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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 6, 15, 17, and 34 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 6, the term “static shard” is unclear and indefinite. One of ordinary skill in the art would interpret the term “static shard” to mean a non-dynamic shard; however, the “static shard” of claim 6. Claim 6 states “wherein the at least one shard is a static shard.” Claim 6 is dependent upon claim 1 which states “dynamically vary one or both of a physical attribute or a logical attribute of the at least one shard.” If the shard is dynamically varied, it is not clear how the same at least one shard can also be static, and it would appear to be a contradiction. The specification does not provide guidance on how to determine the metes and bounds of the term “static shard.” For the purpose of compact prosecution and art rejection, the examiner will interpret the term “static shard” to mean a shard with at least one static property.
Regarding claim 27, it is rejected using the same citations and rationales described in the rejection of claim 6.
Regarding claim 20, it recites the limitation "the information related to the at least one shard" in line 1 of the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. The examiner notes that it is unclear if this term relates to “information” presented in claim 19, claim 1, or neither. For the purpose of compact prosecution and art rejection, the examiner will interpret the term "the information related to the at least one shard" to mean any information related to the at least one shard.
Regarding claim 15, The term “proximal” in claim 15 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “proximal” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
Regarding claim 17, The term “proximal” in claim 17 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “proximal” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
Regarding claim 34, The term “proximal” in claim 34 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “proximal” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph:
Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claim 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends. Claim 21 recites "The system of claim 1, further comprising the client device and the one or more databases;" however, the system of claim 1 already comprises a client device and one or more databases. Thus claim 21 fails to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends. Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements.
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.
Claims 1, 3-5, 7-9, 19, 21-22, and 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (US 20080220873 A1; hereinafter Lee).
Regarding claim 1, Lee teaches a system for managing a multi-user environment ("FIG. 1A depicts a system for generating synthetic environments in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention… game management servers...," (pages 2-3, para [0036]- [0038]).
"As used herein, the term "synthetic environment," at least in one embodiment, can refer to a virtual world (or a portion thereof) that is a computer-based simulated environment intended for its participants to inhabit and interact via, for example, avatars," (page 3-4, para [0042]).
“In operation, when participant 170 logs in, synthetic environment generation platform 160 assigns that participant to game management servers 122b. By contrast, when participant 172 logs in, synthetic environment generation platform 160 assigns participant 172 to game management servers 122d. Participant 170 and 172 remain associated with game management servers 122b and 122d, respectively, during the session. Next, consider that both wish to engage in an activity at region two 165, as do many other participants that are not shown,” (page 4, para [0046]).
The plurality of participants in a synthetic environment reads on multi-user environment.
), comprising:
at least one server in communication with one or more databases and a client device through a network (“FIG. 1A depicts a system for generating synthetic environments in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention. One example of such a system is a synthetic environment generation platform 100, which include nodes (and node processes) that are networked together to generate a synthetic environment with which clients 150 interact. Synthetic environment generation platform 100 represents the server-side structure and/or functionality in a client-server network architecture, and clients 150 represent the client-side structure and/or functionality. The nodes include game subprocess servers 104, databases 112 and game management servers 122, all of which are coupled together by a network 115, to respectively implement game subprocesses 102, databases processes 110, and game management processes 120...," (page 2, para [0036]; Fig 1A). (pages 11-12, para [0088]; Fig. 22).)
Clients 150 reads on client device.),
wherein the at least one server is configured to: receive information corresponding to a plurality of simulation environments from a cache (“Transaction server 902c represents one or more transactions servers configured to process, among other things, run-time participant game data, regardless of the location of the participant. As such, transaction server 902c includes a cache 903 to facilitate character (i.e., participant) movement between, for example, a persistent world (i.e., a synthetic environment) and an instance (i.e., a portion of the synthetic environment, such as in virtual building). Using cache 903 avoids having to reload game data from the database as the participant moves between synthetic environments and portions thereof,” (page 8, para [0065]).
A plurality of simulation environments comprises a persistent world and instances. Information includes Lee’s game data.),
generate at least one shard forming one or more volumetric spaces of at least a portion of a simulation environment of the plurality of simulation environments ("As used herein, the term "synthetic environment," at least in one embodiment, can refer to a virtual world (or a portion thereof) that is a computer-based simulated environment intended for its participants to inhabit and interact via, for example, avatars. A synthetic environment can also refer to a shard or a persistent world (or a portion thereof), which is a virtual world that progresses without or without participant interaction," (page 3-4, para [0042]).
“Synthetic environment generation platform 160 is configured to generate a synthetic environment 162 for clients 150a and 150b. In this example, synthetic environment 162 includes four regions: region one ("R1") 163, region two ("R2") 165, region three ("R3") 167, and region four ("R4") 169,” (page 4, para [0044]; Fig 1B).
“In one embodiment, a visibility server is configured to implement a sphere intersection test in which an object becomes visible to participant when a "can-be-seen" range, such as "can-be-seen" range 1112 for mountain 1114, intersects with visibility range 1102. A "can-be-seen" range can be represented as a circle (i.e., 2-D) or a sphere (i.e., 3-D),” (page 8, para [0067]).
“As used herein, the term "participant," at least in one embodiment, refers to either a player, or a two or three-dimensional graphical representation (e.g., an avatar) representation of the player, or both,” (pages 3-4, para [0042]).
The at least one shard includes synthetic environment, portions of the synthetic environment, and/ or regions of the synthetic environment. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that for the three-dimensional player to have three-dimensional motion/ interaction within the synthetic environment of the game of Lee, the synthetic environment would have to be three-dimensional. The visibility sphere (para [0067]) and Fig 1B further evidences volumetric spaces.),
transmit the at least one shard to the client device (Lee; "FIG. 1A depicts a system for generating synthetic environments in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention. One example of such a system is a synthetic environment generation platform 100, which include nodes (and node processes) that are networked together to generate a synthetic environment with which clients 150 interact," (page 2, para [0036]).
"As used herein, the term "synthetic environment," at least in one embodiment, can refer to a virtual world (or a portion thereof) that is a computer-based simulated environment intended for its participants to inhabit and interact via, for example, avatars. A synthetic environment can also refer to a shard or a persistent world (or a portion thereof), which is a virtual world that progresses without or without participant interaction," (page 3-4, para [0042]). The client interaction necessitates and includes transmitting synthetic environment data.),
dynamically vary one or both of a physical attribute or a logical attribute of the at least one shard ("a game management server can accept input from clients 150, and, in response, collaborate with game subprocesses 102 and database processes 110 to generate modified game data, which represents a modified synthetic environment based on client interaction, for transmission back to clients 150a and 150b," (page 3, para [0041]).
"Then, the dynamic content is released to client at 1530 for use in the computer-generated world," (page 9, para [0072]).
Modifying the game data based on client interaction reads on dynamically vary a logical attribute of the at least one shard.), and
transmit the dynamically varied at least one shard to the client device (Lee; "a game management server can accept input from clients 150, and, in response, collaborate with game subprocesses 102 and database processes 110 to generate modified game data, which represents a modified synthetic environment based on client interaction, for transmission back to clients 150a and 150b," (page 3, para [0041]).
"Then, the dynamic content is released to client at 1530 for use in the computer-generated world," (page 9, para [0072]).).
Lee fails to explicitly teach that the information is received from the one or more databases.
Lee teaches that using the one or more databases is routine in the art (“…Using cache 903 avoids having to reload game data from the database as the participant moves between synthetic environments and portions thereof,” (page 8, para [0065]).
