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 .
Status of Claims
Applicant's submission filed on 5/27/26 has been entered. Claim 3 is cancelled. Claim 21 is new. Claims 1-2, 4-21 are presented for examination.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The rejection of claim 20 under first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a) is withdrawn in view of the amendments.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 4-6, 11-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bromenshenkel et al. (US 20100121810 A1), in view of ASTRAKHANTSEV et al. (US 20210133229 A1), in further view of Baker et al. (US 11204678 B1).
Re-claims 1, 5, Bromenshenkel et al. teach a method for dynamically modifying a virtual warehouse, the method comprising:
--determining a first feature of interest of a virtual object of the virtual warehouse based on a first passive user interaction of an avatar with the virtual object;
(see e.g. [0047] The method 500 begins at step 510, where a browser application detects a user interaction with a virtual object. For example, client application 109 (shown in FIG. 1) may detect a user interacting with a virtual object 132 included in virtual world 130. Such an user interaction may include, e.g., touching an object, picking up an object, looking at an object, walking into a virtual building, operating an object, etc.
[0006] One embodiment of the invention provides a computer-implemented method, comprising: collecting data describing interactions between an avatar and virtual objects in a virtual environment, the avatar being manipulated by a user; characterizing a level of interest of the user in the virtual objects using the collected data;
[0027] Further, client application 109 may be configured to generate and display a visual representation of the user within the immersive environment, generally referred to as an avatar.
[0029] a variety of devices configured to present the virtual world to the user and to translate movement/motion or other actions of the user into actions performed by the avatar representing that user within virtual world 130.)
--the first passive user interaction comprising a user proximity value of the avatar in comparison to the virtual object;
(see e.g. [0031] Such characteristics may be used to determine how much the user interacted with a virtual object 132, and thus to determine how much interest the user has in that particular virtual object 132. For example, a virtual object 132 that the user has devoted a great deal of attention to (e.g., carried, used, operated, looked at closely and for an extend periods of time, etc.) may be determined to be of more interest to the user than an object which the user looked at briefly while "walking" through a virtual room. Further, the records included in the client profile 106 may describe a virtual object 132 that has been explicitly designated by the user as an object of interest. For example, while in the virtual world 130, the user may perform a command indicating that a particular virtual object 132 is an object of interest.
[0049] Optionally, the virtual objects 132 of interest to the user may be determined by evaluating whether the user's interest exceeds a predefined level of interest (e.g., the user interacted with a given virtual object 132 for at least 10 seconds, etc.).
[0033] The user of client application 109 may then be presented with virtual objects 132 that match the objects of interest to the user. Virtual objects 132 may include, for example, a virtual representation of a car that the user has read about in browser application 119, a virtual store (e.g., virtual store 220 shown in FIG. 2) selling goods or services that the user has searched for in browser application 119, and the like. Optionally, objects of interest may be determined by evaluating whether the user's interest exceeds a predefined level of interest (e.g., the user viewed at least two web sites related to a given object in the user's last web browsing session, etc.).
--wherein the virtual warehouse comprises a virtual environment containing an inventory of virtual objects representing stock items, and
(see e.g. [0030] The user may then further interact with virtual objects 132 inside the store, for instance looking at a virtual product, picking it up, and purchasing it. The product may represent items used within the virtual environment, e.g., clothing worn by the avatar,
[0033] . Virtual objects 132 may include, for example, a virtual representation of a car that the user has read about in browser application 119, a virtual store (e.g., virtual store 220 shown in FIG. 2) selling goods or services that the user has searched for in browser application 119, and the like.
--wherein the avatar navigates among the virtual objects within the virtual environment;
(see e.g. [0030] In response, the client application 109 could cause the avatar representing the user to walk to the store, enter a lobby area and present the user with the interior of the store, including a virtual salesmen avatar, virtual products, and other avatars present in the store within virtual world 130. The user may then further interact with virtual objects 132 inside the store, for instance looking at a virtual product, picking it up, and purchasing it. The product may represent items used within the virtual environment, e.g., clothing worn by the avatar)
claim 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the interactions comprise at least one of: (i) the avatar viewing one of the virtual objects in a virtual environment, and (ii) the avatar manipulating one of the virtual objects in a virtual environment.)
