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 is response to the application 19/061,061 filed on 02/24/2025. Claims 2-21 are pending in this communication while claim 1 has been canceled.
Allowable subject matter
Claims 2-21 are allowable if the applicant overcomes the double patenting rejection.
Double Patenting
The non-statutory obviousness type double patenting (ODP) rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper time wise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A non-statutory obviousness-type double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); and In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on a non-statutory double patenting ground provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with this application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
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The following table shows anticipated respective claims of the instant application against the claims of US Patent No. US. 12,261,956:
Table 1
Instant Application
Patent US 12,261,956
2. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving data identifying a set of candidate digital components and, for each candidate
digital component, a set of distribution parameters for the candidate digital component;
for each candidate digital component,
providing encrypted selection data for the candidate digital component as input to
a cryptographic analysis application running in a trusted hardware module of a client device,
wherein the encrypted selection data represents the set of distribution parameters for the candidate digital component, and wherein the cryptographic analysis application is configured to determine a measure of match between the selection data and user attributes of a user of the client device, and
receiving, as an output of the cryptographic analysis application, an encrypted result that indicates the measure of match between the selection data and the user attributes of a
user;
decrypting the encrypted result for each candidate digital component;
selecting, from the candidate digital components, a given digital component based on the measure of match for each candidate digital component; and
displaying the given digital component.
1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving a data element identifying a set of candidate digital components and, for each candidate digital component, a set of distribution parameters for the candidate digital component;
for each candidate digital component,
providing encrypted selection data for the candidate digital component as input to a cryptographic analysis application running in a trusted hardware module of a client device, wherein the encrypted selection data represents the set of distribution parameters for the candidate digital component and is encrypted using a zero-knowledge proof protocol, and wherein the cryptographic analysis application is configured to determine a measure of match between the selection data and user attributes of a user of the client device, and
receiving, as an output of the cryptographic analysis application, an encrypted result that indicates the measure of match between the selection data and the user attributes of a user, wherein the encrypted result is encrypted using the zero-knowledge proof protocol;
decrypting the encrypted result for each candidate digital component;
selecting, from the candidate digital components, a given digital component based on the measure of match for each candidate digital component; and
displaying the given digital component.
Claims 2, 12 and 21 merely broaden the scope of claims 1, 8 and 15, respectively of Patent US 12,261,956. Claims 2, 12 and 21 merely broaden the scope without broadening the inventive concept of privacy-preserving verification of encrypted data without using specific protocol name i.e. “zero-knowledge proof protocol” claimed in parent Patent US 12,261,956.
Claims 2, 12 & 21 are rejected in view of US 12,261,956 and further in view of FRIEDMAN; Eric D. et al. (US 11,140,171 B1).
FRIEDMAN discloses “providing encrypted selection data for the candidate digital component as input to a cryptographic analysis application … wherein the cryptographic analysis application is configured to determine a measure of match” {col. 4 lines 7-11, “an identity server system can provide an identity verification service to one or more other server systems, including server systems operated by third parties. In all cases, it is possible to verify the user identity while preserving user privacy”}.
It is well settled that broadening the scope of claims would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the narrower issued claims. In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982) and In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993). Therefore claim 1 of US Patent US 12,261,956 anticipate claims 2, 12 & 21 of the instant application.
Claims 2-21 are provisionally rejected on the ground of nonstatutory obviousness-type double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 2, 12 & 21 of the Patent US 12,261,956 in view of prior art FRIEDMAN. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other over Patent US 12,261,956 in view of FRIEDMAN.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention of claims 1, 8 & 15 of the US 12,261,956 to include FRIEDMAN inventions to obtain predictable results. The motivation is – preserving user data absolutely private while accomplishing the objective. Many applications like machine/car maintenance in a productive manner, which maintains and may upgrade user product quality, which helps a vendor’s business to flourish.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to QUAZI FAROOQUI whose telephone number is (571) 270-1034 or Quazi.farooqui@USPTO.GOV. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, EST. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Bill Korzuch can be reached on (571) 272-7589 or William.Korzuch@USPTO.GOV. The fax phone number for Examiner Farooqui assigned is 571-270-2034.
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/QUAZI FAROOQUI/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2491
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