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 .
Status of Claims
Due to communications filed 10/20/25, the following is a non-final office action. Claims 1, 8 and
15 are amended. Claims 1-20 are pending in this application and are rejected as follows.
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 a
judicial exception (I.e., a law of nature, a natural phenomenon, or an abstract idea) without significantly
more.
With regard to the present claims 1-20, these claim recites a series of steps and, therefore, is a process,
and ultimately, is statutory.
In addition, the claim recites a judicial exception. The claims as a whole recite "Certain Methods of
Organizing Human Activity". The claimed invention is a method that allows for access, analysis, update
and communication of electronic ride request records, which are concepts for managing personal
behavior of relationships or interactions between people (including social activities, teaching, and
following rules or instructions). The mere nominal recitation of a generic computer/computer network
does not take the claim out of the "Certain Methods of Organizing Human Activity" grouping. Thus, the
claim recites an abstract idea.
Furthermore, the claims are not integrated into a practical application. The claim as a whole merely
describes how to generally "apply" the concept of accessing, analyzing, updating and communicating
ride request information in a computer environment. The claimed computer components are recited at
a high level of generality and are merely invoked as tools to perform an existing ride request records
update process. Simply implementing the abstract idea on a generic computer is not a practical
application of the abstract idea.
Finally, the claims do not recite an inventive concept. As noted previously, the claim as a whole merely
describes how to generally "apply" the concept of accessing, analyzing, updating and communicating
information related to ride request records in a computer environment. Thus, even when viewed as a
whole, nothing in the claim adds significantly more (i.e., an inventive concept) to the abstract idea. The
claim is ineligible.
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 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 invent ion 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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 5, 8-10, 12, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goldman et al (US 9087320 B2), and further in view of ZOLFAGHARI (CA 3232345 A1), and further in view of Subhiksha, J.G. K., and further in view of Soma Prathibh. "Kids Carpooling Mobile Application", now referred to as Subhiksha et al, and further in view of Bednarek (US 20150227890 A1).
As per claim 1, Goldman et al does not necessarily disclose:
A method for managing a networked household affiliation-based ride coordination system, comprising:
However, with respect to implementation in a household environment, examiner interprets that a change of environment does not change the operation of the system. In other words, the functionality of the system would remain the same as another networked affiliation-based ride coordination system regardless of the environment.
In addition, Goldman et al discloses:
transmitting the ride request to a plurality of authorized drivers from among the ride provider users in
the hive, (Goldman: (56) n some embodiments, the system is able to optimize storage and
management of parent/family specific data Features and applications that are improved by this
structure may include: carpool; (96) Car Pooling (97) The sports management system provides the
ability for valid volunteer drivers to form carpools to facilitate the transportation of athletes to and from
predetermined athletic events. (99) Some embodiments may use text messaging to notify the carpool
driver that an available seat within their vehicle has been selected. Some embodiments may include the
name and location of the carpool rider as part of the standard notification message to the carpool
driver. Some embodiments may include mapping capabilities that provide a desirable route for pickup
and delivery of carpool riders based on rider addresses and event location);
receiving, by the networked server, an electronic indication of acceptance of the ride request from a particular authorized driver device associated with a particular authorized driver, (Goldman: (19) Embodiments of the system may be implemented in various operating environments that include personal computers, server computers, handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, programmable consumer electronics, digital cameras, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, set top boxes, systems on a chip (SOCs), and so on. The computer systems may be cell phones, personal digital assistants, smart phones, personal computers, programmable consumer electronics, digital cameras, and so on; (100) Some embodiments may include the availability of the carpool driver to either accept or reject the rider requesting a ride. For example, when a driver receives a notification that a seat has been occupied, the driver's mobile device will indicate the requested seat by indicating the seat as occupied and applying a stroke to the outside of the rider icon. The driver can then click on the new icon and click on an accept or reject button control to finalize the request. Some embodiments include status notifications to the requesting rider when a ride request is either accepted or rejected); and
updating, by the networked server, in real-time, ride status information for at least one device associated with a member of the hive, (Goldman: (19) Embodiments of the system may be implemented in various operating environments that include personal computers, server computers, handheld or laptop devices... The computer systems may be cell phones, personal digital assistants, smart phones, personal computers, programmable consumer electronics (100) Some embodiments include status notifications recto the requesting rider when a ride request is either accepted or rejected).
