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 § 102
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) 1-2, 5-6, 8-12, 15, 17-20 and 22-24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lin et al1 (“Lin”).
Regarding claim 1, Lin teaches a method for generating a trailing visual effect based on a particle flow (note that “particle” in computer graphics may be understood as referring to the known technique of particle rendering where the attempt to render tiny bits of matter or representations of tiny bits of matter or phenomena comprises some form of assigning particle based properties to some object controlling the particle based properties so that a rendering of a high number of particles may be generated, as for example as admitted by Applicant in paragraph 0030 of the Specification disclosing that “In graphics, a particle effect refers to a special type of rendering capability encapsulation. Generating a group of point sets, that is, a plurality of particles, in a three- dimension space, then replacing each particle in the point sets with a 3D model (most commonly a flat model), and then rendering with a specific material, so that a visual effect of the particle may be generated. The particle effect is usually used to create a visual specific effect such as cloud, flame, etc” – but further note that based on the claim language, the BRI of a particle may be considered to be any object that may be considered to be or be represented as some small or minute part of a whole object or small or minute object modeled among many like small or minute objects; note such generating of the visual effect based on particle flow will be addressed through the limitations below which lead to such generating of a trailing visual effect based on a particle flow;
see Lin, paragraph 0006 teaching “generating a three-dimensional particle effect comprising: receiving a three-dimensional particle resource package; parsing a configuration file of the three-dimensional particle resource package; displaying parameter configuration items corresponding to the configuration file on the display apparatus, the parameter configuration item at least comprises a three-dimensional particle system parameter configuration item, a three-dimensional particle emitter parameter configuration item, and a three-dimensional particle affector parameter configuration item; receiving a parameter configuration command to perform parameter configuration for the above parameter configuration items; generating the three-dimensional particle effect according to the parameters configured in the parameter configuration items” such that as will be further explained below such generation of the 3D particle effect comprises generating a trailing visual effect based on particle flow defined by the above particle effect generation), comprising:
acquiring an extending trajectory of the particle flow (note that an acquired “trajectory” may be considered any path, progression, curve, line or set of data points relating to some object moving in space and any trajectory may be considered an extending trajectory given that a trajectory at very least describes or models how some object extends through space over time and under whatever forces are active in the system; see Lin, paragraph 0006 teaching “generating a three-dimensional particle effect” which may be configured in numerous ways including by acquiring an extending trajectory for particle flow defined by the “three-dimensional particle system parameter configuration item” and “a three-dimensional particle emitter parameter configuration item” where as further explained in paragraphs 0007-0008 there is “configuring a name of the three-dimensional particle; configuring a material of the three-dimensional particle; configuring the number of the three-dimensional particle; and configuring one or more of rendering ways for the three-dimensional particle” and “performing parameter configuration for the three-dimensional particle emitter parameter configuration items, comprising: configuring a type of the emitter; configuring a position of the emitter; and configuring one or more of initial states of the three-dimensional particle” such that here control and configuration of the particle effects from an emitter’s configured position defines a particle flow as configured by the emitter which emits a flow of particles and as in paragraphs 0044-0046 such emitters generating the particles may follow an acquired extending trajectory where “attributes of the three-dimensional particle emitter are configured; the three-dimensional particle emitter is used to define an initial state when the three-dimensional particle is generated, typically such as a type, a position, an orientation of the emitter, whether to enable, or whether the particle follows the movement of a generator; state parameters when the three-dimensional particle is generated comprise a color, an orientation, an emission angle, a transmission frequency, a lifetime, a quality, a velocity, an emission duration, a transmission interval, a length, a width, a height, and the like” and “it is possible to configure the state at the time of generating the three-dimensional particle, such as where it is generated, how much, and how long it lasts, a color, a scale, etc” such that here the emitter may follow an extending trajectory of points defining emitter positions when such a trajectory is acquired such as in paragraph 0102 teaching “the three-dimensional particle effect is synchronized directly to the first image captured by the image. In the embodiment, the first image acquired by the image sensor, such as a face image or a body image, is preferably acquired, and then the three-dimensional particle effect is generated on the first image according to parameters configured in the parameter configuration items. Optionally, the three-dimensional particle effect may move following the movement of the first image, such as following the movement of a face or a hand. Such movement may be directly changing the position of the emitter, or superimposing the movement trajectory of the first image onto the current motion trajectory of the three-dimensional particle, which are not specifically limited herein” where here the trajectory is the movement of the hand being followed in each frame or the like);
generating, in a three-dimension space for generating the trailing visual effect, a plurality of particles for forming the particle flow according to the extending trajectory (see Lin, paragraph 0102 teaching as above “the three-dimensional particle effect may move following the movement of the first image, such as following the movement of a face or a hand. Such movement may be directly changing the position of the emitter, or superimposing the movement trajectory of the first image onto the current motion trajectory of the three-dimensional particle” and paragraphs 0044-0046 teaching “the three-dimensional particle emitter is used to define an initial state when the three-dimensional particle is generated, typically such as a type, a position, an orientation of the emitter” and “it is possible to configure the state at the time of generating the three-dimensional particle, such as where it is generated, how much, and how long it lasts, a color, a scale, etc” such that here there is generated in the “three-dimensional particle” modeling space a plurality of particles that follow the extending trajectory as the emitter generates a flow of particles along the trajectory which generates a trailing visual effect of the particles as they are emitted from the emitter following the trajectory where for example the particle flow is controlled by the emission rate configured for the emitter as it follows the trajectory);
