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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed 06/16/2026 with respect to the rejection of claims 10-16 under 35 U.S.C. 101 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of claims 10-16 has been withdrawn.
Applicant's arguments filed 06/16/2026 regarding the rejection of claims 1 and 17 under 35 U.S.C. 101 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant has asserted that the determining and estimating steps in claim 1 do not constitute a mental process because they require a chain of mathematical relationships that cannot be calculated in the human mind, however examiner respectfully disagrees. As described in MPEP 2106.04(a)(2), the courts consider a mental process (thinking) that "can be performed in the human mind, or by a human using a pen and paper" to be an abstract idea. As presented, the claims broadly recite calculations that may be performed using a pen and paper in place of a human mind. Additionally, applicant has asserted that the claims integrate any abstract idea into a practical application by applying the calculated adjustments to actual aircraft operation during the corresponding phases of flight, however, examiner respectfully disagrees because the claims do not recite applying the calculated adjustments to actual aircraft operation. Applying the calculated adjustments to actual aircraft operation during the corresponding phases of flight would overcome the current rejection under 35 U.S.C. 101. Therefore, claims 1-9 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 as currently presented.
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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
The determination of whether a claim recites patent ineligible subject matter is a 2 step inquiry.
STEP 1: the claim does not fall within one of the four statutory categories of invention (process, machine, manufacture or composition of matter), see MPEP 2106.03, or
STEP 2: the claim recites a judicial exception, e.g. an abstract idea, without reciting additional elements that amount to significantly more than the judicial exception, as determined using the following analysis: see MPEP 2106.04
STEP 2A (PRONG 1): Does the claim recite an abstract idea, law of nature, or natural phenomenon? see MPEP 2106.04(II)(A)(1)
STEP 2A (PRONG 2): Does the claim recite additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application? see MPEP 2106.04(II)(A)(2)
STEP 2B: Does the claim recite additional elements that amount to significantly more than the judicial exception? see MPEP 2106.05
101 Analysis – Step 1
Claim 1 is directed to a method of estimating fuel flow for a flight (i.e., a process). Therefore, claim 1 is within at least one of the four statutory categories.
101 Analysis – Step 2A, Prong I
Regarding Prong I of the Step 2A analysis, the claims are to be analyzed to determine whether they recite subject matter that falls within one of the follow groups of abstract ideas: a) mathematical concepts, b) certain methods of organizing human activity, and/or c) mental processes. see MPEP 2106(A)(II)(1) and MPEP 2106.04(a)-(c)
Independent claim 1 includes limitations that recite an abstract idea (emphasized below [with the category of abstract idea in brackets]) and will be used as a representative claim for the remainder of the 101 rejection. Claim 1 recites:
A method comprising:
obtaining first humidity data indicative of a first humidity value at an origin airport of a flight;
obtaining second humidity data indicative of a second humidity value at a destination airport;
determining, based on the first humidity data, a first fuel flow rate adjustment for a first phase of flight from a first altitude of the origin airport to a threshold altitude [mental process/step];
determining, based on the second humidity data, a second fuel flow rate adjustment for a second phase of flight from the threshold altitude to a second altitude of the destination airport [mental process/step];
estimating total fuel flow for the flight based on the first fuel flow rate adjustment and the second fuel flow rate adjustment [mental process/step]; and
transmitting the estimated total fuel flow to a control display unit (CDU) of an aircraft for display.
The examiner submits that the foregoing bolded limitation(s) constitute a “mental process” because under its broadest reasonable interpretation, the claim covers performance of the limitation in the human mind. For example, “determining…” and “estimating…” in the context of this claim encompasses a person (pilot) looking at data collected and forming a simple judgement. Accordingly, the claim recites at least one abstract idea.
101 Analysis – Step 2A, Prong II
Regarding Prong II of the Step 2A analysis, the claims are to be analyzed to determine whether the claim, as a whole, integrates the abstract into a practical application. see MPEP 2106.04(II)(A)(2) and MPEP 2106.04(d)(2). It must be determined whether any additional elements in the claim beyond the abstract idea integrate the exception into a practical application in a manner that imposes a meaningful limit on the judicial exception. The courts have indicated that additional elements merely using a computer to implement an abstract idea, adding insignificant extra solution activity, or generally linking use of a judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field of use do not integrate a judicial exception into a “practical application.”
