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 .
Claims 1-7 are presented for examination.
This Office action is Non-Final.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) filed on 08/26/2024 has been considered by the Examiner and made of record in the application file.
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 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
Step 1: Statutory Category
The claims recite an information providing method and server, therefore fall withing statutory categories.
Step 2A, Prong One: Abstract Idea
The claims recite the abstract idea of: collecting, analyzing, aggregating, and providing information about individuals while applying privacy constraint.
Claims 1 and 7 includes:
Storing address-related information
Selecting individuals based on attributes
Creating distribution information
Providing results
Preventing identification
These operations constitute mental processes and methods of organizing human activity (statistical analysis of demographic/location data).
Which the courts have found Abstract:
Electric Power Group v. Alstom S.A., , 830 F.3d 1350, 1354, 119 USPQ2d 1739, 1742 (Fed. Cir. 2016)
SAP America, Inc. v. InvestPic, LLC, 898 F.3d 1161, 1163, 127 USPQ2d 1597, 1599 (Fed. Cir. 2018)
Digitech Image Techs. v. Electronics for Imaging, 758 F.3d 1344, 1348, 111 USPQ2d 1717, 1719 (Fed. Cir. 2014)
Step 2A, Prong Two: No Practical Application
The claims merely use generic computer components:
Server
Storage
Processor
No improvement to computer functionality or another technology is recited.
The limitation “created in a manner that prevents identification” is result-oriented.
Therefore, the abstract idea is not integrated into a practical application.
Step 2B: No Inventive Concept
The claims implement the abstract idea using conventional computer operations:
Storing data
Filtering
Aggregating
Outputting
Using generic computing to perform these conventional functions does not supply an inventive concept.
Additionally, dependent claims 2-6 merely refine the abstract idea by specifying particular conditions, formats, or constraints on the information processing and do not recite any technological improvement or unconventional computer functionality. Accordingly, the dependent claims do not add significantly more than the abstract idea.
Accordingly, claims 1-7 are directed to an abstract idea implemented on generic computer components without significantly more.
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 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abhyanker (US 2014/0228060 A1) hereinafter “Abhyanker”, further in view of Sweeney (US 7,269,578 B2) hereinafter “Sweeney”.
With respect to claims 1 and 7, the Cai reference discloses an information providing method and server that provides information indicative of a distribution of addresses of individuals [see ¶0232, disclosing the privacy server 2800 may generate a user-generated boundary in a form of a polygon describing geospatial boundaries defining the particular neighborhood when a first user of a particular neighborhood that verifies a first residential address of the particular neighborhood using the privacy server 2800 prior to other users in that particular neighborhood verifying their addresses in that particular neighborhood places a set of points defining the particular neighborhood using a set of drawing tools in the map view of the online community (e.g., as shown in the social community view 3550 of FIG. 35 formed through the neighborhood network module as described in FIG. 38)], the method and server comprising:
prestoring, as a database for a plurality of individuals, information from which an address can be at least partially identified and a predetermined attribute in association with each other [see ¶0032, disclosing a social network overlaying the map in which claimed ones of the claimable-profiles are marked private and/or public and in which members of the social network are able to relocate pushpins that are not claimed in addition to relocating their own claimed profile pushpins and in which users can self identify content that is made publicly available in a public profile and/or self identify content which is privately visible only to friends, neighbors and/or families, and in which users can arrange pushpins associated with homes, businesses, and/or landmarks a threshold distance away surrounding their primary claimed profile pushpin];
extracting, from the database, individuals having the predetermined attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition [see ¶0525, disclosing users 2806 may be able to filter feeds to only display messages from the neighborhood that they reside in];
creating information indicative of a distribution of addresses of the extracted individuals [see Fig. 5 and ¶0131, disclosing the user interface view may enable the user to explore a neighborhood (e.g., the neighborhood 118A-N of FIG. 1) in a geo-spatial environment using the toolbar 506 consisting of the 2D option 508, the 3D option 510, the zoom control option 512, the map view generating option 514, the satellite view generating option 516, and the geographical direction indicator 518 to generate the map view 504 associated with the different geographical locations]; and
providing the created information indicative of the distribution to a user [see ¶0158, disclosing the map view 1300 may display map view of the geographical location of the specific group of the global neighborhood environment 1700 (e.g., the privacy server 2800 of FIG. 28). The groups view 1302 may contain the information (e.g., address, occupant, etc.) associated with the particular group of the specific geographical location (e.g., the geographical location displayed in the map 1300) of the global neighborhood environment 1700 (e.g., the privacy server 2800 of FIG. 28)], wherein in the creating the information indicative of the distribution, the information indicative of the distribution for each cluster of addresses is created in a manner that prevents identification of the addresses of the individuals. (emphasis added)
Abhyanker discloses the information providing method and server, as referenced above.
