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 Status
Claims 1-5 and 7 are pending. Claims 1 and 7 have been amended and claim 6 has been cancelled.
Response to Arguments
With respect to the rejection under 35 USC 112(b), the amendments filed 10/9/25, that rewrites claim 7 into independent form has overcome the rejection. For at least this reasons, the rejection of claim 7 under 35 USC 112(b) has been withdrawn.
With respect to the rejections under 35 USC 102(a)(1) and 35 USC 103(a), the Applicant's arguments filed 10/9/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Specifically, the Applicant’s representative argues that the prior art of Griswold does not anticipate the features of “the plurality of roulette wheels each having a display surface, and each of the display surfaces is arranged so as to face a player while being flush with each other” (see Remarks, pg. 5-7). Specifically, the Applicant’s representative asserts that the prior art of Griswold has a bowl-shaped structure in which the rings are positions at “different heights or planes” and therefore cannot be arranged flush with each other (see Remarks, pg. 5-7). The Examiner respectfully disagrees. The Applicant’s characterization of the prior art is not commensurate with the scope of the invention as claimed. A review of the Specification does not define the term “flush” so the ordinary meaning of the term applies. According to Merriam-Webster, “flush” may mean having or forming a continuous plane or unbroken surface and directly abutting or immediately adjacent: such as arranged edge to edge so as to fit snugly (see Merriam-Webster.com “flush” via waybackmachine.org published 9/22/2020). Therefore, the broadest reasonable interpretation of the limitation is that the roulette wheels must face the player and form a continuous player, an unbroken surface; abut each other, or are immediately adjacent. Griswold discloses a roulette wheel 100 comprises a outer ring 102 and a separator ring 104 which comprises a plurality of slots 106 that are arranged in a flushed manner along a continuous banked plane that is perpendicular to the direction facing the players, form an unbroken surface along the inner surface of the electronic wheel, are abut from each other, and are immediately adjacent to each other (see Griswold, Fig. 1A-C, 0027-0029). Furthermore, Griswold discloses that the players are arranged around the electronic wheel to enable them to view the numbers which is analogous to an arrangement in which the display surfaces is arranged so as to face a player (see Griswold, Figs. 1A-C, 5, 0027-0028, 0042, wherein the separator ring 104 contains a plurality of slots that extend outwardly from the separator ring so that they are in flush along a plane such that the player terminals surrounding the wheel may see the numbers). For at least this reason, the Applicant’s argument is not persuasive and the rejection has been maintained below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1-4 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Griswold et al. (US 2008/0214264 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Griswold discloses a presentation device provided in a gaming machine (see Griswold, Figs. 1A-2, 5, 0027, 0030-0031, 0042), comprising:
a plurality of roulette wheels, having different diameters from each other and rotatably held on a same rotation center line (see Fig. 1A-C, 4A, 5, 0027-0030, 0038-0039, 0042, wherein the outer ring, separator ring, and inner ring are a plurality of roulette wheels having different diameters held on a same rotation center line);
a plurality of motors, rotating the plurality of roulette wheels (see Griswold, Fig. 1A, 4A, 5, 0031, wherein motors 204(a-n), rotate the plurality of roulette wheels);
a communication part, transmitting and receiving a control signal to and from the gaming machine (see Griswold, Fig. 2, 5, 0042, wherein the electronic roulette wheel 500 is communicatively coupled to each player station computer to present and transmit the game outcomes, place bets, stop all bets, and a variety of game functions to the remote player stations); and
a control part, controlling the plurality of motors based on the control signal received by the communication part from the gaming machine (see Griswold, Fig. 2, 0031, wherein processor 202 is a control part),
wherein the plurality of roulette wheels each having a display surface (see Griswold, Fig. 1A-C, 0027-0029), and
each of the display surfaces is arranged so as to face a player while being flush with each other (see Griswold, Fig. 1A-C, 5, 0027-0029, wherein the inner ring and separate ring are flush with each other the outer ring and the separator ring are flush with each other; 0042-0043, wherein the player stations are positioned around the electronic roulette wheel so that the player is able to see the numbers).
