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 Status
Claims 21-40 are pending.
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.
Claim(s) 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Posse (US 2017/0364521) in view of Sharma (US 2014/0149843).
Examiner Note: Hereafter, above references are combination A.
determining a cohort of a seeker in a matching community in which the cohort includes
users that identify with a shared characteristic of the seeker;
determining a target in the matching community for the seeker, the matching community
including a profile of the target, the profile of the target including a plurality of elements;
Posse [0015] In other applications, the source member profile may be selected, not by a user, but by an application or process. For example, with some embodiments, an application or process may select a source member profile because the source member profile has certain characteristics. For instance, a group recommendation service or feature may recommend to members of the social networking service that they join particular groups hosted by the social networking service that are likely to be of interest to the social networking service members, based on the fact that the members have member profiles that are similar to a model member profile generated based on an analysis of the member profiles of all members in the group. Accordingly, a source member profile may be generated based on the aggregate member profile information of all members common to the group. The recommendation service may then select this source member profile as an input to the member profile matching algorithm, and identify target member profiles that are similar to the model source member profile for the group. For each target member profile that is determined to be similar to the selected source member profile for a particular group, the recommendation service may recommend to a member having a member profile similar to that model profile for that group, that the member join the group if not already a member of the group.
determining an element of the plurality of elements, at least in part based on the cohort of
the seeker, wherein the element is selected for inclusion on the first page based on the shared
characteristic; and
causing a display of the profile of the target over a plurality of pages, a first page of the
plurality of pages including the element.
Posse discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose above limitation. However, Sharma discloses:
Sharma [0026] At 400, the profile generation module 300 generates a first profile, such as can be displayed on the first page 200A, of a user of a social network based, at least in part, on a first plurality of characteristics related to the user. In various examples, characteristics of the first and second plurality of characteristics comprise an employer, an age, a familial relationship, a mutual friend of acquaintance, a comparative location, a related educational background, and a related club or organization membership.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Posse to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Sharma for the purpose of generally relating to social network user profiles, information included in the profiles, and how the profiles are presented, see [0001]
Claim(s) 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over combination A in view of Benchetrit.
Combination A discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose
determining a matching characteristic of the seeker and the target, wherein the element is determined at least in part based on the matching characteristic. However, Benchetrit discloses:
Benchetrit [0053] In operation, a user of a client device 202 can create a profile to participate in the social network application 222. The form and content of the profile will depend on the one or more roles assigned to the user. For example, referring to FIG. 3A, a user with the role “match seeker” can create a personal dating profile by interacting with a user interface to provide profile information, such as their name 302, age 304, biographical text 306, photographs 308, and a range of other fields 310 (e.g., city, links to social media profiles on other networks, astrological sign, etc.) that allow the user to characterize themselves. Each user can also specify their interests 312 for use in identifying potential matches.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify combination A to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Benchetrit for the purpose of facilitating social networks interactions between users in various contexts, such as dating, professional recruiting and networking, and interest-based discussion, see [0003].
Claim(s) 23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over combination A in view of Sachdev (US 2020/0104780).
Combination A discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose
wherein the matching characteristic is a relationship goal. However, Sachdev discloses:
Sachdev [0031] Query 202 may also, or instead, pertain to other types of rankings of candidates. For example, query 202 may be used to generate a ranking of candidates as connection recommendations for a member of the online network. The ranking may be based on scores that are calculated using features or attributes such as connections in common between the member and the candidates and/or overlap in employment or education between the member and the candidates. In another example, query 202 may be used to retrieve a ranking of candidates as potential matches for a relationship or interaction such as dating, travel, an activity, a mentorship, and/or a personal or professional collaboration.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify combination A to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Sachdev for providing techniques for performing efficient percentile estimations for applicant rankings, see [0001]
Claim(s) 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over combination A in view of Fogg (US 2005/0171940)
Combination A discloses the elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose causing the display to transition from the first page of the profile of the target to a second page of the profile of the target. However, Fogg discloses:
[0006] Conventional search tools might also allow the user to select specific search criteria to narrow the search result. For example, a user may visit a commercial web site that allows a user to search for gift items by category (e.g., apparel, toys, games, automobiles, computers, electronics, books, DVD, software, etc.), whereby the user is able to view an image of every item for sale that matches the selected category. However, the search results may continue to be too broad and require the user to partake in a time-consuming process of selecting each item in the search result, and perhaps scrolling down the search results page or clicking through multiple search result pages, to determine its true relevance to the user or edit the text of the search criteria to perform an additional search that might better meet the user's unique preferences.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify combination A to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Fogg for the purpose of dynamic visualization of search results on a user interface, see abstract.
