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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The IDS dated 09/19/2025 has been considered and placed in the application file. The IDS documents dated 08/08/2024 and 06/18/2023 that have been previously considered remain in the application file.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pg. 9 ("Specification" section), filed 09/16/2025, with respect to the objection to the abstract of the disclosure have been fully considered and are persuasive; a replacement abstract has been provided. The objection to the abstract has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see pg. 9 ("Claim Objections" section), filed 09/16/2025, with respect to the objection to claims 2 and 9 have been fully considered and are persuasive; the associated issues have been resolved via amendment. The objection to claims 2 and 9 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see pg. 10 ("Claim Interpretation" section), filed 09/16/2025, with respect to the interpretation of claims 1-9 under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) have been fully considered and are persuasive; the claims have been amended to clarify the structure and remove the generic placeholders. These claims are no longer interpreted under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f).
Applicant’s arguments, see pg. 10-12 (“Claim Rejections – 35 USC § 103” section), filed 09/16/2025, with respect to the rejection of claims 1-12 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 have been fully considered, but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that the combination of Palacios in view of Grantham and Tsukihara, which was used to reject the original claim 2 (now amended claim 1), does not teach the claimed features: “change [an] expected future body shape of [an] avatar of [a] first user according to [] content of [an] extracted message so that the expected future body shape of the avatar of the first user gets closer to [a] desired body shape of the first user”.
Applicant's arguments do not comply with 37 CFR 1.111(c) because they do not clearly point out the patentable novelty which he or she thinks the claims present in view of the state of the art disclosed by the references cited or the objections made. Further, they do not show how the amendments avoid such references or objections.
As discussed in the non-final rejection, Palacios teaches most of the claimed features singled out in the applicant’s arguments: “change [an] expected future body shape of [an] avatar of [a] first user so that the expected future body shape of the avatar of the first user gets closer to [a] desired body shape of the first user”. The invention of Palacios describes a smart fitness system which predicts a user’s future physique (an “expected future body shape”) based on their specified exercise plan, and displays an avatar based on their predicted physique. As taught in paragraph 0037, the device can predict a user’s physique at any specified point in time along the exercise plan, changing the avatar’s body shape to be closer to the user’s final goal.
Palacios does not explicitly teach that the change in a user’s avatar happens “according to [] content of [an] extracted message”; Grantham is relied upon to teach this limitation. Grantham teaches a system of changing the appearance of an avatar based on the content of a message which is posted in a chat room and subsequently extracted using keyword identification – which, when combined with the smart fitness system of Palacios, teaches the full set of limitations mentioned in the applicant’s arguments. Palacios is in the same field of endeavor as the claimed invention (fitness technology), and both Palacios and Grantham are pertinent to different issues faced by the inventor; therefore, the combination should have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art (see MPEP 2141.01(a)).
Applicant does not explain how, in their opinion, the combination of Palacios and Grantham fails to teach the specified features, instead simply stating that it does. Likewise, applicant does not explain why such a combination may not have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Therefore, the original rejection is maintained.
Claim Interpretation
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification.
The following terms in the claims have been given the following interpretations in light of the specification:
The interpretation of the phrase “when it is determined that the actual body shape of the first user has gotten closer to his/her desired body shape as a result of the extracted message” (claims 5, 6, 7, 8), as well as the similar phrase “the extracted message, according to the contributing result by which the actual body shape of the first user has gotten closer to his/her desired body shape” (claim 9) do not require a quantifiable measurement to confirm that the actual body shape of the first user has gotten closer to his/her desired body shape, but merely that another user expresses that they believe and/or perceive that the actual body shape of the first user has gotten closer to his/her desired body shape (whether true or not) via comments in the chat room (pg. 9 lines 3-20 in the specification).
