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 .
Priority
Applicant’s claim of priority based on continuation to Application No. 17/725,313, filed on April 20, 2022, now US Patent No. 12,154,362 is acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (“IDS”) filed on 10/16/2024 was reviewed and the listed references were noted.
Drawings
The 8-page drawings have been considered and placed on record in the file.
Status of Claims
Claims 1-20 are pending.
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 time-wise 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). In order to expedite the processing/approval of the terminal disclaimer, Applicants may choose to file an electronic terminal disclaimer (eTerminal Disclaimer) by referring to the following website:
http://www.uspto.gov/patents/process/file/efs/guidance/eTD-info-I.jsp
Claims 1-20 of the instant application are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims of the parent U.S. Patent No. 12,154,362. Although the conflicting claims are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other, because claims of the instant application are generic to all that is recited in claims of the parent U.S. Patent No. 12,154,362. For example, the following chart compares Claim 2 of the instant application with Claim 1 of the parent U.S. Patent No. 12,154,362.
Instant Application
Patent Application No. 12,154,362
Claim 1. A computer-implemented method executing on data processing hardware that causes the data processing hardware to perform operations comprising:
receiving a file in a first format, the file comprising information and a plurality of regions of interest (ROIs);
converting the file into an image;
generating, using a first model, a first output, the first output comprising:
a first set of information extracted from the image; and
a first set of coordinates of the first set of information in the image;
generating, using a second model, a second output comprising a second set of coordinates for each ROI of the plurality of ROIs in the image;
generating, using the second output, an output file in a second format, the output file comprising a plurality of sections, wherein each respective section of the plurality of sections:
corresponds to an ROI of the plurality of ROIs; and
is included in the output file based on coordinates of an ROI in the second set of coordinates corresponding to the respective section; and
populating each section of the plurality of sections in the output file with a portion of the information determined to correspond with the respective section based on coordinates corresponding with the portion of the information and the coordinates of the respective section.
Claim 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second format allows the information in the output file to be searchable while it is rendered on a graphical user interface (GUI) or stored in a data storage device.
Claim 1. A method for extracting information, the method comprising:
receiving, by a processor, a file comprising information and a plurality of regions of interest (ROIs), wherein the file is in a first format;
converting, by the processor, the file into an image;
generating, by the processor, using a first model, a first output comprising a first set of information extracted from the image and a first set of coordinates of the first set of information in the image;
generating, by the processor, using a second model, a second output comprising a second set of coordinates for each ROI of the plurality of ROIs in the image;
generating, by the processor, using a third model, a third output comprising a second set of information extracted from the image and a third set of coordinates of the second set of information the image;
merging, by the processor, the first output and the third output to generate the information included in the file and a plurality of coordinates wherein the plurality of coordinates comprise coordinates for the information in the image;
generating, by the processor, an output file of a second format comprising a plurality of sections using the second output, wherein each section of the plurality of sections corresponds to an ROI of the plurality of ROIs, and each section of the plurality of sections is included in the output file based on coordinates of an ROI in the second set of coordinates corresponding to the respective section; and
populating, by the processor, each section of the plurality of sections in the output file with a portion of the information determined to correspond with the respective section based on coordinates corresponding with the portion of the information and the coordinates of the respective section,
wherein the second format allows the information in the output file to be searchable while it is rendered on a graphical user interface (GUI) or stored in a data storage device.
Allowable Subject Matter
The claims of the instant application are not rejected over prior art and will be allowed if the above-described rejection of claims based on non-statutory double patenting is resolved. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: consider Claim 1, The closest prior art reference, Selva et al. (US 11,176,443) discloses: “A computer-implemented method executing on data processing hardware that causes the data processing hardware to perform operations comprising: receiving a file in a first format, the file comprising information and a plurality of regions of interest (ROIs); converting the file into an image” (Selva, Figs. 2 and 5, and Column 6, lines 21-27, documents shown in Fig. 2, converted to image 101 may have documents in different formats, wherein the plurality of ROIs are the segmented areas in Fig. 5, shown with bounding boxes); “generating, using a first model, a first output, the first output comprising: a first set of information extracted from the image (Selva, Column 14, lines 3-9, showing the bounding box coordinates of the objects in the image); “generating, using a second model, a second output (Selva, Column 13, lines 34-41, where different models are being introduced). In an analogous field of endeavor, Schwartz et al. (US 2014/0258331) discloses “a page parameter identifying a document page that includes a graphic form field; a field parameter identifying the graphic form field; a first coordinate value for a region of interest that indicates a distance of the region of interest relative to a first coordinate of the graphic form field (e.g., a left coordinate of the region of interest relative to the left coordinate of the graphic form field); a second coordinate value for the region of interest indicating a distance of the region of interest relative to a second coordinate of the graphic form field (e.g., a top coordinate of the region of interest relative to the top coordinate of the graphic form field); a width of the region of interest; a height of the region of interest; various document identifiers identifying the documents or the forms; and a marking parameter identifying a marking property (e.g. a style of a mark, a marking length, a marking contour and a number of marks in a region”)(emphasis added). However, none of the cited prior art references, alone or in combination provides a motivation to teach the ordered combination of “generating, using the second output, an output file in a second format, the output file comprising a plurality of sections, wherein each respective section of the plurality of sections: corresponds to an ROI of the plurality of ROIs; and is included in the output file based on coordinates of an ROI in the second set of coordinates corresponding to the respective section; and populating each section of the plurality of sections in the output file with a portion of the information determined to correspond with the respective section based on coordinates corresponding with the portion of the information and the coordinates of the respective section.” Independent Claim 11 includes the above-described allowable subject matter, and therefore, not rejected over prior art. Dependent Claims 2-10 and 12-20, which depend from independent Claims 1 and 11, respectively, inherently include the above-discussed allowable subject matter, and therefore not rejected over prior art.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance”.
Conclusion and Contact Information
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant’s disclosure: Dasaprakash Krishnamurthy (US 11,854,285).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Siamak HARANDI whose telephone number is (571)270-1832. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:30 - 6:00 ET.
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/Siamak Harandi/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2662
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