rendering the plurality of particles to obtain a plurality of particle primitive models (see Lin, paragraphs 0042-0043 teaching “configuring a map parameter of the three-dimensional particle specifically comprises: obtaining a texture of the map; configuring a wrapping mode of the texture. In the present embodiment, first, a texture representing the map is required to be obtained by typically using an importing method to receive the texture of the map” the “rendering way for three-dimensional particles comprises a quadrilateral rendering way and a trailing rendering way, wherein the quadrilateral rendering way refers to drawing a quadrilateral, wherein a picture is needed when in drawing, and the picture that may be transparent is tiled on the quadrilateral, then the shape ultimately rendered by the particle is determined by the picture” such that here the “quadrilateral” is rendered to obtain a plurality of particle primitive models with the properties specified by the configurations of the emitters and particles of the emitters); and
generating the trailing visual effect based on the plurality of particle primitive models (see Lin, paragraphs 0042-0043 teaching the “rendering way for three-dimensional particles comprises a quadrilateral rendering way and a trailing rendering way, wherein the quadrilateral rendering way refers to drawing a quadrilateral, wherein a picture is needed when in drawing, and the picture that may be transparent is tiled on the quadrilateral, then the shape ultimately rendered by the particle is determined by the picture” and as explained above the particle primitive models are rendered according to the particles configured in view of their particle emitter configurations which as above may be configured to follow a trajectory to emit particles along a trajectory which generates a trailing visual effect based on viewing such rendered particle primitive models such as in paragraph 0102 where “the three-dimensional particle effect is synchronized directly to the first image captured by the image. In the embodiment, the first image acquired by the image sensor, such as a face image or a body image, is preferably acquired, and then the three-dimensional particle effect is generated on the first image according to parameters configured in the parameter configuration items. Optionally, the three-dimensional particle effect may move following the movement of the first image, such as following the movement of a face or a hand. Such movement may be directly changing the position of the emitter, or superimposing the movement trajectory of the first image onto the current motion trajectory of the three-dimensional particle” such that here the particles being rendered according to the settings of the emitters and particles generate a trailing visual effect as particles are emitted along the trajectory and past particles are rendered according to their configurations and lifetimes);
wherein at least a part of the plurality of particle primitive models used for forming the trailing visual effect in a visual way are sequentially generated along the extending trajectory and disappear in sequence after being displayed for a preset duration, to generate the trailing visual effect (see Lin, paragraphs 0042-0043 and paragraphs 0102 as explained above where the trailing visual effect is generated by at least a part of the plurality of the particle primitive models used for forming the trailing visual effect in a visual way as the particles are emitted from the emitter which is following the extending trajectory of the hand and the particles primitive models that are rendered from the emitter thus form a trailing effect as the emitter generates particles as it follows the trajectory such that at each position some plurality of particles can be emitted based on the emitter parameters where these are sequentially generated in that manner and are sequentially generated as the emitter moves to a new position and emits particles from that position; these particles disappear in sequence after being displayed for a preset duration corresponding to their “lifetime” assigned as in paragraphs 0044-0046 teaching “the three-dimensional particle emitter is used to define an initial state when the three-dimensional particle is generated, typically such as a type, a position, an orientation of the emitter, whether to enable, or whether the particle follows the movement of a generator; state parameters when the three-dimensional particle is generated comprise a color, an orientation, an emission angle, a transmission frequency, a lifetime, a quality, a velocity, an emission duration, a transmission interval, a length, a width, a height, and the like” where one of ordinary skill in the art understands that a lifetime refers to a preset duration that the particle will be displayed, thereafter dying/disappearing from view such that a particle is displayed for as long as this lifetime and thus the effect is a trailing visual effect where particles are generated by an emitter following an extending trajectory of a tracked object such as a hand and as these particles do not die instantly and may remain in place or in their local vicinity based on the particle parameters then the particle primitive models which have not disappeared from the trailing visual effect).
Regarding claim 2, Lin teaches all that is required as applied to claim 1 above and further teaches wherein generating the plurality of particles for forming the particle flow according to the extending trajectory, comprises:
generating the plurality of particles at equal intervals or random intervals along the extending trajectory; or generating the plurality of particles at equal time intervals or random time intervals along the extending trajectory (see Lin, paragraph 0044 teaching configuring the emitter which forms the particle flow along the trajectory by emitting particles that form a trail as explained above where the generating of the particles occurs at intervals based on a “transmission frequency” where in paragraph 0104 for example the “emitting frequency of particle” has an “emissionRate” of “0.5” such that particles are generated at intervals based on 0.5 being the rate of emission which would also correspond to equal time intervals of generation along any trajectory).
Regarding claim 5, Lin teaches all that is required as applied to claim 2 above and further teaches wherein the extending trajectory is a preset trajectory (see Lin where Lin teaches a user can select a preset trajectory as noted above where a trajectory is preset as following an object as in paragraph 0102),
generating the plurality of particles at equal intervals along the extending trajectory, comprises: along the extending trajectory, sequentially randomly generating at least one particle in each of three-dimension regions respectively including positions at every predetermined distance on the extending trajectory to form the particle flow (see Lin where Lin above allows such configuration of particle settings as in paragraphs 0044 teaching configuring the emitter which forms the particle flow along the trajectory by emitting particles that form a trail as explained above where the generating of the particles occurs at intervals based on a “transmission frequency” where in paragraph 0104 for example the “emitting frequency of particle” has an “emissionRate” of “0.5” such that particles are generated at intervals based on 0.5 being the rate of emission which would also correspond to equal time intervals of generation along any trajectory and such randomly generating at least one particle in a three-dimension region including a position where the target object is located to form the particle flow corresponds to configuring the particle emitter according to paragraphs 0044-0046 teaching that a user may configure the type of emitter as a “BoxEmitter” where a three-dimensional particle is emitted in a range of Box defined by length, width, and depth of box such that here it is recognized that a random position for the emission within the range specified of the three-dimension Box region is chosen as the generating position instead of configuring a set point as in a “PointEmitter” for example).
