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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action corresponds to application 19/025,188 which was filed on 1/16/2025 and is a CON of PCT/CN2023/106369 filed 07/07/2023 and claims benefit of CHINA 202210939522.2 filed 08/05/2022.
Response to Amendment
In the reply filed 12/3/2025, claims 1, 3, 8, 11-12, 14, 17-18 and 20 have been amended. Claims 2, 13, and 19 have been cancelled and claims 21-23 have been added. Accordingly claims 1, 3-12, 14-18, and 20-23 stand pending.
The 35 USC 101 rejections of have been withdrawn in light of the amendments.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/3/2025 have been fully considered but are moot in view of new grounds of rejection.
The applicant argues that Tan does not teach “the global secondary index comprises at least one attribute in the base table”. The examiner respectfully disagrees. Tan teaches, in paragraphs 21-22 and 47, that a global index indexes all the data in the table with indexes comprising attributes from the base table, such as values/attributes from the base table that are used as keys. It is also noted that the newly cited reference Gupta teaches, in column 2 lines 27-50, column 3 lines 18-42, a global index that comprises attributes from the base table as well. Therefore, the examiner is not persuaded.
The application argues that Tan does not teach “the location information indicates a location, in the base table, of a tuple to which data in the at least one attribute belongs”. The examiner respectfully disagrees. Tan teaches, in figure 1 and paragraphs 21-22 and 47, that the indexes identifies tuples in the base table that the attribute belongs. It is also noted that the newly cited reference Gupta teaches, in column 2 lines 27-50, column 3 lines 18-42, a global index that comprises location information to locate a tuple of data in the base table for the attribute. Therefore, the examiner is not persuaded.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3-10,12, 14-15, 17-18, and 20-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tan et al. (US2014/0279881, previously presented in ‘892), hereinafter Tan, in view of Gupta et al. (US12,517,924), hereinafter Gupta.
Regarding Claim 1:
Tan teaches:
A method for processing a base table and a global secondary index of the base table in a distributed database, applied to a first node (Tan, abstract, figure 6, note processing base tables and secondary index of base table), wherein the method comprises: in response to a first indication, indicating a target second node in at least one second node to perform a target operation, wherein the first indication indicates to update the base table, the base table is stored in the at least one second node in a distributed manner, and the target operation is used to update the base table (Tan, figures 3-6 and 9, abstract, [0040, 0047, 0051-0052, 0076], note an update indication, e.g., first indication, to update data in a data table of a data node);
receiving target information from the target second node, wherein the target information is used to update the global secondary index of the base table, and the global secondary index is stored in at least one third node in a distributed manner (Tan, figures 3-6 and 9, abstract, [0039-0040, 0047, 0051-0052, 0076], note an update indication, e.g., first indication, to update data in a data table of a data node; note retrieving a corresponding index definition from the data table of the target node, e.g., receiving target information from the target second node, to update the corresponding index; note the index table is stored in at least one computing node different from the data table computing node, e.g., third node); and
indicating, based on the target information, a target third node in the at least one third node to update the global secondary index (Tan, figures 3-6 and 9, abstract, [0021, 0035, 0047, 0051-0052, 0076], note global secondary index; note the index table is stored in at least one computing node different from the data table computing node; note updating the index based on the update to the base table; note put commands include “table”, “key”, “colname”, and “colvalue” that indicate a target third node for the index; note identifying the index to update that is stored in a separate computing node is a form of an indicating that separate computing node, e.g., target third node); and
wherein the global secondary index comprises at least one attribute in the base table and location information, and the location information indicates a location, in the base table, of a tuple to which data in the at least one attribute belongs (Tan, figures 3-6 and 9, abstract, [0021-0022, 0039-0040, 0047, 0051-0052, 0076], note the indexes have knowledge of data locations and data table values, e.g., attributes).
