Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 18/125,723

FUNCTION EXECUTION METHOD AND APPARATUS

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Mar 23, 2023
Priority
Sep 24, 2020 — CN 202011016477.0 +1 more
Examiner
SHIBEROU, MAHELET
Art Unit
2171
Tech Center
2100 — Computer Architecture & Software
Assignee
Vivo Mobile Communication Co., Ltd.
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
73%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 73% — above average
73%
Career Allowance Rate
424 granted / 578 resolved
+18.4% vs TC avg
Strong +27% interview lift
Without
With
+26.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
31 currently pending
Career history
602
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
11.7%
-28.3% vs TC avg
§103
66.5%
+26.5% vs TC avg
§102
7.7%
-32.3% vs TC avg
§112
7.6%
-32.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 578 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
DETAILED ACTION 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 Request for Continued Examination (RCE) filed on 6/25/2026. Claims 1-18 are pending in the case. 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. Claims 1-2, 7-8, and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chae et al. (KR 2016-0050571 cited on IDS 5/29/2024, hereinafter Chae) in view of Kim et al. (US 20180359350 A1, hereinafter Kim). As to independent claim 1, Chae discloses a function execution method, comprising: receiving a first input by a user at least one first identifier is displayed in a system status bar on a screen (“The control unit 180 may display any one or more of a notification bar and a setting bar in a displayed status bar. The notification bar may include at least one item (e.g., an icon) informing the user that a specific event (e.g., receiving a message or receiving a text) has occurred. The setting bar may include one or more items (e.g., icons) that allow the user to change the operating settings of the mobile terminal 100 (e.g., adjusting the screen brightness or volume magnitude). The type of touch input directly into the state may include a short-touch or a long-touch, but the present invention is not limited thereto.” See Page 6 of the attached pdf); wherein the at least one first identifier comprises at least one of the following: an identifier of an unread message (“The notification bar may include at least one item (e.g., an icon) informing the user that a specific event (e.g., receiving a message or receiving a text) has occurred.” See Page 6 of pdf), an identifier of prompt information (prompting the user of a message application running in a background), or an identifier of a system function (“The setting bar may include one or more items (e.g., icons) that allow the user to change the operating settings of the mobile terminal 100 (e.g., adjusting the screen brightness or volume magnitude).” Page 6), wherein the prompt information is used for prompting the user of an application running in a background, and the first input is an input by the user on a target identifier in the at least one first identifier (“The type of touch input directly into the state may include a short-touch or a long-touch, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The type of the application execution screen to be displayed later may be changed depending on the kind of touch input directly to the state, which will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 3 to FIG..” page 6); and in response to the first input, an input parameter of the first input matches a first preset input parameter, performing a target operation corresponding to both the target identifier and the first preset input parameter (“When the long touch input is obtained by the first application icon 11 included in the status bar 1, the control unit 180 displays the first application corresponding to the selected first application icon (or the instant messenger application icon 11). The preview screen 7 including the event information generated in the mobile terminal When the long touch input is obtained by the first application icon 11 included in the status bar 1, the control unit 180 displays the first application corresponding to the selected first application icon (or the instant messenger application icon 11) The preview screen 7 including the event information generated in the mobile terminal” Page 9). Chae does not appear to expressly teach wherein when the first input is a drag input dragging the target identifier, performing the target operation corresponding to both the target identifier and the first preset input parameter comprises: displaying a preset area during the drag input; and when the target identifier is dragged into the preset area, deleting the target identifier from the system status bar on the screen. Kim teaches wherein when the first input is a drag input dragging the target identifier, performing the target operation corresponding to both the target identifier and the first preset input parameter comprises: displaying a preset area to guide the user to drag the target identifier into the preset area (“information 802 related to an event is displayed in the first extended display region 151a, and guide information (for example, ‘push and delete’) related to event processing may be displayed in the second extended display region 151b.” paragraph 0185); and when the target identifier is dragged into the preset area, deleting the target identifier from the system status bar on the screen (“when a user applies a drag input or a flicking input in a right direction to the second extended display region 151b in response to the guide information, and the display of the information 802 related to the event disappears while the relevant event notification is deleted.” Paragraph 0185). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Chae to comprise wherein when the first input is a drag input dragging the target identifier, performing the target operation corresponding to both the target identifier and the first preset input parameter comprises: displaying a preset area during the drag input; and when the target identifier is dragged into the preset area, deleting the target identifier from the system status bar on the screen. One would been motivated to make such a combination to improve user experience. As to dependent claim 2, Chae further discloses wherein the system status bar comprises a first area and a second area, wherein the first area is associated with a message notification page, and the message notification page is configured to display preview information of the unread message and preview information of the prompt information; the second area is associated with a control page, the control page is configured to display at least one target control, and each target control is configured to enable or disable a function (“The control unit 180 may display any one or more of a notification bar and a setting bar in a displayed status bar. The notification bar may include at least one item (e.g., an icon) informing the user that a specific event (e.g., receiving a message or receiving a text) has occurred. The setting bar may include one or more items (e.g., icons) that allow the user to change the operating settings of the mobile terminal 100 (e.g., adjusting the screen brightness or volume magnitude). The type of touch input directly into the state may include a short-touch or a long-touch, but