DETAILED ACTION
1. 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
2. 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 2-3, 5-10, 12-16, and 18-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lucarelli (US 2003/0156135 A1, hereinafter Lucarelli) in view of Santoro et al (US 2010/0077311 A1, hereinafter Santoro)
Consider claims 2, 8, and 15, Lucarelli clearly shows and discloses a system, a non-transitory computer-readable medium, and a method comprising: generating a virtual expo floor comprising one or more virtual expo booths (creating electronic files defining a 3-D virtual reality venue in which the tradeshow will be conducted; b) creating electronic files defining one or more 3-D virtual reality exhibit booths and positioning the booths within the venue) (paragraph 0013); establishing a virtual expo comprising the virtual expo floor (a virtual reality system a) creating a 3-D virtual reality venue; b) creating one or more 3-D virtual reality exhibit booths) (abstract, figs. 3-4); establishing one or more virtual meetings associated with the one or more virtual expo booths (the rendering shows three exhibit booths 46, two aisles 48, and three avatars 50. The aisles 48 separate the exhibit booths 46 and form an intersection. The avatars 50 are models representing users operating the tradeshow software application in networked mode. The two closest avatars 50 in the rendering represent exhibitor users) (paragraphs: 0048); joining one or more client devices to the virtual expo in response to requests from the one or more client devices to join the virtual expo (recognizing when any attendee using a first host device has entered a first 3-D virtual reality exhibit booth within the tradeshow; and e) reporting at least some of the user profile information for each attendee that entered the first exhibit booth to a tradeshow exhibitor) (paragraphs: 0013-0014 and fig. 8); and in response to requests from the one or more client devices to join respective virtual expo booths of the one or more virtual expo booths, joining the respective client device to the respective virtual meeting associated with the respective virtual expo booth (The application software 42 preferably includes an interface to an input device 26 that enables the user to navigate and control movement and actions within the 3-D virtual tradeshow environment; Attendees are typically first directed to registration for confirmation of profile information and payment of fees associated with registration, once registered, an IP address is downloaded from the file server to the host device and the attendee user may enter the virtual tradeshow via the main entrance of the virtual exhibition hall As the attendee's avatar navigates and interacts within the virtual exhibit hall, the attendee may communicate with exhibitors using several methods, such as interactive or asynchronous communications) (paragraphs: 0059, 0060, 0064, 0075, 0076, 0082 and fig. 1-3); however, Lucarelli does not disclose another example for joining one or more client devices to the virtual expo in response to requests from the one or more client devices to join the virtual expo.
In the same field of endeavor, Santoro clearly specifically disclose another example for joining one or more client devices to the virtual expo in response to requests from the one or more client devices to join the virtual expo (storing data defining said plurality of virtual exhibitions, providing a first user interface, said first user interface being configured to receive user input comprising requests to exhibit at a specified one of said virtual exhibitions) (paragraphs: 0038, 0045)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to incorporate the teaching of Santoro into teaching of Lucarelli for the purpose of providing another example for joining one or more client devices to the virtual expo.
Consider claims 3, and 10, Lucarelli and Santoro clearly show the system, and the method, further comprising: obtaining a floor layout for the virtual expo floor; receiving, from the one or more client devices, information about a user of the respective client device; and positioning representations of each respective user of the one or more client device on the virtual expo floor (Lucarelli: paragraph: 0046, 0048, and 0050; and fig. 3-fig. 4).
Consider claims 5, 12, and 18, Lucarelli and Santoro clearly show the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the system, and the method, further comprising: receiving, from a first client device, a request to access a first virtual expo booth (fig. 8); and joining the first client device to the first virtual expo booth (Lucarelli: figs. 3-5).
Consider claims 6, 13, and 19, Lucarelli and Santoro clearly show the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the system, and the method, wherein the first virtual expo booth includes a plurality of booth spaces, each booth space corresponding to a respective video conference (business space/table) (Lucarelli: paragraph: 0065).