Should applicant wish different definitions, applicant should point to the portions of the specification that clearly show a different definition.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Palacios et al. (US 20230115716 A1, hereinafter "Palacios") in view of Grantham et al. (US 20200106728 A1, hereinafter "Grantham") and Tsukihara (US 20160246927 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Palacios teaches a body shape management system ([0006] “It is believed that presenting the user with a projected augmented image of the physique of the user may motivate the user to continue with their fitness routine and dietary program as well as promoting a healthy lifestyle.”) comprising:
a processor (fig. 7 CPU 702; [0071] “Device 700 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 702 for running software applications and optionally an operating system. CPU 702 may be comprised of one or more homogeneous or heterogeneous processing cores. For example, CPU 702 is one or more general-purpose microprocessors having one or more processing cores.”) configured to:
post an avatar representing an expected future body shape of a first user, the future body shape of the first user being his/her body shape expected after a lapse of a set period ([0037] “In some embodiments, in response to a request by a user 102, the system is configured to generate an avatar 102′ that represents the user at a specific point in the future. As noted above, when a user submits a request to predict a change in physique of the body of the user (e.g., what would my physique look like in four months?), the system can dynamically generate an avatar 102′ of the user which includes an augmented image of the body of the user”, [0039] “In some embodiments, the generated augmented image of the body of the user 102 can be presented on the mirror display 104.”)); and
change the expected future body shape of the avatar of the first user so that the expected future body shape of the avatar of the first user gets closer to the desired body shape of the first user ([0036] “In other embodiments, if the user is unsatisfied with the appearance of the predicted physique, the user can adjust the input parameters (e.g., boxing 3 times a week, lifting weights twice per week, and keto diet) and resubmit their request to the system for an updated view of the augmented image of the body.”).
Palacios does not explicitly disclose: post an avatar in a chat room in association with a message posted by the first user in the chat room,
extract a message containing a predetermined content from a message posted for the first user by a second user different from the first user,
wherein the predetermined content from the message posted for the first user by the second user includes one of a message containing a content complimenting an effort of the first user to achieve the desired body shape, a message containing a content complimenting the first user that his/her body shape has gotten closer to his/her desired body shape, or a message containing a content cheering the first user up so that his/her body shape gets closer to his/her desired body shape; and
change the body shape of the avatar of the first user according to the content of the extracted message.
Grantham teaches: post an avatar in a chat room in association with a message posted by the first user in the chat room ([0013] “Each of the users can be represented by an avatar which appears a chat presence bar of the communication interface when the users are present in the communication session. The avatars that appear in the chat presence bar can react to automatically to the electronic message that the user is sending or receiving in the communication interface”, [0053] gives an example of a situation where an avatar is associated with an individual message: “In one embodiment, the first user of the first client device enters and sends the words “see you later” in the electronic message. The customized graphic may be the first user's avatar walking away.”),
extract a message containing a predetermined content from a message posted for the first user by a second user different from the first user ([0053] “In one embodiment, the application server generates the customized graphic by analyzing text entered within the electronic message. The application server identifies a portion of the text that is a keyword or phrase associated with a predetermined customized graphic reaction, and generates the customized graphic based on the predetermined customized graphic reaction… In another embodiment, the second user of the second device enters and sends the words “see you later” in the electronic message”),
change the body shape of the avatar of the first user according to the content of the extracted message ([0052] “At Block 430, the application server generates a customized graphic based on the content for the electronic message and a user identifier for the first client device. The customized graphic can include an avatar of the first user of the first client device (e.g., first avatar). The customized graphic can include a still image of an avatar of the first client device reacting to the content for the electronic message or an animation of an avatar of the first client device reacting to the content for the electronic message”, [0053] gives an example of the first user’s avatar being modified according to the contents of the second user’s message: “In another embodiment, the second user of the second device enters and sends the words “see you later” in the electronic message. In this embodiment, the customized graphic may be the first user avatar waving goodbye in reaction to the second user leaving.”).