Lee teaches that the utilization of a cache for reloading game data instead of utilization of a database is an improvement upon reloading data from the database and teaches that utilization of a database for this function is routine in the art. (Lee; page 2, para [0036]; Fig 1A).).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to modify the teachings of Lee’s cache to be replaced by one or more of Lee’s databases 112. Lee teaches that utilization of a database for this function is routine in the art. One of ordinary skill in the art could have substituted Lee’s cache for one or more of Lee’s databases 112 to perform the same function and the results of the substitution would have been predictable.
Regarding claim 22, it is rejected using the same citations and rationales described in the rejection of claim 1.
Regarding claim 3, Lee teaches the system of claim 1, wherein the logical attribute is at least one characteristic of the at least one shard ("a game management server can accept input from clients 150, and, in response, collaborate with game subprocesses 102 and database processes 110 to generate modified game data, which represents a modified synthetic environment based on client interaction, for transmission back to clients 150a and 150b," (page 3, para [0041]; page 9, [0072]).
“As used herein, the term "game data," at least in one embodiment, refers to at least a subset of data relating to the generation of a synthetic environment. Game data can include map data to, for example, generate a terrain of a synthetic environment. Game data can also include the state of a participant, including character data, inventory data (e.g., weapons data), bank data, synthetic home data, award data, and the like,” (pages 3-4, para [0042]).
“An example of modified game data is the data generated by client process 2150 to cause movement for an avatar in the synthetic environment,” (page 11, para [0087]; pages 6-7, para [0056]).
Modifying the game data based on client interaction reads on dynamically vary a logical attribute of the at least one shard. The game data includes at least one characteristic of the at least one shard.).
Regarding claim 4, Lee teaches the system of claim 3, wherein the at least one characteristic of the at least one shard is one or more of: a dimension, a shape, a location, a content, a rendering, or a control responsibility ("a game management server can accept input from clients 150, and, in response, collaborate with game subprocesses 102 and database processes 110 to generate modified game data, which represents a modified synthetic environment based on client interaction, for transmission back to clients 150a and 150b," (page 3, para [0041]; page 9, para [0072]).
“As used herein, the term "game data," at least in one embodiment, refers to at least a subset of data relating to the generation of a synthetic environment. Game data can include map data to, for example, generate a terrain of a synthetic environment. Game data can also include the state of a participant, including character data, inventory data (e.g., weapons data), bank data, synthetic home data, award data, and the like,” (pages 3-4, para [0042]).
“An example of modified game data is the data generated by client process 2150 to cause movement for an avatar in the synthetic environment,” (page 11, para [0087]; pages 6-7, para [0056]).
Modifying the game data based on client interaction reads on dynamically vary a logical attribute of the at least one shard. The game data includes at least one characteristic of the at least one shard. The game data includes a content.).
Regarding claim 9, Lee teaches the system of claim 3, wherein the at least one server is further configured to negotiate the at least one characteristic of the at least one shard with the client device ((pages 3-4, para [0041]-[0042]; page 9, [0072]).
“FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a portion of a messaging system implementing a compressed universal message, according to at least one embodiment of the invention. Here, message system portion 600 includes a server process 606 and a client process 650, both of which are coupled via a network 630 for exchanging messages, among other things. In this example, message system portion 600 can transport a subset of data associated with a server-side (or a client-side) universal data structure 660, such as in response to client process 650 indicating a modification to the synthetic environment. Server process 606 and client process 650 respectively include universal message interface 610a and universal message interface 610b. Server process 606 can use data arranged in accordance with a universal data structure ("UDS") 660 to, in whole or in part, generate a synthetic environment in response to game data modifications transmitted from client process 650. An example of modified game data is the game data generated by client process 650 that indicates movement by an avatar. In at least one embodiment, server process 606 and/or client process 650 can exchange messages as a compressed universal message 620. As both server process 606 and client process 650 can implement universal data structure 660 with which to exchange data, a reduced amount of data can be exchanged in compressed universal message 620. In particular, only modified game data 624 associated with universal data structure 622 need be transported in a universal message. In one embodiment, compressed universal message 620 also includes a key 628 specifying which attribute modified game data 624 relates. With this information, server process 606 can modify the synthetic environment.,” (page 11, para [0087]; pages 6-7, para [0056]; Fig. 6).
The game data includes at least one characteristic of the at least one shard. The communication between the server and client reads on negotiate.).
Regarding claim 5, Lee teaches the system of claim 1, wherein the at least one shard is a dynamic shard (“Synthetic environment generation platform 450 includes an event server 452, which is configured to introduce dynamic content 422 into at least a portion of synthetic environment 420,” (pages 5-6, para [0052]- [0054]). The at least one shard includes at least a portion of the synthetic environment. The portion of the synthetic environment is dynamically modified and is dynamic.).
Regarding claim 26, it is rejected using the same citations and rationales described in the rejection of claim 5.
Regarding claim 7, Lee teaches the system of claim 1, wherein the at least one shard is at least one of an acoustic shard, a volumetric shard, a physical simulation shard, or any combination thereof ("As used herein, the term "synthetic environment," at least in one embodiment, can refer to a virtual world (or a portion thereof) that is a computer-based simulated environment intended for its participants to inhabit and interact via, for example, avatars. A synthetic environment can also refer to a shard or a persistent world (or a portion thereof), which is a virtual world that progresses without or without participant interaction," (page 3-4, para [0042]).
“Synthetic environment generation platform 160 is configured to generate a synthetic environment 162 for clients 150a and 150b. In this example, synthetic environment 162 includes four regions: region one ("R1") 163, region two ("R2") 165, region three ("R3") 167, and region four ("R4") 169,” (page 4, para [0044]; Fig 1B).
“In one embodiment, a visibility server is configured to implement a sphere intersection test in which an object becomes visible to participant when a "can-be-seen" range, such as "can-be-seen" range 1112 for mountain 1114, intersects with visibility range 1102. A "can-be-seen" range can be represented as a circle (i.e., 2-D) or a sphere (i.e., 3-D),” (page 8, para [0067]).
“As used herein, the term "participant," at least in one embodiment, refers to either a player, or a two or three-dimensional graphical representation (e.g., an avatar) representation of the player, or both,” (pages 3-4, para [0042]).
The at least one shard includes synthetic environment, portions of the synthetic environment, and/ or regions of the synthetic environment. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that for the three-dimensional player to have three-dimensional motion/ interaction within the synthetic environment of the game of Lee, the synthetic environment would have to be three-dimensional. The visibility sphere (para [0067]) and Fig 1B further evidences volumetric spaces. Since a synthetic environment, portions of the synthetic environment, and/ or regions of the synthetic environment include a three-dimensional space, any of these reads on volumetric shard.).
Regarding claim 8, Lee teaches the system of claim 1, wherein the at least one shard is a physics simulation and a physical attributes-based shard (“Physics server 902a represents one or more physics servers configured to process movement and collision detection activity for the synthetic environment… Referring back to FIG. 9, physics server 902a also can be configured to provide "instancing," whereby a collection of participants (and associated physics processing) perform activities within a portion of the synthetic environment, such as in a virtual house, or in an area at which they will band together to fight an NPC, such as a boss monster,” (page 7, para [0062]).
“Movement validation is the act of validating the movement of a participant in the context of the synthetic environment. Physics server 902a can be configured to validate movement against the virtual terrain and any entities (i.e., other characters and/or objects) that are in the path of the desired movement. Based on the rate at which the participant's avatar moves relative to the virtual terrain, the location of the participant can be modified to reflect its location in the synthetic environment. Physics server 902a can run a simulation to validate that the location is correct before sending modified game data to the clients…,” (pages 7-8, para [0063]).