--generating a first search query based on the determined first feature of interest;
(see e.g. [0050] For example, assume client profile 106 indicates that the user spent a given amount of time interacting with a virtual representation of a particular type of car while using client application 109. In this case, client application 109 may determine that this type of car is of interest to the user, and may thus search for and identify any web content related to this type of car (e.g., web sites of car dealers, web pages including car reviews, etc.).
[0033] The user of client application 109 may then be presented with virtual objects 132 that match the objects of interest to the user. Virtual objects 132 may include, for example, a virtual representation of a car that the user has read about in browser application 119, a virtual store (e.g., virtual store 220 shown in FIG. 2) selling goods or services that the user has searched for in browser application 119, and the like. )
--identifying one or more first search results that corresponds to the first search query, the one or more first search results including at least one object with at least one feature;
(see e.g. [0034] In one embodiment, matching virtual objects 132 may be presented to the user immediately in response to a command performed in browser application 119.
[0036] In one embodiment, client application 109 may be configured to present a user with web content based on client profile 106. More specifically, client application 109 may initiate browser application 119 in order to display web content (e.g., web sites, search results, etc.) related to virtual objects 132 that the user has interacted with in client application 109.)
Bromenshenkel et al. do not teach the following limitation as claimed.
However, ASTRAKHANTSEV et al. teach ---the one or more first search results including at least one object [….] with at least one counterexample absent the at least one feature;
(see e.g. [0040] FIG. 3 illustrates an example 300 user interface 302 and a set of results images 306, 308, 310, returned in response to a query 304 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, a set of results images 306, 308, 310 are displayed in response to a user query 304 in a user interface 302. The results images 306, 308, 310 are part of an image row as explained in greater detail herein. The results images in an image row (e.g., 306, 308, 310) are visually similar in constant attributes such as item view angle, item color, and image background, and are different in selected varying attributes, such as SUV model.
[0048] For a more focused query, such as “Mazda® SUVs” the images can be of different models of Mazda® SUVs. Furthermore, images can comprise associated attributes, which can be indicated in associated metadata. Thus, an attribute value showing the manufacture, an attribute value showing the model, and so forth can be stored in metadata associated with a particular image. Any number and/or type of attributes can be stored in the metadata, depending on the image.
[0021] In other use cases the goal is to present a different combination of similarities and/or differences. For example, in a second use case the images can be of the same item with different attributes. For example, the same model SUV with similar view aspects, but with different colors so the user can compare color and decide which they like best. Thus, in general, embodiments of the present disclosure select images with a first set of constant attributes and a second set of varying aspects. In this disclosure, a set is one or more items and a subset is all or less than all items in a set.
[0115] Thus, if the user searches for “Model Y SUVs,” it can be interpreted that the user wants to see various aspects of Model Y SUVs. The attribute to vary, in this representative example, color can be inferred by the user search history, by user input, by user interaction with presented images, by popularity, and/or in some other fashion.
[0046] The search engine 410 retrieves search results that are relevant to the query. Included in these search results can be one or more images that are determined to be relevant to the search query. In the context of this disclosure, relevant means results that the search engine determines can be presented to the user as being responsive to the entered query.
[0047] A subset of images determined to be relevant by the search engine are processed by the image selection process 414 in order to select images that are visually similar and/or different as described herein, depending on the use case. The resultant images are presented as described herein in order to facilitate visual comparison and other goals of the use cases described herein.)
[0136] Validation data 1214 is likewise image pairs that are similar and/or dissimilar. )
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Bromenshenkel et al., and include the steps cited above, as taught by ASTRAKHANTSEV et al., in order to provide clues as to what might be of more interest to a user(see e.g. [0106]), and provide a feedback type process where parameters (also called weights) in the model are successively adjusted until a desired level of accuracy is achieve [0131].
