DETAILED ACTION
Status of the Application
A preliminary amendment was filed on the filing date of July 16, 2025, in which claims 3, 5, 6, 8-14, 17, 19, 20, 22-28, 31, 33, 34, and 36-42 were amended. Claims 1-42 are pending and currently under consideration for patentability under 37 CFR 1.104.
Priority
The instant Application has a filing date of July 16, 2025. Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, or 365(c) is acknowledged. The instant application is a national phase under 35 U.S.C. 371 of PCT International Application No. US2023/010927, filed on January 17, 2023.
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on July 16, 2025 has been considered by the examiner.
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.
v Claim(s) 1-42 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to a judicial exception (i.e., a law of nature, a natural phenomenon, or an abstract idea) without significantly more.
Step 1:
Claim(s) 15-28 is/are drawn to methods (i.e., a process), claim(s) 1-14 is/are drawn to systems (i.e., a machine/manufacture), and claim(s) 29-42 is/are drawn to on-transitory machine-readable storage medium (i.e., a machine/manufacture). As such, claims 1-42 is/are drawn to one of the statutory categories of invention (Step 1: YES).
Step 2A - Prong One:
In prong one of step 2A, the claim(s) is/are analyzed to evaluate whether it/they recite(s) a judicial exception.
Claim 1 (representative of independent claim(s) 15 and 29) recites/describes the following steps;
determine a destination of a flight from flight context information obtained
identify…content that is related to the destination of the flight;
provide the…content for display…to display details for an offer available at the destination and to initiate an onboard transaction to purchase the offer available at the destination,
initiate the onboard transaction to accept the offer available at the destination
These steps, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, describe or set-forth a process for selling a product/service to a traveler, which amounts to a commercial or legal interactions (specifically, an advertising, marketing or sales activity or behavior; business relations). These limitations therefore fall within the “certain methods of organizing human activity” subject matter grouping of abstract ideas.
As such, the Examiner concludes that claim 1 recites an abstract idea (Step 2A – Prong One: YES).
Independent claim(s) 15 and 29 recite/describe nearly identical steps (and therefore also recite limitations that fall within this subject matter grouping of abstract ideas), and this/these claim(s) is/are therefore determined to recite an abstract idea under the same analysis.
Each of the depending claims likewise recite/describe these steps (by incorporation - and therefore also recite limitations that fall within this subject matter grouping of abstract ideas), and this/these claim(s) is/are therefore determined to recite an abstract idea under the same analysis. Any element(s) recited in a dependent claim that are not specifically identified/addressed by the Examiner under step 2A (prong two) or step 2B of this analysis shall be understood to be an additional part of the abstract idea recited by that particular claim. The same reasoning is similarly applicable to the limitations in the remaining dependent claims, and their respective limitations are not reproduced here for the sake of brevity.
Step 2A - Prong Two:
In prong two of step 2A, an evaluation is made whether a claim recites any additional element, or combination of additional elements, that integrate the exception into a practical application of that exception. An “addition element” is an element that is recited in the claim in addition to (beyond) the judicial exception (i.e., an element/limitation that sets forth an abstract idea is not an additional element). The phrase “integration into a practical application” is defined as requiring an additional element or a combination of additional elements in the claim to apply, rely on, or use the judicial exception in a manner that imposes a meaningful limit on the judicial exception, such that it is more than a drafting effort designed to monopolize the exception.
The claim(s) recite the additional elements/limitations of
“a system…comprising at least one processor; and a memory device including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to” (claim 1)
“computer implemented” (claim 15)
“a non-transitory machine readable storage medium including instructions embodied thereon…wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one processor” (claim 29)
“obtained using an aircraft data bus, wherein the flight context information is from an aircraft information system located on the aircraft” (claims 1, 15, and 29)
“video content…the video content for display in the graphical user interface with an embedded purchase element…wherein the embedded purchase element is displayed during at least a portion of playback of the video content in the graphical user interface; receive a passenger-activation of the embedded purchase element in the video content displayed in the graphical user interface…in response to receiving the passenger-activation of the embedded purchase element in the video content displayed in the graphical user interface” (claims 1, 15, and 29)
“in the graphical user interface…video content” (claims 2, 16, and 30)
“wherein communications between the system and the vendor server, including the request sent to the vendor server, are transmitted over a satellite communication link” (claims 3, 17, and 31)
“further comprises an application programming interface (API) request for a vendor API hosted on the vendor server that processes” (claims 4, 18, and 32)
“from the vendor server” (claims 5, 19, and 33)
“further comprising a data store located on the aircraft, wherein the video content is cached in the data store…the video content (claims 6, 20 and 34)
“to a content server…video content with associated embedded purchase elements…the video content cached in the data store” (claims 7, 21, and 35)
“identify the video content based…the video content (claims 8, 22, and 36)
“the video content for display in the graphical user interface” (claims 9, 23, and 37)
“wherein the video content…the embedded purchase element with the video content” (claims 10, 24, and 38)
“the video content…the embedded purchase element in the video” (claims 11, 25, and 39)
“obtained from the aircraft data bus” (claims 12, 26, and 40)