The physical attributes include the rate at which the participant's avatar moves and the location of the participant.).
Regarding claim 19, Lee teaches the system of claim 1, wherein the at least one server is further configured to: transmit, to the client device, an information corresponding to one or more objects to be rendered by the client device ((page 9, para [0070] – [0073]; Fig 15).
"…the dynamic content is released to client at 1530 for use in the computer-generated world," (page 9, para [0072]).
Lee teaches that dynamic content includes objects to be rendered including “creatures, trees, structures, and the like,” (page 9, para [0071]).
“Further, patch server 1580 is configured to push, or "trickle down," data required by the event down to the client as small files or pieces of data 1582,” (page 9, para [0073]).
“…patching data to render a tree…,” (page 9, para [0070]).
Released to the client / push down to the client read on transmit to the client device. The data pushed by the patch server / patching data includes information corresponding to one or more objects to be rendered by the client device.).
Regarding claim 21, Lee teaches the system of claim 1, further comprising the client device and the one or more databases (“FIG. 1A depicts a system for generating synthetic environments in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention. One example of such a system is a synthetic environment generation platform 100, which include nodes (and node processes) that are networked together to generate a synthetic environment with which clients 150 interact. Synthetic environment generation platform 100 represents the server-side structure and/or functionality in a client-server network architecture, and clients 150 represent the client-side structure and/or functionality. The nodes include game subprocess servers 104, databases 112 and game management servers 122, all of which are coupled together by a network 115, to respectively implement game subprocesses 102, databases processes 110, and game management processes 120...," (page 2, para [0036]; Fig 1A). (pages 11-12, para [0088]; Fig. 22).)
Clients 150 reads on client device.).
Claims 2, 18, 23, 25 and 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Krishna et al. (US 20210191940 A1; hereinafter Krishna).
Regarding claim 2, Lee is not relied upon teaching but Krishna teaches the system of claim 1, wherein the physical attribute is a location of the at least one shard (“The virtual world may be divided up into portions (e.g., cells) corresponding to contiguous geographic regions of the real world. In various embodiments, the portions of the virtual world are defined according to a geographic indexing framework…. The portions of the virtual world can be used to index various geolocated data associated with a corresponding geographic region for storage…,” (page 2, para [0015]).
“a range of coordinates defining a geographic area or space in the real world 200 is mapped to a corresponding range of coordinates defining a virtual space in the virtual world 210,” (page 2-3, para [0020]).
After combination, Krishna’s portions of the virtual world/ cells/ virtual spaces become Lee’s synthetic environment, portions of the synthetic environment, and/ or regions of the synthetic environment (reads on shards). Shards have attributed locations including geographic regions/ areas/ space and/ or virtual world coordinates.).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to apply the teachings of Krishna to Lee. The motivation would have been to “[provide] a predictable query response time across a sharded database,” (Krishna; page 1, para [0005]).
Regarding claim 18, Lee is not relied upon teaching but Krishna teaches the system of claim 2, wherein the at least one server is further configured to: determine the location of the at least one shard (“The virtual world may be divided up into portions (e.g., cells) corresponding to contiguous geographic regions of the real world. In various embodiments, the portions of the virtual world are defined according to a geographic indexing framework…. The portions of the virtual world can be used to index various geolocated data associated with a corresponding geographic region for storage…,” (page 2, para [0015]).
“the query module 119 receives a location from a client 120 (e.g., a GPS location generated by the positioning module 124) and identifies one or more portions of the virtual world of interest based on the location, such as by querying a geographic cell index for cells representing portions of the virtual world corresponding to geographic regions including the location. For example, in the case where S2 cells are used, the query module may identify the S2 cell of a specified level (e.g., level 12) in which the client 120 is located,” (para [0048]).),
and transmit the location to the client device (“The gaming module 122 provides a player with an interface to participate in the parallel reality game. The game server 110 transmits game data over the network 130 to the client 120 for use by the gaming module 122 at the client 120 to provide local versions of the game to players at locations remote from the game server 110,” (para [0034], para [0041]).
“The game data stored in the game database 115 can include: (1) data associated with the virtual world in the parallel reality game (e.g. imagery data used to render the virtual world on a display device, geographic coordinates of locations in the virtual world, etc.); (2) data associated with players of the parallel reality game (e.g. player profiles including but not limited to player information, player experience level, player currency, current player positions in the virtual world/real world, player energy level, player preferences, team information, faction information, etc.);… (5) data associated with real-world objects, landmarks, positions linked to virtual world elements (e.g. location of real-world objects/landmarks, description of real-world objects/landmarks, relevance of virtual elements linked to real-world objects, etc.) ,” (para [0040]).
Game data includes location.).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to apply the teachings of Krishna to Lee. The motivation would have been to “[provide] a predictable query response time across a sharded database,” (Krishna; page 1, para [0005]).
Regarding claim 23, Lee teaches the method of claim 22, "a game management server can accept input from clients 150, and, in response, collaborate with game subprocesses 102 and database processes 110 to generate modified game data, which represents a modified synthetic environment based on client interaction, for transmission back to clients 150a and 150b," (page 3, para [0041]; page 9, [0072]).
“As used herein, the term "game data," at least in one embodiment, refers to at least a subset of data relating to the generation of a synthetic environment. Game data can include map data to, for example, generate a terrain of a synthetic environment. Game data can also include the state of a participant, including character data, inventory data (e.g., weapons data), bank data, synthetic home data, award data, and the like,” (pages 3-4, para [0042]).
“An example of modified game data is the data generated by client process 2150 to cause movement for an avatar in the synthetic environment,” (page 11, para [0087]; pages 6-7, para [0056]).
Modifying the game data based on client interaction reads on dynamically vary a logical attribute of the at least one shard. The game data includes at least one characteristic of the at least one shard.).
Lee is not relied upon teaching but Krishna teaches the method of claim 22, wherein the physical attribute is a location of the at least one shard (“The virtual world may be divided up into portions (e.g., cells) corresponding to contiguous geographic regions of the real world. In various embodiments, the portions of the virtual world are defined according to a geographic indexing framework…. The portions of the virtual world can be used to index various geolocated data associated with a corresponding geographic region for storage…,” (page 2, para [0015]).
“a range of coordinates defining a geographic area or space in the real world 200 is mapped to a corresponding range of coordinates defining a virtual space in the virtual world 210,” (page 2-3, para [0020]).
After combination, Krishna’s portions of the virtual world/ cells/ virtual spaces become Lee’s synthetic environment, portions of the synthetic environment, and/ or regions of the synthetic environment (reads on shards). Shards have attributed locations including geographic regions/ areas/ space and/ or virtual world coordinates.).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to apply the teachings of Krishna to Lee. The motivation would have been to “[provide] a predictable query response time across a sharded database,” (Krishna; page 1, para [0005]).
Regarding claim 25, Lee in view of Krishna teaches the method of claim 23, wherein the at least one characteristic of the at least one shard is one or more of: a dimension, a shape, a location, a content, a rendering, or a control responsibility (Lee; "a game management server can accept input from clients 150, and, in response, collaborate with game subprocesses 102 and database processes 110 to generate modified game data, which represents a modified synthetic environment based on client interaction, for transmission back to clients 150a and 150b," (para [0041], [0072]).
