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 .
DETAILED ACTION
1. This action is responsive to applicant’s amendment dated 12/29/2025.
2. Claims 1-24 are pending in the case.
3. Claims 1 and 17 are independent claims.
Applicant’s Response
4. In Applicant’s response dated 12/29/2025, applicant has amended the following:
a) Claims 1, 3-9, 11-15 and 17
Based on Applicant’s amendments and remarks, the following objections and rejections previously set forth in Office Action dated 9/24/2025 are withdrawn:
a) Objection to claims 3, 8, 13 and 17
b) 35 U.S.C. 112 (b) Rejection to claim 6
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. The dependent claims included in the statement of rejection but not specifically addressed in the body of the rejection have inherited the deficiencies of their parent claim and have not resolved the deficiencies. Therefore, they are rejected based on the same rationale as applied to their parent claims above.
Claims 1, 3-5, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15 and 17 :
Claims 1, 3-5, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15 and 17 recite: “uniquely identifying”.
Applicant submits that support can be found in Figure 6 and paragraphs 85-88. However, after reviewing the entire specification, the written description merely describes an icon corresponding to a conversation. In other words, there is no written description characterizing the icon as identifying in a mutually exclusive manner as alleged by Applicant. At best, an icon can be used to identify a conversation.
Therefore, there is no mention of the newly amended limitation in the original Specification. Thus, the limitations include subject matter that was not described in the original Specification.
If the examiner has overlooked the portion of the original Specification that describes this feature of the present invention, then Applicant should point it out (by page number and line number) in the response to this Office Action.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 2, 3, 8-10, 12-15, 17, 19 and 21-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Buchheit et al. (hereinafter “Buchheit”), U.S. Published 20100281397 in view of Hong et al. (hereinafter “Hong”), U.S. Published Application No. 20220394003.
Claim 1:
Buchheit teaches A method for sticking a conversation message on top for processing, comprising:
detecting whether an operation on a first conversation in a conversation list region meets a predetermined condition, wherein conversations are displayed in a form of a list in the conversation list region, each conversation being identified by a different contact of a user and comprising all messages between the user and the contact, or each conversation being identified by a different contact group of the user and comprising all messages among members of the contact group; (e.g., detecting a selection to view a conversation (i.e., meets a predetermined condition) with a user defined label assigned to the conversation, wherein the conversation being identified by senders (i.e., contact group) and comprising all messages among senders as displayed in a form of a list as shown in Figures 6B and 6C par. 68; In some embodiments, the labels associated with a conversation are displayed when the user views the conversation. In some embodiments, the labels associated with each conversation in a list of conversations are displayed in the row of information provided for each conversation in the list. Par. 69; FIG. 5B is a schematic screenshot showing the browser window resulting when the user checks the checkbox 512 of the second conversation and then clicks on the "add labels" pull-down list and picks the item "Label 2" 514. (It is noted that "Label 2" represents a user specified label name.) This will cause "Label 2" to be associated with the checked conversation. Par. 74; But the list of conversations 360 has been replaced by a list of messages 640. On top of the list of messages are the conversation's topic "Topic 2" 630, all the user-defined labels 632 associated with the conversation and an "Expand All Messages" button 634. Par. 74; Each compacted sub-form displays a concise message header 641 and a snippet 643 such as the first few words of the message body. In some embodiments, senders in the concise message header are identified in color such that the text representation for each sender is presented in a different color. )
wherein the sticky conversation region and the conversation list region are separate from each other, the sticky conversation region does not display content of any message in the first conversation, and the conversation list region displays content of a latest message in the first conversation, (e.g., region for labels (i.e., sticky conversation region does not display content of any message in the first conversation displays content of a latest message in the first conversation) is separate from region for list of conversations (i.e., conversation list region) as shown in Figures 6B-6C par. 74; Since the four messages have been viewed or marked as read by the user, the top three messages in the list are displayed in the compacted mode and only the last (and the most recent) one is displayed in the expanded mode. )
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Buchheit teaches after detecting that the operation on the first conversation in the conversation list region meets the predetermined condition, displaying label [[an icon]] uniquely identifying the first conversation synchronously at a predetermined position in a sticky conversation region, while keeping the first conversation displayed in the conversation list region; (e.g., in response to viewing a conversation, displaying label at predetermined location (i.e., sticky region) while keeping the conversation in a conversation list region see Figure 6B Examiner submits under Broadest Reasonable Interpretation (BRI), when there are few conversations such as two conversations, a label identifying one conversation and a second label identifying the other conversation would illustrate “uniquely identifying” under Broadest Reasonable Interpretation )
