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 .
This Office Action is responsive to the application filed 02 April 2025.
Claims 1-20 are pending and have been presented for examination.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
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.
Claims 1-6, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. The claim(s) recite(s) a mental process.
With respect to claim 1:
Eligibility step 1: Yes, the claim as a whole falls within one or more statutory categories.
Eligibility step 2A (prong one): Yes, the claim recites a judicial exception. An abstract idea is set forth or described in the claim. The limitations of “… obtaining data access configuration information; determining a data size, data address constraint information, and a data grouping storage mode based on the data access configuration information; determining a plurality of grouping identifiers based on the data size and the data grouping storage mode; and determining a storage address for corresponding grouped data of each of the plurality of grouping identifiers based on the data address constraint information” are considered a mental process. The limitations are directed to observations and drawing conclusions and can reasonably be performed in the human mind. A mental process is an abstract idea.
Eligibility step 2A (prong two): No, the claim does not recite additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application. All the limitations of the claim are directed to a metal process.
Eligibility step 2B: The claim lacks any additional elements. The claim as a whole does not amount to significantly more than the exception itself and therefore lacks subject matter eligibility.
With respect to claim 2: the limitations are directed to determining an index value and determining reference and storage addresses. These limitations are directed to mental processes. Determining relationships between data elements is a mental process that can reasonably be performed in the human mind.
With respect to claim 3: the limitations are directed to determining a stride, an index value and determining reference and storage addresses. These limitations are directed to mental processes. Determining relationships between data elements is a mental process that can reasonably be performed in the human mind.
With respect to claim 4: the limitations are directed to determining various addresses. These limitations are directed to mental processes. Determining relationships between data elements is a mental process that can reasonably be performed in the human mind.
With respect to claim 5: the limitations are directed to determining relationships between addresses based on a certain criterion. These limitations are directed to mental processes. Determining relationships between data elements is a mental process that can reasonably be performed in the human mind. The claim also contains limitations directed to mathematical relationships to determine addresses. A mathematical process is an abstract idea.
With respect to claim 6: the limitations are directed to determining relationships between addresses based on a certain criterion. These limitations are directed to mental processes. Determining relationships between data elements is a mental process that can reasonably be performed in the human mind. The claim also contains limitations directed to mathematical relationships to determine addresses. A mathematical process is an abstract idea.
With respect to claim 19:
Eligibility step 1: Yes, the claim as a whole falls within one or more statutory categories.
Eligibility step 2A (prong one): Yes, the claim recites a judicial exception. An abstract idea is set forth or described in the claim. The limitations of “… obtaining data access configuration information; determining a data size, data address constraint information, and a data grouping storage mode based on the data access configuration information; determining a plurality of grouping identifiers based on the data size and the data grouping storage mode; and determining a storage address for corresponding grouped data of each of the plurality of grouping identifiers based on the data address constraint information” are considered a mental process. The limitations are directed to observations and drawing conclusions and can reasonably be performed in the human mind. A mental process is an abstract idea.
Eligibility step 2A (prong two): No, the claim does not recite additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application. The additional limitations of a non-transitory storage medium are a field of use limitation that fail to further limit the claim.
Eligibility step 2B: The claim as a whole does not amount to significantly more than the exception itself and therefore lacks subject matter eligibility.
With respect to claim 20:
Eligibility step 1: Yes, the claim as a whole falls within one or more statutory categories.
Eligibility step 2A (prong one): Yes, the claim recites a judicial exception. An abstract idea is set forth or described in the claim. The limitations of “… obtaining data access configuration information; determining a data size, data address constraint information, and a data grouping storage mode based on the data access configuration information; determining a plurality of grouping identifiers based on the data size and the data grouping storage mode; and determining a storage address for corresponding grouped data of each of the plurality of grouping identifiers based on the data address constraint information” are considered a mental process. The limitations are directed to observations and drawing conclusions and can reasonably be performed in the human mind. A mental process is an abstract idea.
Eligibility step 2A (prong two): No, the claim does not recite additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application. The additional limitations of a processor and memory are recited at a high level of granularity and generally link the abstract idea to a field of use. The linking to a field of use does not add significantly more to the claim.
