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 the preliminary amendment filed September 17, 2025. Claims 16-33 are pending and examined.
Specification
Applicant is required to update the status (pending, allowed, etc.) of all parent priority applications in the first line of the specification. The status of all citations of US filed applications in the specification should also be updated where appropriate.
Information Disclosure Statement
An initialed and dated copy of Applicant’s IDS form 1449 filed September 17, 2025, is attached to the instant Office action.
Claim objections
Claims 17, 18, 23, and 28 are objected to because of the following informalities: They depend from rejected claims. Appropriate correction is required.
Double patenting
The nonstatutory 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 obviousness-type double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims 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 conflicting 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.
Effective January 1, 1994, a registered attorney or agent of record may sign a terminal disclaimer. A terminal disclaimer signed by the assignee must fully comply with 37 CFR 3.73(b).
Claims 16, 19-22, 24-27, and 29-33 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory obviousness-type double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-20 of U.S. Patent No. 11,295,380. Although the conflicting claims are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because checking that an item is the identified item and checking the location of an item are variations of data gathering about an item that would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art.
Application 19/259,676
U.S. Patent 11,295,380 B2
16. (New) A system for tracking a designated item of personal property of an owner comprising:
at least one external server comprising a processor, a memory and machine-readable code stored in said memory and executable by said processor to cause said server to:
receive information regarding said designated item of personal property and create a record regarding said designated item of personal property, including information which identifies said designated item of personal property;
establish a communication link between said at least one external server a communication device of said owner, said communication device communicatively coupled to one or more items of personal property of said owner;
receive, via said communication device of said owner, information identifying said one or more items of personal property of said owner; and
compare said information identifying said one or more items of personal property of said owner to said information regarding said designated item of personal property to determine whether said one or more items of personal property comprise said designated item of personal property.
1. A system for tracking and recording information regarding an item of personal property of an owner, the item of personal property having a built-in communication interface, comprising:
at least one external server comprising a processor, a memory and machine-readable code stored in said memory and executable by said processor to cause said server to:
receive information regarding said item of personal property and create a record regarding said item of personal property, including information which identifies said item of personal property;
establish a communication link between said at least one external server and said item of personal property via a communication device of said owner, said communication device communicatively coupled to said built-in communication interface of said item of personal property;
send a request to said item of personal property via said built-in wireless communication device thereof;
utilize a response to said request to identify a location of said item of personal property; and
update said record regarding said item of personal property with information regarding said location of said item of personal property at a first time.
17. (New) The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said designated item of personal property comprises collateral to a loan.
18. (New) The system in accordance with claim 16, further comprising receiving, from said communication device of said owner, information regarding said location of said one or more items of personal property and updating said record regarding said designated item of personal property with information regarding said location when said information regarding said one or more items of personal property matches said information regarding said designated item of personal property.
19. (New) The system in accordance with claim 16, wherein said information regarding said location is determined from an IP address.
7. The system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said location is determined from an IP address received in response to said request
20. (New) The system in accordance with claim 16, wherein said information identifying said one or more items of personal property comprises at least one of: a name of said item of personal property, a model number of said item of personal property and a serial number of said item of personal property.
4. The system in accordance with claim 3 wherein said information which identifies said item of personal property comprises at least one of: a) a description of said item of personal property, b) a manufacture date; c) the manufacturer;
d) a serial number; e) a model number; f) an IP address; and g) a unique identifier for said item of personal property.
21. (New) The system in accordance with Claim 16 wherein said designated item of personal property comprises an IOT device.
6. The system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said item of personal property comprises an IOT device.
22. (New) The system in accordance with claim 16, wherein said communication device of said owner comprises a router.
Appears in claim 9 (Column 21 Lines 7-8) “property via a communication device of said owner, said communication device comprising a router;”
23. (New) The system in accordance with claim 16, wherein said information regarding said one or more items of personal property is received in response to a polling request transmitted from said at least one external server to said communication device of said owner.
24. (New) A method of validating owner possession of a designated item of personal property comprising the steps of: receiving information regarding said designated item of personal property; creating a record regarding said designated item of personal property, said record including information which identifies said designated item of personal property;
establishing a communication link between a communication device of an external server and a communication device of said owner which is communicatively coupled to a communication interface of one or more items of personal property;
receiving, via said communication device of said owner, information identifying said one or more items of personal property of said owner; and comparing said information identifying said one or more items of personal property of said owner to said information regarding said designated item of personal property to determine whether said one or more items of personal property comprise said designated item of personal property to validate possession of said designated item of personal property by said owner..
