DETAILED ACTION
This non-final office action is in response to claims 1-20 filed February 27, 2025 for examination. Claims 1-20 are being examined and are pending.
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 .
Drawings
The drawings filed on 02/27/2025 have been accepted.
Double Patenting
The non-statutory double patenting 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 timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A non-statutory 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); 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 non-statutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a non-statutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The actual filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA /25, or PTO/AIA /26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/applying-online/eterminal-disclaimer.
Claims 1-20 are rejected on the ground of non-statutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-20 of U.S. Patent No. 12,267,428 B2 (S/N # 18/308,013). Although the conflicting claims are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the referenced co-pending US Patent application and the instant application are claiming common subject matter, as follows (only independent claim 1 is shown as example):
Claim Comparison Table:
Instant Application # 19/066,105
US Patent 12,267,428 (S/N # 18/308,013)
1. A method comprising:
receiving, at a mobile device from an authentication server, a receipt identifier comprising a cryptographically secured value in response to providing authentication information to the authentication server;
generating, by the mobile device, a blinded token representative of the mobile device; providing, by the mobile device, the blinded token and the receipt identifier to a security server, the security server configured to:
encrypt the blinded token to produce an encrypted blinded token; and
provide the encrypted blinded token to the mobile device; and
requesting, by the mobile device, a validation of the blinded token by: unblinding, by the mobile device, the encrypted blinded token to produce an encrypted unblinded token;
providing, by the mobile device, the encrypted unblinded token and a public key to the security server;
receiving, by the mobile device, a nonce from the security server;
encrypting, by the mobile device, the nonce using a private key stored by the mobile device and associated with the public key to produce an encrypted nonce; and
providing, by the mobile device, the encrypted nonce to the security server, the security server configured to:
verify the encrypted nonce;
generate an authentication token; and
provide the authentication token to the mobile device.
1. A method comprising:
receiving, at a mobile device from an authentication server, a receipt identifier comprising a cryptographically secured value in response to providing authentication information to the authentication server; generating, by the mobile device, a blinded token representative of the mobile device; providing, by the mobile device, the blinded token and the receipt identifier to a security server, the security server configured to:
store the receipt identifier in an authentication table in response to querying the authentication server and determining that the receipt identifier has not previously been used; encrypt the blinded token to produce an encrypted blinded token; and provide the encrypted blinded token to the mobile device; and
requesting, by the mobile device, a validation of the blinded token by: unblinding, by the mobile device, the encrypted blinded token to produce an encrypted unblinded token; providing, by the mobile device, the encrypted unblinded token and a public key to the security server, the security server configured to: validate that the encrypted unblinded token is not in a token blacklist; insert the public key in a public key table; and add the encrypted unblinded token into the token blacklist;
receiving, by the mobile device, a nonce from the security server;
encrypting, by the mobile device, the nonce using a private key stored by the mobile device and associated with the public key to produce an encrypted nonce; and
providing, by the mobile device, the encrypted nonce to the security server, the security server configured to:
verify the encrypted nonce;
generate an authentication token;
insert the authentication token and the public key into an authentication token table; and provide the authentication token to the mobile device.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-20 would be allowable if rewritten or amended or filed terminal disclaimer to overcome the rejection(s) under double patenting rejection set forth in this Office action.
Prior art US 2019/0356649 A1 (Alwen et al.) has been found to teach a method for decrypting application data, the method comprising: receiving, on a first device, login credentials; transmitting, from the first device, the login credentials to a first server; generating, by a first device, a blinded representation of a first secret; transmitting, from the first device, the blinded representation of the first secret to a first server; receiving, at the first device, a first token and a first proof from the first server; verifying, by the first device, the first proof received from the first server; unblinding, by the first device, the blinded representation of the first secret; generating, by the first device, a first key-encrypting key from the first secret; decrypting, by the first device, a first encryption key using the first key-encrypting key; decrypting, by the first device, application data using the first encryption key; accessing, by the first device, one or more applications on a second server using the first token and the decrypted application data. Claim 7.