Claim(s) 25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over combination A in view of Helled (US 2018/0063278).
Combination A discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose wherein the cohort of the seeker identifies as female, and the element includes a biography of the target. However, Helled discloses:
Helled [0099] As indicated above, a progress bar may indicate a progress in the discussion. When the bar progresses, information about the users is gradually revealed as indicated above. Such information may include answers to profile questions, biography text, age, and other profile information provided by the user. Additionally or alternatively, the more the bar progresses the clearer the profile image(s) will become clearer, making the profile image less and less pixelated as users interact. In use, the more users chat and interact, the more the bar progresses while the profile(s) of the user(s) is revealed gradually. Optionally, when the bar reaches to a predefined stage, users have the ability to request to reveal each other. Optionally, while a male user has the ability to send a reveal request, a female user has the ability to reveal immediately the profile without any waiting period. This gives female users a control to decide when to actually reveal profiles based on impression and trust increased throughout the conversation.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify combination A to obtain above limitation based on the teachings Helled for the purpose of providing progression of a bar to gradually reveal information about the users. Such information may include answers to profile questions, biography text, age, and other profile information provided by the user.
Claim(s) 26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over combination A in view of Cowan (US 11,698,947)
Combination A discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose wherein the cohort of the seeker identifies as male, and the element includes a geographical distance of the target. However, Cowen discloses:
Cowen column 7 lines 8-14 For example, young men are more often found expressing triumph than women or older individuals, due to the disproportionate representation of young men playing sports. By contrast, academic datasets attempt to represent people of different demographics expressing the same emotions, but as noted above these datasets are generally very small and focus on a narrow range of emotional expressions.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify combination A to obtain above limitation because distance to the sporting event is inherent in playing a sport.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify combination A to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Cowen for the purpose of training a machine-learning model for predicting emotions from received media data, see abstract.
Claim(s) 27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over combination A in view of Pelletier (US 2018/0337928)
Combination A discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose wherein the element includes a predetermined number of lines of a biography of the target, and the predetermined number of lines is determined at least in part based on the cohort of the seeker. However, Pelletier discloses:
Pelletier [0054] The embodiments illustrated by FIGS. 5A and 5B and step 105a provide an enhanced amount of security for a female user, because while the female user of device 500 can see the location of male users, the male users cannot see the location 505 of the female user (i.e., of the female user's device 500). In this embodiment, the device 500 may be operable to receive input by the female user that indicates the female user has selected one or more male users by, for example, by clicking on an indicator 501a-n or content 503a-n associated with a male user. In response, the device 500 may display additional information associated with each selected male user, such as a profile of each male user that has been previously created by the selected male users. In this manner, the female user of device 500 may view the profiles of the selected male users in order to determine if the female user is interested in communicating with the selected male users. FIGS. 6A to 6C depict a number of exemplary male profiles 600a-n (where “n” is the last profile) that may be presented to the female user on device 500, where the profiles 600a-n are associated with selected male users (i.e., the pins 501a-n associated with such male users). The exemplary male profiles 600a-n may include a plurality of information about the respective, selected male user (e.g., age, images, videos of the male user and other people, short biography) which can be reviewed by the female user of device 500 in order to determine if the female user wishes to communicate with one of the selected male users.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify combination A to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Pelletier for the purpose of incorporating enhanced personal security measures that are completed before the identity of one user (e.g., a female user) is disclosed to another user (e.g., a male user), see abstract.
Claim(s) 28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Posse (US 2017/0364521) in view of Sharma (US 2014/0149843).