9. A method of creating a record of information regarding an item of personal property, the item of personal property having a built-in wireless communication interface, comprising the steps of:
creating a record of information which
identifies said item of personal property, including at least a first owner thereof; and
associating information with said record which identifies a location of said personal property at a first time,
comprising:
establishing a communication link between a communication
device of an external server and said built-in wireless communication device of said item of personal property via a communication device of said owner, said communication device comprising a router;
transmitting a request from said server to said item of personal property via said communication link;
receiving at said server, a response from said item of personal property transmitted from said built-in wireless communication interface thereof through and said communication device via said communication link;
and
utilizing said response to identify a location of said item of personal property.
25. (New) The method in accordance with claim 24, wherein said step of creating a record comprises creating a block of a block chain.
10. The method in accordance with claim 9 wherein said step of creating a record comprises creating a block of a block chain.
26. (New) The method in accordance with claim 24, wherein said information which identifies said designated item of personal property comprises at least one of: a) a description of said item of personal property,
b) a manufacture date;
c) the manufacturer; d) a serial number; e) a model number; f) an IP address; and g) a unique identifier for said item of personal property.
13. The method in accordance with claim 12 wherein said information which identifies said item of personal property comprises at least one of:
a) a description of said item of personal property,
b) a manufacture date;
c) the manufacturer; d) a serial number; e) a model number; f) an IP address; and g) a unique identifier for said item of personal property.
27. (New) The method in accordance with claim 24, wherein said designated item of personal property comprises an IOT device.
15. The method in accordance with claim 9 wherein said item of personal property comprises an IOT device.
28. (New) The method in accordance with claim 24, further comprising receiving, from said communication device of said owner, information regarding said location of said one or more items of personal property and updating said record regarding said designated item of personal property with information regarding said location when said information regarding said one or more items of personal property matches said information regarding said designated item of personal property.
29. (New) The method in accordance with claim 28, wherein said location is determined from an IP address received in response to said request.
16. The method in accordance with claim 9 wherein said location is determined from an IP address received in response to said request.
30. (New) A method of determining an inventory of electronic personal property of an owner comprising the steps of:
establishing a communication link between a communication device of an external server and a communication device of said owner which is communicatively coupled to a communication interface of one or more items of personal property; receiving, at said external server via said communication device of said owner via a communication link, information identifying said one or more items of personal property of said owner; and utilizing said information regarding information identifying said one or more items of personal property to create an inventory record regarding said one or more items of personal property, said inventory record including information which identifies each of said one or more items of personal property.
9. A method of creating a record of information regarding an item of personal property, the item of personal property having a built-in wireless communication interface, comprising the steps of:
creating a record of information which identifies said item of personal property, including at least a first owner thereof; and
associating information with said record which identifies a location of said personal property at a first time,
comprising:
establishing a communication link between a communication device of an external server and said built-in wireless communication device of said item of personal property via a communication device of said owner, said communication device comprising a router;
transmitting a request from said server to said item of personal property via said communication link;
receiving at said server, a response from said item of personal property transmitted from said built-in wireless communication interface thereof through and said communication device via said communication link;
and
utilizing said response to identify a location of said item of personal property.
31. (New) The method in accordance with claim 30, wherein said step of creating an inventory record comprises creating a block of a block chain.
10. The method in accordance with claim 9 wherein said step of creating a record comprises creating a block of a block chain.
32. (New) The method in accordance with claim 30, wherein said information which identifies said one or more items of personal property comprises at least one of. a name of said item of personal property, a model number of said item of personal property and a serial number of said item of personal property.
13. The method in accordance with claim 12 wherein said information which identifies said item of personal property comprises at least one of:
a) a description of said item of personal property,
b) a manufacture date;
c) the manufacturer; d) a serial number; e) a model number; f) an IP address; and g) a unique identifier for said item of personal property.
33. (New) The method in accordance with claim 30, wherein said communication device of said owner comprises a router
Appears in claim 9 (Column 21 Lines 7-8)
“property via a communication device of said owner, said communication device comprising a router;”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant’s disclosure:
Cooper et al. (USGP 2013/0132,268 A1)
Corn (USPG 2012/0130,909 A1)
Lee et al. (USPG 2008/0042,868 A1)
Which teach tracking of collateral such as cars and talking to appliances such as washing machines and dryers but not establishing that connection via a communication device of said owner.
Any inquiry concerning this communication from the examiner should be directed to Scott S. Trotter, whose telephone number is 571-272-7366. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM, M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Gart, can be reached on 571-272-3955.
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The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned are as follows:
(571) 273-8300 (Official Communications; including After Final Communications labeled “BOX AF”)
(571) 273-7366 (Draft Communications)
/SCOTT S TROTTER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3696
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