DETAILED ACTION
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 Amendment
This action is responsive to the request for continued examination (RCE), amendments and remarks received 02 December 2025. Claims 1 - 7, 10 - 17 and 20 are currently pending.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 02 December 2025 has been entered.
Claim Objections
Claim 11 is objected to because of the following informalities: Lines 13 - 14 of claim 11 recite, in part, “the plurality of important share maps from the server; wherein the plurality of important share maps include” which appears to contain a grammatical error and/or minor informality. The Examiner suggests amending the claim to --the plurality of important share maps from the server; and wherein the plurality of important share maps include-- in order to improve the clarity and precision of the claim. Appropriate correction is required.
The objections to claims 3 and 13, due to minor informalities, are hereby withdrawn in view of the amendments and remarks received 02 December 2025.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 - 7, 10 - 17 and 20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1, 4 - 7, 10, 11, 14 - 17 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Oi et al. U.S. Publication No. 2011/0224902 A1 in view of Bhatnagar et al. U.S. Publication No. 2019/0287311 A1 in view of Shahrokni et al. U.S. Publication No. 2021/0264674 A1.
- With regards to claims 1 and 11, Oi et al. disclose an indoor space positioning method and system, (Oi et al., Abstract, Figs. 1 - 3, Pg. 2 ¶ 0065 - Pg. 3 ¶ 0069, Pg. 3 ¶ 0073 - 0075, Pg. 4 ¶ 0087, Pg. 5 ¶ 0095 - 0097, Pg. 7 ¶ 0123 and 0134 - 0136, Pg. 9 ¶ 0158 - 0159, Pg. 10 ¶ 0169 - Pg. 11 ¶ 0177, Pg. 12 ¶ 0192) comprising: a camera, arranged in a terminal device and configured to capture an initial image; (Oi et al., Figs. 1 & 5, Pg. 3 ¶ 0068 - 0070 and 0073 - 0074, Pg. 4 ¶ 0084 - 0087) and a processor, arranged in the terminal device, (Oi et al., Figs. 1 & 5, Pg. 1 ¶ 0019, Pg. 3 ¶ 0068, Pg. 12 ¶ 0192) wherein the processor enables a transmission interface (Oi et al., Figs. 1 & 3 - 6C, Pg. 3 ¶ 0068 - 0070, Pg. 4 ¶ 0084 - 0085 and 0089 - 0091, Pg. 12 ¶ 0192) to download an initial share map that corresponds to the initial image from a server (Oi et al., Abstract, Figs. 5 - 6C & 16, Pg. 2 ¶ 0066 - 0067, Pg. 3 ¶ 0071 - 0075, Pg. 4 ¶ 0087 - Pg. 5 ¶ 0092, Pg. 10 ¶ 0169 - 0172) and locates the terminal device at an initial location in an indoor space; (Oi et al., Figs. 1, 2, 6A - 6C & 16, Pg. 3 ¶ 0068 - 0075, Pg. 4 ¶ 0087 - 0091, Pg. 5 ¶ 0093 - 0097, Pg. 7 ¶ 0123 and 0134 - 0136, Pg. 9 ¶ 0158, Pg. 10 ¶ 0169 - 0171, Pg. 11 ¶ 0177) wherein the processor applies a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithm to track an instant location of the terminal device; (Oi et al., Figs. 1, 5 & 8, Pg. 3 ¶ 0068 - 0069, Pg. 5 ¶ 0093 - 0097, Pg. 7 ¶ 0123 and 0133 - 0136, Pg. 11 ¶ 0177, Pg. 12 ¶ 0190 - 0192) wherein the processor downloads an important share map from the server first when the processor applies the simultaneous localization and mapping algorithm to track the instant location of the terminal device; (Oi et al., Abstract, Figs. 3 - 8 & 15A - 17, Pg. 2 ¶ 0065 - 0066, Pg. 3 ¶ 0068 - 0069 and 0076 - 0080, Pg. 4 ¶ 0083, Pg. 4 ¶ 0087 - Pg. 5 ¶ 0092, Pg. 5 ¶ 0094 - 0097, Pg. 7 ¶ 0123, Pg. 8 ¶ 0141 - 0144, Pg. 9 ¶ 0157 - 0158, Pg. 10 ¶ 0169 - 0174, Pg. 11 ¶ 0177, Pg. 12 ¶ 0189 - 0192 [“initializing unit 120 localizes a rough position of the terminal device 100 in the global coordinate system by using the input image input from the imaging unit 110”, “the partial global map extracting unit 40 of the map management server 10 extracts the partial global map formed by position data of objects located within a radius D[m] from the position coordinates, for example, and sends the extracted partial global map back to the terminal device 100”, “the self-position detecting unit 142 may dynamically determine a position and a posture of the camera and a position of a feature point on an imaging plane of the camera for each frame by applying the SLAM technology disclosed in ‘Real-Time Simultaneous Localization and Mapping with a Single Camera’ (Andrew J. Davison, Proceedings of the 9th IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision Volume 2, 2003, pp. 1403-1410)” and “the converting unit 170 may perform coordinate conversion of the position and posture of the camera of the local map coordinate system detected by the self-position detecting unit 142 of the local map generating unit 140 into data of the global map coordinate system using the relative position and posture of the local map input from the calculating unit 160. The position of the terminal device 100 which is specified by the initializing unit 120 can be thereby updated according to movement of the terminal device 100 after initialization. After that, the global map acquiring unit 130 may acquire a new partial global map from the map management server 10 according to the new updated position of the terminal device 100”]) wherein the processor downloads a plurality of secondary share maps from the server after the processor downloads the plurality of important share maps from the server, (Oi et al., Figs. 1, 5 - 6C & 16, Pg. 3 ¶ 0068 and 0078 - 0080, Pg. 4 ¶ 0085 - Pg. 5 ¶ 0093, Pg. 9 ¶ 0158, Pg. 10 ¶ 0167 - 0172, Pg. 11 ¶ 0177, Pg. 12 ¶ 0190 - 0192 [“when the position of the terminal device 100 becomes apart from the center of the partial global map by a predetermined distance or more, for example, the process from the acquisition of the partial global map (step S304) based on the latest position of the terminal device 100 can be performed.” The Examiner asserts that the system of Oi et al. would download additional partial global maps after the initial partial global map is downloaded as their terminal device moves about a service area.]) wherein important share maps include characteristic points. (Oi et al., Figs. 2, 4, 9 - 11 & 14A - 15A, Pg. 3 ¶ 0071 - 0074 and 0078 - 0080, Pg. 4 ¶ 0090 - Pg. 5 ¶ 0092, Pg. 7 ¶ 0128 - 0130 and 0136, Pg. 8 ¶ 0141 - 0145, Pg. 9 ¶ 0149 - 0154 and 0161) Oi et al. fail to disclose explicitly a head-mounted display (HMD); downloading a plurality of important share maps; and wherein the plurality of important share maps include more characteristic