US 20050170813 A1 (Choi et al.) has been found to teach a method for restricting the use of a mobile terminal including generating a coded value corresponding to a user authentication card, and determining whether or not the mobile terminal is available for use based on the generated coded value. Further, determining whether or not the mobile terminal is available for use includes checking whether or not the generated coded value is on a registration coded value list, and checking whether or not the generated coded value is on a prohibition coded value list if the generated coded value is not on the registration coded value list. The method also includes storing the generated coded value in a temporary coded value list and setting the mobile terminal in a first lock mode when the generated coded value is not on the registration or prohibition coded value lists, transmitting a lost terminal message to a loss management server, determining, by the loss management server, if the mobile terminal has been reported lost, and setting the mobile terminal in a second lock mode if the mobile terminal has been reported lost. Abstract.
US 20140047524 A1 (Auger et al.) has been found to teach a system and method for authenticating mobile communications devices. The method comprises: generating a code corresponding to a user configured to be rendered on a rendering device to produce a rendered code, the rendered code being readable by a mobile communications device having a code reading device, the rendered code comprising a secret token; storing the secret token along with information identifying the user on a first storage device; providing the code to the user; receiving, at the authentication server, a setup message from the mobile device, the message includes a device identifier and the secret token; comparing the received secret token and the secret token stored on the first storage device; if the received secret token matches the secret token stored on the first storage device, storing, on a second storage device, information identifying the user and a trusted device value corresponding to the device identifier. Abstract.
US 10,360,361 B2 (Morgner et al.) taught a computer-implemented method for controlling access of a terminal (118) to an attribute (112) stored in an ID token (100), wherein the ID token (100) is associated with a user, wherein the method comprises receipt of an identification of the terminal (118) by the ID token (100) and checking by the ID token (100) if a session identification validly associated with the identification of the terminal (118) is stored in the ID token (100), wherein, if a session identification validly associated with the identification of the terminal (118) is stored in the ID token (100), the ID token (100) transmits the session identification to the terminal (118) and grants the terminal (118) access to the attribute (112), wherein a subsequent communication with access to the attribute (112) is carried out in an encrypted manner using a session-specific session key, wherein the session-specific session key is stored in the ID token (100) in a manner associated with the session identification or the identification of the terminal (118).
Independent claim 1 identifies the following combination of features:
receiving, at a mobile device from an authentication server, a receipt identifier comprising a cryptographically secured value in response to providing authentication information to the authentication server;
generating, by the mobile device, a blinded token representative of the mobile device;
providing, by the mobile device, the blinded token and the receipt identifier to a security server, the security server configured to:
encrypt the blinded token to produce an encrypted blinded token; and
provide the encrypted blinded token to the mobile device; and
requesting, by the mobile device, a validation of the blinded token by:
unblinding, by the mobile device, the encrypted blinded token to produce an encrypted unblinded token;
providing, by the mobile device, the encrypted unblinded token and a public key to the security server;
receiving, by the mobile device, a nonce from the security server;
encrypting, by the mobile device, the nonce using a private key stored by the mobile device and associated with the public key to produce an encrypted nonce; and
providing, by the mobile device, the encrypted nonce to the security server, the security server configured to: verify the encrypted nonce;
generate an authentication token; and
provide the authentication token to the mobile device.
Other independent claims 9 and 17 although different, further recite similar limitations to those found in claim 1.
None of the prior arts taken alone or in combination taught the claimed invention.
Dependent claims 2-8, 10-16, and 18-20 are also allowed due to their dependency on independent allowable claims 1, 9, and 17.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHAWNCHOY RAHMAN whose telephone number is (571)270-7471. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30A-5P ET.
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, Taghi T Arani can be reached at 5712723787. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Shawnchoy Rahman/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2438
Prosecution Insights