DETAILED ACTION
Introduction
This Non-Final Office Action is in response to the application with serial number 19/286,449, filed on July 31, 2025.
Claims 1-31 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed on July 31, 2025, has been considered.
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.
The Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP) provides detailed rules for determining subject matter eligibility for claims in §2106. Those rules provide a basis for the analysis and finding of ineligibility that follows.
Claims 1-31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101. The claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter because the claimed invention recites a judicial exception (i.e., a law of nature, a natural phenomenon, or an abstract idea) without significantly more. Under Step 1 of the subject matter eligibility analysis, claims(s) 1-31 are all directed to one of the four statutory categories of invention. However, under step 2A, prong one, the claims recite a judicial exception: rendering a depth chart for a sports team (as evidenced by exemplary independent claim 1; “rendering the updated depth chart for viewing”), an abstract idea. Certain methods of organizing human activity are ineligible abstract ideas, including managing personal behavior or relationships or interactions between people. See MPEP §2106.04(a). The limitations of exemplary claim 1 include: “rendering a depth chart;” “identifying a manipulation of the depth chart;” “determining whether data used to render the depth chart has been updated;” “updating the depth chart based on the manipulation;” and “rending the updated depth chart for viewing.” The steps are all steps for managing personal behavior related to the abstract idea of rendering a depth chart for a sports team that, when considered alone and in combination, are part of the abstract idea of rendering a depth chart for a sports team. The dependent claims further recite steps for managing personal behavior that are part of the abstract idea of rendering a depth chart for a sports team. These claim elements, when considered alone and in combination, are considered to be abstract ideas because they are directed to a method of organizing human activity which includes providing a graphical display of players on a team that their assigned positions on a field.
Under step 2A, prong two, of the subject matter eligibility analysis, a claim that recites a judicial exception must be evaluated to determine whether the claim provides a practical application of the judicial exception. Additional elements of the independent claims amount to generic computer hardware that does not provide a practical application (a display screen of a system in independent claim 1; a non-transitory computer readable medium and display screen in independent claim 13; a system with a display screen and “engines” in independent claim 23; and a display device in independent claim 31). See MPEP §2106.04(d)[I]. The claims do not recite an improvement to another technology or technical field, nor do they recite an improvement to the functioning of the computer itself. See MPEP §2106.05(a). Because the claims only recite use of a generic computer, they do not apply the judicial exception with a particular machine. See MPEP §2106.05(b). Under step 2B of the subject matter eligibility analysis, the claims do not integrate the abstract idea into a judicial exception. Referring to the additional elements provided in the analysis in step one, above, the generic computer hardware does not provide significantly more than the recited abstract idea. See MPEP §2106.05(f).
For these reasons, the claims do not provide a practical application of the abstract idea, nor do they amount to significantly more than an abstract idea under step 2B of the subject matter eligibility analysis. Using a generic computer to implement an abstract idea does not provide an inventive concept. Therefore, the claims recite ineligible subject matter under 35 USC §101.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 13, 23, and 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 20210016149 A1 to Young et al. (hereinafter ‘YOUNG’).
Claim 1
YOUNG discloses a method comprising: rendering a depth chart for a team for viewing (see ¶[0077]; a depth chart may be visible on an athlete’s scorecard) on a display screen of a system (see ¶[0005]-[0006]; a display configured to display athlete ranking and drill training data), the team including personnel (see ¶[0026]; individual players in a team), the depth chart including at least one card (see ¶[0066]; an athlete scorecard), the at least one card include at least one parameter associated with the personnel (see ¶[0003]-[0004], [0025], and [0053]; position statistics for individual athletes), wherein the system enables a user to manipulate the depth chart (see ¶[0030], [0040], and [0079]; input devices and a clickable display. Monitor and update demographic information and review drills. Filter and drill down athlete rankings);
identifying a manipulation of the depth chart (see again ¶[0030], [0040], and [0079]; input devices and a clickable display. Monitor and update demographic information and review drills. Filter and drill down athlete rankings);
determining whether data used to render the depth chart has been updated (see ¶[0066] and [0079] & Fig. 6; an updated ranking may be displayed. Monitor and update demographic information);
updating the depth chart based on the manipulation, wherein when it is determined that the data has been updated, updating the depth chart further includes updating the depth chart based on the data that has been updated, and wherein updating the depth chart creates an updated depth chart (see again ¶[0066] and [0079] & Fig. 6; an updated ranking may be displayed. Monitor and update demographic information); and
rendering the updated depth chart for viewing on the display screen (see ¶[0005]-[0008] and [0075]-[0081] & Figs 5-6; a display configured to display athlete ranking and drill training data).
