DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-4, 7-14 and 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by (NAGASAKI et. al. (US PG PUB 2016/0227158 hereinafter referred as Nagasaki).
Regarding Claim 1, Nagasaki discloses a method comprising: controlling a plurality of experimental devices based on an experimental protocol in which an order of processing operations is defined, to conduct a simulated experiment (see paragraph 0024 the processing system includes a monitoring apparatus and protocol chart monitor apparatus, a robot controlling apparatus, an image capturing apparatus and a processing apparatus; the robot conducting an experiment; the monitoring apparatus monitors a series of processes performed during an experiment; the protocol chart monitor apparatus displays a protocol chart, which illustrates the protocol being carried out; the monitoring apparatus is implemented by a computer; the computer is used as the monitoring apparatus; see also paragraph 0024 cloud computing);
obtaining a motion video such that processing of an analyte in a first experimental device and transportation of the analyte from the first experimental device to a second experimental device can be viewed in a synchronized manner through the motion video, the first and second experimental devices belonging to the plurality of experimental devices (see paragraph 0025 partial view image capturing and full view image capturing unit captures a full view moving image of a series of processes performed in an experiment; see paragraph 0026 the robot is capable of moving various containers; see paragraph 0024 robot and peripheral devices; see paragraph 0030 capturing image while each of the processes is being performed; paragraph 0031 moving image obtaining unit; see also figure 1) and
displaying the motion video (see paragraph 0027 flat panel display allows the user to visually recognize image; see paragraph 0031 playing a moving image),
the simulated experiment being conducted with an alternative to a reagent specified in the experimental protocol (see paragraph 0037 a material subjected to an experiment; see figure 5 component; paragraphs 0041 and 0044 each processing component that is included in a protocol of an experiment and that respectively corresponds to a processing symbol in the protocol chart; for each processing component, an operation information item of the robot 3 obtained; see also figure 4 and paragraphs 0039-0040).
Regarding Claim 2, Nagasaki discloses obtaining the motion video includes storing the motion video (see abstract, paragraphs 0031 and 0047).
Regarding Claim 3, Nagasaki discloses storing the motion video includes storing the experimental protocol and the motion video in association with each other (see paragraphs 0047 and 0059).
Regarding Claim 4, Nagasaki discloses displaying the motion video includes designating a motion video to be reproduced from the stored motion video, and includes reproducing the motion video when the motion video is designated (see paragraphs 0031 and 0047).
Regarding Claim 7, Nagasaki discloses recording each step of the experimental protocol and a time or a frame number in the motion video, a processing operation in the step being executed at the time and for the frame number; and using the time or the frame number to associate the motion video with the step and causing a terminal device to display the motion video (see paragraphs 0042, 0046-0048 and 0081).
Regarding Claim 8, Nagasaki discloses the processing operations include a first processing operation and a second processing operation following the first processing operation, the plurality of experimental devices include a first experimental device to execute the first processing operation and a second experimental device to execute the second processing operation, and the motion video includes a video in which an analyte subjected to the first processing operation is moved from the first experimental device to the second experimental device (see abstract, figures 1, 4 and 5; paragraphs 0026, 0030, 0039-0040 and 0067-0068).
Regarding Claim 9, Nagasaki discloses sending the experimental protocol from a terminal device to a controller to control the plurality of experimental devices, wherein obtaining the motion video sends the motion video to the terminal device (see paragraphs 0024-0025).
Regarding Claim 10, Nagasaki discloses the plurality of experimental devices are designed in a virtual space (see paragraph 0024).
Regarding Claim 11, Nagasaki discloses obtaining the motion video includes obtaining a first motion video including the plurality of experimental devices and a plurality of second motion videos respectively including the plurality of experimental devices, and in displaying the motion video, the first motion video and a specific motion video of the plurality of second motion videos are displayed in a juxtaposed manner, the specific motion video including the first experimental device (see paragraphs 0024, 0064, 0066, 0069 and 0098).
Regarding Claim 12, Nagasaki discloses the first experimental device included in the first motion video is highlighted in displaying the motion video (see paragraph 0067 and figure 9).
Regarding Claim 13, Nagasaki discloses of the processing operations, the processing operation executed by the first experimental device is highlighted in displaying the motion video (see figure 9, paragraph 0067 and also 0066 and 0068).
Regarding claim 14, the limitation of system claim 14 can be found in claim 1 above. Therefore, claim 14 is analyzed and rejected for the same reasons as discussed in claim 1 above.
Regarding claim 16, Nagasaki discloses a method comprising: controlling a plurality of experimental devices based on an experimental protocol in which an order of processing operations is defined (see paragraph 0024 the processing system includes a monitoring apparatus and protocol chart monitor apparatus, a robot controlling apparatus, an image capturing apparatus and a processing apparatus; the robot conducting an experiment; the monitoring apparatus monitors a series of processes performed during an experiment; the protocol chart monitor apparatus displays a protocol chart, which illustrates the protocol being carried out; the monitoring apparatus is implemented by a computer; the computer is used as the monitoring apparatus);
obtaining a motion video such that processing of an analyte in a first experimental device and transportation of the analyte from the first experimental device to a second experimental device can be viewed in a synchronized manner through the motion video, the first and second experimental devices belonging to the plurality of experimental devices (see paragraph 0025 partial view image capturing and full view image capturing unit captures a full view moving image of a series of processes performed in an experiment; see paragraph 0026 the robot is capable of moving various containers; see paragraph 0024 robot and peripheral devices; see paragraph 0030 capturing image while each of the processes is being performed; paragraph 0031 moving image obtaining unit; see also figure 1) and
displaying the motion video (see paragraph 0027 flat panel display allows the user to visually recognize image; see paragraph 0031 playing a moving image),
displaying the motion video including displaying a video of an overview of the plurality of experimental devices and a video of an enlarged view of a process of the transportation in real time in a juxtaposed manner (see paragraph 0024 displaying a protocol chart, which visually illustrates a protocol being carried out; see paragraph 0025 full and partial image capturing unit; two cameras capturing a full view moving image of a series of processes performed in an experiment; see paragraph 0064 an enlarge button; see paragraph 0066 displaying in an enlarged manner allows the user to grasp details concerning the processing symbol corresponding to the process being executed; see also paragraphs 0069 and 0098).
Regarding claim 17, Nagasaki discloses an apparatus comprising: a storage unit that stores a simulation program (see paragraphs 0024, 0027; figures 1 and 2; a display unit (see figures 1 and 2); and a control unit that executes the simulation program to perform the method according to claim 14 to cause the display unit to display the motion video (see rejection of claim 1above).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nagasaki (US PG PUB 2016/0227158).
Regarding claims 5 and 6, although Nagasaki discloses the monitor apparatus 1 may be a dedicated device and implemented by an ordinary computer, Nagasaki fails to specifically disclose the monitoring device displaying the motion video includes changing a speed of reproducing the motion video and reproducing the motion video in reverse.
However, Official Notice is taken that it is notoriously well known in the art of recording and reproducing motion video to include the features of trick play before the effective filing date of the claimed invention in order for the user to view selected data, locate desired images/scenes, and perform review.
Conclusion
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/HELEN SHIBRU/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2484 March 19, 2026