points than the plurality of secondary share maps. Pertaining to analogous art, Bhatnagar et al. disclose an indoor space positioning method and system, (Bhatnagar et al., Abstract, Fig. 6, Pg. 1 ¶ 0004 - 0005 and 0020, Pg. 2 ¶ 0025, Pg. 5 ¶ 0041 - Pg. 6 ¶ 0044, Pg. 8 ¶ 0057 - 0058) comprising: a camera, arranged in a head-mounted display (HMD) and configured to capture an initial image; (Bhatnagar et al., Figs. 1, 2, 4A, 4B, 5 - 7 & 10, Pg. 1 ¶ 0020, Pg. 2 ¶ 0022 - 0023 and 0025, Pg. 2 ¶ 0027 - Pg. 3 ¶ 0031, Pg. 5 ¶ 0043 - Pg. 6 ¶ 0044) and a processor, arranged in the head-mounted display, (Bhatnagar et al., Abstract, Figs. 1 & 9, Pg. 1 ¶ 0020, Pg. 2 ¶ 0024 and 0027, Pg. 3 ¶ 0029 - 0031, Pg. 4 ¶ 0035, Pg. 8 ¶ 0059 - 0063, Pg. 9 ¶ 0067 - 0068) wherein the processor enables a transmission interface to download an initial share map from a server (Bhatnagar et al., Abstract, Figs. 1, 3 - 4B, 5, 9 & 10, Pg. 3 ¶ 0032 - Pg. 4 ¶ 0035, Pg. 5 ¶ 0041 - Pg. 6 ¶ 0044, Pg. 7 ¶ 0048 - Pg. 7 ¶ 0053, Pg. 8 ¶ 0057 - 0063, Pg. 9 ¶ 0070 - 0071) and locates the head-mounted display at an initial location in an indoor space; (Bhatnagar et al., Abstract, Figs. 1, 6 & 7, Pg. 2 ¶ 0024 - 0028, Pg. 3 ¶ 0030 - 0031 and 0033, Pg. 6 ¶ 0044 - Pg. 7 ¶ 0049, Pg. 8 ¶ 0057 - 0063) wherein the processor applies a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithm to track an instant location of the head-mounted display; (Bhatnagar et al., Pg. 1 ¶ 0020, Pg. 2 ¶ 0025 - 0028, Pg. 3 ¶ 0030 - 0031 and 0033) wherein the processor downloads a plurality of important share maps from the server first when the processor applies the simultaneous localization and mapping algorithm to track the instant location of the head-mounted display; (Bhatnagar et al., Abstract, Figs. 1, 3 - 5 & 8A - 11B, Pg. 1 ¶ 0002 - 0005 and 0020, Pg. 2 ¶ 0025 - 0028, Pg. 3 ¶ 0030 and 0032 - 0033, Pg. 5 ¶ 0041 - Pg. 6 ¶ 0044, Pg. 6 ¶ 0048 - Pg. 7 ¶ 0053, Pg. 8 ¶ 0056 - 0060, Pg. 9 ¶ 0072, Pg. 10 ¶ 0074 and 0077 [“Data captured by the visible light cameras 18, the depth camera 21, and the inertial motion unit 19 can be used to perform simultaneous location and mapping (SLAM) within the physical environment 9, to thereby produce a map of the physical environment including a mesh of reconstructed surfaces, and to locate the computing device 10 within the map of the physical environment 9”, “This data is also useful in relocating the computing device 10 when it is turned on, a process which involves ascertaining its position within the map of the physical environment, and loading in appropriate data from non-volatile memory to volatile memory to display holograms 50 located within the physical environment”, “At 622 the server computing device retrieves and sends to the display device the one or the plurality of map data sets corresponding to the one or the plurality of closest matching fingerprints”, “when a display device retrieves one or a plurality of map data sets to orient and locate itself, it generates a current fingerprint using signal data detected by sensors in the display device. This current fingerprint is compared against existing fingerprint data and statistically analyzed for proximity or degree of disambiguation to candidate fingerprints of the fingerprint data. A ranked list of closest matching fingerprints is generated, and map data corresponding to the closest matching fingerprints is subsequently sent to the display device so that the display device may efficiently load the map data and incorporate it into the local map data stored in the display device memory to efficiently locate and orient itself in the physical environment. Then as 6-DoF tracking continues to run on the display device to leave behind a trajectory of linear map data that is stored as local map data”, “In this embodiment, first display device 30a is a device that has entered environment 306 prior to second display device 30b. As second display device 30b enters the environment 306, the second display device 30b starts a process of orienting itself by obtaining the local map data 36b corresponding to the new environment 306” and “server computing device 200 receives the map data request 48 containing the session-specific identifier 155, then retrieves and sends to the second display device 30b a matching map data set corresponding to the session-specific identifier 155 as the matching map data set 66. The second display device 30b receives from the cloud service 215 the matching map data set 66 corresponding to the session-specific identifier 155. The second display device 30b then stitches the corresponding matching map data set 66 into the local map data 36b to create an integrated map. The second display device 30b then renders one or a plurality of holograms based on the integrated map, causing the display of the second display device 30b to display one or more holograms based on the retrieved map data set 66 corresponding to the session-specific identifier 155. As discussed above, the type of retrieved map data set 66 will be understood to be any set of data that correlate points in the three-dimensional coordinate space in the physical environment to information that help orient and locate the display device in the three-dimensional space”]) wherein the processor downloads a plurality of secondary share maps from the server after the processor downloads the plurality of important share maps from the server, (Bhatnagar et al., Figs. 1 & 7, Pg. 2 ¶ 0028, Pg. 3 ¶ 0033, Pg. 5 ¶ 0041 - 0043, Pg. 6 ¶ 0048 - Pg. 7 ¶ 0049, Pg. 8 ¶ 0056 - 0063, Pg. 9 ¶ 0070 - 0071) and wherein the plurality of important share maps include characteristic points. (Bhatnagar et al., Pg. 2 ¶ 0028, Pg. 5 ¶ 0042 - Pg. 6 ¶ 0046, Pg. 8 ¶ 0058, Pg. 10 ¶ 0074 and 0077) Bhatnagar et al. fail to disclose explicitly wherein the plurality of important share maps include more characteristic points than the plurality of secondary share maps. Pertaining to analogous art, Shahrokni et al. disclose wherein the processor downloads a plurality of important share maps from the server first; (Shahrokni et al., Figs. 26 - 30, 35 & 36, Pg. 4 ¶ 0087 - 0090, Pg. 5 ¶ 0101, Pg. 9 ¶ 0127, Pg. 11 ¶ 0149 - 0153, Pg. 12 ¶ 0159 - 0160, Pg. 13 ¶ 0162, Pg. 16 ¶ 0197 - 0199, Pg. 31 ¶ 0356 - 0363, Pg. 34 ¶ 0384 - 0387, Pg. 34 ¶ 0391 - Pg. 35 ¶ 0392, Pg. 35 ¶ 0399, Pg. 36 ¶ 