Claim 13
YOUNG discloses one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media encoded with instructions (see ¶[0044]; software on a computer readable medium), that when executed by a processor (see abstract; a processor), cause the processor to perform:
rendering a depth chart for a team for viewing (see ¶[0077]; a depth chart may be visible on an athlete’s scorecard) on a display screen of a system (see ¶[0005]-[0006]; a display configured to display athlete ranking and drill training data), the team including personnel (see ¶[0026]; individual players in a team), the depth chart including at least one card (see ¶[0066]; an athlete scorecard), the at least one card include at least one parameter associated with the personnel (see ¶[0003]-[0004], [0025], and [0053]; position statistics for individual athletes), wherein the system enables a user to manipulate the depth chart (see ¶[0030], [0040], and [0079]; input devices and a clickable display. Monitor and update demographic information and review drills. Filter and drill down athlete rankings);
identifying a manipulation of the depth chart (see again ¶[0030], [0040], and [0079]; input devices and a clickable display. Monitor and update demographic information and review drills. Filter and drill down athlete rankings);
determining whether data used to render the depth chart has been updated (see ¶[0066] and [0079] & Fig. 6; an updated ranking may be displayed. Monitor and update demographic information);
updating the depth chart based on the manipulation, wherein when it is determined that the data has been updated, updating the depth chart further includes updating the depth chart based on the data that has been updated, and wherein updating the depth chart creates an updated depth chart (see again ¶[0066] and [0079] & Fig. 6; an updated ranking may be displayed. Monitor and update demographic information); and
rendering the updated depth chart for viewing on the display screen (see ¶[0005]-[0008] and [0075]-[0081] & Figs 5-6; a display configured to display athlete ranking and drill training data).
Claim 23
YOUNG discloses a system comprising: an analytics engine (see abstract; a processor), the analytics engine configured to obtain data from at least one data source (see ¶[0003]-[0004], [0025], [0040], and [0053]; position statistics for individual athletes. Input devices 221 may correspond to both data entry mechanisms and data capture mechanisms), the data including information about personnel on a team (see ¶[0026]; individual players in a team), the analytics engine further being arranged to process the data to obtain a plurality of analytics results associated with the team (see ¶[0077]; a depth chart may be visible on an athlete’s scorecard); and
an application engine including an intelligent user interface (UI) layer (see ¶[0005]-[0006]; a display configured to display athlete ranking and drill training data), a position intelligence engine, a data persistence layer, and a state synchronization engine (see abstract; a processor. See also ¶[0027]-[0029]; software and instructions),
wherein the application engine is configured to process the analytics results to generate a depth chart for display on a display screen of an endpoint and to render the depth chart in a first view on the display screen (see again ¶[0077]; a depth chart may be visible on an athlete’s scorecard. See also ¶[0005]-[0006]; a display configured to display athlete ranking and drill training data),
the application engine further being configured to generate an updated depth chart based at least on a manipulation of the depth chart at the endpoint (see again ¶[0030], [0040], and [0079]; input devices and a clickable display. Monitor and update demographic information and review drills. Filter and drill down athlete rankings) and to render the updated depth chart in a second view on the display screen (see ¶[0005]-[0008] and [0075]-[0081] & Figs 5-6; a display configured to display athlete ranking and drill training data).
Claim 24
YOUNG discloses the system as set forth in claim 23.
YOUNG further discloses wherein the team is a sports team and the personnel includes at least one player (see ¶[0080]; an athlete’s sports team), and wherein the depth chart includes a player card associated with the at least one player (see ¶[0066]; an athlete scorecard), the player card arranged to indicate at least a position of the at least one player (see ¶[0003]-[0004], [0025], [0040], and [0053]; position statistics for individual athletes. Input devices 221 may correspond to both data entry mechanisms and data capture mechanisms).
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) 2 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210016149 A1 to YOUNG et al. in view of US 20130079130 A1 to Takacs (hereinafter ‘TAKACS’).
Claim 2
YOUNG discloses the method as set forth in claim 1.
YOUNG further discloses wherein the team is a sports team and the personnel includes at least one player on the sports team (see ¶[0080]; an athlete’s sports team), the method further including:
obtaining the data used to render the depth chart (see ¶[0003]-[0004], [0025], [0040], and [0053]; position statistics for individual athletes. Input devices 221 may correspond to both data entry mechanisms and data capture mechanisms), wherein the data includes the at least one parameter, the at least one parameter being selected from a group including performance data for the at least one player (see abstract; performance training and assessment), biometric data for the at least one player (see ¶[0005]-[0006]; an accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer).
YOUNG does not specifically disclose, but TAKACS discloses, financial data for the at least one player (see ¶[0040]; Data displayed includes but is not limited to: date posted, type of transaction, player position, player name, original date of transaction, previous team, new team, terms (salary, years, bonus, guarantees, etc.), source for info, player statistics, and other links),
YOUNG further discloses and character data for the at least one player (see ¶[0005]; one or more demographic characteristics).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. TAKACS discloses a fantasy roster compared to a real life roster that includes salary information of players and a depth chart (see ¶[0013]). It would have been obvious to include the salary information as taught by TAKACS in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to report athlete information on a depth chart.
Claim 14
YOUNG discloses the one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 13.
YOUNG further discloses wherein the team is a sports team and the personnel includes at least one player on the sports team (see ¶[0080]; an athlete’s sports team), and wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, further cause the processor to perform:
obtaining the data used to render the depth chart (see ¶[0003]-[0004], [0025], [0040], and [0053]; position statistics for individual athletes. Input devices 221 may correspond to both data entry mechanisms and data capture mechanisms), wherein the data includes the at least one parameter, the at least one parameter being selected from a group including performance data for the at least one player (see abstract; performance training and assessment), biometric data for the at least one player (see ¶[0005]-[0006]; an accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer).