Regarding claim 2, Griswold discloses the presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the control part controls each of the plurality of motors so that at least one of the plurality of roulette wheels rotates in a different direction from the others of the plurality of roulette wheels (see Griswold, 0027-0031-0032, wherein each of the roulette wheels may rotate in a different direction).
Regarding claim 3, Griswold discloses the presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the control part controls each of the plurality of motors so that at least one of the plurality of roulette wheels rotates at a different speed from the others of the plurality of roulette wheels (see Griswold, 0056, wherein the outer ring and the separate will not be rotated at the same speed when they move in the same direction).
Regarding claim 4, Griswold discloses the presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the control part controls each of the plurality of motors so that at least one of the plurality of roulette wheels stops rotating at a different timing from the others of the plurality of roulette wheels (see Griswold, 0031-0032, 0047, 0065, wherein the numbers ring and the separators rings are stopped at different times such that the separator ring is lined up with the outer ring when it stops).
Regarding claim 6, Griswold discloses the presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of roulette wheels each have a display surface, and each of the display surfaces is arranged so as to face a player while being flush with each other (see Griswold, Fig. 4A, 5, 0042, wherein the players are positions around the electronic roulette wheel such that the players are able to see the numbers around the wheel such that a display surface is arranged so as to face a player while being flush with each other).
Regarding claim 7, Griswold discloses a gaming machine, comprising a presentation device (see Griswold, Fig. 1A, 4A, 5, 0027-0031, 0038-0039, 0042), wherein the presentation device comprising:
a plurality of roulette wheels, having different diameters from each other and rotatably held on a same rotation center line (see Fig. 1A-C, 4A, 5, 0027-0030, 0038-0039, 0042, wherein the outer ring, separator ring, and inner ring are a plurality of roulette wheels having different diameters held on a same rotation center line);
a plurality of motors, rotating the plurality of roulette wheels (see Griswold, Fig. 1A, 4A, 5, 0031, wherein motors 204(a-n), rotate the plurality of roulette wheels);
a communication part, transmitting and receiving a control signal to and from the gaming machine (see Griswold, Fig. 2, 5, 0042, wherein the electronic roulette wheel 500 is communicatively coupled to each player station computer to present and transmit the game outcomes, place bets, stop all bets, and a variety of game functions to the remote player stations); and
a control part, controlling the plurality of motors based on the control signal received by the communication part from the gaming machine (see Griswold, Fig. 2, 0031, wherein processor 202 is a control part),
wherein the plurality of roulette wheels each having a display surface (see Griswold, Fig. 1A-C, 0027-0029), and
each of the display surfaces is arranged so as to face a player while being flush with each other (see Griswold, Fig. 1A-C, 5, 0027-0029, wherein the inner ring and separate ring are flush with each other the outer ring and the separator ring are flush with each other; 0042-0043, wherein the player stations are positioned around the electronic roulette wheel so that the player is able to see the numbers).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Griswold et al. as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Muraoka et al. (US 2016/0377791 A1).
Regarding claim 5, Griswold discloses the presentation device according to claim 1. Although Griswold discloses the presentation device includes a light display element is control part controls the light emitting part based on the control signal from the gaming machine (see Griswold, Fig. 4A, 0038, wherein the top ring 402 is a bistable electrophoretic display to display elements of the roulette game), it is silent as to: a light emitting part, emitting light; and a light guide plate, guiding the light emitted from the light emitting part and emitting the light from an emission surface.
Muraoka discloses a presentation device comprising light display elements that comprise a light emitting part, emitting light (see Muraoka, 0045, wherein the light emitting elements 35 emit light); a light guide plate, guiding the light emitted from the light emitting part and emitting the light from an emission surface (see Muraoka, 0045). One would have been motivated to use known techniques with similar devices to yield the predictable result to enable combinations of patterns to be visible to the gamer to be variously changed (see Muraoka, 0045). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the application for the presentation device to comprise a light emitting part, emitting light; and a light guide plate, guiding the light emitted from the light emitting part and emitting light from an emission surface, wherein the control part controls the light emitting part based on the control signal from the gaming machine.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 RYAN HSU whose telephone number is (571)272-7148. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 10:00-6:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dmitry Suhol can be reached at (571) 272-4430. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RYAN HSU/EXAMINER, Art Unit 3715