Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/426,357

INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jan 30, 2024
Examiner
SHERRILLO, DYLAN JOSEPH
Art Unit
2665
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
Ricoh Company Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
91%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 11m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 91% — above average
91%
Career Allow Rate
39 granted / 43 resolved
+28.7% vs TC avg
Moderate +12% lift
Without
With
+11.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 11m
Avg Prosecution
14 currently pending
Career history
57
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
6.2%
-33.8% vs TC avg
§103
46.9%
+6.9% vs TC avg
§102
42.3%
+2.3% vs TC avg
§112
2.5%
-37.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 43 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . Priority Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Takeda (US 20210090211 A1). Regarding Claim 1: Takeda teaches: An information processing apparatus comprising circuitry configured to (Paragraph 2, “The present disclosure relates to an image processing method, a non-transitory recording medium, an image processing apparatus, and an image processing system.”): receive a processed image transmitted from a source apparatus, the processed image being obtained by performing first image processing on a captured image of a subject, the first image processing being based on image-processing setting information (Paragraph 136, “The receiving unit 52 first receives input of the setting information for setting the grid to the grid setting area 230 of the rendering input screen 200 displayed on the display 508 (step S31). Then, the grid setting unit 58 performs the setting of the grid with the setting information received at step S31 (step S32). Specifically, the grid setting unit 58 stores, as a record in the grid setting management table, the values of the items included in the received setting information.”); and perform second image processing on the processed image, the second image processing being based on the image-processing setting information (Paragraph 184, “According to the image processing method of the embodiment of the present invention, the displaying includes displaying, on the display 508 (an example of the display), the perspective projection image 600 (an example of the second image), which represents the area of a part of the spherical image.”). Regarding Claim 2: Takeda teaches: The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image-processing setting information indicates the first image processing to be performed by the source apparatus and the second image processing to be performed by the information processing apparatus (Paragraph 184, Image processing method and apparatus for both an initial and second image, perspective projection image, performed based on data according). Regarding Claim 3: Takeda teaches: The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to store, as the image-processing setting information, the first image processing and the second image processing in association with each other (Fig. 21A and 21B show two different images of an area of the inside of the same store with similar settings.). Regarding Claim 4: Takeda teaches: The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the circuitry is further configured to transmit first processing information indicating the first image processing to the source apparatus (Paragraph 9, “In one embodiment of this invention, there is provided an improved image processing system that includes, for example, the above-described image processing apparatus and an image capturing apparatus. The image capturing apparatus is communicable with the image processing apparatus, and generates the spherical image from a plurality of captured images.”). Regarding Claim 5: Takeda teaches: The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to further receive second processing information indicating the second image processing from the source apparatus or an external apparatus (Figure 9 and Paragraph 70, Figure 9 demonstrates two different apparatuses and Paragraph 70 describes processing images by both the initial apparatus and PC. Multiple images can be done as mentioned in Paragraph 184.). Regarding Claim 6: Takeda teaches: The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the captured image is captured by the source apparatus (Paragraph 3, Special image capturing apparatus that also enables rendering, processing, and editing a spherical image). Regarding Claim 7: Takeda teaches: An information processing apparatus comprising circuitry configured to (Paragraph 2, “ The present disclosure relates to an image processing method, a non-transitory recording medium, an image processing apparatus, and an image processing system.”): perform first image processing on a captured image of a subject to generate a processed image, the image processing being based on image-processing setting information (Paragraph 67, “FIG. 9 is a schematic view illustrating an example of the image processing system 1 of the embodiment. The image processing system 1 illustrated in FIG. 9 is a system capable of inputting a predetermined rendering image to the spherical image corresponding to the captured images acquired by the image capturing apparatus 10.”); and transmit the processed image to a destination apparatus (Paragraph 99, “The transmitting and receiving unit 11 is a function mainly implemented by the processing of the CPU 111 and the network I/F 119 in FIG. 10 to transmit and receive various data and information to and from another apparatus via the communication network 9. For example, the transmitting and receiving unit 11 transmits captured image data acquired by the imaging unit 15 to the PC 50 via the communication network 9.”), wherein the first image processing is associated with second image processing to be performed on the processed image by the destination apparatus, the second image processing being based on the image-processing setting information (Paragraph 99, “The transmitting and receiving unit 11 is a function mainly implemented by the processing of the CPU 111 and the network I/F 119 in FIG. 10 to transmit and receive various data and information to and from another apparatus via the communication network 9. For example, the transmitting and receiving unit 11 transmits captured image data acquired by the imaging unit 15 to the PC 50 via the communication network 9.”). Regarding Claim 8: Takeda teaches: The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the image-processing setting information indicates the first image processing to be performed by the information processing apparatus and the second image processing to be performed by the destination apparatus (Paragraph 184, Image processing method and apparatus for both an initial and second image, perspective projection image, performed based on data according). Regarding Claim 9: Takeda teaches: The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the circuitry is configured to store, as the image-processing setting information, the first image processing and the second image processing in association with each other (Fig. 21A and 21B show two different images of an area of the inside of the same store with similar settings.). Regarding Claim 10: Takeda teaches: The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the circuitry is configured