YOUNG does not specifically disclose, but TAKACS discloses, financial data for the at least one player (see ¶[0040]; Data displayed includes but is not limited to: date posted, type of transaction, player position, player name, original date of transaction, previous team, new team, terms (salary, years, bonus, guarantees, etc.), source for info, player statistics, and other links),
YOUNG further discloses and character data for the at least one player (see ¶[0005]; one or more demographic characteristics).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. TAKACS discloses a fantasy roster compared to a real life roster that includes salary information of players and a depth chart (see ¶[0013]). It would have been obvious to include the salary information as taught by TAKACS in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to report athlete information on a depth chart.
Claim(s) 3 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210016149 A1 to YOUNG et al. in view of US 8484564 B1 to Marti et al. (hereinafter ‘MARTI’).
Claim 3
YOUNG discloses the method as set forth in claim 1.
YOUNG does not explicitly disclose, but MARTI discloses, wherein the depth chart is rendered in a first view level and the manipulation is a view change request, wherein rendering the updated depth chart includes rendering the updated depth chart in a second view level (see col 11, ln 6-25; hovering over a thumbnail or dragging a thumbnail brings up a floating box or causes a smaller version to follow the cursor).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. MARTI discloses sports teams charts with thumbnails that are manipulated by mouse hovers, clicking, and dragging. It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to include the manipulation of thumbnails as taught by MARTI in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to provide a depth chart of athlete information.
Claim 15
YOUNG discloses the one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 13.
YOUNG does not explicitly disclose, but MARTI discloses, wherein the depth chart is rendered in a first view level and the manipulation is a view change request, and wherein rendering the updated depth chart includes rendering the updated depth chart in a second view level (see col 11, ln 6-25; hovering over a thumbnail or dragging a thumbnail brings up a floating box or causes a smaller version to follow the cursor).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. MARTI discloses sports teams charts with thumbnails that are manipulated by mouse hovers, clicking, and dragging. It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to include the manipulation of thumbnails as taught by MARTI in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to provide a depth chart of athlete information.
Claim(s) 9, 10, 21, and 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210016149 A1 to YOUNG et al. in view of US 6363435 B1 to Fernando et al. (hereinafter ‘FERNANDO’).
Claim 9
YOUNG discloses the method as set forth in claim 1.
YOUNG does not explicitly disclose, but FERNANDO discloses, wherein rendering the depth chart for the team for viewing on the display screen of the system includes rendering a heat map, wherein rendering the heat map includes highlighting a first area of the depth chart to indicate a relatively high amount of a particular criterion and highlighting a second area of the depth chart to indicate a relatively low amount of the particular criterion (see col 6, ln 35-59; visually distinguish properties of an employee’s class using color-coding. Employee objects include salary).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. FERNANDO discloses color coding objects in a class based on salary rate. It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to include the color coding as taught by FERNANDO in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to assess performance of salaried athletes.
Claim 10
The combination of YOUNG and FERNANDO discloses the method as set forth in claim 9.
YOUNG does not explicitly disclose, but FERNANDO discloses, wherein the team is a sports team and the particular criterion is a spend level for the sports team (see col 6, ln 35-59; visually distinguish properties of an employee’s class using color-coding. Employee objects include salary).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. FERNANDO discloses color coding objects in a class based on salary rate. It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to include the color coding as taught by FERNANDO in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to assess performance of salaried athletes.
Claim 21
YOUNG discloses the one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 13.
YOUNG does not explicitly disclose, but FERNANDO discloses, wherein rendering the depth chart for the team for viewing on the display screen of the system includes rendering a heat map, wherein rendering the heat map includes highlighting a first area of the depth chart to indicate a relatively high amount of a particular criterion and highlighting a second area of the depth chart to indicate a relatively low amount of the particular criterion (see col 6, ln 35-59; visually distinguish properties of an employee’s class using color-coding. Employee objects include salary).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. FERNANDO discloses color coding objects in a class based on salary rate. It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to include the color coding as taught by FERNANDO in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to assess performance of salaried athletes.
Claim 22
The combination of YOUNG and FERNANDO discloses the one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media as set forth in claim 21.
YOUNG does not explicitly disclose, but FERNANDO discloses, wherein the team is a sports team and the particular criterion is a spend level for the sports team (see col 6, ln 35-59; visually distinguish properties of an employee’s class using color-coding. Employee objects include salary).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. FERNANDO discloses color coding objects in a class based on salary rate. It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to include the color coding as taught by FERNANDO in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to assess performance of salaried athletes.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210016149 A1 to YOUNG et al. in view of US 8484564 B1 to Marti et al. (hereinafter ‘MARTI’).
Claim 12
YOUNG discloses the method as set forth in claim 1.
