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 issued in response to Application filed June 13, 2025.
Claims 1-20 are pending.
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an Abstract Idea without significantly more.
Claims 1-8 are method claims and directed to the process category of patentable subject matter.
Claims 9-16 are device claims and directed to the machine category of patentable subject matter.
Claims 17-20 are computer-readable storage medium claims and directed to the manufacture category of patentable subject matter.
Although claims 1-20 fall under at least one of the four statutory categories, it should be determined whether the claims recite a judicial exception.
Independent Claims 1, 9, and 17 are drawn to:
[a] storing a metadata storage layer table and a path resolution acceleration layer table of the distributed file system on a given original shard, in response to an amount of metadata of the distributed file system being less than a preset threshold, wherein the metadata storage layer table is used for storing the metadata of the distributed file system, and the path resolution acceleration layer table is used for storing a path of the metadata of the distributed file system;
[b] splitting the original shard into a metadata storage layer shard and a path resolution acceleration layer shard, in response to the amount of the metadata of the distributed file system being not less than the preset threshold, wherein the metadata storage layer shard is used for storing the metadata storage layer table, and the path resolution acceleration layer shard is used for storing the path resolution acceleration layer table; and
[c] scheduling the metadata storage layer table on the metadata storage layer shard to different data shards.
The claims fall within the “Mental Processes” grouping of abstract ideas; since the claims are simple process that, under their broadest reasonable interpretation, covers performance of the limitations in the mind.
With regard to limitation [a], a human being may mentally store metadata and path data into smaller more manageable pieces. This claim limitation has been identified as a recitation of a mental process.
With regard to limitation [b], a human being may perform a mental determination to split the stored data into multiple shards for identifying and analyzing the data. This claim limitation has been identified as a recitation of a mental process.
With regard to limitation [c], a human being may mentally observe and schedule the storing of the metadata. This claim limitation has been identified as a recitation of a mental process.
The examiner notes that under MPEP 2106.04(a)(2)(III), the courts consider a mental process (thinking) that “can be performed in the human mind, or by a human using a pen and paper” to be an abstract idea. The limitation of “storing”, “splitting”, and “scheduling”; fall within the “Mental Processes” grouping of abstract ideas because this recites a mentally performable process of processing and splitting metadata for filing and storing. CyberSource Corp. v. Retail Decisions, Inc., 654 F.3d 1366, 1372, 99 USPQ2d 1690, 1695 (Fed. Cir. 2011). As the Federal Circuit explained, “methods which can be performed mentally, or which are the equivalent of human mental work, are unpatentable abstract ideas the ‘basic tools of scientific and technological work’ that are open to all”. Specifically, the limitations as discussed above, as claimed, is a process that covers performance of the limitations in the mind, or with pen and paper, but for the recitation of generic computer components (i.e., processor, memory, device, etc.) because a user can mentally, or with pen and paper, store and split data into different shards. See Digitech (organizing and manipulating information through mathematical correlations), Electric Power Group (collecting information, analyzing it, and displaying certain results of the collection and analysis).
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application. The claim includes additional elements which fall within the mental processing of information. In particular, the claims only recite additional elements (i.e., processor, memory, device, etc.) that are recited at a high-level of generality (e.g., as a generic computer or as a generic processor performing a generic computer function), such that it amounts to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using generic computer components. See 2106.05(d) (II). Accordingly, the additional element(s) do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it does not impose meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. The claims as a whole do not appear to integrate the mental process into a practical application and is thus directed to an abstract idea.
The claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. As discussed above with respect to integration of the abstract idea into a practical application, the additional elements amount to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component, or are merely drawn to insignificant extra-solution activity. Mere instructions to apply an exception using a generic computer component or insignificant extra-solution is not significantly more than the judicial exception.
The dependent claims, 2-8, 10-16, and 18-20, depend on a rejected parent claim and do not cure its deficiencies. Similar to the above discussion, each of the dependent claims are drawn to an abstract idea within the “Mental Processes” grouping of abstract ideas. The claims are drawn to subject matter that covers performance of the claimed limitations in the mind, or with pen and paper, but for the recitation of generic computer components as discussed above. The claims are not integrated into a practical application. The claims only recite additional elements that is/are recited at a high-level of generality (e.g., as a generic computer or as a generic processor performing a generic computer function) such that it amounts to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component or are merely drawn to insignificant extra-solution activity.
The claim elements considered individually or in combination do not result in a new or improved method for path determination.
Points of Contact
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHELCIE L DAYE whose telephone number is (571) 272-3891. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 7:30-4:00pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Apu Mofiz can be reached on 571-272-4080. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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Chelcie Daye
Patent Examiner
Technology Center 2100
May 16, 2026
/CHELCIE L DAYE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2161
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