Detailed Action
This is a Non-final Office action in response to communications received on 9/27/2024. Claims 1-20 are pending and are examined.
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 .
Drawings
The drawings, filed 9/27/2024, are acknowledged.
Provisional Priority
The provisional priority date of 1/15/2020 is acknowledged.
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 are 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.
Regarding claim 1, the claim recites “a message” in two instances, which makes later references to “the messages” unclear. Claim 12 contains similar deficiencies.
Regarding claim 1, the claim recites “a sender user” in two instances, which makes later references to “the sender user” unclear.
Claims 2-11 and 13-20 depend from claims 1 and 12, inheriting the same deficiencies and are likewise similarly rejected.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory 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 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); 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 nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA /25, or PTO/AIA /26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/process/file/efs/guidance/eTD-info-I.jsp.
Claims 1-20 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1, 11-19 and 21 of U.S. Patent No. US 12,105,842 B1 (Dods). Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the claims of the present application are taught by the use of synonyms and change of limitation order from the patent identified above.
Application 18/900,564
Patent No. US 12,105,842 B1
1. A method of bidirectional authenticated two-way messaging between users using verifiable credentials at multiple secure web endpoints, the method comprising:
administering user credentialing, comprising:
providing a verifiable presentation of a received credential received from a user or a trusted identity authenticator on behalf of the user,
the verifiable presentation including an electronic presentation of one or more instances of electronic evidence (a) personally identifying the user and (b) supporting credentialling issued to the user, or (c) a claim that the user is associated with a digital endpoint from which a message originates for a sender user or to which the message is sent for a recipient user,
wherein the user is seeking to send the message originating at a first digital endpoint, or seeking to receive the message at a second digital endpoint;
and mediating, by a mediator, message transmission, the mediation comprising: sending a message on behalf of a sender user seeking to send the message, generate a link containing query parameters uniquely identifying the message, including (x) a decentralized identifier (DID) of the sender user, (y) a universally unique identifier (UUID) of the verifiable presentation of the sender user, and (z) an authentication information, and send to a digital endpoint identified by the sender user to receive the message,
a combination of (a) the link, (b) the verifiable presentation, and (c) the message.
1. …bidirectional authenticated two-way messaging between users using verifiable credentials at multiple secure web endpoints, which instructions when executed by the one or more hardware processors implement:
a user credentialing administration logic, configured to:
provide a verifiable presentation of a received credential received from a user or a trusted identity authenticator on behalf of the user,
the verifiable presentation including an electronic presentation of one or more instances of electronic evidence (a) personally identifying the user and (b) supporting any credentialing issued to the user, or (c) a claim that the user is indeed associated with a digital endpoint from which a message originates for a sender user or to which the message is sent for a recipient user,
wherein the user is seeking to send the message originating at a first digital endpoint, or seeking to receive the message at a second digital endpoint; and
a message exchange logic, configured to: (i) for sending a message on behalf of a sender user seeking to send the message, generate a link containing query parameters uniquely identifying the message, including (x) a decentralized identifier (DID) of the sender user, (y) a universally unique identifier (UUID) of the verifiable presentation, and (z) an authentication information, and send to a digital endpoint identified by the sender user to receive the message,
a combination of (a) the link, (b) the verifiable presentation, and (c) the message; and
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mediator comprises a server; and wherein neither the user seeking to send a message nor the user seeking to validate a received message need to establish an account on the server.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein the message exchange logic is embodied by a server; and wherein neither the user seeking to send a message nor the user seeking to validate a received message need to establish an account on the server.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mediating message transmission further includes maintaining at least one of a whitelist and a blacklist for users.
12. The system of claim 1, wherein the message exchange logic further maintains at least one of a whitelist and a blacklist for users.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mediating message transmission further includes maintaining at least one of a whitelist and a blacklist of credential types.
13. The system of claim 1, wherein the message exchange logic further maintains at least one of a whitelist and a blacklist of credential types.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the administering user credentialing further includes logging the verifiable presentation for future auditability when the link is sent.
14. The system of claim 1, wherein the user credentialing administration logic further logs the verifiable presentation for future auditability when the link is sent.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein a verifiable presentation for the recipient is generated separately and pasted into a web portal.
15. The system of claim 1, wherein the verifiable presentation for the recipient user is generated separately and pasted into the web portal.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein a web portal delegates access to a service facilitating administering user credentialing.
16. The system of claim 1, wherein the web portal delegates access to the user credentialing administration logic and verifiable credential of the recipient user.
8. The method of claim 1, further including transmission of verifiable credentials to a cryptographic wallet for storage on behalf of one or more of the sender user and the recipient user.
17. The system of claim 1, further including a cryptographic wallet storing verifiable credentials on behalf of one or more of the sender user and the recipient user.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein credentialing information does not need to be received from either user to send the message.
18. The system of claim 1, wherein the sender user and the recipient user have no prior knowledge of each other.
10. The method of claim 1, further including a web portal presenting a form for gathering, from the recipient, information requested by the sender user in the message, and sending information as gathered from the recipient user to the sender user in a response message.
19. The system of claim 1, further including the web portal presenting a form for gathering from the recipient user, information requested by the sender user in the message, and sending information as gathered from the recipient user to the sender user in the response message.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the verifiable credential (VC) includes a VC type selected from a set of VC types including a self-sovereign or an entity-sovereign, a World Wide Web Consortium (w3c) adherent, a Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP), a Key Event Receipt Infrastructure (KERI) microledger based, a partially obscured or a fractional VC and a Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) or a Global Legal Entity Identifier (GLEIF) adherent.
