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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to an application filed April 25, 2025. Claims 1-20 are pending in this application.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory obviousness double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the claims at issue are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); and In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on a nonstatutory double patenting ground provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with this application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
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Claims 8-15 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory obviousness double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-20 of patent no. US 11,856,102 B2. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the claims are directed to the same subject matter of a network proxy coupled with a web application and application programming interface to generate a request based on an anonymous API call. A side-by-side analysis of the first independent claim(s) of the instant application and the copending application(s) has been included below. The bolded portions are portions which are almost identical to one another. The non-bolded portions are related to subject matter which are obvious, and do not further define over the subject matter of one another. Therefore, the subject matter of both claim sets are not distinct from one another and yields an obviousness-type double patenting rejection. This is NOT a provisional double patenting rejection since patent document (US 11,856,102 B2) has been issued while the instant application is pending.
Here is the following side-by-side analysis of the first independent claim in each application:
Instant Application ‘327
8. A method performed by a first network proxy communicatively coupled with a web application and an application programming interface (API), comprising:
receiving an anonymous API call from the web application;
receiving a first access token from a second network proxy communicatively coupled with the web application and an interface, the first access token associated with an account of the web application;
generating, based on the anonymous API call, a first request to the API, the first request comprising the first access token; and
transmitting the first request to the API.
Patent No. ‘102
1. A system, comprising:
a processor circuit;
a memory that stores program code executable by the processor circuit, the program code comprising:
a first network proxy communicatively coupled with a web application and an application programming interface (API), wherein the first network proxy:
receives, from a second network proxy, a first access token associated with a user of the web application, the second network proxy communicatively coupled with a browser application utilized by the user, the web application, and the first network proxy;
stores the first access token in a data structure that maps the first access token to the associated user;
receives an anonymous API call from the web application;
obtains the first access token;
generates a first request for data based on the anonymous API call, the first request including the first access token; and
sends the first request to the API.
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.
Claim(s) 1-7, 16-18, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chang et al. (US 2020/0125700 A1).
With respect to claim 1, Chang discloses a system, comprising:
a processor circuit (Figure 5);
a memory that stores program code executable by the processor circuit (Figure 5), the program code comprising:
a first network proxy intermediate to a web application and an application programming interface (API) (Abstract and [0004], proxy service (network proxy) operating independently of user-facing service (web application) and backend service, exposes an API configured to receive requests from user-facing services to perform functions of backend services), wherein the first network proxy:
receives a first access token from a second network proxy communicatively coupled with an interface application, the web application, and the first network proxy, the first access token associated with an account of the web application ([0066], proxy service may transmit authorization code to backend service and receive an access token for user access to backend service);
transmits a first request for access to data to the API, the first request comprising the first access token ([0066], proxy service may transmit authorization code to backend service and receive an access token for user access to backend service);
receives a first response from the API, the first response indicating the first access token is invalid ([0092], access tokens are valid for a limited period of time. When token expires, user may not have access to requested resource);
utilizes an identity endpoint to obtain a second access token associated with the account of the web application ([0092], a refreshed access token is issued); and
transmits a second request to the API, the second request comprising the second access token ([0092], a refreshed access token is issued).
With respect to claim 2, Chang discloses the system of claim 1, the first network proxy further:
receives a second response from the API, the second response indicating the second access token is valid and granting access to the data ([0092]).
With respect to claim 3, Chang discloses the system of claim 1, wherein to utilize the identity endpoint to obtain the second access token, the first network proxy further:
transmits a third request to the identity endpoint without utilizing the second network proxy ([0029], transmitting a connectivity request by exposing an API and/or supply data to be transmitted from one service to another); and
receives the second access token as a response to the third request ([0092], a refreshed access token is provided).
With respect to claim 4, Chang discloses the system of claim 1, wherein to utilize the identity endpoint to obtain the second access token, the first network proxy further:
transmits a claim request to the second network proxy, causing the second network proxy to obtain the second access token from the identity endpoint ([0066], proxy service may transmit authorization code to backend service and receive an access token for user access to backend service); and
receives the second access token as a response to the claim request ([0092], receive a refreshed access token).
With respect to claim 7, Chang discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the first network proxy further:
receives a refresh token associated with the first access token ([0092], a refreshed access token is provided); and
responsive to receiving the first response from the API, determines the refresh token has not expired ([0092]), and wherein to utilize the identity endpoint to obtain the second access token ([0092]), the first network proxy further provides the refresh token to the identity endpoint, causing the identity endpoint to determine if the refresh token is valid ([0092]).
With respect to claim(s) 16 and 18-20, the storage medium of claim(s) 16 and 18-20 does/do not limit or further define over the system of claim(s) 1. The limitations of claim(s) 16 and 18-20 is/are essentially similar to the limitations of claim(s) 1. Therefore, claim(s) 16 and 18-20 is/are rejected for the same reasons as claim(s) 1. Please see rejection above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 5-6 and 17 is/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.
REASONS FOR ALLOWANCE
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The Examiner has not found any reasonable prior art(s) nor combination of prior art(s) which teach the feature of ‘receiving an anonymous API call from the web application; responsive to receiving the anonymous API call, transmitting a request to a second network proxy; and receiving a first access token as a response to the claim request’.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ESTHER B. HENDERSON whose telephone number is (571)270-3807. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 6a-2p ET.
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/ESTHER B. HENDERSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2458 August 20, 2026
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