While Tan teaches processing a base table with a global secondary index, Tan does not specify that the global secondary index does not include a primary key, a distribution key, or a partition key of the base table. However, Gupta is in the same field of endeavor, data management, and Gupta teaches:
wherein the global secondary index comprises at least one attribute in the base table and location information, and the location information indicates a location, in the base table, of a tuple to which data in the at least one attribute belongs, and the global secondary index does not include a primary key, a distribution key, or a partition key of the base table (Gupta, figure 1, column 2 lines 27-50, column 3 lines 18-42, note secondary indexes may index items according to values other than key values such as attributes in the base table and location information of the tuple in the base table; note secondary indexes are global secondary indexes generated from distributed portions of a source table across different storage nodes and may be separately hosted).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of filing to modify the cited references to incorporate the teachings of Gupta because all references are directed towards data management and because Gupta would expand upon the teachings of the previously cited references in data distribution which would improve the performance of the system by allowing data to be retrieved quickly without performing a scan of the entire table of items (Gupta, column 2 lines 27-50).
Regarding Claim 3:
Tan as modified shows the method as disclosed above;
Tan as modified further teaches:
wherein location information corresponding to each piece of data comprises first location information and second location information, the first location information indicates a node in which a tuple to which the corresponding data belongs is located, and the second location information indicates a storage location, in the node, of the tuple to which the corresponding data belongs (Tan, figures 3-6, [0021-0022, 0030, 0035], note the global index has knowledge of data locations and sends queries only to the regions that contain the data, e.g., second location information; note with global indexes a data store will be able to locate an exact node, e.g., first location information) (Gupta, figure 1, column 2 lines 27-50, column 3 lines 18-55, note secondary indexes may index items according to values other than key values such as attributes in the base table and location information of the tuple in the base table; note secondary indexes are global secondary indexes generated from distributed portions of a source table across different storage nodes and may be separately hosted; note location information).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of filing to modify the cited references to incorporate the teachings of Gupta because all references are directed towards data management and because Gupta would expand upon the teachings of the previously cited references in data distribution which would improve the performance of the system by allowing data to be retrieved quickly without performing a scan of the entire table of items (Gupta, column 2 lines 27-50).
Regarding Claim 4:
Tan as modified shows the method as disclosed above;
Tan as modified further teaches:
the target information comprises first target data and location information corresponding to changed data, or the target information comprises first target data, target distribution key data, and second location information corresponding to changed data (Tan, figures 3-5, [0030, 0034-0035, 0047, 0076], note retrieved index definition includes, but is not limited to, column name and data type; note generating a corresponding new index entry that corresponds to the update operation and inserts a new index entry with an index put command; note put commands include “table”, “key”, “colname”, and “colvalue”) (Gupta, figure 1, column 2 lines 27-50, column 3 lines 18-55, note secondary indexes may index items according to values other than key values such as attributes in the base table and location information of the tuple in the base table; note secondary indexes are global secondary indexes generated from distributed portions of a source table across different storage nodes and may be separately hosted; note location information); and
the first target data is data that belongs to the at least one attribute and that is comprised in the changed data, the changed data is data in which there is a difference between first base table data and second base table data, the first base table data is data comprised in the base table before the base table is updated, the second base table data is data comprised in the base table after the base table is updated, the target distribution key data is data that is comprised in the changed data and that is used as a distribution key of the base table, and the target distribution key data is used to determine first location information corresponding to the changed data (Tan, figures 3-5, [0030, 0034-0035, 0047, 0076], note retrieved index definition includes, but is not limited to, column name and data type; note generating a corresponding new index entry that corresponds to the update operation and inserts a new index entry with an index put command; note put commands include “table”, “key”, “colname”, and “colvalue”; note changed data. It is noted that “target distribution key data” is not required since it is part of an or statement in the preceded limitation) (Gupta, figure 1, column 2 lines 27-50, column 3 lines 18-55, note secondary indexes may index items according to values other than key values such as attributes in the base table and location information of the tuple in the base table; note secondary indexes are global secondary indexes generated from distributed portions of a source table across different storage nodes and may be separately hosted).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of filing to modify the cited references to incorporate the teachings of Gupta because all references are directed towards data management and because Gupta would expand upon the teachings of the previously cited references in data distribution which would improve the performance of the system by allowing data to be retrieved quickly without performing a scan of the entire table of items (Gupta, column 2 lines 27-50).
