Source: https://schottpc.com/sample-responses-based-on-the-usptos-alice-based-subject-matter-hypotheticals.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 22:18:50+00:00

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The USPTO’s Alice-Based Patentable Subject Matter Hypotheticals with Boilerplate Responses | Schott, P.C.
The USPTO recently published hypotheticals to help guide applicants when defining patentable subject matter. Instead of just a case law review, the office provided claim drafting examples. While not legally binding, these provide a helpful roadmap for practitioners when addressing subject matter rejections. I’ve parsed the hypotheticals below and for each one, provided a sample argument that practitioners might make at the USPTO based on each of the hypotheticals that found claims to be patentable.
Because this is a longer article, I created a summary page of the sample arguments to overcome the USPTO’s subject matter rejections.
The USPTO applied the test that has become well-known following the Supreme Court’s Alice v. CLS Bank case.
In each of the hypotheticals, the USPTO applied the three-part test pictured above and summarized below that follows the developing case law on this subject.
(1) Is the claim directed to one of the four patent-eligible subject matter categories: process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter? If no, the claim is does not patentable. If yes, move to (2).
(2) Is the claim directed to an abstract idea that is a judicial exception to the categories in (1), such as a fundamental economic practice, a method of organizing human activity, an idea itself (standing alone), or a mathematical relationship? If no, the claim contains patent-eligible subject matter. If yes, go to (3).
(3) When taken as a whole, does the claim have additional limitations that amount to significantly more than the abstract idea? If no, the claim is not patentable. If yes, the claim contains patent eligible subject matter.
deleting all data remaining in the quarantine sector.
(1) Is the claim directed to one of the four patent-eligible subject matter categories: process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter? YES because it’s a process. Move to (2).
(2) Is the claim directed to an abstract idea that is a judicial exception to the categories in (1), such as a fundamental economic practice, a method of organizing human activity, an idea itself (standing alone), or a mathematical relationship? NO because it is directed towards physically isolating a received communication on a memory sector and extracting malicious code from that communication to create a sanitized communication in a new data file. The USPTO points out that this solution is inextricably tied to the technology and thus not an abstract idea that fits into the judicial exceptions. Therefore, the claim is patent eligible.
Quote to use when responding to a subject matter rejection at the USPTO. When responding to a rejection at the USPTO, you might try a response along these lines.
The current claim is similar to hypothetical 1 in the USPTO’s Abstract Ideas Hypotheticals published on January 27, 2015. In that hypothetical the USPTO pointed out that the claim was patentable because an email communication was isolated in a memory sector and thus inextricably tied to computer technology. In the current claim, the [claim element] is inextricably tied to computer technology, and is thus patent-eligible subject matter.
This hypothetical is based on DDR Holdings, LLC v. Hotels.com et al discussed in detail here.
In the patented system, a customer who clicks on an advertising link is not transported from the host web page to the merchant’s web page, but instead is re-directed to a composite web page that combines product information associated with the selected item and visually perceptible elements of the host web page.
(B) the plurality of visually perceptible elements visually corresponding to the source page.
(1) Is the claim directed to one of the four patent-eligible subject matter categories: process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter? YES because it’s a machine. Move to (2).
(2) Is the claim directed to an abstract idea that is a judicial exception to the categories in (1), such as a fundamental economic practice, a method of organizing human activity, an idea itself (standing alone), or a mathematical relationship? NO because “the claim addresses a business challenge (retaining website visitors) that is particular to the Internet.” The USPTO points out that the claim does not “merely recite the performance of some business practice known from the pre-Internet world along with the requirement to perform it on the Internet. Instead, the claimed solution is necessarily rooted in computer technology in order to overcome a problem specifically arising in the realm of computer networks,” quoting the DDR holding. Therefore, the claim is patent-eligible. The USPTO (and Federal Circuit) went on to step 3 and thus it’s worth reviewing as well.
(3) When taken as a whole, does the claim have additional limitations that amount to significantly more than the abstract idea? The DDR court and USPTO note that “’not all claims purporting to address Internet-centric challenges are eligible, “but in this case these additional limitations amount to more than simply stating “apply the abstract idea on the Internet.” Thus, under this third prong, the subject matter is patent-eligible subject matter.
