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
Claims 1-20 are objected to because of the following informalities: The limitation in claims 1 and 18 that states, “that are rented out with a rental process for a pre-determined of time.” It appears that there is a grammatical error, “for a pre-determined of time”, probably the applicant intended for the limitation to state, “for a pre-determined period of time”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-20 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Specifically claims 1 and 18, the limitation that states, “a plurality of bar codes on the plurality of individual compartment doors”. The aforementioned limitation is ambiguous. The Examiner is unsure if there should be a plurality of bar codes associated with one compartment door or if there is one bar code for each compartment door. The applicant’s specification at [0221] “the target network device uses a camera component to scan a bar code on a locker door component and the target kiosk application on the target network device obtains a locker identifier from the scanned bar code” For the purposes of examination, the limitations will be interpreted as one bar code for each compartment.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1,3-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nitu et al. (US 2015/0356801) in view of Maskatia et al. (US2013/0079117)), further in view of Fort et al. (US 2022/0374973).
Claim 1, 18:Nitu discloses a kiosk processing system for rental items, comprising in combination:
a kiosk, including a kiosk processing unit with one or more processors, a non- transitory computer readable medium, a power source and a kiosk application, the kiosk application controlling operation of the kiosk;(Fig.1 an illustration of an illustrative “smart” electronic locker system 100 configured to be accessed via mobile kiosks 102a-102n (collectively 102) being operated by users 104a-104n (collectively 104) is shown… [0039] With regard to FIG. 3, an illustration of an illustrative locker computer device 300 and associated electronics, at least in part, enables the locker computer device 300 to provide for a “smart locker” is shown. In one embodiment, the locker computer device 300 and associated electronics may include a printed circuit board (PCB), wiring, and other electronic devices. The locker computer device 300 may include a processing unit 302 that executes software 304. The software 304 may facilitate locking and unlocking a locker in response to verifying a code and/or other information. The processing unit 302 may be in communication with a memory 306 and input/output (I/O) unit 308 for communicating with sensors, network communications devices, if not incorporated into the I/O unit 308, and the like. [0041], It should be understood that additional and/or alternative number of LEDs that produce the same or different indicators may be used. A battery source 312, such as a lithium ion battery or rechargeable battery along with a photovoltaic device, may be used to power the locker computer device) the kiosk including a plurality of individual compartments; ([0023] Fig 1. And [0026] The smart lockers 106 may include front doors 120a-120n (collectively 120) on which the smart locks 108 are respectively secured, and used to secure goods within the smart lockers 106. In one embodiment, as shown within a compartment 122 of smart locker)
the plurality of individual compartments each including an individual compartment door and a locking means; [0026]
the plurality of individual compartments including a plurality of items. (Fig. 1 and [0023] individual locking structures that may secure various items, such as mobility devices (e.g., bicycles, scooters, etc.), safes within hotel rooms or elsewhere, or any other item that may be secured by a smart lock that operates in the same or similar manner as smart locks 108 when operating within the smart lockers)
the locking means, locking and unlocking the plurality of individual compartment doors of the plurality of individual compartments, the locking means controlled by the kiosk application;( [0039] locker computer device 300 and associated electronics, at least in part, enables the locker computer device 300 to provide for a “smart locker” is shown. In one embodiment, the locker computer device 300 and associated electronics may include a printed circuit board (PCB), wiring, and other electronic devices. The locker computer device 300 may include a processing unit 302 that executes software 304. The software 304 may facilitate locking and unlocking a locker in response to verifying a code and/or other information. The processing unit 302 may be in communication with a memory 306 and input/output (I/O) unit 308 for communicating with sensors, network communications devices, if not incorporated into the I/O unit 308, and the like)
one or more network interface cards (NIC) for communicating with a communications network; ([0039] the processing unit 302 may be in communication with a memory 306 and input/output (I/O) unit 308 for communicating with sensors, network communications devices, if not incorporated into the I/O unit 308, and the like. Also see [0007])
a plurality of bar codes on the plurality of individual compartment doors for scanning by a target kiosk application on one or more target network devices each with one or more processors to initiate and complete the rental process on the kiosk. ([0023], [0028] (iv) locking and unlocking a smart locker by using RFID communications with a passive RFID reader to communicate a lock and unlock code, for example, (iv) communication of instructions to a user, (v) imaging an indicia (e.g. bar code) associated with a smart locker using a camera feature rather than having to enter an indicia (e.g., locker number) into a text field or otherwise, (v) usage (e.g., lock, unlock, door open, door close) verification of a smart lock and locker door to be communicated via the mobile kiosk to the management server, and so forth.)
But does not explicitly disclose the plurality of individual compartments including a plurality of rental items; that are rented out with a rental process for a pre-determined of time and for a pre- determined fee, the plurality of rental items removeable from the plurality of individual compartments and returnable to the plurality of individual compartments after the pre- determined time of the rental process expires; one or more camera components to document, provide security and identify users of the rental process on the kiosk;
However Maskatia discloses rental items; that are rented out with a rental process for a pre-determined of time and for a pre- determined fee, the plurality of rental items removeable from the plurality of individual compartments and returnable to the plurality of individual compartments after the pre- determined time of the rental process expires; ([0050] For example, the central database 304 stores information regarding the sales totals for each title and for each machine 230 vending location. Central database 304 also stores user information and rental transaction information, such as user IDs, the date on which discs are due to be returned, the date on which discs were rented from the machines 230 and a list of valid coupon codes and restrictions associated with those codes. In certain embodiments, central database 304 also may be configured to store user PINs. Some of this information is also preferably stored in article dispensing machine database)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify, Nitu to include rental items; that are rented out with a rental process for a pre-determined of time and for a pre- determined fee, the plurality of rental items removeable from the plurality of individual compartments and returnable to the plurality of individual compartments after the pre- determined time of the rental process expires, in order to insure that the items are used in a timely manner, thereby increasing the amount of revenue.
