DETAILED ACTION
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
2. 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 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.
Response to Amendment
3. In the amendments filed on 3/13/2025, claims 19-20 are amended. Claims 10-18 are cancelled. Claims 21-29 have been added. Claims 1-9 and 19-29 are pending in this office action.
Information Disclosure Statement
4. Initialed and dated copy of Applicant's IDS form 1449, filed 3/26/2025, is attached to the instant Office action.
Specification
5. The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because the abstract contains legal terms (ie. “embodiment”). Please remove legal terms. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
6. 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.
7. Claims 20 and 29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. Claims 20 and 29 are directed towards "computer-readable storage medium"; however, computer-readable storage medium may reasonably be construed to include signals or carrier waves, as no language in the specification is recited that limits a computer-readable storage medium to statutory subject matter, and may then be reasonably interpreted as being embodied in non-statutory embodiments, such as sound, electromagnetic wave signals, wireless signals, and the like, as disclosed in paragraph 0033 of the specification. In order to overcome this rejection, applicant may amend Claim 20 and 29 to positively recite “non-transitory computer-readable storage medium”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
8. 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
9. Claim(s) 1-3, 9, 21-22, 28, and 29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jiang et al. (US Patent 11,308,058 B1) in view of Dar et al. (US Publication 2022/0207043 A1)
As per claim 1, Jiang teaches A method for querying sharded NoSQL data, comprising: (see Abstract)
obtaining an index setting and an associated field; (column 6 line 64 – column 7 line 13, column 9 line 43 – column 10 line 5, an index type defines an index, interpreted as index setting, and corresponds to particular data ranges and search types)
establishing an index group including a plurality of indexes, at least a portion of the plurality of indexes having the associated field; (column 10 line 55 – column 11 line 12, a logical data range splitter generates groups of data ranges associated with sub-indexes)
dividing each of the plurality of indexes into a plurality of shards based on the index setting (column 6 line 64 – column 7 line 13, column 9 lines 13-42, the different data ranges represent data shards of a NoSQL database)
obtaining an association query request based on the associated field; (column 11 lines 12-33, a query is received by a query manager that is a particular search type corresponding to sub-index types)
and in response to receiving the association query request, determining a query result based on the plurality of shards. (column 11 lines 22-33, column 15 line 59 – column 16 line 5, query results are determined based on data range, or shard, information)
Jiang does not explicitly indicate determining routing values based on the associated field.
Dar teaches determining routing values based on the associated field. (paragraphs 0041, 0042, identifier key values related to entities and objects can contain geographical location information, identity keys interpreted as routing values).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to combine Jiang’s method of utilizing multi-type sub-indices to query NoSQL databases with Dar’s ability to determine and utilize identifier key values that contain location information when processing search queries. This gives the user the ability to utilize key values containing location information when processing queries towards different data ranges, or shards, of a NoSQL database. The motivation for doing so would be to provide a unified, harmonized query system for a system spread across different multiple platforms (paragraph 0003).
As per claim 2, Jiang teaches the association query request includes the associated field, a query condition based on the index group, and a query order of an index within the index group. (column 9 lines 13-26, query priority, column 10 line 55 – column 11 line 12, logical data ranges)
As per claim 3, Jiang teaches the query order is determined based on a satisfaction degree of the query condition and a query type, and the query type includes an intersection query or a union query. (column 9 lines 27-56, sub-index types)
As per claim 9, Jiang teaches the plurality of indexes includes at least three indexes and at least two different second associated fields, one of the second associated fields being same as or different from the associated field, and determining the routing values includes: obtaining a splicing result by splicing the associated fields based on a predetermined order; obtaining a mapping result by performing a mapping operation on the splicing result; and determining the routing values based on the mapping result. (column 10 line 55 – column 11 line 12, logical data range splitter, column 12 lines 13-56, different logical data ranges)
As per claim 19, Jiang teaches An electronic device comprising a storage and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute program instructions stored in the storage to implement a method for querying sharded NoSQL data, comprising: (see Abstract)
obtaining an index setting and an associated field; (column 6 line 64 – column 7 line 13, column 9 line 43 – column 10 line 5, an index type defines an index, interpreted as index setting, and corresponds to particular data ranges and search types)
establishing an index group including a plurality of indexes, at least a portion of the plurality of indexes having the associated field; (column 10 line 55 – column 11 line 12, a logical data range splitter generates groups of data ranges associated with sub-indexes)
dividing each of the plurality of indexes into a plurality of shards based on the index setting (column 6 line 64 – column 7 line 13, column 9 lines 13-42, the different data ranges represent data shards of a NoSQL database)
obtaining an association query request based on the associated field; (column 11 lines 12-33, a query is received by a query manager that is a particular search type corresponding to sub-index types)
and in response to receiving the association query request, determining a query result based on the plurality of shards. (column 11 lines 22-33, column 15 line 59 – column 16 line 5, query results are determined based on data range, or shard, information)
Jiang does not explicitly indicate determining routing values based on the associated field.