Examiner Note: Hereafter, above references are combination A.
a memory that stores an instruction; and
at least one processor configured to execute the instruction to cause the
apparatus to at least
Posse [0050]
determine a cohort of a seeker in a matching community in which the cohort includes
users that identify with a shared characteristic of the seeker;
determine a target in the matching community for the seeker, the matching community
including a profile of the target, the profile of the target including a plurality of elements;
Posse [0015] In other applications, the source member profile may be selected, not by a user, but by an application or process. For example, with some embodiments, an application or process may select a source member profile because the source member profile has certain characteristics. For instance, a group recommendation service or feature may recommend to members of the social networking service that they join particular groups hosted by the social networking service that are likely to be of interest to the social networking service members, based on the fact that the members have member profiles that are similar to a model member profile generated based on an analysis of the member profiles of all members in the group. Accordingly, a source member profile may be generated based on the aggregate member profile information of all members common to the group. The recommendation service may then select this source member profile as an input to the member profile matching algorithm, and identify target member profiles that are similar to the model source member profile for the group. For each target member profile that is determined to be similar to the selected source member profile for a particular group, the recommendation service may recommend to a member having a member profile similar to that model profile for that group, that the member join the group if not already a member of the group.
determine an element of the plurality of elements, at least in part based on the cohort of
the seeker, wherein the element is selected for inclusion on the first page based on the shared
characteristic; and
cause a display of the profile of the target over a plurality of pages, a first page of the
plurality of pages including the element.
Posse discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose above limitation. However, Sharma discloses:
Sharma [0026] At 400, the profile generation module 300 generates a first profile, such as can be displayed on the first page 200A, of a user of a social network based, at least in part, on a first plurality of characteristics related to the user. In various examples, characteristics of the first and second plurality of characteristics comprise an employer, an age, a familial relationship, a mutual friend of acquaintance, a comparative location, a related educational background, and a related club or organization membership.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Posse to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Sharma for the purpose of generally relating to social network user profiles, information included in the profiles, and how the profiles are presented, see [0001]
Claim(s) 29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over combination A in view of Benchetrit.
Combination A discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose
determining a matching characteristic of the seeker and the target, wherein the element is determined at least in part based on the matching characteristic. However, Benchetrit discloses:
Benchetrit [0053] In operation, a user of a client device 202 can create a profile to participate in the social network application 222. The form and content of the profile will depend on the one or more roles assigned to the user. For example, referring to FIG. 3A, a user with the role “match seeker” can create a personal dating profile by interacting with a user interface to provide profile information, such as their name 302, age 304, biographical text 306, photographs 308, and a range of other fields 310 (e.g., city, links to social media profiles on other networks, astrological sign, etc.) that allow the user to characterize themselves. Each user can also specify their interests 312 for use in identifying potential matches.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify combination A to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Benchetrit for the purpose of facilitating social networks interactions between users in various contexts, such as dating, professional recruiting and networking, and interest-based discussion, see [0003].
Claim(s) 30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over combination A in view of Sachdev (US 2020/0104780).
Combination A discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose
wherein the matching characteristic is a relationship goal. However, Sachdev discloses:
Sachdev [0031] Query 202 may also, or instead, pertain to other types of rankings of candidates. For example, query 202 may be used to generate a ranking of candidates as connection recommendations for a member of the online network. The ranking may be based on scores that are calculated using features or attributes such as connections in common between the member and the candidates and/or overlap in employment or education between the member and the candidates. In another example, query 202 may be used to retrieve a ranking of candidates as potential matches for a relationship or interaction such as dating, travel, an activity, a mentorship, and/or a personal or professional collaboration.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify combination A to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Sachdev for providing techniques for performing efficient percentile estimations for applicant rankings, see [0001]
Claim(s) 31 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over combination A in view of Fogg (US 2005/0171940)
Combination A discloses the elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose causing the display to transition from the first page of the profile of the target to a second page of the profile of the target. However, Fogg discloses:
[0006] Conventional search tools might also allow the user to select specific search criteria to narrow the search result. For example, a user may visit a commercial web site that allows a user to search for gift items by category (e.g., apparel, toys, games, automobiles, computers, electronics, books, DVD, software, etc.), whereby the user is able to view an image of every item for sale that matches the selected category. However, the search results may continue to be too broad and require the user to partake in a time-consuming process of selecting each item in the search result, and perhaps scrolling down the search results page or clicking through multiple search result pages, to determine its true relevance to the user or edit the text of the search criteria to perform an additional search that might better meet the user's unique preferences.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify combination A to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Fogg for the purpose of dynamic visualization of search results on a user interface, see abstract.
Claim(s) 32 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over combination A in view of Helled (US 2018/0063278).
