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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 17 is objected to because of the following informalities: the phrase “receiving, in a case where it is determined that the product ID of the purchase-considering product matches a physical store product ID that identifies a product handled in at least one physical store” appears to be incomplete, possibly because of a literal translation into English from a foreign document.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter (a judicial exception without significantly more). Claims are eligible for patent protection under § 101 if they are in one of the four statutory categories and not directed to a judicial exception to patentability. Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank Int'l, 573 U.S. 208 (2014). Claims 1-18, each considered as a whole and as an ordered combination, are directed to a judicial exception (i.e., a law of nature, a natural phenomenon, or an abstract idea) without significantly more.
Claims 1 and 18 recite a system. Claim 17 recites a non-transitory computer-readable media.
Step 2A, prong 1: Claim 17 recites the abstract idea of managing add-ons for delivery service orders. This idea is described by the following steps:
acquiring purchase-considering product data including a product ID of a purchase-considering product of a user;
communicating the purchase-considering product data acquired;
receiving, in a case where it is determined that the product ID of the purchase-considering product matches a physical store product ID that identifies a product handled in at least one physical store,
specifying the at least one of the physical stores that handles the product among a plurality of the physical stores, and stock information of the product indicates that the product is in stock,
receiving image data of the product associated with the physical store product ID and location information of the at least one of the physical stores; and
displaying an image of the product based on the image data at a location specified by the location information of the at least one of the physical stores on the map.
Claims 1 and 18 recite equivalent limitations.
This idea falls into the certain methods of organizing human activity grouping of abstract ideas as it is directed towards commercial interactions including advertising, marketing or sales activities or behaviors (i.e., matching online and offline products).
Step 2A, prong 2: Claims 1, 17 and 18 recite additional elements that fail to integrate the abstract idea into practical application.
Claims 1, 17 and 18 a server, a user terminal, and a non-transitory, computer-readable media storing instructions. However, these elements are generic computing components (see at least paragraphs 034-035) that are simply used to perform operations that would otherwise be abstract (see MPEP2106.05(f)).
The additional elements do not amount to significantly more for the same reasons they do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application (i.e., that they merely provide a general link to a particular technological environment and instructions to "apply it").
Step 2B: Claims 1, 17 and 18 fail to recite additional elements that amount to an inventive concept.
For the reasons identified with respect to Step 2A, prong 2, claims 1, 17 and 18 fail to recite additional elements that amount to an inventive concept. For example, use of a computer or other machinery in its ordinary capacity for economic or other tasks (e.g., to receive, store, or transmit data) or simply adding a general-purpose computer or computer components after the fact to an abstract idea (e.g., a fundamental economic practice or mathematical equation) does not integrate a judicial exception into a practical application or provide significantly more (see MPEP 2106.05(g)).
Dependent Claims Step 2A:
The limitations of the dependent claims merely set forth further refinements of the abstract idea identified at step 2A—Prong One, without changing the analysis already presented. Additionally, for the same reasons as above, the limitations fail to integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because they use the same general technological environment and instructions to implement the abstract idea as the independent claims identified at step 2A—Prong Two.
Dependent Claims Step 2B:
The dependent claims merely use the same general technological environment and instructions to implement the abstract idea. These do not amount to significantly more for the same reasons they fail to integrate the abstract idea into a practical application. Moreover, the Specification also indicates this is the routine use of known components for the same reasons presented with respect to the elements in the independent claims above.
Thus, when considering the combination of elements and the claimed invention as a whole, the claims are not patent eligible.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 1-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over unpatentable over Neumann (US 20150379618) in view of Black et al. (US 20210166283).
Claim 1. Neumann teaches a system for converting online browsing to offline purchases, the system comprising:
a user terminal; a server connected to the user terminal via a network; and a database connected to the server [0150],
wherein the database stores purchase-considering product data including a product ID of a purchase-considering product of a user, which is acquired by the user terminal, and physical store data including physical store product IDs that identify products handled in each of a plurality of physical stores, image data of the products, stock information, and location information of the physical stores, the physical store data being associated with the physical store product IDs, the image data of the products, and the location information [0005], [0006], [0052], [0104], [0093], [0029].
the server includes a determination unit implemented by a processor configured to determine whether the product ID of the purchase-considering product matches at least one of the physical store product IDs [0111],
a physical store specification unit implemented by a processor configured to specify at least one of the physical stores that handles the product in a case where the determination unit has determined that the product ID of the purchase-considering product matches the at least one of the physical store product IDs [0079], [0105] and
a transmission unit implemented by a processor configured to transmit image data of the product and location information of the at least one of the physical stores to the user terminal in a case where the determination unit has determined that the product ID of the purchase-considering product matches the at least one of the physical store product IDs, the physical store specification unit has specified the at least one of the physical stores, and product availability [0029], [0143],
the user terminal includes a display unit implemented by a processor configured to display a map, and the display unit is configured to display an image of the product based on the image data at a location specified by the location information of the at least one of the physical stores on the map [0029], [0054].
