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 .
Status of Claims
In response to the Preliminary Amendment filed on February 22nd, 2024, claims 7, 12, and 15 have been amended. Claims 1-15 are currently pending.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Claim(s) 1-12, 14, and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Brav et al. (US 2016/0184703 A1).
Regarding claims 1, 14, and 15, Brav discloses an entertainment system comprising circuitry configured to:
generate a virtual environment comprising a virtual character, wherein actions performed by the virtual character are associated, according to a control scheme, with input signals from an input device operable to produce a haptic output (see par. [0042], In general terms, control system 20 is configured to provide a display (e.g., a virtual environment, a primary object, distal secondary objects, etc.) to a user playing an electronic game; also see par. [0059], In yet further embodiments, feedback device 100 includes a combination of devices, including headgear 104, one or more bands 106, one or more articles of clothing 108, display device 70 (e.g., television 72, VR glasses 74, portable device 76, etc.), and/or input device 80 (e.g., controller 82, headset 84, touch sensitive device 86, etc));
obtain a haptic output signal corresponding to a state of the virtual environment (see par. [0010], The method includes receiving, by a processing circuit from a sensor system, display data acquired from a display of a virtual environment associated with the electronic game provided by a display device; and providing, by the processing circuit to a feedback device, a command to provide feedback to the user based on the display data);
determine a characteristic of the virtual character (see par. [0049], Referring back to FIG. 1, sensor module 50 is configured to receive data regarding the primary object and the secondary object of the electronic game, according to an example embodiment. The data regarding the primary object (e.g., first data, positional data, condition data, etc.) may include…an attribute and/or condition of the primary object (e.g., a weapon, a shield, an offensive capability, a defensive capability, a health, an experience level, a skill level, a strength, a speed, a sensory capability, an agility, etc.), and/or other data regarding the primary object);
determine, based on the characteristic of the virtual character, a haptic adjustment property (see par. [0060], According to an example embodiment, elements 102 may be or include a vibratory element configured to provide haptic feedback (e.g., vibrations, mechanical stimulations, etc.) to a user regarding…a condition of the user's virtual character and/or the user);
perform processing to adjust the haptic output signal, responsive to the haptic adjustment property (see par. [0060], The frequency, amplitude, waveform, and/or other characteristics of vibrations of elements 102 may be varied to provide indications of direction, relative position, relative velocity, absolute velocity, relative acceleration, absolute acceleration, affiliation, threat level, nature, a condition change, an event, an object warning, and the like to the user); and
output the adjusted haptic output signal to the input device (see par. [0060], According to an example embodiment, elements 102 may be or include a vibratory element configured to provide haptic feedback (e.g., vibrations, mechanical stimulations, etc.) to a user regarding…a condition of the user's virtual character and/or the user).
Regarding claim 2, Brav discloses wherein the state of the virtual environment that corresponds to the haptic output signal comprises an interaction with the virtual character in the virtual environment (see par. [0055], The first data (e.g., movement, actions, etc.) of the primary object is based on the input from input device 80, according to an example embodiment).
Regarding claim 3, Brav discloses wherein the interaction comprises supporting a virtual object (see par. [0049], an attribute and/or condition of the primary object (e.g., a weapon, a shield, etc); these items are items that are held by a virtual character in a game).
Regarding claim 4, Brav discloses wherein the characteristic of the virtual character comprises a strength characteristic associated with the virtual character (see par. [0049], The data regarding the primary object (e.g., first data, positional data, condition data, etc.) may include…a strength, a speed, a sensory capability, an agility, etc.), and/or other data regarding the primary object).
Regarding claim 5, Brav discloses wherein the characteristic of the virtual character is determined based on information received from an application running on the entertainment system (see par. [0049], configured to receive data regarding the primary object and the secondary object of the electronic game).
Regarding claim 6, Brav discloses wherein the characteristic of the virtual character is a strength characteristic that is determined based on one or more properties of a user (see par. [0049], The data regarding the primary object (e.g., first data, positional data, condition data, etc.) may include…a strength, a speed, a sensory capability, an agility, etc.), and/or other data regarding the primary object; also see par. [0111], The RFID tags may provide team affiliation data, and may provide user-specific data, such as a user height, weight, etc. (e.g., through near field communication, etc.)).
Regarding claim 7, Brav discloses wherein the one or more properties of the user comprise one or more of: i. the age of the user; ii. the height of the user; and iii. the weight of the user (see par. [0111], user sensors…may provide team affiliation data, and may provide user-specific data, such as a user height, weight, etc.).
Regarding claim 8, Brav discloses wherein the circuitry is further configured to obtain one or more images of the user, and determine at least one of the one or more properties of the user based on the one or more images of the user (see par. [0110], In other embodiments, user sensors 94 are or include an image capture device, such as a still image and/or video camera; also see par. [0111], user sensors…may provide team affiliation data, and may provide user-specific data, such as a user height, weight, etc.).
Regarding claim 9, Brav discloses wherein at least one of the one or more properties of the user is obtained from an external device (see par. [0110], In other embodiments, user sensors 94 are or include an image capture device, such as a still image and/or video camera; also see par. [0101], External sensors 92 may include, but are not limited to, personal security cameras, webcams, game console cameras (e.g., Kinect, etc.), computer and/or laptop cameras, and/or other sensors positioned within a user's residence or gaming area to monitor a user and/or a physical environment).
Regarding claim 10, Brav discloses wherein the characteristic of the virtual character is determined based on information input by a user (see par. [0111], may provide user-specific data, such as a user height, weight, etc.; also see par. [0055], configured to receive an input from the user during the electronic game).
Regarding claim 11, Brav discloses wherein the haptic output comprises a vibration of a vibrating element in the input device (see par. [0085], The feedback provided by elements 102 may include, but are not limited to, a vibration, a stroke or swipe, an acoustic stimulation, a visual stimulation, a temperature change, a moisture change, a lubrication, and/or an electrical stimulation).
Regarding claim 12, Brav discloses wherein the haptic adjustment property comprises one or more of: i. a change in vibration strength; ii. a change in vibration pattern; and iii. a change in vibration frequency (see par. [0070], By way of example, feedback module 60 may be configured to vary the frequency, amplitude, waveform, etc. of an output (e.g., vibrations, sounds, lights, etc.) of elements 102 to provide indications of different types of information to the user regarding the primary object and/or the secondary object based on the first data, the second data, the condition data, the display data, the object data, and/or the event data).
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(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brav et al. (US 2016/0184703 A1) in view of Sinclair et al. (US 2019/0302887 A1).
Regarding claim 13, Brav discloses the entertainment system as discussed above. However, Brav does not explicitly disclose wherein the haptic output comprises a trigger resistance and the haptic adjustment property comprises a change in resistance strength.
Sinclair teaches a resistance-based haptic device wherein the haptic output comprises a trigger resistance and the haptic adjustment property comprises a change in resistance strength (see par. [0038], In another example, the user-perceived resistance may simulate the trigger of a virtual gun, and the user-perceived resistance may be customized to simulate a particular pull weight or travel distance of the trigger). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the entertainment system of Brav with the trigger and adjustable trigger resistance of Sinclair in order to provide realistic haptic feedback in a virtual-reality or other gaming scenario, such as a shooter-style video game (see Sinclair, par. [0051]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Rihn (US 9,588,586 B2), Maalouf et al. (US 10,775,894 B2), Keller et al. (US 10,684,690 B2)
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/ALLEN CHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3715 2/7/2026