“wherein the graphical user interface is a component of a client device that accesses an inflight entertainment system, wherein the client device is a seatback computing device on the aircraft or a personal electronic device” (claims 13, 27, and 41)
“the video content” (claims 14, 28, and 42)
The requirement to execute the claimed steps/functions using “a system…comprising at least one processor; and a memory device including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to” (claim 1) and/or “computer implemented” means (claim 15) and/or “a non-transitory machine readable storage medium including instructions embodied thereon…wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one processor” (claim 29) is equivalent to adding the words “apply it” on a generic computer and/or mere instructions to implement the abstract idea on a generic computer. Applicant’s own disclosure explains that these “additional” elements may be embodied as a general-purpose computer (e.g., the published specification at paragraphs [0075]-[0086]). Furthermore, the recited “an aircraft data bus…from an aircraft information system located on the aircraft” (claims 1, 15, and 29) and/or “further comprises an application programming interface (API) request for a vendor API hosted on the vendor server that processes” (claims 4, 18, and 32) and/or “data store located on the aircraft” (claims 6, 20 and 34) and/or “cached in the data store” (claims 7, 21, and 35) and/or “obtained from the aircraft data bus” (claims 12, 26, and 40) are conventional computers or other machinery that are invoked merely as a tool to perform an existing process (i.e., store flight data, cache data) and that are being used in their ordinary capacity. In other words, the claims invoke the API and data bus and data store merely as tools to execute the abstract idea. This/these limitation(s) do/does not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea, and therefore do/does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application (see MPEP 2106.05(f)).
The recited additional element(s) of “obtained using an aircraft data bus, wherein the flight context information is from an aircraft information system located on the aircraft” (claims 1, 15, and 29) and/or “video content…the video content for display in the graphical user interface with an embedded purchase element…wherein the embedded purchase element is displayed during at least a portion of playback of the video content in the graphical user interface; receive a passenger-activation of the embedded purchase element in the video content displayed in the graphical user interface…in response to receiving the passenger-activation of the embedded purchase element in the video content displayed in the graphical user interface” (claims 1, 15, and 29) and/or “in the graphical user interface…video content” (claims 2, 16, and 30) and/or “wherein communications between the system and the vendor server, including the request sent to the vendor server, are transmitted over a satellite communication link” (claims 3, 17, and 31) and/or “further comprises an application programming interface (API) request for a vendor API hosted on the vendor server that processes” (claims 4, 18, and 32) and/or “from the vendor server” (claims 5, 19, and 33) and/or “further comprising a data store located on the aircraft, wherein the video content is cached in the data store…the video content (claims 6, 20 and 34) and/or “to a content server…video content with associated embedded purchase elements…the video content cached in the data store” (claims 7, 21, and 35) and/or “identify the video content based…the video content (claims 8, 22, and 36) and/or “the video content for display in the graphical user interface” (claims 9, 23, and 37) and/or “wherein the video content…the embedded purchase element with the video content” (claims 10, 24, and 38) and/or “the video content…the embedded purchase element in the video” (claims 11, 25, and 39) and/or “obtained from the aircraft data bus” (claims 12, 26, and 40) and/or “wherein the graphical user interface is a component of a client device that accesses an inflight entertainment system, wherein the client device is a seatback computing device on the aircraft or a personal electronic device” (claims 13, 27, and 41) and/or “the video content” (claims 14, 28, and 42) serves merely to generally link the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field of use. Specifically, it/they serve(s) to limit the application of the abstract idea to computing environments, such as distributed computing environments and/or the internet, where information is represented digitally, exchanged between computers over a network, and presented using graphical user interfaces. It also serves to limit the abstract idea to video based advertisements vs physical forms of advertising. This reasoning was demonstrated in Bilski, where it was determined that certain claim elements limiting the basic concept of hedging to commodities and energy markets (merely limiting an abstract idea to one field of use) did not make the concept patentable. This reasoning was demonstrated in Intellectual Ventures I LLC v. Capital One Bank (Fed. Cir. 2015), where the court determined "an abstract idea does not become nonabstract by limiting the invention to a particular field of use or technological environment, such as the Internet [or] a computer"). This/these limitation(s) do/does not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea, and therefore do/does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application (see MPEP 2106.05(g)).
Furthermore, although the claims recite a specific sequence of computer-implemented functions, and although the specification suggests certain functions may be advantageous for various reasons (e.g., business reasons), the Examiner has determined that the ordered combination of claim elements (i.e., the claims as a whole) are not directed to an improvement to computer functionality/capabilities, an improvement to a computer-related technology or technological environment, and do not amount to a technology-based solution to a technology-based problem. For example, Applicant’s published specification suggests that it is advantageous to implement the claimed business process because doing so can increase passenger convenience. These are non-technical business advantages/improvements. At most, the ordered combination of claim elements is directed to a non-technical improvement to an abstract idea itself (e.g., an improved process for selling a product/service to a traveler).