YOUNG does not specifically disclose, but MARTI discloses, wherein rendering the depth chart includes predictively highlighting at least one potential drop zone in the depth chart based on at least one selected from a group including player position eligibility, a formation requirement, a historical placement patterns, and a current roster composition for the team (see col 11, ln 11-25; the border of a position 726 is highlighted to indicate that the selected thumbnail 714 will fill the position 726).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. MARTI discloses sports teams charts displayed in various formations, where a position is highlighted to indicate a thumbnail that will fill the position. It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to include the highlighting as taught by MARTI in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to provide a depth chart of athlete information.
Claim(s) 26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210016149 A1 to YOUNG et al. in view of US 20150067495 A1 to Bernstein et al. (hereinafter ‘BERNSTEIN’).
Claim 26
YOUNG discloses the system as set forth in claim 23.
YOUNG does not specifically disclose, but BERNSTEIN discloses, wherein the position intelligence engine is configured to determine whether an overall drag and drop action to drag a player card from a first location to a second location is valid (see ¶[0236] and Figs. 5E-H; When user interface object 11702-2 is moved to a valid drop target/location, the movement in the gesture is considered to satisfy the criteria for performing a drop operation, and the drop is performed, as shown in FIG. 5E or 5L, for example. On the other hand, when user interface object 11702-2 is moved to an invalid drop target/location, the movement in the gesture is considered to not satisfy the criteria for performing a drop operation, and the drop is not performed, as shown in FIG. 5H, for example).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. BERNSTEIN discloses interface object dragging and dropping, where drags to valid locations are performed and drags to invalid locations are not performed. It would have been obvious to include the drag and drop functionality as taught by BERNSTEIN in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to provide a depth chart with drag and drop functionality.
Claim(s) 28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210016149 A1 to YOUNG et al. in view of US 20090018809 A1 to Zimmerman et al. (hereinafter ‘ZIMMERMAN’).
Claim 28
YOUNG discloses the system as set forth in claim 23.
YOUNG does not specifically disclose, but ZIMMERMAN discloses, wherein the state synchronization engine is configured to resolve conflicts associated with the updated depth chart (see ¶[0029]; finite state automation with a finite number of configurations or states).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information that allows for editing (see ¶[0033]). ZIMMERMAN discloses a state machine that provides a finite number of configurations for outputs. It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the state machine as taught by ZIMMERMAN in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to provide for editing that prevents errors and allows only feasible outputs.
Claim(s) 8 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210016149 A1 to YOUNG et al. in view of US 20180084310 A1 to Kent et al. (hereinafter ‘KEN’T) and US 20180221750 A1 to Le (hereinafter ‘LE’).
Claim 8
YOUNG discloses the method as set forth in claim 1.
YOUNG does not explicitly disclose, but KENT discloses, further including: displaying a notification on the display screen when it is determined that the data used to render the depth chart has been updated (see ¶[0112]; receive SMS notifications of latest updated user performance data);
The combination of YOUNG and KENT does not specifically disclose, but LE discloses, obtaining a confirmation of the notification (see ¶[0068]; confirm changes to roster); and
updating the depth chart based on the manipulation after obtaining the confirmation of the notification (see again ¶[0068]; a confirm change option).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. KENT discloses SMS notifications of performance data. It would have been obvious to include the notifications as taught by KENT in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to use a depth chart to assess athletic performance.
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. KENT discloses SMS notifications of performance data. LE discloses confirmation of roster changes to change the roster. It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to include the change confirmation option as taught by LE in the system executing the method of YOUNG and KENT with the motivation to use a depth chart to assess athletic performance.
Claim 20
YOUNG discloses the one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 13.
YOUNG does not explicitly disclose, but KENT discloses, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to perform: displaying a notification on the display screen when it is determined that the data used to render the depth chart has been updated (see ¶[0112]; receive SMS notifications of latest updated user performance data);
The combination of YOUNG and KENT does not specifically disclose, but LE discloses, obtaining a confirmation of the notification (see ¶[0068]; confirm changes to roster); and
updating the depth chart based on the manipulation after obtaining the confirmation of the notification (see again ¶[0068]; a confirm change option).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. KENT discloses SMS notifications of performance data. It would have been obvious to include the notifications as taught by KENT in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to use a depth chart to assess athletic performance.
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. KENT discloses SMS notifications of performance data. LE discloses confirmation of roster changes to change the roster. It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to include the change confirmation option as taught by LE in the system executing the method of YOUNG and KENT with the motivation to use a depth chart to assess athletic performance.
Claim(s) 4, 16, and 25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210016149 A1 to YOUNG et al. in view of US 8484564 B1 to MARTI et al. and US 20150067495 A1 to BERNSTEIN et al.
Claim 4
YOUNG discloses the method as set forth in claim 1.
YOUNG does not explicitly disclose, but MARTI discloses, wherein the manipulation is a drag action of an overall drag and drop action (see col 11, ln 6-25; hovering over a thumbnail or dragging a thumbnail brings up a floating box or causes a smaller version to follow the cursor).
