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
This communication is in response to: Amendments filed on August 20th, 2025
This action is made Final.
Claims 1-20 are pending claims.
Applicants added claims 15-20
Applicants amended claims 1 and 14.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Somasundaram et al, US PG PUB# 2015/0106699 (hereinafter 3M) in view of Yu et al., US PG PUB# 2018/0314882 A1 (hereinafter Yu).
As for independent claim 1:
3M discloses a method comprising:
obtaining, via a user device, a digital image or digital video of a plurality of individual physical notes (Para 0010, 3M discloses "..receiving, by a computing device, an input image of an environment having a plurality of physical notes..");
converting the plurality of physical notes to corresponding digital notes (Para 0010, 3M discloses generating, by the computing device, a plurality of digital notes corresponding to the plurality of notes identified in the input image);
displaying the digital notes on the user device (Para 0087, 3M discloses note management application may display, on the first portion 502 of graphical user interface 500, the digital notes);
3M does not disclose receiving, via the user device, a location on a shared digital screen or board different from the user device; electronically transferring at least one of the digital notes from the user device to the location on the shared screen or board. Yu discloses receiving, via the user device, a location on a shared digital screen or board different from the user device; electronically transferring at least one of the digital notes from the user device to the location on the shared screen or board in 0016, 0047-0048, 0095. Accordingly it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a skilled artisan to modify the method of 3M to incorporate the teaching of Yu, thus allow shared digital screen from the user device and transferring digital notes from the user device (Yu, 0047-0048).
As for dependent claim 2:
3M-Yu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein transferring comprises receiving on the user device activation of a button (0011, 0081, 0084, 0097, 3M discloses user interface activation button. Additionally see Figures 15 and 16 plus algorithms help filter out unwanted objects in the input image and sources of note in the interested region).
As for dependent claim 3:
3M-Yu discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising displaying on the user device a private area for a user to work on the digital notes, wherein the digital notes are viewable by the user but not shared with others (3M discloses, 0092, see note management system and the technique 600 illustrated by FIG. 22, note management application 78 processes an input image of workspace 20 that, in this example, includes a plurality of notes separated into groups based on distance. In this example, note management application 78 identifies an indication of one or more groups based on the distances 602 between each of the recognized notes and a threshold distance as determined by mobile device 15. That is, note management application 78 may determine clusters of physical notes within the input image and based on the clusters, logically associate the digital notes into groups of digital notes).
As for dependent claim 4:
3M-Yu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein transferring comprises transferring a digital note created by a user (3M discloses transfer of a digital note in 0092 and 0094, see note management application and system).
3M-Yu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein transferring comprises transferring the digital notes in a sequential manner (3M, 0092-0095)
As for dependent claim 6:
3M-Yu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein transferring comprises transferring the digital notes as a group (3M, 0092-0095, see note management application).
As for dependent claim 7:
3M-Yu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein transferring comprises transferring a subset of the digital notes (3M, 0092-0095, see note management application).
As for dependent claim 8:
3M-Yu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein transferring comprises transferring the at least one of the digital notes during a video conferencing session (0041 and 0068, 0095, see 3M discloses digital notes, video, and note management application).
As for dependent claim 9:
3M-Yu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein transferring comprises transferring the at least one of the digital notes during a networked session (3M, see networked session and collaboration in 0004 and 0037).
As for dependent claim 10:
3M-Yu discloses the method of claim 8, further comprising setting a default timer for the session (3M, 0037 and 0041, see network session and setting of a timer. Additionally see 0045 and cloud based asset accessing via a mobile device).
As for dependent claim 11:
3M-Yu discloses the method of claim 8, further comprising setting a timer for the session based upon input from a user participating in the session (3M, 0037 and 0041, see network session and setting of a timer. Also see 0045).
As for dependent claim 12:
3M-Yu discloses the method of claim 8, further comprising sending the digital notes to users participating in the session when the session ends or after the session ends (3M, see networked session and collaboration in 0004 and 0037).
As for dependent claim 13:
3M-Yu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein transferring comprises transferring the at least one of the digital notes from a user's mobile phone to another one of the user's electronic devices (3M, see mobile device in 0038).
As for independent claim 14:Claim 14 contains substantial subject matter as claimed in claim 1 and is respectfully rejected along the same rationale.
As for dependent claims 15-20:Claims 15-20 contains substantial subject matter as claimed in claims 2-7 and are respectfully rejected along the same rationale.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-20 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.
It is noted that any citation to specific, pages, columns, lines, or figures in the prior art references and any interpretation of the references should not be considered to be limiting in any way. A reference is relevant for all it contains and may be relied upon for all that it would have reasonably suggested to one having ordinary skill in the art. In re Heck, 699 F.2d 1331, 1332-33,216 USPQ 1038, 1039 (Fed. Cir. 1983) (quoting In re Lemelson, 397 F.2d 1006, 1009, 158 USPQ 275, 277 (CCPA 1968)).
The Examiner notes MPEP § 2144.01, that quotes In re Preda, 401 F.2d 825,159 USPQ 342, 344 (CCPA 1968) as stating “in considering the disclosure of a reference, it is proper to take into account not only specific teachings of the reference but also the inferences which one skilled in the art would reasonably be expected to draw therefrom.” Further MPEP 2123, states that “a reference may be relied upon for all that it would have reasonably suggested to one having ordinary skill the art, including nonpreferred embodiments. Merck & Co. v. Biocraft Laboratories, 874 F.2d 804, 10 USPQ2d 1843 (Fed. Cir.), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 975 (1989).
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 DAVID PHANTANA ANGKOOL whose telephone number is (571)272-2673. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 7:00-3:30 PM.
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/David Phantana-angkool/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2172