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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION —The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 2-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
As of claim 2, the limitation “when a direction of the movement designated by the first operation or a direction of the expansion designated by the second operation and a direction of the outer edge that the projection image makes contact with satisfy a predetermined condition, the projection image does not move along the outer edge regardless of the first operation or the second operation” is vague. What does it mean by the projection image does not move along the outer edge regardless of the first operation or the second operation when a direction of the movement designated by the first operation or a direction of the expansion designated by the second operation and a direction of the outer edge that the projection image makes contact with satisfy a predetermined condition? A review of the description (PGPUB [0268]) indicates a repeat of the claim limitation without particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter. For the purpose of the examination, the Examiner has interpreted “when a direction of the movement designated by the first operation or a direction of the expansion designated by the second operation and a direction of the outer edge that the projection image makes contact with satisfy a predetermined condition, the projection image does not move along the outer edge regardless of the first operation or the second operation” as “the control section looks up the projection condition table stored in the storage section to select the projection condition information corresponding to the image signal supplied from the image supply device, and provides the keystone distortion correction section with an instruction for displaying the apex movable areas corresponding to the projection condition”.
Claim 3 is rejected as being dependent on claim 2.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Tamura (US 2009/0207323 A1).
As of claim 1, Tamura teaches a projection method [fig 1] comprising: projecting, by a main body (projector) [fig 7A] including a light modulation device 32 (LCD valve) [fig 1] that is configured to draw a drawn image 4B [fig 7B] and a projection image 4A [fig 7B] obtained by reducing the drawn image (shown with the arrows in fig 7B) and that is configured to modulate light from a light source (liquid crystal light valve 32) [fig 7B], the projection image on a projection surface 4 (screen); receiving a first operation for moving the projection image relative to the projection surface (the user manually moves the four apexes of the image forming area 32B of the liquid crystal light valve 32 by operating the operation panel 13) [0080]; and moving the projection image along an outer edge of the drawn image (shown with the arrows fig 7B) in accordance with the first operation (when the user manually moves the four apexes of the image forming area) [fig 7B].
As of claim 7, Tamura teaches a projector 1 [fig 1] comprising: a light modulation device 32 [fig 1] configured to draw a drawn image 4B [fig 7B] and a projection image obtained by reducing the drawn image (shown with the arrows in fig 7B); a projection lens 33 [fig 1] configured to project the drawn image or the projection image onto a projection surface [0082]; an operator configured to designate a first operation for moving the projection image relative to the projection surface (the user manually moves the four apexes of the image forming area 32B of the liquid crystal light valve 32 by operating the operation panel 13) [0080]; and a control device 11 [fig 1] configured to move the projection image along an outer edge of the drawn image (shown with the arrows fig 7B) in accordance with the first operation (when the user manually moves the four apexes of the image forming area) [fig 7B].
As of claim 8, Tamura teaches a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium 12 (storage section) [fig 1] storing a program [0085] configured to cause a computer 11 (control section) [fig 1] hat is configured to control a light modulation device 32 [fig 1], the light modulation device 32 [fig 1] being configured to draw a drawn image (shown with the arrows in fig 7B) and a projection image obtained by reducing the drawn image [0082] and being configured to modulate light from a light source 31 [fig 1], to execute processing comprising: receiving a first operation for moving the projection image relative to the projection surface (the user manually moves the four apexes of the image forming area 32B of the liquid crystal light valve 32 by operating the operation panel 13) [0080]; and moving the projection image along an outer edge of the drawn image (shown with the arrows fig 7B) in accordance with the first operation (when the user manually moves the four apexes of the image forming area) [fig 7B].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if earlier 112(b) rejection is successfully overcome and if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
As of claim 2, the closest prior art Tamura (US 2009/0207323 A1) teaches a projector system 1 which an image supply device 2 for outputting an image signal, and a projector 10 for projecting an image based on the image signal output from the image supply device 2. The image projected by the projector system 1 can be a still image or a moving image, and the image in the following explanations can include both of the still image and the moving image. The projector 10 is provided with a control section 11 for controlling each section of the projector 10, and the control section 11 reads out a control program stored in a storage section 12 to execute the control program, thereby realizing various functions of the projector 10. Here, although the control section 11 forms the projector 10 itself, it is possible to consider that the control section 11 functions as a control device of the projector 10. The storage section 12 stores the control program the control section 11 executes, and at the same time, stores various kinds of setting values or the like related to the operation of the projector 10. As the various kinds of setting values stored in the storage section 12, there can be cited, for example, information representing the size and the location of the image the projector 10 projects. Tamura does not anticipate or render obvious, alone or in combination, when a direction of the movement designated by the first operation or a direction of the expansion designated by the second operation and a direction of the outer edge that the projection image makes contact with satisfy a predetermined condition, the projection image does not move along the outer edge regardless of the first operation or the second operation.
Claim 3 would be allowed as being dependent on claim 2.
Claims 4-6 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.
As of claim 4, the closest prior art Tamura (US 2009/0207323 A1) teaches a projector system 1 which an image supply device 2 for outputting an image signal, and a projector 10 for projecting an image based on the image signal output from the image supply device 2. The image projected by the projector system 1 can be a still image or a moving image, and the image in the following explanations can include both of the still image and the moving image. The projector 10 is provided with a control section 11 for controlling each section of the projector 10, and the control section 11 reads out a control program stored in a storage section 12 to execute the control program, thereby realizing various functions of the projector 10. Here, although the control section 11 forms the projector 10 itself, it is possible to consider that the control section 11 functions as a control device of the projector 10. The storage section 12 stores the control program the control section 11 executes, and at the same time, stores various kinds of setting values or the like related to the operation of the projector 10. As the various kinds of setting values stored in the storage section 12, there can be cited, for example, information representing the size and the location of the image the projector 10 projects. Tamura does not anticipate or render obvious, alone or in combination, when a duration of the first operation or the second operation is a first time period, the projection image moves or expands at a first speed, and when the duration is a second time period longer than the first time period, the projection image moves or expands at a second speed higher than the first speed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
- Prior Art YOSHIMURA (US 20200267361 A1) teaches a projection image adjusting method which includes projecting a projection image including a test pattern on a projection surface, moving the projection image in a first direction, capturing an image of the projection image, detecting a change in the test pattern contained in the projection image the image of which has been captured, determining that the projection image has reached an end of the projection surface when a change in the test pattern is detected, and suppressing the movement of the projection image in the first direction when it is determined that the projection image has reached the end of the projection surface;
- Prior Art ICHIEDA (US 20200007835 A1) teaches a projector which includes: a projection unit projecting a projection image onto a projection surface where an object is located, the object defining a projection area where the projection image should be projected; a distortion correction unit correcting a distortion of the projection image; and a projection control unit causing the projection unit to project a guide image showing a range within which a predetermined site of the projection image can move according to the correction of the distortion, the projection control unit thus prompting a user to adjust a positional relation between the object and the range.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SULTAN U. CHOWDHURY whose telephone number is (571)270-3336. The examiner can normally be reached on 5:30 AM-5:30 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Minh-Toan Ton can be reached on 571-272-2303. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SULTAN CHOWDHURY/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2882
Prosecution Insights