NOT PRECEDENTIAL Paper 23
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
BEFORE THE BOARD OF PATENT APPEALS AND INTERFERENCES
Ex parte RONALD M. WHITMAN
and CHRISTOPHER L. SCOFIELD
(09/532,230)
Appeal No. 2003-1404
HEARD 22 January 2004
Before TORCZON, GROSS, and BLANKENSHIP, Administrative Patent Judges.
PER CURIAM.
DECISION
(PURSUANT TO 37 C.F.R. § 1.196(a))
INTRODUCTION
This appeal involves claims to a method of, and a system for implementing the method
of, assisting a user of a search engine in refining searches by suggesting to the user a search
phrase related to the search user’s search query. The examiner has rejected all claims under
35 U.S.C. 102(e). We REVERSE.
The following enumerated findings are supported by at least a preponderance of the
evidence.
The application
[1] Whitman appeals the final rejection of all pending claims in patent application 09/532,230,
entitled "Search query refinement using related search phrases", filed on 22 March 2000.
[2] Whitman's real party-in-interest is Amazon.com, Inc. (Appeal Brief, Paper 10, at 1).
[3] Claims 1-48 are pending (2d Final Rejection, Paper 11).
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