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 Status
Claims 1-20 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-2, 4-7, 9-15, and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to a grouping abstract idea without significantly more. The claims, as exemplified by independent Claim 1, recite limitations which are directed an abstract idea such as:
1. A player tracking unit comprising:
a player identification card reader;
at least one of a first image capture device and a second image capture device;
a first communication interface operable to communicate with a server of a gaming establishment patron management system;
a second communication interface operable to communicate with a server of a gaming establishment cashless wagering system;
a third communication interface operable to serially communicate, in accordance with a slot accounting system protocol, with a master gaming controller of an electronic gaming machine;
a processor; and
a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
responsive to a receipt of a player identification card by the player identification card reader, communicate, via the first communication interface and to the server of the gaming establishment patron management system, data associated with an identifier of a first user read from the player identification card, wherein when the identifier of the first user is read from the player identification card, no gaming establishment cashless wagering account is available to fund for the first user, -certain method of organizing human activity;
following an occurrence of a gaming establishment account event after the identifier of the first user is read from the player identification card and responsive to first facial recognition data associated with an image of a presented picture identification document comprising a picture of a second user is obtained from the first image capture device, and second facial recognition data associated with an image of a third user is obtained from the second image capture device, communicate, via the second communication interface, the first facial recognition data and the second facial recognition data to the server of the gaming establishment cashless wagering system, wherein responsive to a determination that, based on a comparison of the first facial recognition data and the second facial recognition data, the second user and the third user are a same user, an identity of the first user is automatically verified in association with a gaming establishment cashless wagering account, wherein the determination that the second user and the third user are the first user occurs independent of any gaming establishment personnel, the verified gaming establishment cashless wagering account is available to fund, -certain method of organizing human activity and/or mental process; and the at least one of the first image capture device and the second image capture device is supported by a housing of the electronic gaming machine and
after a funding of the gaming establishment cashless wagering account and a receipt, -certain method of organizing human activity; via the second communication interface and from the server of the gaming establishment cashless wagering system, of data associated with an approval of a transfer of an amount of funds from the gaming establishment cashless wagering account to the electronic gaming machine, data associated with an identifier of a first user read from the player identification card, wherein when the identifier of the first user is read from the player identification card, no gaming establishment cashless wagering account is available to fund for the first user, -certain method of organizing human activity; serially communicate, via the third communication interface and to the master gaming controller of the electronic gaming machine, data that results in an increase of a credit balance of the electronic gaming machine. -certain method of organizing human activity;
The limitations, as underlined above, are found to recite a certain method of organizing human activity because they recite steps and/or instructions for managing a cashless wagering system to provide a fundamental economic activity for opening a gaming establishment cashless gaming account and funding a credit balance. Additionally, the claims recite steps and/or instructions for collecting information, analyzing the collected information, and transmitting the collected and analyzed information and/or mental processes by performing an observation, judgement, evaluation, and/or opinion to compare and determine whether the collected data indicates that the second and third user are the same user to verify a cashless wagering account. Therefore, the claims are found to recite an abstract idea under Step 2A-prong 1.
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because the additional limitations such as: “responsive to a receipt of a player identification card by the player identification card reader, communicate, via the first communication interface and to the server of the gaming establishment patron management system, data associated with an identifier of a first user read from the player identification card, wherein when the identifier of the first user is read from the player identification card, no gaming establishment cashless wagering account is available to fund for the first use;” -recites a rule and/or instructions for creating a fundamental economic transactions, data gathering steps, and/or a desired result of computer-implemented functionality by invoking highly generalized computer components performing their ordinary function which amounts to mere instructions to apply the exception (see MPEP 2106.05(f)-(h));
“following an occurrence of a gaming establishment account event after the identifier of the first user is read from the player identification card and responsive to first facial recognition data associated with an image of a presented picture identification document comprising a picture of a second user is obtained from the first image capture device, and second facial recognition data associated with an image of a third user is obtained from the second image capture device, communicate, via the second communication interface, the first facial recognition data and the second facial recognition data to the server of the gaming establishment cashless wagering system,” – recites a rule and/or instruction for managing a gaming establishment cashless account associated with a credit balance, data gathering of a first image capture device and second capture device; and reciting a desired functional result utilizing general functions of the highly generalized computer components that amount to mere instructions to implement the abstract idea, insignificant extra solution activity, and/or provide a technological environment (see MPEP 2106.05(f)-(h));
“after a funding of the gaming establishment cashless wagering account and a receipt, via the second communication interface and from the server of the gaming establishment cashless wagering system, of data associated with an approval of a transfer of an amount of funds from the gaming establishment cashless wagering account to the electronic gaming machine, data associated with an identifier of a first user read from the player identification card, wherein when the identifier of the first user is read from the player identification card, no gaming establishment cashless wagering account is available to fund for the first user, serially communicate, via the third communication interface and to the master gaming controller of the electronic gaming machine, data that results in an increase of a credit balance of the electronic gaming machine” – recites rules and/or instructions for managing a gaming establishment cashless account for funding a credit balance; a desired functional result of data by highly-generalized general functions of recited computer components such as a communication interface of information being transmitted over a network that amounts to mere instructions to apply the exception, insignificant extra solution activity, and/or provide a technological environment in which to perform the abstract idea (see MPEP 2106.05(f)-(h)).