Regarding Claim 5:
Tan as modified shows the method as disclosed above;
Tan as modified further teaches:
wherein before the receiving target information from the target second node, the method further comprises: when the first indication indicates to update a part of data comprised in the base table, determining that there is an intersection between an attribute to which the part of data belongs and the at least one attribute (Tan, figures 3-6 and 9, abstract, [0039-0040, 0047, 0051-0052, 0076], note an update indication, e.g., first indication, to update data in a data table of a data node; note determining if the index comprises the column name, e.g., determining intersection) (Gupta, figure 1, column 2 lines 27-50, column 3 lines 18-55, note secondary indexes may index items according to values other than key values such as attributes in the base table and location information of the tuple in the base table; note secondary indexes are global secondary indexes generated from distributed portions of a source table across different storage nodes and may be separately hosted).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of filing to modify the cited references to incorporate the teachings of Gupta because all references are directed towards data management and because Gupta would expand upon the teachings of the previously cited references in data distribution which would improve the performance of the system by allowing data to be retrieved quickly without performing a scan of the entire table of items (Gupta, column 2 lines 27-50).
Regarding Claim 6:
Tan as modified shows the method as disclosed above;
Tan as modified further teaches:
wherein the indicating, based on the target information, a target third node in the at least one third node to update the global secondary index comprises: when the target information comprises the first target data, the target distribution key data, and the second location information corresponding to the changed data, determining, based on the target distribution key data, the first location information corresponding to the changed data (Tan, figures 3-5, [0030, 0034-0035, 0047, 0076], note retrieved index definition includes, but is not limited to, column name and data type; note generating a corresponding new index entry that corresponds to the update operation and inserts a new index entry with an index put command; note put commands include “table”, “key”, “colname”, and “colvalue”; note changed data; note changed data and key data; note key data is used to determine the corresponding row, e.g., first location information, and the region server, e.g., second location information) (Gupta, figure 1, column 2 lines 27-50, column 3 lines 18-55, note secondary indexes may index items according to values other than key values such as attributes in the base table and location information of the tuple in the base table; note secondary indexes are global secondary indexes generated from distributed portions of a source table across different storage nodes and may be separately hosted); and
sending update information to the target third node, and indicating the target third node to update, based on the update information, data that is in the global secondary index and that is stored in the target third node, wherein the update information comprises the first location information corresponding to the changed data and information other than the target distribution key data in the target information (Tan, figures 3-5, [0030, 0034-0035, 0047, 0076], note generating a corresponding new index entry that corresponds to the update operation for the base table and inserts a new index entry with an index put command; note put commands include “table”, “key”, “colname”, and “colvalue”) (Gupta, figure 1, column 2 lines 27-50, column 3 lines 18-55, note secondary indexes may index items according to values other than key values such as attributes in the base table and location information of the tuple in the base table; note secondary indexes are global secondary indexes generated from distributed portions of a source table across different storage nodes and may be separately hosted), wherein:
the target third node is each of a plurality of third nodes; or the target third node is a node that is in the at least one third node and that is configured to store the first target data (Tan, figures 3-5, [0021, 0030, 0034-0035, 0047, 0076], note the index table is stored in at least one computing node different from the data table computing node; note generating a corresponding new index entry that corresponds to the update operation for the base table and inserts a new index entry with an index put command; note put commands include “table”, “key”, “colname”, and “colvalue”) (Gupta, figure 1, column 2 lines 27-50, column 3 lines 18-55, note secondary indexes may index items according to values other than key values such as attributes in the base table and location information of the tuple in the base table; note secondary indexes are global secondary indexes generated from distributed portions of a source table across different storage nodes and may be separately hosted).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of filing to modify the cited references to incorporate the teachings of Gupta because all references are directed towards data management and because Gupta would expand upon the teachings of the previously cited references in data distribution which would improve the performance of the system by allowing data to be retrieved quickly without performing a scan of the entire table of items (Gupta, column 2 lines 27-50).