Regarding claim 6, Lin teaches all that is required as applied to claim 1 above and further teaches wherein each particle in the plurality of particles has at least one visual attribute, and the at least one visual attribute at least comprises one or more selected from a group consisting of particle size, particle color, particle transparency, and particle rotation speed (see Lin, paragraphs 0044-0046 teaching “a three-dimensional particle emitter parameter configuration item, wherein attributes of the three-dimensional particle emitter are configured; the three-dimensional particle emitter is used to define an initial state when the three-dimensional particle is generated, typically such as a type, a position, an orientation of the emitter, whether to enable, or whether the particle follows the movement of a generator; state parameters when the three-dimensional particle is generated comprise a color, an orientation, an emission angle, a transmission frequency, a lifetime, a quality, a velocity, an emission duration, a transmission interval, a length, a width, a height, and the like” and through “the above-mentioned parameter configuration items related to the emitter, it is possible to configure the state at the time of generating the three-dimensional particle, such as where it is generated, how much, and how long it lasts, a color, a scale, etc”; note that paragraphs 0047-0097 detail additional visual attributes through the “affector” that can be configured for the 3D particles where “Through the affector parameter configuration item, three-dimensional particle effects with more special effects may be configured. Specifically, the three-dimensional particle affector parameter configuration item may comprise a type, a position, an orientation of the affector, and parameter items that are required for each different type of affector configuration), and the at least one visual attribute is used for controlling a visual effect of a particle primitive model corresponding to the each particle (see Lin, paragraphs 0044-0046 as above where these visual attributes are for controlling a visual effect of a particle primitive model which will be rendered according to these properties making it “possible to configure the state at the time of generating the three-dimensional particle, such as where it is generated, how much, and how long it lasts, a color, a scale, etc”);
wherein the each particle further has a lifecycle attribute, the lifecycle attribute is used to represent a lifecycle of the particle primitive model corresponding to the each particle (see Lin, paragraphs 0044-0046 teaching one of the parameters or attributes is a “lifetime” attribute and for example as in the examples seen in paragraphs 0104-0105 the particles of the jet stream emitter have a “life time of particle: “totalTimeToLive”: 60” such that of course this means the particle primitive model has the associated lifecycle and other visual attributes configured for the particles),
at least part particle primitive models of the plurality of particle primitive models display at least a preset time period (see Lin, paragraphs 0044-0046 as explained above where “attributes of the three-dimensional particle emitter are configured; the three-dimensional particle emitter is used to define an initial state when the three-dimensional particle is generated, typically such as a type, a position, an orientation of the emitter, whether to enable, or whether the particle follows the movement of a generator; state parameters when the three-dimensional particle is generated comprise a color, an orientation, an emission angle, a transmission frequency, a lifetime, a quality, a velocity, an emission duration, a transmission interval, a length, a width, a height, and the like” such that here the particles are displayed during the time period of emission such that they must be at least displayed for a preset time period corresponding to at least a first frame they appear in and they will be displayed until their lifecycle has concluded based on their “lifetime” and this period from minimum preset display time to show at least one particle until the particle disappears due to its lifetime is such a preset time period for part particle primitive models to be displayed where a part particle primitive model is considered to be one of the primitive models that are part of the primitive models making up the particle field/flow), and
lifecycles of the at least part particle primitive models are greater than or equal to the preset time period (see Lin, paragraphs 0044-0046 as explained above where “attributes of the three-dimensional particle emitter are configured; the three-dimensional particle emitter is used to define an initial state when the three-dimensional particle is generated, typically such as a type, a position, an orientation of the emitter, whether to enable, or whether the particle follows the movement of a generator; state parameters when the three-dimensional particle is generated comprise a color, an orientation, an emission angle, a transmission frequency, a lifetime, a quality, a velocity, an emission duration, a transmission interval, a length, a width, a height, and the like” such that here the particles are displayed during the time period of emission such that they must be at least displayed for a preset time period corresponding to at least a first frame they appear in and they will be displayed until their lifecycle has concluded based on their “lifetime” and this period from minimum preset display time to show at least one particle until the particle disappears due to its lifetime is such a preset time period and the lifecycle is greater than or equal to this preset time period as this allows the particle to be displayed up until its lifetime ends ).
Regarding claim 8, Lin teaches all that is required as applied to claim 6 above and further teaches wherein the visual effect of the particle primitive model comprises a transparency change of the particle primitive model (see Lin, paragraphs 0047-0052 teaching “a three-dimensional particle affector parameter configuration item. Through the affector parameter configuration item, three-dimensional particle effects with more special effects may be configured. Specifically, the three-dimensional particle affector parameter configuration item may comprise a type, a position, an orientation of the affector, and parameter items that are required for each different type of affector configuration” and where the “ColorAffector” allows to add a visual effect of a transparency change of the particle primitive model as it is to “affect the color change of three-dimensional particles in the life cycle” and transparency may be set at any point during the lifecycle using “Color table, colors: [[t1,r1,g1,b1,a1], [t2,r2,g2,b2,a2], [t3,r3,g3,b3,a3], [t4,r4,g4,b4,a4], [. . . tn,m,gn,bn,an]], each color table consisting of multiple points, five parameters of each point representing time, R channel, G channel, B channel, and A channel, wherein time is 0≤tn≤1, and n is a natural number greater than 1; when tn=0, it indicates the moment when the particle is born; when tn=1, it indicates the moment when the particle disappears; R, G, and B are color channels, A is a transparency channel, and each channel has a value of 0-255, which may be represented by a number of 0-1, wherein 0 means 0, 1 means 255, and the intermediate values are obtained proportionally” such that the alpha transparency value may be varied at any time point “tn”).
Regarding claim 9, Lin teaches all that is required as applied to claim 8 above and further teaches wherein the transparency change comprises changing a transparency of the particle primitive model from a first transparency to a second transparency and then to a third transparency during the lifecycle of the particle primitive model, wherein both the first transparency and the third transparency are different from the second transparency (see Lin, paragraphs 0047-0052 as explained above wherein the transparency change comprises changing transparency of the primitive model through configuring an “Affector” such as “ColorAffector” where the alpha values may be set to any transparency value at any point in time such that this means change to a second level from a first and then to a third at any point may be accomplished and the levels of transparency may be set to any value at any point in time and Lin even specifically teaches such an example where “An example of color table” has a first transparency alpha value of 0.0, then 0.15, then 0.1, then 0.05 and then 0 such that here 0 is different from 0.15 which is different from 0.1).
Regarding claim 10, Lin teaches all that is required as applied to claim 8 above and further teaches wherein the transparency change comprises periodically changing a transparency of the particle primitive model within the lifecycle of the particle primitive model (see Lin, paragraphs 0047-0052 as explained above wherein the period of changing the transparency of the particle primitive model within the lifecycle of the particle primitive model is any period set by the user as the user can control the transparency of a particle at any point in time through configuring an “Affector” such as “ColorAffector” where the alpha values may be set in a color table with “each color table consisting of multiple points, five parameters of each point representing time, R channel, G channel, B channel, and A channel, wherein time is 0≤tn≤1, and n is a natural number greater than 1; when tn=0, it indicates the moment when the particle is born; when tn=1, it indicates the moment when the particle disappears; R, G, and B are color channels, A is a transparency channel, and each channel has a value of 0-255, which may be represented by a number of 0-1, wherein 0 means 0, 1 means 255, and the intermediate values are obtained proportionally” such that by setting the alpha values at any time point during the lifecycle to be whatever the user desires this changes the transparency periodically within the lifetime of the particle).
Regarding claim 11 Lin teaches all that is required as applied to claim 8 above and further teaches, wherein the transparency change comprises, during the lifecycle of the particle primitive model, periodically changing a transparency of the particle primitive model from an m-th second in the lifecycle of the particle primitive model, where m is a positive number (see Lin, paragraphs 0047-0052 again teaching the user can control the transparency of a particle at any point in time through configuring an “Affector” such as “ColorAffector” where the alpha values may be set in a color table with “each color table consisting of multiple points, five parameters of each point representing time, R channel, G channel, B channel, and A channel, wherein time is 0≤tn≤1, and n is a natural number greater than 1; when tn=0, it indicates the moment when the particle is born; when tn=1, it indicates the moment when the particle disappears; R, G, and B are color channels, A is a transparency channel, and each channel has a value of 0-255, which may be represented by a number of 0-1, wherein 0 means 0, 1 means 255, and the intermediate values are obtained proportionally” such that here for example with reference to the “example of color table” it can be seen that the period of change is defined by the difference between the points “tn” and the user may change the transparency at any m-th second in the lifecycle by controlling the alpha transparency value at any n-th second where this is a positive number meaning that from some non-zero time period forward from emission the transparency changes which of course is controllable through the ColorAffector explained above ).
