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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed on 4/25/25.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Behm et al. (US Patent Pub. 20170018148; referred to hereinafter as Behm).
Claim 1: Behm disclose a ticketing device (abstract), comprising: a main body, a ticketing unit provided in the main body (figure 1A, element 22), and a registration unit that is provided in the main body and is configured to register a plurality of pieces of commercial good information providable to a user of a first type (0032, which includes scanner to scan and register UPC code of product), wherein the ticketing unit is configured to attach one selected from among the plurality of pieces of commercial good information registered in the registration unit to a ticket and issue the ticket (0033-0040).
Claim 2: Behm disclose the ticketing unit is configured to issue the ticket with only the commercial good information registered in the registration unit (0040-0045, information registered relates to lottery type).
Claim 3: Behm disclose wherein the main body further includes a lottery processing unit configured to perform a lottery process, and wherein the ticketing unit is configured to attach the piece of commercial good information selected as a result of the lottery process performed by the lottery processing unit to the ticket and issue the ticket (0038-0045).
Claims 4-5: Behm disclose the main body further includes payment means, and wherein the lottery processing unit is configured to perform a lottery process on the condition that payment is made by using the payment means to obtain ticket (0017 & 0042).
Claim 6: Behm disclose the main body further includes a presentation unit configured to present the commercial good information, and wherein the presentation unit presents the plurality of pieces of commercial good information registered in the registration unit before payment using the payment means is made (0040, identifying information unique to the ticket).
Claim 7: Behm disclose the ticketing unit is configured to issue the ticket after the presentation unit presents at least one of one of the pieces of commercial good information (ticket related information, 0040) and a prize name selected as a result of the lottery process performed by the lottery processing unit (0052, lottery prize).
Claim 8: Behm disclose the ticketing unit is configured to issue the ticket with a prize name selected as a result of the lottery process performed by the lottery processing unit (0052, lottery prize).
Claim 9: Behm disclose the ticketing device stores a plurality of pieces of prize name information for each of character series (0040), and wherein the lottery processing unit is configured to perform the lottery process to select a prize name associated with the one of the pieces of commercial good information (0052-0054).
Claim 10: Behm disclose the prize name is of one of a first type associated with one commercial good and a second type associated with a plurality of commercial goods, and wherein the ticketing unit is configured to issue the ticket with one of the prize name of a first type and the prize name of a second type (0042-0054).
Claim 11: Behm disclose wherein on the condition that the prize name of a second type is selected as a result of the lottery process performed by the lottery processing unit and a user selects one of a plurality of commercial goods associated with the prize name of a second type, the ticketing unit is configured to issue the ticket with the commercial good information regarding the selected commercial good (0042-0054).
Claim 12: Behm disclose wherein after a character series is selected by the user of a first type, the lottery processing unit is configured to perform the lottery process to select one of the plurality of pieces of commercial good information included in the selected character series (0040-0042, wherein the pieces of commercial good information can be unique serial number associated with each product).
Claim 13: Behm disclose each of the plurality of pieces of commercial good information registered in the registration unit is assigned one of the plurality of prize names, and wherein the ticketing unit is configured to issue the ticket with one of the plurality of prize names (0042-0054).
Claim 14: Behm disclose ticketing device stores the plurality of pieces of commercial good information for each of character series (0043 memory), and wherein the registration unit is configured to register the plurality of pieces of commercial good information included in the character series by registering character series information (0033-0042).
Claim 15: Behm disclose the main body has a door portion that is openable, and the ticketing unit includes a printing unit (figures 4-6), and wherein the printing unit is accessible by a user of a second type different from the user of a first type by opening the door portion (0044).
Claim 16: Behm disclose the printing unit is configured to enable restocking of the ticket when the door portion is made open (0056-0058).
Claim 17: Behm disclose the registration unit is provided on an outer surface of the main body so that the user of a second type is allowed to make registration without opening the door portion (scanner).
Claim 18: Behm disclose wherein the ticket is redeemable for an actual commercial good (0032 & 0050).
Claim 19: Behm disclose the ticket is a paper medium (figure 1, element 16).
Claim 20: Behm disclose the main body does not include a providing unit configured to provide an actual commercial good corresponding to the commercial good information attached to the ticket (does not include a providing unit).
Claim 21: Behm disclose a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a ticketing program including executable instructions which, when executed by a computer (0032-0036), cause the computer to function as, a registration unit of a ticketing device including a main body and a ticketing unit provided in the main body (figure 1A, element 22), wherein the registration unit is configured to register a plurality of pieces of commercial good information providable to a user of a first type, and wherein the ticketing unit is configured to attach one selected from among the plurality of pieces of commercial good information registered in the registration unit to a ticket and issue the ticket (0032-0040).
Claim 22: Behm disclose the ticketing device according to Claim 1; and a server configured to communicate with the ticketing device (figure 1B).
Examiner’s Note
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Roberts (6,932,258) refers to gaming machine is provided for playing several types of games. The winnings from one game can be used to create credits in the machine for buying tickets in a different game from the same machine. A separator/drive module has a rotary helical separator member which spans multiple channels to separate tickets in any of the channels. A single drive source is the housing rotates the separate drives in each channel.
Barcelou (20140207596) refers to an automated retail terminal in which a plurality of goods and/or services are provided in an integrated system. The integrated system generally avoids duplicating hardware or functions in the course of delivering the goods or services offered, so for example in a combination ATM and Internet kiosk the same credit card or smart card reader is used for both the ATM and the Internet kiosk functions, the same control screen activates the ATM functions and the Internet functions, and etc.
Anderson (20180012453) refers to a lottery ticket system providing an instant scratch lottery ticket to a consumer on-demand. A customer vending device of the lottery ticket system may be used to receive consumer input. The consumer input may include selection of a lottery game and one or more play actions for an associated interactive game. A scratch lottery ticket having hidden and non-hidden portions collectively defining an outcome for the lottery ticket is printed on-demand by the vending machine using blank lottery ticket media. The customer input may or may not impact the outcome of the printed lottery ticket. The vending machine may also communicate with one or more network servers to exchange ticket information for lottery ticket generation, authentication, recordation, and redemption, in addition to performing episodic lottery games by managing linked records of ticket information. Lastly, on-demand lottery tickets may be generated using real-time promotional and marketing information.
The referenced citations made in the rejection(s) above are intended to exemplify areas in the prior art document(s) in which the examiner believed are the most relevant to the claimed subject matter. However, it is incumbent upon the applicant to analyze the prior art document(s) in its/their entirety since other areas of the document(s) may be relied upon at a later time to substantiate examiner's rationale of record. A prior art reference must be considered in its entirety, i.e., as a whole, including portions that would lead away from the claimed invention. W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. v. Garlock, Inc., 721 F.2d 1540, 220 USPQ 303 (Fed. Cir. 1983), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 851 (1984). However, "the prior art's mere disclosure of more than one alternative does not constitute a teaching away from any of these alternatives because such disclosure does not criticize, discredit, or otherwise discourage the solution claimed ...." In re Fulton, 391F.3d 1195, 1201,73 USPQ2d 1141, 1146 (Fed. Cir. 2004).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SUNIT PANDYA whose telephone number is (571)272-2823. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-6:30PM.
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/SUNIT PANDYA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3715