Goldman does not disclose the following limitations, however, ZOLFAGHARI, discloses:
affiliating, by the networked server each ride provider user in the hive with at least one ride recipient user in the hive, (ZOLFAGHARI, ([0028] In the illustrated example scenario...the laptop computer 111 of the user 110 is coupled to the network 130 via a wireless communication link 112... and the desktop computer 121 of the user 120 is coupled to the network 130 via a wired communication link; {0059] At block 280, the software application in the cloud computer 125 establishes a communication channel between the first device and a second device of another user to enable a generation, via the transport arrangement system as an intermediary to the first device and the second device, of shared ride data. The shared ride data may be generated by the cloud computer 125 on the basis of information provided by the first user device (based on input from the first user via the GUI on the first user device) and/or information provided by the second user device (based on input from the second user via the GUI on the second user device);
receiving, from a user of the group of users in the hive, a ride request, wherein the ride request
comprises a pickup location, a drop-off location, and a time, (ZOLFAGHARI, [0003] In general, the first
example embodiment is directed at a method to facilitate a shared ride request received by a transport
arrangement system from a first user device of a first user; [0063] Example operations can include
verifying the number of users undertaking the shared ride, a type of vehicle used for the shared ride (a
personal vehicle, a ride share vehicle, a taxi, a limousine etc.), a travel status of each user (approved,
canceled, pending, etc.), allowing time adjustments (pick up time, drop-off time, etc.);
the particular ride recipient user is added to the hive, automatically querying by the networked server the household affiliation records stored in the database to identify ride provider users associated with the particular ride recipient user, ([0039] At block 230, the user data of the first user is stored in
a data store of the cloud computer 125. The user data of the first user may include the online profile
of the first user and can further include information provided by the first user via the user
device pertaining to shared rides associated with the first user);
automatically querying by the network server, household affiliation records stored in the database to identify ride provider users associated with the first recipient user, ([0045] At block 250, the cloud computer 125 may respond to the shared ride request initiated by the first user (at block 240) by accessing the data store and executing a search procedure to identify one or more other users who may be suitable for a shared ride with the first user. The search procedure can be based on at least some of the information provided by the first user (at block 240) such as, for example, an origination address, a
destination address, a date of travel, a desired time for originating the travel, a number of co-passengers
desired, and/or one or more preferred characteristics of the co-passengers; [0046] The search procedure carried out automatically by the cloud computer 125 (with no human intervention));
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to include the
above limitations as taught by ZOLFAGHARI in the systems of Goldman, 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.
Goldman does not disclose the following limitations, however Subhiksha ET AL discloses:
establishing, by a networked server, a plurality of households, wherein each household comprises at
least one ride provider user and at least one ride recipient user, (Subhiksha ET AL: (Pg 1, 2nd Col., 1st
Paragraph: provides carpool services by connecting parent's group; Pg 1, 2nd Col, Paragraph 3, III.
PROPOSED SYSTEM carpool group are going to be created only by parents and can add other parents
whom they trust; Pg 1, 2nd Col, 5th Paragraph: A. Login/Registration Module When the
user(parent)installs the application i.e., the mom and dad have to register themselves and create an
account by giving the data such as their Name, Phone Number, Home Location, Email Id, Password,
Number of kids along with their photos Both the parents should upload their driver's license which will
get stored in the database [Here, parent's group of Subhiksha is analogous to the household of the
present invention since the parent group consists of the Mom, Dad and kids])); Pg. 2, Col. 1, 2ND
Paragraph: C. Carpool Module (the user) the particular parent creating the carpool will be the admin of
that particular carpool. He/she can add carpool members. A chat group for each carpool will be created
and the carpool members can communicate using the chat option; Pg. 2, Col. 1, 3RD Paragraph: D. Event
module: As the carpool is created and the members are added along with their kids name and kids'
photo The admin only has access to choose the driver for the particular carpool event. He/she will be
able to change it whenever needed), (Here, the kids and the drivers (parents added is analogous to the
present invention's ride provider user and at least one ride recipient user);
establishing, by the networked server, a hive, wherein the hive represents a communication channel for a group of users, (Subhiksha et al: Pg. 2, Col. 1, 2ND Paragraph: C. Carpool Module This is the third
module. In this module, the user can create carpool. The user can schedule the from and to location.
