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 §103
2. 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- 7, and 13-14, and 16-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Smith et al (Pub. No. US 2014/0098183 A1; hereinafter Smith) in view of Chou et al (Pub. No. US 2012/0281059 A1; hereinafter Chou)
Consider claims 1, 13, and 14, Smith clearly shows and discloses an electronic device, a computer program product that is tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer storage medium a method for a video conference. comprising: determining a conference mode for the video conference, the video conference including at least a first participant and a second participant, the conference mode indicating a layout of a virtual conference space for the video conference (a scene geometry is to create relative geometry between participants. The scene is aligned virtually to mimic a real-life scene as if the participants are in the same physical location and engaged in an in-person communication, the scene geometry is to create relative geometry between participants. The scene is aligned virtually to mimic a real-life scene as if the participants are in the same physical location and engaged in an in-person communication) (paragraphs: 0006-0007, figs.: 9, 11, and 12); determining, based on the layout, viewpoint information associated with the second participant, the viewpoint information indicating a virtual viewpoint of the second participant viewing the first participant in the video conference (the scene geometry also includes a virtual camera. The virtual camera is a composition of images from two or more of the plurality of camera pods in order to obtain a camera view that is not captured by any one camera pod alone. This allows to obtain a natural eye gaze and connection between people. Face tracking techniques can be used to improve performance by helping the virtual camera remain aligned with the eye gaze of the viewer; the virtual camera interacts with the face tracking to create a virtual viewpoint that has the user looking where the user's eyes are looking. Thus, If the user is looking at the other participant, then the virtual viewpoint is from the perspective of the user looking at the other participant) (paragraph: 0008); determining a first view of the first participant based on the viewpoint information (the virtual camera interacts with the face tracking to create a virtual viewpoint that has the user looking where the user's eyes are looking. Thus, If the user is looking at the other participant, then the virtual viewpoint is from the perspective of the user looking at the other participant) (paragraphs: 0008-0009); and sending the first view to a conference device associated with the second participant to display a conference image to the second participant, the conference image being generated based on the first view (The virtual environment is displayed to a viewer (who is also one of the participants) in the controlled environment of an endpoint. In particular, each endpoint contains a display device configuration that displays the virtual environment to the viewer using the virtual viewpoint) (paragraphs: 0009 and figs. 12 and 13); however, Smith does not disclose receiving configuration information from a participant of the video conference; determining a conference mode for the video conference based in part on the configuration information.
In the same field of endeavor, Chou clearly specifically discloses receiving configuration information from a participant of the video conference; determining a conference mode for the video conference based in part on the configuration information, (people who are in three or more geographically separate locations are brought together into a common environment, so that they appear to each other to be in a common space, with geometry, appearance, and real-time natural interaction (e.g., gestures) preserved. Note that even though the scene is common, each user may choose to view the common scene in a different virtual environment/ configuration information (e.g., a room with different physical characteristics such as dimensions, lighting, background walls, floors and so forth) according to that user's preferences and/or own captured physical environment. the depth camera 104 is mounted near the user's display, and captures frames of images and depth information and a head tracking about a user / configuration information. The scene that the user will view is based on the video and depth information received from other locations) (paragraphs: 0005-0006, 0021, 0025, 0026, 0039 and claim 1)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to incorporate the teaching of Chou into teaching of Smith for the purpose of receiving configuration information from a participant of the video conference.
Consider claim 2, Smith and Chou clearly the method wherein the virtual conference space comprises a first sub-virtual space and a second sub-virtual space, the layout indicating a distribution of the first sub- virtual space and the second sub-virtual space in the virtual conference space, the first sub-virtual space being determined by virtualizing a first physical conference space where the first participant is located, the second sub-virtual space being determined by virtualizing a second physical conference space where the second participant is located (Smith: paragraphs: 0097-0098 and fig. 11).
Consider claim 3, Smith and Chou clearly show the method, wherein determining the viewpoint information associated with the second participant based on the layout comprises: determining, based on the layout, a first coordinate transformation between the first physical conference space and the virtual conference space and a second coordinate transformation between the second physical conference space and the virtual conference space; transforming, based on the first coordinate transformation and the second coordinate transformation, a first viewpoint position of the second participant in the second physical conference space into a second viewpoint position in the first physical conference space; and determining the viewpoint information based on the second viewpoint position (Smith: paragraphs: 0007-0009 and figs. 11 and 12).
Consider claim 4, Smith and Chou clearly show the method wherein the first viewpoint position is determined by detecting a facial feature point of the second participant (Smith: paragraphs: 0008 for “face tracking”).
Consider claim 5, Smith and Chou clearly show the method, wherein generating the first view of the first participant based on the viewpoint information comprises: acquiring a set of images of the first participant captured by a set of image capture devices, the set of images corresponding to a set of depth maps; determining a target depth map corresponding to the viewpoint information, based on the set of images and the set of depth maps; and determining the first view of the first participant corresponding to the viewpoint information based on the target depth map and the set of images (Smith: paragraphs: 0058 and fig. 10).
Consider claim 6, Smith and Chou clearly show the method, further comprising: determining the set of image capture devices from a plurality of image capture devices for capturing a image of the first participant, based on a distance between the viewpoint position indicated by the viewpoint information and mounting positions of the plurality of image capture devices (Chou: paragraphs: 0033).
Consider claim 7, Smith and Chou clearly show the method, wherein determining the conference mode for the video conference comprises: determining the conference mode based on at least one of: the number of participants included in the video conference, the number of conference devices associated with the video conference, or configuration information associated with the video conference (Smith: fig. 9).
Consider claim 16, Smith and Chou clearly show the method, wherein the configuration information specifies a conference mode selected from a plurality of available conference modes (Chou: paragraphs: 0006-0007).
Consider claim 17, Smith and Chou clearly show the method, wherein the configuration information comprises a preference for a type of conference interaction (Chou: paragraphs: 0005-0006, 0021, 0025, 0026, 0039).
Consider claim 18, Smith and Chou clearly show the method, wherein the configuration information is received before initiating the video conference (Chou: paragraphs: 0005-0006, 0021, 0025, 0026, and 0039).
Consider claim 19, Smith and Chou clearly show the method, wherein the configuration information is received during the video conference (Chou: paragraphs: 0007, 0026, 0033).
Consider claim 20, Smith and Chou clearly show the method, further comprising: receiving updated configuration information from a participant of the video conference during the video conference; and dynamically changing the conference mode from a first conference mode to a second conference mode based in part on the updated configuration information, the second conference mode indicating a different layout of the virtual conference space (Chou: paragraphs: 0007, 0026, 0033, 0035).
Consider claim 21, Smith and Chou clearly show the method, wherein: the first conference mode is a face-to-face conference mode; and the second conference mode is a side-by-side conference mode (Smith: fig. 9).
Response to Arguments
The present Office Action is in response to Applicant’s amendment filed on June 01, 2026. Applicant amended claims 1, 6, 7, 13, and 14 and 15-20 and added new claims 16-21. Claims 1- 7, and 13-14, and 16-21 are now pending in the present application.
Applicant's arguments with respect to new claims have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
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 Amal Zenati whose telephone number is 571-270-1947. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:00 -5:00 M-F.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ahmad Matar can be reached on 571- 272- 7488. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571- 273-8300.
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/AMAL S ZENATI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2693
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