Bromenshenkel et al, in view of ASTRAKHANTSEV et al. do not teach the following limitation as claimed.
However, Baker et al. teach--modifying the virtual objects in the inventory of the virtual warehouse to include the at least one object and the at least one counterexample;
--causing a user interface to output the modified virtual warehouse with the modified virtual objects.
5. the method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the virtual objects in the inventory of the virtual warehouse based on the one or more first search results to include the at least one counterexample to use as a control feature of interest.
(see e.g. col. , lines
(see e.g. col. 15, lines 38-56 Various user interactions with a plurality of objects within a virtual reality environment may be enabled to facilitate exploration of one or more objects. For example, responsive to receiving a selection input with respect to an object 330-1…….In other example embodiments, the selection input may comprise a click, button press, or touch interface input received while hovering over or pointing at the object via a controller, pointing at the object with both controllers, detecting an eye gaze for a defined amount of time while hovering over or pointing at the object via a controller, or other types or combinations of inputs.
col. 16, lines1-15 In the example shown in FIG. 3A, upon receiving a selection input with respect to an object, e.g., a sofa 330-1 presented within the room or space of the virtual reality environment, the additional details associated with the selected object may include a detail card 340 associated with the selected object 330-1, and a plurality of selectable options, such as a replace or swap button 341, a duplicate button 342, a remove or delete button 343, a full details button 344, an add to list button 345, and an add to shopping cart button 346.
col. 16, lines 61-67; col. 17, lines 1-13 In some example embodiments, one or more object variations or options 334A including various different material, color, texture, finish, paint, size, shape, or other object variations or options associated with the selected object 330-1 may also be presented with the detail card 340. For example, the object variations 334A may include various different color, material, size, or other options 334A-1, 334A-2, 334A-3, 334A-4, 334A-5, 334A-6, and selecting or toggling through the various object variations 334A may cause corresponding modifications to a presentation of the selected object 330-1.
col. 5, lines 26-32 -Furthermore, with respect to individual presented items, a reference or link may be included or embedded that allows the user to navigate directly to sources of additional information about the item or another item (e.g., other items that include different color, size, or other options for a presented item, other items that are similar, related, popular, or recommended with respect to a presented item).
col. 17, lines 14-25-- As shown in FIG. 3A, the example user interface may present the object variations 334A as coupled or attached to an edge, side, or portion of the detail card 340. For example, the object variations 334A may be coupled to a bottom, top, left, or right side of the detail card 340. Further, a current object variation that is associated with the object 330-1 presented within the virtual reality environment may be visually presented as highlighted, outlined, or otherwise visually emphasized. In the example of FIG. 3A, the object variation 334A-2 is highlighted or outlined to indicate that this object variation is associated with the object 330-1 as currently presented within the virtual reality environment.
col. 20, lines 30-42 Further, a current object variation that is associated with the object 330-1 presented within the virtual reality environment may be visually presented as highlighted, outlined, or otherwise visually emphasized. In the example of FIG. 3B, the object variation 334B-3 is highlighted or outlined to indicate that this object variation is associated with the object 330-1 as currently presented within the virtual reality environment.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Bromenshenkel et al., and include the steps cited above, as taught by ASTRAKHANTSEV et al., because by presenting varying levels or amounts of information based on user interactions or inputs allows users to identify objects or items of interest with fewer clicks, scrolls, and/or page navigations than would otherwise be required to identify, view, and evaluate items. (see e.g. col. 5, lines 9-13).
Re-claim 2, Bromenshenkel et al. teach the method of claim 1, wherein, in addition to the user proximity value, the first passive user interaction includes one or more of a user gaze fixation time, a user gaze fixation value, a user proximity time, a user interaction time, or a user interaction value.
(see e.g. [0031] Such characteristics may be used to determine how much the user interacted with a virtual object 132, and thus to determine how much interest the user has in that particular virtual object 132. For example, a virtual object 132 that the user has devoted a great deal of attention to (e.g., carried, used, operated, looked at closely and for an extend periods of time, etc.) may be determined to be of more interest to the user than an object which the user looked at briefly while "walking" through a virtual room.
