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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 02/19/26 has been entered.
Status of the Claims
Claims 1, 3, 6-9 and 13 have been amended.
Claims 2, 4, 5 and 10 have been cancelled.
Claims 11-12 have been previously presented.
Claims 14 and 15 have been added.
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, 3, 6-9 and 11-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ito (US 2019/0378326) in view of Piya et al.(hereinafter “Piya”, US 2015/0331576).
Regarding claims 1, 9 and 13, Ito teaches an information processing apparatus (Fig. 1: 100), method (0186 lines 1-12) and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a setting method (0186 lines 1-12), comprising:
one or more memories storing instructions (0186 lines 1-12); and
one or more processors executing the instructions (0186 lines 1-12) to:
acquire virtual viewpoint information for identifying a position of a virtual viewpoint and a line-of-sight from the virtual viewpoint (0006 lines 3-11 and Fig. 15: 112f);
select, based on the virtual viewpoint information, three-dimensional shape data of each of one or more objects to be displayed in a virtual viewpoint image among a plurality of objects (0080 lines 6-13). However, Ito fails to teach identify, based on the virtual viewpoint information, a sub region of each of the one or more objects of which the three-dimensional shape data is selected, wherein the sub region is a region to be displayed in the virtual viewpoint image; acquire partial data corresponding to the sub region of each of the one or more objects, wherein the partial data is a part of the three-dimensional shape data of each of the one or more objects; and output the partial data to an external apparatus which executes a rendering process based on the partial data.
Piya teaches identify, based on the virtual viewpoint information, a sub region of each of the one or more objects of which the three-dimensional shape data is selected, wherein the sub region is a region to be displayed in the virtual viewpoint image (0122 lines 1-9, in which a region with partial data from three-dimensional shape data is selected and identified for user interaction);
acquire partial data corresponding to the sub region of each of the one or more objects, wherein the partial data is a part of the three-dimensional shape data of each of the one or more objects (Fig. 24A-B, in which regions of a portion of three-dimensional shape data are acquired); and
output the partial data to an external apparatus which executes a rendering process based on the partial data (Fig. 24A, HMD apparatus). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify the virtual viewpoints of Ito with the sub regions defined by Piya because this modification would enhance a user’s interaction with complex three-dimensional shape data through enabling the ability to view and manipulate several regions of the data.
Regarding claims 3 and 15, Ito fails to teach wherein the plurality of pieces of partial data is generated through divisions according to a position of the three-dimensional shape data. Piya teaches wherein the plurality of pieces of partial data is generated through divisions according to a position of the three-dimensional shape data (0118 lines 1-11). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify the virtual viewpoints of Ito with the sub regions defined by Piya because this modification would enhance a user’s interaction with complex three-dimensional shape data through enabling the ability to view and manipulate several regions of the data.
Regarding claim 6, Ito fails to teach divide the three-dimensional shape data into the plurality of pieces of partial data based on a position of an imaging apparatus. Piya teaches divide the three-dimensional shape data into the plurality of pieces of partial data based on a position of an imaging apparatus (0122 lines 1-9 and Fig. 24B). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify the virtual viewpoints of Ito with the sub regions defined by Piya because this modification would enhance a user’s interaction with complex three-dimensional shape data through enabling the ability to view and manipulate several regions of the data.
Regarding claim 7, Ito fails to teach acquire a plurality of pieces of virtual viewpoint information, and identify the sub region of each of the one or more objects, displayed in any of the plurality of pieces of virtual viewpoint images representing views from the plurality of pieces of virtual viewpoints identified based on the plurality of pieces of virtual viewpoint information. Piya teaches acquire a plurality of pieces of virtual viewpoint information, and identify the sub region of each of the one or more objects, displayed in any of the plurality of pieces of virtual viewpoint images representing views from the plurality of pieces of virtual viewpoints identified based on the plurality of pieces of virtual viewpoint information (0006 lines 3-11 and Fig. 15: 112f). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify the virtual viewpoints of Ito with the sub regions defined by Piya because this modification would enhance a user’s interaction with complex three-dimensional shape data through enabling the ability to view and manipulate several regions of the data.
Regarding claim 8, Ito fails wherein the one or more processors further execute the instructions to perform control not to output partial data different from the partial data corresponding to the sub region from the three-dimensional shape data. Piya teaches wherein the one or more processors further execute the instructions to perform control not to output partial data different from the partial data corresponding to the sub region from the three-dimensional shape data (0122 lines 1-9). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify the virtual viewpoints of Ito with the sub regions defined by Piya because this modification would enhance a user’s interaction with complex three-dimensional shape data through enabling the ability to view and manipulate several regions of the data.
Regarding claims 11 and 14, Ito fails to teach further comprising dividing the three-dimensional shape data into a plurality of pieces of partial data based on the sub region. Piya teaches further comprising dividing the three-dimensional shape data into a plurality of pieces of partial data based on the sub region (0118 lines 1-11). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify the virtual viewpoints of Ito with the sub regions defined by Piya because this modification would enhance a user’s interaction with complex three-dimensional shape data through enabling the ability to view and manipulate several regions of the data.
Regarding claim 12, Ito fails to teach wherein control is performed not to output partial data different from the partial data corresponding to the sub region from the three-dimensional shape data. Piya teaches wherein control is performed not to output partial data different from the partial data corresponding to the sub region from the three-dimensional shape data (0006 lines 3-11 and Fig. 15: 112f). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify the virtual viewpoints of Ito with the sub regions defined by Piya because this modification would enhance a user’s interaction with complex three-dimensional shape data through enabling the ability to view and manipulate several regions of the data.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 3, 6-9 and 11-15 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
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/Said Broome/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2612
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