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`Application No.17/467,517
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`REMARKS
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`Upon entry of the present paper, claim 1 will have been amended. New claims 33 and 34
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`will have been submitted for the consideration by the Examiner. Thus, claims 1-34 are pending
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`in the application.
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`In view of the herein contained remarks, Applicant respectfully requests reconsideration
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`and withdrawal of the outstanding rejection set forth in the above-mentioned Official Action.
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`Such action is now believed to be appropriate and proper and is thus respectfully requested, in
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`due course.
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`Initially, Applicant would like to thank the Examiner for acknowledging consideration of
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`the documentslisted on the Form-1449 submitted with the Information Disclosure Statement on
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`May25, 2023.
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`In this regard, Applicant notes a Supplemental Information Disclosure Statementfiled
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`October 20, 2023. Applicant respectfully requests that the Examiner consider the documents
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`cited in the above noted Supplemental Information Disclosure Statement, and to confirm such
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`consideration by the return of an appropriately signed and initialed copy of the Form PTO-1449
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`attached to the above noted Supplemental Information Disclosure Statement.
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`Substance of Interview
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`Applicant wishes to make of record a telephone interview conducted between Applicant’s
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`representative and Examiner Cobanoglu, who is in charge of the present application.
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`In this
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`regard, Applicant’s representative wishes to respectfully thank Examiner Cobanoglu for her
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`courtesy and cooperation in conducting the above-noted interview on November 21, 2023.
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`Applicant’s representative also thanks Examiner Cobanoglu for issuing the Applicant-Initiated
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`Interview Summary dated November28, 2023, in which a substantially accurate summary of the
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`substance of the interview wasset forth.
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`During the above-noted interview, Applicant’s representative proposed an amendment to
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`claim 1 and discussed the rejection under 35 U.S.C. §101.
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`The Examiner indicated that the proposed amendment does not appear to overcome the
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`rejection. Further possible amendments to overcome the 35 U.S.C. §101 rejection have also
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`been discussed. The Examiner suggested some possible amendments, for which Applicant’s
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`representative thanked, and indicated that she would consider Applicant’s amendments and
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`arguments, upon receipt of a formal response. However, no agreementhas been reached.
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`The amendments submitted herewith are based on the discussion during the above-noted
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`interview. In particular, the claims have been amended based on the Examiner’s suggestion
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`during the above-noted interview. The above comprisesa record of the interview.
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`Rejection under 35 U.S.C. §101
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`In the outstanding Official Action, claims 1-32 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. §101
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`because the claimed invention is directed to a judicial exception without significantly more.
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`By the present paper, without acquiescing in the propriety of the rejection, the claims are
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`amendedbased onat least Figs. 45-48 and 51 andrelated disclosure in the specification, as well
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`as paragraphs [0376]-[0377] of Applicant’s originally filed application. Applicant respectfully
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`traverses the above noted rejection and submits that it is inappropriate, particularly in view of the
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`language of claims 1-34 in the present response.
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`Applicant respectfully submits that, even if any judicial exception (abstract idea) is
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`recited in claim 1 under Step 2A, Prong I (which Applicant does not admit), claim 1, as a whole,
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`integrates any judicial exception into a practical application of the exception under Step 2A,
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`Prong IL.
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`In particular, Applicant respectfully submits that claim 1, as a whole, improves a
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`functioning of a computer or any other technology or technical field (MPEP §2106.05(a)).
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`Claim 1 has been amendedbased onat least Fig. 45 and paragraphs [0101], [0376]-
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`[0377] and [0407]-[0408] of Applicant’s originally filed application.
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`Claim 1 generally relates to various embodiments in whichthe first server receives, from
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`the information terminal, (i) identification information of the user and(11) permission
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`information, to request for the biological information of the user. Whenthefirst server receives
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`the requestfor the biological information of the user, including (i) identification information of
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`the user together with (ii) permission information,the first server reads from the storages, the
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`latest biological information of the user associated with the identification information. Thus, the
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`biological information regarding the user is read from the storages only after the first server
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`receives the permission information together with the requestfor the biological information.
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`In
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`other words, distribution/usageof the biological information in the first server is controlled by
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`the user while the user is using the personalized menuservice, and thus, high security of the
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`personal information is ensured while allowing the user to use the service (paragraph [0018] of
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`the present application asfiled).
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`In this regard, among other features, such features, when taken as an ordered
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`combination, amount to an improvementin the technical field, by (i) allowing the user to use the
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`service to obtain a personalized menu information, and at the same time, (ii) protecting the
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`user ’s personal information by checking that permission information for accessing the biological
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`information is received each time whenthefirst server receives a request of the biological
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`information of the user for generating a personalized menu. Thus, such features, taken as an
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`ordered combination, provide a specific improvement overprior art systems (which could not
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`achieve the above-noted(1) and (11) at the same time, 1.e., which could not preventthe first server
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`from reading the user’s biological information when requested while the user is using the
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`personalized menuservice), resulting in an improved information managementsystem with
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`improved security.
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`Moreover, according to claim 1, the first server securely manages storages that store
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`biological information of a user, and the functions/operations to generate the personalized menu
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`recited in claim 1 is also installed in the first server in the network system in whichthefirst
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`server, the second server and the information terminal are connected with and communicate each
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`other.
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`Thefirst server is a special server whichis called as an information bankthat securely
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`managespersonal information stored in the storages in a concealed manner (paragraph [0101 )]).