[0028] The user may interact with elements displayed in user display 200. For example, the user may interact with a box 250 by picking it up, opening it, etc. The user may also interact with a kiosk 280 by operating controls built into the kiosk 280, requesting information, etc. The user may also interact with a billboard 240 by looking at it (i.e., by positioning the line of sight directly towards the billboard 240).
Re-claim 4, Bromenshenkel et al. teach --The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the virtual objects in the inventory of the virtual warehouse based on the one or more first search results to include a higher proportion of objects having the determined first feature of interest.
(see e.g. [0035] In the event of multiple matching virtual objects 132, client application 109 may present the matching virtual objects 132 in list form (e.g., a list of object names, a list of object images, etc.). In such a list, clicking on an object name or image may cause the user to be teleported to the location of the corresponding virtual object 132. Further, the list may be sorted according to how closely each virtual object 132 matches the user's web profile 116. Alternatively, client application 109 may present multiple matching virtual objects 132 in map form (e.g., a map of virtual world 130 including visual markers indicating the locations of matching virtual objects 132.).
Claim 11 recites similar limitations as claim 1 and is therefore rejected under the same arts and rationale.
Furthermore, Bromenshenkel et al. anticipate --the system comprising: a virtual reality headset;
determining, via the virtual reality headset, a first feature of interest of a virtual object of the virtual warehouse based on a first passive user interaction with the virtual object
(see e.g. [0029] The user may view the virtual world using a display device 140, such as an LCD or CRT monitor display, and interact with the client application 109 using input devices 150. Further, in one embodiment, the user may interact with client application 109 and virtual world 130 using a variety of virtual reality interaction devices 160. For example, the user may don a set of virtual reality goggles that have a screen display for each lens. Further, the goggles could be equipped with motion sensors that cause the view of the virtual world presented to the user to move based on the head movements of the individual. As another example, the user could don a pair of gloves configured to translate motion and movement of the user's hands into avatar movements within the virtual reality environment. Of course, embodiments of the invention are not limited to these examples and one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the invention may be adapted for use with a variety of devices configured to present the virtual world to the user and to translate movement/motion or other actions of the user into actions performed by the avatar representing that user within virtual world 130.
The Examiner notes that Bromenshenkel et al. teach the user may interact with client application 109 and virtual world 130 using a variety of virtual reality interaction devices 160. Although examples of virtual reality goggles, and virtual gloves are listed, Bromenshenkel et al. specifically teach embodiments of the invention are not limited to these examples (see e.g. [0029]).
Thus, the simple substitution of one known element for another producing a predictable result renders the claim obvious. (see KSR rationale B).
Claim 12 recites similar limitations as claim 2 and is therefore rejected under the same arts and rationale.
Re-claim 13, Bromenshenkel et al. teach --The system of claim 12, wherein the determining the first feature of interest of a virtual object of the virtual warehouse further comprises: determining that the one or more of the user gaze fixation time, the user gaze fixation value, the user proximity time, the user proximity value, the user interaction time, or the user interaction value are above a predetermined threshold.(see e.g. [0006] collecting data describing interactions between an avatar and virtual objects in a virtual environment, the avatar being manipulated by a user; characterizing a level of interest of the user in the virtual objects using the collected data; determining web content corresponding only to those virtual objects for which the level of interest exceeds a predetermined level;
[0049] Optionally, the virtual objects 132 of interest to the user may be determined by evaluating whether the user's interest exceeds a predefined level of interest (e.g., the user interacted with a given virtual object 132 for at least 10 seconds, etc.).
[0031] . Further, each interaction record may include characteristics of the user interaction itself (e.g., type of interaction, date/time, duration, etc.) Such characteristics may be used to determine how much the user interacted with a virtual object 132, and thus to determine how much interest the user has in that particular virtual object 132. For example, a virtual object 132 that the user has devoted a great deal of attention to (e.g., carried, used, operated, looked at closely and for an extend periods of time, etc.) may be determined to be of more interest to the user than an object which the user looked at briefly while "walking" through a virtual room.
