DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the Applicants' communication filed on April 24, 2026, Claims 1, 3, 5-13, 20, 22-30 are currently pending and have been examined.
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 04/24/2026 has been entered.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Arguments
Regarding limitations of Claims of the instant case in view of the amended Claims and upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection, necessitated by the amendments is made in view of different interpretation of the previously applied references and new prior art as presented in this Office action. Therefore, Applicant’s arguments are moot.
Claim Objections
Claim 20 is objected to because of the following informalities: The original claim language “…the apparatus information for identifying the apparatus in a communication with the second apparatus via the network”, where the second apparatus has no precedent.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 of this title, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 20, 22-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20230129867 A1 (Casas), in view of US 20210352128 A1 (Jayaweera) and in further view of US 20130155173 A1 (Brady).
Regarding Claims 20 and 25-26:
A system, comprising: an apparatus including a display and first circuitry; and a terminal apparatus connected with the apparatus via a network, wherein the first circuitry is configured to output an image including apparatus information on the display, the apparatus information for identifying the apparatus in a communication with the second apparatus via the network, the terminal apparatus includes an imaging device and second circuitry, and the second circuitry is configured to: acquire the apparatus information output on the display by capturing the image displayed on the display with the imaging device; and communicate with the apparatus based on the apparatus information, and the first circuitry is further configured to output the apparatus information; and communicate with the terminal apparatus via the network (Casas: Figs. 1-2 audio conference systems that may multiple user devices (terminal device and 2nd apparatus) and one or more server devices (1st apparatus)
A system, comprising:
a first apparatus; a second apparatus; and
a terminal apparatus connected to the second apparatus via a network (Casas: Figs. 1-2 audio conference systems that may multiple user devices (terminal device and 2nd apparatus) and one or more server devices (1st apparatus); Figs. 1-3A-B, system configurations for a conference where the system comprises speaker(s), microphone(s), user interface (e.g., display for video and/or message, goggles or a headset with display that support augmented reality, communication interface and etc.); the conference system have a multiple participated users/devices and a server; the conference participators (user devices) perform audio communication among themselves through the server, where each conference participator would need to register onto the conference call before be enabled to communication through the system (this is info on terminal device, 2nd or nth devices are registered and used for facilitating communication among participators and controls by the server/hosting device), wherein
the first apparatus includes first circuitry configured to:
input and output audio;
acquire second apparatus information output from the second apparatus, the second apparatus information for identifying the second apparatus in a communication with the second apparatus via the network; and
transmit the second apparatus information to the terminal apparatus, and the second apparatus includes second circuitry configured to (Casas: Figs. 1-3A-B, system configurations for a conference where the system comprises speaker(s), microphone(s), user interface (e.g., display for video and/or message, goggles or a headset with display that support augmented reality, communication interface and etc.); the conference system have a multiple participated users/devices and a server; the conference participators (user devices) perform audio communication among themselves through the server, where each conference participator would need to register onto the conference call before be enabled to communication through the system (this is info on terminal device, 2nd or nth devices are registered and used for facilitating communication among participators and controls by the server/hosting device)):
Casas does not illustrate explicitly on a conference system with an image/video capturing/sharing functions. However, Jayaweera teaches (Jayaweera: Figs. 1-3A-C, a multiple party conference system with a host device (1st apparatus), and conference session registration process; Fig. 12 illustrates an exemplar method of transmit and/or receive audio, video, and/or data to/from each participant devices; and [0072], a peripheral device with a camera, which can capture and share additional visual info; Fig. 14 further provides an example for sharing among multi-user; in addition, Brady illustrates: Figs. 1A-C, a video conference system that includes multiple users/devices, a video conference unit, and a web server; Fig. 2A-B, 4A-B, a QR-code is generated and transmitted to the videoconference unit; Figs. 5A-B, multiple users/devices are connected to the conference system by imaging the QR-code displayed on the videoconference unit to establish communication links).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was made to modify Jayaweera with a conference system with an image/video capturing/sharing functions as further taught by Jayaweera and Brady. The advantage of doing so is to permit online conference participants to dynamically extend their resources used in a conference/session as well as provide tools or features that facilitate various transactions during such conference/session (Jayaweera: [0003]-[0006]).
Regarding Claim 22, Casas as modified further teaches:
The system according to claim 20, wherein the apparatus further includes a communication circuit, and the first circuitry of the apparatus is configured to control the communication circuit to transmit the apparatus information via short-range wireless communication. (Casas: e.g., [0064], through WIFI).
Regarding Claim 23, Casas as modified further teaches:
The system according to claim 20,further comprising: an information processing server including server circuitry configured to receive information on a communication held in the system, wherein the first circuitry of the apparatus is further configured to: in response to a request for participation of the apparatus in the communication, transmit a notification of participation of the apparatus in the communication to the information processing server; and start outputting the apparatus information, and the server circuitry of the information processing server is configured to, in response to receiving the apparatus information, associate the apparatus with the terminal apparatus participating in the communication (Casas: Figs. 4, 9 and [0055]-[0059]; Jayaweera: Figs. 5, 7, 9).
Regarding Claim 24, Casas as modified further teaches:
The system according to claim 20, wherein the apparatus information is an internet protocol address of the apparatus or a device identifier of the apparatus (Jayaweera: Fig. 10 and [0074]-[0079]).
Regarding Claim 27, Casas as modified further teaches:
The system according to claim 20, wherein the image is a two-dimensional code (Brady: e.g., Fig. 5A).
Regarding Claim 28, Casas as modified further teaches:
28. (New) The system according to claim 20, wherein the terminal device analyzes the image to acquire the apparatus information (Brady: e.g., Fig. 5A).
Regarding Claim 29, Casas as modified further teaches:
29. (New) The system according to claim 20, wherein the first circuitry is further configured to output the image on the display such that the image changes with time (Brady: e.g., Fig. 4A, where the QR-code may change or update).
Regarding Claim 30, Casas as modified further teaches:
30. (New) The system according to claim 20, wherein the first circuitry is further configured to stop display of the image in a case of an absence of communication with the terminal device for a period of time (Brady: Fig. 4A, in case of no conference is scheduled, there is no need to generate and display QR-Code).
Allowable Subject Matter
The Claims 1, 3 and 5-13 are allowed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZHITONG CHEN whose telephone number is (571)270-1936. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9:30am - 5pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Yuwen Pan can be reached on 571-272-7855. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/ZHITONG CHEN/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2649
Prosecution Insights