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 .
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 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.
Claim(s) 1, 3-11, 13-18 and 21-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iwatsu (WO 2018/158813 A1) (hereinafter rejection rely on provided equivalent English machine translation) in view of Preston (US 2015/0232300 A1) and Schach et al. (US 2018/0111792 A1).
Regarding claims 1, 11 and 17-18, Iwatsu discloses a method, a computer program (e.g. p. 7: software) for executing the method (e.g. process shown in Fig. 4), an elevator system and an arrangement of an elevator system for controlling the elevator system (e.g. Fig. 1: elevator call registration system), the arrangement comprising:
at least one gaze tracking device (e.g. Fig. 1: line of sight recognition camera 10, 12, 13) for capturing a number of images representing at least one eye of a person (e.g. p. 3-4, 7 & 9: line of sight image taken by camera closest to the user’s eye); and
a control unit (e.g. p. 7 & Fig. 5: processor 51 & Fig. 2: 2) configured to, in response to a receipt of the number of images from the gaze tracking device, perform:
detect a predefined input from image data received from the gaze tracking device (e.g. Abstract: point of gaze based on image captured by a gaze recognition camera 10);
detect an intersection of the virtual user interface and a gaze point, the gaze point being related to a detection of the predefined input and determined from the image data received from the gaze tracking device (e.g. Abstract: point of gaze based on image captured by a gaze recognition camera 10; p. 4: point of sight directed to a position corresponding to floor buttons 5, indicator 8, or input start mark 11 for a period of time, for example); and
generate a control signal to the elevator system in accordance with a position of the gaze point intersecting the virtual user interface (e.g. p. 4: operation detection unit 21 detects a call registration operation based on detection position by the line-of-sight recognition unit 17).
Iwatsu fails to disclose, but Preston teaches at least one projector device for projecting a virtual user interface (e.g. [0024, 0025]).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Iwatsu with the teachings of Preston to provide virtual operating panel for an elevator so as to provide panel on each side of the elevator door for convenience (e.g. Preston: [0025]).
Iwatsu and Preston in combination fails to disclose, but Schach teaches:
one or more sensors configured to detect the person (e.g. Fig. 4A: proximity sensor 420 & [0046]); and
wherein the control unit is further configured to control an operation of the at least one projector device such that the virtual user interface is projected by the at least one projector device based on the detection of the person by the one or more sensors (e.g. Figs. 3-4 & [0046]).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Iwatsu and Preston with the teachings of Schach to project image based on detection of a person in proximity to the elevator panel so as to reduce power comsumption when image projection is not needed.
Regarding claims 3, 13, Iwatsu discloses the control unit is configured to perform a detection of at least one of: a blink of the at least one eye of the person; and a position of the gaze point remains stationary with a predefined margin a period of time exceeding a predefined threshold time in at least one image among the number of images(p. 4: point of sight directed to a position corresponding to floor buttons 5, indicator 8, or input start mark 11 for a period of time, for example).
Regarding claims 4, 14, Iwatsu and Preston in combination discloses the control unit is configured to generate the control signal to the elevator system in accordance with the position of the gaze point intersecting the virtual user interface in response to a detection that the gaze point intersects a predefined area of the virtual user interface (e.g. Iwatsu in p. 4: operation detection unit 21 detects a call registration operation based on detection position of passenger gazing at a floor button on a control panel by the line-of-sight recognition unit 17, and Preston in [0024, 0025] teaches elevator is capable of projecting a virtual control panel).
Regarding claims 5 and 15, Iwatsu discloses the control unit is configured to determine a relation of the gaze point to the detection of the predefined input by one of: the gaze point corresponds to a gaze point determined from at least one same image as from which image the predefined input is detected (e.g. p. 4-5 & Fig. 3); and the gaze point corresponds to a gaze point determined from at least one previous image to the image from which the predefined input is detected.
Regarding claims 6 and 16, Preston teaches the projector device is arranged to generate the virtual user interface by projecting the virtual user interface to at least one of: a physical surface (e.g. [0024, 0025]: project image of buttons on surface of elevator); and air.
Regarding claim 7, Preston teaches the projector device is arranged to project the virtual user interface to the physical surface with a light beam (e.g. [0024, 0025]).
Regarding claims 8-10, claims are rejected in view of rejections of claims 6 and 16. Limitations recited in the claims further limit “air” recited in claims 6 and 16; and, claims 6 and 16 have been rejected in view of “physical surface”.
Regarding claim 21, Schach teaches:
the at least one projector device is configured to generate the virtual user interface at a plurality of predefined locations (e.g. Figs. 3-6 & [0003]: landing on each floor of a plurality of floors of a building),
the control unit is configured to select a location of the virtual user interface among the plurality of predefined locations based on input from the one or more sensors (e.g. Figs. 3-6 & [0003]: proximity sensor of each landing door) and cause the at least one projector device (e.g. Figs. 3-6 & [0003]: projector on each landing door) to generate the image at the selected location.
Regarding claim 22, Schach teaches a first projector (e.g. Figs. 3-6 & [0003]: projector on each landing) of the at least one projector device is configured to generate the image at the plurality of predefined locations (e.g. Figs. 3-6 & [0003]: projector on each landing door).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 3-11, 13-18 and 21-22 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.
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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/KAWING CHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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