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`Morespecifically, the first server (information bank) securely and sequentially stores the
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`biological information, by receiving the biological information from the biosensorvia the
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`information terminal, and storing in a distributed and encrypted manner([0376], [0407]-[0408]).
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`Thus, the personal information stored in the storages ofthe first server (information bank) is
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`updated as required under the control of the information bank without needing a manual
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`inputting operation by a userat the information terminal (paragraph [0101)).
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`While the biological information is collected automatically (i.e. under the control of the
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`first server without user’s input), the distribution/use of biological information is controlled by
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`the user. As noted above,the first server reads the user’s personal information from the storages
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`and provides the read personal information to the personalized menu generating application/tool
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`installed in the first server (information bank) whenthe user’s identification information is
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`received with permission information (paragraph [0377]). After the personalized menu
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`generating application/tool installed in the first server receives the biological information, the
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`first server generates and transmits the personalized menu information to the information
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`terminal.
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`By such an arrangement/distribution of the functionality within a network (i.e., secured
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`data managementat the first server (information bank) and generation of a personalized menuat
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`the first server), the personal information (biological information) is read and used only in the
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`first server when the permission information is provided. Accordingly, the user’s sensitive
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`personal information is not provided outside the first server, and thus, the leakage of the sensitive
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`personal information to the third party (such as the second server) is prevented, and thus, the
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`personal information of the useris further protected and secured (paragraph [0018]).
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`Thus, Applicant respectfully submits that the claim as a whole or in the ordered
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`combination, provides an improvement in computer-functionality, by improving security by the
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`inventive distribution of functionality within a network, similarly to Bascom GlobalInternet v.
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`AT&TMobility LLC, 827 F. 3d 1341, 1350-51 (Fed. Cir. 2016)) (MPEP 2016.05(a)(D)(ii)).
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`In Bascom, while additional elements, such as local client computer, a remote ISP server,
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`etc., are individually considered as well-known generic computer components, the system (as a
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`whole) is found eligible by the installation ofa filtering tool at a specific location (ISP server),
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`remote from the end-users.
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`Similarly, in claim 1, by securely managing the biological information in a specific
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`manner(1.e., collecting, storing and reading/distributing as specifically recited in claim 1) by the
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`first server (information bank), and theinstallation of a personalized menu generating tool in the
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`specific location, 1.e., in the first server, the security of the personal information is improved,
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`resulting in an improved information management system.
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`Application No.17/467,517
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`Accordingly, the claim as a whole integrates the judicial exception (if any) into a
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`practical application, and thus, is eligible under Prong II of Step 2A.
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`Dependent Claims
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`Similar reasonsare applied to all the claims depending from claim 1. In particular, new
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`claims 33 and 34 recite further details of the secured managementof the storages by thefirst
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`server, at least based on paragraphs [0376]-[0377] and Fig. 46 and paragraphs [0409]-[0411] of
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`Applicant’s originally filed Application.
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`Such additional limitations, taken as a whole or ordered combination, contribute to the
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`improvementto the security of the sensitive personal information, and thus, amountto an
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`improvement in computer-functionality and/or the technical field. Moreover, such claims are
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`submitted to impose a meaningful limit which does not preempt/monopolize any method of
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`organizing a human activity to which the claims maybe directed (according to the Examiner).
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`For at least the above-noted reasons, Applicant submits that the pending claims clearly
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`recite patent eligible subject matter and are all
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`in full compliance with 35 U.S.C. §101.
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`Accordingly, reconsideration and withdrawal of the asserted rejection is respectfully requested.
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`Applicant has argued only those portions of the Examiner’s statements necessary to
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`overcomethe asserted rejection, but has not thereby admitted any other portion of the
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`Examiner’s assertions.
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`Accordingly, in view of the herein contained remarks, Applicant submits that he has now
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`overcomethe outstanding rejection in the present application and respectfully requests an
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`indication to such effect, in due course.
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`Attorney Docket No. P64308
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`Application No.17/467,517
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`SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
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`Applicant has made a sincere effort to place the present application into condition for
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`allowance and believes that he has now done so. Applicant has amended a claim to be more
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`clearly directed to a patent-eligible subject matter. Applicant has submitted several claims for
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`the consideration by the Examiner. Applicant has made a telephoneinterview of record.
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`Applicant has traversed the rejection under 35 U.S.C. §101.
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`Accordingly, Applicant has provided clear bases for the patentability of all the claims in
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`the present application and respectfully request an indication to such effect, in due course.
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`Any amendmentsto the claims which have been made in this amendment, and which
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`have not been specifically noted to overcome a rejection based upon thepriorart, should be
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`considered to have been madefor a purpose unrelated to patentability, and no estoppel should be
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`deemedto attach thereto.
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`If any additional fee is necessary, this is an express authorization to charge any other fees
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`that may be required to preserve the pendency of the present application to Deposit Account No.
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`19-0089.
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`Should the Examiner have any questions or comments regarding this Response, or the
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`present application,
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`the Examiner is invited to contact the undersigned at the below-listed
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`telephone number.
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`Respectfully Submitted,
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`/Naoko Ohashi/
`Reg. No. 66,999
`Naoko Ohashi
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`Bruce H. Bernstein
`Reg. No. 29,027
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`December29, 2023
`GREENBLUM & BERNSTEIN,P.L.C.
`1950 Roland Clarke Place
`Reston, VA 20191
`(703) 716-1191
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