to further transmit second processing information indicating the second image processing to the destination apparatus (Figure 9 and Paragraph 70, Figure 9 demonstrates two different apparatuses and Paragraph 70 describes processing images by both the initial apparatus and PC. Multiple images can be done as mentioned in Paragraph 184.). Regarding Claim 11: Takeda teaches: The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the circuitry is further configured to receive first processing information indicating the first image processing from the destination apparatus or an external apparatus (Figure 9 and Paragraph 70, Figure 9 demonstrates two different apparatuses and Paragraph 70 describes processing images by both the initial apparatus and PC. Multiple images can be done as mentioned in Paragraph 184.). Regarding Claim 12: Takeda teaches: The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the captured image is captured by the source apparatus (Paragraph 3, Special image capturing apparatus that also enables rendering, processing, and editing a spherical image). Regarding Claim 13: Takeda teaches: An information processing system comprising (Paragraph 2, “The present disclosure relates to an image processing method, a non-transitory recording medium, an image processing apparatus, and an image processing system.”): a first information processing apparatus including first circuitry (Paragraph 8, “In one embodiment of this invention, there is provided an improved image processing apparatus that includes, for example, circuitry that receives settings of a grid for identifying a relative position of a subject included in a spherical image”); and a second information processing apparatus communicably connected with the first information processing apparatus, the second information processing apparatus including second circuitry (Figure 12. Imaging capturing apparatus and PC connected and directs information to each other), the first circuitry being configured to: perform first image processing on a captured image of a subject to generate a processed image, the first image processing being based on image-processing setting information (Paragraph 67, “FIG. 9 is a schematic view illustrating an example of the image processing system 1 of the embodiment. The image processing system 1 illustrated in FIG. 9 is a system capable of inputting a predetermined rendering image to the spherical image corresponding to the captured images acquired by the image capturing apparatus 10.”); and transmit the processed image to the second information processing apparatus (Paragraph 99, “The transmitting and receiving unit 11 is a function mainly implemented by the processing of the CPU 111 and the network I/F 119 in FIG. 10 to transmit and receive various data and information to and from another apparatus via the communication network 9. For example, the transmitting and receiving unit 11 transmits captured image data acquired by the imaging unit 15 to the PC 50 via the communication network 9.”), the second circuitry being configured to: receive the processed image transmitted from the first information processing apparatus (Paragraph 9, “In one embodiment of this invention, there is provided an improved image processing system that includes, for example, the above-described image processing apparatus and an image capturing apparatus. The image capturing apparatus is communicable with the image processing apparatus, and generates the spherical image from a plurality of captured images.”); and perform second image processing on the processed image, the second image processing being based on the image-processing setting information (Figure 9 and Paragraph 70, Figure 9 demonstrates two different apparatuses and Paragraph 70 describes processing images by both the initial apparatus and PC. Multiple images can be done as mentioned in Paragraph 184.). Regarding Claim 14: Takeda teaches: The information processing system according to claim 13, wherein the image-processing setting information indicates the first image processing to be performed by the first information processing apparatus and the second image processing to be performed by the second information processing apparatus (Paragraph 184, Image processing method and apparatus for both an initial and second image, perspective projection image, performed based on data according). Regarding Claim 15: Takeda teaches: The information processing system according to claim 13, wherein the circuitry is configured to store, as the image-processing setting information, the first image processing and the second image processing in association with each other (Fig. 21A and 21B show two different images of an area of the inside of the same store with similar settings.). Regarding Claim 16: Takeda teaches: The information processing system according to claim 15, wherein the second circuitry is further configured to transmit first processing information indicating the first image processing to the first information processing apparatus (Paragraph 9, “In one embodiment of this invention, there is provided an improved image processing system that includes, for example, the above-described image processing apparatus and an image capturing apparatus. The image capturing apparatus is communicable with the image processing apparatus, and generates the spherical image from a plurality of captured images.”). Regarding Claim 17: Takeda teaches: The information processing system according to claim 13, wherein the second circuitry is configured to further receive second processing information indicating the second image processing from the first information processing apparatus or an external apparatus external to the second information processing apparatus (Figure 9 and Paragraph 70, Figure 9 demonstrates two different apparatuses and Paragraph 70 describes processing images by both the initial apparatus and PC. Multiple images can be done as mentioned in Paragraph 184.). Regarding Claim 18: Takeda teaches: The information processing system according to claim 13, wherein the captured image is captured by the first information processing apparatus (Paragraph 3, Special image capturing apparatus that also enables rendering, processing, and editing a spherical image). Relevant Prior Art Directed to State of Art Ogawa (US 11050925 B2) Kawaguchi (US 20190289206 A1) Ishikawa (US 11361497 B2) Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DYLAN J SHERRILLO whose telephone number is (703)756-5605. The examiner can normally be reached 1st Week of Bi-week Monday - Thursday 10am - 7:30pm EST, 2nd Week of Bi-week Monday-Thursday 10am - 7:30pm EST Friday 10am-6:30pm EST. 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, Stephen R Koziol can be reached at (408) 918-7630. 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. /D.J.S./Examiner, Art Unit 2665 /Stephen R Koziol/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2665
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Prosecution Timeline

Jan 30, 2024
Application Filed
Jan 07, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102
Mar 13, 2026
Interview Requested
Mar 31, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
Mar 31, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
91%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+11.8%)
2y 11m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 43 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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