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 .
This communication is in response to the Remarks and Amendments filed on 23 December, 2025.
Claims 1-17 and 21-23 are pending.
Claims 1-2, 9, 12, and 14-17 have been amended.
Claims 18-20 have been canceled.
New claims 21-23 have been added.
Response to Arguments
35 USC § 102/35 USC § 103
Amendments to the claims overcome the cited prior art of record. However, a new ground of rejection is presented herewith.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-17 and 21-23 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the enablement requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to enable one skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and/or use the invention.
Claim 1 recites “…the second image that is generated according to object information of the determined target user and the first image in the messaging interface, the second image and the first image including the same interaction effect, the interaction effect of the second image being between a second plurality of virtual objects, wherein the second image is different from the first image”. With regard to generating, Applicant’s Specification provides, for example, [0035] “After the current user selects the target interaction object, the first terminal 101 may generate a second interactive emoticon according to the first interactive emoticon and object information of the target interaction object, and display the second interactive emoticon in a chat interface, where the second interactive emoticon and the first interactive emoticon have the same interaction effect”; [0037] “After a trigger operation is performed on the same-type emoticon transmitting control corresponding to the first interactive emoticon or a press operation is performed on the first interactive emoticon, the first terminal 101 may display an interaction object selection list in the chat interface, trigger selection of the target interaction object in response to a trigger operation on the target interaction object in the interaction object selection list or a selection control corresponding to the target interaction object by the current user, obtain object information of the target interaction object, and generate a second interactive emoticon according to the object information”; [0039] “…identifier information of the to-be-selected virtual object may be changed, for example, a change of a color, a size, a background, or the like. After the target interaction object is determined, the first terminal 101 may obtain object information of the target interaction object, and generate a second interactive emoticon according to the object information, where the object information includes a virtual image and identifier information of the target interaction object”; [0056] “Step S230: Display a second interactive emoticon generated according to object information of the target interaction object, the second interactive emoticon and the first interactive emoticon having a same interaction effect”.
However, the Specification is devoid of a description of the actual steps required to generate this second image. It is unclear how the second image is created based on the first image. In fact, the description begins with a first image already existent in the messaging interface (Fig.3A). There is no background on how the first image was created and how it arrived in the interface. Similarly, the Specification merely mentions a trigger, [0010] states “…in an interactive emoticon transmitting method, selection of a target interaction object is triggered in response to a trigger operation on a first interactive emoticon displayed in a chat interface. After the target interaction object is selected, a second interactive emoticon may be generated according to the first interactive emoticon and object information of the target interaction object, where the first interactive emoticon includes an interaction effect between at least two virtual objects, and the generated second interactive emoticon has the same interaction effect as the first interactive emoticon”. However, there are no steps described on how the trigger actually enables the second image to be generated. Examiner respectfully requests Applicant to provide the pertinent sections of the Specification that provide the steps that would enable one of ordinary skill in the art to be able to create a second image from a first image.
The same is applicable to claims 14 and 17. Respective dependent claims do not cure the deficiency of the parent claim(s) and therefore, inherit the rejection.
Claim 22 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Claim 22 recites, “…wherein a first virtual object of the second plurality of virtual objects in the second image is different from each virtual object of the plurality of virtual objects in the first image”. For example, Fig.3A-B provides a first and second image. It can be observed that the positions of the Me and KK have changed from the first image to the second image. However, in both images the virtual objects are Me and KK. Therefore, it is unclear how a first virtual object of the second plurality of virtual objects in the second image is different from each virtual object of the plurality of virtual objects in the first image. Examiner respectfully requests the pertinent sections of the Specification that provide support for such a scenario as claimed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Twigg et al US 20130278607
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/I.R/ Examiner, Art Unit 2459
/TONIA L DOLLINGER/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2459