“As used herein, the term "game data," at least in one embodiment, refers to at least a subset of data relating to the generation of a synthetic environment. Game data can include map data to, for example, generate a terrain of a synthetic environment. Game data can also include the state of a participant, including character data, inventory data (e.g., weapons data), bank data, synthetic home data, award data, and the like,” (Lee; pages 3-4, para [0042]).
“An example of modified game data is the data generated by client process 2150 to cause movement for an avatar in the synthetic environment,” (Lee; page 11, para [0087]; pages 6-7, para [0056]).
Modifying the game data based on client interaction reads on dynamically vary a logical attribute of the at least one shard. The game data includes at least one characteristic of the at least one shard. The game data includes a content.).
Regarding claim 30, Lee in view of Krishna teaches the method of claim 23, wherein the at least one server is a plurality of servers and the method further comprises: negotiating the at least one characteristic of the at least one shard between the client device and the plurality of servers ((Lee; pages 3-4, para [0041]-[0042]; page 9, [0072]).
“FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a portion of a messaging system implementing a compressed universal message, according to at least one embodiment of the invention. Here, message system portion 600 includes a server process 606 and a client process 650, both of which are coupled via a network 630 for exchanging messages, among other things. In this example, message system portion 600 can transport a subset of data associated with a server-side (or a client-side) universal data structure 660, such as in response to client process 650 indicating a modification to the synthetic environment. Server process 606 and client process 650 respectively include universal message interface 610a and universal message interface 610b. Server process 606 can use data arranged in accordance with a universal data structure ("UDS") 660 to, in whole or in part, generate a synthetic environment in response to game data modifications transmitted from client process 650. An example of modified game data is the game data generated by client process 650 that indicates movement by an avatar. In at least one embodiment, server process 606 and/or client process 650 can exchange messages as a compressed universal message 620. As both server process 606 and client process 650 can implement universal data structure 660 with which to exchange data, a reduced amount of data can be exchanged in compressed universal message 620. In particular, only modified game data 624 associated with universal data structure 622 need be transported in a universal message. In one embodiment, compressed universal message 620 also includes a key 628 specifying which attribute modified game data 624 relates. With this information, server process 606 can modify the synthetic environment.,” (Lee; page 11, para [0087]; pages 6-7, para [0056]; Fig. 6).
“User server 1270 can be configured to route messages between any of game management servers 1222a to 1222n and client 1250…,” (Lee; pages 8-9, para [0069]; Fig 1A; Fig 3; Fig 12).
The game data includes at least one characteristic of the at least one shard. The communication between the server and client reads on negotiating.).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Graham et al. (US 20160019745 A1; hereinafter Graham).
Regarding claim 10, Lee is not relied upon teaching but Graham teaches the system of claim 3, wherein the at least one server is further configured to vary the at least one characteristic of the at least one shard based on one or more performance factors of at least one of the client device communicatively coupled to the at least one server (“Dynamic sharding in accordance with embodiments of the present invention is elastic. In a dynamic sharding system implementing a virtual world, hotel floors can be dynamically added, removed, combined, and/or re-sized. … Thus, scaling out to accommodate massive numbers of concurrent players using finite hardware resources is enabled by dynamically growing and shrinking the hotel in real time, e.g., in response to current or anticipate demand. This scaling elasticity allows for the most efficient use of infrastructure as the scaling can be a function of the provisioning of virtual machine instances. Thus, the present invention allows floors to be added/removed and tables to be moved between the floors in real time, reacting to live demand and allowing the use of servers in a more cost effective way,” (page 3, para [0027]).
"A plurality of shards 402a-n that each represent a “floor” of tables and each include an instance of a floor manager system 404a-n and a game (e.g., poker) system 406a-n are created by the system 400 (504)…. As players login and out of the system 400 and move between tables, the system 400 is adapted to dynamically scale (e.g., up or down) the number of shards 402a-n provided to host the number of tables required by the demand," (pages 10-11, para [0083]-[0085]). Shards represent floors. Vary the at least one characteristic includes hotel floors being dynamically added, removed, combined, and/or re-sized. Graham’s demand corresponds to one or more performance factors of at least one of the client device.).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to apply the teachings of Graham to Lee. The motivation would have been to improve scalability and/ or maintain system reliability.
Claims 11 and 32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Levine et al. (US 20030177187 A1; hereinafter Levine).
Regarding claim 11 Lee teaches the system of claim 1, wherein the at least one shard comprises a volumetric space (Lee; "As used herein, the term "synthetic environment," at least in one embodiment, can refer to a virtual world (or a portion thereof) that is a computer-based simulated environment intended for its participants to inhabit and interact via, for example, avatars. A synthetic environment can also refer to a shard or a persistent world (or a portion thereof), which is a virtual world that progresses without or without participant interaction," (page 3-4, para [0042]).
“Synthetic environment generation platform 160 is configured to generate a synthetic environment 162 for clients 150a and 150b. In this example, synthetic environment 162 includes four regions: region one ("R1") 163, region two ("R2") 165, region three ("R3") 167, and region four ("R4") 169,” (page 4, para [0044]); Fig 1B).
“In one embodiment, a visibility server is configured to implement a sphere intersection test in which an object becomes visible to participant when a "can-be-seen" range, such as "can-be-seen" range 1112 for mountain 1114, intersects with visibility range 1102. A "can-be-seen" range can be represented as a circle (i.e., 2-D) or a sphere (i.e., 3-D),” (page 8, para [0067]).
“As used herein, the term "participant," at least in one embodiment, refers to either a player, or a two or three-dimensional graphical representation (e.g., an avatar) representation of the player, or both,” (pages 3-4, para [0042]).
The at least one shard includes synthetic environment, portions of the synthetic environment, and/ or regions of the synthetic environment. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that for the three-dimensional player to have three-dimensional motion/ interaction within the synthetic environment of the game of Lee, the synthetic environment would have to be three-dimensional. The visibility sphere (para [0067]) and Fig 1B further evidences volumetric spaces.)
Lee is not relied upon teaching but Levine teaches the at least one shard comprises a volumetric space that defines an enclosed volume formed by a plurality of edges (Levine; "As part of a fully distributed system, the Game Servers 405 maintain the illusion of "no boundaries" and bind the broken "shards" (Locales) of the online universe into a single apparently unlimited domain," (page 18, para [0369]).
"A Locale is a convex region in three dimensional space, that provides a stage or environment that supports the interactions of one or more Server Things. A Locale represents a place to establish a specific presence as part of the larger game universe. Although a Locale does not have to be rectangular in boundary, in one embodiment, discussed below, it has to fit within a region with the maximum dimension of 65536*65536*65536, as shown in FIG. 21," (page 18, para [0371] - [0372]; Fig 21).
“The Grid universe consists of many Locales, each belonging to a specific game. At initialization time, a configuration file apportions each Locale to one and only one Game Server 405, though each Game Server 405 may host many Locales within one or across several games. These Locales are regions defined by planar boundaries (or hyperplanes) in three dimensional space and must be convex. That is, they cannot contain holes or other concavities and they must be simply connected.…These worlds might look like a honeycomb of hexagonal regions, for instance. In a tiled world, the first order of business when a client logs into the Grid is to discover which host for which Game Server 405 is currently servicing the Locale tile into which the new Avatar will initially be placed,” (page 19, para [0376]). A locale reads on at least one shard. From Fig. 21 it is clear that the locale defines an enclosed volume formed by a plurality of edges.).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to apply the teachings of Levine to Lee. The motivation would have been to improve the player’s experience, reduce lag, and improve response times, (Levine; page 18, para [0375]).
