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 .
Applicant(s) Response to Official Action
The response filed on 01/06/2026 has been entered and made of record.
Response to Arguments/Amendments
Presented arguments have been fully considered but some are held unpersuasive. Examiner’s response to the presented arguments follows below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Summary of Arguments:
Regarding claim 1, the Applicant argues:
“Wei fails to show or suggest any handling of ownership or transfer of ownership, as required by the claim. Instead, Wei's system functions solely as a photo-search system. Although users may upload images, ownership or transfer of rights plays no role in how the system operates, nor does Wei perform any processing related to such matters.” [Remarks: Page 10]
Goldston fails to show or suggest "automatic transfer of ownership," transfer initiated by a search request, or transfer performed by a server-side "changer" module. [Remarks: Page 10]
Whether considered separately or in combination, Wei and Goldston fail to show or suggest the limitation: “(i) the right holder processor includes a changer configured to change the right holder of the video ... to a user of the user terminal”. [Remarks: Pages 9-10]
Wei and Goldston fail to show or suggest the limitation: “(ii) a changer configured to change the right holder of the video identified by the right holder identifier associated with the video to a user of the user terminal”. [Remarks: Page 10]
Wei and Goldston fail to show or suggest the limitation: “(iii) the right holder processor is configured to accumulate preservation information onto a blockchain”. [Remarks: Page 11]
Wei and Goldston fail to show or suggest the limitation: “(iv) the preservation information includes: access information including a URL, for accessing accumulated videos; and the right holder history information”. [Remarks: Page 11]
The Examiner's proposed combination lacks any articulated rationale or motivation that would have led a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify Wei's environment-based image-retrieval system with Goldston' s NFT-oriented ownership mechanisms, particularly given that Wei contains no ownership concept to improve. [Remarks: Page 12]
Regarding claims 4-5, the Applicant argues:
“Amended independent claim 5 includes substantially similar limitations to that of amended claim 1. Thus, amended claim 5 is also allowable at least for the same reasons set forth above. By virtue of its dependence, claim 4 is also allowable at least for the same reasons.” [Remarks: Page 13]
Examiner’s Response:
Regarding claim 1, the Examiner contends:
(i-iv). The presented arguments are predicated on amended limitations that are indefinite, thereby making the argument moot. See the new rejections pertaining to the limitations in claim 1 (and claim 5), under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) below, as well as new paragraph mappings of Goldston that address the amended limitations in the 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection below.
(vii). Wei teaches retrieving and sharing mobile-captured images based on environmental context, while Goldston teaches a secure, immutable mechanism for tracking right holder identities, transferring ownership, logging right holder history, and anchoring this data to a blockchain using URLs for asset retrieval. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to integrate Goldston’s digital vault and blockchain features into Wei's searching computer network system to provide a secure, immutable method for authenticating, transferring, and monetizing the ownership rights of environmentally-tagged media content retrieved and shared by users.
Regarding claims 4-5, the Examiner contends:
See the response for claim 1 above.
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 & 4-5 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claims 1 & 5 recite the limitation: "… an inquiry about environment information about environments in which an image captured … image obtaining processor configured to obtain an image captured with one of the two or more mobile terminals, based on the inquiry received by the inquiry receiver, the image being associated … the right holder of the video identified by the right holder identifier associated with the video to a user of the user terminal;
… with the video transmitted by the transmitter …" (emphasis added to accentuate insufficient antecedent basis). It is unclear if “the image being associated” is the same image from the image obtaining processor or the inquiry. Further, it’s unclear if “the video” was intended to be the “image” that was previously mentioned or a new media item.
For the purposes of examination, the limitation is interpreted in the following:
*Every mention of “image” or “video” is interpreted as “image or video”.*
For example: “… an inquiry about environment information about environments in which an image or video captured … image obtaining processor configured to obtain the image or video captured with one of the two or more mobile terminals, based on the inquiry received by the inquiry receiver, the image or video being associated … the right holder of the image or video identified by the right holder identifier associated with the image or video to a user of the user terminal;… with the image or video transmitted by the transmitter …” (emphasis added to accentuate interpretation).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 1, 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wei (CN-105095490-A [already of record]) in view of Goldston et al., hereinafter referred to as Goldston (US 2022/0366022 A1 [already of record]).