The combination of YOUNG and MARTI does not specifically disclose, but BERNSTEIN discloses, the method further including: determining whether the drag action is valid (see ¶[0236] and Figs. 5E-H; When user interface object 11702-2 is moved to a valid drop target/location, the movement in the gesture is considered to satisfy the criteria for performing a drop operation, and the drop is performed, as shown in FIG. 5E or 5L, for example. On the other hand, when user interface object 11702-2 is moved to an invalid drop target/location, the movement in the gesture is considered to not satisfy the criteria for performing a drop operation, and the drop is not performed, as shown in FIG. 5H, for example);
completing the overall drag and drop action when it is determined that the drag action is valid, wherein completing the overall drag and drop action includes moving the at least one card from a first position to a second position with respect to the depth chart (see ¶[0236] and Figs. 5E-H; When user interface object 11702-2 is moved to a valid drop target/location, the movement in the gesture is considered to satisfy the criteria for performing a drop operation, and the drop is performed, as shown in FIG. 5E or 5L, for example. On the other hand, when user interface object 11702-2 is moved to an invalid drop target/location, the movement in the gesture is considered to not satisfy the criteria for performing a drop operation, and the drop is not performed, as shown in FIG. 5H, for example); and
voiding the overall drag and drop action when it is determined that the drag action is not valid (see ¶[0236] and Figs. 5E-H; When user interface object 11702-2 is moved to a valid drop target/location, the movement in the gesture is considered to satisfy the criteria for performing a drop operation, and the drop is performed, as shown in FIG. 5E or 5L, for example. On the other hand, when user interface object 11702-2 is moved to an invalid drop target/location, the movement in the gesture is considered to not satisfy the criteria for performing a drop operation, and the drop is not performed, as shown in FIG. 5H, for example).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. MARTI discloses sports teams charts with thumbnails that are manipulated by mouse hovers, clicking, and dragging. It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to include the manipulation of thumbnails as taught by MARTI in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to provide a depth chart of athlete information.
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. MARTI discloses sports teams charts with thumbnails that are manipulated by mouse hovers, clicking, and dragging. BERNSTEIN discloses interface object dragging and dropping, where drags to valid locations are performed and drags to invalid locations are not performed. It would have been obvious to include the drag and drop functionality as taught by BERNSTEIN in the system executing the method of YOUNG and MARTI with the motivation to provide a depth chart with drag and drop functionality.
Claim 16
YOUNG discloses the one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 13.
YOUNG does not explicitly disclose, but MARTI discloses, wherein the manipulation is a drag action of an overall drag and drop action (see col 11, ln 6-25; hovering over a thumbnail or dragging a thumbnail brings up a floating box or causes a smaller version to follow the cursor).
The combination of YOUNG and MARTI does not specifically disclose, but BERNSTEIN discloses, and wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to perform: determining whether the drag action is valid (see ¶[0236] and Figs. 5E-H; When user interface object 11702-2 is moved to a valid drop target/location, the movement in the gesture is considered to satisfy the criteria for performing a drop operation, and the drop is performed, as shown in FIG. 5E or 5L, for example. On the other hand, when user interface object 11702-2 is moved to an invalid drop target/location, the movement in the gesture is considered to not satisfy the criteria for performing a drop operation, and the drop is not performed, as shown in FIG. 5H, for example);
completing the overall drag and drop action when it is determined that the drag action is valid, wherein completing the overall drag and drop action includes moving the at least one card from a first position to a second position with respect to the depth chart (see ¶[0236] and Figs. 5E-H; When user interface object 11702-2 is moved to a valid drop target/location, the movement in the gesture is considered to satisfy the criteria for performing a drop operation, and the drop is performed, as shown in FIG. 5E or 5L, for example. On the other hand, when user interface object 11702-2 is moved to an invalid drop target/location, the movement in the gesture is considered to not satisfy the criteria for performing a drop operation, and the drop is not performed, as shown in FIG. 5H, for example); and
voiding the overall drag and drop action when it is determined that the drag action is not valid (see ¶[0236] and Figs. 5E-H; When user interface object 11702-2 is moved to a valid drop target/location, the movement in the gesture is considered to satisfy the criteria for performing a drop operation, and the drop is performed, as shown in FIG. 5E or 5L, for example. On the other hand, when user interface object 11702-2 is moved to an invalid drop target/location, the movement in the gesture is considered to not satisfy the criteria for performing a drop operation, and the drop is not performed, as shown in FIG. 5H, for example).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. MARTI discloses sports teams charts with thumbnails that are manipulated by mouse hovers, clicking, and dragging. It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to include the manipulation of thumbnails as taught by MARTI in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to provide a depth chart of athlete information.
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. MARTI discloses sports teams charts with thumbnails that are manipulated by mouse hovers, clicking, and dragging. BERNSTEIN discloses interface object dragging and dropping, where drags to valid locations are performed and drags to invalid locations are not performed. It would have been obvious to include the drag and drop functionality as taught by BERNSTEIN in the system executing the method of YOUNG and MARTI with the motivation to provide a depth chart with drag and drop functionality.
Claim 25
YOUNG discloses the system as set forth in claim 24.
YOUNG does not explicitly disclose, but MARTI discloses, wherein the intelligent UI layer is configured to determine when the manipulation is a drag action of an overall drag and drop action to drag the player card from a first location (see col 11, ln 6-25; hovering over a thumbnail or dragging a thumbnail brings up a floating box or causes a smaller version to follow the cursor).
