101 Rejection Reference Database – Art Unit 2137
Computer Architecture and Software
Patent Examiner: Popham, Jeffrey
| Patent Assignee | Patent Application |
| Nicira | 15/790303 |
Micro-Segmentation of Virtual Computing Elements
Patent Abstract
The technology disclosed herein enables micro-segmentation of virtual computing elements. In a particular embodiment, a method provides identifying one or more multi-tier applications comprising a plurality of virtual machines. Each application tier of the one or more multi-tier applications comprises at least one of the plurality of virtual machines. The method further provides maintaining information about the one or more multi-tier applications. The information at least indicates a security group for each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines. Additionally, the method provides identifying communication traffic flows between virtual machines of the plurality of virtual machines and identifying one or more removable traffic flows of the communication traffic flows based, at least in part, on the information. The method then provides blocking the one or more removable traffic flows.
Reason for 101 Rejection | CTNF 7/10/2020
The patent claims recite steps relating to computing element administration that are categorized as a mental process that is not integrated into a practical application. All of the steps in the patent claims could be performed by a human mind. The patent claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than generic computer components performing the judicial exception.
Remarks on Overcoming the 101 Rejection | REM 7/10/2020
The patent claims have been amended to recite a physical computing system on which the virtual machines execute. Further the patent claims describe how the elements in the computer system affect network traffic blocking removable traffic flows that run afoul. Since the recited limitations of the patent claims result in the blocking of removable traffic flows the limitations clearly have a practical application with respect to the network communications between the recited virtual machines.