the present invention is not limited thereto.” Page 6); and after the performing a target operation corresponding to both the target identifier and the first preset input parameter, the method further comprises: receiving a second input by the user on a target area, wherein the target area is the first area or the second area; and displaying, in response to the second input, a page associated with the target area (“The status window may include a notification window and a settings window. The notification window may include detailed information about one or more events occurring in the mobile terminal 100 (e.g., text reception notification information). The setting window may include system setting information (e.g., power saving mode information) or interface setting information (e.g., screen brightness information) of the mobile terminal 100 and may include one or more items For example, a brightness adjustment bar).” Page 6). Claims 7-8, and 13-14 are substantially the same as claims 1-2 and are therefore rejected under the same rational as above. Claims 3-4, 9-10, and 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chae et al. in view of Kim et al. and further in view of Jon et al. (US 20200356247 A1, hereinafter Jon). As to dependent claim 3, Chae teaches the function execution method according to claim 2, wherein: the at least one first identifier comprises the identifier of the unread message and the identifier of the prompt information, and the target area is the first area (“The control unit 180 may display any one or more of a notification bar and a setting bar in a displayed status bar. The notification bar may include at least one item (e.g., an icon) informing the user that a specific event (e.g., receiving a message or receiving a text) has occurred. The setting bar may include one or more items (e.g., icons) that allow the user to change the operating settings of the mobile terminal 100 (e.g., adjusting the screen brightness or volume magnitude); and the message notification page comprises a preview message display area (preview screen 7), wherein: the preview message display area is used for displaying the preview information of the unread message and the preview information of the prompt information (“When the long touch input is obtained by the first application icon 11 included in the status bar 1, the control unit 180 displays the first application corresponding to the selected first application icon (or the instant messenger application icon 11) The preview screen 7 including the event information generated in the mobile terminal” Page 9), Chae does not appear to expressly teach the message notification page comprises a first compensation display area. the first compensation display area is used for displaying at least one second identifier, and the at least one second identifier is an identifier of a message whose preview information is not displayed in the preview message display area. Jon teaches the first compensation display area is used for displaying at least one second identifier (Fig. 5A, region 501, paragraph 0171-0172), and the at least one second identifier is an identifier of a message whose preview information is not displayed in the preview message display area (Fig. 5A, the message preview information is not displayed in area 501). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Chae to comprise receiving a third input by the user, wherein the third input is an input by the user on a blank area in the system status bar, and the blank area is an area in which no identifier is displayed in the system status bar; and in response to the third input, in a case that an input parameter of the third input matches a second preset input parameter, performing a first operation corresponding to the second preset input parameter, wherein: the first operation is any one of the following: refreshing a target page, displaying a previous page of the target page, displaying a background task management page, or displaying a desktop; and different second preset input parameters correspond to different operations, and the target page is a page displayed by an electronic device. One would been motivated to make such a combination to improve user multitasking experience. As to dependent claim 4, Chae teaches the function execution method according to claim 2, wherein: the at least one first identifier comprises the identifier of the unread message, the identifier of the prompt information, and the identifier of the system function, and the target area is the second area (“The status window may include a notification window and a settings window. The notification window may include detailed information about one or more events occurring in the mobile terminal 100 (e.g., text reception notification information). The setting window may include system setting information (e.g., power saving mode information) or interface setting information (e.g., screen brightness information) of the mobile terminal 100 and may include one or more items for example, a brightness adjustment bar).”); and the control page comprises a control display area, wherein the control display area is used for displaying the at least one target control (“The status window may include a notification window and a settings window. The notification window may include detailed information about one or more events occurring in the mobile terminal 100 (e.g., text reception notification information). The setting window may include system setting information (e.g., power saving mode information) or interface setting information (e.g., screen brightness information) of the mobile terminal 100 and may include one or more items For example, a brightness adjustment bar).” Page 6). Chae does not appear to expressly teach the control page comprises a second compensation display area and wherein the control display area is used for displaying the at second compensation display area is used for displaying the identifier of the unread message and the identifier of the prompt information. Jon teaches the control page comprises a second compensation display area and wherein the control display area is used for displaying the at second compensation display area is used for displaying the identifier of the unread message and the identifier of the prompt information (Fig. 5A, paragraph 0171-0172 – display area 501). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Chae to comprise the control page comprises a second compensation display area and wherein the control display area is used for displaying the at second compensation display area is used for displaying the identifier of the unread message and the identifier of the prompt information. One would been motivated to make such a combination to improve user multitasking experience. Claims 9-10 and 15-16 are substantially the same as claims 3-4 and are therefore rejected under the same rational as above. Claims 5-6, 11-12, and 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chae et al. in view of Kim et al. and further in view of Jitkoff (US 2015/0169071 A1). As to dependent claim 5, Chae teaches the function execution method according to claim 1, Chae does not appear to expressly teach wherein after the performing a target operation corresponding to both the target identifier and the first preset input parameter, the method further comprises: receiving a third input by the user, wherein the third input is an input by the user on a blank area in the system status bar, and the blank area is an area in which no identifier is displayed in the system status bar; and in response to the third input, in a case that an input parameter of the third input matches a second preset input parameter, performing a first operation corresponding to the second preset input parameter, wherein: the first operation is any one of the following: refreshing a target page, displaying a previous page of the target page, displaying a background task management page, or displaying a desktop; and different second preset input parameters correspond to different operations, and the target page is a page displayed by an electronic device. Jitkoff teaches receiving a third input by the user, wherein the third input is an input by the user on a blank area in the system status bar, and the blank area is an area in which no identifier is displayed in the system status bar (“User 201 may perform a home navigation swiping gesture 292 to reveal a home screen 241 (FIG. 2B). In certain examples, the home navigation swiping gesture 292 originates at or proximate to the top edge of the touchscreen display 206. The home navigation swiping gesture 292 may then extend in a direction substantially orthogonal to the top edge toward the bottom edge of the touchscreen display 206.” Paragraph 0044); and in response to the third input, in a case that an input parameter of the third input matches a second preset input parameter, performing a first operation corresponding to the second preset input parameter, wherein: the first operation is any one of the following: refreshing a target page, displaying a previous page of the target page, displaying a background task management page, or displaying a desktop (home screen 241 shown fig. 2b); and different second preset input parameters correspond to different operations, and the target page is a page displayed by an electronic device (home navigation swiping gesture 292 and 294 correspond to different operations, paragraph 0044, 0054). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Chae to comprise receiving a third input by the user, wherein the third input is an input by the user on a blank area in the system status bar, and the blank area is an area in which no identifier is displayed in the system status bar; and in response to the third input, in a case that an input parameter of the third input matches a second preset input parameter, performing a first operation corresponding to the second preset input parameter, wherein: the first operation is any one of the following: refreshing a target page, displaying a previous page of the target page, displaying a background task management page, or displaying a desktop; and different second preset input parameters correspond to different operations, and the target page is a page displayed by an electronic device. One would been motivated to make such a combination to improve user multitasking experience. As to dependent claim 6, Chae teaches the function execution method according to claim 1, wherein before the receiving a first input by a user in a case that at least one first identifier is displayed in a system status bar on a screen, the method further comprises: receiving a first message, and displaying a third identifier in the system status bar, wherein the third identifier is used for indicating that an electronic device receives the first message, and the third identifier is an identifier in the at least one first identifier; or displaying a fourth identifier in the system status bar in a case of running a first application in the background, wherein the fourth identifier is used for prompting the first application running in the background, and the fourth identifier is an identifier in the at least one first identifier. Jifkoff teaches receiving a first message, and displaying a third identifier in the system status bar, wherein the third identifier is used for indicating that an electronic device receives the first message, and the third identifier is an identifier in the at least one first identifier (“In some aspects, the one or more indicator segments may further be used to provide certain communications or notifications to the user. Such indicator segment communications may include, for example, flashing and/or changing colors, and therefore provide valuable real-time information relating to certain aspects of the home screen or applications” paragraph 0024, 0053, Fig. 2c segment 233a); or displaying a fourth identifier in the system status bar in a case of running a first application in the background, wherein the fourth identifier is used for prompting the first application running in the background, and the fourth identifier is an identifier in the at least one first identifier (“For example, the one or more indicator segments may be configured to display alerts, notification or the like in a manner to communicate a type of event (e.g., new email messages have been received) and/or a particular interface item (e.g., an icon associated with a browser application).” Paragraph 0060). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Chae to comprise receiving a first message, and displaying a third identifier in the system status bar, wherein the third identifier is used for indicating that an electronic device receives the first message, and the third identifier is an identifier in the at least one first identifier; or displaying a fourth identifier in the system status bar in a case of running a first application in the background, wherein the fourth identifier is used for prompting the first application running in the background, and the fourth identifier is an identifier in the at least one first identifier. One would been motivated to make such a combination to improve user multitasking experience. Claims 11-12, and 17-18 are substantially the same as claims 5-6 and are therefore rejected under the same rational as above. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Choi et al. US 20150177970 [0020] teaches upon receiving a long touch in the display area of a first notification message displayed in the specific area and then a drag input to an icon for the Save option, save the first notification message using the Save option and delete the same from the specific area. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MAHELET SHIBEROU whose telephone number is (571)270-7493. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00 AM-5:00 PM Eastern Time. 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, Kieu Vu can be reached at 571-272-4057. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /MAHELET SHIBEROU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2171
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 23, 2023
Application Filed
Oct 01, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Dec 30, 2025
Response Filed
Apr 06, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §103
Jun 05, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jun 25, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Jun 26, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 28, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
73%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+26.7%)
2y 9m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 578 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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