With respect to the dependent claims - each of the limitations/elements recited in the dependent claims other than those identified as being “additional” elements above (at the beginning of the Prong One analysis), are further part of the abstract idea encompassed by each respective dependent claim (i.e. it should be understood that these limitations are part of the abstract idea recited in each respective claim).
The Examiner has therefore determined that the additional elements, or combination of additional elements, do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application. Accordingly, the claim(s) is/are directed to an abstract idea (Step 2A – Prong two: NO).
Step 2B:
In step 2B, the claims are analyzed to determine whether any additional element, or combination of additional elements, is/are sufficient to ensure that the claims amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. This analysis is also termed a search for an "inventive concept." An "inventive concept" is furnished by an element or combination of elements that is recited in the claim in addition to (beyond) the judicial exception, and is sufficient to ensure that the claim as a whole amounts to significantly more than the judicial exception itself. Alice Corp., 134 S. Ct. at 2355, 110 USPQ2d at 1981 (citing Mayo, 566 U.S. at 72-73, 101 USPQ2d at 1966)
As discussed above in “Step 2A – Prong 2”, the requirement to execute the claimed steps/functions using “a system…comprising at least one processor; and a memory device including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to” (claim 1) and/or “computer implemented” means (claim 15) and/or “a non-transitory machine readable storage medium including instructions embodied thereon…wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one processor” (claim 29) is equivalent to adding the words “apply it” on a generic computer and/or mere instructions to implement the abstract idea on a generic computer. These limitations therefore do not qualify as “significantly more” (see MPEP 2106.05(f)).
As discussed above in “Step 2A – Prong 2”, the recited additional element(s) of “obtained using an aircraft data bus, wherein the flight context information is from an aircraft information system located on the aircraft” (claims 1, 15, and 29) and/or “video content…the video content for display in the graphical user interface with an embedded purchase element…wherein the embedded purchase element is displayed during at least a portion of playback of the video content in the graphical user interface; receive a passenger-activation of the embedded purchase element in the video content displayed in the graphical user interface…in response to receiving the passenger-activation of the embedded purchase element in the video content displayed in the graphical user interface” (claims 1, 15, and 29) and/or “in the graphical user interface…video content” (claims 2, 16, and 30) and/or “wherein communications between the system and the vendor server, including the request sent to the vendor server, are transmitted over a satellite communication link” (claims 3, 17, and 31) and/or “further comprises an application programming interface (API) request for a vendor API hosted on the vendor server that processes” (claims 4, 18, and 32) and/or “from the vendor server” (claims 5, 19, and 33) and/or “further comprising a data store located on the aircraft, wherein the video content is cached in the data store…the video content (claims 6, 20 and 34) and/or “to a content server…video content with associated embedded purchase elements…the video content cached in the data store” (claims 7, 21, and 35) and/or “identify the video content based…the video content (claims 8, 22, and 36) and/or “the video content for display in the graphical user interface” (claims 9, 23, and 37) and/or “wherein the video content…the embedded purchase element with the video content” (claims 10, 24, and 38) and/or “the video content…the embedded purchase element in the video” (claims 11, 25, and 39) and/or “obtained from the aircraft data bus” (claims 12, 26, and 40) and/or “wherein the graphical user interface is a component of a client device that accesses an inflight entertainment system, wherein the client device is a seatback computing device on the aircraft or a personal electronic device” (claims 13, 27, and 41) and/or “the video content” (claims 14, 28, and 42) serves merely to generally link the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field of use. These limitations therefore do not qualify as “significantly more” (see MPEP 2106.05(g)).
Viewing the additional limitations in combination also shows that they fail to ensure the claims amount to significantly more than the abstract idea. When considered as an ordered combination, the additional components of the claims add nothing that is not already present when considered separately, and thus simply append the abstract idea with words equivalent to “apply it” on a generic computer and/or mere instructions to implement the abstract idea on a generic computer, and generally link the abstract idea to a particular technological environment or field of use.