displaying, after detecting a triggering operation on the label [[ icon]] uniquely identifying the first conversation in the sticky conversation region, a window of the first conversation. (e.g., selecting a label to filter and display any conversation related to the label in a window par. 49; FIG. 3B shows a group box 347 in which this form is displayed. Each user-defined label may be associated with zero or more conversations. In one embodiment, a user-defined label is an attribute that can be associated with specified conversations. The conversations to which the user-defined label is assigned may be determined by specific user actions or by the operation of a filter or similar mechanism. par. 49; With respect to group box 347, when the user selects (e.g., clicks on) a user-defined label in group box 347, the conversation assistant 110 submits to the conversation management system a query to locate conversations associated with the user-selected label. That query is then executed and the user is presented with a listing of such conversations, if any. )
wherein the sticky conversation region is configured to display one or more labels [[icons]], each of the icons uniquely identifying a respective conversation. (e.g., region for labels (i.e., sticky conversation region does not display content of any message in the first conversation displays content of a latest message in the first conversation) is separate from region for list of conversations (i.e., conversation list region) as shown in Figures 6B-6C par. 74; Since the four messages have been viewed or marked as read by the user, the top three messages in the list are displayed in the compacted mode and only the last (and the most recent) one is displayed in the expanded mode. )
Buchheit fails to expressly teach displaying an icon of the first conversation.
However, Hong teaches displaying an icon of the first conversation.
(e.g., displaying icon 621a of messaging conversation as shown in Figure 6A Hong; Par. 198; In FIG. 6A, the electronic device 500a is presenting a messaging user interface 602a that includes a messaging conversation between a user Bob (the user associated with device 500a) and a contact named Alice (indicated by the representation 621a of Alice).)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to replace the label of a first conversation as taught by Buchheit with an icon as taught by Hong with a reasonable expectation of success, to provide the benefit of alternative ways to represent a category or relationship to the user with the message in effort to quickly help a user identify the type of conversation being viewed.
Claim 2 depends on claim 1:
Buchheit/Hong teaches wherein said detecting whether the operation on the first conversation in the conversation list region meets the predetermined condition comprises:
detecting, when the first conversation in the conversation list region is in a selected state, whether a sticky conversation option in a conversation processing menu currently displayed is selected; (e.g., selecting a conversation to assign user defined label from pull down menu list see Buchheit; par. 68;FIG. 5A is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the "add labels" pull-down list 345. After a user clicks on the pull-down list, the browser displays a list of user-defined labels for him to choose at step 502. The user selects a particular label in the pull-down list and at least one conversation in the conversation list at step 504. The browser then associates the user-selected conversations with the user-selected label at step 506 and sends them back to the conversation management system for further processing at step 508.)
or, detecting, when the first conversation in the conversation list region is in a selected state, whether an end position of a dragging operation obtained currently is located in the sticky conversation region. (e.g., highlighting content via drag operation with the cursor Buchheit; par. 55; The term "highlight" is used here to mean displaying in a visually distinctive manner, such as bolding, underlining, changing background color, changing font color, changing the font, etc. Furthermore, in this context, the term "highlight" means generating formatting information for displaying something (e.g., a specified portion of text) in a distinctive manner.) (e.g., highlighting content via drag operation with the cursor Hong; par. 50; In some embodiments, the device translates the rough finger-based input into a precise pointer/cursor position or command for performing the actions desired by the user. )
Claim 3 depends on claim 2:
Buchheit/Hong teaches further comprising, prior to said displaying the icon uniquely identifying the first conversation synchronously at the predetermined position in the sticky conversation region: determining the predetermined position based on a current display position an icon of each conversation in the sticky conversation region; (e.g., adding labels to the next predetermined position within group box 347 see Buccheit; par. 68; FIG. 5A is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the "add labels" pull-down list 345. After a user clicks on the pull-down list, the browser displays a list of user-defined labels for him to choose at step 502. The user selects a particular label in the pull-down list and at least one conversation in the conversation list at step 504. Par. 69; FIG. 5B is a schematic screenshot showing the browser window resulting when the user checks the checkbox 512 of the second conversation and then clicks on the "add labels" pull-down list and picks the item "Label 2" 514. (It is noted that "Label 2" represents a user specified label name.) This will cause "Label 2" to be associated with the checked conversation.) (e.g., replacing labels with icons of Hong Par. 198; In FIG. 6A, the electronic device 500a is presenting a messaging user interface 602a that includes a messaging conversation between a user Bob (the user associated with device 500a) and a contact named Alice (indicated by the representation 621a of Alice).))
