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 Status
This Office Action is in response to communications filed on 12/23/2025. Claims 10 and 13 were amended. No claims were canceled. Likewise, claims 1-13 are pending for examination.
Title 35, U.S. Code
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior office action.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
Claims 1-2 and 8-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Suzuki et al. (DE-112019003391).
Regarding claim 1, Suzuki teaches a method for simultaneously controlling in real time a plurality of haptic actuators by a plurality of haptic controllers, each haptic controller being associated with one haptic actuator of the plurality of haptic actuators, the plurality of haptic controllers being integrated into a control device (Pg 7 middle thru Pg 10 second paragraph, ¶072; Figs 16 element 40; Fig 18 element 34A, decoder 3 comprises a computing device such as a CPU and a DSP, decodes the encoded data received through the network 4, and controls each of the tactile display devices 6 based on the decoded tactile signal), the method comprising
receiving, by the control device, a sampled digital signal emitted by an operating device, the digital signal comprising a plurality of samples, each sample comprising a control value per haptic controller of the plurality of haptic controllers (Fig 10, Pg. 7: ¶005 - ¶011; also see Fig 16; elements 2, 4, 3A, 40),
a data transfer between the operating device and the control device being of isochronous type (¶067; “internet”);
for each sample, simultaneously extracting, by each haptic controller, the corresponding control value included in the sample (Fig 18 element 34A);
controlling the plurality of haptic actuators by the plurality of haptic controllers, the controlling step comprising the following sub- steps for each haptic controller (Fig 18 element 6)
converting, by the haptic controller, the control value extracted into an activation signal for activating the corresponding haptic actuator (Fig 18 element 34A, 33, 32, 31);
transmitting the activation signal to the corresponding haptic actuator (Fig 18 elements 31, 6).
Regarding claim 2 (Currently Amended), Suzuki teaches the method according to claim 1, and Suzuki teaches further comprising a step of storing the digital signal received in a buffer memory, performed prior to the extracting step (Fig 18; elements 43, 43A, Pg. 7: ¶009-¶010; a central processing unit (CPU) and digital signal processor (DSP) perform coding of one of each of the tactile sensors 5 output detection signal (tactile signal) according to a predetermined data format and transmits an encoded tactile signal, “encoded data”, via predetermined network 4, such as the Internet, to decoding device 3; Examiner notes claim 2 is implicit in the coding/transmiting over a network and decoding/receiving over sequential usage by user).
Regarding claim 8 (Currently Amended), Suzuki teaches the method according to claim 1 and Suzuki further teaches wherein the digital signal received is a digital audio signal (Fig 16 element 2, Figs 8, 10, 13 & 14, also see Fig 18; elements 43, 43A, Pg. 7: ¶009-¶010; central processing unit (CPU) and digital signal processor (DSP) perform coding… encoded data is digital data).
Regarding claim 9, Suzuki teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the digital signal received is received according to the USB©, WiFi© or Ethernet© protocol.
Regarding claim 10 (Currently Amended), Suzuki teaches a control device comprising at least one microcontroller, (DSP) comprising at least one memory (see claims 1 & 2), a processor (CPU) and a plurality of haptic controllers, the at least one memory comprising instructions which, when the instructions are executed by the processor, cause the processor to implement a method for simultaneously controlling in real time a plurality of haptic actuators by the plurality of haptic controllers, each haptic controller being associated with one haptic actuator of the plurality of haptic actuators, the plurality of haptic controllers being integrated into the control device, the method comprising: receiving, by the control device, a sampled digital signal emitted by an operating device, the digital signal comprising a plurality of samples, each sample comprising a control value per haptic controller of the plurality of haptic controllers, a data transfer between the operating device and the control device being of isochronous type: for each sample, simultaneously extracting, by each haptic controller, the corresponding control value included in the sample; controlling the plurality of haptic actuators by the plurality of haptic controllers, the controlling comprising the following sub-steps for each haptic controller: converting, by the haptic controller, the control value extracted into an activation signal for activating the corresponding haptic actuator; transmitting the activation signal to the corresponding haptic actuator (Examiner notes: the remainder of claim 13 is interpreted and rejected the same as claim 1 above).
Regarding claim 11, Suzuki teaches a haptic system comprising: a plurality of haptic actuators to be controlled see claim 1 above); the control device according to claim 10, configured to control the plurality of haptic actuators (see claim 1 above).
Regarding claim 12, Suzuki teaches the haptic system according to claim 11, and Suzuki teaches further comprising an operating device configured to send the digital signal to the control device (Fig 16 element 2, Figs 8, 10, 13 and 14).
Regarding claim 13 (Currently Amended), Suzuki teaches a non-transitory computer readable medium (claim 1: CPU w/ memory means) comprising instructions which, when the instructions are executed by a computer (claim 1: CPU), cause the same to implement a method for simultaneously controlling in real time a plurality of haptic actuators by the plurality of haptic controllers, each haptic controller being associated with one haptic actuator of the plurality of haptic actuators, the plurality of haptic controllers being integrated into a control device, the method comprising: receiving, by the control device, a sampled digital signal emitted by an operating device, the digital signal comprising a plurality of samples, each sample comprising a control value per haptic controller of the plurality of haptic controllers, a data transfer between the operating device and the control device being of isochronous type; for each sample, simultaneously extracting, by each haptic controller, the corresponding control value included in the sample; controlling the plurality of haptic actuators by the plurality of haptic controllers, the controlling comprising the following sub-steps for each haptic controller: converting, by the haptic controller, the control value extracted into an activation signal for activating the corresponding haptic actuator; transmitting the activation signal to the corresponding haptic actuator (Examiner notes: the remainder of claim 13 is interpreted and rejected the same as claim 1 above).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claims 3-7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suzuki et al. (DE-112019003391).