The Examiner has therefore determined that no additional element, or combination of additional claims elements is/are sufficient to ensure the claim(s) amount to significantly more than the abstract idea identified above (Step 2B: NO).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 of this title, 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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
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.
v Claims 1, 2, 6-16, 20-30, and 34-42 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over O’Brien et al. (WIPO Publication No. WO 2021/201831 A1, October 7, 2021 - hereinafter "O’Brien”) in view of Hosein et al. (U.S. PG Pub No. 2014/0279200, September 18, 2014 - hereinafter "Hosein”)
With respect to claims 1, 15, and 29, O’Brien teaches a system for facilitating destination specific transactions onboard an aircraft using a graphical user interface of an electronic device; a computer implemented method for facilitating destination specific transactions onboard an aircraft using a graphical user interface of an electronic device; and non-transitory machine readable storage medium including instructions embodied thereon for facilitating destination specific transactions onboard an aircraft ([0004]) using a graphical user interface of an electronic device, wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one processor:
at least one processor; and (claim 1) ([0117]-[0122])
a memory device including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to: (claim 1) ([0117]-[0122])
determine a destination of a flight from flight context information obtained using an aircraft data bus, wherein the flight context information is from an aircraft information system located on the aircraft; ([0027] “the itinerary information 128 of the user profile 124 may include aircraft information which may be received from aircraft computing systems over an aircraft data bus that the server 110 is in communication with. The aircraft data bus may for example operate according a protocol such as an ARINC (Aeronautical Radio, INC.) avionics protocol that may be used by the server 110 to read and record various status or operational events associated with the aircraft 100….Examples of aircraft information can include one or more of a current location of the aircraft, a current route (source and/or destination) of the aircraft, etc. The current route of the aircraft 100 may be a route between an aircraft origin and an aircraft destination.”, [0095] “0095] “aircraft information received via an aircraft data bus system on the aircraft. The aircraft information may include an aircraft origin, an aircraft destination, an estimated arrival time, an arrival gate, a current latitude and longitude of the aircraft, and/or an aircraft speed”, see also [0054]-[0055])
identify video content that is related to the destination of the flight; ([0021] “server 110 onboard the aircraft 100 may select targeted electronic advertisements 116 from a data store 120 of electronic advertisements 122… The targeted electronic advertisements 116 are digital electronic advertisements that may be composed of digital video, digital audio, digital text, digital animation, etc….video advertisements, expanding advertisements, etc….if the targeted electronic advertisement 116 is targeted to users having a destination in a particular location (e.g., city, etc.), its associated target characteristic may indicate the particular destination. The server 110 may then select the targeted electronic advertisements 116 from the data store 120 of electronic advertisements 122 by matching some or all of the information of the user profile 124 with some or all of the target characteristics.”, see also [0065] & [0088] & [0048] & [0023] & [0036])
provide the video content for display in the graphical user interface with an embedded purchase element…for an offer available at the destination and to initiate an onboard transaction to purchase the offer available at the destination, wherein the embedded purchase element is displayed during at least a portion of playback of the video content in the graphical user interface; ([0039] “ inflight application 154 executing on the client device 150 may display the targeted electronic advertisement 116 via the user interface 152. The targeted electronic advertisement 116 may be displayed with (or before or after) the primary content 132 via the user interface 152 in a variety of manners or arrangements. For example, the targeted electronic advertisement 116 (e.g., a video advertisement for a new type of shampoo) may be displayed prior to a start of video content or audio content, or the targeted electronic advertisement 116 (e.g., an image advertisement for men’ s clothing) may be displayed when video content or audio content is paused. In another example, the targeted electronic advertisement 116 may be displayed along with shopping information, moving map information, destination information, etc. In yet another example, the targeted electronic advertisement 116 may be displayed when a home screen is launched on the inflight application 154.”, [0067]-[0068] “may transmit the targeted electronic advertisement(s) 217 using a network connection (e.g., using a network socket) to enable delivery of the targeted electronic advertisement(s) 217 to the client device 280 via the wireless access point 270. The targeted electronic advertisement(s) 217 may be displayed via the user interface 282 of the client device 280. In one example, the targeted electronic advertisement(s) 217 may be displayed along with the primary content 250….The client device(s) 280 may be personal electronic devices, such as laptops or notebook computers, tablet computers, mobile devices, handheld computers, smart watches, or other devices with like capability. Alternatively, the client device(s) 280 may be seatback computing systems with displays that are installed on seats of the aircraft 200. For example, a user may view content displayed on a seatback system that is installed on a seat in front of the user”, Fig 6 shows add to cart embedded purchase element displayed during at least a portion of playback of the ad (e.g., video ad content) in the graphical user interface, see also [0081] & [0021])
initiate the onboard transaction to accept the offer available at the destination ([0080] “can allow the user to further engage in content associated with the targeted electronic advertisement, such as purchasing a product and/or signing up for a service”