Palacios and Grantham are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are pertinent to the issue of manipulating avatars of a user, which is also addressed by the claimed invention. Furthermore, Palacios is in the same field of smart fitness technology. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined the fitness tracking/promoting invention of Palacios with the chat room system of Grantham to incorporate feedback from other users in adjusting an avatar corresponding to a user’s predicted body shape. The motivation would have been to create a sense of community, bringing people together to motivate each other regarding their fitness goals.
The combination of Palacios in view of Grantham does not explicitly teach: wherein the predetermined content from the message posted for the first user by the second user includes one of a message containing a content complimenting an effort of the first user to achieve the desired body shape, a message containing a content complimenting the first user that his/her body shape has gotten closer to his/her desired body shape, or a message containing a content cheering the first user up so that his/her body shape gets closer to his/her desired body shape.
Tsukihara teaches: wherein the predetermined content from the message posted for the first user by the second user includes one of a message containing a content complimenting an effort of the first user to achieve the desired body shape, a message containing a content complimenting the first user that his/her body shape has gotten closer to his/her desired body shape, or a message containing a content cheering the first user up so that his/her body shape gets closer to his/her desired body shape (fig. 10, [0056] “The support comment is a comment for supporting health management to the user who joins the health management service. The support comment includes comments of supporting and encouraging, for example, lost weight, diet success, light, lost, good, good value, go for it, great, good condition, good luck, never mind.”, where the motivational content is identified and extracted from users’ messages similarly to the invention of Grantham: [0056] “In the present exemplary embodiment, the support comment is, for example, support post data extracted from reply post data by context analysis.”).
Tsukihara and the combination of Palacios in view of Grantham are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of health support and management. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined the invention of Palacios in view of Grantham with the teachings of Tsukihara to only consider positive or motivational comments as a basis for modifying a user’s avatar, in order to encourage users to motivate each other towards their fitness goals in a constructive manner.
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Palacios in view of Grantham and Tsukihara teaches the body shape management system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to acquire information about an actual body shape of the first user (Palacios [0033] “In some embodiments, the mirror display 104 may include a plurality of depth sensors 110a-110n that are configured for capturing depth data and texture data for creating 3D models of the objects captured within its corresponding POV. In some embodiments, the depth sensors 110a-110n can provide both color and dense depth images which can facilitate 3D mapping of the captured images. For example, the depth sensors 110a-110n can be used to capture 3D depth data and to perform 3D mapping of the various body parts (e.g., arms, legs, abdominals, etc.) of the user to create 3D models that are used to assemble the physique of the user.”), and
post an avatar (Palacios [0039] “In some embodiments, the generated augmented image of the body of the user 102 can be presented on the mirror display 104”) representing an expected future body shape corresponding to the actual body shape of the first user (Palacios [0038] “In some embodiments, the change in physique of the body of the user 100 is assembled from three-dimensional (3D) models that correspond to the body parts of the user. As noted above, the depth sensors 110a-110n can be used to detect depth data associated with the various body parts of the user which can be used for creating a 3D models for the body parts. In some embodiments, the depth data can be used to generate a wire frame model and mesh outline of each body part of the user to generate the 3D models for the body parts”, rest of the paragraph explains in additional detail) in the chat room (Grantham [0052] “At Block 430, the application server generates a customized graphic based on the content for the electronic message and a user identifier for the first client device. The customized graphic can include an avatar of the first user of the first client device (e.g., first avatar)”).
The aspects of Grantham relied upon (chat room features) are similar to those of claim 1; therefore, the motivation to combine Palacios with Grantham would have been the same as in claim 1.