0406 and 0409) wherein the processor downloads a plurality of secondary share maps from the server after the processor downloads the plurality of important share maps from the server, (Shahrokni et al., Figs. 26 - 30, 35 & 36, Pg. 4 ¶ 0087 - 0090, Pg. 5 ¶ 0101, Pg. 9 ¶ 0127, Pg. 11 ¶ 0149 - 0153, Pg. 12 ¶ 0159 - 0160, Pg. 13 ¶ 0162, Pg. 16 ¶ 0197 - 0199, Pg. 31 ¶ 0356 - 0363, Pg. 34 ¶ 0384 - 0387, Pg. 34 ¶ 0391 - Pg. 35 ¶ 0392, Pg. 35 ¶ 0399, Pg. 36 ¶ 0406 and 0409) and wherein the plurality of important share maps include more characteristic points than the plurality of secondary share maps. (Shahrokni et al., Pg. 16 ¶ 0197 - 0199, Pg. 31 ¶ 0356 - 0362, Pg. 33 ¶ 0380 - 0382, Pg. 34 ¶ 0384 - 0387, Pg. 35 ¶ 0399, Pg. 36 ¶ 0406 and 0409 [“Act 304 may provide a third filtered selection of canonical maps. In some embodiments, the output of Act 304 may only be five of the 50 canonical maps identified following the second filtered selection, for example. The map transmitter 122 then transmits the one or more canonical maps based on the third filtered selection to the viewing device”, “PW module may also determine area identifiers associated with the AR device requesting the environment maps, identify sets of environment maps from the map database based on the area identifiers, filter the sets of environment maps, and transmit the filtered sets of environment maps to the AR devices” and “FIG. 29 provides examples of criteria that may be used to filter candidate maps to yield a set of high-ranking maps. Other criteria may be used instead of or in addition to the described criteria. For example, if multiple candidate maps have similar values of a metric used for filtering out less desirable maps, characteristics of the candidate maps may be used to determine which maps are retained as candidate maps or filtered out. For example, larger or more dense candidate maps may be prioritized over smaller candidate maps.” The Examiner asserts that Shahrokni et al. disclose ranking larger or more dense maps higher than other maps and that a small set of high-ranking maps, such as five maps, may then be downloaded to a head mounted display. The Examiner asserts that, in such an example, the first two of the five ranked maps of Shahrokni et al. correspond to a plurality of important share maps that include more characteristic points than a plurality of secondary share maps and that the bottom three of the five ranked maps of Shahrokni et al. correspond to a plurality of secondary share maps.]) Oi et al. and Bhatnagar et al. are combinable because they are both directed towards image processing systems for indoor positioning and localization. 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 teachings of Oi et al. with the teachings of Bhatnagar et al. A first modification would have been prompted in order to substitute the terminal device of Oi et al. for the head-mounted display (HMD) of Bhatnagar et al. The head-mounted display (HMD) of Bhatnagar et al. could be substituted in place of the terminal device of Oi et al. utilizing well-known techniques in the art and would likely yield predictable results, in that in the combination the HMD of Bhatnagar et al. would be utilized as the terminal device possessed by a user of Oi et al. Furthermore, this modification would have been prompted by the teachings and suggestions of Oi et al. that any type of information processing device may be utilized as their terminal device, see at least page 3 paragraph 0068 of Oi et al. Additionally, a second modification would have been prompted in order to enhance the base device of Oi et al. with the well-known and applicable technique Bhatnagar et al. applied to a comparable device. Downloading a plurality of important share maps first, as taught by Bhatnagar et al., would enhance the base device of Oi et al. by allowing for the most relevant subsets of the global map to be incrementally downloaded from the server with download priority given to subsets of the global map corresponding to positions of the environment that are located closest to the location of the HMD so that a partial map that is likely usable to localize the HMD is available to the base device of Oi et al. as quickly as possible and so that partial maps corresponding to positions of the environment that the HMD is likely to encounter next are subsequently readily available to the base device of Oi et al. thereby improving its overall operational speed and efficiency. Furthermore, this modification would have been prompted by the teachings and suggestions of Oi et al. that only a subset of a global map formed by position data of objects located within a radius from the position coordinates of the terminal device is extracted and downloaded from the server or that only a subset of the global map formed by position data of objects contained in an area, such as a room of a building, where the terminal device is located is extracted and downloaded from the server in order to reduce communication and processing costs, see at least page 3 paragraph 0078 - page 4 paragraph 0081, page 4 paragraph 0089 - page 5 paragraph 0092 and page 10 paragraphs 0169 - 0172 of Oi et al. This combination could be completed according to well-known techniques in the art and would likely yield predictable results, in that an HMD would be utilized as the terminal device of the base device of Oi et al. and in that a plurality of important share maps would be downloaded from the server first so as to allow for the base device of Oi et al. to incrementally and efficiently download subsets of the global map that are most likely usable to localize the current and likely future locations of the HMD as quickly as possible to the base device of Oi et al. as the HMD moves around the environment in order to improve the overall operational speed and efficiency of the base device of Oi et al. In addition, Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. and Shahrokni et al. are combinable because they are all directed towards image processing systems for indoor positioning and localization. 