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 .
● This action is responsive to the following communication: RCE filed on 4/27/2026.
● Claims 1, 3-12, 14 are currently pending; claims 2 & 13 have been canceled.
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 4/27/2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
● 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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 3-12, 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Wespel et al (US 20190302897).
Regarding claim 1, Wespel discloses a method for inputting a message on a terminal (fig. 2A), wherein the method is performed by a processing unit of the terminal and/or a processing unit of a server connected to the terminal and comprises:
detecting an input of initial part (detecting/analyzing initial part of the inputted message, par. 18) of the message;
analyzing the initial part to determine a language [(analyzing/determining via analyzer 15 of the language agent 14 the primary language based upon the initial part of the inputted message, pars. 18-20, fig. 1, 2A, 2C, 4) can be based upon the contents of the message, historical contents, country code, see fig. 1 for more details along with the entire written description)] of the initial part;
setting (setting the language as the primary language after determination, pars. 18-20) the determined language of said initial part as a primary language for said message; and
after having (after determined language and setting the language as primary, pars. 18-20) set the primary language for said message:
detecting (figs. 2A-2I, par. 28) an input of a second part (fig. 2C shows second part of the message include terms “Bandscheibenvorfall” in a second language other than English) of said message in a secondary language (e.g. German, fig. 2c-2e), different from the primary language; and translating (translating “Bandscheibenvorfall” in the second language into primary language, which is English as shown in figs. 2d-2e) into the primary language said second part inputted in the secondary language (figs. 2A-2I, par. 28).
Regarding claim 3, Wespel further discloses the method according to claim 2, wherein detecting the input of the second part of the message, comprises analyzing said second part inputted in the secondary language and detecting a change of language (par. 28).
Regarding claim 4, Wespel further discloses the method according to claim 3, wherein said initial part in the primary language and said second part in the second language comprise a plurality of clauses, the method comprising detecting delimiting punctuations between said clauses and analyzing independently said clauses (pars. 23-26).
Regarding claim 5, Wespel further discloses the method according to claim 4, wherein analyzing a clause comprises analyzing at least one of first words of this clause until the language of said clause is identified (pars. 23-26).
Regarding claim 6, Wespel further discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein determining the primary language and/or detecting the input of the second part of the the secondary language comprises analyzing at least one contextual parameter of the message (par. 28).
Regarding claim 7, Wespel further discloses the method according to claim 6, wherein said at least one contextual parameter is a parameter among a virtual keyboard layout selected by a user, a previous message, information about a recipient of the message and language preferences (pars. 22-23).
Regarding claim 8, Wespel further discloses the method according to claim 1, further comprising replacing, in said message, the part inputted in the secondary language by its translated (fig. 2D) part into the primary language.
Regarding claim 9, Wespel further discloses the method according to claim 8, wherein replacing, in said message, the second part inputted in the secondary language by the second part translated part into the primary language is automatically performed after translating (fig. 2D) into the primary language said second part inputted in the secondary language.
Regarding claim 10, Wespel further discloses the method according to claim 1, further comprising: outputting the second part translated into the primary language along with the second part inputted in the second language, and replacing (fig. 2E), in said message, the second part inputted in the secondary language by its translated second part into the primary language, upon validation on the terminal (1).
Regarding claim 11, Wespel further discloses the method according to claim 10, wherein the translating said second part into the primary language and outputting the second part translated into the primary language along with the second part inputted in the second language are dynamically updated (fig. 2E) while said second part is being inputted in the second language.
Regarding claims 12 & 14 which recite limitations/features that are similar and in the same scope of invention as to those in claim 1 above; therefore, claims 12 & 14 are rejected for the same rejection rationale/basis as described in claim 1.
Response to Arguments
● Applicant's arguments filed 4/27/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
---Regarding independent claims 1, 12, and 14, the applicant argued the cited prior art of record [Wespel et al (US 20190302897)] fails to teach and/or suggest determination of a language of a first part and setting this language as a primary language; and then detecting an input of a second part in another language and translating this second part into the primary language.