Eligibility step 2B: The additional limitations of a processor and memory are recited at a high level of granularity and generally link the abstract idea to a field of use. The linking to a field of use does not add significantly more to the claim. These elements, individually, and in combination, do not add significantly more than the judicial exception. The claim as a whole does not amount to significantly more than the exception itself and therefore lacks subject matter eligibility.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 19 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by FLAX (U.S. Patent #5,551,020).
1. FLAX discloses A data access method, comprising: obtaining data access configuration information (see column 6, lines 20-35: encoding method used for storing data and reading data); determining a data size, data address constraint information, and a data grouping storage mode based on the data access configuration information (see column 7, lines 5-43: the encoded data is compressed into a string [size], an index table and pointers are added to locate individual segments of the data in the string [address constraint and grouping mode]); determining a plurality of grouping identifiers based on the data size and the data grouping storage mode (see column 7 line 654 through column 8, line 37: pointers added at the beginning of the string can identify induvial data segments in the string and the location of the next pointer); and determining a storage address for corresponding grouped data of each of the plurality of grouping identifiers based on the data address constraint information (see column 9, lines 1-43: the data is divided into blocks to be stored on the physical storage media, reference tables contain the physical address on the storage media where the data is stored).
19. FLAX discloses A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, wherein the storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is used for implementing a data access method (see column 5, lines 30-40: computer with memory capacity and computing capability), wherein the method comprises: obtaining data access configuration information (see column 6, lines 20-35: encoding method used for storing data and reading data); determining a data size, data address constraint information, and a data grouping storage mode based on the data access configuration information (see column 7, lines 5-43: the encoded data is compressed into a string [size], an index table and pointers are added to locate individual segments of the data in the string [address constraint and grouping mode]); determining a plurality of grouping identifiers based on the data size and the data grouping storage mode (see column 7 line 654 through column 8, line 37: pointers added at the beginning of the string can identify induvial data segments in the string and the location of the next pointer); and determining a storage address for corresponding grouped data of each of the plurality of grouping identifiers based on the data address constraint information (see column 9, lines 1-43: the data is divided into blocks to be stored on the physical storage media, reference tables contain the physical address on the storage media where the data is stored).
20. FLAX discloses An electronic device, wherein the electronic device comprises: a processor; and a memory, configured to store processor-executable instructions, wherein the processor is configured to read the executable instructions from the memory, and execute the instructions to implement a data access method (see column 5, lines 30-40: computer with memory capacity and computing capability), wherein the method comprises: obtaining data access configuration information (see column 6, lines 20-35: encoding method used for storing data and reading data); determining a data size, data address constraint information, and a data grouping storage mode based on the data access configuration information (see column 7, lines 5-43: the encoded data is compressed into a string [size], an index table and pointers are added to locate individual segments of the data in the string [address constraint and grouping mode]); determining a plurality of grouping identifiers based on the data size and the data grouping storage mode (see column 7 line 654 through column 8, line 37: pointers added at the beginning of the string can identify induvial data segments in the string and the location of the next pointer); and determining a storage address for corresponding grouped data of each of the plurality of grouping identifiers based on the data address constraint information (see column 9, lines 1-43: the data is divided into blocks to be stored on the physical storage media, reference tables contain the physical address on the storage media where the data is stored).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-18 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claims 7-18 are all directed to reading data from the memory based on the identifiers that were determined in the independent claim. The manner in which the memories are identified and the manner in which the data is read is not disclosed by the prior art. While FLAX does disclose retrieving the data from the memory after it is stored (columns 13 and 14), the data is not retrieved and organized in the manner that is claimed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
HAASE [8,566,352] discloses classifying a data item based on properties of the data and an associated questionnaire, attaching coordinate values to the data based on the data properties, and storing the data in an appropriate part of the memory based on the coordinate values. [Columns 5-8]
YIN [2025/0342137] discloses a method for writing scientific data to a memory, the data is divided up and written in blocks, grouping information for data, and reading the data from memory. [0040]-[0056]
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EDWARD J DUDEK JR whose telephone number is (571)270-1030. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:00A-4:00P.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Hosain T Alam can be reached at 571-272-3978. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/EDWARD J DUDEK JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2132
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