Appeal No. 2001-2296
Application No. 09/001,138
each billed subscriber in which totals of cumulative charges of different types of calls
are maintained. Col. 2, ll. 9-43.
Figure 2 of Lewis further illustrates NCP 40. Billing records are maintained in
data storage unit 48. Col. 2, ll. 47-67. Figure 3 of the reference shows billing records
stored by data storage unit 48. Record column 52 provides a telephone number or
other unique identifier for indexing records. Columns 60 and 62 represent counters
containing cumulative values for each subscriber, shown as approximate dollar values
on a cumulative basis where each counter represents a type of call made by the
subscriber. Col. 3, ll. 1-62. Figure 4 and columns 4 and 5 of Lewis describe the
updating of these counter values.
Instant claim 17 recites “a number of counters coupled to the number of hosts.”
Lewis does disclose “a number” of counters, but the rejection fails to show how these
counters may be coupled to a plurality of hosts. Most likely, the rejection deems NCP
40 (Figs. 1 and 2) of Lewis to be a “host.” However, as described by the reference,
there is but a single “host” associated with the counters represented in Figure 3 of
Lewis. Further, it has not been shown how each one of the number of counters may
correspond to “the one of the number of user sessions” to count the number of
messages for the corresponding one of “the number of users sessions,” as required by
claim 17. The counters in Lewis are disclosed, to the contrary, as maintaining and
preserving cumulative values for a particular subscriber.
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