NON-FINAL REJECTION, FIRST DETAILED ACTION
Status of Prosecution
The present application, 18/769,891 filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
The application was filed on July 11, 2024 in the Office and is a continuation of application 17/819,820 filed on December 17, 2019 (issued as US Patent 12,056,340) which is a continuation of application 16/717,988 filed on December 17, 2019 (issued as US Patent 11,416,130) which in turn claims priority to provisional application 62/909191 filed on October 1, 2019.
Claims 1-20 are pending and all are rejected. Claims 1, 9 and 17 are independent.
Status of the Claims
Claims 1-3, 5, 8-11, 13 and 16 are rejected under 35 USC. § 103 as being unpatentable over Frederickson et al.(“Frederickson”) United States Patent Application Publication 2014/0351722 published on November 27, 2014 in view of Zhu, United States Patent Application Publication 2015/0278186 published on Oct. 1, 2015.
Claims 4, 12 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 USC. § 103 as being unpatentable over Frederickson et al.(“Frederickson”) United States Patent Application Publication 2014/0351722 published on November 27, 2014 in view of Zhu, United States Patent Application Publication 2015/0278186 published on Oct. 1, 2015 and in further view of Karstens United States Patent US 8,245,154 published on Aug. 14, 2012.
Claims 6, 7 and 14-15 are rejected under 35 USC. § 103 as being unpatentable over Frederickson et al.(“Frederickson”) United States Patent Application Publication 2014/0351722 published on November 27, 2014 in view of Zhu, United States Patent Application Publication 2015/0278186 published on Oct. 1, 2015 and in further view of Tanaka et al.(“Tanaka”) Japanese Application Publication JP2002091418A published on Mar. 27, 2002.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 of this title, 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.
A.
Claims 1-3, 5, 8-11, 13 and 16 are rejected under 35 USC. § 103 as being unpatentable over Frederickson et al.(“Frederickson”) United States Patent Application Publication 2014/0351722 published on November 27, 2014 in view of Zhu, United States Patent Application Publication 2015/0278186 published on Oct. 1, 2015.
As to Claim 1, Frederickson teaches: A method enacted on a computing device, the computing device comprising a first display and a second display (Frederickson: par. 0020, two displays, [108A,B], the method comprising:
displaying a first application on the first display (Frederickson: Fig. 6, par.0039, icons representing applications [222] are displayed in the application launcher [194]);
displaying a recent applications list on the second display (Frederickson: Fig. 6, par. 0031, the [194] menu is a list of recent applications and may be displayed on the first or second display);
making the first application accessible from the recent applications list (Frederickson: par. 0039, when the application icon is activated or released from a drag (i.e. user input), the application window is launched, or opened; par. 0035, “launch” may mean initially opening or opening an already-running application window).
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Frederickson may not explicitly teach: upon receiving indication of a second application being selected from the recent applications list, launching second application on the first display stacked over the first application.
Zhu teaches in general concepts related to configuring an application template, which is configured to indicate applications to be launched and laid out on a screen (Zhu: Abstract). Specifically, Zhu teaches that the template may be used to launch the captured applications in a cascaded manner which Examiner asserts is a “stacked” manner (Zhu: par. 0025, the Google Maps application and a SMS application may be concurrently launched and displayed as tiled or cascaded).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at a time before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the Frederickson device by including computer instructions to allow for allowing a second application being selected and launching in a stacked manner as taught and disclosed by Yu. Such a person would have been motivated to do so with a reasonable expectation of success to do so to reduce the number of steps in launching applications.
As to Claim 2, Frederickson and Zhu teach the limitations of claim 1.
Frederickson and Zhu as combined further teaches: upon receiving indication of a third application being selected from the recent applications list, launching the third application on the first display stacked over the second application (Examiner notes that nothing suggests that the third application may be different from the first, which would be a re-focus operation to restack the first application over the second application, thus switching).
As to Claim 3, Frederickson and Zhu teach the limitations of claim 2.