As per claim 1, An information processor (Wei: Para. [0055] discloses a server.), comprising:
an inquiry receiver (receiver module) as hardware configured to receive, from a user terminal (mobile terminal), an inquiry about environment information about environments in which an image captured with one of two or more mobile terminals (user side terminals), the environmental information being location information, time information, weather information, temperature information, or season information (Wei: Paras. [0010], [0056], [0127] disclose a server with a receiver module for receiving a picture searching request from a mobile terminal. The server provides service for multiple user side terminals that validated users are registered with ([0123], [0131]). The request contains geographical location information and time period information.);
an image obtaining processor (search module) configured to obtain an image captured with one of the two or more mobile terminals, based on the inquiry received by the inquiry receiver (receiver module), the image being associated with the environmental information (Wei: Paras. [0011], [0016], [0057] disclose a search module that searches for and obtains multiple Target Photos that match the received location and time information. These photos are uploaded with characteristic information, including geographical longitude and latitude, shooting time, direction of travel and picture classification information.);
a right holder processor configured to performing processes of making the image associated with (stores), making the image associated with (Wei: Paras. [0015], [0058], [0061] disclose memory module stores [accumulates] the target picture in a picture database along with its associated characteristic [environmental] information.); and
a transmitter (pushing module) as hardware configured to transmit the image to the one of the two or more mobile terminals after the processes performed by the right holder processor (Wei: Paras. [0013], [0059], [0157] disclose a pushing module that pushes the processed image data back in response to the searching request. The request originates from a mobile terminal, and the response is transmitted back to that mobile terminal.),
However, Wei does not explicitly disclose “… the image being associated with the environmental information and associated with a right holder identifier that identifies a right holder as a user of the one of the two or more mobile terminals … making the image associated with the identifier and the environmental information … the image associated with the identifier, and associating preservation information with the image … wherein: the right holder processor includes a changer configured to change the right holder of the video identified by the right holder identifier associated with the video to a user of the user terminal; the changer adds a user identifier identifying the user of the user terminal in a manner associated with the right holder identifier associated with the video transmitted by the transmitter, thereby generating right holder history information indicating a history of right holder changes; the right holder processor is configured to accumulate preservation information onto a blockchain; and the preservation information includes: access information including a URL, for accessing accumulated videos; and the right holder history information.”.
Further, Goldston is in the same field of endeavor and teaches the image (media content/item) being associated with the environmental information (i.e., timestamp) and associated with a right holder identifier (ownership information) that identifies a right holder (media content owner) as a user of the one of the two or more mobile terminals (Goldston: Table 1 & Paras. [0092], [0105], [0126] disclose managing media content with associated metadata that includes creator identification, timestamp and ownership information.);
making the image (media content/item) associated with the identifier and the environmental information (Goldston: Paras. [0092], [0105], [0126] disclose uploading the media item associated with a timestamp and ownership information.);
the image associated with the identifier, and associating preservation information with the image (Goldston: Paras. [0009], [0011], [0065], [0126] disclose creating a container file in a digital vault to manage media/image content and its associated metadata, which includes ownership information [right holder identifier]. The content is associated with a non-fungible token (NFT) and recording it on a blockchain or distributed ledger to memorialize and track ownership rights. The NFT and its associated records on the blockchain represent the claimed preservation information.),
wherein:
the right holder processor includes a changer (token transaction module) configured to change the right holder of the video identified by the right holder identifier associated with the video to a user of the user terminal (Goldston: Paras. [0011], [0070], [0082], [0100] disclose a changer configured to change the right holder of the video to a new user (purchaser/new owner) during a transaction.);
the changer adds a user identifier identifying the user of the user terminal in a manner associated with the right holder identifier associated with the video transmitted by the transmitter, thereby generating right holder history information indicating a history of right holder changes (Goldston: Paras. [0080]-[0082], [0216], [0237] disclose adding the new owner's identifier while maintaining existing rights/identifiers, and logging these updates to generate right holder history information indicating a history of right holder changes (transaction log ledger tracking activity, ownership transfers, and changes).);
the right holder processor is configured to accumulate preservation information onto a blockchain (Goldston: Paras. [0009], [0217], [0232], [0238] disclose accumulating this smart contracts, transaction metadata, and ownership records [preservation information] onto a block chain.); and
the preservation information includes: access information including a URL, for accessing accumulated videos; and the right holder history information (Goldston: Para. [0238] discloses that the preservation information stored on the blockchain/NFT includes access information (a URL, pointer, or reference to the digital asset) and transaction history [right holder history information].).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, and having the teachings of Wei and Goldston before him or her, to modify the searching computer network system of Wei to include the right holder identifier associated image/video, history and preservation information features as described in Goldston. The motivation for doing so would have been to improve media authenticity during retrieval by providing a configuration that enables robust ownership-rights management tracking.
As per claim 4, Wei-Goldston disclose the information processor according to claim 3, wherein the right holder processor (Goldston: [0014] “digital vault”) is configured to reward the user of the one of the two or more mobile terminals (Goldston: Paras. [0014], [0079], [0231] disclose initiating, via the digital vault, one or more payment transactions [reward] to accounts associated with one or more user devices associated with the media content or the NFT in accordance with royalty percentages of the media content; and transmitting an alert to the NFT creator and rights holder associated with the one or more payment transactions to the accounts.).