The current claim is similar to hypothetical 2 in the USPTO’s Abstract Ideas Hypotheticals published on January 27, 2015. In that hypothetical the USPTO pointed out that the claim was patentable because the claim addressed a business challenge (retaining website visitors) that is particular to the Internet, which is not among the judicial exceptions to patentable subject matter. In the current claim, the [claim element] also addresses a business challenge that is particular to the Internet, and is thus patent-eligible subject matter. And even if the claim were to be found to fit into one of the judicial exceptions to patentable subject matter, the additional limitations in the claim directed to [claim element] amount to more than simply stating “apply the abstract idea on the Internet.” See also DDR Holdings, LLC v. Hotels.com et al., 113 USPQ2d 1097 (Fed. Cir. 2014).
This hypothetical is based on Research Corporation Technologies, Inc. v. Microsoft Corp.
converting the binary image array to a halftoned image.
(2) Is the claim directed to an abstract idea that is a judicial exception to the categories in (1), such as a fundamental economic practice, a method of organizing human activity, an idea itself (standing alone), or a mathematical relationship? YES because “the mathematical operation of generating a blue noise mask is recited in the claim, [and thus,] the claim is “directed to” a judicial exception.” Move to (3).
(3) When taken as a whole, does the claim have additional limitations that amount to significantly more than the abstract idea? YES, for two reasons. First, “tie the mathematical operation (the blue noise mask) to the processor’s ability to process digital images. These steps add meaningful limitations to the abstract idea of generating the blue noise mask and therefore add significantly more to the abstract idea than mere computer implementation.” Second, “the claimed process with the improved blue noise mask allows the computer to use to less memory than required for prior masks, [resulting] in faster computation time without sacrificing the quality of the resulting image as occurred in prior processes [which in turn] produces an improved digital image. These are also improvements in the technology of digital image processing.” Thus, under this third prong, the subject matter is patent-eligible subject matter.
The current claim is similar to hypothetical 3 in the USPTO’s Abstract Ideas Hypotheticals published on January 27, 2015, which is based on Research Corporation Technologies Inc. v. Microsoft Corp., 627 F.3d 859 (Fed. Cir. 2010). In that hypothetical the USPTO pointed out that the claim was patentable because tying the mathematical operation to the processor’s ability to process digital images added significantly more to the abstract idea. In the current claim, [claim element] similarly ties the [algorithm] to the processor’s ability to [perform the claim element]. Further, in the hypothetical, the USPTO notes that the algorithm allows the computer to use less memory than required for prior masks, which allows the computer to to use less memory. Similarly in the current claim, the [claim element] allows a computer to use less memory, which amounts to an innovation in computer technology that adds significantly more to the abstract idea. Thus, [claim #] is patentable subject matter.
This hypothetical is based on SiRF Technology Inc. v. International Trade Commission.
In the patented system, the systems and methods in which a server wirelessly coupled to a mobile GPS receiver uses a mathematical model to solve for the mobile receiver position without receiving satellite positioning data or absolute time information from a satellite. These systems and methods improve GPS techniques by enabling the mobile GPS receiver to determine its position more accurately and improve its signal-acquisition sensitivity to operate even in weaksignal environments. In particular, the mobile GPS receiver is a mobile device that includes 10 examples: Abstract Ideas GPS antenna, a GPS receiver, a microprocessor, a display, and a wireless communication transceiver. Using mathematical formulas, the device calculates pseudo-ranges (estimated ranges from the GPS receiver to each satellite in view) based on PN codes received from the satellites, and the transceiver sends the pseudo-ranges to the server.
communication transceiver, for visual representation on the display.
(2) Is the claim directed to an abstract idea that is a judicial exception to the categories in (1), such as a fundamental economic practice, a method of organizing human activity, an idea itself (standing alone), or a mathematical relationship? YES because the claim recites mathematical operations. Move to (3).
(3) When taken as a whole, does the claim have additional limitations that amount to significantly more than the abstract idea? YES because the combination of elements impose meaningful limits in that the mathematical operations are applied to improve an existing technology (global positioning) by improving the signal-acquisition sensitivity of the receiver to extend the usefulness of the technology into weak-signal environments and providing the location information for display on the mobile device. Thus, under this third prong, the subject matter is patent-eligible subject matter.
The current claim is similar to hypothetical 4 in the USPTO’s Abstract Ideas Hypotheticals published on January 27, 2015, which is based on SiRF Technology Inc. v. International Trade Commission, 601 F.3d 1319 (Fed. Cir. 2010). In that hypothetical, the USPTO pointed out that the claim was patentable because the claim improves an existing technology (global positioning) by improving the signal-acquisition sensitivity of the receiver to extend the usefulness of the technology into weak-signal environments and providing the location information for display on the mobile device. Similarly, [claim element] improves [technology] and adds significantly more to the abstract idea. Thus, the subject matter is patent-eligible subject matter.

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