The combination of YOUNG and MARTI does not specifically disclose, but BERNSTEIN discloses, and wherein the intelligent UI layer is further configured to predict a second location to which the player card is to be dragged (see ¶[0236] and Figs. 5E-H; When user interface object 11702-2 is moved to a valid drop target/location, the movement in the gesture is considered to satisfy the criteria for performing a drop operation, and the drop is performed, as shown in FIG. 5E or 5L, for example. On the other hand, when user interface object 11702-2 is moved to an invalid drop target/location, the movement in the gesture is considered to not satisfy the criteria for performing a drop operation, and the drop is not performed, as shown in FIG. 5H, for example).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. MARTI discloses sports teams charts with thumbnails that are manipulated by mouse hovers, clicking, and dragging. It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to include the manipulation of thumbnails as taught by MARTI in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to provide a depth chart of athlete information.
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. MARTI discloses sports teams charts with thumbnails that are manipulated by mouse hovers, clicking, and dragging. BERNSTEIN discloses interface object dragging and dropping, where drags to valid locations are performed and drags to invalid locations are not performed. It would have been obvious to include the drag and drop functionality as taught by BERNSTEIN in the system executing the method of YOUNG and MARTI with the motivation to provide a depth chart with drag and drop functionality.
Claim(s) 27 and 30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210016149 A1 to YOUNG et al. in view of US 20150067495 A1 to BERNSTEIN et al. and US 20170319970 A1 to Thorman (hereinafter ‘THORMAN’).
Claim 27
The combination of YOUNG and BERNSTEIN discloses the system of claim 26
The combination of YOUNG and BERNSTEIN does not specifically disclose, but THORMAN discloses, wherein the data persistence layer is configured to maintain an audit trail that includes the overall drag and drop action (see ¶[0050] and [0128]; historical data includes rosters and gamelogs. The number of active players at a position may be edited.).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. THORMAN discloses depth chart management that allows players to be placed at natural or defined alternate positions, updates rosters accordingly, and creates logs. It would have been obvious to include the roster updates and logs as taught by THORMAN in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to use a depth chart for athletic performance assessment.
Claim 30
YOUNG discloses the system as set forth in claim 23.
YOUNG does not specifically disclose, but THORMAN discloses, wherein the position intelligence engine includes: a formation constraint matrix configured to store position-specific rules (see ¶[0012]; allow a player to be placed in the depth chart at the player’s natural playing position or defined alternate positions that the player is capable of playing), a validation pipeline with pre-drop and post-drop validation stages (see again ¶[0012]; allow a player to be placed in the depth chart at the player’s natural playing position or defined alternate positions that the player is capable of playing), a cascade update engine for maintaining formation integrity (see again ¶[0012] and [0026]; allow a player to be placed in the depth chart at the player’s natural playing position or defined alternate positions that the player is capable of playing. automates an extremely complicated set of substitutions and provides to the user an interface which allows for these substitutions to be quickly defined and updated).
YOUNG does not specifically disclose, but BERNSTEIN discloses, and a predictive placement algorithm that utilizes historical patterns (see ¶[0236] and Figs. 5E-H; When user interface object 11702-2 is moved to a valid drop target/location, the movement in the gesture is considered to satisfy the criteria for performing a drop operation, and the drop is performed, as shown in FIG. 5E or 5L, for example. On the other hand, when user interface object 11702-2 is moved to an invalid drop target/location, the movement in the gesture is considered to not satisfy the criteria for performing a drop operation, and the drop is not performed, as shown in FIG. 5H, for example).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. THORMAN discloses depth chart management that allows players to be placed at natural or defined alternate positions, and updates rosters accordingly. It would have been obvious to include the roster updates as taught by THORMAN in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to use a depth chart for athletic performance assessment.
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. BERNSTEIN discloses interface object dragging and dropping, where drags to valid locations are performed and drags to invalid locations are not performed. It would have been obvious to include the drag and drop functionality as taught by BERNSTEIN in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to provide a depth chart with drag and drop functionality.
Claim(s) 29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210016149 A1 to YOUNG et al. in view of US 20090018809 A1 to Zimmerman et al. (hereinafter ‘ZIMMERMAN’) and US 20220198562 A1 to Cella et al. (hereinafter ‘CELLA’).
Claim 29
YOUNG discloses the system as set forth in claim 23.
YOUNG does not specifically disclose, but ZIMMERMAN discloses, wherein the state synchronization engine includes: a Zustand-based state management system with middleware (see ¶[0029]; finite state automation with a finite number of configurations or states).
YOUNG further discloses connections for real-time updates (see ¶[0066]-[0067]; update rankings and scorecards), , a conflict resolution engine that utilizes a timestamp (see ¶[0065]; a timestamp for strikes).
YOUNG does not specifically disclose, but CELLA discloses, and an event sourcing system arranged to achieve state reconstruction (see ¶[0425] and [0517]; a neural network that can reconstruct its own inputs.).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information that allows for editing (see ¶[0033]). ZIMMERMAN discloses a state machine that provides a finite number of configurations for outputs. It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the state machine as taught by ZIMMERMAN in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to provide for editing that prevents errors and allows only feasible outputs.