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 combined teachings of Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. with the teachings of Shahrokni et al. This modification would have been prompted in order to substitute the map data retrieval ranking metric(s) of Bhatnagar et al. for the map retrieval ranking criteria of Shahrokni et al. The map retrieval ranking criteria of Shahrokni et al. could be substituted in place of the map data retrieval ranking metric(s) of Bhatnagar et al. using well-known techniques in the art and would likely yield predictable results, in that in the combination partial maps with large numbers of characteristic points would be ranked higher than, and thus downloaded before, partial maps that have fewer characteristic points. Furthermore, this modification would enhance the combined base device of Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. with the well-known and applicable technique Shahrokni et al. applied to a comparable device. Ranking the share maps such that share maps that include more characteristic points, i.e., important share maps, are downloaded before share maps that include fewer characteristic points, i.e., secondary share maps, as taught by Shahrokni et al., would enhance the combined base device by improving its ability to quickly identify a share map usable to localize the HMD since relevant share maps that include larger numbers of characteristic points and thus are more likely to be usable to localize the HMD would be ranked higher and downloaded before relevant share maps with fewer characteristic points and therefore improving the overall operational speed and efficiency of the combined base device. Moreover, this modification would have been prompted by the teachings and suggestions of Bhatnagar et al. that their ranked list is generated based on statistical analysis and that a variety of statistical analysis tools can be applied to optimize their device for different scenarios, such as to favor load speeds, see at least page 6 paragraph 0048 and page 8 paragraphs 0057 - 0058 of Bhatnagar et al. This combination could be completed according to well-known techniques in the art and would likely yield predictable results, in that partial maps with large numbers of characteristic points would be ranked higher than, and thus downloaded before, partial maps that have fewer characteristic points so as to improve the ability of the combined base device to quickly identify a partial map that is usable to localize the HMD and thereby improve its overall operational speed and efficiency. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Oi et al. with Bhatnagar et al. and Shahrokni et al. to obtain the invention as specified in claims 1 and 11.
- With regards to claims 4 and 14, Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. disclose the indoor space positioning method and system as claimed in claims 1 and 11, respectively, wherein the processor in the terminal device enables the transmission interface to download a portion of a share map which is within a spatial range of the initial share map that corresponds to the initial image from the server. (Oi et al., Figs. 1, 3 - 6C & 16, Pg. 1 ¶ 0065 - Pg. 3 ¶ 0068, Pg. 3 ¶ 0073 - 0075, Pg. 4 ¶ 0084 - 0090, Pg. 10 ¶ 0168 - 0172, Pg. 12 ¶ 0192) Oi et al. fail to disclose explicitly the head-mounted display, and downloading a plurality of partial share maps. Pertaining to analogous art, Bhatnagar et al. disclose wherein the processor in the head-mounted display enables the transmission interface to download a plurality of partial share maps which are within a spatial range of the initial share map from the server. (Bhatnagar et al., Figs. 1 & 7, Pg. 2 ¶ 0028, Pg. 3 ¶ 0033, Pg. 5 ¶ 0041 - 0043, Pg. 6 ¶ 0048 - Pg. 7 ¶ 0049, Pg. 8 ¶ 0058 - 0063, Pg. 9 ¶ 0070 - 0071) 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 combined teachings of Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. with additional teachings of Bhatnagar et al. This modification would have been prompted in order to enhance the combined base device of Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. with the well-known and applicable technique Bhatnagar et al. applied to a comparable device. Downloading a plurality of partial share maps which are within a spatial range of the initial share map, as taught by Bhatnagar et al., would enhance the combined base device by allowing for the most relevant subsets of the global map to be incrementally downloaded from the server with download priority given to subsets of the global map corresponding to positions of the environment that are located closest to the location of the HMD so that the partial map closest to the HMD is available to the combined base device as quickly as possible and so that partial maps corresponding to positions of the environment that the HMD is likely to encounter next are subsequently readily available to the combined base device thereby improving its overall operational speed and efficiency. Furthermore, this modification would have been prompted by the teachings and suggestions of Oi et al. that only a subset of a global map formed by position data of objects located within a radius from the position coordinates of the terminal device is extracted and downloaded from the server or that only a subset of the global map formed by position data of objects contained in an area, such as a room of a building, where the terminal device is located is extracted and downloaded from the server in order to reduce communication and processing costs, see at least page 3 paragraph 0078 - page 4 paragraph 0081, page 4 paragraph 0089 - page 5 paragraph 0092 and page 10 paragraphs 0169 - 0172 of Oi et al. This combination could be completed according to well-known techniques in the art and would likely yield predictable results, in that a plurality of partial share maps which are within a spatial range of the initial share map would be downloaded from the server so as to allow for the combined base device to incrementally and efficiently download subsets of the global map that are most relevant to the current and likely future locations of the HMD so that partial maps corresponding to locations of the HMD are available as quickly as possible to the combined base device as the HMD moves around the environment in order to improve the overall operational speed and efficiency of the combined base device. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. with additional teachings of Bhatnagar et al. to obtain the invention as specified in claims 4 and 14.
