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 .
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 timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory 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); 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 nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
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Claims 2-21 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-21 of U.S. Patent No. 10097356. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because Claims of patent application contain every element of claims above instant application or vice versa, and as such they anticipate or anticipated by Instant Application. As to Claims 1, 10, 17, of the Pat. *356 anticipates the claims of the instant application. Both inventions describe a system with blockchain to provide secure provenance, chain of custody tracking and validation for transactions once the contract terms are met. By way of illustration, consider the respective 1st claim from each disclosure:
Claim 1 of the instant application
Claim 1 of Pat. *356
2. A computer system for handling secure provenance, the computer system comprising:
at least one computing node of a distributed blockchain computing system that maintains a blockchain, wherein the blockchain includes deployed program code for execution therein;
at least one hardware processor coupled to a non-transitory computer readable storage that stores computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one hardware processor, cause the at least one hardware processor to perform operations comprising:
accessing the deployed program code that is tied to a blockchain address of the blockchain, wherein the deployed program code includes code configured to define a digital resource identifier for a resource that is allocated a first quantity via the deployed program code,
the deployed program code including one or more programmatic conditions that are configured to autonomously control transfer for any or all of the first quantity for the digital resource identifier to one or more other blockchain addresses upon satisfaction of the one or more programmatic conditions;
receiving a transfer request for a first participant that is associated with at least a first blockchain participant addresses, and that is associated with at least a first cryptographic key, based on reception of the transfer request, generating and sending a digital resource transfer request transaction to the blockchain address associated with the deployed program code,
wherein the digital resource transfer request transaction includes a quantity that is to be processed by the deployed program code on the blockchain via the one or more programmatic conditions that must be satisfied prior to autonomously generating a further blockchain transaction for at least some of the quantity to a second blockchain participant addresses, which is different from the first blockchain participant addresses;
causing, via the at least one computing node, the deployed program code to be autonomously executed on the blockchain based on the digital resource transfer request transaction as input,
wherein the one or more programmatic conditions of the deployed program code determine whether to carry out the further blockchain transaction based on at least data included in the digital resource transfer request transaction,
wherein the one or more programmatic conditions include condition(s) for whether to authorize a blockchain transaction of at least some of the first quantity to the second blockchain participant addresses that is associated with a second participant; and
based on complete satisfaction the one or more programmatic conditions of the deployed program code,
causing the blockchain transaction to be submitted to the blockchain for incorporation therein, the blockchain transaction including at least some of the first quantity of the digital resource identifier to be transferred to the second blockchain participant addresses that is associated with the second participant.
1. A computer system comprising:
at least one computing node of a distributed blockchain computing system that maintains a blockchain; non-transitory computer readable storage configured to store:
blockchain participant addresses that are each associated with at least one cryptographic key and a corresponding one of plural different participants, the plural different participants include a first participant and a second participant, and a plurality of blockchain resource identifiers that are associated with at least one resource cryptographic key;
at least one hardware processor coupled to the non-transitory computer readable storage that stores computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one hardware processor, cause the at least one hardware processor to perform operations comprising:
deploying a programmatic script to a blockchain address of the blockchain, wherein the programmatic script associated with a digital resource identifier for a resource, wherein the programmatic script is associated with a corresponding cryptographic key; processing a digital resource issuance request that is communicated to the blockchain address where the programmatic script is located on the blockchain, the digital resource issuance request being associated with the first participant,
wherein the digital resource issuance request includes a quantity to allocate to the programmatic script at the blockchain address,
wherein the programmatic script includes one or more programmatic conditions to satisfy prior to transfer of the allocated quantity from the programmatic script to the at least one of the blockchain participant addresses;
processing a blockchain transaction that is from the second participant and to the blockchain address where the programmatic script is deployed, including (1) a quantity value for how much of the digital resource is to be transferred, and (2) a generated of hash of additional data, wherein the blockchain transaction is signed with a corresponding cryptographic key that is associated with the second participant;
autonomously validating, using the one or more programmatic conditions of the programmatic script and data included in the blockchain transaction, the blockchain transaction for whether to authorize transfer of the quantity value from the blockchain address of the programmatic script to the blockchain participant addresses of the second participant; and
based on complete satisfaction the one or more programmatic conditions, causing the quantity value of the resource to be transferred, via the blockchain, from the blockchain address of the programmatic script to the blockchain participant addresses of the second participant.
Independent claims 2, 16, 21 of the instant application are substantially similar to independent claims 1, 10, 17, of the Pat. *356 and are rejected for substantially similar reasons as discussed supra. Likewise, dependent claims 3-15, 17-20 of the instant application are substantially similar to dependent claims 2-9, 11-16, 18-21 (respectively) of the Pat. *356 and are rejected for substantially similar reasons as discussed supra.