[0048] Further, client application 109 may store data describing the user's interaction with virtual object 132 in client profile 106. Such data may include, e.g., a degree and type of interaction, how long the user interacted with the object, what the user was doing at the time of the interaction, a location of the interaction, etc.)
Claim 14 recites similar limitations as claim 4 and is therefore rejected under the same arts and rationale.
Claim 15 recites similar limitations as claim 5 and is therefore rejected under the same arts and rationale.
Claims 6, 20, 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Bromenshenkel et al. (US 20100121810 A1), in view of ASTRAKHANTSEV et al. (US 20210133229 A1), in view of Baker et al. (US 11204678 B1), in further view of Jimenez (US 20140208268 A1).
Re-claims 6, 20, 21, Bromenshenkel et al. teach -- The method of claim 5, further comprising --wherein the user’s interest is determined based on one or more of a further user gaze fixation time, a further user gaze fixation value, a further user proximity time, a further user proximity value, a further user interaction time, or a further user interaction value.
(see e.g. [0031] . Further, each interaction record may include characteristics of the user interaction itself (e.g., type of interaction, date/time, duration, etc.) Such characteristics may be used to determine how much the user interacted with a virtual object 132, and thus to determine how much interest the user has in that particular virtual object 132. For example, a virtual object 132 that the user has devoted a great deal of attention to (e.g., carried, used, operated, looked at closely and for an extend periods of time, etc.) may be determined to be of more interest to the user than an object which the user looked at briefly while "walking" through a virtual room.
[0048] Further, client application 109 may store data describing the user's interaction with virtual object 132 in client profile 106. Such data may include, e.g., a degree and type of interaction, how long the user interacted with the object, what the user was doing at the time of the interaction, a location of the interaction, etc.)
Bromenshenkel et al., in view of ASTRAKHANTSEV et al., in view of Baker et al., do not teach the following limitations.
However, Jimenez teaches -- determining a user’s interest in the at least one counterexample to gauge a correctness of the determined first feature of interest,
(see e.g. [0033] On the other hand, if the content server predicted that the user would not be interested in the selected content item (i.e., based on a lower estimated interest value for the user with respect to the selected content item), the user's selection of that content item may indicate that the content server's estimation of the user's interests is incorrect.
With respect to the following limitation “to gauge a correctness of the determined first feature of interest ”, it is noted that Applicant's claim language is replete with intended use claim language. Such claim language is given little, if any, patentable weight in juxtaposition with a positive claim limitation.
Furthermore, Jimenez teaches Jimenez teaches --indicating that the content server's estimation of the user's interests is either correct or incorrect.
Claim 20 recites similar limitations as claims 2, 6 and is therefore rejected under the same arts and rationale.
Furthermore, as explained in claim 6, Jiminez anticipates --determining a correctness of the determined first feature of interest based on a second passive user interaction of the avatar with the at least one counterexample in the virtual warehouse
(see e.g. [0018] The content items selected by such an algorithm could then be displayed in the user interface under the category "Westerns". In such an embodiment, the algorithm is designed to select content items that will be enjoyed by users who enjoy Westerns, even though the algorithm may select some content items that are not classified as Westerns.
[0032] That is, in the situation where the content server predicted the user would be interested in a particular content item (or a particular category or classification of content associated with the content item) and user then selects the content item from the interface, the content server could determine that its estimation of the user's interests was correct.)
*****The Examiner notes that more than one content items are presented to the user. The selection of the item estimated to be of interest and not the other items is interpreted as a second passive user interaction with the counterexample.
Re-claim 21, Bromenshenkel et al. teach --The method of claim 20, wherein the first passive user interaction and the second passive user interaction each includes one or more of a user proximity value, a user gaze fixation time, a user gaze fixation value, a user proximity time, a user interaction time, or a user interaction value.
