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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Response to Arguments
Regarding objections.
Applicant argues:
Claims 8 and 13 are objected to because of informalities.
The Examiner alleges that "Claim 8 is objected to because of the following informalities: The claim recites the limitation "the sample hand textures". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim, but claim 14 does recite "sample hand textures", and use of PCA to remove identifying details is logical to use with textures corresponding to individuals other than the user for privacy reasons. Therefore it appears claim 8 was intended to depend from claim 14 and rather than there being insufficient antecedent basis, there is merely a typo in the numbering. Appropriate correction is required. Examiner notes that based on the evidence this is merely a typo in numbering, however if Applicant does intend for claim 8 to not depend from claim 18, a 112 rejection for lack of antecedent basis for "the sample hand textures" would be necessary".
In response, Applicant contends that claim 1 has been amended to recite "sample hand textures" and therefore there is sufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in claim 8.
The Examiner further alleges that "claim 13 recites the limitation "the current 3D position of the hand". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim".
In response, Applicant contends that claim 13 has been amended as follows: "wherein the vertices of a 3D hand mesh are based on the a current 3D position of the hand" and therefore antecedent basis is not required for this limitation in claim 13.
Accordingly, Applicant respectfully traverses the claim objections.
Examiner replies that:
Withdrawn.
Regarding 35 USC § 102/103.
Applicant argues:
In a telephonic interview on February 17, 2026, between Examiner Jason A. Pringle- Parker and Applicant's representative Mark Friedman, claim amendments proposed by Applicant were discussed and the Examiner indicated that Applicant's proposed amendments associated with clarifying that the claimed hand texture sample data includes multiple sample hand texture images from hands that differ from the user were discussed and the Examiner indicated that the proposed amendments overcome the current prior art rejections.
In response, Applicant has amended claims 1, 17 and 20 to include the limitations in the proposed claim amendments as follows: "obtaining at least two skin tones corresponding to colors representing at least two different portions of a hand of a user; determining a hand texture comprising a spatial arrangement of color representing an appearance of the hand, the hand texture determined based on the at least two skin tones and hand texture sample data, the hand texture sample data comprising sample hand textures that differ from the hand of the user". The amended claim limitations are supported in at least paragraphs 0005, 0030 and 0044 of the specification.
An example of why claims 1, 17 and 20 are not unpatentable over Kuji is that Kuji does not teach or suggest the claimed hand texture sample data includes multiple sample hand texture images from hands that differ from the user (e.g., real hand image scans of hands of multiple individuals differing from the user, synthetically generated images of hands, etc.).
In contrast, Kuji recites (e.g., in paragraph 0051 as referenced in the Office Action) use of the user's and texture.
However, the disclosure in Kuji reciting use of the user's and texture is not a disclosure of determining a hand texture based on skin tones and hand texture sample data that includes sample hand textures that differ from a hand of the user as recited in claims 1, 17 and 20.
Accordingly, Kuji does not teach or suggest the preceding feature of claims 1, 17 and 20.
Examiner replies that:
Applicant has amended the claims to change the scope since the previous action. The amendment(s) necessitate new ground(s) of rejection and are rejected in detail under the § 102/103 headings below.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 is 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 claim recites “wherein said determining the hand texture comprises selecting a texture from the hand texture sample data via an interpolation process with respect to the at least two skin tones.” While interpolation is a well-known process, and selecting a texture is a well-known process, interpolating two skin tones to select a texture in combination with the other limitations was not found in the prior art.
Claim 8 is 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 claim recites “compressing the sample hand textures via execution of a principal component analysis (PCA) and remove identifying details from the sample hand textures via execution of the PCA.” PCA is a lossy data compression known in the art, however the use of PCA to remove identifying details from a hand texture in combination with the other limitations was not found in the prior art.
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) 1-2, 5, 9, 11, 16-18, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuji U.S. Patent/PG Publication 20250252695 in view of Yang U.S. Patent/PG Publication 20070126733.