Regarding claim 12, Lin teaches all that is required as applied to claim 8 above and further teaches wherein the transparency change comprises changing a transparency of the particle primitive model within a first m seconds of the lifecycle of the particle primitive model, and periodically changing, starting from the m-th second in the lifecycle of the particle primitive model, the transparency of the particle primitive model accompanied by gradually decreasing transparency peak of the transparency of the particle primitive model, where m is a positive number (see Lin, paragraphs 0047-0052 again teaching the user can control the transparency of a particle at any point in time through configuring an “Affector” such as “ColorAffector” where the alpha values may be set in a color table with “each color table consisting of multiple points, five parameters of each point representing time, R channel, G channel, B channel, and A channel, wherein time is 0≤tn≤1, and n is a natural number greater than 1; when tn=0, it indicates the moment when the particle is born; when tn=1, it indicates the moment when the particle disappears; R, G, and B are color channels, A is a transparency channel, and each channel has a value of 0-255, which may be represented by a number of 0-1, wherein 0 means 0, 1 means 255, and the intermediate values are obtained proportionally” such that here for example with reference to the “example of color table” it can be seen that the period of change is defined by the difference between the points “tn” and the user may change the transparency at any m-th second in the lifecycle by controlling the alpha transparency value at any n-th second where this is a positive number meaning that from some non-zero time period forward from emission the transparency changes which of course is controllable through the ColorAffector explained above and as the transparency can be set to any value at any point in time this includes starting from some m-th second of the lifecycle to change some transparency to then change the transparency from a peak gradually as of course again the transparency can be set to any value at any time point; note for example in the example color table in paragraph 0051 a transparency can change over time from some number to a peak and then gradually decrease).
Regarding claim 15, Lin teaches all that is required as applied to claim 6 above and further teaches wherein the visual effect of the particle primitive model comprises a rotation change of the particle primitive model, the rotation change indicates that the particle primitive model rotates at a preset rotation speed within the lifecycle of the particle primitive model (see Lin, paragraphs 0047-0082 teaching visual effects for the particle primitive model comprises a rotation change at a preset rotation speed to occur within the lifecycle of the particle primitive model using the “TextureRotationAffector” which is a “texture rotation affector, which may affect the rotation of the texture in a lifecycle” according to variables of “whether to use a fixed rotation rate” and “speed of rotation: rotationSpeed” and “initial angle when the three-dimensional particle is emitted: rotation” such that here a rotation change takes place according to these attributes so that it rotates at the preset “rotationSpeed” during the lifecycle of the particles); and
wherein the preset rotation speed is a random value within a preset range, and the preset rotation speed remains unchanged during the lifecycle of the particle primitive model (see Lin, paragraphs 0047-0082 teaching visual effects for the particle primitive model comprises a rotation change at a preset rotation speed to occur within the lifecycle of the particle primitive model using the “TextureRotationAffector” which is a “texture rotation affector, which may affect the rotation of the texture in a lifecycle” according to variables of “whether to use a fixed rotation rate” and “speed of rotation: rotationSpeed” and “initial angle when the three-dimensional particle is emitted: rotation” such that here a rotation change takes place according to these attributes so that it rotates at the preset “rotationSpeed” during the lifecycle of the particles and the “rotation speed” may be considered a random value as random is not defined in relation to anything such that a random value may be placed there at the user’s behest and for example is not acquired or measured from some outside process, and such speed is considered to be within a preset range from the smallest allowable rotation to the greatest allowable rotation that can be handled by the rendering system for example).
Regarding claim 17, Lin teaches all that is required as applied to claim 6 above and further teaches after displaying the at least part particle primitive models for the preset time period, successively adjusting transparencies of the at least part particle primitive models to be completely transparent according to an order of generating the plurality of particles (see Lin, paragraphs 0047-0052 again teaching the user can control the transparency of a particle at any point in time through configuring an “Affector” such as “ColorAffector” where the alpha values may be set in a color table with “each color table consisting of multiple points, five parameters of each point representing time, R channel, G channel, B channel, and A channel, wherein time is 0≤tn≤1, and n is a natural number greater than 1; when tn=0, it indicates the moment when the particle is born; when tn=1, it indicates the moment when the particle disappears; R, G, and B are color channels, A is a transparency channel, and each channel has a value of 0-255, which may be represented by a number of 0-1, wherein 0 means 0, 1 means 255, and the intermediate values are obtained proportionally” such that here for example with reference to the “example of color table” it can be seen that the period of change is defined by the difference between the points “tn” and the user may change the transparency at any time in the lifecycle by controlling the alpha transparency value at any n-th second where this is a positive number meaning that from some non-zero time period forward from emission the transparency changes which of course is controllable through the ColorAffector explained above and as the transparency can be set to any value at any point in time this includes starting from any time of the lifecycle to change some transparency to then change the transparency to any value including to make such completely transparent which would be according to the order of generating the particles as the first generated particles would adjust their transparencies over time to any programmed value including complete transparency before other particles which have not been generated or that were generated later).
