DETAILED ACTION
This communication is responsive to Amendment filed 04/20/2026.
Claims 1, 3-6, 13 and 22 are pending in this application. Claim 1 is amended, claims 7-12 and 14-21 are cancelled and claim 22 is new. This action is made Final.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 04/20/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
A) Applicant argued that amended claim 1 explicitly requires that the "simplified interface screen" (the play screen) specifically lacks the navigation elements that are common to the standard screens. This is intended to prevent the user from navigating away, thereby focusing the user's attention on the need to make a play decision. This isolationist transactional state is antithetical to the "always-on" navigation taught by Myers and Robbin. There is no motivation in Myers to disable or hide a user's ability to browse or search just as they are about to make a purchase.
Per A), the Examiner respectfully disagrees as the amended claim states: “the play screen being a modal window that specifically lacks the plurality of user-operable control elements of the home screen to focus a user’s attention on a play decision for the selected song object” Myers teaches the display of a modal dialog window (Myers, Fig.10, 17; para.71, 127-128, 176, dialog window 1000) so that the user may make a play decision for a selected song which does not include the control elements within the dialog window i.e. the play screen.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1, 3-6 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Anderson et al. (“Anderson”, US 2009/0064056) in view of Myers, JR. (“Myers”, US 2002/0113824).
As per claim 1, Anderson teaches a digital jukebox device, comprising:
a display (Anderson, para.163, Fig.28, display 2810); and
processing resources including at least one processor and a memory (Anderson, para.160, Fig.28, processor 2802, memory 2804), the processing resources being configured to control the digital jukebox device to present, in connection with the display, a user interface (Anderson, para.95, 109, 163, Fig.28, display 2810), the user interface including separate screens (Anderson, para.144, Fig.19, interfaces 1901, 1903, 1905) divided into a set of standard interface screens (Anderson, para.144, Fig.19, browse level interfaces 1903) and a set of simplified interface screens (Anderson, para.144, Fig.19, preview/buy level interfaces 1905);
wherein a first one of the standard interface screens is a home screen (Anderson, Fig.19, home screens 1907, 1909; para.144, root of interface; Fig.21, Starbuck home screen) comprising a navigation area having a plurality of user-operable control elements (Anderson, Figs.14-16, control elements 1441, 1541, 1641; para.117, 125, 138), the plurality of user-operable control elements including at least a first control element for initiating a search screen (Anderson, para.144, 151; Fig.19, search results 1915, Fig.24, search element displays search results of user entered search term) and a second control element for initiating a discovery screen (Anderson, para.144, 149; Fig.19, featured content 1913, Fig.22, featured element displays list of songs; para.144, 150; Fig.19, collections 1911, Fig.23, top ten element displays list of genres containing a list of particular songs); and
a status area extending along a peripheral edge of the screen, the status area being included in each screen of the user interface in a first position that is common across all of the screens, wherein the status area includes a first indication of a song being currently played by the jukebox (Anderson, para.99, 102, 148, Figs.9B, 12, 21, ‘Now Playing’ module has a specific configuration or placement).
While Anderson teaches to enable songs to be selected (Anderson, para.159, media playback; para.52, 57, media may be played back at store location), Anderson does not explicitly teach wherein in response to selection of a song object from the home screen, the processing resources are configured to present a play screen belonging to the set of simplified interface screens, the play screen being a modal window that specifically lacks the plurality of user-operable control elements of the home screen to focus a user’s attention on a play decision for the selected song object; the status area being included in each screen of the user interface in a first position that is common across all of the screens and a second indication of a number of credits available for use in the digital jukebox. Myers teaches a jukebox device wherein in response to selection of a song object from the home screen, the processing resources are configured to present a play screen belonging to the set of simplified interface screens, the play screen being a modal window that specifically lacks the plurality of user-operable control elements of the home screen to focus a user’s attention on a play decision for the selected song object (Myers, Fig.10, 17; para.71, 127-128, 176, dialog window 1000 displayed for confirmation of song selection); the status area being included in each screen of the user interface in a first position that is common across all of the screens (Myers, Fig.4, current song 351, para.43, 73, control panel always visible) and a second indication of a number of credits available for use in the digital jukebox (Myers, para.70; Fig.4, selections remaining 353). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include Myers’ teaching with Anderson’s device to reduce switching of views and to keep the user informed of the current playing status and available credits at all times.
As per claim 3, the device of Anderson and Myers teaches the digital jukebox device of claim 1, wherein some or all of the standard interface screens include the user-operable control elements of the home screen in a second position that is common across all such screens (Anderson, Figs.14-16, control elements 1441, 1541, 1641 across bottom position; para.117, 125, 138; Myers, Fig.4, elements 321-323, para.43, 73, control panel always visible).
As per claim 4, the device of Anderson and Myers teaches the digital jukebox device of claim 3, wherein the simplified interface screens lack the user-operable control elements of the home screen (Myers, para.127, 176-180 ; Figs.10, 17, confirmation dialog 1000 does not include elements).
Claim 5 is similar to claim 4, and is therefore rejected under similar rationale.
As per claim 6, the device of Anderson and Myers teaches the digital jukebox device of claim 5, wherein at least some of the simplified interface screens are usable in confirming song selection just prior to enqueueing selected song(s) in a queue maintained by the digital jukebox device and from which songs are played (Anderson, para.141, confirmation of purchase; Myers, para.71, 127, 176-180, Figs.10, 17, confirmation dialog 1000).
As per claim 13, the device of Anderson and Myers teaches the digital jukebox device of claim 1, wherein the home screen further includes a generally linear arrangement of icons that respectively represent user-activatable services provided by the digital jukebox device, at least some of the services being not directly music related (Myers, Figs.2A, 4; login 324; logon screen 800).
Claim 22 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Anderson et al. (“Anderson”, US 2009/0064056) and Myers, JR. (“Myers”, US 2002/0113824) in view of Nakajima et al. (“Nakajima”, US 2011/0178896).
As per claim 22, the device of Anderson and Myers teaches the digital jukebox device of claim 1, wherein the processing resources are further configured to compare a credit cost of a premium playback operation for the selected song object against the number of credits available indicated in the status area and the play screen with a playback control element (Myers, Fig.10, 17; para.70-71, 127-128, dialog window 1000 displayed for confirmation of song selection). However the device of Anderson and Myers does not teach to dynamically modify the play screen to group a payment requirement prompt with a premium playback control element only when the comparison indicates the number of credits available is insufficient for the premium playback operation. Nakajima teaches a device for media purchases that dynamically displays a play screen with a payment requirement prompt only when the comparison indicates the number of credits available is insufficient for the premium playback operation (Nakajima, Fig.8, play screen prompt 830; para.44-45). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include Nakajima’s teaching with the device of Anderson and Myers in order to provide the user options for purchasing the content.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SAJEDA MUHEBBULLAH whose telephone number is (571)272-4065. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Tue/Thur-Fri 10am-8pm.
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/S. M./
Sajeda Muhebbullah
Examiner, Art Unit 2174
/WILLIAM L BASHORE/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2174
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