Regarding claim 1 (independent):
A method comprising: at an electronic device having a processor: (Kuji [0034] The control unit 22 includes the respective functions of a feature information generation unit 221 and an image generation unit 222, which are achieved by a processor operating in accordance with a program stored in a memory or received via a communication interface. The functions of the respective unit are described later.).
obtaining at least two skin tones corresponding to colors representing at least two different portions of a hand of a user (Kuji [0051] For example, the feature information generation unit 221 uses such techniques as skin color detection to calculate texture information indicating the surface conditions of the hands of the user, from a reference image.)(Kuji [0059] Note that, in a case where images of both the palm side and back side of the hand of the user are captured as reference images, images of both sides are adjusted also in the model image.).
determining a hand texture comprising a spatial arrangement of color representing an appearance of the hand, the hand texture determined based on the at least two skin tones and hand texture sample data the hand texture sample data comprising sample hand textures (Kuji [0051] The texture information includes, for example, the user's skin color tone and texture, as well as surface irregularities of the hands such as scratches, moles, and wrinkles. )
determining a hand structure associated with physical attributes of the hand (Kuji [0048] FIG. 3B exemplifies feature points based on a reference image. In the example of FIG. 3B, the endpoints of each finger, the joints of each finger, and the wrist joints are detected as feature points, and position information regarding each feature point is calculated as feature information. The position information regarding the feature points on the hands is generated as feature information, and the relative positional relations of these feature points are determined, thereby enabling accurate realization of the lengths of the actual hands of the user, the ratios of each part of the hands, and the like.).
and providing the hand structure (Kuji [0057] In a case where the feature information is the position information regarding the feature points on the hand, the image generation unit 222 adjusts the length of the hand and the ratios of each part of the hand in the 3D model on the basis of the feature information. More specifically, the image generation unit 222 enlarges or reduces the hand in the 3D model, extends or contracts the length of the hand in the 3D model on the basis of the feature information, or changes the ratios of each part of the hand in the 3D model on the basis of the feature information, and thereby adjusts the 3D model.) and the hand texture for use in generating a three-dimensional (3D) representation of the hand (Kuji [0058] Then, the image generation unit 222 performs skinning processing on the adjusted 3D model, and thereby generates a model image.).
Kuji does not teach a texture database to select textures. In a related field of endeavor, Yang teaches:
determining a hand texture comprising a spatial arrangement of color representing an appearance of the hand, the hand texture determined based on the at least two skin tones and hand texture sample data the hand texture sample data comprising sample hand textures that differ from the hand of the user (Yang [0026] Since the present invention aims at quick creation of a human body model through a simple process, the present invention chooses to automatically select a skin texture map from a predetermined skin texture map database, which is shown in FIG. 4. A skin texture map with a high coincidence degree is searched for from the database by using a color data of the user's hand images, which are obtained in the process of FIG. 3, as a primary index and using the gender and age of the user as secondary indices. The skin texture map database is built up in advance according to the skin colors, ages and gender. As shown in FIG. 4, a skin texture map automatically searched by the system may be automatically applied to the body model or a user may select one skin texture map among selected candidates, if necessary. Since the methods of building the skin texture map data base and determining a skin texture map with a high coincidence degree based on color and other information from a plurality of 2D images are well-known in the field of image processing, detailed description on them will not be provided herein.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to automatically generate a skin texture using existing textures as taught by Yang. The motivation for doing so would have been to have quick creation (Yang [0026])). Further, the rationale for doing so would have been that it combines prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results since Kuji is automatically using a skin image from a camera and Yang is using a skin image from a camera and letting decide whether it have it automatic or manual, where the end result in both is having a skin texture similar to the users skin. Therefore it would have been obvious to combine Yang with Kuji in view of Yang to obtain the invention.
Regarding claim 2:
The method of claim 1, has all of its limitations taught by Kuji in view of Yang. Kuji further teaches wherein the at least two skin tones comprise a first skin tone representing a back portion of the hand of the user and a second skin tone representing a palm portion of the hand of the user (Kuji [0059] Note that, in a case where images of both the palm side and back side of the hand of the user are captured as reference images, images of both sides are adjusted also in the model image.).