Regarding claim 18, the instant claim is recognized as overlapping in scope with the limitations of claim 1 while reciting the invention as a method for generating a video comprising determining a visual effect trajectory in a video to be processed; generating a trailing visual effect at the visual effect trajectory; and superimposing the trailing visual effect in the video to be processed to generate the video wherein the trailing visual effect is generated according to a method for generating a trailing visual effect based on a particle flow that corresponds to the same method addressed in claim 1 above. Lin already teaches all of such limitations corresponding to the method for generating a trailing visual effect based on a particle flow as explained in claim 1 above. Furthermore Lin’s technique is also used and can be seen as a method for generating a video and Lin also teaches determining a visual effect trajectory in a video to be processed(see Lin, paragraphs 0003-0005 teaching that the invention is building upon current techniques which allow “when using a smart terminal to take a picture or take a video, not only can the built-in photographing software at the factory be used to realize the photographing and video effects of traditional functions, but also can the application (referred to as: APP) be downloaded from the network to realize the photographing effect or video effect with additional functions” where the techniques disclosed then allow further special effects to be added to such content such as acquired video as further made clear in paragraph 0105 teaching “the received or newly created three-dimensional particle effect is configured, and then the three-dimensional particle effect based on the configured three-dimensional particle effect parameters is generated, and the three-dimensional particle effect may be generated in real time on the images acquired by the image sensor in real time” such that here multiple “images” received “in real time” are video and this improves upon existing techniques which can already have an “effect…placed in…video” but are “unable to generate the three-dimensional particle effect on the face image captured in real time” as opposed to the disclosed technique where “editing of the three-dimensional particle effect are greatly reduced, and the three-dimensional effects may be synchronized with any face images captured in real time, thereby improving the user experience” and further note paragraph 0102 teaching “the three-dimensional particle effect is synchronized directly to the first image captured by the image. In the embodiment, the first image acquired by the image sensor, such as a face image or a body image, is preferably acquired, and then the three-dimensional particle effect is generated on the first image according to parameters configured in the parameter configuration items. Optionally, the three-dimensional particle effect may move following the movement of the first image, such as following the movement of a face or a hand. Such movement may be directly changing the position of the emitter, or superimposing the movement trajectory of the first image onto the current motion trajectory of the three-dimensional particle, which are not specifically limited herein” such that here the multiple images over time are a video to be processed and a visual effect trajectory is determined such that the trajectory will follow the trajectory in the video); generating a trailing visual effect at the visual effect trajectory (see Lin, paragraphs 0102 teaching “the three-dimensional particle effect is synchronized directly to the first image captured by the image. In the embodiment, the first image acquired by the image sensor, such as a face image or a body image, is preferably acquired, and then the three-dimensional particle effect is generated on the first image according to parameters configured in the parameter configuration items. Optionally, the three-dimensional particle effect may move following the movement of the first image, such as following the movement of a face or a hand. Such movement may be directly changing the position of the emitter, or superimposing the movement trajectory of the first image onto the current motion trajectory of the three-dimensional particle, which are not specifically limited herein” such that here the particle effect following the trajectory generates a trailing visual effect), and superimposing the trailing visual effect in the video to be processed to generate the video (see Lin, paragraph 0102 as above teaching “the three-dimensional particle effect is synchronized directly to the first image captured by the image. In the embodiment, the first image acquired by the image sensor, such as a face image or a body image, is preferably acquired, and then the three-dimensional particle effect is generated on the first image according to parameters configured in the parameter configuration items. Optionally, the three-dimensional particle effect may move following the movement of the first image, such as following the movement of a face or a hand. Such movement may be directly changing the position of the emitter, or superimposing the movement trajectory of the first image onto the current motion trajectory of the three-dimensional particle, which are not specifically limited herein” such that here movement in the real time images is video where to see such visual effect on the screen it is superimposed on the video to be processed to generate the video with the particles following the trajectory making the trail). Thus Lin teaches such a method for generating a video according to a method for generating a trailing visual effect based on a particle flow (again see the rejection of claim 1 for further explanation on the method for generating the trailing visual effect which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity).
Regarding claim 19, Lin teaches all that is required as applied to claim 18 above and further teaches mapping the trailing visual effect onto the visual effect trajectory so that the trailing visual effect is superimposed on the visual effect trajectory (see Lin, paragraphs 0102 teaching “the three-dimensional particle effect is synchronized directly to the first image captured by the image. In the embodiment, the first image acquired by the image sensor, such as a face image or a body image, is preferably acquired, and then the three-dimensional particle effect is generated on the first image according to parameters configured in the parameter configuration items. Optionally, the three-dimensional particle effect may move following the movement of the first image, such as following the movement of a face or a hand. Such movement may be directly changing the position of the emitter, or superimposing the movement trajectory of the first image onto the current motion trajectory of the three-dimensional particle, which are not specifically limited herein” such that here the visual effect trajectory is the trajectory the emitter will follow such as a “face or hand” and “movement may be directly changing the position of the emitter, or superimposing the movement trajectory of the first image onto the current motion trajectory of the three-dimensional particle” such that here the trailing visual effect is mapped such that it can be superimposed on the visual effect trajectory).
Regarding claim 20, Lin teaches all that is required as applied to claim 18 above and further teaches wherein the visual effect trajectory is a preset visual effect trajectory (see Lin paragraph 0102 teaching ““the three-dimensional particle effect is synchronized directly to the first image captured by the image. In the embodiment, the first image acquired by the image sensor, such as a face image or a body image, is preferably acquired, and then the three-dimensional particle effect is generated on the first image according to parameters configured in the parameter configuration items. Optionally, the three-dimensional particle effect may move following the movement of the first image, such as following the movement of a face or a hand. Such movement may be directly changing the position of the emitter, or superimposing the movement trajectory of the first image onto the current motion trajectory of the three-dimensional particle, which are not specifically limited herein” such that the visual effect trajectory is preset as the trajectory of the detected hand or face or object to which the emitter is following), or determine the visual effect trajectory in the video to be processed, comprises: in response to detecting a target object in the video to be processed, identifying a feature point on the target object as a target point, and determining the visual effect trajectory according to a movement trajectory of the target point (see Lin, paragraph 0102 teaching “the three-dimensional particle effect is synchronized directly to the first image captured by the image. In the embodiment, the first image acquired by the image sensor, such as a face image or a body image, is preferably acquired, and then the three-dimensional particle effect is generated on the first image according to parameters configured in the parameter configuration items. Optionally, the three-dimensional particle effect may move following the movement of the first image, such as following the movement of a face or a hand. Such movement may be directly changing the position of the emitter, or superimposing the movement trajectory of the first image onto the current motion trajectory of the three-dimensional particle, which are not specifically limited herein” such that here a hand or face target in a video is identified in a video and the hand or face may be a target point on the target object and the visual effect trajectory is determined according to the movement which the visual effect will follow as the emissions of the particles come from such point).
Regarding claim 22, Lin teaches all that is required as applied to claim 18 above and further teaches wherein the target object comprises a hand, and the target point comprises a fingertip of the hand, the method further comprises: displaying the trailing visual effect at a movement trajectory of the fingertip (see Lin, paragraph 0102 teaching “the three-dimensional particle effect is synchronized directly to the first image captured by the image. In the embodiment, the first image acquired by the image sensor, such as a face image or a body image, is preferably acquired, and then the three-dimensional particle effect is generated on the first image according to parameters configured in the parameter configuration items. Optionally, the three-dimensional particle effect may move following the movement of the first image, such as following the movement of a face or a hand. Such movement may be directly changing the position of the emitter, or superimposing the movement trajectory of the first image onto the current motion trajectory of the three-dimensional particle, which are not specifically limited herein” where here the target object comprises a hand and the target point may comprise a fingertip as the emitter may follow any target point and the target object has already been recognized as a hand of a body which would include fingertips and thus when following such point the trailing visual effect would display the trailing visual effect at a movement trajectory of the fingertip which is the trajectory of the hand object).