Combination A discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose wherein the cohort of the seeker identifies as female, and the element includes a biography of the target. However, Helled discloses:
Helled [0099] As indicated above, a progress bar may indicate a progress in the discussion. When the bar progresses, information about the users is gradually revealed as indicated above. Such information may include answers to profile questions, biography text, age, and other profile information provided by the user. Additionally or alternatively, the more the bar progresses the clearer the profile image(s) will become clearer, making the profile image less and less pixelated as users interact. In use, the more users chat and interact, the more the bar progresses while the profile(s) of the user(s) is revealed gradually. Optionally, when the bar reaches to a predefined stage, users have the ability to request to reveal each other. Optionally, while a male user has the ability to send a reveal request, a female user has the ability to reveal immediately the profile without any waiting period. This gives female users a control to decide when to actually reveal profiles based on impression and trust increased throughout the conversation.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify combination A to obtain above limitation based on the teachings Helled for the purpose of providing progression of a bar to gradually reveal information about the users. Such information may include answers to profile questions, biography text, age, and other profile information provided by the user.
Claim(s) 33 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over combination A in view of Cowan (US 11,698,947)
Combination A discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose wherein the cohort of the seeker identifies as male, and the element includes a geographical distance of the target. However, Cowen discloses:
Cowen column 7 lines 8-14 For example, young men are more often found expressing triumph than women or older individuals, due to the disproportionate representation of young men playing sports. By contrast, academic datasets attempt to represent people of different demographics expressing the same emotions, but as noted above these datasets are generally very small and focus on a narrow range of emotional expressions.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify combination A to obtain above limitation because distance to the sporting event is inherent in playing a sport.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify combination A to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Cowen for the purpose of training a machine-learning model for predicting emotions from received media data, see abstract.
Claim(s) 34 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over combination A in view of Pelletier (US 2018/0337928)
Combination A discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose wherein the element includes a predetermined number of lines of a biography of the target, and the predetermined number of lines is determined at least in part based on the cohort of the seeker. However, Pelletier discloses:
Pelletier [0054] The embodiments illustrated by FIGS. 5A and 5B and step 105a provide an enhanced amount of security for a female user, because while the female user of device 500 can see the location of male users, the male users cannot see the location 505 of the female user (i.e., of the female user's device 500). In this embodiment, the device 500 may be operable to receive input by the female user that indicates the female user has selected one or more male users by, for example, by clicking on an indicator 501a-n or content 503a-n associated with a male user. In response, the device 500 may display additional information associated with each selected male user, such as a profile of each male user that has been previously created by the selected male users. In this manner, the female user of device 500 may view the profiles of the selected male users in order to determine if the female user is interested in communicating with the selected male users. FIGS. 6A to 6C depict a number of exemplary male profiles 600a-n (where “n” is the last profile) that may be presented to the female user on device 500, where the profiles 600a-n are associated with selected male users (i.e., the pins 501a-n associated with such male users). The exemplary male profiles 600a-n may include a plurality of information about the respective, selected male user (e.g., age, images, videos of the male user and other people, short biography) which can be reviewed by the female user of device 500 in order to determine if the female user wishes to communicate with one of the selected male users.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify combination A to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Pelletier for the purpose of incorporating enhanced personal security measures that are completed before the identity of one user (e.g., a female user) is disclosed to another user (e.g., a male user), see abstract.
Claim(s) 35 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Posse (US 2017/0364521) in view of Sharma (US 2014/0149843).
Examiner Note: Hereafter, above references are combination A.
determining a cohort of a seeker in a matching community in which the cohort includes
users that identify with a shared characteristic of the seeker;
determining a target in the matching community for the seeker, the matching community
including a profile of the target, the profile of the target including a plurality of elements;
Posse [0015] In other applications, the source member profile may be selected, not by a user, but by an application or process. For example, with some embodiments, an application or process may select a source member profile because the source member profile has certain characteristics. For instance, a group recommendation service or feature may recommend to members of the social networking service that they join particular groups hosted by the social networking service that are likely to be of interest to the social networking service members, based on the fact that the members have member profiles that are similar to a model member profile generated based on an analysis of the member profiles of all members in the group. Accordingly, a source member profile may be generated based on the aggregate member profile information of all members common to the group. The recommendation service may then select this source member profile as an input to the member profile matching algorithm, and identify target member profiles that are similar to the model source member profile for the group. For each target member profile that is determined to be similar to the selected source member profile for a particular group, the recommendation service may recommend to a member having a member profile similar to that model profile for that group, that the member join the group if not already a member of the group.
determining an element of the plurality of elements, at least in part based on the cohort of
the seeker, wherein the element is selected for inclusion on the first page based on the shared
characteristic; and
causing a display of the profile of the target over a plurality of pages, a first page of the
plurality of pages including the element.