He/she can schedule as many carpools they want. The user can add members using their contacts. The
user must permit to access contacts, so that the parent can all the other parents for the specified
carpool. A chat group for each carpool will be created and the carpool members can communicate
using the chat option; ALSO SEE FIG. 1.3);
and wherein creating the hive comprises: electronically receiving, at the networked server and from a
first ride recipient user device, a request to add one or more other ride recipient users to the hive; in
response to the request; and wherein the networked server electronically adds a first group of one or more ride for provider users to the hive, the first group of ride provider users being a subset of the ride provider users in the same household as the first ride recipient user, electronically adding the one or more other ride recipient users to the hive, and; for each particular ride recipient user of the one or more other ride recipient users; and electronically adding, by the networked server, a group of one or more ride provider users to the hive request to the particular ride recipient user being added to the hive, the group of ride provider users being a subset of the ride provider users in the same household as the particular ride recipient user, (Subhiksha et al: SEE FIG. 1.3; ALSO SEE Pg. 2, Col. 1, 2ND Paragraph: C. Carpool Module The user can add members using their contacts. The user must permit to access contacts, so that the parent can all the other parents for the specified carpool. In order to create a new carpool, the parent should enter the carpool name, event name location and the particular parent creating the carpool will be the admin of that particular carpool. He/she can add carpool members. A chat group for each carpool will be created and the carpool members can communicate using the chat option; Pg. 2, Col. 1, 3RD Paragraph D. Event module As the carpool is created and the members are added along with their kids name and kids' photo. The admin will be able to set events such as the from and to location, scheduling the time of the event. They can also schedule it as a repeating event and need not create a new carpool every time for the same event. The admin only has access to choose the driver for the particular carpool event. He/she will be able to change it whenever needed. So now when the event is scheduled, the date and time is synchronized with the google Calendar and all the members will get a remainder before 45 minutes of the event);
the particular ride recipient user is added to the hive, automatically querying by the networked server the household affiliation records stored in the database to identify ride provider users associated with the particular ride recipient user, ([0039] At block 230, the user data of the first user is stored in
a data store of the cloud computer 125. The user data of the first user may include the online profile
of the first user and can further include information provided by the first user via the user
device pertaining to shared rides associated with the first user);
wherein each of the establishing, receiving, transmitting, and updating operations are performed by at least one server in electronic communication with user mobile devices and a database storing ride and user data, (Subhiksha et al: Pg. 2, 2nd Col., Paragraph 1: V.IMPLEMENTATION Android Studio is the official integrated development environment for Google's Android operating system built on Jetbrains' IntelliJ IDEA software and designed specifically for Android development);
wherein each group of users comprises a plurality of ride provider users associated with a plurality of independent households, wherein each ride provider user is in a same household as one or more of a plurality of ride recipient users, (Subhiksha et al: Col, Paragraph 3, III. PROPOSED SYSTEM carpool group are going to be created only by parents and can add other parents whom they trust; Pg 1, 2nd Col, 5th Paragraph: A. Login/Registration Module When the user(parent)installs the application i.e., the mom and dad have to register themselves and create an account by giving the data such as their Name, Phone Number, Home Location, Email Id, Password, Number of kids along with their photos Both the parents should upload their driver's license which will get stored in the database. (Here, there are a plurality of kids that are included and represent at least one member other than the parent who is the authorized driver).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to include the
above limitations as taught by Subhiksha et al in the systems of Goldman, 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.
