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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 7/10/2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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, 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.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Weerasinghe (US 2013/0124628) in view of McCracken, Jr. (US 11,070,538)
Regarding claims 1, 12 and 20, Weerasighe discloses a system (Fig. 1)(item# 100), method (Figs. 2-4), computer readable medium [¶0068] comprising:
a user data repository (e.g., database/server) containing data relating to a plurality of users of a plurality of experience providers; [¶0024-experience provider in this case in the system is a third party device], [¶0027- the system may also include experience providers in the form of social network site (item# 101)]
a rules engine (search engine)configured to apply rules according to a plurality of data sharing preferences of a user; [¶0019- search engine can act like a rules engine], [¶0020],[¶0024-the user may include as much information as the user desires], [¶0028]
facilitating communication between the user device and the system, the first API configured to:
receive, from a user device associated with the user, user inputs that identify at least one experience provider and at least one data sharing preference of the plurality of data sharing preferences of the user; and ;[¶0024-the user is able to input the amount of information desired for the profile]
configure the rules engine with rules based on the user inputs and [in ¶0025- each user is able to choose a relevant profile customized to the individual or a common profile]
facilitating communication between the computing system associated with the experience provider and the system, the second API configured to:
receive, from a computing system associated with the experience provider, data a request for data of the user;[¶0020-¶0021], [¶0024],[¶0040]
transmit the request to the rules engine, wherein the rules engine is configured to retrieve applicable data of the user from the user data repository, wherein the applicable data of the user is based on the request for data of the user and the at least one data sharing preference of the user;[¶0004], [¶0019], [¶0020]
receive, from the rules engine, the applicable data of the user; [¶0020]and
provide, to the computing system associated with the experience provider, the applicable data of the user; [¶0043]and
a payments engine configured to:
determine, after the applicable data of the user is provided, an amount of funds due (e.g., bill, invoice, pay-per-access) to the user based on the applicable data of the user to the computing system associated with the experience provider;[¶0017], (Fig. 3)(item# 360)[¶0057], (step# 260)[¶0043] and
credit an account associated with the user in the amount of the funds due to the user [¶0064].
Weerasighe fails to disclose a first application programming interface (API) or a second API. APIs are a set of rules and protocols that allow different software applications to communicate and share data.
McCracken discloses APIs being used to communicate between devices certain types of user preferences (e.g., user environment and entertainment service authorizations, credentials, etc.) and also suggests payment considerations.
Since APIs are well known in the art as a set of rules and protocols that allow different software applications to communicate and share data particularly in various networks (e.g., internet, cloud networks, etc.,), it would have been obvious before the effective filing date for Weerasighe to have known of APIs as taught by McCracken and have sought to integrate their use into facilitating communication between different networked devices such as the user device and the system(see e.g., McCracken, Abstract, column 2, lines 6-43) as well as determine, after the applicable data of the user is provided, an amount of funds due (e.g., bill, invoice, pay-per-access) to the user based on the applicable data of the user to the computing system associated with the experience provider (see column 5, lines 27 to column 6, line 9, esp., column 5, lines 62 to column 6, line 9). Weerasighe again would have been familiar with the well-known functions and abilities of APIs, as at least discussed in McCraken, and have used them within it own system, being within the level of one of ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding claims 2 and 13, wherein the second API is further configured to transmit a confirmation message by a third API, the confirmation message confirming that the experience provider received the applicable data of the user.[0022]
Regarding claims 3 and 14, , wherein the third API is configured to: receive, from the second API, the confirmation message;
query the payments engine for the amount of funds due to the user;[¶0020]
receive a currency value for the amount of funds due to the user from the payments engine;[¶0043], [¶0057]
transmit a payment request to the experience provider, the payment request being for an amount equaling the received currency value;[¶0043], [¶0057] and
receive a payment from the experience provider, the payment received in response to the transmitted payment request.(Fig. 3)(item# 360)[¶0043],[¶0057]
Regarding claims 4 and 15, Weerasighe discloses, wherein providing the applicable data of the user is based on a confirmation presented to the user, the confirmation transmitted by the second API and displayed by the user device.[¶0063],[¶0066]
Regarding claims 6 and 17, Weerasighe discloses, wherein the user data repository is further populated with data of the user via voluntary submissions of experience providers.(Fig. 5)(item# 500)[¶0060]
Regarding claims 7 and 18, Weerasighe discloses, wherein the at least one of the plurality of data sharing preferences of the user includes a selection of advertising categories that the user is willing to view while accessing content associated with the experience provider.(Fig. 4)(item#440)(Fig. 5)(“voluntary…advertising”)[¶0020],[¶0035]
Regarding claims 8 and 19, Weerasighe discloses, wherein the second API is further configured to: receive an offer from the experience provider associated with advertising revenue with the user for an unselected advertising category; present, to the user via the user device, the offer associated with advertising revenue with the experience provider; receive a decision of the user regarding the offer associated with advertising revenue; and provide the decision of the user to the experience provider. [¶0015],
Regarding claim 9, Weerasighe discloses, wherein a third API is further configured to: receive, from the experience provider, a tabulation of funds due (bill or billing arrangements) to the user according to advertising content displayed by the experience provider correlating the offer associated with advertising revenue with the user; verify the received tabulation of funds due to the user with the payments engine; and receive funds equaling the tabulation of funds due to the user from an account associated with the experience provider. [¶0043], [¶0057]
Regarding claim 10, Weerasighe discloses, wherein the tabulation of funds due is received in real-time for each advertisement displayed by the experience provider.[¶0041],[¶0043]
Regarding claim 11, Weerasighe discloses, wherein the tabulation of funds due is received at predetermined intervals. [¶0057-monthly payments]
12. Regarding claims 5 and 16, Weerasighe fails to discloses wherein the confirmation is a two-factor authentication (2FA) prompt, the 2FA prompt presented to the user in real-time. However, it is old and well known that two-factor authentication is commonly used to provide greater security by providing two forms of proof to verify one’s identity (e.g., password + code or biometric, PIN, etc.,). Thus OFFCIAL NOTICE is taken of two-factor authentication being widely and commonly used in computer systems (some of which require high levels of security-e.g., financial institutions, private corporations- but also used in user network devices e.g., mobile phones, PDA devices, VPNs etc.,).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Zimler et al (US 2005/0027887) discloses API tool-set for providing services through residential communications gateway
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL S FELTEN whose telephone number is (571)272-6742. The examiner can normally be reached Flex.
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DANIEL S. FELTEN
Examiner
Art Unit 3692
/DANIEL S FELTEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3692
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