DETAILED ACTION
This communication is a first Office Action Non-Final rejection on the merits. Claims 1-20 as originally filed are currently pending and are considered below.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on November 25, 2024 and August 21, 2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. The claim(s) recite(s):
a storage device configured to store membership identification information of a member and settlement medium information of the member in association with biometric information of the member;
a reading device configured to read biometric information from a user; and a transaction processing device configured to: receive the biometric information of the user read by the reading device;
acquire information from the storage device when the received biometric information of the user matches biometric information of the member stored in the storage device; and
settle a transaction of the user without additional authentication if the acquired information from the storage device includes a member ID and settlement medium information.
The claim(s) recite(s) retrieving membership and payment data based on authenticated biometric input from a customer to provide payment.
The limitation of settle a transaction of the user without additional authentication if the acquired information from the storage device includes a member ID and settlement medium information, as drafted is a process that under its broadest reasonable interpretation, is a sales activity conducted by generic computer components. That is, nothing in the claim element precludes the step from practically being performed by a generic computer component.
If a claim limitation, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, covers performance of the limitation as sales activity using generic computer components, then it falls within the “Organizing Human Activity” grouping of abstract ideas. Accordingly, the claim recites an abstract idea.
The claims include the additional elements of a storage device, a reading device and a transaction processing device all of which are recited at a high level of generality (i.e., as a generic processor performing a generic computer function of displaying received information) such that it amounts no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component. Accordingly, these additional element does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it does not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. The claim is directed to an abstract idea.
For example the storage device is recited to store data, which is a generic computer function of storing data. The reading device performs the generic function of receiving information and the transaction processing device is a generic computer component for processing information and settling a transaction.
The claim(s) do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. As discussed above with respect to integration of the abstract idea into a practical application. Mere instructions to apply an exception using a generic computer component cannot provide an inventive concept. The claim is not patent eligible.
A similar analysis has been applied to claims 11 and 18 which recites essentially the same abstract idea as in claim 1. Claim 11 includes the additional elements of a communication interface and a device interface each configured to connect to storage device and a reading device and a processor. However, these additional elements are recited at a high‐level of generality (i.e., as a generic processors performing a generic computer functions) such that they amount to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using generic computer components. Accordingly, these additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because they do not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. The claim is directed to an abstract idea. Similarly, the claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. As discussed above with respect to integration of the abstract idea into a practical application, the additional elements of the communication interface, a device interface and processor amount to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using generic computer components. Mere instructions to apply an exception using a generic computer component cannot provide an inventive concept. When considering the claim as a whole, the claim is not patent eligible.
The dependent claims also are patent ineligible. Claims 2-10 and 17‐20 further describe the abstract idea with limitations directed to storing a value, performing a different process, receive a payment selection, pre-registered credit card information, electronic money information, defining the reading device, defining the storage device and defining the transaction processing device.
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 pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter 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 pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) 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.
Claims 1-9, 11-20 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Hawkins U.S. Patent Application Publication 2007/0162337 in view of Tagawa U.S. Patent Application Publication 2025/0086632.
As per Claim 1, Hawkins discloses a transaction processing system, comprising:
a storage device configured to store membership identification information of a member and settlement medium information of the member in association with biometric information of the member (Figure 2, Incentive Management System 165);
a reading device configured to read biometric information from a user (Figure 1, Biometric access point 120); and
a transaction processing device (Figure 1, ECR 110) configured to:
receive the biometric information of the user read by the reading device (pg.6, ¶ [0030] discusses the customer places his finger on the BAP 120 which then captures and produces a representation of the image of the customer's fingerprint);
acquire information from the storage device when the received biometric information of the user matches biometric information of the member stored in the storage device (pg.5, ¶ [0027] discusses at step 310, the biometric authentication server 275 receives the customer's biometric information (and personal number) and interacts with the biometric database 280 using known methods of comparing biometric in formation (and utilizing personal numbers) to confirm a successful biometric comparison and obtain a customer identifier (e.g., user identification number used internally in the IMS 165, etc.); and
settle a transaction of the user without additional authentication if the acquired information from the storage device includes a member ID and settlement medium information (pg.6, ¶ [0030] discusses the biometric authentication server 275 may return a representation of the customer's electronic wallet that includes the customer's loyalty identification information and payment information ( e.g., credit cards, debit cards, checking account, etc.) to the BAP 120…payment information received by the ECR in step 445 is transmitted to a payment processor such as 155 and 160 for final payment authorization).