or, determining the predetermined position based on the end position of the obtained dragging operation.
Claim 8 depends on claim 1:
Buchheit/Hong teaches further comprising, subsequent to said displaying the icon uniquely identifying the first conversation synchronously at the predetermined position in the sticky conversation region: determining, when a current shortcut operation for opening any conversation in the sticky conversation region is obtained, a third conversation corresponding to the current shortcut operation based on a current display position of an icon of each conversation in the sticky conversation region; and displaying a conversation window corresponding to the third conversation in a conversation message region. (e.g., selecting a label to filter and display any conversation related to the label in a window Examiner considers touch input at the location of the label (i.e., icon of Hong) in the group box 347 to read on current shortcut operation based on a current display position of an icon of each conversation in the sticky region par. 49; FIG. 3B shows a group box 347 in which this form is displayed. Each user-defined label may be associated with zero or more conversations. In one embodiment, a user-defined label is an attribute that can be associated with specified conversations. The conversations to which the user-defined label is assigned may be determined by specific user actions or by the operation of a filter or similar mechanism. par. 49; With respect to group box 347, when the user selects (e.g., clicks on) a user-defined label in group box 347, the conversation assistant 110 submits to the conversation management system a query to locate conversations associated with the user-selected label. That query is then executed and the user is presented with a listing of such conversations, if any. )
Claim 9 depends on claim 1:
Buchheit teaches wherein the sticky conversation region is provided with a jump component; (e.g., designated region with associated label provided with a search mail component or another label component as shown in Figure 6C)
displaying, after detecting a trigger operation on the jump component, a jump window comprising a search component and/or identification information of conversations; and (e.g., in response to triggering search mail based on a term, the search results of messages related to the term is displayed or selecting a different label to display search results of messages related to the selected label is displayed as shown in Figure 6c)
displaying, after detecting a selection operation on identification information of one of the conversations, a conversation window corresponding to the identification information of the conversation; (e.g., selecting an individual header from the search result of messages to expand body of the message to be visibly displayed as shown in Fig. 6c)
or displaying, after inputting content in the search component, information associated with the input content. (e.g., triggering search mail based on a term as shown in Fig. 6c)
Claim 10 depends on claim 9:
Buchheit teaches further comprising: determining a display priority of the identification information of the conversation in the jump window based on a relevancy degree of the conversation corresponding to the identification information of the conversation. (e.g., prioritizing search results of messages based on relevancy to a keyword as input to search mail as shown in Fig. 6c)
Claim 12 depends on claim 1:
Buchheit/Hong teaches wherein said displaying the icon uniquely identifying the first conversation synchronously at the predetermined position in the sticky conversation region comprises: displaying the icon of the first conversation at a position adjacent to a position of an icon of the latest sticky conversation in the sticky conversation region. (e.g., displaying relevant labels to a conversation adjacent to each other as shown in Buchheit’s Figure 6B Examiner considers the created order of the assigned labels to the conversation reads on a displaying a label of the first conversation at a position adjacent to a position of a label of the latest sticky conversation par. 68;FIG. 5A is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the "add labels" pull-down list 345. After a user clicks on the pull-down list, the browser displays a list of user-defined labels for him to choose at step 502. The user selects a particular label in the pull-down list and at least one conversation in the conversation list at step 504. The browser then associates the user-selected conversations with the user-selected label at step 506 and sends them back to the conversation management system for further processing at step 508. ) (e.g., replacing labels with icons of Hong Par. 198; In FIG. 6A, the electronic device 500a is presenting a messaging user interface 602a that includes a messaging conversation between a user Bob (the user associated with device 500a) and a contact named Alice (indicated by the representation 621a of Alice).))