Regarding claim 23, the instant claim is recited as an electronic device comprising standard computing components which have been specially configured to implement a method for generating a trailing visual effect where the method comprises the method as already addressed in claim 1. Lin teaches such a device (see Lin, paragraphs 0113-0117 teaching “electronic device” which “comprises a memory 31 and a processor 32” and “the processor 32 is used to execute the computer readable instruction stored in the memory 31 such that the electronic device 30 performs all or part of the steps of the method for generating an effect”) and teaches the method as addressed in claim 1 above. Therefore in light of this, the limitations of claim 23 correspond to the limitations of claim 1 above; thus they are rejected on the same grounds as claim 1 above.
Regarding claim 24, the instant claim is recited as an apparatus in the form of a “non-transitory computer readable storage medium” which has instructions thereon to be executed by a processor where such instructions correspond to the limitations of claim 1. Lin teaches such an apparatus () and that the method on such an apparatus is for generating a trailing visual effect based on the particle flow as in claim 1 as explained in the rejection of claim 1 above. Lin teaches such a device (see Lin, paragraphs 0113-0117 teaching “electronic device” which “comprises a memory 31 and a processor 32” and “the processor 32 is used to execute the computer readable instruction stored in the memory 31 such that the electronic device 30 performs all or part of the steps of the method for generating an effect”) and teaches the method as addressed in claim 1 above. Therefore in light of this, the limitations of claim 24 correspond to the limitations of claim 1 above; thus they are rejected on the same grounds as claim 1 above.
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, 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 3-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin in view of Bennett et al2 (“Bennett”).
Regarding claim 3, Lin teaches all that is required as applied to claim 2 above, and further teaches wherein obtaining the extending trajectory of the particle flow, comprises: acquiring a video to be processed (see Lin, paragraphs 0003-0005 teaching that the invention is building upon current techniques which allow “when using a smart terminal to take a picture or take a video, not only can the built-in photographing software at the factory be used to realize the photographing and video effects of traditional functions, but also can the application (referred to as: APP) be downloaded from the network to realize the photographing effect or video effect with additional functions” where the techniques disclosed then allow further special effects to be added to such content such as acquired video as further made clear in paragraph 0105 teaching “the received or newly created three-dimensional particle effect is configured, and then the three-dimensional particle effect based on the configured three-dimensional particle effect parameters is generated, and the three-dimensional particle effect may be generated in real time on the images acquired by the image sensor in real time” such that here multiple “images” received “in real time” are video and this improves upon existing techniques which can already have an “effect…placed in…video” but are “unable to generate the three-dimensional particle effect on the face image captured in real time” as opposed to the disclosed technique where “editing of the three-dimensional particle effect are greatly reduced, and the three-dimensional effects may be synchronized with any face images captured in real time, thereby improving the user experience” and further note paragraph 0102 teaching “the three-dimensional particle effect is synchronized directly to the first image captured by the image. In the embodiment, the first image acquired by the image sensor, such as a face image or a body image, is preferably acquired, and then the three-dimensional particle effect is generated on the first image according to parameters configured in the parameter configuration items. Optionally, the three-dimensional particle effect may move following the movement of the first image, such as following the movement of a face or a hand. Such movement may be directly changing the position of the emitter, or superimposing the movement trajectory of the first image onto the current motion trajectory of the three-dimensional particle, which are not specifically limited herein” such that here the multiple images over time are a video to be processed );
detecting a target object in the video to be processed (see Lin, paragraph 0102 teaching “the three-dimensional particle effect is synchronized directly to the first image captured by the image. In the embodiment, the first image acquired by the image sensor, such as a face image or a body image, is preferably acquired, and then the three-dimensional particle effect is generated on the first image according to parameters configured in the parameter configuration items. Optionally, the three-dimensional particle effect may move following the movement of the first image, such as following the movement of a face or a hand. Such movement may be directly changing the position of the emitter, or superimposing the movement trajectory of the first image onto the current motion trajectory of the three-dimensional particle, which are not specifically limited herein” such that here a target object such as a “face” or “hand” or any object may be detected and its trajectory followed);
determining a movement trajectory of the target object in the video to be processed (see Lin, paragraph 0102 teaching “the three-dimensional particle effect is synchronized directly to the first image captured by the image. In the embodiment, the first image acquired by the image sensor, such as a face image or a body image, is preferably acquired, and then the three-dimensional particle effect is generated on the first image according to parameters configured in the parameter configuration items. Optionally, the three-dimensional particle effect may move following the movement of the first image, such as following the movement of a face or a hand. Such movement may be directly changing the position of the emitter, or superimposing the movement trajectory of the first image onto the current motion trajectory of the three-dimensional particle, which are not specifically limited herein” such that here a movement trajectory is determined which the particle effect is able to then follow to generate a particle effect and trail visualization); and
converting the movement trajectory into the extending trajectory of the particle flow (see Lin, paragraph 0102 teaching “the three-dimensional particle effect is synchronized directly to the first image captured by the image. In the embodiment, the first image acquired by the image sensor, such as a face image or a body image, is preferably acquired, and then the three-dimensional particle effect is generated on the first image according to parameters configured in the parameter configuration items. Optionally, the three-dimensional particle effect may move following the movement of the first image, such as following the movement of a face or a hand. Such movement may be directly changing the position of the emitter, or superimposing the movement trajectory of the first image onto the current motion trajectory of the three-dimensional particle, which are not specifically limited herein” where the “movement trajectory of the first image onto the current motion trajectory of the three-dimensional particle” or “movement…directly changing the position of the emitter” is a conversion of the movement trajectory into the extending trajectory the particles flow along based on the emitter positions and the particles being rendered over time according to the attributes), wherein the extending trajectory is a trajectory that is obtained by mapping the movement trajectory into the three-dimension space.
Lin teaches all of the above but does not teach wherein the extending trajectory is a trajectory that is obtained by mapping the movement trajectory into the three-dimension space. Rather, while Lin teaches the three-dimensional particles modeled and rendered into primitives from the three-dimensional particle space, the movement trajectory of the video is not necessarily converted into that three-dimensional modeled space. Thus Lin stands as a base system upon which the claimed invention can be seen as an improvement through a mapping between a trajectory specified in a 3D space with a particle rendered with respect to the same 3D space such that the 3D particles may follow a path specified in the same 3D space in which they are modeled which leads to the ability of the system to model the 3D particles with respect to a 3D space allowing more accurate and complex presentations of effects on an image or representation of such a 3D space.