Regarding claim 5:
The method of claim 1, has all of its limitations taught by Kuji in view of Yang. Kuji further teaches wherein the spatial arrangement of color comprises pixels representing multiple colors associated with differing portions of the hand of the user (Kuji [0059] In a case where the feature information is the texture information regarding the surface of the hand, the image generation unit 222 generates a model image by using an image of the hand part in the reference image as a texture for the hand part in the model image, or by reflecting, in the hand part in the model image, the user's skin color tone and texture as well as surface irregularities of the hand such as scratches, moles, and wrinkles on the basis of the feature information. Note that, in a case where images of both the palm side and back side of the hand of the user are captured as reference images, images of both sides are adjusted also in the model image.).
Regarding claim 9:
The method of claim 1, has all of its limitations taught by Kuji in view of Yang. Kuji further teaches wherein the hand texture is determined during an enrollment process and stored for future use (Kuji [0059] In a case where the feature information is the texture information regarding the surface of the hand)(Kuji [0064] When the control unit 22 determines that a detection result has been acquired (YES in Step S103), the image generation unit 232 adjusts the 3D model image on the basis of the feature information generated in Step S102 (Step S104), to generate a model image (Step S105).).
Regarding claim 11:
The method of claim 9, has all of its limitations taught by Kuji in view of Yang. Kuji further teaches wherein the future use comprises displaying a 3D representation of the user with the 3D representation of the hand (Kuji [0039] The imaging unit 31 captures a reference image (first image) in which the hands of the user are captured. The reference image is information that is used for generating a model image reproducing the hands of the user in a virtual space.).
Regarding claim 14:
The method of claim 1, has all of its limitations taught by Kuji in view of Yang. Yang does not teach non-user images. In a related field of endeavor, Yang teaches:
wherein the (Yang [0026] A skin texture image database and a skin texture map which coincides with the skin texture map of the current user are automatically or manually selected to increase the coincidence degree with the user and automatically reflect the skin texture to the 3D body model. When the body shape of the 3D model that coincides with the user is determined in the user coincident human body model transformation unit in step 310 of FIG. 1, a skin texture map with a high user coincidence degree is applied to the 3D body model. ).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to let the user select images as taught by Yang. The motivation for doing so would have been to give the user greater control. Further, the rationale for doing so would have been that it combines prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results since Kuji is automatically using a skin image from a camera and Yang is using a skin image from a camera and letting decide whether it have it automatic or manual, where the end result in both is having a skin texture similar to the users skin. Therefore it would have been obvious to combine Yang with Kuji in view of Yang to obtain the invention.
Regarding claim 16:
The method of claim 1, has all of its limitations taught by Kuji in view of Yang. Kuji further teaches wherein the hand structure and the attributes are determined during an enrollment process (Kuji [0063] The control unit 22 determines whether a reference image has been acquired by the imaging unit 31 or not (Step S101). When the control unit 22 determines that a reference image has been acquired (YES in Step S101), the feature information generation unit 221 generates feature information on the basis of the reference image (Step S102).), and wherein dimensions of hand texture are modified and applied to the hand structure for said generating the 3D representation of the hand based on the attributes (Kuji [0048] FIG. 3B exemplifies feature points based on a reference image. In the example of FIG. 3B, the endpoints of each finger, the joints of each finger, and the wrist joints are detected as feature points, and position information regarding each feature point is calculated as feature information. The position information regarding the feature points on the hands is generated as feature information, and the relative positional relations of these feature points are determined, thereby enabling accurate realization of the lengths of the actual hands of the user, the ratios of each part of the hands, and the like.) (Kuji [0057] In a case where the feature information is the position information regarding the feature points on the hand, the image generation unit 222 adjusts the length of the hand and the ratios of each part of the hand in the 3D model on the basis of the feature information. More specifically, the image generation unit 222 enlarges or reduces the hand in the 3D model, extends or contracts the length of the hand in the 3D model on the basis of the feature information, or changes the ratios of each part of the hand in the 3D model on the basis of the feature information, and thereby adjusts the 3D model. [0058] Then, the image generation unit 222 performs skinning processing on the adjusted 3D model, and thereby generates a model image.).immersion.).
