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
Claims 1-9 and 20-25 are pending in this application and have been examined in response to application filed on 06/03/2024.
CONTINUING DATA: This application is a 371 of PCT/EP2022/081123 11/08/2022
FOREIGN APPLICATIONS: EP 21306693.9 12/02/2021, EP 22305295.2 03/15/2022
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.
Claims 1, 4, 7, 20 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 1, 4, 7, 20 and 23 recite the limitation "…a list of references…a temporal reference… associated to a reference". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim because it is unclear what “a reference” is being referred back to.
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, 20 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being unpatentable by Jun et al. (US 2016/0139671 A1).
As to INDEPENDENT claim 1, Jun discloses a method comprising: generating haptic data comprising information representative of: a type of effect (fig.7D; different haptic patterns are displayed),
a library of haptic effects, wherein a haptic effect is identified by a reference and comprises information representative of values of a signal to be applied to render the haptic effect (fig.7D; a list of haptic effect is displayed, each haptic effect is identifiable by name and waveform pattern), and
a list of haptic tracks, wherein a haptic track comprises a timeline, wherein the timeline comprises a list of references of haptic effects of the library of haptic effects, and wherein a temporal reference is associated to a reference (fig.7D; fig.29A; a list of haptic effect tracks is displayed, wherein each haptic pattern is represented by a strength over time graph and each haptic effect graph is referenced and identifiable by name).
As to INDEPENDENT claim 4, Jun discloses a method for rendering haptic data comprising: obtaining haptic data comprising information representative of: a type of effect (fig.7D; different haptic patterns are displayed),
a library of haptic effects, wherein a haptic effect is identified by a reference and comprises information representative of values of a signal to be applied to render the haptic effect (fig.7D; a list of haptic effect is displayed, each haptic effect is identifiable by name and waveform pattern), and
a list of haptic tracks, wherein a haptic track comprises a timeline, wherein the timeline comprises a list of references of haptic effects of the library of haptic effects, and wherein a temporal reference is associated to a reference fig.7D; fig.29A; a list of haptic effect tracks is displayed, wherein each haptic pattern is represented by a strength over time graph and each haptic effect graph is referenced and identifiable by name), and
providing values of the signal to haptic actuators (fig.23; haptic signal is generated).
INDEPENDENT claim 7 is a device variation of claim 4, therefore claim 7 is rejected under the same rational addressed in the rejection of claim 4 above.
Claim 20 is a non-transitory computer readable storage medium variation of claim 1, therefore claim 20 is rejected under the same rational addressed in the rejection of claim 1 above.
Claim 23 is a non-transitory computer readable storage medium variation of claim 4, therefore claim 23 is rejected under the same rational addressed in the rejection of claim 4 above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3, 5-6, 8-9, 22 and 24-25 are 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. Claims 2-3, 5-6, 8-9, 22 and 24-25 are allowable because the prior art does not expressly disclose wherein signals and time lines are grouped according to a set of frequency bands.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HAOSHIAN SHIH whose telephone number is (571)270-1257. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, FRED EHICHIOYA can be reached at (571) 272-4034. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HAOSHIAN SHIH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2179