Obviousness

Obviousness Analysis of US Patent 9727655 under 35 U.S.C. § 103

This analysis assesses the obviousness of US Patent 9727655 (the '655 patent) by identifying combinations of prior art references that would render its claims obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art (POSA). The objective is to demonstrate why a POSA would have been motivated to combine these references.

The '655 patent describes a hybrid peer-to-peer (P2P) searching system. Its independent claims (Claim 1 for the system and Claim 11 for the method) generally involve a P2P device community, an online server managing topology data (link data) between P2P devices, and a content management server housing a search engine and an index database for P2P content. User devices interact with the content management server for search results and then use those results and the online server's topology data to obtain link data for connecting to P2P devices.

The background section of the '655 patent acknowledges that P2P device communities were already employed to address limitations of central servers in prior art, but states that data searching in P2P communities needed further improvement in terms of efficiency, speed, and accuracy. This indicates that hybrid P2P systems with some centralized components for search and discovery were known, and the patent sought to enhance them.

Obviousness of Independent Claims 1 and 11

Combination of References:

1. A P2P File Sharing System (e.g., IL173268A0 or CN102055777A):

   • IL173268A0, titled "Peer to peer file sharing mobile system with copy right protection," would teach a P2P device community comprising at least one P2P device, each with file data including content data and indexed data. Similarly, CN102055777A ("Method and system for realizing common content sharing service") would also disclose P2P devices sharing content. These references establish the fundamental P2P network structure and the presence of sharable data.

2. A Centralized Search and Discovery System for P2P Networks (as described in the '655 patent's prior art, e.g., Central Server 10 in FIG. 1):

   • The '655 patent's own description of prior art (FIG. 1) illustrates a centralized network system with a "central server 10" containing "file data 15" which includes "indexed data 151" and "content data 153". This central server is equipped with a "search engine 11" that creates indexed data and searches it based on user requests, returning "search results" to user devices. Adapting such a centralized search component to assist a P2P network would be a straightforward engineering decision.
   • This Central Server Search System (CSSS) would inherently comprise components analogous to the '655 patent's online server (for topology/link data) and content management server (for search engine, index database, and user management). The management of "link data" (connection relationships) in a "topology data table" on an online server is a known function in many P2P systems, such as BitTorrent trackers or early P2P discovery servers, to facilitate peer connection.

Motivation for Combination:

A person of ordinary skill in the art, facing the known challenges of purely decentralized P2P searching (e.g., high network overhead from query flooding, slow search times, and potential for incomplete results), would have been motivated to combine the distributed storage and sharing benefits of a P2P file sharing system (as taught by IL173268A0 or CN102055777A) with the efficiency and improved accuracy of a centralized search and discovery mechanism (as exemplified by the CSSS). This hybrid architecture was a widely adopted approach in the evolution of P2P networks to enhance usability and performance. The explicit goal stated in the '655 patent's background—to "increase searching efficiency and speed while effectively improving searching accuracy" in P2P communities—directly aligns with this motivation.

Therefore, Independent Claim 1, which describes a system with a P2P community, an online server for link data, and a content management server for indexing and searching, would be obvious. Similarly, Independent Claim 11, which outlines the corresponding method steps, would also be rendered obvious by this combination and motivation.

Obviousness of Dependent Claims

The dependent claims build upon the core hybrid P2P search system with features that are either independently known in the art, represent obvious implementations, or address standard functionalities in networked systems.

• Claims 2, 4, and 12 (Weighted Data and Sorted Search Results): These claims introduce the concept of weighted data for P2P devices, created based on link data, to sort search results. The '655 patent itself lists well-known algorithms like PageRank, HITS, and TrustRank as examples of "function operations" that can be used. A POSA would be motivated to apply such established ranking algorithms, which inherently use connectivity (link data) to determine importance, to P2P search results to improve their relevance and highlight "important" data, aligning with the patent's stated objective.

  • Combination: IL173268A0 + CSSS + general knowledge of search ranking algorithms (e.g., PageRank, HITS).

• Claims 3 and 13 (Weight Look-up Table): These claims specify storing the weighted data in a weight look-up table. Storing computed data, such as weights, in a dedicated look-up table for efficient retrieval is a fundamental and obvious data management technique in computer science to optimize performance. The choice of storage location (content management server, online server, or separate storage device) would be a matter of design preference.

  • Combination: IL173268A0 + CSSS + general knowledge of database and data structure design.

• Claims 5, 6, 14, and 15 (User-Charge Module and Payment Confirmation): These claims relate to a user-charge module that provides search results or link data only after confirming user payment. The provision of services based on payment is a ubiquitous commercial practice. Numerous cited prior art references, such as US20140337175A1 ("Universal Electronic Payment Apparatuses, Methods and Systems"), disclose comprehensive payment systems. Integrating such a payment module into any online service, including a P2P search system, to monetize its features (e.g., premium search results or direct access links) would be an obvious business decision for a POSA. The specific data types (identity, charging mode, payment confirmation) mentioned are standard components of any online payment system.

  • Combination: IL173268A0 + CSSS + US20140337175A1 (or other payment-related prior art).

• Claims 7 and 16 (Indexed Data Creation): These claims describe two methods for creating indexed data: by the P2P devices themselves or by the content management server gathering data via a network gathering module (e.g., a network crawler). Both methods were well-known in the art. P2P networks often relied on self-reporting for content indexing, while centralized search engines extensively used crawlers for data collection. A POSA would understand that either approach, or a combination, could be used to populate an index database for a P2P community.

  • Combination: IL173268A0 + CSSS + general knowledge of indexing techniques (self-reporting in P2P, web crawling).

• Claims 10 and 17 (P2P Device File Data Control - Open/Hidden State): These claims describe a P2P device having a control unit to set file data to an "open" or "hidden" state. Providing users with control over the visibility or accessibility of their shared content is a common feature in file sharing, privacy settings, and data management systems. This functionality allows for selective sharing or to support various business models (e.g., charging for access to "hidden" content). The patent explicitly links the open/hidden state to whether indexed data is created and link data is provided.

  • Combination: IL173268A0 (P2P device) + general knowledge of content access control and privacy management in networked systems.

• Claims 8, 9, 18, and 19 (User Device Connection and Downloading): These claims describe the user device connecting to the selected P2P device and downloading file data based on the obtained link data. These steps are the inherent and expected functionality of any P2P file sharing system once the desired content and the peer's connection information have been discovered.

  • Combination: IL173268A0 + CSSS.

In conclusion, the primary features of US9727655, including the hybrid P2P architecture with centralized components for search and discovery, and the various dependent features related to search ranking, payment, indexing, and content control, represent either direct applications of known technologies or obvious combinations of existing prior art to address known problems in P2P network performance and monetization. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine these elements to improve the efficiency, speed, and accuracy of data searching in P2P communities.