DETAILED ACTION
Claims 11-18 are pending.
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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 3/12/2026 has been entered.
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) 11-13, 17-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kiyooka[1] (US 2020/0351560) in view of Dury at al. (US 2017/0006322), and further in view of Kiyooka[2] et al. (US 11109107), and further in view of Sullivan (US 2020/0286119).
Claim 11, Kiyooka[1] teaches A social tipping management system for allowing viewers to give a tip to a performer appearing in digital television broadcasting,
the social tipping management system (i.e. tip processing module) (p. 0063) comprising:
“a data broadcasting creation server (100) for creating the data broadcasting content including the information” (i.e. tipping module 124) (fig. 1; p. 0040, 0044); and
“a management server (i.e. tip processing module) for receiving tip data via an Internet line (i.e. Internet p. 0043) when the viewer gives the tip based on the information for giving the tip included in the data broadcasting content” (fig. 10, 400) (i.e. revenue sharing) (p. 0102-0105).
Kiyooka[1] is silent regarding the specific feature of:
wherein data broadcasting content to be transmitted together with a program content and displayed on a television when a digital television broadcasting program is displayed on the television includes information for the viewer for selecting a program performer to be tipped from a plurality of program performers which appears in the digital television broadcast program to give the tip to the selected program performer;
“selecting the program performer to be tipped to give the tip to the selected program performer”;
“determining the amount of money to be distributed to each of the selected program performer in the plurality of program performers”;
wherein the management server gives points to the viewer who has given the tip to the selected program performer and manages the point given to the viewer so that the points given to the viewer can be exchanged for products provided by a program advertiser who provides advertising for the program in which the tip is given.
Dury teaches the specific feature of:
wherein data broadcasting content (i.e. rewards content) to be transmitted together with a program content (i.e. broadcast 1834) and displayed on a television when a digital television broadcasting program is displayed on the television includes information for the viewer for selecting a program performer (i.e. choose a player) to be tipped from a plurality of program performers (i.e. players) appears in the digital television broadcast program to give the tip to the selected program performer (fig. 18; p. 0283);
“selecting the program performer to be tipped to give the tip to the subject” (1846) (fig. 18; p. 0283);
“determining the amount of money to be distributed to each of the selected program performer in the plurality of program performers” (i.e. reward output) (fig. 18; p. 0286).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to have provided gifting as taught by Dury to the system of Kivooka to allow users to select gift recipients (p. 0283).
Kiyooka[2] teaches the specific feature of:
“wherein the management server gives points to the viewer who has given the tip to the selected program performer” (i.e. user receives rewards for tipping) (col. 20, lines 24-67).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to have provided tip kick back as taught by Kiyooka[2] to the system of Kiyooka[1] to provide incentive to tip (col. 2, lines 57-60).
Sullivan teaches the specific feature of:
“manages the point given to the viewer so that the points given to the viewer (i.e. rewards) can be exchanged for products (i.e. value of products) provided by a program advertiser who provides advertising for the program in which the tip (i.e. other behavior desired by the advertiser, tipping of Kiyooka[1][2]) is given” (p. 0031-0033).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to have provided reward exchange system as taught by Sullivan to the system of Kiyooka[1] for purchasing items (p. 0033).
Claim 12, Kiyooka[1] teaches the social tipping management system according to claim 1,
wherein the data broadcasting content including the information for giving the tip is automatically displayed on the television at least once during the broadcast of the broadcasting program (fig. 10; p. 0059-0064).
Kiyooka[1] is silent regarding the specific feature of:
“the broadcast of the digital television broadcasting program”
Dury teaches the specific feature of:
“the broadcast of the digital television broadcasting program (1846) (fig. 18; p. 0283).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to have provided gifting as taught by Dury to the system of Kiyooka[1] to allow users to select gift recipients (p. 0283).
Claim 13, Kiyooka[1] teaches the social tipping management system according to claim 1,
wherein fields for selecting or inputting at least a person to be tipped (i.e. selecting video of particular upload selects the person) and the amount of the tip are displayed in the data broadcasting display area (i.e. tip settings) (fig. 10; p. 0062-0065); and
wherein the management server (i.e. tip processing module) receives the tip data including the person to be tipped and the amount of the tip when the viewer gives the tip using the interactive function (i.e. interface for tip settings) of the data broadcasting (p. 0068-0070).
