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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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) 19, 25, 28 , 29, 30, and 32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Pittman (U.S. PGPUB 2005/0054430).
Re claim 19, 33, 36: Pitman discloses a gaming system comprising a link controller and electronic gaming devices, wherein:
each of the electronic gaming devices comprise a display, a processor, and memory storing electronic gaming device instructions (see paragraph [0054]) which, when executed, cause the processor of the electronic gaming device to perform operations comprising:
conducting a game, instance at the respective electronic gaming device, including controlling display of a game outcome of the game instance on the display of the electronic gaming device (see [0027; 0029]: gaming machines conduct a game and display specific outcomes including specific game outcomes);
responsive to a defined winning condition being met in the game instance conducted at the respective electronic gaming device, communicating occurrence of the defined winning condition being met to the link controller (see paragraph [0019, 0046]); and
responsive to the defined winning condition being met, controlling output of a win celebration at the respective electronic gaming device (see Abstract, see paragraph [0025], see Fig. 3A, object 312: the bonus controller receives bonus pool triggering information from game machines, wherein a celebration pay command is sent to the game machine); and
the link controller comprises a processor and memory storing link controller instructions which, when executed, cause the processor of the link controller to perform operations comprising, responsive to receipt of a communication of the occurrence of the defined winning condition in the game instance conducted at one of the electronic gaming devices, communicating the win celebration command to at least one other electronic gaming device of the electronic gaming devices (see paragraph [0050] & claim 1).
Re claim 25: Pitman discloses with respect to the gaming system of claim 23, wherein the sign comprises an overhead sign (see paragraph [0046-0047]: overhead display).
Re claim 28 and 29: Pitman discloses with respect to the gaming system of claim 23, wherein the sign is configured in an attract loop (see paragraphs [0046-0047]: the overhead display contains an attraction loop of past winners, win amounts, current bonus pool values, etc.).
Re claim 30: Pitman discloses with respect to the gaming system of claim 19, wherein the defined winning condition comprises at least one of a category of win or a win above a threshold amount (see paragraph 0027]: winning conditions include a win that includes specific winning combination, and jackpots which are inherently above a particular amount).
Re claim 32: Pitman discloses with respect to the gaming system of claim 19, wherein the link controller comprises a jackpot controller (see paragraph [0016, 0027]: the linked controller manages a bonus pool for a potential jackpot, and awards a jackpot to players).
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) 20-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pittman in view of Lim (U.S. PGPUB 2009/0131161).
Re claims 20, 21, and 22: Pitman fails discloses with respect to the gaming system of claim 19, wherein the win celebration command is sent to all of the electronic gaming devices. However, Lim discloses a set of game machines wherein each gaming machine is sent a celebration command to all the machines for synchronizing the game machines together for outputting a win celebration (see paragraphs [0012, 0034, 0052]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the game machines of Pitman with the multi-game machine display sync celebration of Lim, for the purpose of attracting other players to play the game.
Claim(s) 23 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pitman.
Re claim 23: Pitman fails to disclose with respect to the gaming system of claim 19, further comprising a sign connected to the link controller. However, the overhead signage receives information generated by the bonus controller including bonus win information. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to connect the overhead signage to the bonus controller for the purpose of directly sending information to the overhead signage and reducing latency in the system.
Re claim 24: Pitman fails to disclose with respect to the gaming system of claim 23, wherein the electronic gaming devices are arranged in proximity to one another and in proximity to the sign. However, the sign is used to attract the attention of potential players to associated game machines, and thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to place the machines in proximity to the overhead display to reduce the time in which a potential player can see the overhead display and play the gaming machine.
Claim(s) 26 and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pittman in view of (U.S. PGPUB 2005/0125244).
Re claims 26 and 27: Pittman fails to disclose with respect to the gaming system of claim 23, wherein the sign is operable to control output of the win celebration at the sign responsive to receipt of the win celebration command from the link controller. However, Schneider discloses an overhead display that displays a win celebration and plays an associated audio from associated audio speakers with said celebrations (see paragraph [0026]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the tie the invention as filed to modify the overhead signage of Pittman with a win celebration and associated audio as taught by Schneider, for the purpose of generation excitement and attracting potential players to the game.
Claim(s) 31 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pittman in view of Johnson (U.S. PGPUB 2013/0281194).
Re claim 31: Pittman fails to disclose with respect to the gaming system of claim 19, wherein the processor of the electronic gaming device further executes the electronic gaming device instructions to output an attract sequence upon determining that the game is no longer being conducted. However, Johnson teaches displaying an attract mode on electronic devices during times when the game machine is idle (see paragraph [0056]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the electronic game displays of Pittman to display an attract mode during an idle period as taught by Johnson, for the purpose of attracting users to the game machines to play said games.
Claim(s) 37 and 38 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pittman in view of Kaminkow (previously on record).
Re claim 37: Pittman fails to disclose with respect to the method of claim 36, further comprising using the link controller to: control a sign to play an animation sequence; and after the animation sequence completes, revert to controlling the sign to output an attract sequence. However, Kaminkow discloses such (Fig, 3D: when the game is being played, the sign is providing an animation sequence as said game is one long animation process; see [0061]: after said game is completed, an attract mode begins). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made, to modify the signage of Pittman with the animation sequence of Kaminkow for the purposes of attracting players to play the associated game.
Re claim 38: Pittman in view of Kaminkow discloses with respect to the method of claim 37, wherein the attract sequence has a defined duration (see Kaminkow, paragraph [0061]: an attract mode last, until a new game begins).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 34 and 35 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 19-38 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. Applicant has amended the claims, which Examiner addressed above with new references wherein the base reference is now Pittman (U.S. PGPUB 2005/0054430).
Conclusion
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to REGINALD A RENWICK whose telephone number is (571)270-1913. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 11am-7pm.
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REGINALD A. RENWICK
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3714
/REGINALD A RENWICK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3715
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