- With regards to claims 5 and 15, Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. disclose the indoor space positioning method and system as claimed in claims 1 and 11, respectively, wherein the processor in the terminal device enables the transmission interface to download a portion of a share map which is adjacent to the initial share map that corresponds to the initial image from the server. (Oi et al., Figs. 1, 3 - 6C & 16, Pg. 1 ¶ 0065 - Pg. 3 ¶ 0068, Pg. 3 ¶ 0073 - 0075, Pg. 4 ¶ 0084 - 0090, Pg. 10 ¶ 0168 - 0172, Pg. 12 ¶ 0192) Oi et al. fail to disclose explicitly the head-mounted display, and downloading a plurality of partial share maps. Pertaining to analogous art, Bhatnagar et al. disclose wherein the processor in the head-mounted display enables the transmission interface to download a plurality of partial share maps which are adjacent to the initial share map from the server. (Bhatnagar et al., Figs. 1 & 7, Pg. 2 ¶ 0028, Pg. 3 ¶ 0033, Pg. 5 ¶ 0041 - 0043, Pg. 6 ¶ 0048 - Pg. 7 ¶ 0049, Pg. 8 ¶ 0058 - 0063, Pg. 9 ¶ 0070 - 0071) 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 combined teachings of Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. with additional teachings of Bhatnagar et al. This modification would have been prompted in order to enhance the combined base device of Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. with the well-known and applicable technique Bhatnagar et al. applied to a comparable device. Downloading a plurality of partial share maps which are adjacent to the initial share map, as taught by Bhatnagar et al., would enhance the combined base device by allowing for the most relevant subsets of the global map to be incrementally downloaded from the server with download priority given to subsets of the global map corresponding to positions of the environment that are located closest to the location of the HMD so that the partial map closest to the HMD is available to the combined base device as quickly as possible and so that partial maps corresponding to positions of the environment that the HMD is likely to encounter next are subsequently readily available to the combined base device thereby improving its overall operational speed and efficiency. Furthermore, this modification would have been prompted by the teachings and suggestions of Oi et al. that only a subset of a global map formed by position data of objects located within a radius from the position coordinates of the terminal device is extracted and downloaded from the server or that only a subset of the global map formed by position data of objects contained in an area, such as a room of a building, where the terminal device is located is extracted and downloaded from the server in order to reduce communication and processing costs, see at least page 3 paragraph 0078 - page 4 paragraph 0081, page 4 paragraph 0089 - page 5 paragraph 0092 and page 10 paragraphs 0169 - 0172 of Oi et al. This combination could be completed according to well-known techniques in the art and would likely yield predictable results, in that a plurality of partial share maps which are adjacent to the initial share map would be downloaded from the server so as to allow for the combined base device to incrementally and efficiently download subsets of the global map that are most relevant to the current and likely future locations of the HMD so that partial maps corresponding to locations of the HMD are available as quickly as possible to the combined base device as the HMD moves around the environment in order to improve the overall operational speed and efficiency of the combined base device. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. with additional teachings of Bhatnagar et al. to obtain the invention as specified in claims 5 and 15.
