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
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the pending claims have been considered but are moot because of the new ground of rejection below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 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, 3-10, and 12-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over VONDERHAAR (US 2017/0021274 A1) in view of QIU (US 2020/0406142 A1).
1. VONDERHAAR discloses a virtual item processing method executed by an electronic device, the method comprising:
displaying a processing entrance for a virtual item in a virtual scene (virtual firearm displayed in the game scene that serves as an entrance to customization; Figs. 3A–3E; [0140]);
displaying a first processing interface in response to a trigger operation for the processing entrance, the first processing interface comprising at least a processing control associated with a first component of the virtual item (entering a dedicated component-processing interface containing modification/processing controls associated with a selected component/attachment upon selection of the weapon or a component thereof), [0018], [0096]-[0099]; (Figs. 3A-3E);
in response to a trigger operation for the processing control, updating the first component of the virtual item with a second component associated with the trigger operation (triggering a processing control to apply/equip a new component/attachment, thereby updating the virtual weapon with the newly associated component), [0018], [0096]-[0099]; and
in response to an interface jump trigger operation, switching from the first processing interface to the second processing interface different from the first processing interface (jumping/switching between different component-processing screens via in-screen selection or navigation), [0139]-[0150]; (Figs. 3A–3E).
VONDERHAAR does not expressly disclose the interface jump trigger operation being a slide operation; determining a slide direction of the slide operation; selecting, among a plurality of quadrants, a first quadrant in which the slide direction falls into; determining a second processing interface that includes a third component of the virtual item being distributed in a second quadrant that is opposite the first quadrant; and wherein a spatial relationship between the second component and the third component in the virtual item is consistent with the slide direction of the slide operation.
QIU teaches a method for selecting and switching accessories/components of a virtual gun in a virtual environment. An accessory switching control is displayed. In response to a trigger (press), a candidate accessory zone is displayed. The user then performs a drag/swipe operation that starts at the switching control and ends at a selected candidate accessory position. The system selects the target accessory based on the end position of the drag/swipe and switches/equips that component onto the corresponding slot of the virtual gun, thereby changing the component of the virtual item and updating the interface (Fig. 5), [0067]-[0076], [0091]-[0100]. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify VONDERHAAR to incorporate the drag/swipe-based component selection and switching of QIU. Doing so would allow a player to change or jump to a different component simply by a directional swipe/drag gesture, thereby creating a more efficient customization UI. Mapping the continuous directional swipe onto discrete directional zones (quadrants) and selecting the component lying in the opposite quadrant is a predictable, routine implementation detail that follows directly from the desire to make the navigation directionally consistent with the physical layout of the components on the virtual item.
3. VONDERHAAR and QIU disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein the first processing interface further comprises a second component of the virtual item, and the interface jump trigger operation is a trigger operation for the second component; and the switching from the first processing interface to a second processing interface different from the first processing interface comprises: in response to the trigger operation for the second component in the first processing interface, switching from the first processing interface to the second processing interface different from the first processing interface (tapping/selecting another visible component in the current processing screen to directly jump to its dedicated processing interface), VONDERHAAR (Fig. 3A-3E), [0139]-[0150].
4. VONDERHAAR and QIU disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein the first processing interface further comprises at least one browsing control respectively corresponding to at least one direction, and the interface jump trigger operation is a trigger operation for the browsing control; and the switching from the first processing interface to a second processing interface different from the first processing interface comprises: in response to a trigger operation for a browsing control corresponding to a first direction in the first processing interface, switching from the first processing interface to the second processing interface different from the first processing interface, the first processing interface comprising a second component, a distribution direction of the second component relative to the first component being in an opposite direction of the first direction, and the second component being a component closest to the first component in the opposite direction, QIU (Fig. 5), [0067]-[0076], [0091]-[0100].
5. VONDERHAAR and QIU disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein the interface jump trigger operation is a slide operation; and the switching from the first processing interface to a second processing interface different from the first processing interface comprises: in response to the slide operation of which a slide direction of the slide operation is located in a first direction range of the first component in the first processing interface, switching from the first processing interface to the second processing interface different from the first processing interface, a second component being distributed in an opposite range of the first direction range, and a distance between the second component and the first component being proportional to a slide distance of the slide operation, QIU (Fig. 5), [0067]-[0076], [0091]-[0100].
