DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to the filing of 3/31/24. Claims 1-12 are pending and have been considered below.
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 .
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 10 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.
The following is an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance. The prior art of record fails to disclose configuring cell blocks, by grouping cell blocks for multiple two-dimensional graphs together, creating distinct cell blocks for 3d graphs, and implementing smart configuration system, etc., in combination with other limitations recited within the claimed context. The claims present a combination of limitations that differ from the cited art, and there is no reasonable combination of references that would teach it.
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.
The terms “improve alignment with the graphical displays and enhance overall user experience” in claim 5, 11 are relative term which renders the claim indefinite – they are purely subjective. The terms are 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 5, 11, the phrase "such as" (“such as cell text and background color”) renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitations following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Regarding claim 6, 12 the phrase "such as" (“such as value editing”) renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitations following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
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) 1-3, 5-9, 11-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Riche (2012/0229466) in view of Myers (5,581,677) and in further view of MrExcel (Learn How to Drag Points on a Chart to Change Numbers in Excel; Episode 634; Mar, 26, 2009.)
Claim 1, 7: Riche discloses a method executed by a computer system for implementing an interactive Graph Companion Table (Fig. 14: 1402, a table chart) to present the underlying data (par. 97-98, detailed information pertaining to the papers associated with the author John Davenport in the topic of CSCW) from graphical visualizations (Fig. 13: 1304, CSCW) within a computing environment (Fig. 22: 2200; 2218 GUI), the method comprising:
algorithmically identifying the activation of a specific chart (Fig. 13: CSCW chart) from among a plurality of graphical visualizations (Fig. 13: 1302, plurality of stacked boxes), thereby designating it as the active chart (Fig. 13: chart to which the menus are actively linked for control / manipulation, 1308);
retrieving the underlying data the active chart (Fig. 14; par. 97-98, detailed information pertaining to the papers associated with the author John Davenport in the topic of CSCW);
filling the Graph Companion Table with a plurality of cell blocks of various formats (Fig. 14: Article ID, Title), corresponding to every graph present in the active chart (table with columns / rows with regard to CSCW from Fig. 13);
However, Riche does not explicitly disclose:
retrieving the underlying data from a plurality of graphs of various types contained within the active chart; and
establishing bidirectional links between the cell blocks in the Graph Companion Table and their respective graphs in the active chart;
refreshing the display of the Graph Companion Table to reflect any new or modified content, thereby keeping the data presentation current;
responding to user interactions with the active chart and the Graph Companion Table, ensuring that any changes in one are mirrored in the other.
Myers discloses a similar method for presenting charts, including: retrieving the underlying data from a plurality of graphs of various types contained within the active chart (11:4-12, column charts, stacked column charts, bar carts, stacked bar charts, line charts, pie charts, area charts, scatter charts, high-low charts, and range charts. It will be recognized that other types of charts may be generated with the present invention without loss of generality. The present invention allows a user to express combinations of different charts.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Riche and Myers so as to accommodate multi-graph charts that visualize data from different data sets.
MrExcel discloses a similar method for manipulating charts and graphs in a spreadsheet, including:
establishing bidirectional links between the cell blocks in the Graph Companion Table and their respective graphs in the active chart;
refreshing the display of the Graph Companion Table to reflect any new or modified content, thereby keeping the data presentation current;
responding to user interactions with the active chart and the Graph Companion Table, ensuring that any changes in one are mirrored in the other (pages 1-3, show a bidirectional relationship between the data in a table (Sales over months) and the corresponding values as points in a line graph; adjusting values in the table, or in the graph (by dragging the points up / down) causes the values in the table to change in response, from 16,200 to 18,600.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Riche and MrExcel so as to provide a user with a means to adjust values in a table by graphical means.
Claim 2, 8: Riche Myers and MrExcel disclose the method of claim 1, wherein the active chart is determined based on explicit user selection or interaction, or by system logic identifying the most recently interacted with or generated chart in scenarios lacking direct user input (Riche Fig. 13: 1302, selection of CSCW for the active chart.)
Claim 3, 9: Riche Myers and MrExcel disclose the method of claim 1, including the steps of employing a predefined algorithm to automatically clear existing cell blocks and their associated bidirectional links upon the detection of a change in the active chart, followed by the creation of new cell blocks and links based on the newly activated chart's data structure (Riche user changing the active chart, as in Fig. 13 to select a new chart, followed by 14: 1402; par. 97, to select the table chart of the new active chart.)
Claim 5, 11: Riche Myers and MrExcel disclose the method of claim 1, wherein visual attributes of cell blocks within the Graph Companion Table, such as cell text and background color, are customized to improve alignment with the graphical displays and enhance overall user experience (MrExcel, page 1, column / row headings are color coded; the color of the values matches the line graph color, blue.)
Claim 6, 12: Riche Myers and MrExcel disclose the method of claim 1, wherein a comprehensive suite of user interactions with the Graph Companion Table and the active chart, such as value editing, data point selection, and graphical marker placement, triggers immediate, synchronized updates across both the table and chart through a real-time data exchange protocol (MrExcel pages 1-3, show a bidirectional relationship between the data in a table (Sales over months) and the corresponding values as points in a line graph; adjusting values in the table, or in the graph (by dragging the points up / down) causes the values in the table to change in response, from 16,200 to 18,600.)
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Viegas (2018/0088753) generating charts from data in a data table.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREY BELOUSOV whose telephone number is (571) 270-1695 and Andrew.belousov@uspto.gov email. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Friday EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Adam Queler, can be reached at telephone number 571-272-4140. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from Patent Center and the Private Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from Patent Center or Private PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Patent Center and Private PAIR for authorized users only. Should you have questions about access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
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) Form at https://www.uspto.gov/patents/uspto-automated- interview-request-air-form.
/Andrey Belousov/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2145
1/3/26