Regarding claim 32, it is rejected using the same citations and rationales described in the rejection of claim 11.
Claims 6, 12, 14-15, 17, 27-29, and 33-34 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Kandekar et al. (US 7814154 B1; hereinafter Kandekar).
Regarding claim 6, Lee is not relied upon teaching but Kandekar teaches the system of claim 1, wherein the at least one shard is a static shard (For the purpose of compact prosecution and art rejection, the examiner will interpret the term “static shard” to mean a shard with at least one static property.
“FIG. 2 illustrates a portion of the virtual world hosted by corresponding peer servers. In this example, eighteen cells, or virtual spaces, VS1-VS18 are illustrated, where each of the cells VS1-VS18 are hexagonally shaped and of equal size,” (col 4, lines 11-21; Fig 2).
After combination Lee’s at least one shard becomes at least one of Kandekar’s hexagonally shaped virtual spaces/ cells. Lee’s hexagonally shaped virtual spaces/ cells of equal size indicate static geometric properties of each virtual space/ cell including shape, size, spatial boundaries, and/ or neighbor/adjacency relationships to other virtual spaces/ cells.).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to apply the teachings of Kandekar to Lee. The motivation would have been to improve the efficiency, predictability, and/ or scalability of managing a multi-user environment. Additional motivation would have been to balance network and/ or server loads.
Regarding claim 27, it is rejected using the same citations and rationales described in the rejection of claim 6.
Regarding claim 12, Lee is not relied upon teaching but Kandekar teaches the system of claim 1, wherein: the at least one server is further configured to generate a second shard, the second shard comprises an acoustic shard, the acoustic shard comprises a shape and dimension different from the at least one shard ("FIG. 2 illustrates a portion of the virtual world hosted by corresponding peer servers. In this example, eighteen cells, or virtual spaces, VS1-VS18 are illustrated, where each of the cells VS1-VS18 are hexagonally shaped and of equal size," (col 4, lines 11-21).
"FIG. 11C illustrates the application of transformation rules to messages including audio content according to one embodiment of the present invention. The rain in the virtual space VS4 affects audio messages within an affected area (ARAIN) of the virtual world. In this example, the affected area (ARAIN) is a defined area surrounding the rain. Note that the affected area (ARAIN) may be defined in any manner. For example, the affected area (ARAIN) may be defined as a circular area having a central point of the rain as its origin and a defined radius, a range of coordinates, a range of virtual spaces such as one virtual space beyond the virtual space VS4, or the like. Similarly, the ravine in the virtual space VS5 affects audio messages within an affected area (ARAVINE) by, for example, causing an echo," (col 21, lines 7- 20; Fig 11C).
After combination Lee’s at least one shard becomes at least one of Kandekar’s hexagonally shaped virtual spaces/ cells. The affected area (ARAIN) / (ARAVINE) reads on a second shard. The affected area (ARAIN)/ (ARAVINE) comprises an acoustic shard. From figure 11C, it is clear that the acoustic shard has a different shape and dimension from the at least one shard.),
and at least one characteristic of the acoustic shard is negotiable between the client device and the at least one server ("Alternatively, the peer server 18-11 may provide the transformed message (M') and the transformation rules for the ravine to the client associated with Bob's avatar. The client may then apply the transformation rules for the ravine to the message when rendering the virtual world," (col 21, lines 66-67; col 22, lines 1-15). Client server communication/ coordination regarding how acoustics are rendered reads on negotiable between the client device and the at least one server. The at least one characteristic of the acoustic shard includes the transformation rules for the ravine.).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to apply the teachings of Kandekar to Lee. The motivation would have been to improve user experience. Additional motivation would have been to enable audio content and audio effects.
Regarding claim 33, it is rejected using the same citations and rationales described in the rejection of claim 12.
Regarding claim 17, Lee is not relied upon teaching but Kandekar teaches the system of claim 12, wherein the at least one server is configured to: cause the client device to render sound within the acoustic shard ((col 21, lines 7- 20; Fig 11C). "Alternatively, the peer server 18-11 may provide the transformed message (M') and the transformation rules for the ravine to the client associated with Bob's avatar. The client may then apply the transformation rules for the ravine to the message when rendering the virtual world," (col 21, lines 66-67; col 22, lines 1-15). Client device to render sound within the acoustic shard comprises the client applying transformation rules for the ravine.), and
render the sound at a portion proximal to a border of the at least one shard (“The peer server 18-4 may then determine that not all but at least a portion of the virtual space VS11 is within the affected area (ARAVINE) associated with the ravine. As such, the peer server 18-4 sends the transformed message (M'), which has been transformed based on the transformation rules associated with the rain, and the one or more transformation rules associated with the ravine to the peer server 18-11,” (col 21, lines 49-65; Fig 11C).
After combination Lee’s at least one shard becomes at least one of Kandekar’s hexagonally shaped virtual spaces including virtual space VS11. From Fig 11C, it is clear that the sound is rendered proximal to the border of VS11.)
and at a second portion outside the at least one shard (“For example, the affected area (ARAIN) may be defined as a circular area having a central point of the rain as its origin and a defined radius, a range of coordinates, a range of virtual spaces such as one virtual space beyond the virtual space VS4, or the like. Similarly, the ravine in the virtual space VS5 affects audio messages within an affected area (ARAVINE) by, for example, causing an echo," (col 21, lines 7- 20; Fig 11C).
…“even though the audio message does not flow through the virtual space VS5, the ravine may still affect the audio message,” (col 21, lines 49-65).
The ravine audio effect is rendered outside of the virtual space/ shard it originates from. Additionally, the rain sound is rendered outside of the virtual space/ shard it originates from.).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to apply the teachings of Kandekar to Lee. The motivation would have been to improve user experience. Additional motivation would have been to ensure consistent user experience across server/ shard boundaries. Additional motivation would have been to enable immersive/ realistic audio effects such as echo.
Regarding claim 14, Lee is not relied upon teaching but Kandekar teaches the system of claim 1, wherein the at least one server is configured to cause the client device to render content: within the at least one shard ("FIG. 2 illustrates a portion of the virtual world hosted by corresponding peer servers. In this example, eighteen cells, or virtual spaces, VS1-VS18 are illustrated, where each of the cells VS1-VS18 are hexagonally shaped and of equal size," (col 4, lines 11-21).
"FIG. 11C illustrates the application of transformation rules to messages including audio content according to one embodiment of the present invention. The rain in the virtual space VS4 affects audio messages within an affected area (ARAIN) of the virtual world. In this example, the affected area (ARAIN) is a defined area surrounding the rain. Note that the affected area (ARAIN) may be defined in any manner. For example, the affected area (ARAIN) may be defined as a circular area having a central point of the rain as its origin and a defined radius, a range of coordinates, a range of virtual spaces such as one virtual space beyond the virtual space VS4, or the like. Similarly, the ravine in the virtual space VS5 affects audio messages within an affected area (ARAVINE) by, for example, causing an echo," (col 21, lines 7- 20; Fig 11C).
"Alternatively, the peer server 18-11 may provide the transformed message (M') and the transformation rules for the ravine to the client associated with Bob's avatar. The client may then apply the transformation rules for the ravine to the message when rendering the virtual world," (col 21, lines 66-67; col 22, lines 1-15).