Claim 13 depends on claim 1:
Buchheit/Hong teaches further comprising: displaying icons of sticky conversations in the sticky conversation region line by line from top to bottom in sequence based on a number of icons of conversations that each row in the sticky conversation region is capable of receiving. (e.g., displaying relevant labels to a conversation adjacent to each other as shown in Buchheit’s Figure 6B) (e.g., replacing labels with icons of Hong Par. 198; In FIG. 6A, the electronic device 500a is presenting a messaging user interface 602a that includes a messaging conversation between a user Bob (the user associated with device 500a) and a contact named Alice (indicated by the representation 621a of Alice).))
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Claim 14 depends on claim 1:
Buchheit/Hong teaches wherein said triggering operation on the icon uniquely identifying the first conversation comprises: a click operation or a touch operation on the icon of the first conversation. (e.g., touch operation for selecting a label (i.e., icon of Hong) to filter and display any conversation related to the label in a window see Buchheit par. 49; FIG. 3B shows a group box 347 in which this form is displayed. Each user-defined label may be associated with zero or more conversations. In one embodiment, a user-defined label is an attribute that can be associated with specified conversations. The conversations to which the user-defined label is assigned may be determined by specific user actions or by the operation of a filter or similar mechanism. par. 49; With respect to group box 347, when the user selects (e.g., clicks on) a user-defined label in group box 347, the conversation assistant 110 submits to the conversation management system a query to locate conversations associated with the user-selected label. That query is then executed and the user is presented with a listing of such conversations, if any. ) (e.g., replacing labels with icons of Hong Par. 198; In FIG. 6A, the electronic device 500a is presenting a messaging user interface 602a that includes a messaging conversation between a user Bob (the user associated with device 500a) and a contact named Alice (indicated by the representation 621a of Alice).))
Claim 15 depends on claim 1:
Buchheit/Hong teaches wherein said displaying, after detecting the triggering operation on the icon uniquely identifying the first conversation in the sticky conversation region, the window of the first conversation comprises:
displaying the window of the first conversation and the sticky conversation region in a display interface. (e.g., in response to selecting “expand all messages” icon of the first conversation in a designated label region (i.e., sticky conversation region), displaying a window of the first conversation as fully visible. Buchheit; Figure 6B; icon 634; par. 74; On top of the list of messages are the conversation's topic "Topic 2" 630, all the user-defined labels 632 associated with the conversation and an "Expand All Messages" button 634. Since the four messages have been viewed or marked as read by the user, the top three messages in the list are displayed in the compacted mode and only the last (and the most recent) one is displayed in the expanded mode. Par. 78; FIG. 6D is a schematic screenshot of the conversation shown in FIG. 6B after the user clicks on the "Expand All Messages" button 634 (or button 743, FIG. 7C). As a result, all four messages 680 are displayed in the expanded mode. Note that the text in the button 634 changes to "Compact All Messages". The display of the conversation returns to the format shown in FIG. 6B after the user clicks on the button 634 again.) (e.g., replacing labels with icons of Hong Par. 198; In FIG. 6A, the electronic device 500a is presenting a messaging user interface 602a that includes a messaging conversation between a user Bob (the user associated with device 500a) and a contact named Alice (indicated by the representation 621a of Alice).))