Neumann does not explicitly teach storing the stock information in the database.
Black et al. (Black) teaches a system for recommending products that a user
may have expressed interest in that are sold in a physical store, such as through electronic shopping behavior (e.g., placing items to digital shopping list, adding items to virtual cart in online retail store), wherein item inventory data may be accessed and evaluated to determine whether items that may be of interest to the user are currently available at the physical store where the user is located, and to determine the locations of the items within the physical store [0027], [0005].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Neumann to include storing the stock information in the database, as disclosed in Black, because it would advantageously remove out of stock items from further consideration for possible presentation to the users, as taught by Black [0045]; as well as empower inventory planning, as taught by Neumann [0057].
Claim 2. Neumann teaches said system wherein: the map is a map of a predetermined range within a walking distance from a reference location that is a current location of the user terminal, and in a case where a location of the at least one of the physical stores specified by the location information is within the predetermined range, and a physical store product of the at least one of the physical stores matches the purchase-considering product, the display unit is configured to display the image of the product at the location of the at least one of the physical stores within the predetermined range on the map [0136], [0141].
Claim 3. Neumann teaches said system, wherein: the map is a map of a predetermined range within a walking distance from a reference location in a registration area that has been registered in advance by the user, and in a case where a location of the at least one of the physical stores specified by the location information is within the predetermined range, and the physical store product of the at least one of the physical stores matches the purchase-considering product, the display unit is configured to display the image of the product at the location of the at least one of the physical stores within the predetermined range on the map [0136], [0141].
Claim 4. Neumann teaches said system, wherein: the map is a map of a predetermined range within a walking distance from a reference location specified by the user, and in a case where a location of the at least one of the physical stores specified by the location information is within the predetermined range, and the physical store product of the at least one of the physical stores matches the purchase-considering product, the display unit is configured to display the image of the product at the location of the at least one of the physical stores within the predetermined range on the map [0136], [0141].
Claim 5. Neumann teaches said system, wherein: the number of the images of the products displayed on the map is equal to or less than a predetermined number [0093].
Claim 6. Neumann teaches said system, wherein: by a selection of the image of the product by the user, which is displayed on the map, the display unit is configured to display a detailed information confirmation screen including detailed information of the product related to the image selected by the user [0052].
Claim 7. Neumann teaches said system, wherein: the detailed information includes a name of the product, a price or charge, and a name of the at least one of the physical stores that handles the product, business hours, and/or a telephone number [0052].
Claim 8. Neumann teaches said system, wherein: the detailed information confirmation screen includes a link button to move to websites including e-commerce sites, media sites, or social networking services, or to applications of e-commerce, a media, or a social networking service, with respect to the product related to the image selected [0105], [0111].
Claim 9. Neumann teaches said system, wherein: the user terminal includes an acquisition unit implemented by a processor configured to acquire the purchase-considering product data, and the acquisition unit is configured to acquire the purchase-considering product data from websites including e-commerce sites, media sites, or social networking services, or from applications of an e-commerce, a media, or a social networking service, that the user has searched for or browsed [0116] (“hunting history”).
Claim 10. Neumann teaches said system, wherein: the acquisition unit is configured to acquire the purchase-considering product data from cart information or bookmarked information of the e-commerce sites or online action data of the user [0047].
Claim 11. Black teaches said system wherein the purchase-considering product data includes image data indicating a product image of the purchase-considering product, the display unit is configured to display a catalog screen including a plurality of the product images of a plurality of the purchase-considering products, each of which has been determined to be matched in the determination unit, and display on the map a location of the at least one of the physical stores that handles the product selected by a selection of the product image by the user [0031]. The motivation to combine Neumann and Black would be to provide better product presentation, detailed product information, thereby enhancing customer experience.
Claim 12. Black teaches said system wherein: the server further includes a similar product specification unit implemented by a processor configured to specify a similar product that is similar to the purchase-considering product in a case where the determination unit has determined that the product ID of the purchase-considering product does not match the physical store product ID, and a similar product physical store specification unit implemented by a processor configured to specify the at least one of the physical stores that handles the similar product, and the catalog screen includes an image of the similar product in a different manner from the image of the product [0041], [0031]. The motivation to combine Neumann and Black would be
to recommend items that are subject to promotional offers (e.g., items that are on sale, items that are associated with a physical or digital coupon, items that are associated with a promotional code, etc.), as taught by Black [0041].
