Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 26, 2026
Application No. 18/781,745

DEVICES, METHODS, AND GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACES FOR SHARING CONTENT IN A COMMUNICATION SESSION

Final Rejection §103
Filed
Jul 23, 2024
Priority
Jul 23, 2023 — provisional 63/515,120 +1 more
Examiner
ZHOU, ZHIHAN
Art Unit
2482
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Apple Inc.
OA Round
2 (Final)
80%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
80%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 80% — above average
80%
Career Allowance Rate
832 granted / 1037 resolved
+22.2% vs TC avg
Minimal +0% lift
Without
With
+0.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 3m
Avg Prosecution
17 currently pending
Career history
1054
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
5.7%
-34.3% vs TC avg
§103
61.2%
+21.2% vs TC avg
§102
13.7%
-26.3% vs TC avg
§112
2.4%
-37.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1037 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 This office action is in response to an amendment filed on 08/03/2026. 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, 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. Claim 1 and 15-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chang (US 2022/0374136) in view of Chang-II (US 2022/0365740). As to claim 17, Chang teaches a computer system that is in communication with a display generation component and one or more input devices, the computer system comprising: one or more processors; memory; and one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for (see [0207]-[0215] and FIGs. 6A-6AS): while a user of the computer system is participating in a communication session with one or more participants, and while displaying a representation of the one or more participants in a three-dimensional environment that is visible via the display generation component from a respective viewpoint of the user, receiving, from a second computer system of one of the one or more participants, an indication to display a shared content item associated with the communication session in the three-dimensional environment (see FIGs. 6A-6J and [0215]-[0236]; also see [0333]); and in response to receiving the indication to display the representation of the shared content item in the three-dimensional environment, and in accordance with one or more criteria being satisfied, displaying the representation of the shared content item at a first location within the three-dimensional environment (see [0237] and FIG. 6K; also see [0212], [0218], [0285], [0287], and [0296]). Chang does not explicitly teach wherein the first location is determined based on a location of the representation of the one or more participants within the three-dimensional environment, and is different from the location of the representation of the one or more participants. However, Chang-II teaches displaying a representation of a shared content item at a first location within a three-dimensional environment, wherein the first location is determined based on a location of a representation of one or more participants within the three-dimensional environment, and is different from the location of the representation of the one or more participants ([0060]-[0065], [0799]-[0810], and [0815]-[0818]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Chang’s system with Chang-II’s system to show wherein the first location is determined based on a location of the representation of the one or more participants within the three-dimensional environment, and is different from the location of the representation of the one or more participants in order to provide electronic devices with faster, more efficient methods and interfaces for managing shared-content sessions. Such methods and interfaces optionally complement or replace other methods for managing shared-content sessions. Such methods and interfaces reduce the cognitive burden on a user and produce a more efficient human-machine interface. For battery-operated computing devices, such methods and interfaces conserve power and increase the time between battery charges (Chang-II; [0005]). As to claims 1 and 18, the aforementioned claims are rejected similarly as claim 17. As to claim 15, the combination of Chang and Chang-II teaches wherein the one or more criteria include a criterion that is satisfied when the representation of the one or more participants includes one or more non-spatial representations, in response to receiving the indication to display the representation of the shared content item in the three-dimensional environment, and in accordance with a determination that the representation of the one or more participants includes one or more spatial representations, displaying the shared content item at a second location in the three-dimensional environment, different from the first location (Chang; see [0237] and FIG. 6K; also see [0252]-[0254] and FIGs. 6AB-6AG; further see [0212], [0218], [0285], [0287], and [0296]; Chang-II; [0060]-[0065], [0799]-[0810], and [0815]-[0818]). As to claim 16, the combination of Chang and Chang-II teaches in response to receiving the indication to display the representation of the shared content item in the three-dimensional environment, in accordance with the determination that the representation of the one or more participants is a spatial representation, moving the representation of the one or more participants from the second location within the three-dimensional environment to a third location within the three-dimensional environment, different from the second location (Chang; see [0237] and FIG. 6K; also see [0252]-[0254] and FIGs. 6AB-6AG; further see [0212], [0218], [0285], [0287], and [0296]; Chang-II; [0060]-[0065], [0799]-[0810], and [0815]-[0818]). Response to Arguments Applicant's arguments filed 08/03/2026 have been fully considered but they are moot in light of the new grounds of rejection incorporated above. In view of the above reasons, Examiner maintains all rejections. 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 ZHIHAN ZHOU whose telephone number is (571)270-7284. The examiner can normally be reached Mondays-Fridays 8:30am-5pm. 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, Christopher Kelley can be reached at 571-272-7331. 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. /ZHIHAN ZHOU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2482
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 23, 2024
Application Filed
Mar 30, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
May 22, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Aug 03, 2026
Response Filed
Oct 15, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
80%
Grant Probability
80%
With Interview (+0.1%)
2y 3m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1037 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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