- With regards to claims 6 and 16, Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. disclose the indoor space positioning method and system as claimed in claims 1 and 11, respectively, wherein the processor divides the indoor space into a plurality of blocks, (Oi et al., Figs. 3, 4 & 6C, Pg. 2 ¶ 0066 - 0067, Pg. 3 ¶ 0072 - 0075 and 0078 - 0080, Pg. 4 ¶ 0090, Pg. 5 ¶ 0092, Pg. 12 ¶ 0192 [“the partial global map extracting unit 40 of the map management server 10 extracts the partial global map formed by position data of objects located within a radius D[m] from the position coordinates, for example, and sends the extracted partial global map back to the terminal device 100. The global map acquiring unit 130 can thereby acquire the partial global map corresponding to the local area having a predefined width” and “the global map acquiring unit 130 of the terminal device 100 transmits an identifier (hereinafter referred to as an area identifier) for identifying an area where the terminal device 100 is located to the map management server 10. The area identifier may be an access point identifier of a wireless access point to which the terminal device 100 can access, for example. Further, when one whole building is the service area AG, the area identifier may be a number identifying a floor or room where the terminal device 100 is located. Receiving the area identifier, the partial global map extracting unit 40 of the map management server 10 extracts the partial global map formed by position data of objects contained in the area indicated by the area identifier, and sends the extracted partial global map back to the terminal device 100”]) and each block of the plurality of blocks corresponds to a partial share map; (Oi et al., Figs. 3, 4 & 6C, Pg. 2 ¶ 0066 - 0067, Pg. 3 ¶ 0072 - 0075 and 0078 - 0080, Pg. 4 ¶ 0090, Pg. 5 ¶ 0092) wherein the processor in the terminal device enables the transmission interface to download the initial share map that corresponds to the initial image from the server. (Oi et al., Abstract, Figs. 5 - 6C & 16, Pg. 2 ¶ 0066 - 0067, Pg. 3 ¶ 0071 - 0075, Pg. 4 ¶ 0087 - Pg. 5 ¶ 0092, Pg. 10 ¶ 0169 - 0172) Oi et al. fail to disclose explicitly the head-mounted display, and downloading partial share maps which surround the initial share map. Pertaining to analogous art, Bhatnagar et al. disclose wherein the processor in the head-mounted display enables the transmission interface to download partial share maps which surround the initial share map from the server. (Bhatnagar et al., Figs. 1 & 7, Pg. 2 ¶ 0028, Pg. 3 ¶ 0033, Pg. 5 ¶ 0041 - 0043, Pg. 6 ¶ 0048 - Pg. 7 ¶ 0049, Pg. 8 ¶ 0058 - 0063, Pg. 9 ¶ 0070 - 0071) 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 combined teachings of Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. with additional teachings of Bhatnagar et al. This modification would have been prompted in order to enhance the combined base device of Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. with the well-known and applicable technique Bhatnagar et al. applied to a comparable device. Downloading partial share maps which surround the initial share map, as taught by Bhatnagar et al., would enhance the combined base device by allowing for the most relevant subsets of the global map to be incrementally downloaded from the server with download priority given to subsets of the global map corresponding to positions of the environment that are located closest to the location of the HMD so that the partial map closest to the HMD is available to the combined base device as quickly as possible and so that partial maps corresponding to positions of the environment that the HMD is likely to encounter next are subsequently readily available to the combined base device thereby improving its overall operational speed and efficiency. Furthermore, this modification would have been prompted by the teachings and suggestions of Oi et al. that only a subset of a global map formed by position data of objects located within a radius from the position coordinates of the terminal device is extracted and downloaded from the server or that only a subset of the global map formed by position data of objects contained in an area, such as a room of a building, where the terminal device is located is extracted and downloaded from the server in order to reduce communication and processing costs, see at least page 3 paragraph 0078 - page 4 paragraph 0081, page 4 paragraph 0089 - page 5 paragraph 0092 and page 10 paragraphs 0169 - 0172 of Oi et al. This combination could be completed according to well-known techniques in the art and would likely yield predictable results, in that partial share maps which surround the initial share map would be downloaded from the server so as to allow for the combined base device to incrementally and efficiently download subsets of the global map that are most relevant to the current and likely future locations of the HMD so that partial maps corresponding to locations of the HMD are available as quickly as possible to the combined base device as the HMD moves around the environment in order to improve the overall operational speed and efficiency of the combined base device. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. with additional teachings of Bhatnagar et al. to obtain the invention as specified in claims 6 and 16.
- With regards to claims 7 and 17, Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. disclose the indoor space positioning method and system as claimed in claims 6 and 11, respectively, wherein when the terminal device moves, the processor enables the transmission interface to download from the server a current share map that corresponds to a current location and a portion of a map adjacent to the current share map. (Oi et al., Figs. 1, 4 - 6C & 16, Pg. 2 ¶ 0065 - 00Pg. 3 ¶ 0068, Pg. 3 ¶ 0077 - 0080, Pg. 4 ¶ 0086 - Pg. 5 ¶ 0092, Pg. 9 ¶ 0158 Pg. 11 ¶ 0177, Pg. 12 ¶ 0192) Oi et al. fail to disclose explicitly the head-mounted display, and downloading a plurality of current partial maps. Pertaining to analogous art, Bhatnagar et al. disclose wherein when the head-mounted display moves, (Bhatnagar et al., Pg. 1 ¶ 0020, Pg. 2 ¶ 0025 - 0028, Pg. 3 ¶ 0030 - 0033, Pg. 5 ¶ 0043 - Pg. 6 ¶ 0046, Pg. 8 ¶ 0058 - 0060) the processor enables the transmission interface to download from the server a current share map that corresponds to a current location and a plurality of current partial maps adjacent to the current share map. (Bhatnagar et al., Figs. 1 & 7, Pg. 2 ¶ 0028, Pg. 3 ¶ 0033, Pg. 5 ¶ 0041 - 0043, Pg. 6 ¶ 0048 - Pg. 7 ¶ 0049, Pg. 8 ¶ 0058 - 0063, Pg. 9 ¶ 0070 - 0071) 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 combined teachings of Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. with additional teachings of Bhatnagar et al. This modification would have been prompted in order to enhance the combined base device of Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. with the well-known and applicable technique Bhatnagar et al. applied to a comparable device. Downloading a plurality of current partial maps adjacent to a current share map, as taught by Bhatnagar et al., would enhance the combined base device by allowing for the most relevant subsets of the global map to be incrementally downloaded from the server with download priority given to subsets of the global map corresponding to positions of the environment that are located closest to the location of the HMD so that the partial map closest to the HMD is available to the combined base device as quickly as possible and so that partial maps corresponding to positions of the environment that the HMD is likely to encounter next are subsequently readily available to the combined base device thereby improving its overall operational speed and efficiency. Furthermore, this modification would have been prompted by the teachings and suggestions of Oi et al. that only a subset of a global map formed by position data of objects located within a radius from the position coordinates of the terminal device is extracted and downloaded from the server or that only a subset of the global map formed by position data of objects contained in an area, such as a room of a building, where the terminal device is located is extracted and downloaded from the server in order to reduce communication and processing costs, see at least page 3 paragraph 0078 - page 4 paragraph 0081, page 4 paragraph 0089 - page 5 paragraph 0092 and page 10 paragraphs 0169 - 0172 of Oi et al. This combination could be completed according to well-known techniques in the art and would likely yield predictable results, in that a plurality of partial share maps adjacent to the current share map would be downloaded from the server so as to allow for the combined base device to incrementally and efficiently download subsets of the global map that are most relevant to the current and likely future locations of the HMD so that partial maps corresponding to locations of the HMD are available as quickly as possible to the combined base device as the HMD moves around the environment in order to improve the overall operational speed and efficiency of the combined base device. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. with additional teachings of Bhatnagar et al. to obtain the invention as specified in claims 7 and 17.