Dar teaches determining routing values based on the associated field. (paragraphs 0041, 0042, identifier key values related to entities and objects can contain geographical location information, identity keys interpreted as routing values).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to combine Jiang’s method of utilizing multi-type sub-indices to query NoSQL databases with Dar’s ability to determine and utilize identifier key values that contain location information when processing search queries. This gives the user the ability to utilize key values containing location information when processing queries towards different data ranges, or shards, of a NoSQL database. The motivation for doing so would be to provide a unified, harmonized query system for a system spread across different multiple platforms (paragraph 0003).
As per claim 20, Jiang teaches A computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, wherein when reading the computer instructions in the storage medium, a computer performs a method of for querying sharded NoSQL data, comprising: (see Abstract)
obtaining an index setting and an associated field; (column 6 line 64 – column 7 line 13, column 9 line 43 – column 10 line 5, an index type defines an index, interpreted as index setting, and corresponds to particular data ranges and search types)
establishing an index group including a plurality of indexes, at least a portion of the plurality of indexes having the associated field; (column 10 line 55 – column 11 line 12, a logical data range splitter generates groups of data ranges associated with sub-indexes)
dividing each of the plurality of indexes into a plurality of shards based on the index setting (column 6 line 64 – column 7 line 13, column 9 lines 13-42, the different data ranges represent data shards of a NoSQL database)
obtaining an association query request based on the associated field; (column 11 lines 12-33, a query is received by a query manager that is a particular search type corresponding to sub-index types)
and in response to receiving the association query request, determining a query result based on the plurality of shards. (column 11 lines 22-33, column 15 line 59 – column 16 line 5, query results are determined based on data range, or shard, information)
Jiang does not explicitly indicate determining routing values based on the associated field.
Dar teaches determining routing values based on the associated field. (paragraphs 0041, 0042, identifier key values related to entities and objects can contain geographical location information, identity keys interpreted as routing values).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to combine Jiang’s method of utilizing multi-type sub-indices to query NoSQL databases with Dar’s ability to determine and utilize identifier key values that contain location information when processing search queries. This gives the user the ability to utilize key values containing location information when processing queries towards different data ranges, or shards, of a NoSQL database. The motivation for doing so would be to provide a unified, harmonized query system for a system spread across different multiple platforms (paragraph 0003).
As per claim 21, Jiang teaches the association query request includes the associated field, a query condition based on the index group, and a query order of an index within the index group. (column 9 lines 13-26, query priority, column 10 line 55 – column 11 line 12, logical data ranges)
As per claim 22, Jiang teaches the query order is determined based on a satisfaction degree of the query condition and a query type, and the query type includes an intersection query or a union query. (column 9 lines 27-56, sub-index types)
As per claim 28, Jiang teaches the plurality of indexes includes at least three indexes and at least two different second associated fields, one of the second associated fields being same as or different from the associated field, and determining the routing values includes: obtaining a splicing result by splicing the associated fields based on a predetermined order; obtaining a mapping result by performing a mapping operation on the splicing result; and determining the routing values based on the mapping result. (column 10 line 55 – column 11 line 12, logical data range splitter, column 12 lines 13-56, different logical data ranges)
As per claim 29, Jiang teaches the plurality of indexes includes at least three indexes and at least two different second associated fields, one of the second associated fields being same as or different from the associated field, and determining the routing values includes: obtaining a splicing result by splicing the associated fields based on a predetermined order; obtaining a mapping result by performing a mapping operation on the splicing result; and determining the routing values based on the mapping result. (column 10 line 55 – column 11 line 12, logical data range splitter, column 12 lines 13-56, different logical data ranges)
Allowable Subject Matter
10. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claims 4-8 and 23-27 contain allowable subject matter over the prior art of record because the prior art of record fails to teach or fairly suggest determining a query result based on the index group includes: obtaining a sharded query result by performing a sharded query on each of the plurality of indexes in the index group; the sharded query performed on each of the plurality of shards including a parallel processing; and determining the query result by merging the sharded query results, as disclosed in dependent claim 4 and similarly in dependent claim 23. Specifically, the prior art of Jiang in view of Dar teaches utilizing key values containing location information when processing queries towards different data ranges, or shards, of a NoSQL database, but does not explicitly indicate performing parallel processing of sharded query on each of the plurality of indexes and each of the plurality of shards, and merging the sharded query results to determine a query result.
Claim 4-8 and 23-27 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Jiang (US Publication 2022/0292120 A1)
Rao (US Publication 2021/0117425 A1)
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/DANGELINO N GORTAYO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2168