Claim 17:
Buchheit teaches A method for sticking a conversation message on top for processing,
comprising detecting whether an operation on a first conversation in a conversation list region meets a predetermined condition, wherein conversations are displayed in a form of a list in the conversation list region, each conversation being identified by a different contact of a user and comprising all messages between the user and the contact, or each conversation being identified by a different contact group of the user and comprising all messages among members of the contact group; (e.g., detecting a selection to view a conversation (i.e., meets a predetermined condition) with a user defined label assigned to the conversation, wherein the conversation being identified by senders (i.e., contact group) and comprising all messages among senders as displayed in a form of a list as shown in Figures 6B and 6C par. 68; In some embodiments, the labels associated with a conversation are displayed when the user views the conversation. In some embodiments, the labels associated with each conversation in a list of conversations are displayed in the row of information provided for each conversation in the list. Par. 69; FIG. 5B is a schematic screenshot showing the browser window resulting when the user checks the checkbox 512 of the second conversation and then clicks on the "add labels" pull-down list and picks the item "Label 2" 514. (It is noted that "Label 2" represents a user specified label name.) This will cause "Label 2" to be associated with the checked conversation. Par. 74; But the list of conversations 360 has been replaced by a list of messages 640. On top of the list of messages are the conversation's topic "Topic 2" 630, all the user-defined labels 632 associated with the conversation and an "Expand All Messages" button 634. Par. 74; Each compacted sub-form displays a concise message header 641 and a snippet 643 such as the first few words of the message body. In some embodiments, senders in the concise message header are identified in color such that the text representation for each sender is presented in a different color. )
wherein the sticky conversation region and the conversation list region are separate from each other, the sticky conversation region does not display content of any message in the first conversation, and the conversation list region displays content of a latest message in the first conversation, (e.g., region for labels (i.e., sticky conversation region does not display content of any message in the first conversation displays content of a latest message in the first conversation) is separate from region for list of conversations (i.e., conversation list region) as shown in Figures 6B-6C par. 74; Since the four messages have been viewed or marked as read by the user, the top three messages in the list are displayed in the compacted mode and only the last (and the most recent) one is displayed in the expanded mode. )
wherein a space of an interface occupied by the label [icon] uniquely identifying the first conversation in the sticky conversation region is smaller than a space of an interface occupied by the first conversation in the conversation list region. (e.g., region for labels is smaller than region for list of conversations as shown in Figures 6B and 6C)
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Buchheit teaches after detecting that the operation on the first conversation in the conversation list region meets the predetermined condition, displaying label [[an icon]] uniquely identifying the first conversation synchronously at a predetermined position in a sticky conversation region, while keeping the first conversation displayed in the conversation list region; (e.g., in response to viewing a conversation, displaying label at predetermined location (i.e., sticky region) while keeping the conversation in a conversation list region see Figure 6B)
wherein the sticky conversation region is configured to display one or more labels [[icons]], each of the icons uniquely identifying a respective conversation. (e.g., region for labels (i.e., sticky conversation region does not display content of any message in the first conversation displays content of a latest message in the first conversation) is separate from region for list of conversations (i.e., conversation list region) as shown in Figures 6B-6C par. 74; Since the four messages have been viewed or marked as read by the user, the top three messages in the list are displayed in the compacted mode and only the last (and the most recent) one is displayed in the expanded mode. )
Buchheit fails to expressly teach displaying an icon of the first conversation.
However, Hong teaches displaying an icon of the first conversation. (e.g., displaying icon 621a of messaging conversation as shown in Figure 6A Par. 198; In FIG. 6A, the electronic device 500a is presenting a messaging user interface 602a that includes a messaging conversation between a user Bob (the user associated with device 500a) and a contact named Alice (indicated by the representation 621a of Alice).)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to replace the label of a first conversation as taught by Buchheit with an icon as taught by Hong with a reasonable expectation of success, to provide the benefit of alternative ways to represent a category or relationship to the user with the message in effort to quickly help a user identify the type of conversation being viewed.
Claim 19 depends on claim 17:
Buchheit/Hong teaches wherein the sticky conversation region is configured to display the icon and other identification information of the first conversation. (e.g., region configured to display icon 621a and initial “A” (i.e., identification information) of the contact as shown in Hong Figure 6A Hong; Par. 198; In FIG. 6A, the electronic device 500a is presenting a messaging user interface 602a that includes a messaging conversation between a user Bob (the user associated with device 500a) and a contact named Alice (indicated by the representation 621a of Alice).)