Hawkins teaches an incentive management system coupled to a merchant loyalty program that includes a customer segmentation database 220 that provides spending level information for each of the merchant's customers as identified by their merchant loyalty and authorizing a customer biometrically for a payment transaction at the merchant POS 105.
However, Hawkins fails to explicitly state a storage device configured to store membership identification information of a member and settlement medium information of the member in association with biometric information of the member.
Tagawa teaches a storage device configured to store membership identification information of a member and settlement medium information of the member in association with biometric information of the member (pg.6, ¶ [0092] discusses the biometric information and the member information are associated with the user ID, and are managed, for each store, by the member DB 112 of the server 10 and the face information DB 41 of the authentication apparatus 40).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary still in the art to include in Hawkins reference the ability to store biometric, membership and payment information together as taught by Tagawa since the claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements, and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable.
As per Claim 2, Hawkins discloses the transaction processing system according to claim 1, wherein the transaction processing device is further configured to:
store a value indicating a first state in a state storage unit if the acquired information from the storage device includes the member ID and the settlement medium information (pg.6, ¶ [0030] discusses the PIN pad 115 may forward the payment information and loyalty information to the ECR 110…when the merchant employee scans a product into the ECR 110, the ECR 110 may transmit the customer's loyalty information (e.g., loyalty identification number) and product information (e.g., UPC code) to the incentive redemption controller 140 which then determines whether such a product is eligible for a discount under the customer's activated targeted offers);
The cited portion discloses the payment information and member ID allows for targeted offers to be presented.
store a value indicating a second state in the state storage unit if the acquired information from the storage device includes just the member ID (pg.6, ¶ [0031] discusses the communication staging server 255 may submit the customer's merchant loyalty identification number as received directly from the merchant POS 105 to the targeted offers server 245 to obtain the customer's targeted offers from the customer targeted offers database 250 which it then forwards to the incentive redemption controller 140 in step 430);
The cited portion discloses where the stored loyalty number is stored to retrieve offers.
and
store a value indicating a third state in the state storage unit if the acquired information included neither the member ID nor the settlement medium information (pg.6, ¶ [0031] discusses a customer may slide or scan his merchant loyalty card through the payment terminal 115 and/or ECR 110 (or enter his loyalty member or other identification member such as a phone number into the payment terminal 115 and/or ECR 110) which will transmit the customer's merchant loyalty number directly to the communication staging server 255 of the IMS 165, thereby obviating the need for biometric authentication and extraction of the electronic wallet).
The cited portion discloses where the membership number is entered and the electronic wallet information is not stored.
As per Claim 3, Hawkins disclose the transaction processing system according to claim 2, wherein the transaction processing device performs a different process depending on the value stored in the state storage unit (pg.6, ¶ [0030] discusses the incentive redemption controller 140 identifies that a product is eligible for a discount, it transmits the discount information to ECR 110 for deduction off the price charged to the customer).
The cited portion of Hawkins teaches a system and method that conducts a discount for an eligible product, which is different from the process when biometric information is not captured/stored and the merchant loyalty card is read instead. See pg.6, ¶ [0031]
As per Claim 4, Hawkins discloses the transaction processing system according to claim 3. Hawkins is directed toward a biometrically enhanced infrastructure architecture for activating and redeeming personal incentives and conducting biometric payment transactions at a merchant location.
However, Hawkins fails to disclose wherein the transaction processing device is further configured to receive a selection of a credit card payment as a payment method for settling the transaction with the user.