Regarding Claim 7:
Tan as modified shows the method as disclosed above;
Tan as modified further teaches:
wherein the indicating, based on the target information, a target third node in the at least one third node to update the global secondary index comprises: sending the target information to the target third node, and indicating the target third node to update, based on the target information, data that is in the global secondary index and that is stored in the target third node (Tan, figures 3-6 and 9, abstract, [0021, 0035, 0047, 0051-0052, 0076], note the index table is stored in at least one computing node different from the data table computing node; note updating, e.g., sending the target information, the index based on the update to the base table; note put commands include “table”, “key”, “colname”, and “colvalue” that indicate a target third node for the index) (Gupta, figure 1, column 2 lines 27-50, column 3 lines 18-55, note secondary indexes may index items according to values other than key values such as attributes in the base table and location information of the tuple in the base table; note secondary indexes are global secondary indexes generated from distributed portions of a source table across different storage nodes and may be separately hosted), wherein:
the target third node is each of a plurality of third nodes; or the target third node is a node that is in the at least one third node and that is configured to store the first target data (Tan, figures 3-5, [0021, 0030-0035, 0047, 0076], note the index table is stored in at least one computing node different from the data table computing node; note generating a corresponding new index entry that corresponds to the update operation for the base table and inserts a new index entry with an index put command; note put commands include “table”, “key”, “colname”, and “colvalue”) (Gupta, figure 1, column 2 lines 27-50, column 3 lines 18-55, note secondary indexes may index items according to values other than key values such as attributes in the base table and location information of the tuple in the base table; note secondary indexes are global secondary indexes generated from distributed portions of a source table across different storage nodes and may be separately hosted).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of filing to modify the cited references to incorporate the teachings of Gupta because all references are directed towards data management and because Gupta would expand upon the teachings of the previously cited references in data distribution which would improve the performance of the system by allowing data to be retrieved quickly without performing a scan of the entire table of items (Gupta, column 2 lines 27-50).
Regarding Claim 8:
Tan as modified shows the method as disclosed above;
Tan as modified further teaches:
receiving a second indication, wherein the second indication indicates to obtain second target data that meets a first condition and that is in the base table (Tan, figures 3-6, and 8, abstract, [0022, 0031-0035, 0047-0048, 0052, 0057], note receiving and processing read request to obtain second target data that meets a condition; note the update operations also obtain target data that meets a condition) (Gupta, figure 1, column 2 lines 27-50, column 3 lines 18-55, note secondary indexes may index items according to values other than key values such as attributes in the base table and location information of the tuple in the base table; note secondary indexes are global secondary indexes generated from distributed portions of a source table across different storage nodes and may be separately hosted);
determining, based on the second indication, an attribute to which the second target data belongs (Tan, figures 3-6, and 8, abstract, [0022, 0031-0035, 0047-0048, 0057, 0071], note receiving and processing read request to obtain second target data that meets a condition; note the update operations also obtain target data that meets a condition; note the use of put and get requests and how they use values such as “colname” to determine which attribute the second target data belongs) (Gupta, figure 1, column 2 lines 27-50, column 3 lines 18-55, note secondary indexes may index items according to values other than key values such as attributes in the base table and location information of the tuple in the base table; note secondary indexes are global secondary indexes generated from distributed portions of a source table across different storage nodes and may be separately hosted); and
when the at least one attribute comprises all attributes to which the second target data belongs, selecting, from the data comprised in the global secondary index, the second target data that meets the first condition (Tan, figures 3-6, and 8, abstract, [0022, 0031-0035, 0047-0048, 0057, 0071], note receiving and processing read request to obtain second target data that meets a condition; note reading the data table and index which means the data from the index was selected to obtain the data from the table; note the update operations also obtain target data that meets a condition; note the use of put and get requests and how they use values such as “colname” to determine which attribute the second target data belongs;) (Gupta, figure 1, column 2 lines 27-50, column 3 lines 18-55, note secondary indexes may index items according to values other than key values such as attributes in the base table and location information of the tuple in the base table; note secondary indexes are global secondary indexes generated from distributed portions of a source table across different storage nodes and may be separately hosted).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of filing to modify the cited references to incorporate the teachings of Gupta because all references are directed towards data management and because Gupta would expand upon the teachings of the previously cited references in data distribution which would improve the performance of the system by allowing data to be retrieved quickly without performing a scan of the entire table of items (Gupta, column 2 lines 27-50).