Regarding claim 17 (independent):
The claim is a parallel version of claim 1. As such it is rejected under the same teachings.
Regarding claim 18:
The claim is a parallel version of claim 2. As such it is rejected under the same teachings.
Regarding claim 20 (independent):
The claim is a parallel version of claim 1. As such it is rejected under the same teachings.
Claim(s) 3, 6, 10, 15, 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuji U.S. Patent/PG Publication 20250252695 in view of Yang U.S. Patent/PG Publication 20070126733 and Spencer U.S. Patent/PG Publication 20220237841.
Regarding claim 3:
The method of claim 1, has all of its limitations taught by Kuji in view of Yang. Kuji does not teach calculating hand colors from face colors. In a related field of endeavor, Spencer teaches:
wherein the at least two skin tones are generated based on information representing a portion of a face of the user in combination with images of the hand of the user (Spencer [0036] An algorithm may automatically determine, based on the skin tone of a user cheek, a corresponding skin color for other body parts such as front of hands, back of hands, and so forth. The skin tone is not consistent across all body parts for most people, so the algorithm calculates weights for the skin on different body parts and allows a realistic rendering of the skin tone to be utilized for the 3D avatar of the user.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to calculate hand colors from face colors as taught by Spencer. The motivation for doing so would have been reduced processing and calculation, since the colors are determined by a single data point and multiple images are not needed. Further, the rationale for doing so would have been that it is a simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results where Kuji is using an image to obtain hand colors, and Spencer is using an image to obtain hand colors, where the end result for both is generating hand colors. Therefore it would have been obvious to combine Spencer with Kuji in view of Yang to obtain the invention.
Regarding claim 6:
The method of claim 1, has all of its limitations taught by Kuji in view of Yang. Kuji does not teach a statistical process. In a related field of endeavor, Spencer teaches: wherein said determining the hand texture comprises selecting a texture from the hand texture sample data via a statistical process with respect to the at least two skin tones (Spencer [0036] Furthermore, the production module 210 or the runtime module 220 can be further configured to capture a skin color from the images of the face or images of a body of the user. Based on the skin color, the production module 210 or the runtime module 220 may assign weights to skin tones of different body parts of avatars. The weights can be determined in the optional block 242. An algorithm may automatically determine, based on the skin tone of a user cheek, a corresponding skin color for other body parts such as front of hands, back of hands, and so forth. The skin tone is not consistent across all body parts for most people, so the algorithm calculates weights for the skin on different body parts and allows a realistic rendering of the skin tone to be utilized for the 3D avatar of the user. ).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a statistical process as taught by Spencer. The motivation for doing so would have been reduced processing and calculation, since the colors are determined by a single data point and multiple images are not needed. Further, the rationale for doing so would have been that it is a simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results where Kuji is using an image to obtain hand colors, and Spencer is using an image to obtain hand colors, where the end result for both is generating hand colors. Therefore it would have been obvious to combine Spencer with Kuji in view of Yang to obtain the invention.
Regarding claim 10:
The method of claim 9, has all of its limitations taught by Kuji in view of Yang. Kuji further teaches wherein the future use comprises a live communication session between the user (Kuji [0039] The imaging unit 31 captures a reference image (first image) in which the hands of the user are captured. The reference image is information that is used for generating a model image reproducing the hands of the user in a virtual space.).
Kuji does not teach multiple users. In a related field of endeavor, Spencer teaches:
wherein the future use comprises a live communication session between the user and an additional user (Spencer [0023] FIG. 1 shows an example environment 100, in which a system and a method for automatic creation of a customized avatar animation of a user can be implemented. The environment 100 may include one or more users 105, one or more personal computing devices also referred to as user devices 110 associated with the users 105, a network 120, a system 200 for automatic creation of a customized avatar animation of a user, and a server or computing cloud 125. The user devices 110 can refer to a mobile device such as a mobile phone, smartphone, or tablet computer. In further embodiments, the user devices 110 can refer to a personal computer, laptop computer, netbook, or any other computing device.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have multiple users as taught by Spencer. The rationale for doing so would have been that it combines prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results since Kuji has a virtual space with a user, and Spencer has a virtual space with multiple users, where there would be predictable results since it is merely adding more users to the existing virtual space. Therefore it would have been obvious to combine Spencer with Kuji in view of Yang to obtain the invention.