Nitu and Maskatia do not explicitly disclose one or more camera components to document, provide security and identify users of the rental process on the kiosk;
However Fort discloses one or more camera components to document, provide security and identify users of the rental process on the kiosk; ([0026] The external camera 136 may be used for surveillance of the locker system 102 for both security purposes and for user and item verification. In some embodiments, the external camera 136 and camera 132 may be used to provide a multiple point of view perspective of the user and the item. The collected multi-view information may then be used for comparison when the user returns the item.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify, Nitu and Maskatia to include one or more camera components to document, provide security and identify users of the rental process on the kiosk, in order to provide a layer of security that would discourage theft and also provide user safety.
Claim 3: Nitu discloses the kiosk processing system for rental items of Claim 1, wherein the locking means includes an electronic lock or a smart lock. [0023 and 0028]
Claim 4: Nitu discloses the kiosk processing system for rental items of Claim 1, the network interface cards (NIC) on the kiosk and the target network device include one or more wireless communications interfaces comprising: cellular telephone, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.15.4 (ZigBee), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Wi-Fi Aware, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), ETSI High Performance Radio Metropolitan Area Network (HIPERMAN), Near Field Communications (NFC), Machine-to-Machine (M2M), 802.15.1 (BLUETOOTH), infra data association (IrDA), wireless communication interfaces, or a combination thereof. [0039]
Claim 5: Nitu discloses the kiosk processing system for rental items of Claim 1, wherein the target network device include: cell phones, laptop computers, tablet computers, smart phones, personal digital/data assistants (PDA), portable game consoles, wearable network devices, or Internet of Things (IoT), Radio Frequency Identifier (RFID) tags, target network devices.[0004]
Claim 6: Nitu discloses the kiosk processing system for rental items of Claim 1, wherein the plurality of bar codes include a plurality of Quick Response (QR) bar codes. [0054]
Claim 7: Nitu discloses the kiosk processing system for rental items of Claim 1, further including one or more server network devices with one or more processors including a server kiosk application for communicating with the kiosk and one or more target network devices via the communications network. [0004 and 0006]
Claim 8: Nitu discloses the kiosk processing system for rental items of Claim 1, further including one or more of: one or more display screens, one or more speakers, one or more lighting components, one or more solar panels, or one or more biometric interfaces, or a combination thereof. [0023]
Claim 9: Nitu discloses the kiosk processing system for rental items of Claim 1, further including: a cloud communications network, one or more cloud server network devices with a cloud server kiosk application, and one or more cloud storage objects, the cloud server kiosk application providing a cloud computing Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), including a cloud software infrastructure service, the cloud platform as a Service (PaaS) including a cloud software platform service and Specific cloud software services as a Service (SaaS) including a specific SaaS, for Kiosk interoperability services. [0033 and 0054]
Claim 10: Nitu discloses the kiosk processing system for rental items of Claim 9 wherein, the one or more cloud storage objects include Representational state transfer (REST), Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), cloud storage objects. [0075]
Claim 11: Nitu discloses the kiosk processing system for rental items of Claim 1 wherein, kiosk processing unit includes a cellular telephone enabled microcontroller (MCU). [0060]
Claim 12: Nitu discloses the kiosk processing system for rental items of Claim 1 wherein, the kiosk processing unit sends and receives commands via a Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) message protocol to and from target kiosk applications on the one or target network devices. [0047]
Claim 13: Nitu discloses the kiosk processing system for rental items of Claim 1, further comprising recording the rental events and the pre-determined fees received from the rental process on the kiosk in a blockchain. [077]
Claim 14: Nitu discloses the kiosk processing system for rental items of Claim 1, wherein the kiosk application on the kiosk includes an artificial intelligence (AI) application. [0090]
Claim 15: Nitu discloses the kiosk processing system for rental items of Claim 1, wherein all the plurality of individual compartments or selected ones of the plurality of individual compartments include one or more additional free physical products. [0027]
Claim 16: Nitu discloses the kiosk processing system for rental items of Claim 14, wherein the one or more additional free physical products include a bar code or a universal resource locator (URL) for a virtual product or a virtual service. [0023]
Claim 17: Nitu discloses the kiosk processing system for rental items of Claim 1, the kiosk further including desired colors, graphics, plastic wraps, vinyl wraps, other types of wrapping materials, for branding or advertising for specific branding or advertising partners. [0081]
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nitu et al. (US 2015/0356801) in view of Maskatia et al. (US2013/0079117), further in view of Fort et al., in view of Official Notice.
Claim 2: Nitu The kiosk processing system for rental items of Claim 1, but does not explicitly disclose wherein the rental items include sports equipment comprising: balls, ball gloves, rackets, bats, skates, gloves, shoes, skis, boots, poles, kayaks, paddle boards, paddles, or bicycles, or a combination thereof.
However, renting items of any type is well known to those of ordinary skill and
Official Notice is hereby taken. For example, people routinely rent movies, bowling shoes, equipment, etc.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention to
have modified the system of Nitu and Maskatia to have to give customers a wide variety of rental options.
Potentially Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 19-20 would be allowable if the applicant were to possibly add claim 19 or claim 20 to the independent claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: A person of ordinary skill in the art would not have been motivated to combine several references, because the references would not be analogous art. Thus claims 19-20 would be allowable over the prior art.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DARNELL A POUNCIL whose telephone number is (571)270-3509. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 10:00 - 6:00.
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/D.A.P/Examiner, Art Unit 3622