Goldman does not disclose the following limitations, however Bednarek discloses:
and wherein the database stores household affiliation data as a relational data structure associating each ride recipient user with one or more ride provider users in the same household, (Bednarek: [0050] Affiliation information is information as to the groups that a user belongs to. Affiliations that are useful in the context of the present invention include, but are not limited to, family affiliation, household affiliation. Affiliation information is provided by the USER. The USER may indicate an "affiliation" with one of more other users if they know the USER ID of the other USERS. Another way to establish affiliations among USERS is through the creation of GROUPS. Users can create GROUPS and invite other users to join based on family affiliation, household affiliation, work group affiliation, friendship affiliation, neighbor affiliation and interest affiliation. The system stores records of the GROUPS that can include records as to the USER ID and category of the groups; [0186] Deterministic record linkage, a more simple form of record linkage, deterministic or rules-based record linkage, generates links based on the number of individual identifiers that match among the available data sets. Two records are said to match via a deterministic record linkage procedure if all or some identifiers (above a certain threshold) are identical).
a member of the hive who is identified, based on the household affiliation records stored in the database as being in the same household of at least one ride recipient user other than the particular authorized driver, wherein the updating comprises transmitting cross-household status notifications to hive members across different households, (Bednarek (US 20150227890 A1) Abstract: The communications system allows coordination of segmented order deliveries in a segmented order distributed distribution system. The infrastructure described supports efficient communication to a network of couriers and smart device APPS. Systems, methods and applications for using electronic lists to facilitate commerce, excursion organization and political discourse are also described. Lists stored within the system may be used to facilitate a distributed distribution system using trusted drivers and authorized affiliates. [0050] Affiliation information is information as to the groups that a user belongs to. Affiliations that are useful in the context of the present invention include, but are not limited to, family affiliation, household affiliation, work group affiliation, friendship affiliation, neighbor affiliation and interest affiliation. Affiliation information is provided by the USER. The USER may indicate an "affiliation" with one of more other users if they know the USER ID of the other USERS. Another way to establish affiliations among USERS is through the creation of GROUPS. Users can create GROUPS and invite other users to join based on family affiliation, household affiliation, work group affiliation, friendship affiliation, neighbor affiliation and interest affiliation. The system stores records of the GROUPS that can include records as to the USER ID and category of the groups. Naturally a single group of affiliated USERS may belong to multiple GROUPS or groups of different categories. Thus, for example, USERS who are members of the same household may belong to a grocery group, a shopping group a household task group and the like);
Bednarek doesn’t specifically disclose a ride recipient user, however, Bednarek does disclose a communication system that supports fulfillment of customer orders for deliveries. [0013] of Bednarek discloses “An embodiment of the communication system includes...receive customer orders and, in response thereto, send messages to the customer placing the order confirming the orders and...and prompting the customer to send a message indication whether the courier is accepted or not...identify a plurality of couriers to perform segments of a complete delivery, send pickup and transfer delivery instructions to one of the plurality of couriers, send transfer pickup and final delivery instructions to a different one of the plurality of couriers and optionally identify at least one intermediate courier from the plurality of couriers and send transfer pickup and transfer delivery instructions to the intermediate courier...send messages to customers providing delivery information, send updates to customers concerning current courier location and expected time of arrival...”.
In this case, the primary reference teaches a communication system that further supports the distributed distribution ecosystem of trusted drivers delivering and/or fulfilling orders of others. The present invention discloses a ride coordination system of ride recipient users and authorized drivers, where the authorized drivers are fulfilling rideshare orders. The sole difference between the primary reference and the claimed subject matter is that the primary reference does not disclose a rider recipient, however does disclose a customer who places an order that gets fulfilled. Since each individual element and it's function are shown in the prior art, albeit shown in separate references, the difference between the claimed subject matter and the prior art rests not on any individual element or function but in the very combination itself, that is in the substitution of the order delivery of the secondary reference(s) for the rideshare (passenger delivery) means of the primary reference. Thus, the simple substitution of one known element for another producing a predictable result renders the claim obvious.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to include the
above limitations as taught by Bednarek in the systems of Goldman, 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, Goldman discloses:
wherein the communication channel comprises a messaging interface that enables real-time chat
functionality between members of the communication channel, ((93) One embodiment uses multiple
communication channels in combination. For example, the system may utilize email, text messaging).