(see e.g. [0031] [0048]. Note: The second passive user interaction including one or more of a user proximity value, a user gaze fixation time, a user gaze fixation value, a user proximity time, a user interaction time, or a user interaction value is an obvious variation of Bromenshenkel et al.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Bromenshenkel et al., in view of ASTRAKHANTSEV et al., in view of Baker et al. and include the steps cited above, as taught by Jimenez, in order to separate a user's interest in a particular content category (or content selection algorithm) from the user's interest in the content item itself, and thus can more finely approximate a particular user's preferences. (see e.g. [0030]).
Claims 7-9, 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Bromenshenkel et al. (US 20100121810 A1), in view of ASTRAKHANTSEV et al. (US 20210133229 A1), in view of Baker et al. (US 11204678 B1), in further view of KURALENOK et al. (US 20170132323 A1).
Re-claims 7, 8, 9, Bromenshenkel et al., in view of ASTRAKHANTSEV et al., in view of Baker et al., do not teach the limitations as claimed.
However, KURALENOK et al. teach the method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a second feature of interest of the virtual object of the virtual warehouse based on a second passive user interaction with the virtual object; generating a second search query based on the determined first feature of interest and the determined second feature of interest; identifying one or more second search results that corresponds to the second search query, the one or more second search results including a portion of the at least one object with at least one feature, the portion of the at least one object with at least one feature including the determined first feature of interest and the determined second feature of interest; modifying the virtual objects in the inventory of the virtual warehouse based on the one or more second search results; and causing the user interface to output the virtual warehouse.
(see e.g. [0013] The method comprises receiving the first search query from an electronic device associated with the user, and, responsive to the first search query, generating a first search query result set. The first search query result set is displayed to the user on a first SERP.
[0015] The first user interest parameter is generated by: i) receiving an indication of a first user interaction with the first search result element on the first search result; ii) determining a first weight for the first search result element based on the first user interaction with the first search result element on the first search result; iii) receiving an indication of a second user interaction with the first search result element on the second search result; iv) determining a second weight for the first search result element based on the second user interaction with the first search result element on the second search result; and v) generating the first user interest parameter based on summing the first weight and the second weight for the first search result element.)
[0098] The nature of the first user interactions is not particularly limited. The user may engage strongly, weakly, or not at all with the first search result element 212 on the SERP 108.)
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising modifying the at least one object with at least one feature such that a higher proportion of the at least one object with at least one feature includes the determined first feature of interest and the determined second feature of interest.
(see e.g. [0016] Next, in accordance with the first broad aspect of the present technology, a second search query is generated. The second search query includes the first search query, the first search result element, and the first user interest parameter as a reformulation of the first search query indicating significance of the first search result element. Responsive to the second search query, a second search query result set is generated, and the second search query result set is displayed to the user, thereby generating the refined SERP.)
9. The method of claim 7, wherein the generating of the second search query further comprises: determining weights for each of the determined first feature of interest and the second feature of interest; and generating the second search query based on the determined first feature of interest, the determined second feature of interest, and the determined weights.
(see e.g. [0014] The first user interest parameter indicates user interest in the first search result element and is a weighted accumulation of user interaction with the first search result element on the first search result and the second search result.
[0015] The first user interest parameter is generated by: i) receiving an indication of a first user interaction with the first search result element on the first search result; ii) determining a first weight for the first search result element based on the first user interaction with the first search result element on the first search result; iii) receiving an indication of a second user interaction with the first search result element on the second search result; iv) determining a second weight for the first search result element based on the second user interaction with the first search result element on the second search result; and v) generating the first user interest parameter based on summing the first weight and the second weight for the first search result element.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Bromenshenkel et al., in view of ASTRAKHANTSEV et al., in view of Baker et al., and include the steps cited above, as taught by KURALENOK et al., in order to reflect the user interest (see e.g. [0009]).
Claim 16 recites similar limitations as claim 7 and is therefore rejected under the same arts and rationale.
Claim 17 recites similar limitations as claim 8 and is therefore rejected under the same arts and rationale.
