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
Claims 1-20 are pending in this application and have been examined in response to application filed on 08/15/2024.
CONTINUING DATA: This application is a CON of PCT/CN2023/075895 02/14/2023
FOREIGN APPLICATIONS: CHINA 202210140686.9 02/16/2022
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.
Claims 1, 3-4, 10, 12-13, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being unpatentable by Liu (US 20250130825 A1).
As to INDEPENDENT claim 1, Liu discloses an interaction method, comprising: receiving a first input by a user to target application programs (fig.7(a); the user touches an application icon);
in response to the first input, building a target component based on the target application programs and setting preset interfaces of the target application programs as target pages, the target pages being interfaces displayed correspondingly by the target application programs after the target component is started (fig.7(a)-7(c); a combined application programs page is generated);
receiving a second input by the user to the target component; and in response to the second input, starting the target component and displaying the target pages of the target application programs according to a preset layout interface ([0235]; apps in the target component are simultaneously started and displayed in a defined layout when the target component icon is selected).
As to claim 3, Liu discloses displaying a target component icon, the target component icon containing icons of the target application programs (fig.5(a); “Combined app 1”);
receiving a fourth input by the user to the target component icon; and in response to the fourth input, updating a display style of the target component icon, wherein a different display style corresponds to a different layout interface shown when the target component is started (fig.5(b); [0165]; applications layout patterns are configurable).
As to claim 4, Liu discloses wherein in a case that the display style of the target component icon is a first display style, in a first layout interface shown when the target component is started, a target page of the first target application program is displayed in full screen in the first layout interface, and icons of target application programs other than the first target application program are displayed in the first layout interface; and/or in a case that the display style of the target component icon is a second display style, in a second layout interface shown when the target component is started, target pages of the target application programs are displayed in separate regions in the second layout interface; and/or in a case that the display style of the target component icon is a third display style, in a third layout interface shown when the target component is started, a target page of at least one target application program is displayed on a first layer of the third layout interface, and a target page of at least another target application program is displayed on a second layer of the third layout interface, wherein the first layer is located below the second layer, and the second layer is a partially transparent layer ([0235]; combined applications are displayed together in a split-screen layout).
INDEPENDENT claim 10 is rejected under the same rationale addressed in the rejection of claim 1 above.
Claim 12 is rejected under the same rationale addressed in the rejection of claim 3 above.
Claim 13 is rejected under the same rationale addressed in the rejection of claim 4 above.
INDEPENDENT claim 19 is rejected under the same rationale addressed in the rejection of claim 1 above.
Claim 20 is a computer program product variant of claim 1, claim 20 is therefore rejected under the same rationale addressed in the rejection of claim 1 above.
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.
Claims 2 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu in view of Park (US 9,836,206 B2).
As to claim 2, Liu does not expressly disclose receiving a third input by the user to a first target application program in the target component; and in response to the third input, associating a first function of the first target application program with a second target application program in the target component, the first function being triggered in the second target application program.
In the same field of endeavor, Park discloses receiving a third input by the user to a first target application program; and in response to the third input, associating a first function of the first target application program with a second target application program, the first function being triggered in the second target application program (fig.2, fig.3; input function of the first application is triggered when the second application is launched).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teaching of Liu and Park before him prior to the effective filling date, to modify the limitation above taught by Liu to include the above limitation taught by Park with the motivation being to support enhance usability by pairing functions of different applications.
Claim 11 is rejected under the same rationale addressed in the rejection of claim 2 above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-9, 14-18 are 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HAOSHIAN SHIH whose telephone number is (571)270-1257. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-5:00.
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, FRED EHICHIOYA can be reached at (571) 272-4034. 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.
/HAOSHIAN SHIH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2179