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Palacios in view of Grantham and Tsukihara teaches the body shape management system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a predicted body shape of the first user according to at least a schedule of the first user stored in a database, the predicted body shape of the first user being a body shape that it is predicted the first user will have after a lapse of a set period (Palacios fig. 3, [0048] “In another embodiment, the table may further include various workout regimens 306 that the user plans to complete for weeks 1 through week N for each day of the week. In one embodiment, each workout regimen may include various physical exercises and a number of physical exercises which can be accessible from one or more templates. In one example, on Monday, week 2, the user 102 plans to consume 1732 calories and plans to perform workout 5. In some embodiments, when submits a request to predict a change in physique of the body of the user, the user may include the caloric consumption 304 and the workout regimens 306 as the input parameters. Using the noted inputs parameters, the system may use a model to generate an augmented image of the body of the user that is responsive to the request made by the user”, also see [0047] for additional context), and
post an avatar (Palacios [0039] “In some embodiments, the generated augmented image of the body of the user 102 can be presented on the mirror display 104”) representing an expected future body shape corresponding to the actual body shape of the first user (Palacios [0038] “In some embodiments, the change in physique of the body of the user 100 is assembled from three-dimensional (3D) models that correspond to the body parts of the user. As noted above, the depth sensors 110a-110n can be used to detect depth data associated with the various body parts of the user which can be used for creating a 3D models for the body parts. In some embodiments, the depth data can be used to generate a wire frame model and mesh outline of each body part of the user to generate the 3D models for the body parts”, rest of the paragraph explains in additional detail) in the chat room (Grantham [0052] “At Block 430, the application server generates a customized graphic based on the content for the electronic message and a user identifier for the first client device. The customized graphic can include an avatar of the first user of the first client device (e.g., first avatar)”).
The aspects of Grantham relied upon (chat room features) are similar to those of claim 1; therefore, the motivation to combine Palacios with Grantham would have been the same as in claim 1.
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Palacios in view of Grantham and Tsukihara teaches the body shape management system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to, when it is determined that the actual body shape of the first user has gotten closer to his/her desired body shape as a result of the extracted message (Tsukihara fig. 10, [0056] “The support comment includes comments of supporting and encouraging, for example, lost weight, diet success, light, lost, good, good value, go for it, great, good condition, good luck, never mind. In the present exemplary embodiment, the support comment is, for example, support post data extracted from reply post data by context analysis”), notify the first user that his/her body shape has gotten closer to his/her desired body shape (Tsukihara fig. 6, [0094] “notification information generator 160 receives the post data from post data extractor 150, and receives the determination result of the target user from determiner 140, and determines whether or not the reception request of the notification information from user terminal 300 is a support post (S150). When the reception request is the support post (S150: YES), notification information generator 160 extracts the support post data of the target user, based on the determination result of the target user, and transmits the support post data as the notification information to notification information transmitter 122 (S151)… Notification information transmitter 122 receives the notification information from notification information generator 160, and transmits the notification information to user terminal 300 via user terminal communicating unit 120 (S180)”).
The combined invention of Palacios in view of Grantham as well as the invention of Tsukihara are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of health support and management. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined the invention of Palacios in view of Grantham with the teachings of Tsukihara to notify a user when they receive positive or motivational comments regarding their fitness progress, in order to encourage users and recognize their progress.
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Palacios in view of Grantham and Tsukihara teaches the body shape management system according to claim 5, wherein when it is determined that the actual body shape of the first user has gotten closer to his/her desired body shape as a result of the extracted message (Tsukihara fig. 10, [0056] “The support comment includes comments of supporting and encouraging, for example, lost weight, diet success, light, lost, good, good value, go for it, great, good condition, good luck, never mind. In the present exemplary embodiment, the support comment is, for example, support post data extracted from reply post data by context analysis”), the processor is further configured to post a message indicating that his/her body shape has gotten closer to his/her desired body shape (Tsukihara fig. 6, [0094] “notification information generator 160 receives the post data from post data extractor 150, and receives the determination result of the target user from determiner 140, and determines whether or not the reception request of the notification information from user terminal 300 is a support post (S150). When the reception request is the support post (S150: YES), notification information generator 160 extracts the support post data of the target user, based on the determination result of the target user, and transmits the support post data as the notification information to notification information transmitter 122 (S151)… Notification information transmitter 122 receives the notification information from notification information generator 160, and transmits the notification information to user terminal 300 via user terminal communicating unit 120 (S180)”).