Tagawa teaches wherein the transaction processing device is further configured to receive a selection of a credit card payment as a payment method for settling the transaction with the user (pg.5, ¶ [0081] discusses when the payment information having a higher priority is electronic money and the electronic money is insufficient in balance, the processing control unit 363 can output information for causing a user to select whether to pay by electronic money by charging or to use the payment information having a next high priority).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of point of sale transactions before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Hawkins to include the ability to select a payment vehicle as taught by Tagawa to provide a processing apparatus that includes a managing unit that manages, for each store, biometric information of a user and member information in association with each other. Abstract
As per Claim 5, Hawkins discloses the transaction processing system according to claim 1, wherein the settlement medium information is information about a pre-registered credit card of the user associated with the member ID (pg.4, ¶ [0026] discusses personal information may be submitted to the IMS 165 by the customer in order to create an electronic wallet to facilitate the purchasing of goods through biometric authentication at the merchant POS 105. Such further personal information may include, in addition to the merchant loyalty identification number, financial account information (e.g., credit account data, debit account data, checking account data).
As per Claim 6, Hawkins discloses the transaction processing system according to claim 1. Hawkins further teaches an electronic wallet server that provides access to customer electronic wallets stored in electronic wallet database.
However, Hawkins fails to disclose wherein the settlement medium information is information about an electronic money account of the user associated with the member ID.
Tagawa teaches wherein the settlement medium information is information about an electronic money account of the user associated with the member ID (pg.5, ¶ [0080] discusses payment information such as a valid credit card that can be used for payment and electronic money can be registered in advance at a time of member registration).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of point of sale transactions before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Hawkins to include the ability to store electronic money with a membership as taught by Tagawa to provide a processing apparatus that includes a managing unit that manages, for each store, biometric information of a user and member information in association with each other. Abstract
As per Claim 7, Hawkins discloses the transaction processing system according to claim 1. Hawkins teaches a customer segment profile (e.g. spend of a customer, frequency of visits of a customer, etc.) which customers must satisfy to be offered such personal incentive.
However, Hawkins fails to disclose wherein the acquired information includes an accumulated point total associated with the member ID.
Tagawa teaches wherein the acquired information includes an accumulated point total associated with the member ID (pg.5, ¶ [0078] discusses the information desired to be notified to a user is a point given in current shopping, a cumulative value of the points given in a predetermined period, a coupon usable for next shopping, or the like).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of point of sale transactions before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Hawkins to include the ability to track membership points as taught by Tagawa to provide a processing apparatus that includes a managing unit that manages, for each store, biometric information of a user and member information in association with each other. Abstract
As per Claim 8, Hawkins discloses the transaction processing system according to claim 1, wherein the reading device is a fingerprint reader (pg.5, ¶ [0027] discusses The customer may place his finger on the biometric scanner on the loyalty kiosk 170 which then captures and produces a representation of the image of the customer's fingerprint).
As per Claim 9, Hawkins discloses he transaction processing system according to claim 1, wherein the storage device is a customer management server connected via a network to a plurality of transaction processing devices (pg.2, ¶ [0018] discusses both the ECR 110 and the BAP 120 (and the other SAP and ECRs for other POS stations if the merchant has multiple checkout lanes, such as in a supermarket) may be further coupled through a hub 130 to the merchant's specific store controller 135 and an incentive redemption controller 140).
As per Claim 11, Hawkins discloses a transaction processing device, comprising:
a communication interface configured to connect to a storage device that stores membership identification information of a member and settlement medium information of the member in association with biometric information of the member (Figure 2, Incentive Management System 165);
a device interface configured to connect to a reading device that reads biometric information from a user (Figure 1, Biometric access point 120);
a processor configured to:
receive, via the device interface, the biometric information of the user read by the reading device (pg.6, ¶ [0030] discusses the customer places his finger on the BAP 120 which then captures and produces a representation of the image of the customer's fingerprint);
acquire, via the communication interface, information from the storage device when the received biometric information of the user matches biometric information of the member stored in the storage device (pg.5, ¶ [0027] discusses at step 310, the biometric authentication server 275 receives the customer's biometric information (and personal number) and interacts with the biometric database 280 using known methods of comparing biometric in formation (and utilizing personal numbers) to confirm a successful biometric comparison and obtain a customer identifier (e.g., user identification number used internally in the IMS 165, etc.); and
settle a transaction of the user without additional authentication if the acquired information from the storage device includes a member ID and settlement medium information (pg.6, ¶ [0030] discusses the biometric authentication server 275 may return a representation of the customer's electronic wallet that includes the customer's loyalty identification information and payment information ( e.g., credit cards, debit cards, checking account, etc.) to the BAP 120…payment information received by the ECR in step 445 is transmitted to a payment processor such as 155 and 160 for final payment authorization).