As per claim 5, Wei discloses an information processing method implementable with an inquiry receiver as hardware, an image obtaining processor, a transmitter as hardware, and a right holder processor (Wei: Abstract; Para. [0055] discloses a server.), the method comprising:
by the inquiry receiver, receiving, from a user terminal, an inquiry about environment information about environments in which an image captured with one of two or more mobile terminals, the environmental information being location information, time information, weather information, temperature information, or season information (Wei: Paras. [0010], [0056], [0127] disclose a server with a receiver module for receiving a picture searching request from a mobile terminal. The server provides service for multiple user side terminals that validated users are registered with ([0123], [0131]). The request contains geographical location information and time period information.);
by the image obtaining processor (search module), obtaining an image captured with one of the two or more mobile terminals, based on the inquiry received by the inquiry receiver, the image being associated with the environmental information (Wei: Paras. [0011], [0016], [0057] disclose a search module that searches for and obtains multiple Target Photos that match the received location and time information. These photos are uploaded with characteristic information, including geographical longitude and latitude, shooting time, direction of travel and picture classification information.);
by the right holder processor, performing processes of making the image associated with
by the transmitter, transmitting the image to the one of the two or more mobile terminals after the processes performed by the right holder processor (Wei: Paras. [0013], [0059], [0157] disclose a pushing module that pushes the processed image data back in response to the searching request. The request originates from a mobile terminal, and the response is transmitted back to that mobile terminal.);
However, Wei does not explicitly disclose “… the image being associated with the environmental information and associated with a right holder identifier that identifies a right holder as a user of the one of the two or more mobile terminals … making the image associated with the identifier and the environmental information … the image associated with the identifier, and associating preservation information with the image … by the right holder processor, changing the right holder of the video identified by the right holder identifier associated with the video to a user of the user terminal; by the right holder processor, adding a user identifier identifying the user of the user terminal in a manner associated with the right holder identifier associated with the video transmitted by the transmitter, thereby generating right holder history information indicating a history of right holder changes; and by the right holder processor, accumulating preservation information onto a blockchain, wherein the preservation information includes: access information, including a URL, for accessing accumulated videos; and the right holder history information.”.
Further, Goldston is in the same field of endeavor and teaches the image (media content/item) being associated with the environmental information (i.e., timestamp) and associated with a right holder identifier (ownership information) that identifies a right holder (media content owner) as a user of the one of the two or more mobile terminals (Goldston: Table 1 & Paras. [0092], [0105], [0126] disclose managing media content with associated metadata that includes creator identification, timestamp and ownership information.);
making the image (media content/item) associated with the identifier and the environmental information (Goldston: Paras. [0092], [0105], [0126] disclose uploading the media item associated with a timestamp and ownership information.);
the image associated with the identifier, and associating preservation information with the image (Goldston: Paras. [0009], [0011], [0065], [0126] disclose creating a container file in a digital vault to manage media/image content and its associated metadata, which includes ownership information [right holder identifier]. The content is associated with a non-fungible token (NFT) and recording it on a blockchain or distributed ledger to memorialize and track ownership rights. The NFT and its associated records on the blockchain represent the claimed preservation information.);
by the right holder processor, changing the right holder of the video identified by the right holder identifier associated with the video to a user of the user terminal (Goldston: Paras. [0011], [0070], [0082], [0100] disclose changing the right holder of the video to a new user (purchaser/new owner) during a transaction.);
by the right holder processor, adding a user identifier identifying the user of the user terminal in a manner associated with the right holder identifier associated with the video transmitted by the transmitter, thereby generating right holder history information indicating a history of right holder changes (Goldston: Paras. [0080]-[0082], [0216], [0237] disclose adding the new owner's identifier while maintaining existing rights/identifiers, and logging these updates to generate right holder history information indicating a history of right holder changes (transaction log ledger tracking activity, ownership transfers, and changes).); and
by the right holder processor, accumulating preservation information onto a blockchain, wherein the preservation information includes: access information, including a URL, for accessing accumulated videos; and the right holder history information (Goldston: Paras. [0009], [0217], [0232], [0238] disclose accumulating this smart contracts, transaction metadata, and ownership records [preservation information] onto a block chain. The preservation information stored on the blockchain/NFT includes access information (a URL, pointer, or reference to the digital asset) and transaction history [right holder history information].).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, and having the teachings of Wei and Goldston before him or her, to modify the searching computer network system of Wei to include right holder identifier associated image/video, history and preservation information features as described in Goldston. The motivation for doing so would have been to improve media authenticity during retrieval by providing a configuration that enables robust ownership-rights management tracking.
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. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PEET DHILLON whose telephone number is (571)270-5647. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 5am-1:30pm.
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, Sath V. Perungavoor can be reached at 571-272-7455. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/PEET DHILLON/Primary Examiner
Art Unit: 2488
Date: 03-20-2026