In response, the examiner herein fully disagrees. Wespel clearly discloses a method/system for detecting/determining of primary language of the inputted messages (e.g. via email, messaging app such as SMS, WhatsApp, pars. 15, 25, 26) by analyzing (via analyzer 15 as shown in fig. 1) the contents of the inputted messages, country code, historical contents from users, dictionaries data, and etc., as shown in fig. 1). Specifically, Wespel discloses:
detecting an input of initial part (detecting/analyzing initial part of the inputted message, par. 18) of the message;
analyzing the initial part to determine a language [(analyzing/determining via analyzer 15 of the language agent 14 the primary language based upon the initial part of the inputted message, pars. 18-20, fig. 1, 2A, 2C, 4) can be based upon the contents of the message, historical contents, country code, see fig. 1 for more details along with the entire written description)] of the initial part;
setting (setting the language as the primary language after determination, pars. 18-20) the determined language of said initial part as a primary language for said message; and
after having (after determined language and setting the language as primary, pars. 18-20) set the primary language for said message:
detecting (figs. 2A-2I, par. 28) an input of a second part (fig. 2C shows second part of the message include terms “Bandscheibenvorfall” in a second language other than English) of said message in a secondary language (e.g. German, fig. 2c-2e), different from the primary language; and translating (translating “Bandscheibenvorfall” in the second language into primary language, which is English as shown in figs. 2d-2e) into the primary language said second part inputted in the secondary language (figs. 2A-2I, par. 28).
[0018] The language agent 14, via an analyzer 15 enabled by a processor of the user device 12, makes determinations as to the language or languages being used or expected to be used by a user of the messaging application 16. The language agent 14 initiates in a user interface 20 of the user device 12 a data interface such as keyboards 22 including appropriate language characters or elements of one or more languages. The language agent 14 further enables auto-correction and auto-translate in a determined language or languages based on one or more language dictionaries 30, 34. Auto-correction as described herein includes automatically correcting misspelled words inputted by a user, or the proposing of user-selectable alternate words in response to incorrectly spelled words, as shown for example in FIG. 2F. Auto-correction as described herein also includes automatically completing incomplete words only partially inputted by a user, or the proposing of user-selectable complete words in response to incomplete words only partially inputted by a user (i.e., “auto-complete”). In the case that a particular computer operating system or a particular messaging application 16 does not allow access to keyboard functionalities, the language agent 14 enables keyboards 22 as virtual keyboards in communication with the messaging application 16 and including appropriate language characters or elements. The language agent 14 can further enable audio language input via a microphone of the user device 12 which input can be converted to text and auto-translated based on the one or more dictionaries 30, 34. Alternatively, the language agent 14 can enable other input devices for inputting characters or words into a message.
[0020] A contact language datastore 32 includes a designation of preferred languages between particular contacts, for example as shown in the abridged language listing set forth in Table 2 below. The language agent 14 via the analyzer 15 determines based on evaluation of messages in the message datastore 18 or real-time analysis of drafted messages, the preferred languages for communication between the user of the user device 12 and particular parties. The language agent 14 populates the contact language datastore 32 with preferred language information which can include one or more preferred languages transmitted by the user to a particular party and the one or more preferred languages received by the user from the particular party. Data in the contact language datastore 32 beneficially takes precedence over data in the country code datastore 28 for making a determination of the language settings (e.g., keyboard type, auto-correct language, auto-translate language) used for messaging with a particular contact. The contact language datastore 32 is updated based on communications occurring within one or more messaging application 16 (e.g., SMS, email, WhatsApp™) supported by the language agent 14.
[0028] A person's passive knowledge of a non-native language may be greater than the user's active knowledge such that during communication in the non-native language one or more words in the non-native may be unknown to the person. The user of the user device 12 while generating a message in a particular language in the messaging application 16 is enabled to enter language elements in another language, wherein the analyzer 15 translates terms to the predominant particular language of the communication. This functionality is enabled since the language agent 14 maintains a record of languages used by the user of the user device 12, for example in the contact language datastore 32 and the message datastore 18. For purposes of illustration, a native German speaker entering an English message does not know a particular word and uses an equivalent German word instead. The analyzer 15 implementing full German and English dictionaries 30 is configured to translate the German word to English WHILE the user is entering the message in the messaging application 16. For example referring to FIGS. 2C, 2D, and 2E, a German-speaking user types using the German keyboard 22b the mixed-language message “I'm sorry I can't visit today. I just had a Bandscheibenvorfall.” The analyzer 15, based on full English and German dictionaries 30, determines that the predominant language in the communication is English and that “Bandscheibenvorfall” is a German word. Responsive thereto, the language agent 14 automatically corrects “Bandscheibenvorfall” to read “slipped disk” based on definitions in the English and German dictionaries 30. The language agent 14 further offers “herniated disk” and “slipped lumbar disk” as user-selectable alternate translation buttons 23 in the user interface 20. In FIG. 2E, the button 23 corresponding to “herniated disk” is shown as actuated by a user, and responsive thereto the language agent 14 modifies the translation from “slipped disk” to “herniated disk” in the user interface 20.
Conclusion
● The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
---US 20140350916 to Swerdlow et al, teaches a technique for identifying and translating secondary language into primary language.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THIERRY L PHAM whose telephone number is (571)272-7439. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 11-6.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Hai Phan can be reached at (571)272-6338. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/THIERRY L PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2654
Prosecution Insights