Hawkins teaches an incentive management system coupled to a merchant loyalty program that includes a customer segmentation database 220 that provides spending level information for each of the merchant's customers as identified by their merchant loyalty and authorizing a customer biometrically for a payment transaction at the merchant POS 105.
However, Hawkins fails to explicitly state a storage device configured to store membership identification information of a member and settlement medium information of the member in association with biometric information of the member.
Tagawa teaches a storage device configured to store membership identification information of a member and settlement medium information of the member in association with biometric information of the member (pg.6, ¶ [0092] discusses the biometric information and the member information are associated with the user ID, and are managed, for each store, by the member DB 112 of the server 10 and the face information DB 41 of the authentication apparatus 40).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary still in the art to include in Hawkins reference the ability to store biometric, membership and payment information together as taught by Tagawa since the claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements, and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable.
As per Claim 12, Hawkins discloses the transaction processing device according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: store a value indicating a first state in a state storage unit if the acquired information from the storage device includes the member ID and the settlement medium information (pg.6, ¶ [0030] discusses the PIN pad 115 may forward the payment information and loyalty information to the ECR 110…when the merchant employee scans a product into the ECR 110, the ECR 110 may transmit the customer's loyalty information (e.g., loyalty identification number) and product information (e.g., UPC code) to the incentive redemption controller 140 which then determines whether such a product is eligible for a discount under the customer's activated targeted offers);
The cited portion discloses the payment information and member ID allows for targeted offers to be presented.
store a value indicating a second state in the state storage unit if the acquired information from the storage device includes just the member ID (pg.6, ¶ [0031] discusses the communication staging server 255 may submit the customer's merchant loyalty identification number as received directly from the merchant POS 105 to the targeted offers server 245 to obtain the customer's targeted offers from the customer targeted offers database 250 which it then forwards to the incentive redemption controller 140 in step 430);
The cited portion discloses where the stored loyalty number is stored to retrieve offers.
and
store a value indicating a third state in the state storage unit if the acquired information included neither the member ID nor the settlement medium information (pg.6, ¶ [0031] discusses example those with ordinary skill in the art will recognize that a customer may slide or scan his merchant loyalty card through the payment terminal 115 and/or ECR 110 (or enter his loyalty member or other identification m1mber such as a phone number into the payment terminal 115 and/or ECR 110) which will transmit the customer's merchant loyalty number directly to the communication staging server 255 of the IMS 165, thereby obviating the need for biometric authentication and extraction of the electronic wallet).
The cited portion discloses where the membership number is entered and the electronic wallet information is not stored.
As per Claim 13, Hawkins discloses the transaction processing device according to claim 12, wherein the processor performs a different process depending on the value stored in the state storage unit (pg.6, ¶ [0030] discusses the incentive redemption controller 140 identifies that a product is eligible for a discount, it transmits the discount information to ECR 110 for deduction off the price charged to the customer).
The cited portion of Hawkins teaches a system and method that conducts a discount for an eligible product, which is different from the process when biometric information is not captured/stored and the merchant loyalty card is read instead. See pg.6, ¶ [0031]
As per Claim 14, Hawkins discloses the transaction processing device according to claim 12.
Hawkins is directed toward a biometrically enhanced infrastructure architecture for activating and redeeming personal incentives and conducting biometric payment transactions at a merchant location.
However, Hawkins fails to disclose wherein the processor is further configured to receive, via a user input device, a selection of a credit card payment as a payment method for settling the transaction with the user.
Tagawa teaches wherein the processor is further configured to receive, via a user input device, a selection of a credit card payment as a payment method for settling the transaction with the user (pg.5, ¶ [0081] discusses when the payment information having a higher priority is electronic money and the electronic money is insufficient in balance, the processing control unit 363 can output information for causing a user to select whether to pay by electronic money by charging or to use the payment information having a next high priority).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of point of sale transactions before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Hawkins to include the ability to select a payment vehicle as taught by Tagawa to provide a processing apparatus that includes a managing unit that manages, for each store, biometric information of a user and member information in association with each other. Abstract
As per Claim 15, Hawkins discloses the transaction processing device according to claim 11, wherein the settlement medium information is information about a pre-registered credit card of the user associated with the member ID (pg.4, ¶ [0026] discusses personal information may be submitted to the IMS 165 by the customer in order to create an electronic wallet to facilitate the purchasing of goods through biometric authentication at the merchant POS 105. Such further personal information may include, in addition to the merchant loyalty identification number, financial account information (e.g., credit account data, debit account data, checking account data).
