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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
This is in response to Applicant’s Arguments/Remarks filed on 03/05/2026, which has been entered and made of record.
Response to Arguments
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Applicant’s arguments regarding the current claim(s) have been fully considered. But, the arguments/remarks are directed to the claims as amended, and so are believed to be answered by and therefore moot in view of the new grounds of rejection presented below.
Status of Claims
Claims 1, 2, 4 and 5 are pending. Claims 1, 2, 4 and 5 are considered below.
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 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.
Claims 1, 2, 4 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by SATO, SHINSUKE (JP-5000965-B2, hereinafter simply referred to as Sato).
Regarding independent claim(s) 1 and 4, Sato teaches:
A reverse geocoding method (e.g., area information providing method of Sato) executed by a reverse geocoding device (e.g., area information providing apparatus of Sato) including a database configured to store a plurality of polygons (e.g., plurality of polygons of Sato) and a plurality of meshes (e.g., meshes of a plurality of levels of Sato) in association with each other (See at least Sato, ¶ [pages 3, 5], "…the mesh code and the mesh corresponding to the mesh code in advance Is searched from the mesh information table in which the flag indicating whether or not the map corresponds to a plurality of polygons on the map and the area information are associated…", "…the database 41 that holds a mesh information table 42…the polygon database 51 that holds a polygon information table 52…"), the reverse geocoding method comprising: inputting position information of an object and search accuracy (See at least Sato, ¶ [page 1], "…A method in which a map is divided into rectangular meshes of a plurality of levels, a mesh code for specifying the mesh is calculated from input coordinate information (or position information), and area information (or search accuracy) associated with the mesh corresponding to the mesh code is provided…"); converting the position information into a mesh having a size based on the search accuracy (See at least Sato, ¶ [page 6], "…when the area information search server 3 receives the latitude / longitude information from the client 1…the mesh code calculation unit 33 starts from the designated latitude / longitude. A quintic mesh code is calculated (step S101) …the fifth-order mesh code has 12 digits such as “5438 23 43 12 91”. The primary mesh code has four digits…The secondary mesh code is 6 digits…", "…On the other hand, when the ambiguity flag is “true” (ambiguous) (Yes in step S103), the already calculated quintic mesh code is converted into the secondary mesh code (six digits from the head of the quintic mesh code are changed)…"); searching the database, from the plurality of polygons, to obtain a plurality of candidate polygons associated with the mesh (See at least Sato, ¶ [pages 5, 7], "…The ambiguity flag is set to “true” for the mesh M, that is, a mesh that corresponds to a plurality of polygons if the polygon is associated with the mesh…", "…when the ambiguity flag is “true” (ambiguous) (Yes in step S103), the already calculated quintic mesh code is converted into the secondary mesh code (six digits from the head of the quintic mesh code are changed) …and the polygon data search unit 36 includes all or part of the mesh from the polygon information table 52 of the polygon data management server 5 using the secondary mesh code as a key…"); identifying a particular polygon corresponding to the position information from the plurality of candidate polygons (See at least Sato, ¶ [pages 5, 7], "…The ambiguity flag is set to “true” for the mesh M, that is, a mesh that corresponds to a plurality of polygons if the polygon is associated with the mesh…", "…when the ambiguity flag is “true” (ambiguous) (Yes in step S103), the already calculated quintic mesh code is converted into the secondary mesh code (six digits from the head of the quintic mesh code are changed) …and the polygon data search unit 36 includes all or part of the mesh from the polygon information table 52 of the polygon data management server 5 using the secondary mesh code as a key…"); and returning information related to the particular polygon (See at least Sato, ¶ [page 4], "…Search from the information table, and the function to determine whether the corresponding mesh corresponds to multiple polygons by the flag of the corresponding mesh in the search. If the result of the determination is that one polygon corresponds…output the attached area information, and as a result of determination, if it corresponds to a plurality of polygons, the polygon method is used…").
Regarding dependent claim 2, Sato teaches:
inputting information of the plurality of polygons; reducing the number of vertices of each polygon of the plurality of polygons (See at least Sato, ¶ [page 6], "…when the area information search server 3 receives the latitude / longitude information from the client 1…the mesh code calculation unit 33 starts from the designated latitude / longitude. A quintic mesh code is calculated (step S101) …the fifth-order mesh code has 12 digits such as “5438 23 43 12 91”. The primary mesh code has four digits…The secondary mesh code is 6 digits…", "…On the other hand, when the ambiguity flag is “true” (ambiguous) (Yes in step S103), the already calculated quintic mesh code is converted into the secondary mesh code (six digits from the head of the quintic mesh code are changed)…"); converting remaining vertices of each polygon into bit arrays of one or more meshes (See at least Sato, ¶ [page 6], "…when the area information search server 3 receives the latitude / longitude information from the client 1…the mesh code calculation unit 33 starts from the designated latitude / longitude. A quintic mesh code is calculated (step S101) …the fifth-order mesh code has 12 digits such as “5438 23 43 12 91”. The primary mesh code has four digits…The secondary mesh code is 6 digits…", "…On the other hand, when the ambiguity flag is “true” (ambiguous) (Yes in step S103), the already calculated quintic mesh code is converted into the secondary mesh code (six digits from the head of the quintic mesh code are changed)…"); identifying the one or more meshes including a respective polygon (See at least Sato, ¶ [page 4], "…Search from the information table, and the function to determine whether the corresponding mesh corresponds to multiple polygons by the flag of the corresponding mesh in the search. If the result of the determination is that one polygon corresponds…output the attached area information, and as a result of determination, if it corresponds to a plurality of polygons, the polygon method is used…"); storing the plurality of polygons and the plurality of meshes in the database (See at least Sato, ¶ [pages 3, 5], "…the mesh code and the mesh corresponding to the mesh code in advance Is searched from the mesh information table in which the flag indicating whether or not the map corresponds to a plurality of polygons on the map and the area information are associated…", "…the database 41 that holds a mesh information table 42…the polygon database 51 that holds a polygon information table 52…").
Regarding dependent claim 5, Sato teaches:
A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program, wherein execution of the program causes causing a computer to operate as the reverse geocoding device according to claim 1 (See at least Sato, ¶ [pages 5, 7], "…The ambiguity flag is set to “true” for the mesh M, that is, a mesh that corresponds to a plurality of polygons if the polygon is associated with the mesh…", "…when the ambiguity flag is “true” (ambiguous) (Yes in step S103), the already calculated quintic mesh code is converted into the secondary mesh code (six digits from the head of the quintic mesh code are changed) …and the polygon data search unit 36 includes all or part of the mesh from the polygon information table 52 of the polygon data management server 5 using the secondary mesh code as a key…").
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 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 date of this final action.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure: See the Notice of References Cited (PTO–892)
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/IDOWU O OSIFADE/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2675