/Seth A Silverman/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2172 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 .
Claims in Consideration
Claims 4, 7, 8, 10, 12-15, 17, 18, 23, 24, 27-29, 31-33, 35-37, have been cancelled.
Claims 1-3, 5, 6, 9, 11, 16, 19-22, 25, 26, 30, 34, 38-41, are pending in this application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 6/24/2024 & 1/5/2026 was filed before the first office action. The submissions are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejection Notes
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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5, 6, 9, 11, 16, 19-22, 25, 26, 30, 34, 38-41, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Park et al. (US 20140298210 A1, published: 10/2/2014).
Claim 1: Park teaches a method for messaging, comprising:
at a computer system, wherein the computer system is capable of communicating with a display (FIG. 5, the mobile terminal may include a controller 500, a wireless communication unit 502, an audio unit 504, a memory unit 506, a display 508, and an input unit 510 [Park, 0070, FIG. 5]: as illustrated):
receiving a request to display one or more groups of message participants, the message participants being at least two participants; in response to receiving the request to display the one or more groups of message participants, displaying a participant representation for each participant in a participant interface area (FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing operation of a process of providing a private chat according to an embodiment of the present invention [Park, 0073, 0074, FIG. 6]; [Park, FIG. 4]; Examiner's Note: FIG. 6: selected message participants will be displayed in a message input window, as demonstrated in FIG. 4);
enabling each participant representation to have one of a plurality of selectable states including one or more active states and one or more inactive states; displaying, in a message interface area, the selected state of each participant representation and messages associated with the messaging participants that are in an active state (FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B show an example of a process for designating a private chat participant according to another embodiment of the present invention [Park, FIG. 12]; Examiner's Note: as illustrated, Chat Participants 3 and 4 are selectively chosen to be designated into an Active private chat; active for being selected into 406. Also present are inactive chat messages displayed in 402).
Claims 40 and 41, having similar elements to claim 1, are likewise rejected.
Claim 2: Park teaches the method of claim 1. Park further teaches wherein, the computer system includes data storage and is operable to store in the data storage each combination of participant representations having active states and/or messages associated with those active states (Memory Unit 506 [Park, 0070, FIG. 5]).
Claim 3: Park teaches the method of claim 1. Park further teaches wherein, each participant representation is displayed in the form of an image and/or a label, and/or the image and/or label varies according to the selected state of the participant representation ([Park, FIGs. 4, 7, 9, 11, 12]; Examiner's Note: as illustrated).
Claim 5: Park teaches the method of claim 1. Park further teaches wherein, each participant representation can represent a message participant or a further subgroup of message participants ([Park, FIGs. 4, 7, 9, 11, 12]; Examiner's Note: as illustrated).
Claim 6: Park teaches the method of claim 1. Park further teaches wherein, the messages are displayed in a message interface area of the display, and/or wherein, the participant interface area and message interface area do not overlap, and/or wherein, the participant interface area is simultaneously displayed with the message interface area ([Park, FIGs. 4, 7, 9, 11, 12]; Examiner's Note: as illustrated).
Claim 9: Park teaches the method of claim 1. Park further teaches wherein, the computer system is operable to receive a request to display messages associated with a plurality of participants or subgroups of participants in a stored selected state, in response to receiving the request to display messages associated with a plurality of participants or subgroups of participants, displaying the participant representation for the plurality of participants or subgroups of participants in the stored selected state and displaying the messages associated with the plurality of participants or subgroups of participants which have an active state, and/or wherein, the request to display messages is in the form of scrolling between a plurality of stored states of the plurality of participants or subgroups of participants (See rejection to claim 1).
Claim 11: Park teaches the method of claim 11. Park further teaches wherein, the computer system is operable to receive a request to select a different state of a participant representation, and/or wherein, in response to receiving the request to select a different state of a participant representation, the computer system displays the participant representation in the selected state and the messages associated with each participant representation that are in a selected active state (FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B show an example of a process for designating a private chat participant according to another embodiment of the present invention [Park, FIG. 12]; Examiner's Note: as illustrated, Chat Participants 3 and 4 are selectively chosen to be designated into an Active private chat; active for being selected into 406. Also present are inactive chat messages displayed in 402).
Claim 16: Park teaches the method of claim 1. Park further teaches wherein, the plurality of selectable states includes a public inactive state which allows participants in that public inactive state to view at least one message between other participants of the group of message participants (FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B show an example of a process for designating a private chat participant according to another embodiment of the present invention [Park, FIG. 12]; Examiner's Note: as illustrated, Chat Participants 3 and 4 are selectively chosen to be designated into an Active private chat; active for being selected into 406. Also present are inactive chat messages displayed in 402), and/or wherein, the public inactive state is only enabled when participants in an active state enable or is enabled to have a public mode, and/or wherein, participants which are in the public inactive state are enabled to compose messages to the respective participants of the group which are in an active state.
Claim 19: Park teaches the method of claim 1. Park further teaches further comprising: receiving a request to set one or more message participants into at least one inactive state of the one or more inactive states; in response to receiving the request to set one or more message participants into the at least one inactive state: setting corresponding states of the one or more message participants or groups of participants into the at least one inactive state; displaying representations of both the one or more participants with the at least one inactive state and other participants with the one or more active states; and displaying, in the message interface area, the messages associated with each participant or groups of participants that are in the one or more active states, without displaying messages associated with the one or more participants with the at least one inactive state (FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B show an example of a process for designating a private chat participant according to another embodiment of the present invention [Park, FIG. 12]; Examiner's Note: as illustrated, Chat Participants 3 and 4 are selectively chosen to be designated into an Active private chat; active for being selected into 406. Also present are inactive chat messages displayed in 402).