As per Claim 16, Hawkins teaches the transaction processing device according to claim 11.
Hawkins further teaches an electronic wallet server that provides access to customer electronic wallets stored in electronic wallet database.
However, Hawkins fails to disclose wherein the settlement medium information is information about an electronic money account of the user associated with the member ID.
Tagawa teaches wherein the settlement medium information is information about an electronic money account of the user associated with the member ID (pg.5, ¶ [0080] discusses payment information such as a valid credit card that can be used for payment and electronic money can be registered in advance at a time of member registration).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of point of sale transactions before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Hawkins to include the ability to store electronic money with a membership as taught by Tagawa to provide a processing apparatus that includes a managing unit that manages, for each store, biometric information of a user and member information in association with each other. Abstract
As per Claim 17, Hawkins teaches the transaction processing device according to claim 11. Hawkins teaches a customer segment profile (e.g., spend of a customer, frequency of visits of a customer, etc.) which customers must satisfy to be offered such personal incentive.
However, Hawkins fails to disclose wherein the acquired information includes an accumulated point total associated with the member ID.
Tagawa teaches wherein the acquired information includes an accumulated point total associated with the member ID (pg.5, ¶ [0078] discusses the information desired to be notified to a user is a point given in current shopping, a cumulative value of the points given in a predetermined period, a coupon usable for next shopping, or the like).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of point of sale transactions before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Hawkins to include the ability to track membership points as taught by Tagawa to provide a processing apparatus that includes a managing unit that manages, for each store, biometric information of a user and member information in association with each other. Abstract
As per Claim 18, Hawkins discloses a non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing program instructions which when executed by a transaction processing device of transaction processing system causes the transaction processing device to perform a method comprising:
receive, via a device interface, biometric information of a user read by a reading device (pg.6, ¶ [0030] discusses the customer places his finger on the BAP 120 which then captures and produces a representation of the image of the customer's fingerprint);
acquire, via a communication interface, information from a storage device when the received biometric information of the user matches biometric information of a member stored in the storage device (pg.5, ¶ [0027] discusses at step 310, the biometric authentication server 275 receives the customer's biometric information (and personal number) and interacts with the biometric database 280 using known methods of comparing biometric in formation (and utilizing personal numbers) to confirm a successful biometric comparison and obtain a customer identifier (e.g., user identification number used internally in the IMS 165, etc.);; and
settle a transaction of the user without additional authentication if the acquired information from the storage device includes a member ID and settlement medium information (pg.6, ¶ [0030] discusses the biometric authentication server 275 may return a representation of the customer's electronic wallet that includes the customer's loyalty identification information and payment information ( e.g., credit cards, debit cards, checking account, etc.) to the BAP 120…payment information received by the ECR in step 445 is transmitted to a payment processor such as 155 and 160 for final payment authorization).
Hawkins teaches an incentive management system coupled to a merchant loyalty program that includes a customer segmentation database 220 that provides spending level information for each of the merchant's customers as identified by their merchant loyalty and authorizing a customer biometrically for a payment transaction at the merchant POS 105.
However, Hawkins fails to explicitly state a storage device configured to store membership identification information of a member and settlement medium information of the member in association with biometric information of the member.
Tagawa teaches a storage device configured to store membership identification information of a member and settlement medium information of the member in association with biometric information of the member (pg.6, ¶ [0092] discusses the biometric information and the member information are associated with the user ID, and are managed, for each store, by the member DB 112 of the server 10 and the face information DB 41 of the authentication apparatus 40).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary still in the art to include in Hawkins reference the ability to store biometric, membership and payment information together as taught by Tagawa since the claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements, and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable.
