Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/977,550

INTEGRATING CUSTOMER AND/OR MERCHANT FUNCTIONALITY WITH DISCOVERABLE APPLICATIONS

Final Rejection §103
Filed
Dec 11, 2024
Priority
Jul 30, 2020 — provisional 63/058,841 +1 more
Examiner
FANG, PAKEE
Art Unit
2409
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Block Inc.
OA Round
2 (Final)
68%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
1y 2m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 68% — above average
68%
Career Allowance Rate
366 granted / 541 resolved
+9.7% vs TC avg
Strong +37% interview lift
Without
With
+36.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 0m
Avg Prosecution
33 currently pending
Career history
583
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.3%
-36.7% vs TC avg
§103
62.8%
+22.8% vs TC avg
§102
17.7%
-22.3% vs TC avg
§112
10.8%
-29.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 541 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
DETAILED ACTION Response to Amendment The amendment filed on 07/24/2026 has been entered and considered by Examiner. Claims 1 - 20 are presented for examination. This Action is made FINAL. 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 of this title, 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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Purves et al. (US 20130290203 A1) in view of Rodriguez et al. (US 20180367483 A1) in further view of Singh et al. (US 20210241262 A1). For claims 1, 11, and 16, Purves discloses a system comprising: one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media (2314) storing instructions executable by the one or more processors, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to perform operations (Figs. 23, 7-16) [0180] comprising: storing one or more applications in a repository (database, memory 2329) associated with a service provider (102/504) [0051, 0075], wherein at least a part of an application of the one or more applications is accessible as an instant application, and wherein the instant application comprises a portion of an application that enables a particular, discrete functionality of the application (Figs. 10 and 11B detecting engagement with option 1010 or 1115a; Fig. 12, engagement with option 1210; fig. 18, click buy widget 1805) [0091, 0101, 0109-112]; based at least in part on an indication of an interaction between a user computing device of a user and an interactive element, determining the application from the one or more applications (fig. 18, clicking buy widget 1805 triggers lightbox instant application to be initialized through steps 1810,1815, and 1820) [0071, 0087]; But Purves doesn’t explicitly teach responsive to determining the application, causing the instant application to be downloaded on the user computing device; and determining that the user computing device is located within a location associated with the interactive element, causing display of a user interface associated with the instant application, wherein the user interface enables the user to input data for enabling the particular, discrete functionality associated with the instant application. But Rodriguez discloses responsive to determining the application, causing the instant application to be downloaded on the user computing device [0036, 0054, 0091]; and determining that the user computing device is located within a location associated with the interactive element, causing display of a user interface associated with the instant application (Figs. 9A and 9C) [0163, 210, 0286], wherein the user interface enables the user to input data for enabling the particular, discrete functionality (Steps 412-416 or 510-518, customized functions e.g. status check/make itineraries/paying for events/comment functions) associated with the instant application [0163, 210, 0286, 0429]. Since, all are analogous arts addressing applications use in a mobile device; Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teachings of Purves, with Rodriguez to ensure needed functionalities can be properly downloaded and installed for data processing, thus, improving system capabilities. But, Purves and Rodriguez don’t explicitly teach responsive to determining that the user computing device is located within a threshold distance of a location associated with the interactive element, causing display of a user interface associated with the instant application, However, Singh discloses responsive to determining that the user computing device is located within a threshold distance of a location associated with the interactive element, causing display of a user interface associated with the instant application [0025, 0054], Since, all are analogous arts addressing applications use in a mobile device; Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teachings of Purves and Rodriguez with Singh to ensure the location of interested to the user can be properly viewed and analyzed, thus, improving user friendliness of the application. For claim 2, Purves as modified by Rodriguez and Singh, Rodriguez further discloses the particular, discrete functionality comprises: clocking in for a shift; clocking out of the shift; inputting gratuity associated with the shift; or adding a customer to a waitlist (restaurant reservation) [0413, 0429]. See motivation to combine the references from the above claim. For claim 3, Purves as modified by Rodriguez and Singh, Rodriguez further discloses the particular, discrete functionality comprises: ordering a stored balance card; associating funds with the stored balance