Claim 21 depends on claim 1:
Claim 21 is substantially encompassed in claim 1, therefore, Examiner relies on the same rationale set forth in claim 1 to reject claim 21. (see Buchheit; Figure 1; computer system)
Claim 22 depends on claim 17:
Claim 22 is substantially encompassed in claim 17, therefore, Examiner relies on the same rationale set forth in claim 17 to reject claim 22 (see Buchheit; Figure 1; computer system)
Claim 23 depends on claim 1:
Claim 23 is substantially encompassed in claim 1, therefore, Examiner relies on the same rationale set forth in claim 1 to reject claim 23. (see Buchheit; Figure 1; computer system)
Claim 24 depends on claim 17:
Claim 24 is substantially encompassed in claim 17, therefore, Examiner relies on the same rationale set forth in claim 17 to reject claim 24. (see Buchheit; Figure 1; computer system)
Claims 4, 11 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Buchheit/Hong as cited above, in further view of Blagsvedt et al. (hereinafter “Blagsvedt”), U.S. Published Application No. 20050091314 A1.
Claim 4 depends on claim 1:
Buchheit/Hong fails to expressly teach updating, when the first conversation is in the selected state, a display position of the first conversation in the sticky conversation region based on an end position of an obtained dragging operation.
However, Blagsvedt teaches further comprising, subsequent to said displaying the icon uniquely identifying the first conversation synchronously at the predetermined position in the sticky conversation region: updating, when the first conversation is in the selected state, a display position of the first conversation in the sticky conversation region based on an end position of an obtained dragging operation. (e.g., updating display position manually based on dragging contact associated with a conversation invite to a designated pinned section Blagsvedt; par. 30; a drag/drop operation may be used to add a contact to the pinned contact section 420.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the display of messages in a designated area as taught by Buchheit/Hong to include menu and dragging options for pinning as taught by Blagsvedt to provide the benefit of intuitively pinning to a designated location in an efficient manner.
Claim 11 depends on claim 1:
Buchheit/Hong fails to expressly teach displaying icons of sticky conversations in the sticky conversation region in sequence based on time of the icons of the sticky conversations being stuck on top, or based on display positions and time of the icons of the sticky conversations being stuck on top.
(Examiner notes that all limitations in this claim are dependent on a contingent limitation (e.g., in response to detecting that the operation on the first conversation in the conversation list region meets the predetermined condition) and under broadest reasonable interpretation the recited predetermined condition is not required to be met. Therefore, under BRI, the method step is not required to be performed for method claims see MPEP 2111.04 section II)
However, Blagsvedt teaches displaying icons of sticky conversations in the sticky conversation region in sequence based on time of the icons of the sticky conversations being stuck on top, or based on display positions and time of the icons of the sticky conversations being stuck on top. (e.g., icon of pinned contact organized based on most recent real time conversation par. 31; Typically, pinned contact will be ordered alphabetically, but also may be ordered in the same manner described below for the recent contacts. Par. 32; Recent contact section 430 shows contacts with whom the user has had recent real-time conversations. Whether a contact is a recent contact may be based on a variety of factors, including the time of the most recent real-time conversation, the number of real-time conversations, and the like. par. 33; Similar to pinned contacts, real-time contacts show a graphic/icon 432a (also known as a user tile), online name 432b,)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the display of messages in a designated area as taught by Buchheit/Hong to be organized based on most recent real time conversations as taught by Blagsvedt to provide the benefit of allowing preferred preference in organizing in effort to perform a task faster.
Therefore, Buchheit/Hong/Blagsvedt teaches wherein said displaying the icon uniquely identifying the first conversation synchronously at the predetermined position in the sticky conversation region comprises: displaying icons of sticky conversations in the sticky conversation region in sequence based on time of the icons of the sticky conversations being stuck on top, or display positions and time of the icons of the sticky conversations being stuck on top.
Claims 5-7, 16 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Buchheit/Hong as cited above and applied to claim 1, in view of Tseng et al. (hereinafter “Tseng”), U.S. Published Application No. 20090249247 A1.
Claim 5 depends on claim 1:
Buchheit/Hong fail to expressly teach displaying an abbreviation of a name of the first conversation correspondingly at the predetermined position in the sticky conversation region.
