Prior art — US Patent 10614477

Analysis of Prior Art for U.S. Patent 10,614,477

As a senior US patent analyst, a thorough review of the prior art cited during the prosecution of U.S. Patent No. 10,614,477, titled "Subscription bill service, systems and methods," has been conducted. The following analysis details the most relevant cited references and their potential impact on the patent's claims under 35 U.S.C. § 102 for anticipation.

The invention claimed in US Patent 10,614,477 generally relates to a transaction system that utilizes a recognition engine to derive attributes of a real-world object from a digital representation. These attributes are then used by a transaction engine, with one or more reconciliation matrices, to reconcile a transaction among multiple provider or user accounts.

Key Independent Claims of US 10,614,477:

Claim 1: A method of reconciling payment of a coupon, comprising: recognizing, by a recognition engine, a real-world object related to a purchasable item; creating a virtual coupon based on attributes derived from a digital representation of the real-world object; activating the virtual coupon via an event triggered from a consumer mobile device; and reconciling a transaction among multiple electronic accounts associated with the real-world object as a function of the derived attributes and the virtual coupon.
Claim 19: A transaction apparatus, comprising: a sensor interface configured to acquire a digital representation of a real-world object; a recognition module coupled with the sensor interface and configured to derive object attributes from the digital representation and to identify a purchasable item as a function of the object attributes; a virtual coupon generator configured to generate a virtual coupon associated with the purchasable item as a function of the object attributes; and a transaction interface configured to reconcile an account based on a payment for the purchasable item and use of the virtual coupon.

Analysis of Cited Prior Art:

The following prior art references were cited by the USPTO examiner during the prosecution of the '477 patent.

1. U.S. Patent No. 8,838,489

Full Citation: US Patent 8,838,489 B2, "Method and system for targeted couponing," filed by Raskin et al. on August 29, 2008, and published on September 16, 2014.
Brief Description: This patent discloses a system for providing targeted electronic coupons to consumers based on their location, purchase history, and demographic information. The system can generate and distribute coupons to mobile devices, which can then be redeemed at a point-of-sale.
Potential Anticipation of Claims:
- Claim 1: The '489 patent discloses creating and distributing electronic coupons to mobile devices, which aligns with the "creating a virtual coupon" and "activating the virtual coupon" steps. It also describes redemption at a point-of-sale, which involves a transaction. However, it does not explicitly teach recognizing a real-world object to generate the coupon, nor does it detail the reconciliation of the transaction among multiple electronic accounts as a function of derived object attributes from a visual recognition process. Therefore, it may not fully anticipate all elements of claim 1.

2. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0191642

Full Citation: US Patent Application Publication 2010/0191642 A1, "System and Method for Presenting an Offer for a Product Depicted in a Digital Image," filed by Stambaugh et al. on January 26, 2009, and published on July 29, 2010.
Brief Description: This publication describes a system where a user captures an image of a product, and the system identifies the product. Based on the identification, the system can present the user with an offer, such as a coupon or a discount, for that product.
Potential Anticipation of Claims:
- Claim 1 & 19: This reference is highly relevant as it discloses the core concept of recognizing an object in a digital image to trigger a commercial transaction. It teaches identifying a "purchasable item" from a "digital representation of a real-world object" and generating an "offer" (akin to a "virtual coupon"). It discusses presenting this offer on a mobile device. The primary distinction from the claims of the '477 patent lies in the explicit requirement of reconciling the transaction among "multiple electronic accounts" using "reconciliation matrices" based on a broader set of "derived object attributes" beyond simple product identification. The '642 publication focuses more on presenting the offer rather than the backend reconciliation across multiple parties.

3. U.S. Patent No. 9,064,259

Full Citation: US Patent 9,064,259 B2, "System and method for image-based searching and purchasing," filed by Mandella et al. on March 18, 2011, and published on June 23, 2015.
Brief Description: This patent details a system that allows a user to capture an image of an object, which is then recognized. The system provides the user with information about the object, including the ability to purchase it from one or more vendors.
Potential Anticipation of Claims:
- Claim 1 & 19: Similar to the '642 publication, the '259 patent teaches recognizing a real-world object from an image to initiate a purchase. It discloses identifying a "purchasable item" and providing a means to purchase it. The novelty of the '477 patent's claims, when compared to this reference, appears to be the specific mechanism of using "derived object attributes" to "create a virtual coupon" and the subsequent "reconciliation" of the transaction among "multiple electronic accounts." The '259 patent is more focused on the search and initiation of a purchase from a vendor.

4. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0270725

Full Citation: US Patent Application Publication 2011/0270725 A1, "Systems and Methods for Providing Offers Based on Image Data," filed by Siegel et al. on April 29, 2010, and published on November 3, 2011.
Brief Description: This application describes a method where a user captures an image containing a product or a barcode. The system recognizes the item and provides the user with relevant offers, such as discounts or coupons. The system can also consider the user's location and preferences.
Potential Anticipation of Claims:
- Claim 1 & 19: This reference is also highly relevant as it teaches generating offers based on recognizing items from image data captured by a mobile device. It discloses deriving attributes (e.g., product identity, location) to present a relevant offer. The key inventive step of the '477 patent that may not be explicitly taught in the '725 publication is the detailed process of reconciling the resulting transaction across a plurality of accounts based on the derived attributes and the specifics of the virtual coupon, potentially involving a "reconciliation matrix." The '725 application's focus is on the delivery of targeted offers.

Summary of Analysis:

While the cited prior art references disclose several key elements of the invention claimed in US Patent 10,614,477, such as image recognition of real-world objects to trigger commercial offers on mobile devices, they do not appear to explicitly teach the combination of all the limitations found in the independent claims. Specifically, the novel aspect of the '477 patent seems to reside in the detailed backend process of not just generating and presenting a virtual coupon based on derived object attributes, but also the subsequent reconciliation of the transaction among multiple, distinct electronic accounts as a direct function of those derived attributes and the coupon's terms, potentially utilizing reconciliation matrices. The prior art is more focused on the user-facing aspect of identifying an object and presenting an offer. Therefore, while the cited art is pertinent, a strong argument for the non-obviousness of the claimed invention could be made based on this specific combination of features.