- With regards to claims 10 and 20, Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. disclose the indoor space positioning method and system as claimed in claims 1 and 11, respectively, wherein when the processor tracks the terminal device and detects that the terminal device moves to a current location the camera captures a current image, (Oi et al., Figs. 1, 4 - 8 & 16, Pg. 3 ¶ 0068 - 0075, Pg. 4 ¶ 0086 - 0091, Pg. 5 ¶ 0093 - 0097 and 0104 - 0105, Pg. 7 ¶ 0133 - 0136, Pg. 9 ¶ 0158 - 0161, Pg. 10 ¶ 0169 - 0172, Pg. 11 ¶ 0177, Pg. 12 ¶ 0190 - 0192) the processor enables the transmission interface to transform the current image into a plurality of characteristic values and generate space information, (Oi et al., Figs. 2, 4, 12 & 15A, Pg. 3 ¶ 0072 - 0075, Pg. 5 ¶ 0093 - 0097 and 0102 - 0105, Pg. 7 ¶ 0123 - Pg. 8 ¶ 0140) then transmits the plurality of characteristic values and the space information to the server, (Oi et al., Figs. 12 & 16, Pg. 7 ¶ 0136 - Pg. 8 ¶ 0140, Pg. 9 ¶ 0157 - 0161, Pg. 10 ¶ 0173 - Pg. 11 ¶ 0177) and the server applies the plurality of characteristic values and the space information to update a partial map that corresponds to the current location thereby building a new version of the partial map; (Oi et al., Figs. 12 & 16, Pg. 4 ¶ 0082 - 0083, Pg. 7 ¶ 0136 - Pg. 8 ¶ 0141, Pg. 9 ¶ 0157 - Pg. 10 ¶ 0166, Pg. 10 ¶ 0173 - Pg. 11 ¶ 0177) wherein the server updates a map version number and stores the new version of the partial map, after the new version of the partial map is built. (Oi et al., Figs. 12 & 16, Pg. 3 ¶ 0070, Pg. 4 ¶ 0082 - 0083, Pg. 7 ¶ 0136 - Pg. 8 ¶ 0141, Pg. 9 ¶ 0157 - Pg. 10 ¶ 0166, Pg. 10 ¶ 0173 - Pg. 11 ¶ 0177, Pg. 12 ¶ 0191 - 0192) Oi fail to disclose explicitly the head-mounted display. Pertaining to analogous art, Bhatnagar et al. disclose wherein the processor tracks the head-mounted display. (Bhatnagar et al., Pg. 1 ¶ 0020, Pg. 2 ¶ 0025 - 0028, Pg. 3 ¶ 0030 - 0031 and 0033, Pg. 5 ¶ 0043 - Pg. 6 ¶ 0046, Pg. 8 ¶ 0058 - 0063)
Claims 2, 3, 12 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Oi et al. U.S. Publication No. 2011/0224902 A1 in view of Bhatnagar et al. U.S. Publication No. 2019/0287311 A1 in view of Shahrokni et al. U.S. Publication No. 2021/0264674 A1 as applied to claims 1 and 11 above, and further in view of Omran Al Hammadi, Ahmed Al Hebsi, M. Jamal Zemerly and Jason W.P. Ng, "Indoor Localization and Guidance Using Portable Smartphones," IEEE, International Conferences on Web Intelligence and Intelligent Agent Technology, 2012, pages 337 - 341, herein referred to as “Hammadi et al.”.