Regarding claim 15:
The method of claim 1, has all of its limitations taught by Kuji in view of Yang. Kuji further teaches wherein the at least two skin tones are determined based on one or more images of the hand (Kuji [0059] Note that, in a case where images of both the palm side and back side of the hand of the user are captured as reference images, images of both sides are adjusted also in the model image.) .
Kuji does not teach calculating hand colors from face colors. In a related field of endeavor, Spencer teaches:
Spencer further teaches wherein the at least two skin tones are determined based on one or more images (Spencer [0036] Furthermore, the production module 210 or the runtime module 220 can be further configured to capture a skin color from the images of the face or images of a body of the user. Based on the skin color, the production module 210 or the runtime module 220 may assign weights to skin tones of different body parts of avatars. The weights can be determined in the optional block 242. An algorithm may automatically determine, based on the skin tone of a user cheek, a corresponding skin color for other body parts such as front of hands, back of hands, and so forth. The skin tone is not consistent across all body parts for most people, so the algorithm calculates weights for the skin on different body parts and allows a realistic rendering of the skin tone to be utilized for the 3D avatar of the user.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to calculate hand colors from face colors as taught by Spencer. The motivation for doing so would have been reduced processing and calculation, since the colors are determined by a single data point and multiple images are not needed. Further, the rationale for doing so would have been that it is a simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results where Kuji is using a multiple images to obtain hand colors, and Spencer is using a face image to obtain hand colors, where substituting one of the hand images for a face image would still have the end result of generating hand colors. Therefore it would have been obvious to combine Spencer with Kuji in view of Yang to obtain the invention.
Regarding claim 19:
The claim is a parallel version of claim 3. As such it is rejected under the same teachings.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuji U.S. Patent/PG Publication 20250252695 in view of Yang U.S. Patent/PG Publication 20070126733 and Spencer U.S. Patent/PG Publication 20220237841 and Wiesel U.S. Patent/PG Publication 20190050427 .
Regarding claim 4:
The method of claim 3, has all of its limitations taught by Kuji in view of Yang and Spencer. Kuji further teaches wherein said determining the at least two skin tones occurs during an enrollment process, (Kuji [0107] The information processing apparatus 50 includes the acquisition unit (communication unit 51) configured to acquire a detection result obtained by the operating apparatus 10 including the detection unit 11 configured to detect an operation performed by the user and a reference image that is a first image in which the hand of the user is captured, the feature information generation unit 521 configured to generate feature information regarding the hand on the basis of the reference image, the operation information generation unit 522 configured to generate operation information for operating the operation target apparatus 60, which is an operation target, on the basis of the detection result obtained by the detection unit 11, and the operation information adjustment unit 523 configured to adjust the operation information on the basis of the feature information. The operation information adjusted is output to the operation target apparatus 60 via the communication unit 51.)
Kuji does not teach calculating hand colors from face colors. In a related field of endeavor, Spencer teaches:
wherein said determining the at least two skin tones occurs during an enrollment process and wherein the portion of the face of the user is a patch of facial texture retrieved from delighted face enrollment data (Spencer [0036] An algorithm may automatically determine, based on the skin tone of a user cheek, a corresponding skin color for other body parts such as front of hands, back of hands, and so forth. The skin tone is not consistent across all body parts for most people, so the algorithm calculates weights for the skin on different body parts and allows a realistic rendering of the skin tone to be utilized for the 3D avatar of the user.).