Regarding claim 3 (Currently Amended), Suzuki teaches the method according to claim 2, and Suzuki teaches wherein the digital signal received is stored in the buffer memory in the form of frames with headers and data streams of the respective times which correspond to the samples and their respective haptic actuators each control value included in the digital signal received being stored per corresponding frame (see Fig 8, Pg 13: ¶003 - ¶006; data structure of a frame as shown). Suzuki does not expressly mention the forming of an array, with rows and columns. A person of ordinary skill in the art, upon reading the reference, would also have recognized the desirability of improved methods of forming of an array, with rows and columns for storing data whereby each row of which corresponds to a sample and each column of which corresponds to a haptic actuator, each control value included in the digital signal received being stored at the row and at the column of the corresponding array for location based haptics to occur. It would require no more than "ordinary skill and common sense," to use the forming of an array, with rows and columns representing encoded data. Thus, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the invention to try using the forming of an array, with rows and columns representing encoded data, as a person with ordinary skill has good reason to pursue known options within his or her technical grasp.
Regarding claim 4 (Currently Amended), Suzuki teaches the method according to claim 2. Suzuki is silent on wherein the step of controlling of the plurality of haptic actuators is performed only if the buffer comprises a number of data greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold. However, it had been held that a recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate that claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus satisfying the claimed structural limitations. Ex. Parte Masham, 2 USPQ2d 1647 (1987).
Regarding claim 5 (Currently Amended), Suzuki teaches the method according to claim 1. Suzuki is silent on further comprising a step of resampling the digital signal received, performed before the extracting step. However, it had been held that a recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed method/apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate that claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus satisfying the claimed structural limitations. Ex. Parte Masham, 2 USPQ2d 1647 (1987).
Regarding claim 6 (Currently Amended), Suzuki teaches the method according to claim 5, Suzuki is silent on further wherein the resampling step is performed using a sampling ratio equal to the ratio of a sampling frequency of the digital signal received to an output sampling frequency. However, a person of ordinary skill in the art, upon reading the reference, would also have recognized the desirability of improved methods of a resampling step being performed using a sampling ratio of input signal vs an output signal. It would require no more than "ordinary skill and common sense," to use a sampling ratio equal to the ratio of a sampling frequency of the digital signal received to an output sampling frequency to down convert the data in the decoding process. Thus, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the invention to try using a sampling ratio equal to a ratio of a sampling frequency of the digital signal received to an output sampling frequency, as a person with ordinary skill has good reason to pursue known options within his or her technical grasp.
Regarding claim 7 (Currently Amended), Suzuki teaches the method according to claim 5, wherein when the digital signal is received according to a “internet” protocol (see claim 1). Suzuki is silent on a USB© protocol and the sampling ratio is recalculated after a defined period of time. However, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have had good reason to pursue the known options of using a USB protocol and the sampling ratio being recalculated after a defined period of time, giving the user control over selecting alternative communication protocols with locally positioned devices and the sampling ratio being recalculated after a defined period of time based on the alternative communication speed. It would require no more than "ordinary skill and common sense," to give the user control over selecting alternative communication protocols with locally positioned devices and the sampling ratio being recalculated after a defined period of time based on the alternative communication speed.
Thus, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the invention to try giving the user control over selecting alternative communication protocols with locally positioned devices and the sampling ratio being recalculated after a defined period of time based on the alternative communication speed, as a person with ordinary skill has good reason to pursue known options within his or her technical grasp.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/23/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Therefore, Examiner maintains the rejection as previously put forth.
Applicant’s Arguments:
(1) (Remarks, filed 12/23/2025, Pgs. 7-8)
In rejecting claims 1-13, Applicant argues that Suzuki does not disclose, teach or suggest "a data transfer between the operating device and the control device being of isochronous type".
Examiner respectfully disagrees. Examiner posits that Suzuki teaches the use of internet communication between two remote devices, particularly a haptic encoding device on the transmitting side and a haptic decoding device on the receiving side. Moreover, at the time of filing the invention it was commonly known that data transfer between devices Isochronously, provides guaranteed amounts of bandwidth and latency, and was used for streaming data that is time-critical and error-tolerant or for real-time applications that require a constant data transfer rate. For example, an Internet telephony application that carries a conversation in real time is a good candidate for isochronous transfer mode, as isochronous data requires guaranteed amounts of bandwidth and guaranteed maximum transmission times. Moreover, Isochronous data transfer is usually used to stream data that is time-critical and error-tolerant (e.g., internet telephony application), as mentioned in paragraph [0036], per An et al. (US 20180260351; Note Examiner does not rely on An et al. for this rejection, but uses the reference to support Examiner’s rationale).
[End of Arguments].
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MANCIL H LITTLEJOHN JR whose telephone number is (571)270-3718. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30-5 (CST).
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, Quan-Zhen Wang can be reached at (571) 272-3114. 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.
/MANCIL LITTLEJOHN JR/Examiner, Art Unit 2685
/QUAN ZHEN WANG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2685
Prosecution Insights