The combination of Palacios in view of Grantham and Tsukihara does not explicitly teach that the processor posts a message indicating that his/her body shape has gotten closer to his/her desired body shape in the chat room based on the message extracted by the extraction unit, as the message is sent only to the first user.
However, Tsukihara does teach that notification of change/ health update is posted to the user and as part of a different stage in the process that the notification unit posts a message containing health statistics of the first user (referred to as “vital data”) in the chat room such that other users can view and respond to it (fig. 5, [0008] “The first terminal includes a vital data transmitter configured to transmit vital data. The health management device includes: a vital data receiver configured to receive the vital data from the first terminal; a vital post data transmitter configured to generate vital post data including the vital data, for transmitting the generated vital post data to the SNS server; a group post data receiver configured to receive from the SNS server group post data that includes the vital post data including the vital data”, [0031-0050] describes the details of this process). This vital data may include a change in body shape ([0032] “The vital data is configured from a measurement value (including an increment and a decrement) of a vital item to serve as an index of a health status, for example, a blood pressure, body weight, body fat percentage, body temperature, skin condition, number of steps, or blood glucose level, and information such as a user label, a vital item label, a date and time of measurement”).
Tsukihara and the combination of Palacios in view of Grantham are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of health support and management. Thus, one of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to post notifications regarding positive comments on a user’s health in a chat room, since the technology exists to where health data is interpreted by a computer processing system and shared among users in a chat room, as taught by Tsukihara. It would have also been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the invention of Palacios in view of Grantham with the teachings of Tsukihara; Tsukihara not only teaches notifying a user that his/her body shape has gotten closer to his/her desired body shape, but also posting vital data in the chat room, supporting the feature wherein “the notification unit posts a message indicating his/her body shape has gotten closer to his/her desired shape in the chat room” instead of being sent only to the first user. It would have been further obvious to one ordinary skill in the art for the notification to be based in the context of other users’ impressions of these changes (“owing to the message extracted”), since a fitness community provides social support, accountability and motivation, all of which significantly improves success in the fitness/weight management efforts of an individual. The motivation would have been to build a sense of community in the chat room, recognizing the first user for their progress as well as the other users for their compliments and encouragement.
Regarding claim 10, the combination of Palacios in view of Grantham and Tsukihara teaches the body shape management system according to claim 1, wherein the set period is changeable (Palacios gives various examples of the user specifying their desired period for predicting a future body shape: [0021] “the input parameters may be via natural language where a user verbally expresses a request to predict (e.g., Hey Sony, how will my physique look in two months if I keep doing 100 burpees and 100 sit-ups every day?)”, [0034] “a voice output 114 of a user 102 may be a request to predict a change in physique of the body of the user (e.g., what would my physique look like in four months?)”, [0039] “a user 102 may be standing in the activity volume 124 and submit a request to the system to predict what the abdominals of the user 102 may look like after adhering to a program that includes a series of abdominal exercises and a ketogenic diet for the next 10 weeks”, [0044] “in response to a request by a user 102 to predict what the physique of the user would look like in week 1, week 4, week 8, and week 16, the system is configured to generate an avatar 102′ that represents the user at the desired point in time as requested by the user”).
Regarding claims 11 and 12, they are rejected with the same rationales, references, and motivations to combine as claim 1 because their limitations substantially correspond to the limitations of claim 1, except for the additional limitation in claim 12 of a non-transitory computer readable storage medium (fig. 7 storage 706, described in [0072]) storing a control program (game engine described in [0076]).
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Palacios (US 20230115716 A1) in view of Grantham (US 20200106728 A1) and Tsukihara (US 20160246927 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Jackson et al. (US 20150012449 A1, hereinafter "Jackson").