However, Tseng teaches displaying an abbreviation of a name of the first conversation correspondingly at the predetermined position in the sticky conversation region. (e.g., abbreviating text of messages (e.g., name of e-mail conversation ) at predetermined location of a screen par. 28; In general, the notifications may occur by having a notification message--which may be an abbreviated form of the actual communication, e.g., a name and subject line for an incoming e-mail--be displayed in a peripheral area at the edge of a display, such as a status area, or status bar, for the mobile device)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the display of messages in a designated area as taught by Buchheit/Hong to be abbreviated as taught by Tseng to provide the benefit of efficiently utilizing limited screen real estate of a mobile device.
Therefore, Buchheit/Hong / Tseng teaches wherein said displaying the icon uniquely identifying the first conversation synchronously at the predetermined position in the sticky conversation region comprises: displaying an abbreviation of a name of the first conversation correspondingly at the predetermined position in the sticky conversation region.
Claim 6 depends on claim 5:
Buchheit/Hong / Tseng teaches further comprising, subsequent to said displaying the abbreviation of the name of the first conversation correspondingly at the predetermined position in the sticky conversation region: (e.g., abbreviating text of messages (e.g., name of e-mail conversation ) at predetermined location of a screen Tseng; par. 28; In general, the notifications may occur by having a notification message--which may be an abbreviated form of the actual communication, e.g., a name and subject line for an incoming e-mail--be displayed in a peripheral area at the edge of a display, such as a status area, or status bar, for the mobile device)
determining, after obtaining the conversation message, whether a second conversation to which the conversation message belongs is located in the sticky conversation region; (e.g., if conservation is assigned user defined tag, then the conversation belongs in the sticky region Buchheit; par. 49; The conversations to which the user-defined label is assigned may be determined by specific user actions or by the operation of a filter or similar mechanism. Unlike the system-defined categories, these labels are defined by the user arbitrarily and they are not mutually exclusive. In other words, a conversation can be associated with multiple labels at the same time.)
after determining that the second conversation to which the conversation message belongs is located in the sticky conversation region, synchronously updating the number of unread messages corresponding to an icon of the second conversation in the sticky conversation region when a display mode of an icon of a conversation corresponding to the second conversation in the conversation list region is updated. (Examiner notes that this limitation in this claim is dependent on a contingent limitation (e.g., determining, after obtaining the conversation message, whether a second conversation to which the conversation message belongs is located in the sticky conversation region;) and under broadest reasonable interpretation the recited determining is not required to be met. Therefore, under BRI, the method step is not required to be performed for method claims see MPEP 2111.04 section II)
Claim 7 depends on claim 5:
Buchheit/Hong fail to expressly teach displaying, after detecting that a current position of a focus matches the predetermined position, the name corresponding to the first conversation in full at the icon of the first conversation.
However, Tseng teaches displaying, after detecting that a current position of a focus matches the predetermined position, the name corresponding to the first conversation in full at the icon of the first conversation.
(e.g., displaying the full textual message of abbreviated messages (e.g., name of e-mail conversation ) at predetermined location of a screen par. 7; The user may press a selection button, or may press on the area where the notification is being displayed, during the display of the alert, to bring up the full message. par. 53; Also, selection of a particular message may result in the full message being opened for the user in its corresponding application )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the display of messages in a designated area as taught by Buchheit/Hong to be abbreviated and displayed in full as taught by Tseng to provide the benefit of efficiently utilizing limited screen real estate of a mobile device.
Therefore, Buchheit/Hong / Tseng teaches further comprising, subsequent to said displaying the abbreviation of the name of the first conversation correspondingly at the predetermined position in the sticky conversation region: displaying, after detecting that a current position of a focus matches the predetermined position, the name corresponding to the first conversation in full at the icon of the first conversation.
Claim 16 depends on claim 1:
Buchheit/Hong teaches wherein the sticky conversation region is configured to display identification information of sticky conversations or unread message information, and (e.g., displaying representation 621a of Alice (i.e., identification information) as shown in Hong’s Figure 6A Hong; Par. 198; In FIG. 6A, the electronic device 500a is presenting a messaging user interface 602a that includes a messaging conversation between a user Bob (the user associated with device 500a) and a contact named Alice (indicated by the representation 621a of Alice).)
Buchheit/Hong fails to expressly teach wherein information of the sticky conversations displayed in the sticky conversation region comprises partial information of information of the sticky conversations displayed in the conversations list region.
