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 § 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, 13-14, and 19-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2017/0357320 to Chaudhri et al. (Chaudhri), U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2019/0087050 to Mani, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2014/0192247 A1 to Cheong et al. (Cheong).
As to claim 1, Chaudhri discloses an information processing device comprising: processing circuitry (133, 146, 161) configured to acquire first haptic information (e.g. haptic feedback assigned to the object before scaled/amplified; see Fig. 12A ) unique to a haptic presentation object (e.g. 1212) Fig. 1C, Pars. 210-211, see also Figs. 12A-12D, Pars. 19, 508-509, 512), and generate second haptic information (e.g. haptic feedback after being scaled/amplified) from the first haptic information based on a scale ratio of the haptic presentation object mapped onto a haptic presentation device (Figs. 12C-12D, Pars. 508-509, 512, e.g. zoom in/zoom out triggers the tactile output to change according to the gain), the second haptic information (e.g. haptic feedback after being scaled/amplified) being used in a case where the haptic presentation device (161) presents a haptic stimulus to a user (Figs. 12C-12D, Pars. 508-509, 512).
Chaudhri does not expressly disclose the scale ratio of an image showing the haptic presentation object; wherein the processing circuitry generates the second haptic information according to an information density corresponding to the scale ratio, and wherein the information density indicates an amount of haptic stimulus values that are set in a pattern of haptic stimulus values per unit area of the image.
Mani discloses the processing circuitry generates the second haptic information according to an information density (zooming) corresponding to the scale ratio (scaling factor) (Pars. 23, 65, 103, see also Par. 61).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Chaudhri with the teaching of Mani to provide greater sensory resolution thereby provide an improved inputting device as suggested by Mani (Par. 32).
Cheong discloses the scale ratio of an image showing the haptic presentation object (Fig. 4, Par. 97); wherein the information density indicates an amount of haptic stimulus values that are set in a pattern of haptic stimulus values per unit area of the image (Fig. 4, Par. 97, e.g. according to one or more of the ratios, the intensity, the period, and the pattern of haptic feedback illustrated by screens 401 and 403 may be differently set.).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Chaudhri with the teaching of Cheong to provide an intuitive and simple haptic feedback (Par. 8) and improved user experience (Par. 33) as suggested by Cheong.
For claims 19 and 20, see claim 1 rejection above. Chaudhri further discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program (Par. 6), which when executed by a computer causes the computer to execute a method (Par. 6).
As to claim 13, Chaudhri discloses the processing circuitry (133, 146, 161) generates the second haptic information based on, among a plurality of pieces of the first haptic information (Figs. 12B-12D, Pars. 508-509, 512).
Chaudhri does not expressly disclose a piece of the first haptic information having an information density corresponding to the scale ratio.
Mani discloses a piece of the first haptic information having an information density corresponding to the scale ratio (Pars. 23, 65, 103, see also Par. 61).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Chaudhri with the teaching of Mani to provide greater sensory resolution thereby provide an improved inputting device as suggested by Mani (Par. 32).
As to claim 14, Chaudhri discloses processing circuitry generates the second haptic information by processing the first haptic information in accordance with the scale ratio (Figs. 12B-12D, Pars. 508-509, 512, e.g. zoom in/zoom out triggers the tactile output to change according to the gain).
As to claim 21, Chaudhri discloses the processing circuitry (133, 146, 161) is further configured to acquire sensing information regarding the user (Pars. 220), and the processing circuitry (133, 146, 161) generates the second haptic information (Figs. 12B-12D, Pars.508-509, 512).
Chaudhri does not expressly disclose based on the sensing information regarding the user.
Mani discloses the processing circuitry is further configured to acquire sensing information regarding the user (Par. 29, 33, 45, 47), and the processing circuitry generates the haptic information further based on the sensing information regarding the user (user’s preference) (Par. 29, 33, 45, 47, see also Pars. 23, 61, 65, 103).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Chaudhri with the teaching of Mani to allow user to set up preference thereby improve user’s experience as suggested by Mani (Par. 45).
As to claim 22, Chaudhri as modified discloses the processing circuitry is further configured to determine the scale ratio each time scaling of the image showing the haptic presentation object is performed (Cheong’s Fig. 4, Par. 97). See claim 1 above for motivation.
Claim(s) 15 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2017/0357320 to Chaudhri et al. (Chaudhri), U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2019/0087050 to Mani, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2014/0192247 A1 to Cheong et al. (Cheong); in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2014/0139448 A1 to Levesque et al. (Levesque).
As to claim 15, Chaudhri discloses the first haptic information and the second haptic information include information indicating a haptic stimulus value for each predetermined region (Figs. 12B-12D, Pars. 508-509, 512), and wherein, in a case where the image showing the haptic presentation object is enlarged (Figs. 12B-12D, Pars. 508-509, 512), the processing circuitry (133, 146, 161) is further configured to generate the haptic stimulus value for each predetermined region in the first haptic information in a unit of the predetermined region (Figs. 12B-12D, Pars. 508-509, 512).
Chaudhri does not expressly disclose to repeat the haptic stimulus value for each predetermined region in the first haptic information in a unit of the predetermined region
Levesque discloses to generate the haptic stimulus value for each predetermined region in the first haptic information in a unit of the predetermined region (e.g. each black region has haptic effect value, each white region has zero haptic effect value) (Figs. 12A-12B, Par. 62), and to repeat the haptic stimulus value for each predetermined region in the first haptic information in a unit of the predetermined region (e.g. each black region has haptic effect value, each white region has zero haptic effect value) (Figs. 12A-12B, Par. 62).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Chaudhri with the teaching of Levesque to provide an improve haptic feedback as suggested by Levesque (Par. 62).
As to claim 16, Chaudhri discloses the first haptic information and the second haptic information include information indicating a haptic stimulus value for each predetermined region (Figs. 12B-12D, Pars. 508-509, 512), and wherein, in a case where the image showing the haptic presentation object is enlarged, processing circuitry is further configured to generate the haptic stimulus value for each predetermined region in the first haptic information in a unit of the predetermined region(Figs. 12B-12D, Pars. 508-509, 512).
Chaudhri does not expressly disclose to repeat a pattern of haptic stimulus values appearing in a plurality of predetermined regions in the first haptic information in a unit of the plurality of predetermined regions.
Levesque discloses to repeat a pattern of haptic stimulus values appearing in a plurality of predetermined regions in the first haptic information in a unit of the plurality of predetermined regions (repeating black and white haptic pattern where each black region has haptic effect value, each white region has zero haptic effect value) (Fig. 12B, Par. 62).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Chaudhri with the teaching of Levesque to provide an improve haptic feedback as suggested by Levesque (Par. 62).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 13-16, and 19-22 have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
Examiner notes that the new claim elements are now addressed by reference Cheong as necessitated by amendments. See above for full basis of rejection as taught by Chaudhri and Mani in view of Cheong.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 2015/0293592 A1 to Cheong et al. teaches a haptic support module may provide different haptic feedback in correspondence to reduction, zoom, and rotation during an image view and may allocate different haptic information by each area.
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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/JARURAT SUTEERAWONGSA/Examiner, Art Unit 2621
/LUNYI LAO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2621
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