card; redeeming loyalty rewards in association with a transaction to be processed by the service provider; renting a vehicle; accessing a menu; or ordering at least one of a good or a service [0201, 0411, 0418]. See motivation to combine the references from the above claim. For claims 4, and 17, Purves, as modified by Rodriguez and Singh, discloses the interactive element comprises at least one of a Quick Response (QR) code, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag, a barcode, a near-field communication (NFC) tag, a uniform resource identifier (URI), or an image [0098-99, 0105, 0139]. For claims 5, and 18, Purves as modified by Rodriguez and Singh, Rodriguez further discloses the interactive element is affixed or associated with a physical object, and wherein the physical object comprises a table, a designated seating area, a paper receipt, a vehicle, a door, or an item offered for sale [0107, 0316, 0411]. See motivation to combine the references from the above claim. For claims 6, and 19, Purves, as modified by Rodriguez and Singh, discloses the interactive element is presented via an electronic device (1014) [0099]. For claims 7, and 20, Purves, as modified by Rodriguez and Singh, discloses the user computing device comprises a first user computing device, and wherein the electronic device comprises a second user computing device, a buyer-facing display of a point-of-sale device, or a kiosk (direct payment via QR code) [0099, 0109]. For claim 8, Purves, as modified by Rodriguez and Singh, discloses the instant application is discoverable via one or more of a banner associated with a web page, a link in a message, a map user interface, a library of recently-used instant applications, or a segment of a full application [0070, 0099, 0109]. For claims 9, and 14, Purves as modified by Rodriguez and Singh, Rodriguez further discloses operations further comprising: at a time after the user interface is displayed, causing the application to be downloaded on the user computing device [0036, 0054, 0091], wherein downloading the application enables a set of functionalities larger than the particular, discrete functionality associated with the instant application [0036, 0054, 0091]. See motivation to combine the references from the above claim. For claims 10, and 15, Purves as modified by Rodriguez and Singh, Rodriguez further discloses the operations further comprising: prior to causing the application to be downloaded on the user computing device, accessing user data associated with the user [0036, 0054, 0091]; and customizing at least one of the application or data presented via the application based at least in part on the user data [0036, 0054, 0091]. See motivation to combine the references from the above claim. For claim 12, Purves as modified by Rodriguez and Singh, Rodriguez further discloses the particular, discrete functionality comprises: clocking in for a shift; clocking out of the shift; inputting gratuity associated with the shift; adding a customer to a waitlist [0413, 0429]. ordering a stored balance card; associating funds with the stored balance card; redeeming loyalty rewards in association with a transaction to be processed by the service provider; renting a vehicle; accessing a menu; or ordering at least one of a good or a service [0201, 0411, 0418]. See motivation to combine the references from the above claim. For claim 13, Purves, as modified by Rodriguez and Singh, discloses the interactive element comprises at least one of a Quick Response (QR) code, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag, a barcode, a near-field communication (NFC) tag, a uniform resource identifier (URI), or an image [0098-99, 0105, 0139], Rodriguez further discloses wherein the interactive element is affixed or associated with a physical object, and wherein the physical object comprises a table, a designated seating area, a paper receipt, a vehicle, a door, or an item offered for sale [0107, 0316, 0411]. See motivation to combine the references from the above claim. . Response to Arguments Applicant's arguments with respect to all the claims have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection. In view of amendment, a new reference has been used for new ground of rejections. Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 extension fee 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 date of this final action. Inquiries Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the Examiner should be directed to PAKEE FANG whose telephone number is (571)270-3633. The Examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Fri 9:00AM-5:00PM. 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, Armouche, Hadi can be reached on 571-270-3618. 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. /PAKEE FANG/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2409
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 11, 2024
Application Filed
Apr 24, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Jun 01, 2026
Interview Requested
Jun 16, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Jun 16, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
Jul 24, 2026
Response Filed
Aug 05, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §103
Sep 16, 2026
Interview Requested

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
68%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+36.9%)
3y 0m (~1y 2m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 541 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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