Frederickson and Zhu as combined further teaches: making the second application accessible from the recent applications list (Frederickson: Fig. 6, par. 0031, the [194] menu is a list of recent applications and may be displayed on the first or second display, which includes the second application).
As to Claim 5, Frederickson and Zhu teach the limitations of claim 1.
Frederickson further teaches: wherein the received indication of the second application being selected is from a user touch input (Frederickson: par. 0022, touch strokes may be accepted for input).
As to Claim 8, Frederickson and Zhu teach the limitations of claim 1.
Frederickson further teaches: unstacking the second application to resume the first application (Frederickson: par. 00451, displaying and undisplaying depending on which one has the focus and is active).
As to Claim 9, it is rejected for similar reasons as claim 1. Frederickson further teaches processor, memory (Frederickson: pars. 0053-54).
As to Claim 10, it is rejected for similar reasons as claim 2.
As to Claim 11, it is rejected for similar reasons as claim 3.
As to Claim 13, it is rejected for similar reasons as claim 5.
As to Claim 16, it is rejected for similar reasons as claim 8.
B.
Claims 4, 12 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 USC. § 103 as being unpatentable over Frederickson et al.(“Frederickson”) United States Patent Application Publication 2014/0351722 published on November 27, 2014 in view of Zhu, United States Patent Application Publication 2015/0278186 published on Oct. 1, 2015 and in further view of Karstens United States Patent US 8,245,154 published on Aug. 14, 2012.
As to Claim 4, Frederickson and Zhu teach the limitations of claim 1.
Frederickson and Zhu may not explicitly teach: wherein the first application is made accessible from the recent applications list in a position indicating that it was a most recently opened application.
Karstens teaches in general concepts related to task switching among windows on a GUI. (Karstens: Abstract). Specifically, Karstens teaches that a list of applications that are to be switched through are ordered by which were most recently opened (Karstens: Fig. 3, col. 4, lines 28to 37, the applications are ordered by most-recently-used in [350]).
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It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at a time before the effective filing date of the application to have modified the Frederickson-Zhu disclosures and teachings by ordering the applications by which were most recently used as taught by Karstens. Such a person would have been motivated to do so with a reasonable expectation of success to reduce the cognitive burden on the user of having to understand the ordering of the applications to switch to.
As to Claim 12, it is rejected for similar reasons as claim 4.
As to Claim 17, Frederickson teaches: A method enacted on a computing device, the computing device comprising a first display and a second display(Frederickson: par. 0020, two displays, [108A,B), the method comprising:
displaying a first application on the first display; displaying a second application on the second display (Frederickson: Fig. 6, par.0039, icons representing applications [222] are displayed in the application launcher [194]).
Frederickson may not explicitly teach: moving a second application to the first display stacked over the first application.
Zhu teaches in general concepts related to configuring an application template, which is configured to indicate applications to be launched and laid out on a screen (Zhu: Abstract). Specifically, Zhu teaches that the template may be used to launch the captured applications in a cascaded manner which Examiner asserts is a “stacked” manner (Zhu: par. 0025, the Google Maps application and a SMS application may be concurrently launched and displayed as tiled or cascaded).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at a time before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the Frederickson device by including computer instructions to allow for allowing a second application being selected and launching in a stacked manner as taught and disclosed by Yu. Such a person would have been motivated to do so with a reasonable expectation of success to do so to reduce the number of steps in launching applications.
Frederickson and Zhu may not explicitly teach: making the first application accessible from a recent applications list in a position indicating that it was a most recently opened application.
Karstens teaches in general concepts related to task switching among windows on a GUI. (Karstens: Abstract). Specifically, Karstens teaches that a list of applications that are to be switched through are ordered by which were most recently opened (Karstens: Fig. 3, col. 4, lines 28to 37, the applications are ordered by most-recently-used in [350]). The application is accessible through the task switching.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at a time before the effective filing date of the application to have modified the Frederickson-Zhu disclosures and teachings by ordering the applications by which were most recently used as taught by Karstens. Such a person would have been motivated to do so with a reasonable expectation of success to reduce the cognitive burden on the user of having to understand the ordering of the applications to switch to.