Claim 13. Black teaches said system wherein: the server further includes a similar product specification unit implemented by a processor configured to specify a similar product that is similar to the purchase-considering product in a case where the determination unit has determined that the product ID of the purchase-considering product does not match the physical store product ID, and a similar product physical store specification unit implemented by a processor configured to specify the at least one of the physical stores that handles the similar product, and the display unit is configured to display an image of the similar product at a location specified by location information of the at least one of the physical stores that handles the similar product on the map [0041]. The motivation to combine Neumann and Black would be
to recommend items that are subject to promotional offers (e.g., items that are on sale, items that are associated with a physical or digital coupon, items that are associated with a promotional code, etc.), as taught by Black [0041].
Claim 14. Neumann teaches said system, wherein: the database stores a first interest filter item selected by the user and related to an interest object of the user, and location information of the user in association with each other, the database stores a second interest filter item associated with the product handled in the at least one of the physical stores, and location information of the at least one of the physical stores in association with each other, the server further includes a recommended product specification unit implemented by a processor configured to specify a first recommended product that is the product associated with the second interest filter item in a case where the first interest filter item matches the second interest filter item, and a location determination unit implemented by a processor configured to determine whether a location of the at least one of the physical stores specified by the location information of the at least one of the physical stores is within a range specified by the location information of the user, the transmission unit configured to transmit to the user terminal image data of the first recommended product and the location information of the at least one of the physical stores in a case where the first recommended product is specified by the recommended product specification unit, the location determination unit has determined that a location of the at least one of the physical stores is within a range specified by the location information of the user, and stock information of the first recommended product indicates that the first recommended product is in stock, and the display unit of the user terminal is configured to display an image of the first recommended product based on the image data at a location specified by the location information of the at least one of the physical stores on the map [0093], [0133].
Claim 15. Neumann teaches all the limitations of claim 15 including: the product ID of the purchase-considering product and location information of the user in association with each other, the database stores a product ID of the second recommended product that is the product of the at least one of the physical stores and has a similar appearance to the purchase-considering product or has the same or similar functions as the purchase-considering product, an image data of the second recommended product, and location information of the at least one of the physical stores in association with each other, the database stores a product corresponding table that associates the product ID of the purchase-considering product with the product ID of the second recommended product, the server further includes a location determination unit implemented by a processor configured to determine whether a location of the at least one of the physical stores specified by the location information of the at least one of the physical stores is within a range specified by the location information of the user, and a user specification unit implemented by a processor configured to specify the user that has been associated with the product ID of the purchase-considering product based on the product ID of the second recommended product handled in the at least one of the physical stores and the product corresponding table, the transmission unit is configured to transmit an image data of the second recommended product and location information of the at least one of the physical stores to the user terminal of the user specified by the user specification unit, and the display unit of the user terminal is configured to display an image of the second recommended product based on the image data at a location specified by the location information of the at least one of the physical stores on the map [0105].
Neumann does not teach that the database stores an ID of the user.
Black teaches said system including storing an indication of user interest may include storing timestamp data in the data structure, along with the user identifier, item identifier, and type of interaction [0037]. The motivation to combine Neumann and Black would be to associate user identifiers item identifiers to determining a list of items for which item information is to be provided, as taught by Black [0040].
Claim 16. Neumann teaches said system wherein the location information of the user is information on an area displayed by the display unit or information on a registration area that has been registered in advance by the user [0091].
Claims 17 and 18. Same reasoning applied to claim 1.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 20210192607 to Atiq discloses systems and methods for real-time online to offline (O2O) shopping.
US 11151629 to Gopalakrishnan discloses detecting items of interest within local shops. Systems configured to receive, at a user device corresponding to a user of a web service, information identifying an item, based on the user device being located within a specified range of distance from the item; access a list of items including at least one item of interest to the user, with each item of interest within the list of items having been previously identified by the user at the web service; compare the information against the list of items; identify the item as being an item of interest to the user based at least in part on the information at least partially identifying the at least one item of interest within the list of items; and signal the user device to present a notification alerting the user that the item at least partially matches a previously identified item of interest.
US 11334914 to Greenberger et al. discloses methods, computer program products, and systems configured to: receive, by one or more processor, floor area data, zone data, trigger interaction data, and notification data associated with the products offered for sale in the different zones. The method can include receiving, by the one or more processor, triggering event data regarding a product or products in response to user interaction with a mobile device in the venue and location data of the mobile device in the venue at the time of the triggering event data, automatically determining whether the received triggering event data and the received location data match an associated zone data and trigger interaction data, and automatically sending an associated notification to the mobile device regarding purchase of a product or products in the venue.
US 10977701 to Crutchfield discloses techniques for providing retail customers a seamless, individualized discovery and shopping experience. For example, the shopper's out-of-store (online) and in-store product discovery sessions may be seamlessly linked and analyzed to provide the shopper with customized recommendations and assistance. Other variations and enhancements are disclosed.
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/MILA AIRAPETIAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3688