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Independent Claim(s) and their respective dependent claims are allowable over prior arts since the prior arts taken individually or in combination fails to particular discloses, fairly suggest or render obvious the following limitations:
In regards to claim(s) 2, 16, 21, the prior art of record (Van Rooyen et al (Pub. No. US 2015/0120567); hereinafter Primary Reference) in view of Davis (Pub. No. US 2016/0342994); Secondary Reference) does not disclose:
“a distributed blockchain computing system that maintains a blockchain, wherein the blockchain includes deployed program code for execution therein; at least one hardware processor coupled to a non-transitory computer readable storage that stores computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one hardware processor, cause the at least one hardware processor to perform operations comprising: accessing the deployed program code that is tied to a blockchain address of the blockchain, wherein the deployed program code includes code configured to define a digital resource identifier for a resource that is allocated a first quantity via the deployed program code,
the deployed program code including one or more programmatic conditions that are configured to autonomously control transfer for any or all of the first quantity for the digital resource identifier to one or more other blockchain addresses upon satisfaction of the one or more programmatic conditions;
receiving a transfer request for a first participant that is associated with at least a first blockchain participant addresses, and that is associated with at least a first cryptographic key, based on reception of the transfer request, generating and sending a digital resource transfer request transaction to the blockchain address associated with the deployed program code,
wherein the digital resource transfer request transaction includes a quantity that is to be processed by the deployed program code on the blockchain via the one or more programmatic conditions that must be satisfied prior to autonomously generating a further blockchain transaction for at least some of the quantity to a second blockchain participant addresses, which is different from the first blockchain participant addresses;
causing, via the at least one computing node, the deployed program code to be autonomously executed on the blockchain based on the digital resource transfer request transaction as input,
wherein the one or more programmatic conditions of the deployed program code determine whether to carry out the further blockchain transaction based on at least data included in the digital resource transfer request transaction,
wherein the one or more programmatic conditions include condition(s) for whether to authorize a blockchain transaction of at least some of the first quantity to the second blockchain participant addresses that is associated with a second participant; and
based on complete satisfaction the one or more programmatic conditions of the deployed program code,
causing the blockchain transaction to be submitted to the blockchain for incorporation therein, the blockchain transaction including at least some of the first quantity of the digital resource identifier to be transferred to the second blockchain participant addresses that is associated with the second participant” in combination with other limitations recited as specified in the independent claim(s). Rather, the primary reference discloses…the restricted item receiving module typically receives the media item before the private key is embedded therein, from where it is transferred to the embedding module…the private key is embedded in the media item…at a next stage, the restricted item provider stores the private key in association with an entity credential in the database…the entity credential includes a name, address and contact details of the authorized entity…the database therefore acts as a registry of keys, enabling the restricted item provider to keep track of which private keys are associated with which authorized entity…the restricted item is then, at a next stage, made available to the authorized entity…records of all transactions conducted in the financial system are held in the transaction ledger…the transaction ledger is a publicly visible shared transaction ledger, see par. 74-77. Therefore the primary reference use the private key with value and embeds it into e-book, so it uses the value on e-book so that it would be difficult to share it. Similarly, the secondary reference discloses the payer may conduct a blockchain transaction with the payee…as part of the blockchain transaction, the payee may generate a destination address for receipt of payment of blockchain currency…the destination address may be generated using an encryption key stored in the computing device of the payee…a transaction request may then be submitted by the payer for payment of an agreed-upon blockchain currency amount to the destination address provided by the payee…the transaction message submitted to the processing server may include a data element reserved for private use that includes data associated with the desired blockchain transaction…for instance, the data element reserved for private use may include a network identifier, a transaction amount, and at least one of: a public key and an address identifier…the network identifier may be associated with a blockchain network associated with the blockchain currency being transferred in the transaction…the network identifier may be used by the processing server to identify the associated blockchain network for posting of the eventual blockchain transaction…see par. 34-37. Therefore claims 2-21 would be allowable if the claims overcome the rejection(s) under double patenting rejection, set forth in this Office action.
Closest prior arts cited as follow:
Talker (Pub. No. US 2014/0337206) discloses “Currency Issuing Authority for generating and issuing to participants electronic money…a plurality of transaction devices that are used by participants for storing electronic money, for performing money transactions with the on-line systems of the participating banks…a security management and verification means for maintaining the integrity of the system…see par. 35”.
Smith (Pub. No. US 2015/0379510) discloses “enable the development and use of Smart Contracts to configure and manage changes to data distributed via a peer-to-peer network for a “data supply chain.” The data buyer and data producer use current web-based architecture and systems to evaluate the context of a data source and the data included into the data source to determine which changes to which DIPs are to be traded at a fee per change in the value at the intersection of the row label and column label of a data field…see par. 16-18”.
2015 IEEE: Decentralizing Privacy: Using Blockchain to Protect Personal Data discloses a decentralized personal data management system that ensures users own and control their data, see section I.
2014 arXiv: The Unreasonable Fundamental Incertitudes Behind Bitcoin Mining discloses “a method to police the bitcoin network and enforce the compliance with a certain version of the bitcoin specification, section 3”.
2014 IEEE: Towards Reference Architecture for Cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin Architectural Analysis discloses “to facilitate Bitcoin's modifiability, maintainability, reusability, and comprehensibility it is necessary to develop an architecture model that achieves the following goals: 1) Provide a basis for eliciting additional requirements and constraints by evaluating the system's technical feasibility. 2) Help in understanding and evaluating the rationale behind the Bitcoin design and implementation, hence paving the way towards alternative design approaches that improve and refine the current architecture. 3) Alleviate potential security risks when integrating further components or extending the system. 4) Map the quality attributes such as scalability, security, and performance onto advanced modular architectures, see section I”.
Roever et al (WO 2006/009716) discloses “facilitating a transaction relating to security in a
network. A lockbox process is provided in the network for mediating the transaction. A security title object from a first party is received with the lockbox process. The security title object includes security title data identifying the security and defining access rights corresponding to
the security, and at least one redemption method for redeeming the security title object, see summary of the invention section”.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure (see PTO-form 892).
The following Patents and Papers are cited to further show the state of the art at the time of Applicant’s invention with respect to distributed transaction database computer systems, particularly relating to secure provenance in such systems.
Lingappa (Pub. No. US 2015/0371224); “Cryptocurrency Infrastructure system”;
-Teaches integrating a management system into a cryptocurrency payment network to create a digital currency system…see par. 49-51.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GHAZAL B SHEHNI whose telephone number is (571)270-7479. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9am-5pm PCT.
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/GHAZAL B SHEHNI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2499
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