As to Claim 18, Frederickson, Zhu and Karstens teach the limitations of claim 17.
Frederickson, Zhu and Karstens as combined further teaches: moving a third application to the first display stacked over the second application (Examiner notes that nothing suggests that the third application may be different from the first, which would be a re-focus operation to restack the first application over the second application, thus switching); and
making the second application accessible from the recent applications list (Frederickson: Fig. 6, par. 0031, the [194] menu is a list of recent applications and may be displayed on the first or second display, which includes the second application)..
As to Claim 19, Frederickson, Zhu and Karstens teach the limitations of claim 17.
Frederickson, Zhu and Karstens as combined further teaches: dismissing the first application (Frederickson: par. 0033, the user may close the application).
As to Claim 20, Frederickson, Zhu and Karstens teach the limitations of claim 17.
Frederickson, Zhu and Karstens as combined further teaches: unstacking the second application to resume the first application (Frederickson: par. 00451, displaying and undisplaying depending on which one has the focus and is active).
C.
Claims 6, 7 and 14-15 are rejected under 35 USC. § 103 as being unpatentable over Frederickson et al.(“Frederickson”) United States Patent Application Publication 2014/0351722 published on November 27, 2014 in view of Zhu, United States Patent Application Publication 2015/0278186 published on Oct. 1, 2015 and in further view of Tanaka et al.(“Tanaka”) Japanese Application Publication JP2002091418A published on Mar. 27, 2002.
As to Claim 6, Frederickson and Zhu teach the limitations of claim 1.
Frederickson and Zhu may not explicitly teach: dismissing the first application immediately after the second application is launched and stacked over the first application.
Tanaka teaches in general concepts related to arranging windows and managing them with time(Tanaka: Abstract). Specifically, Tanaka teaches that each window in a display has an associated inactive timer with it (Tanaka: par. 0010). After a first predetermined amount time has elapsed for an inactive window, it is minimized. After a second predetermined amount of time has elapsed, it is closed (Tanaka: par. 0010). This would assist with reducing user interaction and burden by minimizing and closing unused windows (Tanaka: pars. 0005-06).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at a time before the effective filing date of the application to have modified the Frederickson-Zhu disclosures and teachings by dismissing the first application once it stacked, as it has become inactive as taught by Tanaka. The dismissal may take place “immediately” if the predetermined amounts of time are nearly-instantaneously within a broad and reasonable interpretation of “immediately.” Such a person would have been motivated to do so with a reasonable expectation of success to reduce the cognitive burden on the user of having to close windows if they are no longer needed.
As to Claim 7, Frederickson and Zhu teach the limitations of claim 1.
Frederickson and Zhu may not explicitly teach: dismissing the first application after a predetermined threshold of time of being stacked behind the second application.
Tanaka teaches in general concepts related to arranging windows and managing them with time(Tanaka: Abstract). Specifically, Tanaka teaches that each window in a display has an associated inactive timer with it (Tanaka: par. 0010). After a first predetermined amount time has elapsed for an inactive window, it is minimized. After a second predetermined amount of time has elapsed, it is closed (Tanaka: par. 0010). This would assist with reducing user interaction and burden by minimizing and closing unused windows (Tanaka: pars. 0005-06).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at a time before the effective filing date of the application to have modified the Frederickson-Zhu disclosures and teachings by dismissing the first application once it stacked, as it has become inactive as taught by Tanaka. Such a person would have been motivated to do so with a reasonable expectation of success to reduce the cognitive burden on the user of having to close windows if they are no longer needed.
As to Claim 14, it is rejected for similar reasons as claim 6.
As to Claim 15, it is rejected for similar reasons as claim 7.
Conclusion
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/JAMES T TSAI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2147