DETAILED ACTION
Acknowledgements
The amendment filed on 12/10/2024 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-19 are pending.
Claims 1-19 have been examined.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim 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 1-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
Analysis
In the instant case, claims 1-9 are directed to a method, claim 10 is directed to CRM, and claims 11-19 are directed to a system. Therefore, these claims fall within the four statutory categories of invention.
The claim(s) recite(s) creating conditional transaction. Specifically, the claims recite “creating a future conditional transaction (FCT) based on a FCT message, wherein the FCT message includes at least one condition, at least one action to be executed when the at least one condition is met, and at least one limitation on uploading the FCT to a [blockchain], wherein the [blockchain] has stored thereon a first [smart contract] and a plurality of second [smart contracts], wherein each of the plurality of second [smart contracts] includes instructions for implementing at least one wallet function; and uploading the FCT to the [blockchain] based on the at least one limitation, wherein the first smart contract is configured to determine that the at least one condition is met and to execute the at least one action via the plurality of second [smart contracts] when the at least one condition is met.”, which is “commercial or legal interactions” within the “certain methods of organizing human activity” grouping of abstract ideas in prong one of step 2A of the Alice/Mayo test (See MPEP 2106) because the claims involve a series of steps for creating conditional transaction. Accordingly, the claims recite an abstract idea.
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because, when analyzed under prong two of step 2A of the Alice/Mayo test (See MPEP 2106), the additional element(s) of the claim(s) such as the use of blockchain, smart contract, processing circuitry, and memory merely use(s) a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea. The processors and memories are recited at a high-level of generality (i.e., as a generic processor performing a generic computer function of creating a conditional blockchain transaction) such that it amounts no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer components. Accordingly, the additional elements do not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea, and the claims are directed to an abstract idea.
The claims 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, the additional element of using blockchain, smart contract, processing circuitry, and memory to create conditional transaction steps amounts to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer components. Mere instructions to apply an exception using a generic computer components cannot provide an inventive concept. The claim is not patent eligible.
Dependent claims 2 and 12 describe FCT message and first smart contract. Dependent claims 3-4 and 13-14 describe first smart contract. Dependent claims 5 and 15 describe second smart contract. Dependent claims 6 and 16 describe action. Dependent claims 7-9 and 17-19 describe FCT and sub-FCT. These claims further recite the abstract idea of certain methods of organizing human activity. This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because the additional element(s) of the claim(s) such as the use of blockchain, smart contract, processing circuitry, and memory to create transaction merely use(s) a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea. The claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. The claims are not patent eligible.
Viewed as a whole, the combination of elements recited in the claims simply recite the concept of creating a conditional blockchain transaction. The claims do not, for example, purport to improve the functioning of the computer itself. Nor do they effect an improvement in any other technology or technical field.
The use of a blockchain, smart contract, wallet, processing circuitry, and memory to create transaction as tools to implement the abstract idea does not render the claim patent eligible because it does not provide meaningful limitations beyond generally linking the use of an abstract idea to a particular technological environment and requires no more than a computer performing functions that correspond to acts required to carry out the abstract idea.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2, 4-7, 10-12 and 14-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 as being anticipated by CN112598524A (“Zhang”).
Regarding claims 1 and 10-11, Zhang discloses:
a processing circuitry; and (page 10 para 3)
a memory, the memory containing instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry, configure the system to: (page 10 para 3)
create a future conditional transaction (FCT) based on a FCT message, wherein the FCT message includes at least one condition, at least one action to be executed when the at least one condition is met, and at least one limitation on uploading the FCT to a blockchain, wherein the blockchain has stored thereon a first smart contract and a plurality of second smart contracts, wherein each of the plurality of second smart contracts includes instructions for implementing at least one wallet function; and ((Fig. 1 item 101; page 7 para 8; page 9 paras 3-6 and 16-17).
upload the FCT to the blockchain based on the at least one limitation, wherein the first smart contract is configured to determine that the at least one condition is met and to execute the at least one action via the plurality of second smart contracts when the at least one condition is met. (Fig. 1 item 101; page 9 paras 3-9 and 16-17).