- With regards to claims 2 and 12, Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. disclose the indoor space positioning method and system as claimed in claims 1 and 11, respectively, wherein the server determines that the terminal device is at the initial location in the indoor space according to information represented by the initial image. (Oi et al., Pg. 3 ¶ 0069 - 0075, Pg. 4 ¶ 0086 - 0091, Pg. 5 ¶ 0095 - 0097, Pg. 7 ¶ 0123 and 0134 - 0136, Pg. 10 ¶ 0169 - 0171) Oi et al. fail to disclose explicitly wherein the initial image is a QR code (Quick Response Code), the head-mounted display, and determining the initial location according to information represented by the QR code. Pertaining to analogous art, Bhatnagar et al. disclose wherein the server determines that the head-mounted display is at the initial location in the indoor space. (Bhatnagar et al., Abstract, Figs. 1, 6 & 7, Pg. 2 ¶ 0024 - 0028, Pg. 3 ¶ 0030 - 0031 and 0033, Pg. 6 ¶ 0044 - Pg. 7 ¶ 0049, Pg. 8 ¶ 0057 - 0063) Bhatnagar et al. fail to disclose explicitly wherein the initial image is a QR code (Quick Response Code), and determining the initial location according to information represented by the QR code. Pertaining to analogous art, Hammadi et al. disclose wherein the initial image is a QR code (Quick Response Code), (Hammadi et al., Pg. 337 Abstract, Pg. 338 Subsection A ¶ 1 - 2, Pg. 338 Subsection B ¶ 1, Pg. 339 Left-Hand Column Lines 1 - 8, Pg. 339 Subsection D, Pg. 340 § III. ¶ 1 - 3, Pg. 341 § IV.) and the server determines that the device is at the initial location in the indoor space according to information represented by the QR code. (Hammadi et al., Pg. 337 Abstract, Pg. 337 § I. ¶ 1 - 2 and 5, Pg. 338 Subsection A - Subsection B, Pg. 339 Subsection B and Subsection D, Pg. 340 § III. ¶ 1 - 3, Pg. 341 § IV.) Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. and Hammadi et al. are combinable because they are all directed towards image processing systems for indoor positioning and localization. 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 combined teachings of Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. with the teachings of Hammadi et al. This modification would have been prompted in order to enhance the combined base device of Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. with the well-known and applicable technique Hammadi et al. applied to a comparable device. Determining the initial location and downloading an indoor map according to an image of a QR code, as taught by Hammadi et al., would enhance the combined base device by improving its ability to accurately and reliably determine a current location of the HMD with a reduced amount of error and uncertainty, and thus also extract a relevant subset of global map data corresponding to the current location of the HMD, since the current location of the HMD would be obtained by imaging a QR code that represents a known and specific position within the indoor space. Furthermore, this modification would have been prompted by the teachings and suggestions of Oi et al. that different techniques, such as matching an input image to a reference image, may be utilized to obtain initial position information of their device and that QR codes may be utilized to identify objects and generate local map data, see at least page 4 paragraphs 0087 - 0090 and page 8 paragraph 0140 of Oi et al. This combination could be completed according to well-known techniques in the art and would likely yield predictable results, in that the initial location would be determined according to an image of a QR code so as to enhance the ability of the combined base device to accurately and reliably determine a current location of the HMD with a reduced amount of error and uncertainty, and thus also extract a relevant subset of global map data corresponding to the current location of the HMD, since the current location of the HMD would be obtained by imaging a QR code that represents a known and specific position within the indoor space. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. with Hammadi et al. to obtain the invention as specified in claims 2 and 12.
- With regards to claims 3 and 13, Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. disclose the indoor space positioning method and system as claimed in claims 1 and 11, respectively, wherein the transmission interface is enabled to download an important share map from the server via the processor in the terminal device. (Oi et al., Abstract, Figs. 5 - 6C & 16, Pg. 2 ¶ 0066 - Pg. 3 ¶ 0068, Pg. 3 ¶ 0071 - 0075, Pg. 4 ¶ 0087 - Pg. 5 ¶ 0092, Pg. 10 ¶ 0169 - 0172, Pg. 12 ¶ 0192) Oi et al. fail to disclose explicitly the head-mounted display, and downloading a map that corresponds to a respective important QR (Quick Response Code) code. Pertaining to analogous art, Bhatnagar et al. disclose wherein the transmission interface is enabled to download an important share map from the server via the processor in the head-mounted display. (Bhatnagar et al., Abstract, Figs. 1, 3 - 4B, 5, 9 & 10, Pg. 3 ¶ 0032 - Pg. 4 ¶ 0035, Pg. 5 ¶ 0041 - Pg. 6 ¶ 0044, Pg. 7 ¶ 0048 - Pg. 7 ¶ 0053, Pg. 8 ¶ 0057 - 0063, Pg. 9 ¶ 0070 - 0071) Bhatnagar et al. fail to disclose explicitly downloading a map that corresponds a respective important QR (Quick Response Code) code. Pertaining to analogous art, Hammadi et al. disclose downloading a share map that corresponds to a respective important QR (Quick Response Code) code. (Hammadi et al., Pg. 337 Abstract, Pg. 338 Subsection B, Pg. 339 Left-Hand Column Lines 1 - 8, Pg. 339 Subsection D, Pg. 340 § III. ¶ 1 - 3, Pg. 341 § IV.) Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. and Hammadi et al. are combinable because they are all directed towards image processing systems for indoor positioning and localization. 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 combined teachings of Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. with the teachings of Hammadi et al. This modification would have been prompted in order to enhance the combined base device of Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. with the well-known and applicable technique Hammadi et al. applied to a comparable device. Downloading an indoor map corresponding to a QR code, as taught by Hammadi et al., would enhance the combined base device by improving its ability to accurately and reliably determine an instant location of the HMD with a reduced amount of error and uncertainty since a subset of global map data relevant to the instant location of the HMD would be retrieved based on a QR code that represents a known and specific position within the indoor space and subsequently utilized to determine the instant location of the HMD thereby enabling the HMD of the combined base device to quickly and efficiently determine its instant location. Furthermore, this modification would have been prompted by the teachings and suggestions of Oi et al. that different techniques, such as matching an input image to a reference image, may be utilized to obtain initial position information of their device and that QR codes may be utilized to identify objects and generate local map data, see at least page 4 paragraphs 0087 - 0090 and page 8 paragraph 0140 of Oi et al. This combination could be completed according to well-known techniques in the art and would likely yield predictable results, in that an indoor map corresponding to a QR code would be downloaded so as to enable the HMD of the combined base device to quickly and efficiently obtain a relevant subset of global map data that is useable to determine the instant location of the HMD. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Oi et al. in view of Bhatnagar et al. in view of Shahrokni et al. with Hammadi et al. to obtain the invention as specified in claims 3 and 13.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Hou et al. U.S. Publication No. 2021/0270613 A1; which is directed towards a method and device for updating a global localization map, wherein a pre-built global localization map for a given area and a plurality of local maps for a plurality of sub-areas in the given area are obtained and the pre-built global localization map is updated based on comparing the pre-built global localization map with the plurality of local maps.
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/ERIC RUSH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2677