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 .
Applicant’s Submission of a Response
Applicant’s submission of a response was received on 07/20/2026. Presently, claims 1-18, 20, and 21 are pending.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-5 and 7-18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by US Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0314126 to Goldman.
With regard to claim 1, Goldman discloses an information processing system that assists proceeding of a game competition where a communication game is utilized, the information processing system comprising: a competition management system managing the game competition and configured with at least one information processing apparatus (0023-0031); a host terminal operated by a host and configured to communicate with the competition management system (0023 discussing peer to peer); a participant terminal operated by a participant in the game competition, wherein the participant terminal is configured to communicate with the competition management system (0023); and a participant game device operated by the participant in the game competition (0023), wherein the competition management system comprises: one or more first processors, and one or more first memories storing instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more first processors to: generate information for holding the game competition based on competition setting information inputted to the host terminal (0023); in response to a participation request for participation in the game competition accepted from the participant terminal, register participant information of a participant who has made the participation request and the game competition in association with each other (0023; 0036-0041); generate from a plurality of registered participation requests, pairing information indicating pairing of participants who play the communication game together (0023; 0036-0041); generate a session for play of the communication game together by participants in pairing designated by the pairing information among participants who have made the participation request for participation in the game competition, in association with the participants in the designated pairing (0023-0031); and transmit session information corresponding to the generated session to the participant game device of the participant associated with the session, the participant game device comprises (0023) one or more second processors, and one or more second memories storing instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more second processors to: communicate with the participant game device of at least one other participant who participates in a session corresponding to the session information (0023-0031); execute the communication game together with the at least one other participant who participates in the session (0023-0031); and transmit log data of the communication game to the competition management system (0023-0031), the one or more first processors are further caused to: output the log data to at least one of the host terminal and the participant terminal; store report data inputted to the participant terminal (0023-0031), wherein the report data indicates a result of the communication game played by the participant (0023-0031); and upon a predetermined condition for the report data being satisfied, update the pairing information based on the report data, with the result of the communication game being regarded as being finalized (0023-0031), and the generating the session in association with the participants in the designated pairing comprises generating a session for play of the communication game together by the participants in the pairing designated by the updated pairing information, in association with the participants in the designated pairing (0023-0031).
With regard to claim 2, Goldman discloses wherein the one or more first processors, responsive to executing the instructions, are further caused to transmit generation of the session to the participant terminal corresponding to the session (0023-0031).
With regard to claim 3¸Goldman discloses wherein the one or more second processors, responsive to executing the instructions, are further caused to output session information on the session corresponding to the obtained session information, and wherein the communicating with the participant game device of another participant comprises communicating, based on an input to the session information of the participant, with another game device that participates in the session corresponding to the session information (0023-0031)
With regard to claim 4, Goldman discloses wherein executing the communication game played together with the another participant comprises executing the communication game, match-up condition setting of which is set in advance based on the competition setting information (0023-0031).
With regard to claim 5, Goldman discloses further comprising a host game device, wherein the host game device comprises one or more third processors, and one or more third memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more third processors, cause the one or more third processors to communicate with the participant game device who participates in a session designated by the host (0023-0031).
With regard to claim 7, Goldman discloses wherein storing the report data indicating a result of the communication game played by the participant comprises storing the report data obtained from a plurality of participants who participated in the session, and the updating the pairing information based on the report data comprises determining, when contents indicated by the report data obtained at least from a first participant match with contents indicated by the report data obtained from a second participant among the participants who participated in the session, the predetermined condition as having been satisfied and updating the pairing information (0023-0031).
With regard to claim 8, Goldman discloses wherein the one or more first processors, responsive to executing the instructions, are further caused to provide a notification to the host terminal based on an operation onto the participant terminal (0023-0031).
With regard to claim 9, Goldman discloses wherein the one or more first processors, responsive to executing the instructions, are further caused to edit the pairing information based on an operation onto the host terminal (0041).
With regard to claim 10, Goldman discloses wherein updating the pairing information based on the report data comprises updating a result of the communication game based on an operation onto the host terminal regardless of whether the predetermined condition has been satisfied (0023-0031).
With regard to claim 11, Goldman discloses wherein the one or more first processors, responsive to executing the instructions, are further caused to discard the session for playing the communication game after the result of the communication game is finalized (0023-0031).
With regard to claim 12, Goldman discloses wherein communicating with the participant game device of another participant comprises establishing peer to peer (P2P) communication with another participant game device that participates in the session (0023).
With regard to claim 13, Goldman discloses wherein the participant terminal comprises one or more fourth processors, and one or more fourth memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more fourth processors, cause the one or more fourth processors to: display a guidance image showing an action to be taken by the participant in accordance with a status of progress of the game competition, or the one or more second processors, responsive to executing the instructions, to: display a guidance image showing an action to be taken by the participant in accordance with a status of progress of the game competition (0023-0031; 0040-0043).
With regard to claim 14, Goldman discloses wherein the host terminal comprises one or more fifth processors, and one or more fifth memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more fifth processors, cause the one or more fifth processors to display a competition progress image showing progress of the game competition based at least on the report data obtained at least from the competition management system (0023-0035).
With regard to claim 15, Goldman discloses wherein the competition setting information comprises a participation condition for participation in the game competition, and registering the participant information of the participant and the game competition in association with each other comprises determining whether to make registration based on the participation condition (0035-0040).
With regard to claim 16, Goldman discloses wherein the competition setting information comprises a defined number of participants, and updating the pairing information based on the report data comprises generating the pairing information when the participation request(s) as many as the defined number of participants is/are receive (0035-0040).
Claims 17 and 18 are mirrored claims to claim 1 and are rejected in like manner.
With regard to claim 20, Goldman discloses that the predetermined condition for the report data is matching contents in the report data received form the plurality of participants (0023-0035; 0080).
With regard to claim 21, Goldman discloses that suppressing proceeding of the communication game occurs while a discrepancy exists in the report data (0021 where it notices irregularities; 0080; wherein strikes can lead to a suspension thus reading on the claims at the third strike).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goldman in view of US Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0328543 to Lee.
With regard to claim 6, Goldman discloses wherein the one or more second processors, responsive to executing the instructions, are further caused to transmit to the competition management system, replay data for reproduction of the communication game executed by execution of the communication game to be played together with the at least one other participant (0027).
Goldman does not appear to be explicitly clear about actually replaying the game. However, Lee teaches the one or more first processors, responsive to executing the instructions, are further caused to store the replay data, and the one or more second processors, responsive to executing the instructions, are further caused to: obtain the replay data from the competition management system; and reproduce the communication game based on the replay data (0015).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at time of the effective filing date to combine the teachings of Lee with the disclosure of Goldman such that users would be able to see important replays of previous games and thus be able to relive a key moment in the competition.
Response to Arguments
Applicant makes the argument that “Goldman does not describe updating pairing information based on report data satisfying a condition (with a result of a communication game being regarded as finalized),” (Arguments, page 13). Applicant seems to be taking a very narrow view of this limitation. That is Goldman is quite clear that the pairing is done based upon histories (0027) and one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that once the information is updated that that particular history is finalized. Thus, Applicant’s claims are not read in the narrow way that Applicant seems to be intending by their arguments and as such, the rejection is maintained.
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 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 Jay Liddle whose telephone number is (571)270-1226. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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, Dmitry Suhol can be reached at (571)272-4430. 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.
/Jay Trent Liddle/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3715
Prosecution Insights