Although O’Brien suggests the passenger can purchase the advertised product via interaction, and although O’Brien discloses the embedded purchase element (Fig. 6), the details of the passenger interaction to initiate the purchase are not described. O’Brien does not appear to disclose,
an embedded purchase element to display details for an offer
receive a passenger-activation of the embedded purchase element…initiate the onboard transaction to accept the offer…in response to receiving the passenger-activation of the embedded purchase element
However, Hosein discloses
an embedded purchase element to display details for an offer (Figs 9 and 12 show embedded “buy now button” and Fig 6 also shows embedded links and Fig 7 shows details for the offer, see also [0038] & [0041] & [0044] & [0053]-[0054])
receive a passenger-activation of the embedded purchase element… initiate the onboard transaction to accept the offer…in response to receiving the passenger-activation of the embedded purchase element ([0041]-[0044] “access to financial information for each passenger (e.g., credit card information, electronic payment information, PayPal account information, etc.), any items purchased by the user may be automatically charged to an appropriate account based on this financial information. For example, products purchased by the user may be charged to the user's PayPal account. This financial information of the user may be automatically pre-filled into various user interface fields in a shopping order interface (e.g., see the user interface 700 in FIG. 7)….receives, via a user interface, a product purchase selection of a product item. For example, a user (e.g., a passenger) may click on a "purchase", "check out", or "buy it now" user interface element… automatically specifies, based on the destination location (e.g., as determined in operation 301 in FIG. 3), a delivery address in conjunction with the product purchase selection by the passenger. In some embodiments, the delivery address may correspond to a destination airport or destination hotel associated with the passenger, as determined based on a passenger manifest, seat records, passenger inventory, passenger itinerary information, etc. In operation 803 in FIG. 8, the content management module 204 automatically specifies, based on electronic payment information associated with the passenger, payment information in conjunction with the product purchase selection by the passenger”)
Hosein suggests it is advantageous to include an embedded purchase element to display details for an offer, receive a passenger-activation of the embedded purchase element, and initiate the onboard transaction to accept the offer…in response to receiving the passenger-activation of the embedded purchase element, because doing so can provide a quick and convenient mechanism to make a product/event/service purchase from an aircraft based on the passenger’s destinations ([0034]-[0044]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system, method, and medium of O’Brien to include an embedded purchase element to display details for an offer, receive a passenger-activation of the embedded purchase element, and initiate the onboard transaction to accept the offer…in response to receiving the passenger-activation of the embedded purchase element, as taught by Hosein, because doing so can provide a quick and convenient mechanism to make a product/event/service purchase from an aircraft based on the passenger’s destinations.
With respect to claims 2, 16, and 30, O’Brien teaches the system of claim 1, the method of claim 15, and the medium of claim 29;
wherein the memory device further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to provide a travel destination guide in the graphical user interface, wherein the travel destination guide includes a plurality of video content categories for one or more destinations ([0057] “destination information 254 may include information on a plurality of destinations that is viewable to the user(s). For example, for a given destination, the destination information 254 may describe historical information, neighborhood information, transportation information, sightseeing information, activity information, hotel information, restaurant information, emergency contact information, etc. The shopping information 256 may include a listing of products that are available for purchase to the user(s). The products may span a variety of categories, such as electronics, apparel, books, household items, beauty products, etc.”, [0087] “The targeted electronic advertisement(s) 802 may be displayed alongside the destination information. In other words, when the user selects an option to view the destination information, the inflight application may also display the targeted electronic advertisement(s) 802 on any topic or goods and services selected for a user profile on the client device.” – the advertisement information is likewise part of the travel destination guide and is video content associated with different categories”, see also [0083]-[0086] for carousel of product ads (e.g., video content) related to the destination)
With respect to claims 6, 20 and 34, O’Brien teaches the system of claim 1, the method of claim 15, and the medium of claim 29;
further comprising a data store located on the aircraft, wherein the video content is cached in the data store and ([0004]-[0005] “primary content may be stored on a data store with primary content onboard the aircraft…”, [0021] “A server 110 onboard the aircraft 100 may select targeted electronic advertisements 116 from a data store 120 of electronic advertisements 122 based on a user profile 124, where the data store 120 may locally store the electronic advertisements 116 onboard the aircraft 100” – therefore the video content (e.g., targeted video ads, primary content) is cached locally in a data store on the aircraft, see also [0047]-[0048] & [0070])
metadata for the video content is used to identify an association between the destination and the video content ([0021] “Each targeted electronic advertisement 116 may be associated with one or more target characteristics (e.g., metadata, keywords, etc) stored in the data store 120 that indicate the information of the user profile that the targeted electronic advertisement 116 is tailored for” [0065]-[0066] & [0075] & [0095] targeted to destinations, see also [0043] & [0048]-[0049]