Regarding Claim 9:
Tan as modified shows the method as disclosed above;
Tan as modified further teaches:
when the at least one attribute does not comprise all the attributes to which the second target data belongs, and there is an intersection between a target attribute in the at least one attribute and the attribute to which the second target data belongs, determining the second target data based on the global secondary index, wherein data in the target attribute is used as an index key of the global secondary index (Tan, figures 3-6, and 8, abstract, [0022, 0031-0035, 0047-0048, 0057, 0071], note receiving and processing read request to obtain second target data that meets a timestamp condition; note reading the data table and index which means the data from the index was selected to obtain the data from the table; note the timestamp condition or the key value means the one attribute may not comprises all the attributes to which the second target data belongs; note the update operations also obtain target data that meets a condition; note the use of put and get requests and how they use values such as “colname” to determine which attribute the second target data belongs;) (Gupta, figure 1, column 2 lines 27-50, column 3 lines 18-55, note secondary indexes may index items according to values other than key values such as attributes in the base table and location information of the tuple in the base table; note secondary indexes are global secondary indexes generated from distributed portions of a source table across different storage nodes and may be separately hosted).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of filing to modify the cited references to incorporate the teachings of Gupta because all references are directed towards data management and because Gupta would expand upon the teachings of the previously cited references in data distribution which would improve the performance of the system by allowing data to be retrieved quickly without performing a scan of the entire table of items (Gupta, column 2 lines 27-50).
Regarding Claim 10:
Tan as modified shows the method as disclosed above;
Tan as modified further teaches:
wherein the determining the second target data based on the global secondary index comprises: selecting, from the data comprised in the global secondary index, third target data that meets a part or all of the first condition (Tan, figures 3-6, and 8, abstract, [0022, 0031-0035, 0047-0048, 0057, 0071], note receiving and processing read request to obtain third target data that meets a condition; note reading the data table and index which means the data from the index was selected to obtain the data from the table; note the update operations also obtain target data that meets a condition; note the use of put and get requests and how they use values such as “colname” to determine which attribute the third target data belongs) (Gupta, figure 1, column 2 lines 27-50, column 3 lines 18-55, note secondary indexes may index items according to values other than key values such as attributes in the base table and location information of the tuple in the base table; note secondary indexes are global secondary indexes generated from distributed portions of a source table across different storage nodes and may be separately hosted); and
obtaining, from a storage location indicated by location information corresponding to the third target data, the second target data that meets the first condition (Tan, figures 3-6, and 8, abstract, [0022, 0031-0035, 0047-0048, 0057, 0071], note receiving and processing read request to obtain target data that meets a condition; note reading the data table and index; note the update operations also obtain target data that meets a condition; note the use of put and get requests and how they use values such as “colname” to determine which attribute the third target data belongs) (Gupta, figure 1, column 2 lines 27-50, column 3 lines 18-55, note secondary indexes may index items according to values other than key values such as attributes in the base table and location information of the tuple in the base table; note secondary indexes are global secondary indexes generated from distributed portions of a source table across different storage nodes and may be separately hosted).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of filing to modify the cited references to incorporate the teachings of Gupta because all references are directed towards data management and because Gupta would expand upon the teachings of the previously cited references in data distribution which would improve the performance of the system by allowing data to be retrieved quickly without performing a scan of the entire table of items (Gupta, column 2 lines 27-50).
Claim 12 discloses substantially the same limitations as claim 1 respectively, except claim 12 is directed to a method applied to a second node (Tan, abstract, figure 12, note multiple computing nodes) while claim 1 is directed to a method applied to a first node. Therefore claim 12 is rejected under the same rationale set forth for claim 1.
Claim 14 discloses substantially the same limitations as claim 3 respectively, except claim 14 is directed to a method applied to a second node (Tan, abstract, figure 12, note multiple computing nodes) while claim 3 is directed to a method applied to a first node. Therefore claim 14 is rejected under the same rationale set forth for claim 3.
