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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-19 remain for examination. Claims 17-19 have been added. Applicant's arguments filed on 1/02/2026 have been fully considered but they are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection. Accordingly, this action has been made final.
Double Patenting
The non-statutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory obviousness-type double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); and In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on a nonstatutory double patenting ground provided the conflicting application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with this application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement.
Effective January 1, 1994, a registered attorney or agent of record may sign a terminal disclaimer. A terminal disclaimer signed by the assignee must fully comply with 37 CFR 3.73(b).
Claims 1-16 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory obviousness-type double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-20 of US patent No. 12190645.
Claims 1-16 recite similar limitations as claims 1-20 of US patent No. 12190645 B2 as follows:
Instant application
US application No. 12190645 B2
Claim 1. A method for implementing a cooperative society through a blockchain with participation via computing devices, comprising: storing, in a memory of a blockchain node, a blockchain, the blockchain being comprised of a plurality of blocks, each block including at least a block header and one or more blockchain data values, where at least one of the one or more blockchain data values included in a specific block includes proposal data including at least a proposal identifier; receiving, by a receiver of the blockchain node, a vote message from each of a plurality of registered computing devices, where the vote message includes at least the proposal identifier and an affirmative or negative vote; determining, by a processor of the blockchain node, a proposal result based on a number of affirmative votes in the received vote messages being above a predetermined threshold; generating, by the processor of the blockchain node, a new block, the new block including at least a new block header and at least one new blockchain data value, the at least one new blockchain data value including the proposal result; and performing, by the processor of the blockchain node, one or more actions based on data included in the proposal data.
Claim 9.
Claim 1. A method for processing votes in a public blockchain, comprising: generating asymmetric cryptographic key pairs associated with a current election, a first asymmetric cryptographic key pair comprised of a master private key and a master public key and a second asymmetric cryptographic key pair comprised of a validation private key and a validation public key; generating a plurality of key components using the master private key; storing the plurality of key components; deleting the master private key following storage of the plurality of key components and prior to electronic transmission of one or more registration blocks; generating a registration block of the one or more registration blocks for addition to a blockchain, wherein the registration block is comprised of a block header, an election reference, two or more candidate references, and the master public key of the current election; electronically transmitting the generated registration block to one or more nodes associated with the blockchain; receiving a plurality of voting messages, each voting message includes data encrypted with the master public key of the current election, the encrypted data comprised of at least a voter's vote, the election reference, a voter's voter reference, and one of the two or more candidate references; regenerating the master private key using the plurality of key components stored in the memory following receipt of the plurality of voting messages; generating, at least one voting block for addition to the blockchain, wherein each of the at least one voting block is comprised of a block header and one or more second data values, wherein the one or more second data values in the at least one voting block includes the encrypted votes of the received voting messages; and electronically transmitting each generated voting block to one or more nodes associated with the blockchain.
Claim 11.
The table above shows that, although the corresponding claims are directed to different statutory categories, the US patent No. 12190645 B2 implemented on a computer would render the claims in the instant application obvious.
It is clearly obvious that the (U.S. patent No. 12190645 B2) substantially discloses the subject matter of claim 1 of the instant Application.
The Applicant merely broadens the scope of the instant application by deleting a few elements from the (U.S. patent application No. 12190645 B2).
This is obviousness-type double patenting rejection.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-19 are objected to, but would be allowable upon file a proper terminal disclaimer and rewritten each independent claim to be along the same lines as allowable subject matter in claim 1.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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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/EVANS DESROSIERS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2491