With respect to claims 7, 21, and 35, O’Brien teaches the system of claim 6, the method of claim 20, and the medium of claim 34;
wherein the memory device further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to: send, to a content server located off the aircraft, a request for a plurality of video content with associated embedded purchase elements linked to offers available at one or more destinations; and update the video content cached in the data store located on the aircraft to include the plurality of video content ([0077] “server 310 of the aircraft 300 may include a content update subsystem 314 to update the electronic advertisement(s) 332 and primary content 336 stored on the server 310 of the aircraft 300. The content update subsystem 314 may receive electronic advertisements 332 and primary content 336 from the server(s) 365 in the computing provider environment 360 via the network 350, and the content update subsystem 314 may update the electronic advertisements 332 and the primary content 336 currently stored on the data store 330 of the aircraft 300 with the information received from the server 365 in the computing provider environment 360. The content update subsystem 314 may receive the up-to-date electronic advertisements 332, user profiles 334, and primary content 336 from the server(s) 365 when the aircraft 300 is grounded (or while in the air). The content update subsystem 314 may periodically update the electronic advertisements 332 to include new products that are available for sale, new activities or promotions that are available, etc. Similarly, the content update subsystem 314 may periodically update the primary content 336 to include new movies, television programs, etc” – therefore the aircraft system periodically requests updated content (e.g., video ads – that include embedded purchase elements and are for product at one or more destinations as discussed above) from an external server and updates the on-board data store accordingly), see also [0074] & [0028] & [0031] & [0043]-[0046]
With respect to claims 8, 22, and 36, O’Brien teaches the system of claim 1, the method of claim 15, and the medium of claim 29;
wherein the memory device further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to: obtain a passenger profile for a passenger located on the aircraft; and identify the video content based in part on passenger information in the passenger profile that corresponds to the video content (abstract & [0021] & [0024] & [0027]-[0028] & [0041 & [0062] user/passenger profile including itinerary information such as final destination obtained from aircraft memory device and used to select targeted information such as advertisements (i.e., the video advertisements) that correspond to the final destination of the passenger)
With respect to claims 9, 23, and 37, O’Brien teaches the system of claim 1, the method of claim 15, and the medium of claim 29;
wherein the memory device further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to: evaluate the flight context information to determine a status of the flight; and determine to provide the video content for display in the graphical user interface based in part on the status of the flight ([0095] “the targeted electronic advertisement may be selected based on aircraft information received via an aircraft data bus system on the aircraft. The aircraft information may include an aircraft origin, an aircraft destination, an estimated arrival time, an arrival gate, a current latitude and longitude of the aircraft, and/or an aircraft speed.”, see also [0065] & [0053]-[0054] where the advertisement is selected based at least in part on aircraft information including current flight status/context)
With respect to claims 10, 24, and 38, O’Brien teaches the system of claim 1, the method of claim 15, and the medium of claim 29;
wherein the video content features an activity or service available at the destination, and the embedded purchase element with the video content initiates an onboard transaction to book the activity or service ([0036]-[0037] “the user profile 124 for a specific user may indicate that the user is a female in her mid-20s traveling to Thailand for three months, has an advanced graduate degree but makes a relatively low amount of income per year, and likes to read historical biography books. Based on this information, the targeted advertisement delivery subsystem 112 may select targeted electronic advertisement(s) 116 for the user, such as advertisement(s) for low-cost activities or events (e.g., visiting museums) in Thailand, highly rated hostels in Thailand, promotional bus fares or taxi fares when traveling within Thailand, etc. As yet another non-limiting example, the user profile 124 for a specific user may indicate that the user is a male in his early 20s who is traveling to Amsterdam with friends for a summer vacation. Based on this information, the targeted advertisement delivery subsystem 112 may select targeted electronic advertisement(s) 116 for the user, such as advertisement(s) for certain events in Amsterdam (e.g., sporting events that are occurring at a time during which the user is in Amsterdam) and/or certain restaurants in Amsterdam that cater to a young population.”)
With respect to claims 11, 25, and 39, O’Brien teaches the system of claim 1, the method of claim 15, and the medium of claim 29;
wherein the video content is a branded product video that features a product available at the destination, and the embedded purchase element in the video content initiates an onboard transaction to purchase the product ([0037] “As yet another non-limiting example, the user profile 124 for a specific user may indicate that the user is a male in his early 20s who is traveling to Amsterdam with friends for a summer vacation. Based on this information, the targeted advertisement delivery subsystem 112 may select targeted electronic advertisement(s) 116 for the user, such as advertisement(s) for certain events in Amsterdam (e.g., sporting events that are occurring at a time during which the user is in Amsterdam) and/or certain restaurants in Amsterdam that cater to a young population”, see also [0092] “The targeted electronic advertisements may be for a product, a service, an offer, a promotion and/or a coupon.”)