The content comprises Kandekar’s audio content. Client device to render content comprises the client applying transformation rules for the ravine. After combination Lee’s at least one shard becomes at least one of Kandekar’s hexagonally shaped virtual spaces including virtual space VS4 and /or VS5.);
and outside the at least one shard (“For example, the affected area (ARAIN) may be defined as a circular area having a central point of the rain as its origin and a defined radius, a range of coordinates, a range of virtual spaces such as one virtual space beyond the virtual space VS4, or the like. Similarly, the ravine in the virtual space VS5 affects audio messages within an affected area (ARAVINE) by, for example, causing an echo," (col 21, lines 7- 20; Fig 11C).
…“even though the audio message does not flow through the virtual space VS5, the ravine may still affect the audio message,” (col 21, lines 49-65).
The ravine audio content/ effect is rendered outside of the virtual space/ shard it originates from. Additionally, the rain sound is rendered outside of the virtual space/ shard it originates from.).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to apply the teachings of Kandekar to Lee. The motivation would have been to improve user experience. Additional motivation would have been to ensure consistent user experience across server/ shard boundaries. Additional motivation would have been to enable immersive/ realistic audio effects such as echo.
Regarding claim 15, Lee is not relied upon teaching but Kandekar teaches the system of claim 1, wherein the at least one server is configured to cause the client device to render content: within the at least one shard ("FIG. 2 illustrates a portion of the virtual world hosted by corresponding peer servers. In this example, eighteen cells, or virtual spaces, VS1-VS18 are illustrated, where each of the cells VS1-VS18 are hexagonally shaped and of equal size," (col 4, lines 11-21).
"FIG. 11C illustrates the application of transformation rules to messages including audio content according to one embodiment of the present invention. The rain in the virtual space VS4 affects audio messages within an affected area (ARAIN) of the virtual world. In this example, the affected area (ARAIN) is a defined area surrounding the rain. Note that the affected area (ARAIN) may be defined in any manner. For example, the affected area (ARAIN) may be defined as a circular area having a central point of the rain as its origin and a defined radius, a range of coordinates, a range of virtual spaces such as one virtual space beyond the virtual space VS4, or the like. Similarly, the ravine in the virtual space VS5 affects audio messages within an affected area (ARAVINE) by, for example, causing an echo," (col 21, lines 7- 20; Fig 11C).
"Alternatively, the peer server 18-11 may provide the transformed message (M') and the transformation rules for the ravine to the client associated with Bob's avatar. The client may then apply the transformation rules for the ravine to the message when rendering the virtual world," (col 21, lines 66-67; col 22, lines 1-15).
The content comprises Kandekar’s audio content. Client device to render content comprises the client applying transformation rules for the ravine. After combination Lee’s at least one shard becomes at least one of Kandekar’s hexagonally shaped virtual spaces including virtual space VS4 and VS5.);
at a portion proximal to a border of the at least one shard (“The peer server 18-4 may then determine that not all but at least a portion of the virtual space VS11 is within the affected area (ARAVINE) associated with the ravine. As such, the peer server 18-4 sends the transformed message (M'), which has been transformed based on the transformation rules associated with the rain, and the one or more transformation rules associated with the ravine to the peer server 18-11,” (col 21, lines 49-65; Fig 11C).
After combination Lee’s at least one shard becomes at least one of Kandekar’s hexagonally shaped virtual spaces including virtual space VS11. From Fig 11C, it is clear that the sound is rendered proximal to the border of VS11.);
and at a second portion outside the shard (“For example, the affected area (ARAIN) may be defined as a circular area having a central point of the rain as its origin and a defined radius, a range of coordinates, a range of virtual spaces such as one virtual space beyond the virtual space VS4, or the like. Similarly, the ravine in the virtual space VS5 affects audio messages within an affected area (ARAVINE) by, for example, causing an echo," (col 21, lines 7- 20; Fig 11C).
…“even though the audio message does not flow through the virtual space VS5, the ravine may still affect the audio message,” (col 21, lines 49-65).
The ravine audio content/ effect is rendered outside of the virtual space/ shard it originates from. Additionally, the rain sound is rendered outside of the virtual space/ shard it originates from.).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to apply the teachings of Kandekar to Lee. The motivation would have been to improve user experience. Additional motivation would have been to ensure consistent user experience across server/ shard boundaries. Additional motivation would have been to enable immersive/ realistic audio effects such as echo.
Regarding claim 28, Lee in view of Kandekar teaches the method of claim 27, wherein the at least one shard is at least one of: an acoustic shard, a volumetric shard, a physical simulation shard, or any combination thereof (Lee; "As used herein, the term "synthetic environment," at least in one embodiment, can refer to a virtual world (or a portion thereof) that is a computer-based simulated environment intended for its participants to inhabit and interact via, for example, avatars. A synthetic environment can also refer to a shard or a persistent world (or a portion thereof), which is a virtual world that progresses without or without participant interaction," (page 3-4, para [0042]).
“Synthetic environment generation platform 160 is configured to generate a synthetic environment 162 for clients 150a and 150b. In this example, synthetic environment 162 includes four regions: region one ("R1") 163, region two ("R2") 165, region three ("R3") 167, and region four ("R4") 169,” (Lee; page 4, para [0044]; Fig 1B).
“In one embodiment, a visibility server is configured to implement a sphere intersection test in which an object becomes visible to participant when a "can-be-seen" range, such as "can-be-seen" range 1112 for mountain 1114, intersects with visibility range 1102. A "can-be-seen" range can be represented as a circle (i.e., 2-D) or a sphere (i.e., 3-D),” (Lee; page 8, para [0067]).
“As used herein, the term "participant," at least in one embodiment, refers to either a player, or a two or three-dimensional graphical representation (e.g., an avatar) representation of the player, or both,” (Lee; pages 3-4, para [0042]).
The at least one shard includes synthetic environment, portions of the synthetic environment, and/ or regions of the synthetic environment. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that for the three-dimensional player to have three-dimensional motion/ interaction within the synthetic environment of the game of Lee, the synthetic environment would have to be three-dimensional. The visibility sphere (Lee; page 8, para [0067]) and Fig 1B further evidences volumetric spaces. Since a synthetic environment, portions of the synthetic environment, and/ or regions of the synthetic environment include a three-dimensional space, any of these reads on volumetric shard.).
Regarding claim 29, Lee in view of Kandekar teaches the method of claim 27, wherein the at least one shard is a physics simulation and a physical attributes-based shard (Lee; “Physics server 902a represents one or more physics servers configured to process movement and collision detection activity for the synthetic environment… Referring back to FIG. 9, physics server 902a also can be configured to provide "instancing," whereby a collection of participants (and associated physics processing) perform activities within a portion of the synthetic environment, such as in a virtual house, or in an area at which they will band together to fight an NPC, such as a boss monster,” (page 7, para [0062]).
“Movement validation is the act of validating the movement of a participant in the context of the synthetic environment. Physics server 902a can be configured to validate movement against the virtual terrain and any entities (i.e., other characters and/or objects) that are in the path of the desired movement. Based on the rate at which the participant's avatar moves relative to the virtual terrain, the location of the participant can be modified to reflect its location in the synthetic environment. Physics server 902a can run a simulation to validate that the location is correct before sending modified game data to the clients…,” (Lee; pages 7-8, para [0063]).
The physical attributes include the rate at which the participant's avatar moves and the location of the participant.).
Regarding claim 34, Lee in view of Kandekar teaches the method of claim 28, further comprising one or more of: negotiating and rendering at the simulation environment by the one or more servers; causing the negotiating and rendering at the simulation environment by the client device;
causing the rendering within the at least one shard (Kandekar; "FIG. 2 illustrates a portion of the virtual world hosted by corresponding peer servers. In this example, eighteen cells, or virtual spaces, VS1-VS18 are illustrated, where each of the cells VS1-VS18 are hexagonally shaped and of equal size," (col 4, lines 11-21).
