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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/11/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 (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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-8, 10-18 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kamikubo et al. (US 20210158605 A1) hereinafter referred to as Kamikubo, in view of Kuehne et al. (US 20150378157 A1) hereinafter referred to as Kuehne.Claim 1. An information processing system, comprising: circuitry configured to:
initiate display of a first virtual space and a first model from a first virtual user viewpoint, wherein the first model is a miniature (Kamikubo, [0055] control unit 13 arranges a character image (puppet image) imitating a person) of at least one part of the first virtual space (Kamikubo, [0042] control unit 13 sets a virtual user's viewpoint which is a user viewpoint in the virtual space and generates the display image seen from the virtual user's viewpoint);
receive a first user input to change at least one of a position or a posture of the first model (Kamikubo, [0060] control unit 13 moves the character image P onto the gaze point image. In other words, the control unit 13 moves the character image P following the virtual user's viewpoint. the user is gazing at a target point image 110a, and the character image P is moved onto the target point image 110a, See fig.7. As disclosed in [0047] [0048], the character image is moved based on detection information of line of sight of the user); and
Kamikubo does not explicitly disclose initiate the display of the first virtual space from the first virtual user viewpoint and the first model from a second virtual user viewpoint, based on the first user input.
Kuehne discloses initiate the display of the first virtual space from the first virtual user viewpoint and the first model from a second virtual user viewpoint, based on the first user input (Kuehne, claim 20 receiving an input, at the external display device, with respect to the position symbol at the position corresponding to the second viewpoint within the virtual environment; and in response to receiving the input, relocating an observation position of the first user from the first viewpoint within the virtual environment to the second viewpoint within the virtual environment and displaying the virtual object in the virtual environment for viewing by the first user from the second viewpoint within the virtual environment. (In Kuehne first is interpreted as second and vice versa)).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skilled in the art before the filing of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Kamikubo with the teachings of Kuehne since they are both analogous in virtual reality related field.
One ordinary skilled in the art before the filing of the claimed invention would have been motivated to combine the teachings of Kamikubo with the teachings of Kuehne in order to allow the wearer of the virtual reality glasses to easily identify that there is further observation position from which he can view the virtual object besides the first virtual viewing position from which he is currently being shown the virtual object.Claims 11 essentially recites the same limitations as claim 1. Therefore, the rejection of claim 1 is applied to claim 11.Claims 2 and 12. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to initiate display of a second virtual space from the second virtual user viewpoint (Kamikubo, [0034] immediately after displaying the actual scene image of the certain point, the actual scene image of the other point is displayed).Claims 3 and 13. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to initiate the display of the second virtual space based on a gaze at the first model (Kamikubo, [0069] [0070]).Claims 4 and 14. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to initiate the display of the second virtual space based on a second user input (Kuehne, claim 20). Same rationale as claim 1Claims 5 and 15. The information processing system according to claim 4, wherein the second user input is a user operation on an operation device (Kamikubo, [0047]). Same rationale as claim 1Claims 6 and 16. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the first model is closer to a user than the first virtual space. As a matter of design choice, one ordinary skilled in the art before the filing of the claim invention would have been motivated to have the model (character image) closer to a user in order to better mimic user viewpoint.Claims 7 and 17. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the first model is a copy of the first virtual space. As a matter of design choice, one ordinary skilled in the art before the filing of the claim invention would have been motivated to have the model as a copy of the virtual space in order to provide enjoyable virtual reality experience.Claims 8 and 18. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one part of the first virtual space is based on a user operation (Kamikubo, [0053] user select image from a list).Claims 10 and 20, The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the displayed first model is located over a virtually displayed controller. As a matter of design choice, one ordinary skilled in the art before the filing of the claim invention would have been motivated to display first model located over a virtually displayed controller in order to better mimic user operation.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9 and 19 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Claims 9 and 19, no prior art discloses “The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to delete the first model, based on a second virtual space is displayed”.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure is as follows:
US 20180005431 A1 A display control method for execution by a system including a head-mounted device. The display control method includes generating virtual space data for defining a three-dimensional virtual space. The display control method further includes displaying a visual-field image on the head-mounted device based on a visual field of the virtual space data. The display control method further includes updating the visual-field image in response to a detected movement of the head-mounted device exceeding a threshold. Updating the visual-field image includes changing a scale of an object in the virtual space by adjusting an angular range of the visual-field image.
US 20180196506 A1 Provided is a method including: defining a virtual space, the virtual space including a first object associated with a first user, a second object associated with a second user, and a virtual viewpoint associated with the second object; identifying a position of the virtual viewpoint and, in accordance with motion of a head-mounted device (HMD) associated with the second user, a field of view in the virtual space; displaying on the HMD a field-of-view image corresponding to the field of view; identifying a first position at which the first object is to be arranged in the virtual space; acquiring information designating a second position, the second position being a position of a movement destination of the first object in the virtual space; identifying a guidance line from the first position toward the second position; moving the first object along the guidance line from the first position to the second position; displaying on the HMD the visual-field image including an animation representing that the first object is moving; identifying a third position at which the second object is arranged in the virtual space; acquiring information designating a fourth position, the fourth position being a position of a movement destination of the second object in the virtual space; moving the position of the virtual viewpoint from the third position to an observation position associated with the fourth position; and generating the field-of-view image during a transition period in which the position of the virtual viewpoint is moving, at least a part of the field-of-view images to be generated during a process of moving from the third position to the observation position being omitted.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARTIN MUSHAMBO whose telephone number is (571)270-3390. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday (8:00AM-5:00PM).
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/MARTIN MUSHAMBO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2615 03/28/2026