In the same field of endeavor relating to combining 3D trajectory acquisition with 3D particle flow effects, Bennett teaches that it is known to acquire video to be processed, determine objects in a video to be processed (see Bennett, paragraphs 0039-0045 teaching a 3D model of a real space is generated based on processing video of a space and 3D assets may be retrieved which can be configured), determine a movement trajectory of a target object in a video to be processed (see Bennett, paragraph 0087-0091 teaching “template behaviors can be applied to 3D assets in a, 3D presentation to animate 3D assets in a particular manner” and “puppeteering allows an author in authoring mode to use a 3D interface such as augmented or virtual reality to record a 3D path to animate a selected 3D asset” where for example “an author might record a 3D path for a virtual image of a drone quadcopter by enabling a puppeteering recording, picking up the drone using a gesture detected from a 3D interface, moving the drone throughout the room by moving the gesture through a desire 3D path, and dropping the drone at a desired end point by finishing the gesture” and “recorded 3D path may be generated with respect to a virtual object anchor for the 3D asset (in this example, the drone)” and “an author can set up a puppeteering animation during authoring mode, for example, by setting behavior parameters for asset behaviors” and “parameters can include the selection of one or more 3D assets to animate, location and orientation of one or more virtual object anchors to tether the puppeteering animation, fixed or dynamic orientation, a 3D path, assignments of asset states to segments of the 3D path, assignment of template behaviors (e.g., animation speed, obstacle avoidance options, particle effects, path visualizations, physical effects, etc.) to segments of the 3D path and/or asset states, how to enable the puppeteering animation (e.g., triggered by a scene or beat, toggling gesture, sensory trigger, etc.), and the like” such that here a target object in a video to be processed is determined and can determine the trail of particle effects), converting the movement trajectory into an extending trajectory of particle flow, wherein the extending trajectory is a trajectory that is obtained by mapping the movement trajectory into the three-dimension space (see Bennett, paragraphs 0087-0091 teaching “template behaviors can be applied to 3D assets in a, 3D presentation to animate 3D assets in a particular manner” and “puppeteering allows an author in authoring mode to use a 3D interface such as augmented or virtual reality to record a 3D path to animate a selected 3D asset” where for example “an author might record a 3D path for a virtual image of a drone quadcopter by enabling a puppeteering recording, picking up the drone using a gesture detected from a 3D interface, moving the drone throughout the room by moving the gesture through a desire 3D path, and dropping the drone at a desired end point by finishing the gesture” and “recorded 3D path may be generated with respect to a virtual object anchor for the 3D asset (in this example, the drone)” and “an author can set up a puppeteering animation during authoring mode, for example, by setting behavior parameters for asset behaviors” and “parameters can include the selection of one or more 3D assets to animate, location and orientation of one or more virtual object anchors to tether the puppeteering animation, fixed or dynamic orientation, a 3D path, assignments of asset states to segments of the 3D path, assignment of template behaviors (e.g., animation speed, obstacle avoidance options, particle effects, path visualizations, physical effects, etc.) to segments of the 3D path and/or asset states, how to enable the puppeteering animation (e.g., triggered by a scene or beat, toggling gesture, sensory trigger, etc.), and the like” such that here the movement trajectory for the object determined can be tied to 3D assets such as “particle effects” and “path visualizations” such that the 3D space of the particle relates to the 3D space of the visualization and thus the extending trajectory is obtained by mapping the movement trajectory into a 3D space of the movement which is tied to the 3D effects through the 3D asset configuration; note that as in paragraphs 0089-0091 “different states of a 3D asset can be assigned to a corresponding portion of the puppeteering animation. In some embodiments, a puppeteering animation can support 3D assets with a designated number of states” and “modifications to the 3D path and associated asset behaviors can be applied to a puppeteering animation, and different behaviors can be applied to different path segments and/or asset states. For example, various template behaviors can be added, such as obstacle avoidance options, particle effects, path visualizations, physical effects, and the like” and “particle effects can be attached to selected path segments and/or states of a puppeteering animation. Generally, a particle effect is an incorporation of relatively small (e.g., particle-sized) objects into an animation of a 3D asset (e.g., for an asset state and/or asset behavior). For example, dust particles can be added to a drone taking off and landing. Additionally and/or alternatively, a particle effect can simulate weather patterns such as rain, snow or wind trails can be added”). Thus Bennett provides the above known techniques applicable to the base system of Lin.
Therefore it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Lin by applying the known techniques of Bennett as doing so would be no more than applying a known technique to a base system ready for improvement as it would yield predictable results and result in an improved system. The predictable result of modifying Lin with the teachings of Bennett would be that 3D trajectories in a 3D space would be used to map an extending trajectory for particle flow where the 3D moving trajectory to which the extending trajectory is to be mapped is also in 3D space and Lin already teaches a particle trail can follow an object in some video or images such that anchoring to such an object would occur as in Bennett and then the extending trajectory for the particle flow would correspond to a 3D space in which the 3D movement trajectory is tracked such that the extending trajectory is a trajectory that is obtained by mapping the movement trajectory into the three-dimension space. This would result in an improved system as it would allow for more complex 3D interactions and trajectories to be followed such as the 3D trajectories taught in Bennett which would enhance the benefit to users attempting to convey 3D information as suggested by Bennett (see Bennett, paragraphs 0003-0004 teaching “visualization tools may be implemented to assist with conveying information in 3D, for example, to generate 3D assets, asset behaviors and/or virtual images” and “each host and client can render the same asset behavior (e.g., viewed from different perspectives) at substantially the same time” such that as explained above more complex displays of the 3D particles already used in Lin are made possible).
Regarding claim 4, Lin as modified teaches all that is required as applied to claim 3 above and further teaches wherein generating the plurality of particles at equal intervals along the extending trajectory, comprises: every time the target object moves a predetermined distance along the extending trajectory, randomly generating at least one particle in a three-dimension region including a position where the target object is located to form the particle flow (see Lin as modified where Lin in the combination above allows such configuration of particle settings as in paragraphs 0044 teaching configuring the emitter which forms the particle flow along the trajectory by emitting particles that form a trail as explained above where the generating of the particles occurs at intervals based on a “transmission frequency” where in paragraph 0104 for example the “emitting frequency of particle” has an “emissionRate” of “0.5” such that particles are generated at intervals based on 0.5 being the rate of emission which would also correspond to equal time intervals of generation along any trajectory and such randomly generating at least one particle in a three-dimension region including a position where the target object is located to form the particle flow corresponds to configuring the particle emitter according to paragraphs 0044-0046 teaching that a user may configure the type of emitter as a “BoxEmitter” where a three-dimensional particle is emitted in a range of Box defined by length, width, and depth of box such that here it is recognized that a random position for the emission within the range specified of the three-dimension Box region is chosen as the generating position instead of configuring a set point as in a “PointEmitter” for example).
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin in view of Unity Version 4.6.23 (“Unity”).