"FIG. 11C illustrates the application of transformation rules to messages including audio content according to one embodiment of the present invention. The rain in the virtual space VS4 affects audio messages within an affected area (ARAIN) of the virtual world. In this example, the affected area (ARAIN) is a defined area surrounding the rain. Note that the affected area (ARAIN) may be defined in any manner. For example, the affected area (ARAIN) may be defined as a circular area having a central point of the rain as its origin and a defined radius, a range of coordinates, a range of virtual spaces such as one virtual space beyond the virtual space VS4, or the like. Similarly, the ravine in the virtual space VS5 affects audio messages within an affected area (ARAVINE) by, for example, causing an echo," (Kandekar; col 21, lines 7- 20; Fig 11C).
"Alternatively, the peer server 18-11 may provide the transformed message (M') and the transformation rules for the ravine to the client associated with Bob's avatar. The client may then apply the transformation rules for the ravine to the message when rendering the virtual world," (Kandekar; col 21, lines 66-67; col 22, lines 1-15).
Client device to render content comprises the client applying transformation rules for the ravine. After combination Lee’s at least one shard becomes at least one of Kandekar’s hexagonally shaped virtual spaces including virtual space VS4 and VS5.)
and within the acoustic shard by the client device ((Kandekar; col 21, lines 7- 20; Fig 11C). "Alternatively, the peer server 18-11 may provide the transformed message (M') and the transformation rules for the ravine to the client associated with Bob's avatar. The client may then apply the transformation rules for the ravine to the message when rendering the virtual world," (Kandekar; col 21, lines 66-67; col 22, lines 1-15). Client device to render sound within the acoustic shard comprises the client applying transformation rules for the ravine.);
rendering outside the at least one shard (Kandekar; “For example, the affected area (ARAIN) may be defined as a circular area having a central point of the rain as its origin and a defined radius, a range of coordinates, a range of virtual spaces such as one virtual space beyond the virtual space VS4, or the like. Similarly, the ravine in the virtual space VS5 affects audio messages within an affected area (ARAVINE) by, for example, causing an echo," (col 21, lines 7- 20; Fig 11C).
…“even though the audio message does not flow through the virtual space VS5, the ravine may still affect the audio message,” (col 21, lines 49-65).
The ravine audio content/ effect is rendered outside of the virtual space/ shard it originates from. Additionally, the rain sound is rendered outside of the virtual space/ shard it originates from.),
and at a portion proximal to a border of the at least one shard (Kandekar; “The peer server 18-4 may then determine that not all but at least a portion of the virtual space VS11 is within the affected area (ARAVINE) associated with the ravine. As such, the peer server 18-4 sends the transformed message (M'), which has been transformed based on the transformation rules associated with the rain, and the one or more transformation rules associated with the ravine to the peer server 18-11,” (col 21, lines 49-65; Fig 11C).
After combination Lee’s at least one shard becomes at least one of Kandekar’s hexagonally shaped virtual spaces including virtual space VS11. From Fig 11C, it is clear that the sound is rendered proximal to the border of VS11.)
and at a portion outside the at least one shard (Kandekar; “For example, the affected area (ARAIN) may be defined as a circular area having a central point of the rain as its origin and a defined radius, a range of coordinates, a range of virtual spaces such as one virtual space beyond the virtual space VS4, or the like. Similarly, the ravine in the virtual space VS5 affects audio messages within an affected area (ARAVINE) by, for example, causing an echo," (col 21, lines 7- 20; Fig 11C).
…“even though the audio message does not flow through the virtual space VS5, the ravine may still affect the audio message,” (Kandekar; col 21, lines 49-65).
The ravine audio content/ effect is rendered outside of the virtual space/ shard it originates from. Additionally, the rain sound is rendered outside of the virtual space/ shard it originates from.);
rendering outside an acoustic volume-based shard (Kandekar; “…since Charles's avatar is not within the affected area (A), the peer server 18-12 determines that the one or more transformation rules do not apply and provides the message to the client associated with Charles's avatar. However, if Charles's avatar were within the affected area (A), the peer server 18-12 would then apply the one or more transformation rules to the message to provide a transformed message and provide the transformed message to the client associated with Charles's avatar… the client may then apply the transformation rule when rendering the virtual world,” (col 20, lines 43- 65; Fig 11B). Rendering includes applying transformation rule(s).),
and at a portion proximal to a border of the at least one shard (Kandekar; “The peer server 18-4 may then determine that not all but at least a portion of the virtual space VS11 is within the affected area (ARAVINE) associated with the ravine. As such, the peer server 18-4 sends the transformed message (M'), which has been transformed based on the transformation rules associated with the rain, and the one or more transformation rules associated with the ravine to the peer server 18-11,” (col 21, lines 49-65; Fig 11C).
After combination Lee’s at least one shard becomes at least one of Kandekar’s hexagonally shaped virtual spaces including virtual space VS11. From Fig 11C, it is clear that the sound is rendered proximal to the border of VS11.)
and at a portion outside the at least one shard (Kandekar; “For example, the affected area (ARAIN) may be defined as a circular area having a central point of the rain as its origin and a defined radius, a range of coordinates, a range of virtual spaces such as one virtual space beyond the virtual space VS4, or the like. Similarly, the ravine in the virtual space VS5 affects audio messages within an affected area (ARAVINE) by, for example, causing an echo," (col 21, lines 7- 20; Fig 11C).
…“even though the audio message does not flow through the virtual space VS5, the ravine may still affect the audio message,” (Kandekar; col 21, lines 49-65).
The ravine audio content/ effect is rendered outside of the virtual space/ shard it originates from. Additionally, the rain sound is rendered outside of the virtual space/ shard it originates from.);
and transmitting to the client device an information corresponding to one or more objects to be rendered by the client device ((Lee; page 9, para [0070] – [0073]; Fig 15).
"…the dynamic content is released to client at 1530 for use in the computer-generated world," (Lee; page 9, para [0072]).
Lee teaches that dynamic content includes objects to be rendered including “creatures, trees, structures, and the like,” (Lee; page 9, para [0071]).
“Further, patch server 1580 is configured to push, or "trickle down," data required by the event down to the client as small files or pieces of data 1582,” (Lee; page 9, para [0073]).
“…patching data to render a tree…,” (Lee; page 9, para [0070]).
Released to the client / push down to the client read on transmit to the client device. The data pushed by the patch server / patching data includes information corresponding to one or more objects to be rendered by the client device.).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to apply the teachings of Kandekar to Lee. The motivation would have been to improve user experience. Additional motivation would have been to ensure consistent user experience across server/ shard boundaries. Additional motivation would have been to enable immersive/ realistic audio effects such as echo.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Kamiyama (US 20160296842 A1).
Regarding claim 13, Lee is not relied upon teaching but Kamiyama teaches the system of claim 1, wherein the at least one server is a plurality of servers configured to negotiate and render content at the simulation environment of the plurality of simulation environments (“Also, a plurality of rendering servers 300 are connected to the command server 100, and the command server 100 assigns one rendering server 300 out of these to be a server that performs processing for rendering game screens for one of the client terminals 400 from which it receives a request for provision of game screens. The command server 100 and the rendering servers 300 may be connected via the network 500 in the same way as the command server 100 and the client terminals 400, and the command server 100 and the rendering servers 300 may be connected within a particular local network,” (page 3, para [0035]; pages 8-9, para [0096]- [0097]). Negotiate includes the server coordination and deciding of which server performs the rendering.).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to apply the teachings of Kamiyama to Lee. The motivation would have been to “decrease a calculation amount of rendering processing for screens transmitted to the client terminal,” (Kamiyama; page 1, para [0013]).
