroyed and removed from blockchain, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(1).
(Step 2B) The claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. As discussed above with respect to integration into a practical application, the additional elements do no more than provide mere instructions to apply the abstract idea using “a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(2), and/or the claim fails to recite the technological details of “how a solution to a problem is accomplished”, see MPEP 2106.05(f)(1). Therefore, the claim elements when considered separately and in an ordered combination, do not add significantly more than implementing the abstract idea of verifying a user and facilitating a sale of a financial asset associated with the user.
Continuing the analysis with dependent claims 16-20, the claims recite additional details which only further narrow the abstract idea and do not add any additional features, alone or in combination, that would provide a practical application or provide significantly more.
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.
Claims 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 20210073913 A1 (Ingargiola).
As to claim 15,
Ingargiola teaches,
A method (see abstract), comprising:
obtaining from an interface a request to generate a digital voucher (para. 70 "receiving, from the client and at the custodian module, a request for a reservation of assets"), where the request is obtained from a user that is authenticated and authorized by an encryption component (para. 70; "verifying, by the custodian module, an authenticity of the client")
in response to authenticating and authorizing the user (para. 70), deploying the digital voucher on a distributed ledger (para. 72 "issuing a token to the client and generating a new block on the blockchain-based ledger"), wherein deploying the digital voucher comprises hashing details of a digital voucher transaction to generate a unique transaction identifier and storing the unique transaction identifier on the distributed ledger in a block containing a cryptographic hash of one or more preceding blocks (para. 72 "When the verification indicates that the asset is available for the reservation, the method includes approving the request by issuing a token to the client and generating a new block on the blockchain-based ledger that identifies the client and the collateral associated with the token" and para. 126 "In general, the chain is a transaction log, structured as hash-linked blocks, where each block contains a sequence of N transactions" );
implementing a marketplace for transactions associated with the digital voucher, where the marketplace is blockchain-based and is configured to facilitate a sale of the digital voucher from a seller to a buyer (para. ¶160 "In the trade and settlement components 606 of the network, trading entity 1 and trading entity 2 use a trading network provided user interface to agree on a price and enter into a trade of fiat currency for cryptocurrency."), wherein a transaction of the sale is recorded on the distributed ledger and is validated by network nodes verifying a digital signature created with a private key using a corresponding public key (para. ¶160 "Changes to token ownership are recorded on the respective custodian ledgers automatically.", para. 80 "The operation of obtaining the signing of the transactions with a private key as performed by the atomic swap module can occur via (1) the trader module performing a delegated signing with a supplied private key from the trader; or (2) sending the transactions to the trader module for signing by the private key." and para. 84 "The operation of ensuring that the atomic swap changes ownership of the assets as performed by the atomic swap module further can include calling a governance blockchain node which validates transactions and changes status of mempool transactions and invoking a two-phase commit protocol with custodial distributed blockchain ledgers related to affected unspent output"); and
in response to a redemption of the digital voucher, destroying the digital voucher and removing the digital voucher from the distributed ledger (destroying reads on "burn account" para. 74 "At the time of redemption, a respective token can be transferred to a burn account or burn wallet to update the respective ledger appropriately.").
As to claim 16,
Ingargiola teaches,
wherein the digital voucher includes one or more characteristics comprising a purchase price, a redemption value, an expiration date, a future purchase discount, and a future purchase amount (para. 160 "trading entity 1 and trading entity 2 use a trading network provided user interface to agree on a price and enter into a trade of fiat currency for cryptocurrency").
As to claim 17,
Ingargiola teaches,
wherein the authentication of the user confirms an identity of the user and the authorization of the user confirms the user has permissions to submit the request (para. 70 "verifying, by the custodian module, an authenticity of the client and the request by mapping personal details received with the request against the custodial ledger. The custodial ledger can identify the asset as available for reservation to yield a verification").
As to claim 18,
Ingargiola teaches,
transacting the sale of the digital voucher from the buyer to a third party in the marketplace (para. 86 "receiving quotes and orders from third parties, and executing order matches").
As to claim 19,
Ingargiola teaches,
automatically deploying a smart contract on the distributed ledger in response to a predefined condition being satisfied, where the smart contract is configured to execute operations associated with the digital voucher (para. 81 "The system may also perform steps of loading the residual quantities into a blockchain-based smart contract or otherwise creating movement instructions over non-blockchain ledger rails, and creating an atomic transaction that burns and reallocates the netted quantities and invokes the blockchain-based smart contract or other traditional rail payments.").
As to claim 20,
Ingargiola teaches,
wherein the digital voucher is stored in a digital wallet and the digital wallet is used for transactions in the marketplace (para. 74 "The exchange network… a redemption process in which the first client (who now owns the second asset type) or the second client (who now owns the first asset type) can receive actual dollars or bitcoin (or other instrument of value), which can be moved from an account or wallet held by the custodian to the new owner after the trade").
Conclusion
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/BROCK E TURK/Examiner, Art Unit 3692
/RYAN D DONLON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3692
October 13, 2026