As per claim 3, Goldman discloses:
wherein the ride recipient users comprise minor users, and wherein the ride provider users comprise
adults affiliated with at least one of the minors, ((56) In some embodiments, it is possible for a parent to
have multiple children in two teams in the same league. In some embodiments, the system is able to
optimize storage and management of parent/family specific data that is the same for both athletes, e.g.
contact, photos, insurance, waivers, and so on. Features and applications that are improved by this
structure may include: never forget a face, carpool, registration, contact management, uniform
purchasing, and so forth).
As per claim 4, Goldman et al does not disclose:
wherein the communication channel dynamically restricts membership in the hive to permit a ride provider user to remain a member of the hive only while the ride provider user is actively authorized to provide rides to at least one ride recipient user in the hive, wherein the networked server monitors authorization status of each ride provider user in the hive and updates hive membership of each ride provider user based on changes in the ride provider user’s authorization status, and wherein the networked server automatically removes a ride provider user from the hive upon a change in the ride provider user’s authorization status.
However, Bednarek discloses: [0374] In the second example, the user checks into the store and is identified as a TRUSTED DRIVER at step 1230. A TRUSTED DRIVER is a user that has previously been vetted by the system operator or store to ensure that the user is a reliable user. The TRUSTED DRIVER's performance is subject to continual monitoring and evaluation and if the user fails to perform to TRUSTED DRIVER standards, the TRUSTED DRIVER qualification may be revoked; ALSO SEE [0392] In one embodiment, of the invention, the wireless interfaces also include wireless personal area network (WPAN) interfaces. As is known in the art, a WPAN is a personal area network for interconnecting devices centered around an individual person's devices in which the connections are wireless; [0393] WPAN devices can also lock out other devices selectively, preventing needless interference or unauthorized access to secure information; ALSO SEE [0221] Following the alternative path that begins at step 950 with receiving a TRUSTED DRIVER inquiry where the trusted driver query engine of the system stores the driver ID...At step 960, the trusted driver query engine of the system obtains a selection from the trusted driver of local deliveries of interest. At step 963, the trusted driver query engine of the system stores the driver ID and cost for the selected local deliveries of interest (shows updating of trusted driver information based on a delivery of interest). [Based on this passage, it would be obvious to update hive membership of each ride provider user based on changes in the ride provider user’s authorization status since storing of the driver ID of Bednarek represents the “authorization” of the driver to a delivery of interest, and Bednarek also teaches that the TRUSTED DRIVER qualification may be revoked if the user fails to perform to TRUSTED DRIVER standards. In other words, the driver ID would not be further stored for a delivery of interest if there was no authorization. When the driver ID in Bednarek is stored as a result of a delivery of interest (updated), this means that the driver has not gone through the revocation process and has been authorized as being a TRUSTED DRIVER.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to include the
above limitations as taught by Bednarek in the systems of Goldman, 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 5, Goldman discloses:
wherein each ride recipient user is able to invite additional ride recipient users to join the hive, and
wherein addition of a new ride recipient user to the hive results in addition of at least one ride provider
user associated with the new ride recipient user to the hive, ((22) Continuing in block 230, the system
identifies one or more roles to associate with the created user record, wherein each role corresponds to
one or more rights of the user for using the platform. The user may specify roles manually or the system
may infer one or more roles based on sign up information (such as information provided in an invitation
to the user). For example, a coach may send sign up invitations to each player on a team and the system
may associate a player role with each invited player when the player registers with the system. Other
users, such as parents, may identify their roles by identifying one or more children of which they are the
parents. The system may provide a subsequent confirmation process for confirming roles, such as
sending an email to the coach to confirm added players. ALSO SEE Claim 14. The system of claim 10
wherein the registration component is further configured to create one or more invitations for inviting
new users to use the system).
