DETAILED ACTION
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . prominence
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 1-2, 12, 18, 25, 33, 34, and 36-37 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dal Mutto (Patent No.: US 9,619,105 B1; hereinafter Mutto) in view of Gronau et al (Pub. No.: US 2021/0392231 A1; hereinafter Gronau)
Consider claims 1, 36, and 37, Mutto clearly shows and discloses a first computer system, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, and a method comprising: at a first computer system in communication with one or more inputs devices and a display generation component: while a three-dimensional environment of a user of the first computer system is visible via the display generation component, and; while displaying the visual representation of the participant with the respective portion of the visual representation having the first visual appearance, obtaining information about a first event corresponding to a request to move the respective portion of the visual representation of the participant to a respective position within the three-dimensional environment (detected positions to calculate a viewpoint from which to render a user interface based upon a 3D object model, the rendering of the user interface changes depending on the user's viewpoint. In many embodiments, the user's viewpoint is determined based upon the orientation of the user's head/portion of the visual representation of the participant) (col.10 , lines 27-44); in response to obtaining information about the first event corresponding to the request to move the respective portion of the visual representation of the participant to the respective position within the three-dimensional environment: in accordance with a determination that the first event satisfies one or more first criteria, including a criterion that is satisfied when the respective position within the three-dimensional environment is within a first threshold distance of a viewpoint of the user in the three-dimensional environment (tracking of a finger occurs within a 3D interaction zone/criterion, The head tracking application can also be utilized to process image data received via the camera interface 24 to identify head motions and/or the orientation and distance of the head. These head motions and/or orientations can be processed by the processor 22 to enable the user to interact with a user interface based upon a 3D object model 38 maintained by the operating system) (col. , lines and fig. 6, labels: 44, 46, 50, and 52), changing a visual appearance of the respective portion of the visual representation of the participant to have a second visual appearance, different from the first visual appearance, wherein the second visual appearance includes a second degree of visual prominence less than the first degree of visual prominence (using the detected positions to calculate a viewpoint from which to render a user interface based upon a 3D object model. As discussed further below, the rendering of the user interface changes depending on the user's viewpoint. In many embodiments, the user's viewpoint is determined based upon the orientation of the user's head, an updated viewpoint of the user interface in response to head movement could be calculated) (co. 7, lines 1-5, col.10 , lines 27-44, lines 45-67); and in accordance with a determination that the first event does not satisfy the one or more first criteria, forgoing the changing of the visual appearance of the respective portion of the visual representation of the participant to have the second visual appearance (a process for utilizing depth information by using head tracking to determine the user's viewpoint and by mapping finger movements from a 3D interaction zone to a location withing a 3D object model to render a user interface, finger movements are not registered unless they occur within the 3D zone of interaction) (co. 7, lines 1-5, col.10 , lines 27-44, lines 45-67, col. 13, lines 17-25); however, Mutto does not specifically disclose while the user is in a real-time communication session with a second user, different from the user: displaying, via the display generation component, a visual representation of a participant within the three-dimensional environment, wherein a respective portion of the visual representation has a first visual appearance including a first degree of visual prominence.
In the same field of endeavor, Gronau clearly specifically disclose while the user is in a real-time communication session with a second user, different from the user (a 3D video conference that involves multiple participants) (paragraphs: 0060, 0073): displaying, via the display generation component, a visual representation of a participant within the three-dimensional environment, wherein a respective portion of the visual representation has a first visual appearance including a first degree of visual prominence (A first participant is imaged, and a second participant wishes to view a first avatar (or any other 3D visual representation) of the first participant within a virtual 3D video conference environment) (abstract, paragraphs: 0060, 0062, 0063, 0070, 0147-148, 0319).
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 Gronau into teaching of Mutto for the purpose of providing a 3D video conference that involves multiple participants.
Consider claim 2, Mutto and Gronau clearly show the method, further comprising: in response to obtain the information about the first event, and in accordance with the determination that the first event does not satisfy the one or more first criteria, maintaining the visual appearance of the respective portion of the visual representation of the participant as having the first visual appearance (Mutto: co. 7, lines 1-5, col.10 , lines 27-44, lines 45-67).
Consider claim 12, Mutto and Gronau clearly show the method, wherein the first threshold distance is less than a length corresponding to a length a physical arm of a human (Mutto: col. 7, lines 31-50).
Consider claim 18, Mutto and Gronau clearly show the method, further comprising: while displaying the visual representation of the participant in the three-dimensional environment, presenting spatialized audio corresponding to respective audio obtained from the participant as if emanating from a respective position within the three-dimensional environment, wherein the respective position corresponds to a position of the visual representation of the participant (Gronau: paragraphs: 0166 and 0206).
Consider claim 25, Mutto and Gronau clearly show the method, wherein: the first threshold distance is one of a plurality of threshold distances associated with changing the visual appearance of the respective portion of the visual representation of the participant, and the plurality of threshold distances includes a second threshold distance and a third threshold distance (Mutto: col. 12, lines 12-42).
Consider claim 33, Mutto and Gronau clearly show the method, wherein the one or more first criteria include a criterion that is satisfied when a user setting included in a user account associated with the electronic device first computer system is enabled (Mutto: col. 4, lines 45-65).
Consider claim 34, Mutto and Gronau clearly show the method, wherein the first threshold distance is adjustable in response to user input (Mutto: col. 4, lines 45-65).
Allowable Subject Matter
3. Claims 3-11, 13-17, 19-24, 26-32, and 35 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 as well as overcome the above double patenting rejection.
Conclusion
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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