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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 01/28/2026 has been entered.
Applicant’s Submission of a Response
Applicant’s submission of a response was received on 01/28/2026, presently claims 1-20 are pending.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Runescape as evidenced by “Game Controls,” “Weapon,” and “Inventory”.
With regard to claim 1, Runescape discloses a method for controlling a virtual object to pick virtual props performed by a terminal, and the method comprising: displaying a prop picking list, the prop picking list comprising prop picking controls of virtual props (Game controls, under Mouse controls); receiving an operation on a first prop picking control in the prop picking list (Game controls, under Mouse controls); determining a picking mode associated with the operation on the first prop picking control, the picking mode comprising (i) picking and using or (ii) picking and carrying (Game controls, under Mouse controls); and controlling the virtual object to pick a first virtual prop based on the picking mode associated with the operation including: in accordance with a determination that the picking mode is picking and using, controlling the virtual object to pick and use the first virtual prop, including replacing an owned prop in a used state with the first virtual prop (Game controls, under Mouse controls); and in accordance with a determination that the picking mode is picking and carrying, controlling the virtual object to pick and carry the first virtual prop, including maintaining the owned prop in the used state and equipping the first virtual prop as a carried state (Game controls, under Mouse controls; Weapon entirety wherein one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that only one weapon can be used at a time since “Main hand weapons are wielded in the right hand”).
With regard to claim 2, Runescape discloses wherein the receiving an operation on a first prop picking control in the prop picking list comprises: receiving a first operation on the first prop picking control in the prop picking list; or receiving a second operation on the first prop picking control in the prop picking list, operation types of the first operation and the second operation being different; and the controlling the virtual object to pick a first virtual prop based on the picking mode associated with the operation comprises: controlling, based on the first operation, the virtual object to pick and use the first virtual prop; or controlling, based on the second operation, the virtual object to pick and carry the first virtual prop (Game controls, under Mouse controls).
With regard to claim 3, Runescape discloses wherein the first operation is a click/tap operation, and the second operation is a swipe operation; or the first operation is a first swipe operation, the second operation is a second swipe operation, and swipe directions of the first swipe operation and the second swipe operation are different; or the first operation is a first click/tap operation, the second operation is a second click/tap operation, and clicks/taps of the first click/tap operation and the second click/tap operation are different (Game controls, under Mouse controls).
With regard to claim 4, Runescape discloses wherein the receiving an operation on a first prop picking control in the prop picking list comprises: displaying, in response to a touch-and-hold operation on the first prop picking control in the prop picking list, prop replacement controls, different prop replacement controls corresponding to different owned props; and receiving a selection operation on a first prop replacement control; and the controlling the virtual object to pick the first virtual prop based on a picking mode indicated by the operation comprises: determining the picking mode based on a prop state of the owned prop corresponding to the first prop replacement control; and controlling the virtual object to pick the first virtual prop based on the picking mode (Game controls, under Mouse controls).
With regard to claim 5, Runescape discloses wherein the determining the picking mode based on a prop state of the owned prop corresponding to the first prop replacement control comprises: determining that the picking mode is picking and using when the prop state is the used state; and determining that the picking mode is picking and carrying when the prop state is a non-used state (Game controls, under Mouse controls).
With regard to claim 6, Runescape discloses wherein the controlling the virtual object to pick a first virtual prop based on the picking mode associated with the operation comprises: controlling the virtual object to pick the first virtual prop based on the picking mode indicated by the operation when an owned prop quantity of the virtual object does not reach an upper prop quantity limit; and controlling the virtual object to pick the first virtual prop based on the picking mode indicated by the operation when the owned prop quantity reaches the upper prop quantity limit, and discard a second virtual prop (Game controls, under Mouse controls; Inventory, entirety).
With regard to claim 7, Runescape discloses wherein the picking mode is picking and using; and the controlling the virtual object to pick the first virtual prop based on the picking mode indicated by the operation when an owned prop quantity of the virtual object does not reach an upper prop quantity limit comprises: controlling the virtual object to pick and use the first virtual prop when the owned prop quantity does not reach the upper prop quantity limit and the virtual object does not use a virtual prop; and controlling, when the owned prop quantity does not reach the upper prop quantity limit and a third virtual prop is in a used state, the virtual object to switch the third virtual prop to a non-used state; and controlling the virtual object to pick and use the first virtual prop (Game controls, under Mouse controls; Inventory, entirety).
With regard to claim 8, Runescape discloses wherein the picking mode is picking and carrying; the controlling the virtual object to pick the first virtual prop based on the picking mode indicated by the operation when an owned prop quantity of the virtual object does not reach an upper prop quantity limit comprises: controlling the virtual object to pick and carry the first virtual prop when the owned prop quantity does not reach the upper prop quantity limit; and the controlling the virtual object to pick the first virtual prop based on the picking mode indicated by the operation when the owned prop quantity reaches the upper prop quantity limit, and discarding a second virtual prop comprises: determining the second virtual prop from owned props in a non-used state when the owned prop quantity reaches the upper prop quantity limit; controlling the virtual object to discard the second virtual prop; and controlling the virtual object to pick and carry the first virtual prop (Game controls, under Mouse controls; Inventory, entirety).
Claims 9-20 are mirrored claims to claims 1-8 and are rejected in like manner.
Response to Arguments
The rejection based upon 35 USC 112b has been withdrawn based upon Applicant’s amendments to the claims.
Applicant’s arguments with regard to the prior art have been considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection presented above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jay Liddle whose telephone number is (571)270-1226. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dmitry Suhol can be reached at (571)272-4430. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Jay Trent Liddle/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3715
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