With respect to claims 12, 26, and 40, O’Brien teaches the system of claim 1, the method of claim 15, and the medium of claim 29;
wherein the flight context information obtained from the aircraft data bus includes at least one of: an aircraft origin, an aircraft destination, a passenger destination, an estimated arrival time, an arrival gate, a current latitude and longitude of the aircraft, a current aircraft speed, a current aircraft altitude, an aircraft type, an origin weather report, a destination weather report, or a seatbelt warning status ([0027] “the itinerary information 128 of the user profile 124 may include aircraft information which may be received from aircraft computing systems over an aircraft data bus that the server 110 is in communication with. The aircraft data bus may for example operate according a protocol such as an ARINC (Aeronautical Radio, INC.) avionics protocol that may be used by the server 110 to read and record various status or operational events associated with the aircraft 100….Examples of aircraft information can include one or more of a current location of the aircraft, a current route (source and/or destination) of the aircraft, etc. The current route of the aircraft 100 may be a route between an aircraft origin and an aircraft destination.”, [0095] “0095] “aircraft information received via an aircraft data bus system on the aircraft. The aircraft information may include an aircraft origin, an aircraft destination, an estimated arrival time, an arrival gate, a current latitude and longitude of the aircraft, and/or an aircraft speed”, see also [0054]-[0055])
With respect to claims 13, 27, 41, O’Brien teaches the system of claim 1, the method of claim 15, and the medium of claim 29;
wherein the graphical user interface is a component of a client device that accesses an inflight entertainment system, wherein the client device is a seatback computing device on the aircraft or a personal electronic device ([0067]-[0068] “may transmit the targeted electronic advertisement(s) 217 using a network connection (e.g., using a network socket) to enable delivery of the targeted electronic advertisement(s) 217 to the client device 280 via the wireless access point 270. The targeted electronic advertisement(s) 217 may be displayed via the user interface 282 of the client device 280. In one example, the targeted electronic advertisement(s) 217 may be displayed along with the primary content 250….The client device(s) 280 may be personal electronic devices, such as laptops or notebook computers, tablet computers, mobile devices, handheld computers, smart watches, or other devices with like capability. Alternatively, the client device(s) 280 may be seatback computing systems with displays that are installed on seats of the aircraft 200. For example, a user may view content displayed on a seatback system that is installed on a seat in front of the user”, Fig 6 shows add to cart embedded purchase element displayed during at least a portion of playback of the ad (e.g., video ad content) in the graphical user interface, see also [0041]-[0042] & [0081] & [0021])
With respect to claims 14, 28, and 42, O’Brien teaches the system of claim 1, the method of claim 15, and the medium of claim 29;
wherein the instructions that cause the system to determine at least one destination of a flight further cause the system to: determine a final destination of a passenger of the flight and select the video content based on an association with the final destination ([0029] “a user origin and a user destination may be associated with a user, whereas the aircraft origin and the aircraft destination may be associated with the aircraft 100 and not the user itself. Thus, the user destination and the aircraft destination may be different when the user’s travel involves more than one flight. In some cases, when the user is taking multiple flights to reach the user destination, the targeted electronic advertisements 116 selected by the targeted advertisement delivery subsystem 112 (discussed in more detail below) may be based on the user destination and not an aircraft destination of an aircraft 100 on which the user is currently on.”, see also [0065]-[0066])
v Claims 3-5, 17-19, and 31-33 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over O’Brien in view of Hosein, as applied to claims 1, 15, and 29 above, and further in view of Proud et al. (U.S. PG Pub No. 2010/0070376 , March 18, 2010- hereinafter "Proud”)
With respect to claims 3, 17, and 31, O’Brien and Hosein teach the system of claim 1, the method of claim 15, and the medium of claim 29. O’Brien does not appear to disclose,
wherein the memory device further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to send a request to process the onboard transaction to a vendor server located off the aircraft, wherein communications between the system and the vendor server, including the request sent to the vendor server, are transmitted over a satellite communication link
However, Proud discloses
wherein the memory device further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to send a request to process the onboard transaction to a vendor server located off the aircraft, wherein communications between the system and the vendor server, including the request sent to the vendor server, are transmitted over a satellite communication link ([0048]: GuestLogix Servers interface with computer systems of each of vendors/suppliers; 0056: vendors/suppliers, and airlines exchanging data via connector modules, the data from each party can be standardized, or can be unique; 0057: the connectors include a translator; translator uses web services to exchange information with each party in that party's native format; web services can utilize an applications programming interface (API) approach; 0070: product/service data is sent by vendors or suppliers; 0058: system communicate with the vendor/supplier connector modules, and automatically determine, based on the product data and on the transportation data, subsets of the products or services to be sold or delivered on board, with each of the subsets corresponding to a specific mobile retail environment instance; 0110: on-board In-flight Entertainment (IFE) Server with the GuestLogix POS solution, enables the integration of catalogues of products/services, and facilitates the on-board purchase; 0086: product and/or service data is received by system from one or more vendors. The product and/or service data including flight/destination specific information regarding the availability of products and/or services; 0049: POS devices are mounted on-board the aircraft, such as in the back of most seats or in the bulkhead walls; 0064: communications with the POS devices can be via satellite communications, or via any other suitable data communications arrangement])
Proud suggests it is advantageous to include wherein the memory device further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to send a request to process the onboard transaction to a vendor server located off the aircraft, wherein communications between the system and the vendor server, including the request sent to the vendor server, are transmitted over a satellite communication link, because doing so can provide an effective mechanism to enable the passenger to consummate purchase for the product/good with the vender from the aircraft (see citations above).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system, method, and medium of O’Brien in view of Hosein to include wherein the memory device further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to send a request to process the onboard transaction to a vendor server located off the aircraft, wherein communications between the system and the vendor server, including the request sent to the vendor server, are transmitted over a satellite communication link, as taught by Proud, because doing so can provide an effective mechanism to enable the passenger to consummate purchase for the product/good with the vender from the aircraft.