Regarding claims 2 and 12, Zhang discloses all limitations as described above. Zhang further discloses:
wherein the FCT message is uploaded to the blockchain, (page 4 para 9)
wherein the first smart contract is configured to read the FCT message on the blockchain.(page 7 para 8; page 8 para 4)
Regarding claims 4 and 14, Zhang discloses all limitations as described above. Zhang further discloses:
wherein the first smart contract is further configured to assign at least one second smart contract of the plurality of second smart contracts to the FCT.(page 7 para 8)
Regarding claims 5 and 15, Zhang discloses all limitations as described above. Zhang further discloses:
wherein the at least one second smart contract assigned to the FCT is configured to record at least one transaction on the blockchain with respect to the FCT. (page 8 para 4)
Regarding claims 6 and 16, Zhang discloses all limitations as described above. Zhang further discloses:
wherein the at least one action is defined with respect to at least one variable, wherein the at least one action is executed based on a value of the at least one variable. (page 1 abstract; page 8 para 15; page 9 para 5)
Regarding claims 7 and 17, Zhang discloses all limitations as described above. Zhang further discloses:
wherein the FCT is a first FCT, wherein the first FCT defines logic linking the first FCT to a second FCT such that the first FCT is conditional upon the second FCT.(claim 11; page 5 para 11)
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 3 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN112598524A (“Zhang”) in view of US Application Publication US20210012278A1 (“Alon et al.”).
Regarding claims 3 and 13, Zhang discloses all limitations as described above. Zhang does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the first smart contract is further configured to validate a signature of the FCT message.
However, Alon et al. discloses:
wherein the first smart contract is further configured to validate a signature of the FCT message. (¶0171)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the Processing method and device for conditional blockchain transaction and electronic equipment of Zhang by including having smart contract to validate message signature in accordance with the teaching of Alon et al.. This modification enables Zhang’s system to auto validate message signature via smart contract to ensure the authenticity of the message.
Claims 8-9 and 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN112598524A (“Zhang”) in view of US Application Publication US20200202350A1 (“Chan et al.”).
Regarding claims 8 and 18, Zhang discloses all limitations as described above. Zhang does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the first FCT is a first sub-FCT of a plurality of sub-FCTs of the second FCT, wherein the second FCT has at least one condition, wherein the plurality of sub-FCTs are executed simultaneously when the at least one condition of the second FCT is met. (¶0032, ¶¶0157-158, ¶0317 and ¶0334-335)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the Processing method and device for conditional blockchain transaction and electronic equipment of Zhang by including sub-FCT in accordance with the teaching of Chan et al.. This modification enables Zhang’s system to conduct complex conditional transactions.
Regarding claims 9 and 19, Zhang in view of Chan et al. discloses all limitations as described above. Chan et al. further discloses:
wherein the plurality of sub-FCTs are translated into a single native transaction, wherein the single native transaction is recorded on the blockchain. (Figs. 32 and 34; ¶0032, ¶0154, ¶0193)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the Processing method and device for conditional blockchain transaction and electronic equipment of Zhang by including combining transactions in accordance with the teaching of Chan et al.. This modification may reduce the number of transactions. Hence, it may reduce the transaction fees.
Conclusion
The following prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US20200013025A1 (“Verma et al.”) discloses a system and method for creating a deferred blockchain transaction and monitoring the condition until the condition is satisfied. In response to satisfying the condition, the example operation may include one or more of endorsing the deferred blockchain transaction, submitting the deferred blockchain transaction to a transaction queue, and committing blockchain transactions in the transaction queue to a blockchain. The deferred blockchain transaction includes an action and a condition, the action to be executed only after satisfying the condition.
US20170046698A1(“Haldenby et al.”) discloses a method and system that generate secured blockchain-based ledger structures that facilitate event-based control of tracked assets. In one embodiment, an apparatus associated with a rules authority of the secured blockchain-based ledger may obtain data indicative of an initiated transfer of funds between parties, and may access and decrypt a set of restrictions imposed on the initiated transfer and a set of rules associated with the restrictions, which may hashed into the secured blockchain-based ledger using a confidentially-held master cryptographic key. The apparatus may determine that the initiated transfer violates at least one of the restrictions, and may perform operations consistent with at least one of the rules associated with the at least one violated restriction.
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/YINGYING ZHOU/Examiner, Art Unit 3697