Claims 16 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brandt et al. (US 20250022212 A1; hereinafter Brandt).
Regarding claim 16, Lee is not relied upon teaching but Brandt teaches the system of claim 1, wherein the at least one server is configured to: stream the simulation environment outside of the at least one shard as video at one or more walls of the at least one shard (“3D scenes of the type described in the previous paragraph may be known per se, with a 3D scene being typically defined using 3D coordinates. In general, a 3D scene may comprise objects in various forms, for example objects defined as computer graphics, as video and/or as a combination of computer graphics and video. In some examples, computer graphics-based objects may by themselves not be apparent in the scene, but may rather be used to enable videos to be shown in the 3D scene. For example, in the earlier example of a scene which has different viewpoints at which panoramic videos are available, the video data of a panoramic video may be shown as a texture on an interior of a sphere surrounding a viewpoint, with the sphere being defined as computer graphics. Accordingly, a computer graphics-based object may define a canvas or ‘virtual display’ for the display of a video within the 3D scene,” (page 3, para [0047]).
“the scene may, in addition to one or more individual objects, also comprise a panoramic video which may show a sizable part of the scene outside of the individual objects. For example, the panoramic video may represent a background of the scene and the one or more objects may represent foreground objects in relation to the background,” (page 3, para [0049]).
“…at the server system, a panoramic video may be streamed to the client device to serve as a video-based representation of at least part of the scene…,” (page 6, para [0066]).
After combination, Brandt’s sphere surrounding a viewpoint becomes Lee’s synthetic environment, portions of the synthetic environment, and/ or regions of the synthetic environment (reads on at least one shard). The interior of the sphere reads on at one or more walls of the at least one shard.).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to apply the teachings of Brandt to Lee. The motivation would have been to reduce computational load and improve rendering efficiency. Additional motivation would have been to improve user experience and/or improve scalability.
Regarding claim 20, Lee is not relied upon teaching but Brandt teaches the system of claim 19, wherein the information related to the at least one shard is included in a stream between the client device and the at least one server (For the purpose of compact prosecution and art rejection, the examiner will interpret the term "the information related to the at least one shard" to mean any information related to the at least one shard.
Brandt; “3D scenes of the type described in the previous paragraph may be known per se, with a 3D scene being typically defined using 3D coordinates. In general, a 3D scene may comprise objects in various forms, for example objects defined as computer graphics, as video and/or as a combination of computer graphics and video. In some examples, computer graphics-based objects may by themselves not be apparent in the scene, but may rather be used to enable videos to be shown in the 3D scene. For example, in the earlier example of a scene which has different viewpoints at which panoramic videos are available, the video data of a panoramic video may be shown as a texture on an interior of a sphere surrounding a viewpoint, with the sphere being defined as computer graphics. Accordingly, a computer graphics-based object may define a canvas or ‘virtual display’ for the display of a video within the 3D scene,” (page 3, para [0047]).
“the scene may, in addition to one or more individual objects, also comprise a panoramic video which may show a sizable part of the scene outside of the individual objects. For example, the panoramic video may represent a background of the scene and the one or more objects may represent foreground objects in relation to the background,” (page 3, para [0049]).
“…at the server system, a panoramic video may be streamed to the client device to serve as a video-based representation of at least part of the scene…,” (page 6, para [0066]).
After combination, Brandt’s sphere surrounding a viewpoint becomes Lee’s synthetic environment, portions of the synthetic environment, and/ or regions of the synthetic environment (reads on at least one shard). The information related to the at least one shard includes the panoramic video and/or the panoramic video data.).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to apply the teachings of Brandt to Lee. The motivation would have been to reduce computational load and improve rendering efficiency. Additional motivation would have been to improve user experience and/or improve scalability.
Claims 24 and 31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Krishna in further view of Graham.
Regarding claim 24, Lee in view of Krishna are not relied upon teaching but Graham teaches the method of claim 23, wherein the varying of one or both of the physical attribute or the logical attribute of the at least one shard is based at least in part on one or more performance factors of the client device or the at least one server (“Dynamic sharding in accordance with embodiments of the present invention is elastic. In a dynamic sharding system implementing a virtual world, hotel floors can be dynamically added, removed, combined, and/or re-sized. … Thus, scaling out to accommodate massive numbers of concurrent players using finite hardware resources is enabled by dynamically growing and shrinking the hotel in real time, e.g., in response to current or anticipate demand. This scaling elasticity allows for the most efficient use of infrastructure as the scaling can be a function of the provisioning of virtual machine instances. Thus, the present invention allows floors to be added/removed and tables to be moved between the floors in real time, reacting to live demand and allowing the use of servers in a more cost effective way,” (page 3, para [0027]).
"A plurality of shards 402a-n that each represent a “floor” of tables and each include an instance of a floor manager system 404a-n and a game (e.g., poker) system 406a-n are created by the system 400 (504)…. As players login and out of the system 400 and move between tables, the system 400 is adapted to dynamically scale (e.g., up or down) the number of shards 402a-n provided to host the number of tables required by the demand," (Graham; pages 10-11, para [0083]-[0085]).
Shards represent floors. Varying the logical attribute includes hotel floors being dynamically added, removed, combined, and/or re-sized. Graham’s demand corresponds to one or more performance factors.).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to apply the teachings of Graham to Lee in view of Krishna. The motivation would have been to improve scalability and/ or maintain system reliability.
Regarding claim 31, Lee in view of Krishna in further view of Graham teaches the method of claim 24, further comprising varying the at least one characteristic of the at least one shard based on one or more performance factors of at least one of the client device or the at least one server (Graham; “Dynamic sharding in accordance with embodiments of the present invention is elastic. In a dynamic sharding system implementing a virtual world, hotel floors can be dynamically added, removed, combined, and/or re-sized. … Thus, scaling out to accommodate massive numbers of concurrent players using finite hardware resources is enabled by dynamically growing and shrinking the hotel in real time, e.g., in response to current or anticipate demand. This scaling elasticity allows for the most efficient use of infrastructure as the scaling can be a function of the provisioning of virtual machine instances. Thus, the present invention allows floors to be added/removed and tables to be moved between the floors in real time, reacting to live demand and allowing the use of servers in a more cost effective way,” (page 3, para [0027]).
"A plurality of shards 402a-n that each represent a “floor” of tables and each include an instance of a floor manager system 404a-n and a game (e.g., poker) system 406a-n are created by the system 400 (504)…. As players login and out of the system 400 and move between tables, the system 400 is adapted to dynamically scale (e.g., up or down) the number of shards 402a-n provided to host the number of tables required by the demand," (Graham; pages 10-11, para [0083]-[0085]).
Shards represent floors. Vary the at least one characteristic includes hotel floors being dynamically added, removed, combined, and/or re-sized. Graham’s demand corresponds to one or more performance factors of at least one of the client device.).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to apply the teachings of Graham to Lee in view of Krishna. The motivation would have been to improve scalability and/ or maintain system reliability.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERICA G THERKORN whose telephone number is (571)272-2939. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Devona Faulk can be reached at 571-272-7515. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/ERICA G THERKORN/Examiner, Art Unit 2618
/DEVONA E FAULK/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2618
Prosecution Insights