Claim 20: Park teaches the method of claim 19. Park further teaches wherein the messages associated with each message participant with the one or more active states is displayed in the message interface area substantially simultaneously with setting the one or more message participants into the at least one inactive state ([Park, FIG. 12]; Examiner's Note: as illustrated).
Claim 21: Park teaches the method claim 1. Park further teaches further comprising: displaying a converged message conversation including messages of multiple conversations from corresponding groups and/or subgroups, wherein the corresponding groups and/or subgroups include the same message participants ([Park, FIGs. 4, 7, 9, 11, 12]; Examiner's Note: as illustrated).
Claim 22: Park teaches the method of claim 1. Park further teaches further comprising: displaying a consolidated view that shows messages of consolidated conversations from a plurality of groups and/or subgroups ([Park, FIGs. 4, 7, 9, 11, 12]; Examiner's Note: as illustrated), and/or wherein displaying the messages of the conversations from the plurality of groups and/or subgroups as the consolidated view is in a chronology order, and/or marking and/or labelling the messages from the plurality of groups and/or subgroups in the consolidated view to indicate which group or subgroup that a corresponding message is originated from (the chat logs 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, and 120 correspond to the chat logs regarding the messages exchanged between the chat participants 1 to 4, respectively, and are arranged and displayed in an order in which the messages were sent, for example as shown an order of the messages is displayed from a top to a bottom in the chat log window 102 [Park, 0041]).
Claim 25: Park teaches the method of claim 22. Park further teaches further comprising receiving a request to reply to at least one message of at least one conversation of the conversations from the plurality of groups and/or subgroups in the consolidated view (the chat logs 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, and 120 correspond to the chat logs regarding the messages exchanged between the chat participants 1 to 4, respectively, and are arranged and displayed in an order in which the messages were sent, for example as shown an order of the messages is displayed from a top to a bottom in the chat log window 102 [Park, 0041]; Examiner's Note: as illustrated in FIGs. 4, 7, 9, 11, 12).
Claim 26: Park teaches the method of claim 1. Park further teaches further comprising configuring at least one status and associated functionality of a message with respect to relevant participants, subgroups and/or groups, wherein the at least one status is related to portability of the message with respect to the relevant participant(s), subgroup(s) and/or group(s) (Referring again to FIG. 7A, while the chat logs 408, 410, 412, 414, 416, 418, and 420 are being displayed in the group chat window 400 as shown in FIG. 4, as the chat participant 1 sends the chat participant 4 the private message, a private chat log 700 is added to the chat log window 402. The private message refers to the message exchanged between the private chat participants. In FIG. 7A, it can be seen that, as the private chat log 700 is added anew, the chat logs 408, 410, 412, 414, 416, 418, and 420 in the chat log window 402 are scrolled upward so that the chat log 408 displayed at the top disappears [Park, 0079]).
Claim 30: Park teaches the method of claim 26. Park further teaches further comprising determining the at least one status of the message based on a user input, and/or further comprising changing a state of at least one participant of the relevant participants, subgroups and/or groups (whenever a new message is additionally sent, a chat log regarding the new message is additionally displayed at a lowermost end of the existing chat logs, and the existing chat logs are accordingly scrolled upward [Park, 0050]).
Claim 34: Park teaches the method of claim 1. Park further teaches further comprising: adding one or more participants into a conversation associated with the messages; and displaying one or more messages of the messages to the one or more added participants based on portability of each of the one or more messages (FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing operation of a process of providing a private chat according to an embodiment of the present invention [Park, 0073, 0074, FIG. 6]; [Park, FIG. 4]. Whenever a new message is additionally sent, a chat log regarding the new message is additionally displayed at a lowermost end of the existing chat logs, and the existing chat logs are accordingly scrolled upward [Park, 0050]. FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B show an example of a process for designating a private chat participant according to another embodiment of the present invention [Park, FIG. 12]).
Claim 38: Park teaches the method of claim 1. Park further teaches wherein the messages include one or more applications, wherein at least one characteristic of the one or more applications is adaptable to a state of participants associated with the messages (the group chat according to the embodiments of the present invention, when the method for providing the private chat is applied to the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal can downloads a program (for example, an application) for providing the private chat in the group chat from a program providing device (for example, a server) which is situated at a remote location, and installs and executes the program to be used for providing the private chat in the group chat [Park, 0105]).
Claim 39: Park teaches the method of claim 1. Park further teaches further comprising exchanging at least one of the messages with another messaging platform, wherein the another messaging platform implement a different method for messaging to the method of at least one of the preceding claims (when the program for providing the private chat in the group chat is installed in the mobile terminal, the program may be executed in the mobile terminal to provide the private chat. The program providing device transmits the program to the mobile terminal in response to a transmission request for the program from the mobile terminal or automatically. At this time, the program providing device may additionally perform service subscription determination, user authentication, and payment information verification for the mobile terminal. The program providing device may include a communication unit for performing wired or wireless communication with the mobile terminal, a storage for storing the program, and a controller for transmitting the program to the mobile terminal through the communication unit. The storage may be located in an interior of the program providing device or at the outside of the program providing device [Park, 0105]).
Additional References
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The following references contain group messaging:
Stovicek et al. (US 20110231499 A1, published: 9/22/2011)
Sullivan (US 20190028419 A1, published: 1/24/2019)
Tang (US 20180146254 A1, published: 5/24/2018)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SETH A SILVERMAN whose telephone number is (571)272-9783. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thur, 8AM-4PM MST.
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, Adam Queler can be reached at (571)272-4140. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Seth A Silverman/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2172
Prosecution Insights