Posse discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose above limitation. However, Sharma discloses:
Sharma [0026] At 400, the profile generation module 300 generates a first profile, such as can be displayed on the first page 200A, of a user of a social network based, at least in part, on a first plurality of characteristics related to the user. In various examples, characteristics of the first and second plurality of characteristics comprise an employer, an age, a familial relationship, a mutual friend of acquaintance, a comparative location, a related educational background, and a related club or organization membership.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Posse to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Sharma for the purpose of generally relating to social network user profiles, information included in the profiles, and how the profiles are presented, see [0001]
Claim(s) 36 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over combination A in view of Benchetrit in view of Sachdev (US 2020/0104780).
Combination A in view of Benchetrit discloses determining a matching characteristic of the seeker and the target, wherein the element is determined at least in part based on the matching characteristic.
Benchetrit [0053] In operation, a user of a client device 202 can create a profile to participate in the social network application 222. The form and content of the profile will depend on the one or more roles assigned to the user. For example, referring to FIG. 3A, a user with the role “match seeker” can create a personal dating profile by interacting with a user interface to provide profile information, such as their name 302, age 304, biographical text 306, photographs 308, and a range of other fields 310 (e.g., city, links to social media profiles on other networks, astrological sign, etc.) that allow the user to characterize themselves. Each user can also specify their interests 312 for use in identifying potential matches.
Combination A discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose
wherein the matching characteristic is a relationship goal. However, Sachdev discloses:
Sachdev [0031] Query 202 may also, or instead, pertain to other types of rankings of candidates. For example, query 202 may be used to generate a ranking of candidates as connection recommendations for a member of the online network. The ranking may be based on scores that are calculated using features or attributes such as connections in common between the member and the candidates and/or overlap in employment or education between the member and the candidates. In another example, query 202 may be used to retrieve a ranking of candidates as potential matches for a relationship or interaction such as dating, travel, an activity, a mentorship, and/or a personal or professional collaboration.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify combination A to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Sachdev for providing techniques for performing efficient percentile estimations for applicant rankings, see [0001]
Claim(s) 37 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over combination A
Combination A discloses: causing the display to transition from the first page of the profile of the target to a second page of the profile of the target.
Fogg [0006] Conventional search tools might also allow the user to select specific search criteria to narrow the search result. For example, a user may visit a commercial web site that allows a user to search for gift items by category (e.g., apparel, toys, games, automobiles, computers, electronics, books, DVD, software, etc.), whereby the user is able to view an image of every item for sale that matches the selected category. However, the search results may continue to be too broad and require the user to partake in a time-consuming process of selecting each item in the search result, and perhaps scrolling down the search results page or clicking through multiple search result pages, to determine its true relevance to the user or edit the text of the search criteria to perform an additional search that might better meet the user's unique preferences.
Claim(s) 38 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over combination A in view of Helled (US 2018/0063278).
Combination A discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose wherein the cohort of the seeker identifies as female, and the element includes a biography of the target. However, Helled discloses:
Helled [0099] As indicated above, a progress bar may indicate a progress in the discussion. When the bar progresses, information about the users is gradually revealed as indicated above. Such information may include answers to profile questions, biography text, age, and other profile information provided by the user. Additionally or alternatively, the more the bar progresses the clearer the profile image(s) will become clearer, making the profile image less and less pixelated as users interact. In use, the more users chat and interact, the more the bar progresses while the profile(s) of the user(s) is revealed gradually. Optionally, when the bar reaches to a predefined stage, users have the ability to request to reveal each other. Optionally, while a male user has the ability to send a reveal request, a female user has the ability to reveal immediately the profile without any waiting period. This gives female users a control to decide when to actually reveal profiles based on impression and trust increased throughout the conversation.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify combination A to obtain above limitation based on the teachings Helled for the purpose of providing progression of a bar to gradually reveal information about the users. Such information may include answers to profile questions, biography text, age, and other profile information provided by the user.
Claim(s) 39 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over combination A in view of Cowan (US 11,698,947)
Combination A discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose wherein the cohort of the seeker identifies as male, and the element includes a geographical distance of the target. However, Cowen discloses:
Cowen column 7 lines 8-14 For example, young men are more often found expressing triumph than women or older individuals, due to the disproportionate representation of young men playing sports. By contrast, academic datasets attempt to represent people of different demographics expressing the same emotions, but as noted above these datasets are generally very small and focus on a narrow range of emotional expressions.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify combination A to obtain above limitation because distance to the sporting event is inherent in playing a sport.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify combination A to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Cowen for the purpose of training a machine-learning model for predicting emotions from received media data, see abstract.