As per claim 8, this claim recites limitations similar to those disclosed in independent claim 1 and is
therefore rejected for similar reasons.
As per claim 9, wherein the communication channel comprises a messaging interface that enables real -
time chat functionality between members of the communication channel: Please see the rejection of
claim 2.
As per claim 10, wherein the hive comprises one or more ride recipient users, wherein at least one of
the one or more ride recipient users is a minor, and wherein the ride provider users comprise adults
affiliated with at least one of the minors:
Please see the rejection of claim 3.
As per claim 11, wherein the communication channel restricts membership of ride provider users to only
users who are authorized to give rides to at least one of the ride recipient users.
Please see the rejection of claim 4.
As per claim 12, wherein the system enables each of the ride recipient users to invite additional ride
recipient users to the hive, and wherein addition of a new ride recipient user causes addition of at least
one ride provider user affiliated with the new ride recipient user to the hive.
Please see the rejection of claim 5.
As per claim 15, this claim recites limitations similar to those of independent claim 1 and is therefore
rejected for similar reasons.
As per claim 16, wherein the communication channel comprises a messaging interface that enables real
time chat functionality between members of the communication channel.
Please see the rejection of claim 2.
As per claim 17, wherein the hive further comprises one or more ride recipient users, wherein at least
one of the ride recipient users is a minor, and wherein the ride provider users comprise adults affiliated
with at least one of the minors.
Please see the rejection of claim 3.
As per claim 18, wherein the communication channel restricts membership of ride provider users in the
hive to only ride provider users who are authorized to give rides to at least one ride recipient user in the
hive.
Please see the rejection of claim 4.
As per claim 19, wherein each of the ride recipient users is able to invite additional ride recipient users
to the hive, and wherein addition of a new ride recipient user causes addition of an affiliated ride
provider user to the hive.
Please see the rejection of claim 5.
As per claim 21, Goldman discloses:
further comprising validating, by the networked server, ride provider user credentials by querying one or more external credential verification systems to verify at least one of driver's license status, insurance status, or authorization data associated with each ride provider user, and storing credential verification data in the database coupled to the networked server, (Goldman (43) Some embodiments include a report of completion of various waivers, health checks, physicals, insurance payments, or other additional aspects of the registration process. Some embodiments include reminders and alarms that notify the coach, team manager, or league representative of the completion and compliance status of their team members' registration process.
As per claim 22, Goldman discloses:
wherein the hive management module is further configured to validate ride provider user credentials by querying one or more external credential verification systems to verify at least one of driver's license status, insurance status, or authorization data associated with each ride provider user, and to store credential verification data in the database, (Goldman (43) Some embodiments include a report of completion of various waivers, health checks, physicals, insurance payments, or other additional aspects of the registration process. Some embodiments include reminders and alarms that notify the coach, team manager, or league representative of the completion and compliance status of their team members' registration process).
As per claim 23, Goldman et al discloses:
wherein the operations further comprise validating ride provider user credentials by querying one
or more external credential verification systems to verify at least one of driver's license
status, insurance status, or authorization data associated with each ride provider user, and
storing credential verification data in the database,(Goldman (43) Some embodiments include a report of completion of various waivers, health checks, physicals, insurance payments, or other additional aspects of the registration process. Some embodiments include reminders and alarms that notify the coach, team manager, or league representative of the completion and compliance status of their team members' registration process).