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information that allows for editing (see ¶[0033]). CELLA discloses input reconstruction to prevent implausible configurations. It would have been obvious to include reconstruction as taught by CELLA in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to prevent implausible depth chart configurations.
Claim(s) 11 and 31 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210016149 A1 to YOUNG et al. in view of US 8484564 B1 to MARTI et al. and US 20170319970 A1 to THORMAN.
Claim 11
YOUNG discloses the method as set forth in claim 1.
YOUNG does not specifically disclose, but MARTI discloses, further including: identifying a formation change in the depth chart (see col 11, ln 1-5; "Save my team" icon 732 that initiates storage of changes made by the user to his or her personal team (e.g., by client 104 sending new/updated information on the players-positions 418 and/or formations 416 to server 102 for storage in the user's record 224 in database 222); and
reconfiguring the depth chart after the formation change is identified, wherein reconfiguring the depth chart includes adjusting at least one position group based on at least one rule of the formation change, adjusting a position of the at least one card to maintain formation integrity (see again col 11, ln 1-5; A formation template. "Save my team" icon 732 that initiates storage of changes made by the user to his or her personal team (e.g., by client 104 sending new/updated information on the players-positions 418 and/or formations 416 to server 102 for storage in the user's record 224 in database 222);, and
The combination of YOUNG and MARTI does not specifically disclose, but THORMAN discloses, validating positions in the depth chart against formation constraints (see ¶[0012]; allow a player to be placed in the depth chart at the player’s natural playing position or defined alternate positions that the player is capable of playing).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. MARTI discloses sports teams charts displayed in various formations. It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to include the formations as taught by MARTI in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to provide a depth chart of athlete information.
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. MARTI discloses sports teams charts displayed in various formations. THORMAN discloses depth chart management that allows players to be placed at natural or defined alternate positions. It would have been obvious to include the defined positions as taught by THORMAN in the system executing the method of YOUNG and MARTI with the motivation to use a depth chart with various formation options for athletic performance assessment.
Claim 31
YOUNG discloses a method for dynamic team visualization, the method comprising: rendering a visualization of a team on a first display device (see ¶[0005]-[0006]; a display configured to display athlete ranking and drill training data), the visualization including one or more displayed elements, wherein the visualization is based on data associated with personnel of the team (see ¶[0026]; individual players in a team); identifying a user interaction with the one or more displayed elements (see again ¶[0030], [0040], and [0079]; input devices and a clickable display. Monitor and update demographic information and review drills. Filter and drill down athlete rankings);
YOUNG does not specifically disclose, but THORMAN discloses, validating the user interaction, wherein validating the user interaction includes applying one or more formation-based constraints (see ¶[0012]; allow a player to be placed in the depth chart at the player’s natural playing position or defined alternate positions that the player is capable of playing).
YOUNG does not specifically disclose, but MARTI discloses, determining whether the data has changed (see col 11, ln 1-5; "Save my team" icon 732 that initiates storage of changes made by the user to his or her personal team (e.g., by client 104 sending new/updated information on the players-positions 418 and/or formations 416 to server 102 for storage in the user's record 224 in database 222);
YOUNG further discloses updating the visualization based on the user interaction to generate an updated visualization when the user interaction is validated, wherein updating the visualization includes applying any changes to the data when it is determined that the data has changed (see again ¶[0066] and [0079] & Fig. 6; an updated ranking may be displayed. Monitor and update demographic information); and
synchronizing the updated visualization across a plurality of display devices including the first display device (see ¶[0005]-[0008] and [0075]-[0081] & Figs 5-6; a display configured to display athlete ranking and drill training data. See also ¶[0036]; a server computer and computing devices).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. THORMAN discloses depth chart management that allows players to be placed at natural or defined alternate positions. It would have been obvious to include the defined positions as taught by THORMAN in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to use a depth chart for athletic performance assessment.
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. MARTI discloses sports teams charts displayed in various formations. It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to include the formations as taught by MARTI in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to provide a depth chart of athlete information.
Claim(s) 5, 6, 17, and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210016149 A1 to Young et al. in view of US 8484564 B1 to MARTI et al. and US 20150067495 A1 to BERNSTEIN et al. as applied to claims 1 and 4 above, and further in view of US 20170319970 A1 to THORMAN.
Claim 5
The combination of YOUNG, MARTI, and BERNSTEIN discloses the method as set forth in claim 4.
The combination of YOUNG, MARTI, and BERNSTEIN does not specifically disclose, but THORMAN discloses, wherein determining whether the drag action is valid includes: validating the second position in real-time (see ¶[0009]; a user interface which incorporates real-time data); and
confirming a formation integrity of the depth chart if the at least one card is moved to the second position (see ¶[0012]; allow a player to be placed in the depth chart at the player’s natural playing position or defined alternate positions that the player is capable of playing).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. THORMAN discloses depth chart management that allows players to be placed at natural or defined alternate positions. It would have been obvious to include the defined positions as taught by THORMAN in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to use a depth chart for athletic performance assessment.