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Palacios in view of Grantham and Tsukihara teaches the body shape management system according to claim 1, wherein the processor determines that the actual body shape of the first user has gotten closer to his/her desired body shape as a result of the extracted message (Tsukihara fig. 10, [0056] “The support comment includes comments of supporting and encouraging, for example, lost weight, diet success, light, lost, good, good value, go for it, great, good condition, good luck, never mind. In the present exemplary embodiment, the support comment is, for example, support post data extracted from reply post data by context analysis”), the processor is further configured to change the expected future body shape of the avatar of the first user (Palacios [0036] and [0037] teaches changing an avatar’s future body shape based on user input; Grantham [0053] gives an example of a first user’s avatar being modified according to the contents of a second user’s message; motivation to combine would have been similar to that described in claim 1).
The combination of Palacios in view of Grantham and Tsukihara does not explicitly teach: wherein when the processor determines that the actual body shape of the first user has gotten closer to his/her desired body shape as a result of the extracted message, the processor is further configured to increase a degree of change in the expected future body shape of the avatar of the first user that occurs in response to a subsequent message containing the predetermined content posted by the second user, who has posted the extracted message.
Jackson teaches a social media content recommendation system where a second user commenting on a first user’s posts will cause the first user’s posts to be weighted more highly in the recommendation system and recommended more frequently to the second user, meaning that it increases a degree of change in a particular metric of the first user that occurs in response to subsequent interactions with the second user ([0057] “Additionally, interaction between a following author and a followed author's posts may be observed and used to weight a connection between the following author and the followed author… if the following author comments, likes, or clicks to expand or separately view posts of a followed author, the connection may be provided greater weight.”, [0090] “when a user likes, comments on, or @replies to particular posts, a content of the post may be analyzed (e.g., to create standing queries) and a source of the posts may be identified. Thus, a future post may be recommended as including content that is about a topic that has been identified as relevant to the user (as with dialog box 424), or from a source that the recipient has previously comment, liked or @replied (as with dialog box 426)”, [0093] “Reasons for recommending a post may be determined based on which component of a recommendation engine provided a recommendation, or based upon a weight of a signal in an overall score that was recommended… a post may be of "Past Importance" if a threshold percentage (e.g., 40%) of a post's score is based on previous likes, comments, and @replies by the recipient of the post”).
Jackson is analogous to the claimed invention because it is in the same field of social media/online interaction and is pertinent to the issue of algorithmically increasing social media engagement, which is also addressed by the claimed invention. Social media content recommendation algorithms which store and modify a weighted value to increase the magnitude of a future effect based on previous comments and other interactions, as exemplified by Jackson, are commonly known in the art, as well as related systems of social media gamification where interactions result in a visible indicator. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the invention of Palacios in view of Grantham and Tsukihara to apply aspects of the social media content recommendation system of Jackson to the system of modifying avatar representations of users’ future body shape. The motivation would have been to increase engagement and build a sense of community in the chat room, recognizing the first user for their continued progress over time as well as the second user for their repeated compliments and encouragement.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Palacios (US 20230115716 A1) in view of Grantham (US 20200106728 A1) and Tsukihara (US 20160246927 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Stack Overflow 1 (“Badges” page, retrieved from Wayback Machine, 30 May 2017) and Stack Overflow 2 (“Django limit_choices_to for multiple fields with “or” condition”, retrieved from Wayback Machine, 30 May 2017).
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Palacios in view of Grantham and Tsukihara teaches the body shape management system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the actual body shape of the first user has gotten closer to his/her desired body shape as a result of the extracted message (Tsukihara fig. 10, [0056] “The support comment includes comments of supporting and encouraging, for example, lost weight, diet success, light, lost, good, good value, go for it, great, good condition, good luck, never mind. In the present exemplary embodiment, the support comment is, for example, support post data extracted from reply post data by context analysis”).
