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 application filed July 21, 2025. Claims 1-20 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 18, 2025, is attached to the instant Office action.
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 1-9 and 11-20 are are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory obviousness-type double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-12 and 14-18 of U.S. Patent No. 12,367,474. Although the conflicting claims are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the current applications claims are narrower versions of the parent’s claims therefore they are anticipated by the parents claims.
As per claim 10 while it is not explicitly taught by the parent Official Notice is taken that interest bearing loans are old and well known in the art of loans therefore it would have been obvious to include interest bearing loans with the invention. Therefore it rejected on the grounds of non-statutory double patenting over claim 1 of U.S. Patent 12,367,474 and Official Notice.
Current application
Patent 12,367,474
1. A method for providing a voluntary down payment interface in association with a financing offer, the method comprising:
providing, to a remote device of a customer in association with a transaction between a merchant and the customer, an indication of the financing offer associated with a loan;
providing, on a same page or screen of the remote device as the indication of the financing offer, a slidable two state selector to define a graphically displayed selectable option to make a down payment of a displayed amount, the displayed amount being displayed proximate to the slidable two state selector for making the voluntary down payment;
responsive to the selectable option being selected, displaying updated loan terms separately from the slidable two state selector and the displayed amount of the down payment on the same page or screen of the remote device as the indication of the financing offer; and responsive to the selectable option not being selected, hiding or not displaying the updated loan terms, wherein the financing offer is one of a plurality of financing offers of respective different loan types that are all shown on the same page simultaneously with the slidable two state selector both when the selectable option is selected and not selected, but when the selectable option is selected, then the plurality of financing offers of respective different loan types are all shown on the same page simultaneously with the slidable two state selector and the displayed amount of the down payment and the updated loan terms.
1. A method for providing a voluntary down payment interface in association with a financing offer, the method comprising:
providing, to a remote device of a customer in association with a transaction between a merchant and the customer, an indication of the financing offer associated with a loan;
providing, on a same page or screen of the remote device as the indication of the financing offer, a slidable two state selector to define a graphically displayed selectable option to display a down payment selector interface for making the voluntary down payment;
responsive to the selectable option being selected, displaying the down payment selector interface separately from the slidable two state selector on the same page or screen of the remote device as the indication of the financing offer; and responsive to the selectable option not being selected, hiding or not displaying the down payment selector interface, wherein the financing offer is one of a plurality of financing offers of respective different loan types that are all shown on the same page simultaneously with the slidable two state selector both when the selectable option is selected and not selected, but when the selectable option is selected, then the plurality of financing offers of respective different loan types are all shown on the same page simultaneously with the slidable two state selector and the down payment selector.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the indication of the financing offer comprises displaying a payment amount and term for repaying the loan according to the financing offer.
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2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the indication of the financing offer comprises displaying a payment amount and term for repaying the loan according to the financing offer.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving a selected down payment value via the down payment selector interface, and displaying a modified payment amount for repaying the loan based on the selected down payment value.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving a selected down payment value via the down payment selector interface, and displaying a modified payment amount for repaying the loan based on the selected down payment value.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectable option comprises a slidable toggle switch displayed to be alternately turned on or off by the customer.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the down payment selector interface comprises a plurality of selectable options for down payment values, and wherein the selectable options include different fixed percentage values of a total cart value of the transaction.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the down payment selector interface comprises a plurality of selectable options for down payment values, and wherein the selectable options include different fixed percentage values of a total cart value of the transaction.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the down payment selector interface comprises a custom down payment selection option configured to enable the customer to pick from among a plurality of non-fixed down payment amounts.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the down payment selector interface comprises a custom down payment selection option configured to enable the customer to pick from among a plurality of non-fixed down payment amounts.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein selection of the custom down payment selection option generates a slider bar via which one of the plurality of non-fixed down payment amounts is selectable.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein selection of the custom down payment selection option generates a slider bar via which one of the plurality of non-fixed down payment amounts is selectable.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction is a future transaction.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction is a current transaction.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction is a future transaction or a current transaction.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the loan is an installment loan.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the loan is an installment loan.