Claim(s) 7, 14, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goldman et al (US 9087320 B2), and further in view of ZOLFAGHARI (CA 3232345 A1), and further in view of Subhiksha, J.G. K., and further in view of Soma Prathibh. "Kids Carpooling Mobile Application", now referred to as Subhiksha et al, and further in view of Bednarek (US 20150227890 A1), and further in view of MAGUIRE (AU 2014235404 A1), and further in view of Ahire (US 11507906 B2)
As per claim 7, Goldman discloses:
and wherein the networked server transmits location updates to user devices associated with members of the hive during the ride, ((95) In some embodiments, the user interface provides a control to allow the user to send multiple forms of notification (email, text messaging, and voice messaging) simultaneously. For example, the user interface may provide a colorful, iconic button subtitled "Notify" that, when clicked, sends out schedule/field location updates to a pre-populated members list);
Goldman et al does not disclose the following limitations, however, MAGUIRE discloses:
further comprising: tracking, by the networked server via a global positioning system (GPS) network, location of the particular authorized driver during provision of the ride, wherein tracking location of the particular authorized driver comprises real-time location tracking of the particular authorized driver and one or more ride recipient users during the ride, (MAGUIRE discloses: ([22] PND 110 may include antennae and one or more low-power and high-power radios for various types of network connections, e.g....GPS, [77] For example, a toddler's or puppy's PND may be configured so that the PND acts as a tracking device that notifies devices in the home as the PND approaches).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to include the above limitations as taught by MAGUIRE in the systems of Goldman, 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.
Goldman does not disclose:
storing by the network server, an unexpected route associated with the ride request comprising a sequence of geographic coordinates between the pickup location and the drop-off location; comparing, by the networked server, real-time GPS location data received from the device associated with the particular authorized driver against the expected route during the ride; and upon detecting a deviation of the real-time GPS location data from the expected route exceeding a threshold distance, automatically transmitting, by the networked server, a safety alert notification to one or more user devices associated with members of the hive affiliated with ride recipient users on the ride.
However, Ahire discloses: (24) (The threat detection apparatus 104 and/or the user device 108 may include a navigation unit ... The vehicle 102 may include a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit (not shown) for detecting location data including a current location of the vehicle 102 and date/time information instead of the navigation unit 118a. In that regard, the processor 114a may perform the functions of the navigation unit 118a based on data received from the GPS unit; (55) The ride-sharing platform 106 obtains or determines the current location of the vehicle 102 (402). The ride-sharing platform 106 may extract the current location from the navigational map information, which may have been obtained via one of the navigation units 118a-b of the vehicle 102 or the user device 108, respectively, during the ride-sharing trip; (56) The ride-sharing platform 106 determines that the current location deviates from the expected route (404). The ride-sharing platform may compare the current location to a closest point on the expected route and measures the relative distance between the current location and the closest point. If the current location is a threshold distance away from the closest point on the expected route, such as approximately 500 feet, the ride-sharing platform 106 may determine that the vehicle 102 has deviated from the expected route; (62) The ride-sharing platform 106 determines whether the ride-share risk score is greater than or equal to the risk threshold (504). When the ride-share risk score is less than the risk threshold, the ride-sharing platform 106 continues to monitor and calculate the ride-share risk score and the risk threshold (506). When the ride-share risk score is greater than or equal to the risk threshold, the ride-sharing platform 106 may alert the user or rider via the user device 108 and/or another entity, such as the ride-sharing service provider; (63) The ride-sharing platform 106 alerts the rider and/or the other entity by sending an indicator to the rider and/or the other entity (508). The indicator may be a notification that includes information regarding the ride-share risk score, the driver of the vehicle 102 and/or the rider).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to include the
above limitations as taught by Ahire in the systems of Goldman, 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 14, a tracking module configured to monitor real-time location of vehicles providing rides,
wherein the tracking module performs real-time location tracking of an authorized driver and one or
more ride recipient users during the ride. Please see the rejection of claim 7.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 5/28/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
With regard to the 101 rejection, Applicant respectfully traverses this rejection, and argues that the amended claims overcome the 101 rejection. However, Examiner respectfully disagrees. With regard to Step 2A, Prong One, Applicant argues that the claims do not recite any of the three sub-categories of group (b): fundamental economic principles or practices, commercial or legal interactions, or managing personal behavior relationships or interaction between people, but instead the claims recite the technical mechanism by which a networked server performs automated operations on a database, which, according to Applicant are server-executed database operations implanting automated household affiliation propagation, not relationships between people. However Examiner respectfully disagrees. The clams as a whole are directed to coordinating ride requests and communications among users based on household affiliations, which constitutes managing interactions among people, a certain method of organizing human activity. The recites server, database, and automated querying operations merely implement the abstract idea using generic computer technology, networking technology, or another technological field. Rather, the database operations are invoked as tolls for implementing the affiliation and notification rules. Accordingly, the additional elements do not integrate the judicial exception into a practical application.