In the present case, the additional limitations beyond the above-noted abstract idea are as follows (where the underlined portions are the “additional limitations” [with a description of the additional limitations in brackets], while the bolded portions continue to represent the “abstract idea”.):
A method comprising:
obtaining first humidity data indicative of a first humidity value at an origin airport of a flight [pre-solution activity (data gathering)];
obtaining second humidity data indicative of a second humidity value at a destination airport [pre-solution activity (data gathering)];
determining, based on the first humidity data, a first fuel flow rate adjustment for a first phase of flight from a first altitude of the origin airport to a threshold altitude;
determining, based on the second humidity data, a second fuel flow rate adjustment for a second phase of flight from the threshold altitude to a second altitude of the destination airport;
estimating total fuel flow for the flight based on the first fuel flow rate adjustment and the second fuel flow rate adjustment; and
transmitting the estimated total fuel flow to a control display unit (CDU) of an aircraft for display [insignificant post-solution activity (displaying results of the mental process)].
For the following reason(s), the examiner submits that the above identified additional limitations do not integrate the above-noted abstract idea into a practical application.
Regarding the additional limitations of “obtaining first humidity data…,” “obtaining second humidity data,” and “transmitting the estimated total fuel flow…” the examiner submits that these limitations are insignificant extra-solution activities. In particular, the obtaining steps are recited at a high level of generality (i.e. as a general means of gathering humidity data for use in the determining steps), and amounts to mere data gathering, which is a form of insignificant extra-solution activity. Additionally, the transmitting of the estimated total fuel flow to a display unit of an aircraft for display is also recited at a high level of generality (i.e., as a general means of displaying the total fuel flow result from the estimating step), and amounts to mere post solution displaying, which is a form of insignificant extra-solution activity.
Thus, taken alone, the additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application. Further, looking at the additional limitation(s) as an ordered combination or as a whole, the limitation(s) add nothing that is not already present when looking at the elements taken individually. For instance, there is no indication that the additional elements, when considered as a whole, reflect an improvement in the functioning of a computer or an improvement to another technology or technical field, apply or use the above-noted judicial exception to effect a particular treatment or prophylaxis for a disease or medical condition, implement/use the above-noted judicial exception with a particular machine or manufacture that is integral to the claim, effect a transformation or reduction of a particular article to a different state or thing, or apply or use the judicial exception in some other meaningful way beyond generally linking the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment, such that the claim as a whole is not more than a drafting effort designed to monopolize the exception. see MPEP § 2106.05. Accordingly, the additional limitation(s) do/does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it does not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea.
101 Analysis – Step 2B
Regarding Step 2B of the Revised Guidance, representative independent claim 1 does not include additional elements (considered both individually and as an ordered combination) that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception for the same reasons to those discussed above with respect to determining that the claim does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application. As discussed above, regarding the additional limitations of “obtaining first humidity data…,” “obtaining second humidity data,” and “transmitting the estimated total fuel flow…” the examiner submits that these limitations are insignificant extra-solution activities. In addition, these additional limitations (and the combination, thereof) amount to no more than what is well-understood, routine and conventional activity. Hence, the claim is not patent eligible.
Additional Claims
Independent claims 10 and 17 are not patent eligible under the same rationale as provided for in the rejection of independent claim 1.
Dependent claims 2-9, 11-16, and 18-20 do not recite any further limitations that cause the claims to be patent eligible. Rather, the limitations of dependent claims are directed toward additional aspects of the judicial exception and/or well-understood, routine and conventional additional elements that do not integrate the judicial exception into a practical application such as adjusting the fuel flow rate for each phase of the flight according to the determined fuel flow rate adjustments. Therefore, dependent claims 2-9, 11-16, and 18-20 are not patent eligible under the same rationale as provided for in the rejection of claim 1.
Therefore, claims 1-20 are ineligible under 35 USC §101.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRANDON Z WILLIS whose telephone number is (571)272-5427. The examiner can normally be reached Weekdays 8:00-5:30.
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, Erin D. Bishop can be reached at (571) 270-3713. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BRANDON Z WILLIS/Examiner, Art Unit 3665
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