Claim 18 recites similar limitations as claim 9 and is therefore rejected under the same arts and rationale.
Claims 10, 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bromenshenkel et al. (US 20100121810 A1), in view of ASTRAKHANTSEV et al. (US 20210133229 A1), in view of Baker et al. (US 11204678 B1), in further view of UNNIKRISHNAN et al. (US 20200265499 A1).
Re-claim 10, Bromenshenkel et al. teach the method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the first feature of interest includes:
--obtaining passive user interaction data that includes the first passive user interaction with the virtual object;
(see e. g. (see e.g. [0047] The method 500 begins at step 510, where a browser application detects a user interaction with a virtual object. For example, client application 109 (shown in FIG. 1) may detect a user interacting with a virtual object 132 included in virtual world 130. Such an user interaction may include, e.g., touching an object, picking up an object, looking at an object, walking into a virtual building, operating an object, etc.
[0006] One embodiment of the invention provides a computer-implemented method, comprising: collecting data describing interactions between an avatar and virtual objects in a virtual environment, the avatar being manipulated by a user; characterizing a level of interest of the user in the virtual objects using the collected data; )
Bromenshenkel et al., in view of ASTRAKHANTSEV et al., in view of Baker et al. do not teach the following limitations as claimed.
However, UNNIKRISHNAN et al. teach determining, via a trained machine learning model, one or more user preferences based on the passive user interaction data,
(see e.g. [0049] In this way, several different stages of the process for generating vehicle information for a vehicle captured by a user device and in proximity to the user device are automated through machine learning)
-wherein the trained machine learning model has been trained based on training passive user interaction data, training feature of interest data, training virtual object data, and training virtual warehouse data, to learn associations between the training passive user interaction data and the training feature of interest data, such that the trained machine learning model is configured to output the first feature of interest in response to input of the passive user interaction data.
(see e.g. [0024] [0025] In some implementations, the vehicle information platform may perform a training operation on the machine learning model with historical data. In some implementations, the historical data may include historical data identifying monthly purchase or lease payment options for vehicles by users, credit ratings of the users, makes of the vehicles, models of the vehicles, years of the vehicles, mileages of the vehicles, prices of vehicles, and/or the like. The vehicle information platform may separate the historical data into a training set, a validation set, a test set, and/or the like. The training set may be utilized to train the machine learning model.
[0023] As further shown in FIG. 1C, and by reference number 130, the vehicle information platform may process the particular vehicle data and profile data associated with the user, with a model, to determine purchase options for the particular vehicle and the user. For example, the model may receive the particular vehicle data and the profile data associated with the user as inputs and may output a recommendation of the purchase options for the particular vehicle and the user based on the inputs. In some implementations, the model may include a machine learning model, such as a pattern recognition model that identifies purchase options for the particular vehicle and the user (e.g., based on the account information of the user, a period of time the particular vehicle has been present on the vehicle lot, and/or the like).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Bromenshenkel et al., in view of ASTRAKHANTSEV et al, in view of Baker et al., and include the steps cited above, as taught by UNNIKRISHNAN et al., in order to provide options most relevant to the user and increase efficiency of negotiations (see e.g. [0029]).
Claim 19 recites similar limitations as claim 10 and is therefore rejected under the same arts and rationale.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-2, 3-20 have been considered but are moot due to the new ground of rejection.
Bromenshenkel et al. teach the added features of the virtual environment. The new reference, Baker et al. teach modifying the virtual objects in the inventory of the virtual warehouse. Furthermore, Jimenez teaches –determining a correctness of the determined first feature of interest.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Stern et al. (US 20110218946 A1) PRESENTING CONTENT ITEMS USING TOPICAL RELEVANCE AND TRENDING POPULARITY
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LUNA CHAMPAGNE whose telephone number is (571)272-7177. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-5:00.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Florian Zeender can be reached at 571 272-6790. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/LUNA CHAMPAGNE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3627
August 4, 2026
Prosecution Insights