Regarding claim 13, Lin teaches all that is required as applied to claim 6 above and further teaches, wherein the visual effect of the particle primitive model comprises a size change of the particle primitive model (see Lin, paragraphs 0047-0056, “scaleAffector” as explained below); and wherein the size change indicates that a size of the particle primitive model changes from a first size to a second size and then to a third size within the lifecycle of the particle primitive model (see Lin, paragraphs 0047-0056 teaching the “ScaleAffector” that “affect the scale change of three-dimensional particles in the life cycle” where “when the affector is used, the three dimensions of the three-dimensional particle are respectively added to the scaling values of the three dimensions to obtain the scale after scaling” such that given a scaling value of 2 for each x,y,z value for example, the particle scale could change aver the lifetime of the particle from an initial value to the scaled value), wherein both the first size and the third size are smaller than the second size. However, Lin is silent as to a change in scale of the particles from a first to a second size and then a third size where the first and second size are smaller than the second size meaning that the particle grows to some size and then decreases to some size. Lin of course teaches that affectors can be applied to change properties such as color or transparency at any point in time over the lifecycle of a particle, but Lin does not specifically teach that the scaleAffector can change the scale of a particle as recited such as from a smaller size to a bigger size, to a smaller size again. Thus Lin stands as a base device upon which the claimed invention can be seen as an improvement which allows for more detailed and granular scale change control of particle size given the benefit of a greater range of differing and more complex special effects that can be displayed to a user.
In the same field of endeavor relating to particle rendering, Unity already provides a particle system modeler and rendering module where a user can control all of the variables as addressed by Lin already in the rejection of claim 6 above including the ability to adjust the sizes of particles over their lifetime (see Unity, page 1, teaching “Particles that represent gases, flames or smoke will typically change in size as they move away from the point of emission. For example, smoke will tend to disperse and occupy a larger volume over time. This effect can be achieved by setting the curve for the smoke particle to an upward ramp, increasing with the particle’s age. (The effect is enhanced if Color Over Lifetime is also used to fade the smoke as it spreads.) For fireballs created by burning fuel, the flame particles will tend to expand after emission but then fade and shrink as the fuel is used up and the flame dissipates. In this case, the curve would have a rising “hump” that then falls back down to a smaller size” such that here the curve describes any variation of first, second, and third sizes that can be controlled during any point of a lifetime of a particle and note specifically it is described a particle may start as one size and “expand” where the curve would have a “rising hump that then falls back down to a smaller size) as would occur when trying to model certain particles such as relating to fire or explosions for example. Thus Unity teaches a known technique applicable to the base system of Lin.
Therefore it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Lin with the teachings of Unity as doing so would be no more than applying a known technique to a base device ready for improvement which would yield predictable results and result in an improved system. The predictable result of the combination would be adding the modules of Unity such as the “Size Over Lifetime Module” which would affect the particles in the same manner described in Lin but would enable changing size as in Unity and the user of modified Lin could then add particle size effects that start at some size, grow to another size, and then shrink from a second size. This would result in an improved system as the user would be able to add more realistic particle flow affects and would be able to more accurately or specifically control particle appearance to model natural particle phenomena or to specifically control how particles might appear in more varied situations.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 10/26/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues on pages 8-12 that the amendments to the claims distinguish over the teachings of Lin. Applicant argues that the “3d particle effect in Lin…[maintains] a fixed spatial relationship with the target…similar to a ‘shadow’” and that the claims allegedly contrast by having “continuous renewal” and “sequential disappearance. The Examiner respectfully disagrees. Applicant’s characterization overlooks the specific mapping and explanation given by the Examiner in the rejection above and instead appears to only address one simple implementation or capability of Lin while disregarding the teachings as a whole. As explained in the rejection above, the trajectory of an object such as a hand may be tracked and this tracked position may be tied to an emitter which follows the tracked position. The emitter emits particles which are rendered as 3D particle primitives in the rendering space and these particles are generated according to the properties of the emitter which sets the initial properties of the particles which are being generated. As this is a particle system the particles are renewed continuously by the emitter and disappear in sequence according to their lifetime. If the lifetime of a particle is long then it may remain displayed and all of such particles which are being generated by the emitter along the path of the object may remain displayed and thus form a trail where they continue to exist until their lifetime ends. Thus there is no “static shadow” as the only possible option, though this could be possible by arranging and configuring emitters to follow some tracked shape at certain positions. This also shows why the “spatiotemporal characteristics” are not “different” as argued by Applicant on page 11 as the Lin system is capable of the exact same spatiotemporal characteristics.
Applicant also makes an argument regarding “Lin only describes the setting of attributes related to the 3D particle emitter, which all involve the basic configuration of a single particle.” The Examiner respectfully disagrees. This characterization of Lin does not make sense to the Examiner as the emitters in Lin are responsible for generating a plurality of particles according to their “transmission frequency” and “transmission interval” which is how often an emitter transmits particles or otherwise emits them (see paragraph 0044). Every single particle is defined by the properties of the emitter, but this does not set the properties for only a single particle.
Applicant finally points to a paragraph 0043 of Lin teaching how 3D particles may have a “trailing visual effect” but alleges this is different as this describes how particles behave individually in a “trailing way” for example after emission. Again Applicant is not considering the mapping and explanation given by the Examiner. As explained above the trailing effect is not “completely different” at all, as rather the trailing effect is formed by the emitter emitting particles which are rendered at a certain rate from the emitter as it follows a trajectory and these particles have lifetimes which cause them to remain displayed and thus form a trailing visual effect. The “trailing rendering way” of paragraph 0043 is an additional feature to help render the particles so that they also appear in a trailing way upon emission. Thus the trailing way visualization in Lin can be realized in multiple ways such as the particles locally having some trailing characteristics, but also by the fact that they have been emitted at a certain location along a trajectory and say alive for a preset duration. Thus Applicant’s arguments in this regard are not persuasive.
The Examiner notes that Applicant references figures 3B and 3C from the Drawings in an attempt to perhaps show an effect which Lin is not capable of. Based on the above mapping and explanation of Lin, it should be understood that Lin’s system could also generate such a visualization by setting the tracking object to be a hand in the video where the emitter follows the hand and emits particles. The particles can have any preset lifetime duration and so long as this duration is longer than the time it takes to draw the shape, then the particles generated would form a trail of particles that have been emitted along the trajectory and would form the shape made by the trajectory of the object making the shape.
Applicant provides no more specific arguments and thus all substantive arguments have been addressed and the claims stand rejected as fully explained above.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SCOTT E SONNERS whose telephone number is (571)270-7504. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Friday 9-5.
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/SCOTT E SONNERS/Examiner, Art Unit 2613
/XIAO M WU/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2613
1 US PGPUB No. 20210037193
2 US PGPUB No. 20190236842
3 "Particle System." Unity Manual, Unity Technologies, 30 Aug. 2016, Internet Archive, URL. Accessed 19 July 2025.
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