21. The system of claim 1, wherein the verifiable credential (VC) includes a VC type selected from of a set of VC types including a self-sovereign or an entity-sovereign, a World Wide Web Consortium (w3c) adherent, a Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP), a Key Event Receipt Infrastructure (KERI) microledger based, a partially obscured or a fractional VC and a Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) or a Global Legal Entity Identifier (GLEIF) adherent.
12. A method of bidirectional authenticated two-way messaging between users using verifiable credentials at multiple secure web endpoints, the method comprising:
administering user credentialing, comprising:
providing a verifiable presentation of a received credential received from a user or a trusted identity authenticator on behalf of the user,
the verifiable presentation including an electronic presentation of one or more instances of electronic evidence (a) personally identifying the user and (b) supporting credentialling issued to the user, or (c) a claim that the user is associated with a digital endpoint from which a message originates for a sender user or to which the message is sent for a recipient user,
wherein the user is seeking to send the message originating at a first digital endpoint, or seeking to receive the message at a second digital endpoint; and
mediating, by a mediator, message transmission, the mediation comprising: receiving a message on behalf of a recipient user seeking to receive the message,
verifying the verifiable presentation of a sender and based on the verification, providing a link to the recipient user,
the link directing the recipient user to a web portal to receive a recipient verifiable presentation from or on behalf of the recipient user, and
based on the verification, providing the recipient user with access to the message, and notifying the sender user with a response message.
1. …bidirectional authenticated two-way messaging between users using verifiable credentials at multiple secure web endpoints, which instructions when executed by the one or more hardware processors implement:
a user credentialing administration logic, configured to:
provide a verifiable presentation of a received credential received from a user or a trusted identity authenticator on behalf of the user,
the verifiable presentation including an electronic presentation of one or more instances of electronic evidence (a) personally identifying the user and (b) supporting any credentialing issued to the user, or (c) a claim that the user is indeed associated with a digital endpoint from which a message originates for a sender user or to which the message is sent for a recipient user,
wherein the user is seeking to send the message originating at a first digital endpoint, or seeking to receive the message at a second digital endpoint; and
a message exchange logic, configured to:…(ii) for receiving a message on behalf of a recipient user seeking to receive the message,
verify the verifiable presentation and if verifiable, provide the link to the recipient user,
the link directing the recipient user to a web portal to receive a recipient verifiable presentation from or on behalf of the recipient user, and
if verifiable, provide the recipient user with access to the message, and notify the sender user with a response message;
13. The method of claim 12, wherein mediator comprises a server; and wherein neither the user seeking to send a message nor the user seeking to validate a received message need to establish an account on the server.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein the message exchange logic is embodied by a server; and wherein neither the user seeking to send a message nor the user seeking to validate a received message need to establish an account on the server.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the mediating message transmission further includes maintaining at least one of a whitelist and a blacklist for users.
12. The system of claim 1, wherein the message exchange logic further maintains at least one of a whitelist and a blacklist for users.
15. The method of claim 12, wherein the mediating message transmission further includes maintaining at least one of a whitelist and a blacklist of credential types.
13. The system of claim 1, wherein the message exchange logic further maintains at least one of a whitelist and a blacklist of credential types.
16. The method of claim 12, wherein the administering user credentialing further includes logging the verifiable presentation for future auditability when the link is sent.
14. The system of claim 1, wherein the user credentialing administration logic further logs the verifiable presentation for future auditability when the link is sent.
17. The method of claim 12, wherein the recipient verifiable presentation is generated separately and pasted into the web portal.
15. The system of claim 1, wherein the verifiable presentation for the recipient user is generated separately and pasted into the web portal.
18. The method of claim 12, wherein the web portal delegates access to a service administering user credentialing and verifiable credential of the recipient.
16. The system of claim 1, wherein the web portal delegates access to the user credentialing administration logic and verifiable credential of the recipient user.
19. The method of claim 12, further including the web portal presenting a form for gathering, from the recipient, information requested by the sender user in the message, and sending information as gathered from the recipient user to the sender user in the response message.
19. The system of claim 1, further including the web portal presenting a form for gathering from the recipient user, information requested by the sender user in the message, and sending information as gathered from the recipient user to the sender user in the response message.
20. The method of claim 12, wherein the verifiable credential (VC) includes a VC type selected from a set of VC types including a self-sovereign or an entity-sovereign, a World Wide Web Consortium (w3c) adherent, a Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP), a Key Event Receipt Infrastructure (KERI) microledger based, a partially obscured or a fractional VC and a Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) or a Global Legal Entity Identifier (GLEIF) adherent.
21. The system of claim 1, wherein the verifiable credential (VC) includes a VC type selected from of a set of VC types including a self-sovereign or an entity-sovereign, a World Wide Web Consortium (w3c) adherent, a Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP), a Key Event Receipt Infrastructure (KERI) microledger based, a partially obscured or a fractional VC and a Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) or a Global Legal Entity Identifier (GLEIF) adherent.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BLAKE ISAAC NARRAMORE whose telephone number is (303)297-4357. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday 0700-1700 MT.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Taghi T Arani can be reached on (571) 272-3787. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see https://ppair-my.uspto.gov/pair/PrivatePair. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/BLAKE I NARRAMORE/Examiner, Art Unit 2438