However Tseng teaches and wherein information of the sticky conversations displayed in the sticky conversation region comprises partial information of information of the sticky conversations displayed in the conversations list region. (e.g., abbreviating text of messages (e.g., name of e-mail conversation ) at predetermined location of a screen par. 28; In general, the notifications may occur by having a notification message--which may be an abbreviated form of the actual communication, e.g., a name and subject line for an incoming e-mail--be displayed in a peripheral area at the edge of a display, such as a status area, or status bar, for the mobile device)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the display of messages in a designated area as taught by Buchheit/Hong to be abbreviated as taught by Tseng to provide the benefit of efficiently utilizing limited screen real estate of a mobile device.
Claim 20 depends on claim 17:
Buchheit/Hong fails to expressly teach wherein information of sticky conversations displayed in the sticky conversation region comprises partial information of the sticky conversations displayed in the conversations list region.
However Tseng teaches wherein information of sticky conversations displayed in the sticky conversation region comprises partial information of the sticky conversations displayed in the conversations list region. (e.g., abbreviating text of messages (e.g., name of e-mail conversation ) at predetermined location of a screen par. 28; In general, the notifications may occur by having a notification message--which may be an abbreviated form of the actual communication, e.g., a name and subject line for an incoming e-mail--be displayed in a peripheral area at the edge of a display, such as a status area, or status bar, for the mobile device)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the display of messages in a designated area as taught by Buchheit/Hong to be abbreviated as taught by Tseng to provide the benefit of efficiently utilizing limited screen real estate of a mobile device.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Buchheit/Hong as cited above, in further view of Blagsvedt et al. (hereinafter “Blagsvedt”), U.S. Published Application No. 20050091314 A1.
Claim 18 depends on claim 17:
Buchheit/Hong fails to expressly teach further comprising: displaying unread message information of sticky conversations in the sticky conversation region.
However, Blagsvedt teaches further comprising: displaying unread message information of sticky conversations in the sticky conversation region. (e.g., pinned contacts include multiple unread messages as reflected by unread notification 432c of Figure 4 Blagsvedt; par. 12; The real-time communication data for the pinned and recent contacts may include presence, status, unread messages, and unread notifications, even when the user interface includes a plurality of contacts from diverse service providers. par. 32; recent contact section 430 shows contacts with whom the user has had recent real-time conversations. Whether a contact is a recent contact may be based on a variety of factors, including the time of the most recent real-time conversation, the number of real-time conversations, and the like. par. 33; Similar to pinned contacts, real-time contacts show a graphic/icon 432a (also known as a user tile), online name 432b, and an unread e-mail message/unread real-time communication notifications count 432c. )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the display of messages in a designated area as taught by Buchheit/Hong to include related unread notifications as taught by Blagsvedt to provide the benefit of allowing a user to easily be aware of new corresponding messages in effort to respond more efficiently.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/29/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Prior Art Rejections
Applicant argues that paragraph [0049] and Fig. 6 of Buchheit discloses that "a user-defined label is an attribute that can be associated with specified conversations these labels are defined by the user arbitrarily and they are not mutually exclusive" and "[i]n other words, a conversation can be associated with multiple labels at the same time". Thus, Buchheit discloses that a label can be associated with multiple conversations, and thus cannot uniquely identify a respective conversation. (see Response; page 11)
Examiner respectfully disagrees.
Examiner notes that the recited “uniquely identifying” is considered new matter due to lack of written description describing the phrase. For the sake of argument, Under Broadest Reasonable Interpretation (BRI), uniquely identifying is merely a distinguishing method to identify one item vs another item. For example, when a user defined label is arbitrarily assigned to a first conversation and retrieves only the first conversation and there are only two conversations; this scenario would be considered “uniquely identifying” under BRI. In other words, in the instance that a label only retrieves one item due to only have a few conversations, the labels of Buchheit teaches or suggest “uniquely identifying”. Examiner further notes that Hong is relied upon to teach associating icons with conversations as user interface indicators. Therefore, under BRI and in the instance each label identifies only one conversation, Buchheit/Hong teaches or suggests icon uniquely identify a respective conversation.
For at least the foregoing reasons, the claims are not in condition for allowance.
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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/HENRY ORR/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2172
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