Abhyanker discloses privacy preferences throughout its disclosure, however, it does not guarantee anonymity, i.e., providing the created information indicative of the distribution to a user, wherein in the creating the information indicative of the distribution, the information indicative of the distribution for each cluster of addresses is created in a manner that prevents identification of the addresses of the individuals. (emphasis added)
However, Sweeney discloses providing the created information indicative of the distribution to a user, wherein in the creating the information indicative of the distribution, the information indicative of the distribution for each cluster of addresses is created in a manner that prevents identification of the addresses of the individuals [see Abstract, disclosing a deidentification module for modifying entries in a version of the input data source to yield an output data source such that the entries of the output data source match a specified anonymity requirement; According to one embodiment, the resulting output data source may match the specified anonymity requirement with respect to a recipient profile that is input to the system; The deidentification module may further modify the entries in the version of the input data source such that the entries in the output data source are minimally distorted given the specified anonymity requirement.]. (emphasis added)
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to modify the mapping environment as taught by Abhyanker with the deidentification techniques as taught by Sweeney. Doing so would have enhanced privacy protection and prevent identification of users.
With respect to claim 2, as modified the combination of Abhyanker and Sweeney discloses the information providing method of claim 1, as referenced above. The combination further discloses wherein in the creating the information indicative of the distribution, the information indicative of the distribution is created by excluding a cluster including a predetermined number or less of individuals among clusters of addresses [Abhyanker, see ¶0276, disclosing the social community module 2806 (e.g., that applies the Bezier curve algorithm 2940 of FIG. 29 using a series of modules working in concert as described in FIG. 30) may then be able to utilize the geospatial database 2822 to filter out surrounding noise and deliver only relevant data to recipients (e.g., other users of the neighborhood communication system 2850 such as neighbors 2820 of FIG. 28); also, Sweeney, see col. 7, lines 13-17, disclosing the social community module 2806 (e.g., that applies the Bezier curve algorithm 2940 of FIG. 29 using a series of modules working in concert as described in FIG. 30) may then be able to utilize the geospatial database 2822 to filter out surrounding noise and deliver only relevant data to recipients (e.g., other users of the neighborhood communication system 2850 such as neighbors 2820 of FIG. 28)].
With respect to claim 3, as modified the combination of Abhyanker and Sweeney discloses the information providing method of claim 1, as referenced above. The combination further discloses wherein the information indicative of the distribution is an image, and in the creating the information indicative of the distribution, the information indicative of the distribution is created such that a position of an image indicative of collective information for each cluster of addresses does not overlap a position of an address of an individual included in this cluster [Abhyanker, see ¶0158, disclosing the map view 1300 may display map view of the geographical location of the specific group of the global neighborhood environment 1700 (e.g., the privacy server 2800 of FIG. 28). The groups view 1302 may contain the information (e.g., address, occupant, etc.) associated with the particular group of the specific geographical location (e.g., the geographical location displayed in the map 1300) of the global neighborhood environment 1700 (e.g., the privacy server 2800 of FIG. 28; the information rendere appears to be such that they do not overlap].
With respect to claim 4, as modified the combination of Abhyanker and Sweeney discloses the information providing method of claim 1, as referenced above. The combination further discloses wherein in the creating the information indicative of the distribution, the information indicative of the distribution is created by regarding, when a plurality of individuals have a same address and a house of this address is a single-family dwelling, these individuals as one person, while regarding, when a plurality of individuals have a same address and a house of this address is multiple-family dwellings, these individuals as a number of individuals having the same address [Abhyanker, see ¶0232, disclosing the privacy server 2800 may generate a user-generated boundary in a form of a polygon describing geospatial boundaries defining the particular neighborhood when a first user of a particular neighborhood that verifies a first residential address of the particular neighborhood using the privacy server 2800 prior to other users in that particular neighborhood verifying their addresses in that particular neighborhood places a set of points defining the particular neighborhood using a set of drawing tools in the map view of the online community (e.g., as shown in the social community view 3550 of FIG. 35 formed through the neighborhood network module as described in FIG. 38)].
With respect to claim 5, as modified the combination of Abhyanker and Sweeney discloses the information providing method of claim 1, as referenced above. The combination further discloses wherein the information indicative of the distribution is an image indicative of the distribution [Abhyanker, see ¶0158, disclosing the map view 1300 may display map view of the geographical location of the specific group of the global neighborhood environment 1700 (e.g., the privacy server 2800 of FIG. 28). The groups view 1302 may contain the information (e.g., address, occupant, etc.) associated with the particular group of the specific geographical location (e.g., the geographical location displayed in the map 1300) of the global neighborhood environment 1700 (e.g., the privacy server 2800 of FIG. 28].
With respect to claim 6, as modified the combination of Abhyanker and Sweeney discloses the information providing method of claim 1, as referenced above. The combination further discloses wherein the information indicative of the distribution is a list indicative of the distribution [Abhyanker, see ¶0470, disclosing a Multi-Family Residence page will display a list of residents in the entire building].
Prior Art Made of Record
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Amitay et al. discloses dynamic map interface generation.
Klasson discloses a privacy-protecting pandemic-bio-surveillance multi pathogens systems.
Gupta et al. discloses an advanced smart pandemic and infections disease response engine.
Tripathi et al. discloses context-aware and personalized access to visualizations of road events.
Nakamura discloses an information providing system.
Nozaki discloses map information providing method.
Nakano discloses a map information providing system.
Conclusions/Points of Contacts
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JORGE A CASANOVA whose telephone number is (571)270-3563. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (EST).
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, Aleksandr Kerzhner can be reached at (571) 270-1760. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JORGE A CASANOVA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2165