Prior art — US Patent 12118290

Prior Art Analysis for U.S. Patent 12,118,290

An analysis of the prior art cited during the prosecution of U.S. Patent 12,118,290, "Methods and systems for interactive content creation," reveals several key patents and patent applications that were considered by the USPTO examiner. This review focuses on the most relevant references and their potential to anticipate the claims of the '290 patent under 35 U.S.C. § 102. The '290 patent, issued on October 15, 2024, with a priority date of July 6, 2020, details a system for dynamically assembling personalized interactive documents from modular content items based on a set of rules.

Key Prior Art References

The following prior art references were identified as significant in the examination of the application leading to the '290 patent. This information was obtained by reviewing the patent's file wrapper and the citations listed on public patent databases.

1. U.S. Patent 9,753,921 B2

Full Citation: US 9,753,921 B2
Publication Date: September 5, 2017
Filing Date: March 13, 2013
Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
Brief Description: This patent describes a "Content Personalization and Assembly System." It discloses a system for generating personalized electronic documents by selecting and assembling various content components from a library based on user data and predefined rules. The system can pull content from different sources and combine them into a single, cohesive document tailored to a specific user's profile or requests.
Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference appears to be highly relevant to Independent Claim 1 of the '290 patent.
- Claim 1(a) (embedding rules): The '921 patent describes associating rules with content components, which is analogous to embedding rules in a "modular item."
- Claim 1(b) (receiving parameters): The '921 patent's system receives user data and personalization criteria, which corresponds to receiving parameters for personalization.
- Claim 1(c) (pulling a second modular item): The core of the '921 invention is the selection of content components from a library (a "second document") based on the received parameters and rules.
- Claim 1(e) (assembling a derivative document): The '921 patent explicitly details the assembly of the selected components into a new, personalized electronic document.
This reference also presents a strong challenge to Independent Claim 2, as it describes a system with components for both defining rules for content (the "first component") and for assembling the content based on those rules in response to a personalization instruction (the "second component").

2. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2018/0314732 A1

Full Citation: US 2018/0314732 A1
Publication Date: November 1, 2018
Filing Date: April 27, 2017
Applicant: Adobe Inc.
Brief Description: This patent application, titled "Dynamic Content Assembly for Personalized Experiences," discloses a system for creating personalized digital content. It focuses on assembling content fragments from various sources into a new document. A key aspect is the use of a "manifest" or a set of rules that dictates which content fragments are to be included based on user attributes and interaction data. The system also addresses the application of specific branding and styling to the assembled document.
Potential Anticipation of Claims: This publication is particularly relevant to Independent Claim 2 of the '290 patent.
- Claim 2(a) (first component for creating rule-based items): The '732 application describes a system for defining content fragments and associating them with assembly rules or a "manifest."
- Claim 2(b)(i) (receiving personalization instructions): The system operates based on receiving user data or a request that triggers the personalization process.
- Claim 2(b)(ii) (assembling a derivative document): The '732 application details the assembly of content fragments from one or more source documents based on the manifest.
- Claim 2(b)(iii) (rendering with a style): A specific teaching of this reference is the application of a consistent style or theme to the newly generated document, which aligns with rendering the document using an associated "style."
This reference also bears on Independent Claim 1, as it describes the fundamental process of embedding rules, receiving parameters, pulling content, and assembling a new document.

3. U.S. Patent 10,592,574 B2

Full Citation: US 10,592,574 B2
Publication Date: March 17, 2020
Filing Date: June 29, 2018
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation (IBM)
Brief Description: This patent, titled "Modular Document Generation," describes a system that generates a document by selecting and arranging predefined content modules. The selection is based on a set of assembly rules and input parameters that define the desired output. The system is designed to handle complex dependencies between modules, ensuring that the final document is coherent.
Potential Anticipation of Claims: This patent is relevant to both independent claims of the '290 patent.
- For Independent Claim 1, the '574 patent discloses embedding rules into content modules, receiving input parameters, selecting other modules based on these inputs and rules, and assembling a final document. The concept of pulling a "second modular item from a second document" is analogous to selecting a module from a content repository or library as described in the '574 patent.
- For Independent Claim 2, the '574 patent describes a system that inherently has a component for defining the rules for the modules and a component for executing the assembly based on those rules and user input.

4. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2019/0236040 A1

Full Citation: US 2019/0236040 A1
Publication Date: August 1, 2019
Filing Date: January 30, 2018
Applicant: Oracle International Corporation
Brief Description: Titled "System and Method for Dynamic and Personalized Content Aggregation," this application details a framework for assembling personalized content for users. It describes defining "content atoms" and associating them with metadata and rules. Based on a user's profile and real-time context, the system selects and aggregates these content atoms from different repositories to create a personalized user experience or document.
Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference is relevant to the core concepts of both independent claims of the '290 patent.
- The "content atoms" with associated rules in the '040 application are conceptually similar to the "modular items" with embedded rules in Claim 1 of the '290 patent. The process of selection and aggregation in the '040 application aligns with the pulling and assembling steps of Claim 1.
- The framework described in the '040 application, with its mechanisms for defining content atoms and their rules and then assembling them, provides a system structure that is comparable to the two-component system outlined in Claim 2.

In summary, the prior art cited against U.S. Patent 12,118,290 demonstrates that the foundational concepts of modular content, rule-based assembly, and document personalization were well-established in the field prior to the '290 patent's priority date. The patentability of the '290 patent likely hinged on specific implementation details, the novelty of the user interface for defining rules, or the particular method of linking and updating derivative documents, as described in the dependent claims. The cited references, particularly US 9,753,921 B2 and US 2018/0314732 A1, appear to disclose the broad concepts outlined in the independent claims, presenting a significant challenge under 35 U.S.C. § 102.