With respect to claims 4, 18, and 32, O’Brien, Hosein, and Proud teach the system of claim 3, the method of claim 17, and the medium of claim 32. O’Brien does not appear to disclose,
wherein the request to process the onboard transaction further comprises an application programming interface (API) request for a vendor API hosted on the vendor server that processes the onboard transaction for the offer available at the destination
However, Proud discloses
wherein the request to process the onboard transaction further comprises an application programming interface (API) request for a vendor API hosted on the vendor server that processes the onboard transaction for the offer available at the destination ([0048]: GuestLogix Servers interface with computer systems of each of vendors/suppliers; 0056: vendors/suppliers, and airlines exchanging data via connector modules, the data from each party can be standardized, or can be unique; 0057: the connectors include a translator; translator uses web services to exchange information with each party in that party's native format; web services can utilize an applications programming interface (API) approach; 0070: product/service data is sent by vendors or suppliers; 0058: system communicate with the vendor/supplier connector modules, and automatically determine, based on the product data and on the transportation data, subsets of the products or services to be sold or delivered on board, with each of the subsets corresponding to a specific mobile retail environment instance; 0110: on-board In-flight Entertainment (IFE) Server with the GuestLogix POS solution, enables the integration of catalogues of products/services, and facilitates the on-board purchase; 0086: product and/or service data is received by system from one or more vendors. The product and/or service data including flight/destination specific information regarding the availability of products and/or services; 0049: POS devices are mounted on-board the aircraft, such as in the back of most seats or in the bulkhead walls; 0064: communications with the POS devices can be via satellite communications, or via any other suitable data communications arrangement])
Proud suggests it is advantageous to include wherein the request to process the onboard transaction further comprises an application programming interface (API) request for a vendor API hosted on the vendor server that processes the onboard transaction for the offer available at the destination, because doing so can provide an effective mechanism to enable the passenger to consummate purchase for the product/good with the vender from the aircraft (see citations above).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system, method, and medium of O’Brien in view of Hosein to include wherein the request to process the onboard transaction further comprises an application programming interface (API) request for a vendor API hosted on the vendor server that processes the onboard transaction for the offer available at the destination, as taught by Proud, because doing so can provide an effective mechanism to enable the passenger to consummate purchase for the product/good with the vender from the aircraft.
With respect to claims 5, 19, and 33, O’Brien, Hosein, and Proud teach the system of claim 3, the method of claim 17, and the medium of claim 31. O’Brien does not appear to disclose,
wherein the memory device further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to: receive order fulfilment information from the vendor server in response to successfully processing the onboard transaction; and provide the order fulfilment information to a passenger associated with the onboard transaction
However, Hosein discloses
wherein the memory device further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to: receive order fulfilment information from the vendor server in response to successfully processing the onboard transaction; and provide the order fulfilment information to a passenger associated with the onboard transaction ([0038] & [0042]-[0044] order confirmation from vendor and receipt sent to the passenger associated with the onboard transaction (i.e., order fulfillment information))
Hosein suggests it is advantageous to include wherein the memory device further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to: receive order fulfilment information from the vendor server in response to successfully processing the onboard transaction; and provide the order fulfilment information to a passenger associated with the onboard transaction, because doing so can provide the passenger with confirmation of their completed purchase (see citations above).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system, method, and medium of O’Brien to include wherein the memory device further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to: receive order fulfilment information from the vendor server in response to successfully processing the onboard transaction; and provide the order fulfilment information to a passenger associated with the onboard transaction, as taught by Proud, because doing so can provide the passenger with confirmation of their completed purchase.
Prior Art of Record
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to the applicant’s disclosure.
Fowler et al. (U.S. Patent No. 11,206,432, December 21, 2021) teaches a system for facilitating purchases for products associated with a passenger’s destination from abord an aircraft.
Jain et al. (U.S. PG Pub No. 2011/0022474, January 27, 2011) teaches a system for facilitating purchases for products associated with a passenger’s destination from abord an aircraft.
Mitchell et al. (U.S. Patent No., 8,499,324 July, 30, 2013) teaches a system for facilitating purchases for products associated with a passenger’s destination from abord an aircraft.
Conclusion
No claim is allowed
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES M DETWEILER whose telephone number is (571)272-4704. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM ET.
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/JAMES M DETWEILER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3621
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