The remaining limitations such as: “A player tracking unit comprising: a player identification card reader; at least one of a first image capture device and a second image capture device;” “a first communication interface operable to communicate with a server of a gaming establishment patron management system;” “a second communication interface operable to communicate with a server of a gaming establishment cashless wagering system;” “a third communication interface operable to serially communicate, in accordance with a slot accounting system protocol, with a master gaming controller of an electronic gaming machine;” “a processor”, and “a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:” as reciting instructions to invoke a computer as a tool to implement the abstract idea, recite performance of insignificant extra solution activity of the abstract idea and/or provide a technological environment to perform the abstract idea (see MPEP 2106.05(f)-(h)). In particular, the additional elements such as “a player tracking card reader”, “at least one of a first image capture device and a second image capture device;” “a first communication interface operable to communicate with a server of a player tracking system”, “a second communication interface operable to communicate with a server of a gaming establishment cashless wagering system;” “a third communication interface operably to serially communicate, in accordance with a slot accounting system protocol, with a master gaming controller of an electronic gaming machine;” recite steps and/or instructions to invoke a computer to implement the abstract idea and/or provide a technological environment in which to perform the abstract idea (see MPEP 2106.05(f),(h)). The remaining elements such as “a processor”, and “a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:” amounts to invoking highly generalized computer components to implement the abstract idea and/or a technological environment in which to perform the abstract idea (see MPEP 2106.05(f) and (h)). For at least these reasons, the claims do not integrate the claim into a practical application under Step 2A-prong 2.
The claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because “a player tracking card reader”, “at least one of a first image capture device and a second image capture device”, “a first communication interface operable to communicate with a server of a gaming establishment cashless wagering system”, “a second communication interface operable to communicate with a server of a gaming establishment cashless wagering system”, “a third communication interface operable to serially communicate, in accordance with a slot accounting system protocol, with a master gaming controller of an electronic gaming machine”, “a processor”, “a memory device” and “a housing of the electronic gaming machine” amount to invoking a computer as a tool to implement the abstract idea, add insignificant extra solution activity to the judicial exception by mere data gathering in conjunction with the abstract idea, and/or provide technological environment in which to perform the abstract idea (see MPEP 2106.05(f)-(h)). For instance, the first and second image capture devices are described and used in the Specification indicate the general and commercial availability of these components which perform their ordinary function to gather and capture information (see Specification, 0022-0023, 0027-0029, 0032, 0134,0142 wherein any suitable number of data capture devices may be employed; wherein the mobile devices are described as a smartphone, tablet, desktop, laptops which are highly generalized commercially available computing devices). The additional elements such as a first communication interface to communicate with a server, a second communication interface, and a third communication interface when viewed individually and/or as a collection of elements amount to highly generalized computer components for a data network which have been invoked as a tool to implement the abstract idea and when viewed as a collection of elements provide a technological environment in which to perform the abstract idea. Moreover, Keilwert (US 9,269,216 B2) discloses that it is known to add a camera in an electronic gaming machine for identifying a player for security reasons (see Keilwert, col. 1: ln 21-36). Additionally, Rowe et al. (US 2005/0170890 A1) discloses that conventional gaming systems have employed player tracking devices to assign a player with an identification, to determine the identity of the player, and to use data related to the dollar amount, wagers, winnings, and habits of the player (see Rowe, 0002, 0039). It follows, that these additional elements do not amount to significantly more because they merely recite highly-generalized computer components to invoke a general-purpose computer to implement the abstract idea and/or a technological environment similar to Alice v. CLS. For at least these reasons, the claims do not amount to significantly more than the abstract idea under Step 2B.
Independent claims 9 and 13 recite substantially the same subject matter as recited above and are found to be directed to a grouping of abstract ideas without significantly more for substantially the same reasons as Independent Claim 1.
Regarding dependent claims 2-8, 10-12, and 14-20 have been reviewed and analyzed and found to merely recite additional steps of the abstract idea (see MPEP 2106.04(a), steps to invoke general computer components to implement the abstract idea, extra solution activity, and/or a technological environment in which to perform the abstract idea (see MPEP 2106.05(f)-(h)). For at least these reasons, Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 USC 101 for being directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
Conclusion
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/RYAN HSU/EXAMINER, Art Unit 3715
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