6. VONDERHAAR and QIU disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein the interface jump trigger operation is a slide operation; and the switching from the first processing interface to a second processing interface different from the first processing interface comprises: in response to the slide operation of which a slide direction of the slide operation is located in a first direction range of the first component in the first processing interface, switching from the first processing interface to the second processing interface different from the first processing interface, a second component being distributed in a opposite range of the first direction range, and the second component being a component closest to the first component in the opposite range, QIU (Fig. 5), [0067]-[0076], [0091]-[0100].
7. VONDERHAAR and QIU disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein the first processing interface and the second processing interface are photographed by a virtual camera, and each component of the virtual item is configured with a lens parameter corresponding to the virtual camera; and before the switching from the first processing interface to the second processing interface different from the first processing interface, the method further comprises: obtaining a second lens parameter configured for the second component; adjusting a posture of the virtual camera in the virtual scene based on the second lens parameter, and calling the adjusted virtual camera to photograph the virtual item; and loading the processing control of the second component in a picture obtained through the photographing, to obtain the second processing interface, QIU (Fig. 5), [0056]-[0057], [0067]-[0076], [0091]-[0100].
8. VONDERHAAR and QIU disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein before displaying the first processing interface, the method further comprises: displaying a virtual item viewing interface, the virtual item viewing interface comprising a plurality of components of the virtual item; and in response to a selection operation for the first component in the virtual item viewing interface, displaying the first processing interface (displaying whole-weapon overview and selecting specific component to enter its processing interface), VONDERHAAR (Fig. 3A-3E), [0139]-[0150].
9. VONDERHAAR and QIU disclose the method according to claim 1, further comprising: in response to a fourth component of the virtual item satisfying a processing condition, switching from the third processing interface to a fourth processing interface different from the third processing interface, the fourth processing interface comprising the fourth component and a processing control of the fourth component (tapping/selecting another visible component in the current processing screen to directly jump to its dedicated processing interface), VONDERHAAR (Fig. 3A-3E), [0139]-[0150].
10, 12-18. VONDERHAAR and QIU disclose an electronic device, comprising: a memory, configured to store executable instructions; and a processor, configured to: when executing the executable instructions stored in the memory, cause the electronic device to implement a virtual item processing method including: displaying a processing entrance for a virtual item in a virtual scene; displaying a first processing interface in response to a trigger operation for the processing entrance, the first processing interface comprising at least a processing control associated with a first component of the virtual item; in response to a trigger operation for the processing control, updating the first component of the virtual item with a second component associated with the trigger operation; and in response to an interface jump trigger operation being a slide operation, determining a slide direction of the slide operation; selecting, among a plurality of quadrants, a first quadrant in which the slide direction fails into; determining a second processing interface that includes a third component of the virtual item being distributed in a second quadrant that is opposite the first quadrant; and switching from the first processing interface to the second processing interface, wherein a spatial relationship between the second component and the third component in the virtual item is consistent with the slide direction of the slide operation as similarly discussed above.
19-20. VONDERHAAR and QIU disclose a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having computer-executable instructions stored therein, and the computer-executable instructions, when being executed by a processor of an electronic device, causing the electronic device to perform a virtual item processing method including: displaying a processing entrance for a virtual item in a virtual scene; displaying a first processing interface in response to a trigger operation for the processing entrance, the first processing interface comprising at least a processing control associated with a first component of the virtual item; in response to a trigger operation for the processing control, updating the first component of the virtual item with a second component associated with the trigger operation; and in response to an interface jump trigger operation being a slide operation, determining a slide direction of the slide operation; selecting, among a plurality of quadrants, a first quadrant in which the slide direction fails into; determining a second processing interface that includes a third component of the virtual item being distributed in a second quadrant that is opposite the first quadrant; and switching from the first processing interface to the second processing interface, wherein a spatial relationship between the second component and the third component in the virtual item is consistent with the slide direction of the slide operation as similarly discussed above.
Filing of New or Amended Claims
The examiner has the initial burden of presenting evidence or reasoning to explain why persons skilled in the art would not recognize in the original disclosure a description of the invention defined by the claims. See Wertheim, 541 F.2d at 263, 191 USPQ at 97 (“[T]he PTO has the initial burden of presenting evidence or reasons why persons skilled in the art would not recognize in the disclosure a description of the invention defined by the claims.”). However, when filing an amendment an applicant should show support in the original disclosure for new or amended claims. See MPEP § 714.02 and § 2163.06 (“Applicant should specifically point out the support for any amendments made to the disclosure.”). Please see MPEP 2163 (II) 3. (b)
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.
Correspondence
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SENG H LIM whose telephone number is (571)270-3301. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday (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, Xuan Thai can be reached at (571) 272-7147. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Seng H Lim/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3715
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