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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 4 recites the limitation "the second priority value". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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) 1-6, 8-15, and 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu (US 20210192838) in view of Chen (US 20210209837) in further view of Koh (US 10489683)
In claims 1, 10, and 19, Liu discloses
Executing a game application comprising a virtual environment, the virtual environment comprising a plurality of virtual entities (Although the details of the particulars of the game of Liu is sparse, paragraph 32 discloses a client playing a virtual game. paragraph 53 discloses a virtual camera rendering pictures in the game, which shows that there is a virtual environment paragraph 75 discloses a world space, which further shows a virtual environment paragraph 3 discloses different game characters within the game)
Determining simulation data associated with runtime of the game application based at least on part on gameplay information associated with a gameplay state of the game application (Again, although the details of the particulars of the game are sparse, paragraph 32 discloses a client playing a virtual game, the BRI of “simulation data” and “gameplay information associated with a gameplay state of the game application” would simply be a player playing the game, and paragraph 53 discloses a virtual camera rendering pictures in the game, and these pictures would be the gameplay state of the game application)
Identifying a first virtual entity based at least on part on the simulation data within a game scene, wherein the first virtual entity is a first virtual character wherein the first virtual entity is associated with a first dynamic lighting characteristic (paragraph 40, the first virtual entity would be the character with relatively high curvature, with the lighting characteristic of black to red to white)
Identifying a first dynamic light source associated with the game scene (paragraph 36 discloses that the diffuse may is shown when the object is illuminated by light. This would be the dynamic light source with the game scene)
Modifying at least one parameter of the first dynamic light source based at least in part on the first dynamic lighting characteristic, wherein the modification of the at least one parameter changes light incident on the first virtual entity within the game scene and (paragraph 41, the light source is modified according to the pre-integration simulation module)
Rendering at least the first virtual entity within the game scene based at least in part on the first dynamic light source (paragraphs 41-48 discloses rendering the pre integration map from paragraph 40)
Liu fails to disclose the first dynamic characteristic is determined based on a skin coloring of a skin texture of the first virtual character, however Chen discloses the first dynamic characteristic is determined based on a skin coloring of a skin texture of the first virtual character, and that the first dynamic light source is of a plurality of light sources (paragraph 58). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine Liu with Chen in order to allow for the dynamic lighting of Liu to be used to improve the amount of characteristics that the dynamic lighting can account for.
Liu in view of Chen fails to disclose that the first dynamic light source is of a plurality of light source, however Koh discloses a plurality of light sources (column 9 lines 36-45). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine Liu in view of Chen with Koh in order to allow for the invention to be able to account for a greater number of light sources.
In claims 2 and 11, Liu discloses at least one parameter of the dynamic light source is a light intensity (paragraph 36)
In claims 3 and 12, Liu discloses the game scene includes a second virtual entity is associated with a second dynamic lighting characteristic (paragraph 40, the second virtual entity would be the character with relatively low curvature, which has a second dynamic lighting characteristic of black to white)
In claims 4 and 13, Liu discloses the first virtual entity is associated with a first priority value and the second virtual entity is associated with a first priority value wherein the method comprises determining that the first priority value is greater than the second priority value and modifying the at least one parameter of the first dynamic light source based on the first dynamic lighting characteristic (as best understood by examiner these priority values serve no purpose and have no bearing upon any action performed by the device within the game, and are effectively two arbitrary numbers with one number being higher than the other. The “priority” of the prior art is being taught under BRI of the curvature, where the high curvature first entity has a higher “priority” (curvature) than the second. The parameter of the first dynamic lighting source is already taught to be modified by the first dynamic lighting characteristic as required by claim 1)
In claims 5 and 14, Liu discloses modifying at least one parameter of second dynamic light source based at least on part on the second dynamic lighting characteristic (paragraphs 40-48, there may be multiple light sources and each of them are modified by the lighting characteristics of the pre integration map)
In claims 8 and 17, Liu discloses rendering the at least one virtual entity within the game scene is based at least in part on the light incident on the skin texture of the first virtual entity within the game scene (paragraph 40)
In claims 9 and 18, Liu discloses rendering the at least one virtual entity within the game scene is based at least in part on a smoothness characteristic, and subsurface scattering (paragraph 40), and a melanin mask associated with the skin texture of the first virtual entity, wherein the smoothness characteristic, the subsurface scattering, and the melanin mask are determined based on the skin coloring of the first virtual entity (paragraph 40. With respect to melanin mask, paragraph 3 discloses relying upon the translucency feature of skin, wherein higher levels of melanin result in lower translucency)
In claims 6, 15, and 20, Liu discloses a light source which is not modified by the first dynamic lighting characteristic (paragraph 3 discloses “most easily computed illumination models are based on surface reflection without light absorption or penetration”). However this is within the background of the invention describing prior art. Liu in view of Erbach fails to disclose a plurality of lights, some which are modified by the first lighting characteristic, and others which are not as described in the background, however one of ordinary skill in the art would be capable of combining the teaching of Liu and Erbach with the teaching of Liu’s background teaching in order to provide a game which both has the dynamic lighting described by Liu as well as the other light sources which do not modify by the first dynamic lighting characteristic. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the invention was made to modify Liu in view of Erbach by the light sources described in the background of Liu in order to allow for more easily computed illumination models to reduce processing power.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s amended claim language overcomes the previous art rejection, however a new rejection is made in view of Chen and Koh as set forth above.
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 THOMAS HAYNES HENRY whose telephone number is (571)270-3905. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10-6.
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/THOMAS H HENRY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3715
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