Claim 17, Kiyooka[1] teaches the social tipping management system according to any one of claim 1,
wherein the tip data includes information about the viewer who has given the tip (i.e. tracking tips by user ID) (p. 0063, 0083); and
wherein the management server provides the information about the viewer included in the tip data to the program performer who receives the tip (i.e. tip givers) (fig. 14; p. 0104).
Claim 18, Kiyooka[1] teaches the social tipping management system according to any one of claim 1,
wherein the tip can be given by at least one of credit card payment (p. 0065), QR code payment, carrier payment of mobile phone companies, and virtual currency payment.
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kiyooka[1] (US 2020/0351560) in view of Dury at al. (US 2017/0006322), and further in view of Kiyooka[2] et al. (US 11109107), and further in view of Sullivan (US 2020/0286119), and further in view of DeTitta et al. (US 2021/0256498).
Claim 14, Kiyooka[1] is silent regarding the social tipping management system according to claim 1,
wherein the information for giving the tip includes a QR code for accessing an input screen for tipping.
DeTitta teaches the social tipping management system according to claim 1,
wherein the information for giving the tip includes a QR code for accessing an input screen for tipping (p. 0025).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to have provided QR code for tipping as taght by DeTitta to the system of Kiyooka[1] to for secure online payments (p. 0025).
Claim(s) 15-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kiyooka[1] (US 2020/0351560) in view of Dury at al. (US 2017/0006322), and further in view of Kiyooka[2] et al. (US 11109107), and further in view of Sullivan (US 2020/0286119), and further in view of Yahata et al. (US 2014/0244435).
Claim 15, Kiyooka[1] is silent regarding the social tipping management system according to claim 1,
wherein a program advertiser who provides advertising for the program in which the tip is given provides money in proportion to the amount of the tip given by the viewer when the viewer gives the tip; and
wherein the management server calculates the sum of the amount of the tip given by the viewer and the amount of money provided by the program advertiser in proportion to the amount of the tip given by the viewer, and determines the amount of money to be distributed to the program performer.
Yahata teaches the social tipping management system according to claim 1,
wherein a program advertiser who provides advertising for the program in which the tip is given (i.e. products purchased) provides money in proportion to the amount of the tip given by the viewer when the viewer gives the tip (i.e. revenue sharing) (p. 0057); and
wherein the management server calculates the sum of the amount of the tip given by the viewer and the amount of money provided by the program advertiser in proportion to the amount of the tip given by the viewer (i.e. shares a portion of the profit), and determines the amount of money to be distributed to the program performer (i.e. content producer) (p. 0057).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to have provided revenue sharing as taught by Yahata to the system of Kiyooka[1] to allow for advertisers to sponsor products (p. 0057).
Claim 16, Kiyooka[1] is silent regarding the social tipping management system according to claim 1,
wherein an advertisement of a data broadcasting advertiser is displayed on the screen of the data broadcasting containing the information for giving the tip;
wherein the data broadcasting advertiser provides money in proportion to the amount of the tip given by the viewer when the viewer gives the tip; and
wherein the management server calculates the sum of the amount of the tip given by the viewer and the amount of money provided by the data broadcasting advertiser in proportion to the amount of the tip given by the viewer, and determines the amount of money to be distributed to the program performer.
Yahata teaches the social tipping management system according to claim 1,
wherein an advertisement of a data broadcasting advertiser is displayed on the screen of the data broadcasting containing the information for giving the tip (i.e. products for purchase) (p. 0057);
wherein the data broadcasting advertiser provides money in proportion to the amount of the tip given by the viewer when the viewer gives the tip (i.e. revenue sharing) (p. 0057); and
wherein the management server calculates the sum of the amount of the tip given by the viewer and the amount of money provided by the data broadcasting advertiser in proportion to the amount of the tip given by the viewer (i.e. shares a portion of the profit), and determines the amount of money to be distributed to the program performer (i.e. content producer) (p. 0057).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to have provided revenue sharing as taught by Yahata to the system of Kiyooka[1] to allow for advertisers to sponsor products (p. 0057).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 11-18 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.
Conclusion
Claims 11-18 are rejected.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 20190026793 A1 ROLLON; Daryl.
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MUSHFIKH I. ALAM
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2426
/MUSHFIKH I ALAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2426 3/23/2026