As per Claim 19, Hawkins discloses the non-transitory, computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the method further includes:
store a value indicating a first state in a state storage unit if the acquired information from the storage device includes the member ID and the settlement medium information (pg.6, ¶ [0030] discusses the PIN pad 115 may forward the payment information and loyalty information to the ECR 110…when the merchant employee scans a product into the ECR 110, the ECR 110 may transmit the customer's loyalty information (e.g., loyalty identification number) and product information (e.g., UPC code) to the incentive redemption controller 140 which then determines whether such a product is eligible for a discount under the customer's activated targeted offers);
The cited portion discloses the payment information and member ID allows for targeted offers to be presented.
store a value indicating a second state in the state storage unit if the acquired information from the storage device includes just the member ID (pg.6, ¶ [0031] discusses the communication staging server 255 may submit the customer's merchant loyalty identification number as received directly from the merchant POS 105 to the targeted offers server 245 to obtain the customer's targeted offers from the customer targeted offers database 250 which it then forwards to the incentive redemption controller 140 in step 430);
The cited portion discloses where the stored loyalty number is stored to retrieve offers.
and
store a value indicating a third state in the state storage unit if the acquired information included neither the member ID nor the settlement medium information (pg.6, ¶ [0031] discusses example those with ordinary skill in the art will recognize that a customer may slide or scan his merchant loyalty card through the payment terminal 115 and/or ECR 110 (or enter his loyalty member or other identification m1mber such as a phone number into the payment terminal 115 and/or ECR 110) which will transmit the customer's merchant loyalty number directly to the communication staging server 255 of the IMS 165, thereby obviating the need for biometric authentication and extraction of the electronic wallet).
The cited portion discloses where the membership number is entered and the electronic wallet information is not stored.
As per Claim 20, Hawkins discloses the non-transitory, computer-readable medium according to claim 18.
Hawkins further teaches a biometrically enhanced infrastructure architecture for activating and redeeming personal incentives and conducting biometric payment transactions at a merchant location.
However, Hawkins fails to disclose wherein the method further includes: receive, via a user input device, a selection of a credit card payment as a payment method for settling the transaction with the user.
Tagawa teaches wherein the method further includes: receive, via a user input device, a selection of a credit card payment as a payment method for settling the transaction with the user (pg.5, ¶ [0081] discusses when the payment information having a higher priority is electronic money and the electronic money is insufficient in balance, the processing control unit 363 can output information for causing a user to select whether to pay by electronic money by charging or to use the payment information having a next high priority).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of point of sale transactions before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Hawkins to include the ability to select a payment vehicle as taught by Tagawa to provide a processing apparatus that includes a managing unit that manages, for each store, biometric information of a user and member information in association with each other. Abstract
Claim 10 is rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Hawkins U.S. Patent Application Publication 2007/0162337 in view of Tagawa U.S. Patent Application Publication 2025/0086632 further in view of Guo U.S. Patent Application Publication 2020/0097977.
As per Claim 10, the Hawkins-Tagawa combination discloses the transaction processing system according to claim 1.
Hawkins teaches an electronic cash register coupled to a biometric access point. pg.2, ¶ [0018]
Tagawa pgs. 5-4 ¶ [0071] teaches the store terminal 30 is a POS terminal including an authentication terminal 30a and a payment terminal 30b. The store terminal 30 uses a result of biometric authentication of a user, and thereby performs registration processing of a product, payment processing of a price, and the like for sales of the product in a store, or the like.
However, the Hawkins-Tagawa combination fails to disclose wherein the transaction processing device is a self-service point-of-sale terminal.
Guo teaches wherein the transaction processing device is a self-service point-of-sale terminal (pg.5, ¶ [0058] discusses The POS service is typically a self-serve POS, i.e., the customer completes the transaction without the presence of a merchant employee).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary still in the art to include in the Hawkins-Tagawa combination the ability to utilize a self-service point of sale as taught by Guo since the claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements, and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Lad et al., Canadian Patent CA 3015041 discusses a payment gateway/processor or system for POS/ATM/Vending Machine/any capable of device, which allows and process transactions using biometric data without use of mobile/cards/wallets by authorized biometric data. Abstract
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ASHFORD S HAYLES whose telephone number is (571)270-5106. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6AM-4PM with Flex.
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/ASHFORD S HAYLES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3627
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