The combination of Palacios in view of Grantham and Tsukihara does not explicitly teach: wherein when the processor is further configured to determine that the actual body shape of the first user has gotten closer to his/her desired body shape as a result of the extracted message, the processor is further configured to attach a mark to an avatar of the second user, who has posted the extracted message, or in a vicinity of the avatar of the second user, the mark indicating a contributing result by which the actual body shape of the first user has gotten closer to his/her desired body shape.
Stack Overflow 1 teaches the use of badges which a “second” user may earn as a reward for contributing responses to other “first” users’ posts; these badges appear as a mark on their posts (“Besides gaining reputation with your questions and answers, you receive badges for being especially helpful. Badges appear on your profile page, flair, and your posts”, also see list of “Answer Badges”).
Stack Overflow 1 is analogous to the claimed invention because it is pertinent to the issue of rewarding online media contribution, which is also addressed by the claimed invention. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the invention of Palacios in view of Grantham and Tsukihara to apply aspects of the badge system of Stack Overflow 1. The motivation would have been to increase engagement by adding gamified mechanics, giving a visible reward for the second user’s contribution and recognizing them for their compliments and encouragement.
Stack Overflow 1 does not explicitly teach that the badges appear in the vicinity of the avatar of the second user.
Stack Overflow 2 teaches that the badges appear in the vicinity of the avatar of the second user (see below image, badges appear as marks near the avatar of a user in association with one of their posts).
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Stack Overflow 2 is analogous to the claimed invention because it is pertinent to the issue of rewarding online media contribution, which is also addressed by the claimed invention. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the invention of Palacios in view of Grantham, Tsukihara, and Stack Overflow 1 to apply aspects of the graphical badge display of Stack Overflow 2. The motivation would have been to optimize the gamified mechanics of Stack Overflow 1, ensuring that the rewards are easily visible.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Palacios (US 20230115716 A1) in view of Grantham (US 20200106728 A1) and Tsukihara (US 20160246927 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Nims et al. (US 20090144639 A1, hereinafter "Nims").
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Palacios in view of Grantham and Tsukihara teaches the body shape management system according to claim 1, as well as a second user who has posted the extracted message, according to the contributing result by which the actual body shape of the first user has gotten closer to his/her desired body shape (Tsukihara fig. 10, [0056] “The support comment includes comments of supporting and encouraging, for example, lost weight, diet success, light, lost, good, good value, go for it, great, good condition, good luck, never mind. In the present exemplary embodiment, the support comment is, for example, support post data extracted from reply post data by context analysis”).
The combination of Palacios in view of Grantham and Tsukihara does not explicitly teach wherein the processor is further configured to change at least one of a color or a shape of the avatar of the second user, who has posted the extracted message, according to the contributing result by which the actual body shape of the first user has gotten closer to his/her desired body shape.
Nims teaches avatar customization options given as rewards for completing athletic/fitness goals ([0005] “In one configuration, the avatar may be awarded prizes that alter the avatar's appearance upon a user completing an athletic performance goal. For example, upon a user completing a first workout, a new shirt or pair of shoes may be unlocked for the avatar. The avatar may then be updated with the new shirt or pair of shoes.”), which may change the color ([0049] “Additionally, a user may select a color of the shoe or other feature being customized using color palette 319”) and/or shape (fig. 3, different shoe options are shaped differently) of the avatar.
Nims and the combination of Palacios in view of Grantham and Tsukihara are analogous to the claimed invention because they are all in the field of health/fitness support and management. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the invention of Palacios in view of Grantham and Tsukihara with aspects of the avatar customization system of Nims to grant users customized avatars as rewards for leaving positive comments on other users’ posts. The motivation would have been to increase engagement by adding gamified mechanics, giving a visible reward for the second user’s contribution and recognizing them for their compliments and encouragement.
References Cited
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yamada et al. (JP 2022042787 A) teaches a health support system involving groups of users. Each user is represented by an avatar, which may change in appearance based on fitness progress. Users may also receive motivational messages.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/BENJAMIN TOM STATZ/Examiner, Art Unit 2611
/TAMMY PAIGE GODDARD/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2611