Consider claims 7, 14, and 20, Lucarelli and Santoro clearly show the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the system, and the method, wherein the first virtual expo booth includes a resource table having one or more resources accessible to the first client device (Such features can also be initiated automatically based on the user's proximity to an item within the exhibit booth or by selection of embedded controls.) (Lucarelli: paragraph: 0050, 0065, and 0077).
Consider claim 8, 15, and 21, Lucarelli and Santoro clearly show the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the system, and the method, further comprising: associating, with a first virtual expo booth of the one or more virtual expo booths, a sponsor (Lucarelli: paragraphs: 0020, fig. 1); receiving, from a first client device, a request to access a first virtual expo booth, the first client device associated with a first user; and responsive to determining that the first user is associated with the sponsor, joining the first client device to the first virtual expo booth (Lucarelli: paragraphs: 0010, 0046, 0048, 0050, figs. 3-5).
3. Consider claims 4, 11, and 17, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Lucarelli (US 2003/0156135 A1, hereinafter Lucarelli) in view of Santoro et al (US 2010/0077311 A1, hereinafter Santoro) and further in view of Anderson et al (US 2015/0103136 A1, hereinafter Anderson)
Consider claims 4, 11, and 17, Lucarelli and Santoro disclose the claimed invention above but lack teaching further comprising: associating, with each virtual expo booth of the one or more virtual expo booths, a respective access level; receiving, from a first client device, a request to access a first virtual expo booth, the first client device associated with a first user; determining a first access level associated with the first user; and responsive to determining the first access level permits access to the first virtual expo booth based on a second access level associated with the first virtual expo booth, joining the first client device to the first virtual expo booth.
In the same field of endeavor, Anderson clearly discloses further comprising: associating, with each virtual expo booth of the one or more virtual expo booths, a respective access level; receiving, from a first client device, a request to access a first virtual expo booth, the first client device associated with a first user; determining a first access level associated with the first user; and responsive to determining the first access level permits access to the first virtual expo booth based on a second access level associated with the first virtual expo booth, joining the first client device to the first virtual expo booth (Anderson: paragraph: 0058-0059, and 0069)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to incorporate the teaching of Anderson into teaching of Lucarelli and Santoro for the purpose of determining a first access level associated with the first user and a second access level associated with the conference.
Response to Arguments
The present Office Action is in response to Applicant’s amendment filed on December 10, 2025. Claims 2-21 are now pending in the present application.
Applicant argues on the Applicant’s Response that Lucarelli and Santoro fail to teach the limitation “establishing one or more virtual meetings associated with the one or more virtual expo booths; and an response to requests from the one or more client devices to join respective virtual expo booths of the one or more virtual expo booths, joining the respective client device to the respective virtual meeting associated with the respective virtual expo booth."
The Examiner respectfully disagrees with Applicants’ arguments regarding claims 1, 11, and 20. Lucarelli teaches the attendee profile information will more than likely also include detailed information that an exhibitor can use to open communication with a current visitor to the exhibitor's booth, prioritize potential sales leads relating to the attendees, and target further contacts with the attendee to his or her particular interests (paragraphs: 0048, 0068 and fig. 3). Lucarelli teaches the promoter provides exhibitor users with a dynamic IP address for identification and the coordinates of their exhibit booth 46 within the tradeshow. Moreover, Lucarelli teaches Attendees are also given a dynamic IP address and a time schedule for staffing of the exhibit booths within the tradeshow. The promoter also gives the attendee users the IP address or similar unique identifier of each exhibitor or the location of each exhibitor booth. This information facilitates navigation to exhibitor booths and communication with an exhibitor (paragraph 0072); Lucarelli teaches When starting a tradeshow session, the attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors are requested to log in using their alphanumerical identification. The exhibitors are typically directed to their virtual exhibit booth 46 as staff (paragraph 0074) As a result, Lucarelli and Santoro teach all the limitation of claims 2, 8, and 15.
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 extension fee 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 Amal Zenati whose telephone number is 571- 270- 1947. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:00 -5:00 M-F.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ahmad Matar can be reached on 571- 272- 7488. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571- 273-8300.
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/AMAL S ZENATI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2693
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