Kuji in view of Spencer does not teach delighting. In a related field of endeavor, Spencer teaches:
delighted face enrollment data (Wiesel [0206] This algorithm detects a shadow on a user and removes it, balance the colors in the image, brightens the image, and reduces red color from the user's skin if necessary. [0207] 1. Shadow detection [0208] This function checks detects a shadow on the user. The function's decision is based on the face of the user.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to de-light as taught by Wiesel. The motivation for doing so would have been to obtain more accurate color. Further, the rationale for doing so would have been that it is known technique to improve similar devices in the same way, where Kuji is taking color from an image, and Wiesel is improving a user image. Therefore it would have been obvious to combine Wiesel with Kuji in view of Spencer to obtain the invention.
Claim(s) 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuji U.S. Patent/PG Publication 20250252695 in view of Yang U.S. Patent/PG Publication 20070126733 and Migdal U.S. Patent/PG Publication 6208347.
Regarding claim 12:
The method of claim 1, has all of its limitations taught by Kuji in view of Yang. Kuji further teaches wherein pixel values of the hand texture are mapped to vertices of a 3D hand mesh, representing the hand structure, to provide an appearance for the 3D representation of the hand (Kuji [0039] The imaging unit 31 captures a reference image (first image) in which the hands of the user are captured. The reference image is information that is used for generating a model image reproducing the hands of the user in a virtual space.).
Kuji does not teach uv mapping. In a related field of endeavor, Migdal teaches:
teaches wherein pixel values of the hand texture are mapped to vertices of a 3D (Migdal C24 L5-20 In step 204, the processor locates the u, v links that each vertex in the mesh triangle has as a reference to a corresponding point in the texture map file. As noted above, to locate the texture map pixels, the processor uses the (u, v) links that each vertex in the mesh triangle has to a pixel value in the texture map file. If the spatial and object modeling data has been obtained from a scanning system, that data was obtained simultaneously from the same camera and the X,Y values of the 3D spatial coordinates of each vertex will match the u, v 2D coordinates of a designated bitmap image in the texture map file 2b.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use uv mapping as taught by Migdal. The rationale for doing so would have been that it combines prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results since Kuji is mapping textures to a model moving in VR but does not recite the specifics of uv mapping, and Migdal discusses in additional detail the fundamentals of uv mapping, where there are predictable results since the end result is mapping a texture to a model for display. Therefore it would have been obvious to combine Migdal with Kuji in view of Yang to obtain the invention.
Regarding claim 13:
The method of claim 12, has all of its limitations taught by Kuji in view of Migdal. Kuji further teaches wherein the a current 3D position of the hand (Kuji [0039] The imaging unit 31 captures a reference image (first image) in which the hands of the user are captured. The reference image is information that is used for generating a model image reproducing the hands of the user in a virtual space.).
Kuji does not teach uv mapping. In a related field of endeavor, Migdal teaches:
wherein the vertices of a 3D hand mesh are based on the current 3D position of the hand (Migdal C24 L5-20 In step 204, the processor locates the u, v links that each vertex in the mesh triangle has as a reference to a corresponding point in the texture map file. As noted above, to locate the texture map pixels, the processor uses the (u, v) links that each vertex in the mesh triangle has to a pixel value in the texture map file. If the spatial and object modeling data has been obtained from a scanning system, that data was obtained simultaneously from the same camera and the X,Y values of the 3D spatial coordinates of each vertex will match the u, v 2D coordinates of a designated bitmap image in the texture map file 2b.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use uv mapping as taught by Migdal. The rationale for doing so would have been that it combines prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results since Kuji is mapping textures to a model moving in VR but does not recite the specifics of uv mapping, and Migdal discusses in additional detail the fundamentals of uv mapping, where there are predictable results since the end result is mapping a texture to a model for display. Therefore it would have been obvious to combine Migdal with Kuji in view of Yang to obtain the invention.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON PRINGLE-PARKER whose telephone number is (571) 272-5690 and e-mail is jason.pringle-parker@uspto.gov. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:30am-5:00pm est Monday-Friday. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, King Poon can be reached on (571) 270-0728. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JASON A PRINGLE-PARKER/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2617
Prosecution Insights