DETAILED ACTION
Amendment submitted June 15, 2026 has been considered by examiner. Claims 1-17 are pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed June 15, 2026 towards 35 USC 101 rejection have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The Applicant states that the claims provide an improvement and provides various examples from the instant specification.
However, newly added features recite further abstract concepts. For example, many of the added features discuss acquiring different types of data. But receiving data is considered extra-solution activity as discussed in MPEP 2106.05. Further added limitations deal with mental processes such as calculating, verifying and filtering data. Such functionality may be completed in the mind and/or with aid of pen and paper.
As such, the purported improvement restates the abstract ideas discussed above. Furthermore, there does not seem to be any integration into practical application because the claims recite abstract ideas.
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 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
Independent Claim 1 recites the following features:
acquires geospatial data corresponding to an acquisition condition registered in advance, and provides the acquired geospatial data to an application via the one or more communication interfaces – Retrieving information is considered insignificant extra-solution activity as discussed in MPEP 2106.05.
wherein
the acquisition condition includes a region condition related to a geographical range of the geospatial data in the future and a time condition related to an acquisition timing of the geospatial data – This describes storing particular retrieved data and is thus insignificant extra-solution activity as discussed in MPEP 2106.05.
the acquisition condition is registered in association with an application identifier and a registered scope identifier – Registering retrieved data seems to be a storing step and is thus insignificant extra-solution activity as discussed in MPEP 2106.05.
the region condition includes a dynamic-area condition for determining, at each acquisition timing designated by the time condition, a then-current geographical range of a dynamic area – This feature describes a condition based on which to retrieve data and is thus insignificant extra-solution activity as discussed in MPEP 2106.05.
the one or more processors are configured to, for each acquisition timing designated by the time condition and before receiving a data request from the application - Retrieving information is considered insignificant extra-solution activity as discussed in MPEP 2106.05.
access an external resource corresponding to the dynamic-area condition – Accessing/Retrieving information is considered insignificant extra-solution activity as discussed in MPEP 2106.05.
calculate, using information obtained from the external resource at the acquisition timing, the then-current geographical range of the dynamic area satisfying the dynamic- area condition – Calculating a condition based on retrieved data is something that may be performed in the mind and/or with help of pen and paper.
cause geospatial data corresponding to the then-current geographical range and the acquisition timing to be acquired from a geospatial data provider - Retrieving information based on a condition is considered insignificant extra-solution activity as discussed in MPEP 2106.05.
store the acquired geospatial data in a storage device in association with the registered scope identifier, the then-current geographical range, a time slice corresponding to the acquisition timing, and a preparation status indicating that preparation of the acquired geospatial data is complete – Storing retrieved data is considered insignificant extra-solution activity as discussed in MPEP 2106.05. Furthermore, preparing a device may also be considered a well-understood, routine and conventional activity of the device as discussed in MPEP 2106.05.
in response to the data request received from the application after the preparation status indicates that preparation is complete, verify that the data request corresponds to the application identifier and the registered scope identifier, select the acquired geospatial data based on the preparation status, temporally filter the selected acquired geospatial data using the time slice, spatially filter the selected acquired geospatial data using the then-current geographical range, and provide the temporally and spatially filtered geospatial data to the application, thereby reducing response latency of the application request – Verifying data may be performed in the mind and filtering data may be performed in the mind and/or with help of pen and paper.
Independent Claim 7 recites the following features:
geospatial data providing method for reducing response latency of an application request for geospatial data by preparing geospatial data for a dynamically calculated geographical range before the application request is received, the method being for acquiring geospatial data corresponding to an acquisition condition registered in advance and providing the geospatial data to an application, the acquisition condition including a region condition related to a geographical range of the geospatial data in the future and a time condition related to an acquisition timing of the geospatial data, the method comprising:
registering acquisition condition in association with an application identifier and registered scope identifier, wherein the region condition includes a dynamic- area condition for determining, at each acquisition timing designated by the time condition, a then-current geographical range of a dynamic area - Registering retrieved data seems to be a storing step and is thus insignificant extra-solution activity as discussed in MPEP 2106.05.
for each acquisition timing designated by the time condition and before receiving a data request from the application:
accessing, by a computer, an external resource corresponding to the dynamic- area condition - Accessing/Retrieving information is considered insignificant extra-solution activity as discussed in MPEP 2106.05.
calculating, by the computer using information obtained from the external resource at the acquisition timing, the then-current geographical range of the dynamic area satisfying the dynamic-area condition - Calculating a condition based on retrieved data is something that may be performed in the mind and/or with help of pen and paper.
causing, by the computer, geospatial data corresponding to the then-current geographical range and the acquisition timing to be acquired from a geospatial data provider - Retrieving information based on a condition is considered insignificant extra-solution activity as discussed in MPEP 2106.05.
storing, by the computer, the acquired geospatial data in association with the registered scope identifier, the then-current geographical range, a time slice corresponding to the acquisition timing, and a preparation status indicating that preparation of the acquired geospatial data is complete - Storing retrieved data is considered insignificant extra-solution activity as discussed in MPEP 2106.05. Furthermore, preparing a device may also be considered a well-understood, routine and conventional activity of the device as discussed in MPEP 2106.05.
in response to the data request received from the application after the preparation status indicates that preparation is complete, verifying, by the computer, that the data request corresponds to the application identifier and the registered scope identifier, selecting the acquired geospatial data based on the preparation status, temporally filtering the selected acquired geospatial data using the time slice, spatially filtering the selected acquired geospatial data using the then-current geographical range, and providing the temporally and spatially filtered geospatial data from the computer to the application, thereby reducing response latency of the application request - Verifying data may be performed in the mind and filtering data may be performed in the mind and/or with help of pen and paper.
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application. Other, the abstract idea, the claims recite additional elements of hardware executing the abstract idea. The additional elements such a processor, storage device, etc are recited at a high level of generality, i.e. as generic computer components performing generic computer functions of information processing. Accordingly, these additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because they do not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. The claim is directed to an abstract idea.
Dependent Claims 2-6 and 8-17 recite further mental processes that may be completed with aid of pen and paper and as such are directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEX GOFMAN whose telephone number is (571)270-1072. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8-5.
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/ALEX GOFMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2163
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