Claim 6
The combination of YOUNG, MARTI, BERNSTEIN, and THORMAN discloses the method as set forth in claim 5.
YOUNG does not specifically disclose, but THORMAN discloses, wherein validating the second position includes validating the second position based on at least one selected from a group including formation rules, team requirements, and player eligibility (see ¶[0012]; allow a player to be placed in the depth chart at the player’s natural playing position or defined alternate positions that the player is capable of playing).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. THORMAN discloses depth chart management that allows players to be placed at natural or defined alternate positions. It would have been obvious to include the defined positions as taught by THORMAN in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to use a depth chart for athletic performance assessment.
Claim 17
The combination of YOUNG, MARTI, and BERNSTEIN discloses the one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 16.
The combination of YOUNG, MARTI, and BERNSTEIN does not specifically disclose, but THORMAN discloses, wherein determining whether the drag action is valid includes: validating the second position in real-time (see ¶[0009]; a user interface which incorporates real-time data); and
confirming a formation integrity of the depth chart if the at least one card is moved to the second position (see ¶[0012]; allow a player to be placed in the depth chart at the player’s natural playing position or defined alternate positions that the player is capable of playing).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. THORMAN discloses depth chart management that allows players to be placed at natural or defined alternate positions. It would have been obvious to include the defined positions as taught by THORMAN in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to use a depth chart for athletic performance assessment.
Claim 18
The combination of YOUNG, MARTI, BERNSTEIN, and THORMAN discloses the one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media as set forth in claim 17.
YOUNG does not specifically disclose, but THORMAN discloses, wherein validating the second position includes validating the second position based on at least one selected from a group including formation rules, team requirements, and player eligibility (see ¶[0012]; allow a player to be placed in the depth chart at the player’s natural playing position or defined alternate positions that the player is capable of playing).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. THORMAN discloses depth chart management that allows players to be placed at natural or defined alternate positions. It would have been obvious to include the defined positions as taught by THORMAN in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to use a depth chart for athletic performance assessment.
Claim(s) 7 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210016149 A1 to Young et al. in view of US 8484564 B1 to MARTI et al. and US 20150067495 A1 to BERNSTEIN et al., and US 20170319970 A1 to THORMAN as applied to claim 1 and 5 above, and further in view of US 20180221750 A1 to Katz et al. (hereinafter ‘KATZ’).
Claim 7
The combination of YOUNG, MARTI, BERNSTEIN, and THORMAN discloses the method as set forth in claim 5.
YOUNG does not explicitly disclose, but THORMAN discloses, further including: applying cascade updates after the at least one card is moved to the second position (see ¶[0012] and [0026]; allow a player to be placed in the depth chart at the player’s natural playing position or defined alternate positions that the player is capable of playing. automates an extremely complicated set of substitutions and provides to the user an interface which allows for these substitutions to be quickly defined and updated. ).
The combination of YOUNG, MARTI, BERNSTEIN, and THORMAN does not explicitly disclose, but KATZ discloses, logging a change event in response to the overall drag and drop action (see ¶[0128]; historical data includes rosters and gamelogs); and
creating an audit entry associated with the overall drag and drop action (see again ¶[0128]; historical data includes rosters and gamelogs).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. THORMAN discloses depth chart management that allows players to be placed at natural or defined alternate positions, and updates rosters accordingly. It would have been obvious to include the roster updates as taught by THORMAN in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to use a depth chart for athletic performance assessment.
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. KATZ discloses real-time metrics including rosters and gamelogs. It would have been obvious to include the historical data as taught by KATZ in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to use a depth chart to assess athletic performance.
Claim 19
The combination of YOUNG, MARTI, BERNSTEIN, and THORMAN discloses the one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media as set forth in claim 17.
YOUNG does not explicitly disclose, but THORMAN discloses, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to perform: applying cascade updates after the at least one card is moved to the second position (see ¶[0012] and [0026]; allow a player to be placed in the depth chart at the player’s natural playing position or defined alternate positions that the player is capable of playing. automates an extremely complicated set of substitutions and provides to the user an interface which allows for these substitutions to be quickly defined and updated. ).
The combination of YOUNG, MARTI, BERNSTEIN, and THORMAN does not explicitly disclose, but KATZ discloses, logging a change event in response to the overall drag and drop action (see ¶[0128]; historical data includes rosters and gamelogs); and
creating an audit entry associated with the overall drag and drop action (see again ¶[0128]; historical data includes rosters and gamelogs).
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. THORMAN discloses depth chart management that allows players to be placed at natural or defined alternate positions, and updates rosters accordingly. It would have been obvious to include the roster updates as taught by THORMAN in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to use a depth chart for athletic performance assessment.
YOUNG discloses athletic performance assessment and training using a depth chart of athlete information. KATZ discloses real-time metrics including rosters and gamelogs. It would have been obvious to include the historical data as taught by KATZ in the system executing the method of YOUNG with the motivation to use a depth chart to assess athletic performance.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RICHARD N SCHEUNEMANN whose telephone number is (571)270-7947. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm EST.
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, Patricia Munson can be reached at 571-270-5396. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/RICHARD N SCHEUNEMANN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3624
Prosecution Insights