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 .
Claims 1-20 are presented for examination.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. The claim recites obtaining telemetry log data comprising an event log generated by a computing device, parsing, using an event log parser extension, a first portion of the plurality of values to insert one or more first key-value pairs into a data object, and performing one or more data analysis operations on the data object.
The limitations of obtaining telemetry log data, parsing a portion of values to insert key-value pairs, and performing data analysis operations, as drafted, are processes that, under their broadest reasonable interpretation, cover performance of the limitations in the mind but for the recitation of generic computer components. That is, other than reciting “a memory” and “one or more processing devices,” nothing in the claim elements precludes the steps from practically being performed in the mind. For example, but for the “processing devices” language, “obtaining” and “parsing” in the context of this claim encompass a user reviewing a log, identifying relevant values, and recording them as key-value pairs in a data structure, and then mentally analyzing the organized data.
Similarly, the limitation of performing data analysis operations on the data object, as drafted, is a process that, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, covers performance of the limitation in the mind but for the recitation of generic computer components. For example, but for the “processing devices” language, “performing data analysis” in the context of this claim encompasses a user reviewing organized data and deriving insights or conclusions. If a claim limitation, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, covers performance of the limitation in the mind but for the recitation of generic computer components, then it falls within the “Mental Processes” grouping of abstract ideas. Accordingly, the claim recites an abstract idea.
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application. In particular, the claim only recites additional elements of a memory and processing devices to perform the obtaining, parsing, and analysis steps. The memory and processing devices are recited at a high level of generality (i.e., as generic computer components performing generic computer functions of collecting, organizing, and analyzing information) 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.
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 a memory and processing devices to perform the data collection, parsing, and analysis steps 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. The claim is not patent eligible.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-5, 7, 9-13, 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Beckert et al. U.S. Patent Number 12,111,874 B1 (hereinafter Beckert).
As per claims 1, 9, 16, Beckert discloses a system, comprising:
a memory (see computer-readable medium on a device on column 20 line 36-42); and
one or more processing devices (see processor on a device on column 20 line 35-42), coupled to the memory, configured to perform operations comprising:
obtaining telemetry log data (see telemetry files and log files on column 1 line 17-22) comprising an event log generated by a computing device (see event logs obtained from machine data from a data source 1702 on column 27 line 20-30), wherein the event log comprises a plurality of values (see event log from a monitored data source 1702 with plurality of data values on column 27 line 17-32);
parsing (see parsing data to identify events on column 24 line 26-35), using an event log parser extension (see indexing system 1620 parsing data on column 24 line 29-35), a first portion of the plurality of values to insert one or more first key-value pairs into a data object (see key-value pairs in structured data object such as JSON on column 30 line 18-25), wherein at least a portion of the one or more first key-value pairs includes a value from the first portion of the plurality of values and a key assigned to the value (see key-value pair specifying values to be indexed on column 30 line 20-27); and
performing one or more data analysis operations on the data object (see data analysis for telemetry files on column 2 line 40-45 and see data analysis for data points and presenting the results on column 13 line 22-37).
As per claims 2, 17, Beckert discloses the system of claim 1, wherein parsing the first portion of the plurality of values further comprises normalizing the value from the first portion of the plurality of values (see normalizing value from average on column 12 line 30-35).
As per claims 3, 18, Beckert discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the event log comprises a web proxy event log (see forwarder 1726 acting as proxy forwarding event log on column 29 line 12-25).
As per claims 4, 19, Beckert discloses the system of claim 1, wherein: at least a portion of the telemetry log data comprises data in a structured format; and the structured format comprises at least one of JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), Extensible Markup Language (XML), or comma-separated values (CSV) (see JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) structured data object on column 30 line 20-26).
As per claims 5, 20, Beckert discloses the system of claim 1, wherein: at least a portion of the telemetry log data comprises data in an unstructured format; and the operations further comprise extracting one or more values from the unstructured data for inclusion in the plurality of values (see unstructured data in form of raw text on column 30 line 23-26).
As per claims 7, 10, Beckert discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise parsing, using an event log parser, a second portion of the plurality of values to include one or more second key-value pairs in the data object, wherein each of the one or more second key-value pairs includes a value from the second portion of the plurality of values and a key assigned to the value (see including any other second key-value pairs such as time-stamp, host name, source, source type on column 30 line 20-25).
As per claim 11, Beckert discloses the computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein parsing, using the event log parser extension, the first portion of the plurality of values comprises appending a value of the first portion of the plurality of values to a key of the one or more second key-value pairs (see appending values to corresponding event on column 6 line 2-6).
As per claim 12, Beckert discloses the computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein parsing, using the event log parser extension, the first portion of the plurality of values comprises replacing an existing value in a key-value pair of the one or more second key-value pairs of the data object with a value of the first portion of the plurality of values (see replacing by appending values to corresponding event on column 10 line 20-26).
As per claim 13, Beckert discloses the computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein parsing, using the event log parser extension, the first portion of the plurality of values further comprises: obtaining a user selection of a key; and using the user-selected key as the key assigned to the value (see user select index for column 3 line 43-60).
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 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Beckert et al. U.S. Patent Number 12,111,874 B1 (hereinafter Beckert), and further in view of Thomas U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2021/0182480 B1 (hereinafter Thomas).
As per claim 6, Beckert do not disclose expressly: system of claim 1, wherein: the event log is contained within a syslog header; and the operations further comprise extracting the event log from the syslog header.
Thomas teaches: wherein: the event log is contained within a syslog header; and the operations further comprise extracting the event log from the syslog header (see usage of syslog header in JSON header portions for storing key value formats on page 10 section [0121]).
Beckert and Thomas are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor, JSON data processing system. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to use a syslog header. The motivation for doing so would have been to include metadata to data structures such as JSON (see page 10 section [0121] in Thomas).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8, 14-15 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Beckert et al. U.S. Patent Number 12,182,174 B1. Key-value pairs storing in JSON data structure (see section [0146]).
Cheriton U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2017/0024272 A1. Key-value store (see Abstract).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALAN S CHOU whose telephone number is (571)272-5779. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00-5:00 EST.
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/ALAN S CHOU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2451