Appeal 2007-2240
Application 09/818,016
1 We first notice that neither of these limitations require generating a bill, but
2 merely information related to billing. Certainly calling in via an automated
3 computer automatically generates information for billing purposes. We further
4 notice that Lesaint is, again, directed toward situations allocating tasks to a field
5 force of personnel, such as ambulance or taxi drivers, a vehicle repair call-out field
6 force, or a maintenance field force for a distributed system such as an electricity or
7 water supply system or a telecommunications network (FF 01). Certainly anyone
8 who has ever ridden in a taxi knows that the taximeter, which is the source of the
9 word “taxi,” presents an automated billing immediately, and repair and
10 maintenance staff, such as plumbers and electricians, routinely present their bill
11 immediately upon completion of work. Automation of such bill presentation is
12 mere automation of a known manual process (See Leapfrog at 1163, supra.)
13 Market demand, such as the commercial need to bill for services rendered, may
14 drive design trends. (See KSR, supra). Thus, one of ordinary skill, upon seeing
15 that Lesaint was applied toward commercial services that routinely present their
16 bill upon work completion, would have found similarly incorporated such billing
17 to be a predictable variation of Lesaint. Hence, we cannot find that the Examiner
18 erred in this rejection.
19 As to claim 13, the Appellants contend that there is no discussion within the
20 document of giving the mechanic the freedom to accept or decline an assignment.
21 As the Examiner found, Lesaint suggests determining whether the mechanic
22 accepts an assignment of a special service request (Lesaint, col. 5, ll. 15-35,
23 wherein the system determines whether the assigned mechanic has called in or if
24 the request should be assigned elsewhere). (FF 05.) This portion of Lesaint goes
25 on to state that the mechanic is queried as to whether his technical skills and
21
Page: Previous 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Next
Last modified: September 9, 2013