Claim(s) 40 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over combination A in view of Pelletier (US 2018/0337928)
Combination A discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose wherein the element includes a predetermined number of lines of a biography of the target, and the predetermined number of lines is determined at least in part based on the cohort of the seeker. However, Pelletier discloses:
Pelletier [0054] The embodiments illustrated by FIGS. 5A and 5B and step 105a provide an enhanced amount of security for a female user, because while the female user of device 500 can see the location of male users, the male users cannot see the location 505 of the female user (i.e., of the female user's device 500). In this embodiment, the device 500 may be operable to receive input by the female user that indicates the female user has selected one or more male users by, for example, by clicking on an indicator 501a-n or content 503a-n associated with a male user. In response, the device 500 may display additional information associated with each selected male user, such as a profile of each male user that has been previously created by the selected male users. In this manner, the female user of device 500 may view the profiles of the selected male users in order to determine if the female user is interested in communicating with the selected male users. FIGS. 6A to 6C depict a number of exemplary male profiles 600a-n (where “n” is the last profile) that may be presented to the female user on device 500, where the profiles 600a-n are associated with selected male users (i.e., the pins 501a-n associated with such male users). The exemplary male profiles 600a-n may include a plurality of information about the respective, selected male user (e.g., age, images, videos of the male user and other people, short biography) which can be reviewed by the female user of device 500 in order to determine if the female user wishes to communicate with one of the selected male users.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify combination A to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Pelletier for the purpose of incorporating enhanced personal security measures that are completed before the identity of one user (e.g., a female user) is disclosed to another user (e.g., a male user), see abstract.
Response to Arguments
Applicant Argues
Independent Claim 21, as amended, recites a method comprising: "...determining a cohort of a seeker in a matching community in which the cohort includes users that identify with a shared characteristic of the seeker...", "...determining an element of the plurality of elements, at least in part based on the cohort of the seeker, wherein the element is selected for inclusion on the first page based on the shared characteristic..." and "...causing a display of the profile of the target over a plurality of pages, a first page of the plurality of pages including the element." Independent Claims 28 and 35 recite similar limitations in apparatus and computer-readable medium form, respectively.
The Examiner has alleged that Benchetrit discloses determining a cohort of a seeker in a matching community, interpreting "cohort of seeker = match seeker." The Examiner has further alleged that Fong discloses causing a display of the profile of the target over a plurality of pages, citing paragraph [0061] of Fong which describes positioning icons relative to x and y axes to indicate significance. Applicant respectfully disagrees with these characterizations.
Applicant submits that the cited references, alone or in combination, fail to teach or suggest all limitations of the independent claims as amended. Specifically, neither Benchetrit nor Fong teaches or suggests "determining a cohort of a seeker in a matching community, in which the cohort includes users that identify with a shared characteristic of the seeker" or "determining an element of the plurality of elements, at least in part based on the cohort of the seeker, wherein the element is selected for inclusion on the first page based on the shared characteristic," as recited in the amended claims.
Specifically, the claims as amended require that the cohort includes users that identify with a shared characteristic of the seeker, and that the element displayed on the first page of the target's profile is specifically selected based on that shared characteristic. This is a fundamentally different concept from what Benchetrit discloses. Benchetrit describes a social network where users can create profiles and be assigned roles such as "match seeker." However, Benchetrit does not teach determining a cohort based on a shared characteristic of the seeker, nor does it teach selecting which profile element to display on a first page based on that shared characteristic. The role of "match seeker" in Benchetrit is simply a user designation, not a cohort including users that identify with a shared characteristic as is now claimed.
Furthermore, Fong does not cure the deficiencies of Benchetrit. Fong, for example, describes a user interface for visualizing search results where icons are positioned relative to x and y axes
based on attributes such as educational level or price. Fong does not teach displaying a profile of a target over a plurality of pages where a first page includes an element that is selected for inclusion based on a shared characteristic of a cohort of the seeker. The positioning of icons based on search criteria in Fong is fundamentally different from the claimed invention, which determines which specific element of a target's profile to display on a first page based on the demographic cohort of the seeker viewing that profile.
Examiner Responds:
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 21-40 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/ETIENNE P LEROUX/Primary Examiner of Art Unit 2161
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