As per step 2A, Prong Two, Applicant argues that even if the claims were found to recite a judicial exception, the additional elements integrate the alleged exception into a practical application and the claims recite a specific improvement to the functioning of a networked server system, not merely the use of a computer as a tool to implement an abstract idea through “querying household affiliation records stored in the database to identify ride provider users associated with the first ride recipient user” and “electronically adding...a first group of one or more ride provider users to the hive...being a subset of the ride provider users in the same household as the first ride recipient user”. However, Examiner respectfully disagrees. Although the claim recites querying household affiliation records and automatically adding ride provider users to a hive, these limitations merely employ generic computer components to perform conventional data retrieval and data association operations for coordinating ride series among affiliated users. The claim does not recite an improvement to the functioning of the server, database, communication network, or other computer technology. For example, the claims do not recite as new database architecture , query algorithm communication protocol, memory structure or other technological mechanism that improves computer performance. Rather, the additional elements implement the abstract idea by applying conventional computer functions to organize user relationships and facilitate ride coordination. Accordingly the judicial exception is not integrated is not a practical application.
With respect to Step 2B, Applicant argues that the claims recite an inventive concept, and the additional elements viewed as an ordered combination are not well-understood, routine or conventional in the field. Applicant argues that the hive management module, household affiliation database, cascading membership population, dynamic authorization management, credential verification, and route deviation detection are not well-understood, routine or conventional. However, the claim recites these elements at a high level of generality and describes them in terms of the results achieved rather than a specific technological implementation. As an ordered combination, the additional elements merely perform conventional computer functions, including storing data, querying databases, updating records, communicating with user devices, receiving status information and transmitting notifications to implement the abstract idea of coordinating ride services among affiliated users. The alleged improvements are directed to the business rules governing ride coordination rather than to an improvement in the functioning or a computer, database, network or other technology, and accordingly, the additional elements do not provide an inventive concept sufficient to transform the judicial expedition into patent eligible subject matter.
Applicant's arguments, see arguments/remarks, filed 5/28/25, with respect to the rejection(s)
of claim(s) 1-5, 7-12, 14-19, and newly added claims 21-23, under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, claim(s) 1-4, 5, 8-10, 12, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21-23 is/are now newly rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goldman et al (US 9087320 B2), and further in view of ZOLFAGHARI (CA 3232345 A1), and further in view of Subhiksha, J.G. K., and further in view of Soma Prathibh. "Kids Carpooling Mobile Application", now referred to as Subhiksha et al, and further in view of Bednarek (US 20150227890 A1). Similarly, claim(s) 7, 14, are now newly rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goldman et al (US 9087320 B2), and further in view of ZOLFAGHARI (CA 3232345 A1), and further in view of Subhiksha, J.G. K., and further in view of Soma Prathibh. "Kids Carpooling Mobile Application", now referred to as Subhiksha et al, and further in view of Bednarek (US 20150227890 A1), and further in view of MAGUIRE (AU 2014235404 A1), and further in view of Ahire (US 11507906 B2) is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goldman et al (US 9087320 B2), and further in view of ZOLFAGHARI (CA 3232345 A1), and further in view of and further in view of Subhiksha et al, and further in view of MAGUIRE (AU 2014235404 A1).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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 mailing date of this final action.
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July 27, 2026
/AKIBA K ROBINSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3626
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