11. An apparatus for providing a voluntary down payment interface in association with a financing offer, the apparatus comprising processing circuitry configured to: provide, to a remote device of a customer in association with a transaction between a merchant and the customer, an indication of a financing offer associated with a loan; provide, on a same page or screen of the remote device as the indication of the financing offer, a slidable two state selector to define a graphically displayed selectable option to make a down payment of a displayed amount, the displayed amount being displayed proximate to the slidable two state selector for making the voluntary down payment; responsive to the selectable option being selected, displaying updated loan terms separately from the slidable two state selector and the displayed amount of the down payment on the same page or screen of the remote device as the indication of the financing offer; and responsive to the selectable option not being selected, hiding or not displaying the updated loan terms, wherein the financing offer is one of a plurality of financing offers of respective different loan types that are all shown on the same page simultaneously with the slidable two state selector both when the selectable option is selected and not selected, but when the selectable option is selected, then the plurality of financing offers of respective different loan types are all shown on the same page simultaneously with the slidable two state selector and the displayed amount of the down payment and the updated loan terms.
10. An apparatus for providing a voluntary down payment interface in association with a financing offer, the apparatus comprising processing circuitry configured to: provide, to a remote device of a customer in association with a transaction between a merchant and the customer, an indication of a financing offer associated with a loan; provide, on a same page or screen of the remote device as the indication of the financing offer, a slidable two state selector to define a graphically displayed selectable option to display a down payment selector interface for making the voluntary down payment; responsive to the selectable option being selected, display the down payment selector interface separately from the slidable two state selector on the same page or screen of the remote device as the indication of the financing offer; and responsive to the selectable option not being selected, hide or not display the down payment selector interface, wherein the financing offer is one of a plurality of financing offers of respective different loan types that are all shown on the same page simultaneously with the slidable two state selector both when the selectable option is selected and not selected, but when the selectable option is selected, then the plurality of financing offers of respective different loan types are all shown on the same page simultaneously with the slidable two state selector and the down payment selector.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein providing the indication of the financing offer comprises displaying a payment amount and term for repaying the loan according to the financing offer.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein providing the indication of the financing offer comprises displaying a payment amount and term for repaying the loan according to the financing offer.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured for receiving a selected down payment value via the down payment selector interface, and displaying a modified payment amount for repaying the loan based on the selected down payment value.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured for receiving a selected down payment value via the down payment selector interface, and displaying a modified payment amount for repaying the loan based on the selected down payment value.
14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the down payment selector interface comprises a plurality of selectable options for down payment values, and wherein the selectable options include different fixed percentage values of a total cart value of the transaction.
14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the down payment selector interface comprises a plurality of selectable options for down payment values, and wherein the selectable options include different fixed percentage values of a total cart value of the transaction.
15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the down payment selector interface comprises a custom down payment selection option configured to enable the customer to pick from among a plurality of non-fixed down payment amounts.
15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the down payment selector interface comprises a custom down payment selection option configured to enable the customer to pick from among a plurality of non-fixed down payment amounts.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein selection of the custom down payment selection option generates a slider bar via which one of the plurality of non-fixed down payment amounts is selectable.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein selection of the custom down payment selection option generates a slider bar via which one of the plurality of non-fixed down payment amounts is selectable.
17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the transaction is a future transaction.
18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the transaction is a current transaction.
19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the loan is an installment loan.
17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the transaction is a future transaction or a current transaction, and wherein the loan is an installment loan.
20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the customer is initially denied the loan due to an amount of the transaction exceeding a credit limit of the customer, and wherein the loan is granted responsive to the customer making the voluntary down payment to reduce a financed amount of the transaction to at least the credit limit
18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the customer is initially denied the loan due to an amount of the transaction exceeding a credit limit of the customer, and wherein the loan is granted responsive to the customer making the voluntary down payment to reduce a financed amount of the transaction to at least the credit limit.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant’s disclosure:
Phelps et al. U.S. 11,062,293 B2
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/SCOTT S TROTTER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3696
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