Claim 15 discloses substantially the same limitations as claim 4 respectively, except claim 15 is directed to a method applied to a second node (Tan, abstract, figure 12, note multiple computing nodes) while claim 4 is directed to a method applied to a first node. Therefore claim 15 is rejected under the same rationale set forth for claim 4.
Claim 17 discloses substantially the same limitations as claim 1 respectively, except claim 17 is directed to a data processing apparatus comprising at least one processor and one or more memories (Tan, figure 12, [0089], note processor and memory devices) while claim 1 is directed to a method. Therefore claim 17 is rejected under the same rationale set forth for claim 1.
Claim 18 discloses substantially the same limitations as claim 1 respectively, except claim 18 is directed to a computer-readable storage medium run on a computer (Tan, figure 12, [0089], note processor, memory devices, and computers) while claim 1 is directed to a method. Therefore claim 18 is rejected under the same rationale set forth for claim 1.
Claim 20 discloses substantially the same limitations as claim 3 respectively, except claim 20 is directed to a data processing apparatus comprising at least one processor and one or more memories (Tan, figure 12, [0089], note processor and memory devices) while claim 3 is directed to a method. Therefore claim 20 is rejected under the same rationale set forth for claim 3.
Claim 21 discloses substantially the same limitations as claim 4 respectively, except claim 21 is directed to a data processing apparatus comprising at least one processor and one or more memories (Tan, figure 12, [0089], note processor and memory devices) while claim 4 is directed to a method. Therefore claim 21 is rejected under the same rationale set forth for claim 4.
Claim 22 discloses substantially the same limitations as claim 5 respectively, except claim 22 is directed to a data processing apparatus comprising at least one processor and one or more memories (Tan, figure 12, [0089], note processor and memory devices) while claim 5 is directed to a method. Therefore claim 22 is rejected under the same rationale set forth for claim 5.
Claim 23 discloses substantially the same limitations as claim 6 respectively, except claim 23 is directed to a data processing apparatus comprising at least one processor and one or more memories (Tan, figure 12, [0089], note processor and memory devices) while claim 6 is directed to a method. Therefore claim 23 is rejected under the same rationale set forth for claim 6.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claim(s) 11 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tan in view of Gupta and Certain et al. (US11,314,717, previously cited in ‘892), hereinafter Certain.
Regarding Claim 11:
Tan as modified shows the method as disclosed above;
Tan as modified further teaches:
version information indicates a version of the tuple to which the data in the at least one attribute belongs, and a version of each tuple is used to determine whether the corresponding tuple is valid (Tan, figures 2-5, 8, [0027, 0037], note storing multiple versions of data to obtain in data reads, e.g., valid tuples).
While Tan as modified teaches using a global secondary index with multiple versions of data, Tan as modified does not specify that the index comprises version information. However, Certain is in the same field of endeavor, data management, and Certain teaches:
wherein the global secondary index further comprises version information, the version information indicates a version of the tuple to which the data in the at least one attribute belongs, and a version of each tuple is used to determine whether the corresponding tuple is valid (Certain, column 15 lines 10-42, note the secondary index comprises version identifiers, note comparing the version identifier to the current version identifier for the item in the secondary index as a conditional request, e.g., to determine if the item/tuple is valid).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of filing to modify the cited references to incorporate the teachings of Certain because all references are directed towards data management and because Certain would expand upon the teachings of the previously cited references in data distribution which would improve the efficiency of the system by providing scalable mechanisms for performing updates (Certain, column 1 lines 7-25).
Claim 16 discloses substantially the same limitations as claim 11 respectively, except claim 16 is directed to a method applied to a second node (Tan, abstract, figure 12, note multiple computing nodes) while claim 11 is directed to a method applied to a first node. Therefore claim 16 is rejected under the same rationale set forth for claim 11.
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 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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/JOHN J MORRIS/Examiner, Art Unit 2152 1/25/2026
/NEVEEN ABEL JALIL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2152