DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to Application 18/809950 filed on 8/20/2024.
In the instant application, claims 1, 8 and 16 are independent claims; Claims 1-20 have been examined and are pending. This action is made non-final.
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 .
Drawings
The drawings submitted on 08/20/2024 are acceptable.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory obviousness-type double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); and In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on a nonstatutory double patenting ground provided the conflicting application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with this application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement.
Effective January 1, 1994, a registered attorney or agent of record may sign a terminal disclaimer. A terminal disclaimer signed by the assignee must fully comply with 37 CFR 3.73(b).
Independent Claims 1, 8 and 16 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting over claims 1, 9 and 16 of U. S. Patent No. 12093510 (hereinafter 510’) since the claims, if allowed, would improperly extend the "right to exclude" already granted in the patent.
Instant Application 18/809950
Patent 510’
Claim 1:
A method for modifying pages of an electronic document, the method being performed by an electronic apparatus and comprising the following steps:
+ opening a first user operation interface, wherein the first user operation interface includes a first input region, a second input region, a first preview region and a second preview region;
+ displaying a plurality of first pages of a first electronic document on the first preview region and determining a first page change position located in the plurality of first pages according to a first operation event;
+ displaying a plurality of second pages of a second electronic document on the second preview region and determining at least one second page of the plurality of second pages according to a second operation event; and
+ adding the at least one second page to the first page change position according to a third operation event.
Claim 8:
An electronic apparatus for modifying pages of an electronic document, comprising: a processor; a display electrically coupled to the processor; and a storage electrically coupled to the processor and configured to store a plurality of computer executable instructions, wherein the plurality of computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic apparatus to:
+ open a first user operation interface and displaying the first user operation interface on the display, wherein the first user operation interface includes a first input region, a second input region, a first preview region and a second preview region;
+ display a plurality of first pages of a first electronic document on the first preview region and determine a first page change position located in the plurality of first pages according to a first operation event;
+ display a plurality of second pages of a second electronic document on the second preview region and determine at least one second page of the plurality of second pages according to a second operation event; and
+ add the at least one second page to the first page change position according to a third operation event.
Claim 16:
A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of computer executable instructions, wherein the plurality of computer executable instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause an electronic apparatus to perform a method for modifying pages of an electronic document, and the method comprises the following steps:
+ opening a first user operation interface, wherein the first user operation interface includes a first input region, a second input region, a first preview region and a second preview region;
+ displaying a plurality of first pages of a first electronic document on the first preview region and determining a first page change position located in the plurality of first pages according to a first operation event;
+ displaying a plurality of second pages of a second electronic document on the second preview region and determining at least one second page of the plurality of second pages according to a second operation event; and
+ adding the at least one second page to the first page change position according to a third operation event.
Claim 1:
A method for modifying pages of an electronic document, the method being performed by an electronic apparatus and comprising the following steps:
+ opening a first user operation interface, wherein the first user operation interface includes a first input region, a second input region and a page preview region;
+ detecting whether the first input region is selected; when it is detected that the first input region is selected, displaying a plurality of first pages of a first electronic document on the page preview region and determining a first page change position located in the plurality of first pages according to a first operation event;
+ detecting whether the second input region is selected; when it is detected that the second input region is selected, displaying a plurality of second pages of a second electronic document on the page preview region and determining at least one second page of the plurality of second pages according to a second operation event; and
+ adding the at least one second page to the first page change position according to a third operation event.
Claim 9:
An electronic apparatus for modifying pages of an electronic document, comprising: a processor; a display electrically coupled to the processor; and a storage electrically coupled to the processor and configured to store a plurality of computer executable instructions, wherein the plurality of computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic apparatus to perform the following steps:
+ opening a first user operation interface and displaying the first user operation interface on the display, wherein the first user operation interface includes a first input region, a second input region and a page preview region;
+ detecting whether the first input region is selected; when it is detected that the first input region is selected, displaying a plurality of first pages of a first electronic document on the page preview region and determining a first page change position located in the plurality of first pages according to a first operation event;
+ detecting whether the second input region is selected; when it is detected that the second input region is selected, displaying a plurality of second pages of a second electronic document on the page preview region and determining at least one second page of the plurality of second pages according to a second operation event; and
+ adding the at least one second page to the first page change position according to a third operation event.
Claim 16:
A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of computer executable instructions, wherein the plurality of computer executable instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause an electronic apparatus to perform a method for modifying pages of an electronic document, and the method comprises the following steps:
+ opening a first user operation interface, wherein the first user operation interface includes a first input region, a second input region and a page preview region;
+ detecting whether the first input region is selected; when it is detected that the first input region is selected, displaying a plurality of first pages of a first electronic document on the page preview region and determining a first page change position located in the plurality of first pages according to a first operation event;
+ detecting whether the second input region is selected; when it is detected that the second input region is selected, displaying a plurality of second pages of a second electronic document on the page preview region and determining at least one second page of the plurality of second pages according to a second operation event; and
+ adding the at least one second page to the first page change position according to a third operation event.
Claims 2-6, 11-14 and 17-18 of the instant application are similar to claims 4-8, 12-15 and 19-20 of 510’ respectively
As can be seen from the table above, independent Claim 1 of the instant application is anticipated by Claim 1 of 510’, in that Claim 1 of 510’ contains all the limitations of Claim 1 of the instant application therefore is not patently distinct from the earlier patent claim and as such is unpatentable for obvious-type double patenting. Claims 8 and 16 are similarly mapped to claims 9 and 16 of 510’, respectively, as such is unpatentable for obvious-type double patenting. The instant application claim is broader in every aspect than the patent claim and is therefore an obvious variant thereof”.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-20 are allowed when the Double Patenting rejection is resolved.
Examiner’s Statement of reason for Allowance
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
The present invention is directed to a method, an electronic apparatus and a non-transitory computer-readable medium and a method for modifying pages of an electronic document. The method is performed by the electronic apparatus and includes: displaying a plurality of first pages of a first electronic document on a first preview region and determining a first page change position located in the plurality of first pages according to a first operation event; displaying a plurality of second pages of a second electronic document on a second page preview region and determining at least one second page of the plurality of second pages according to a second operation event; and adding the at least one second page to the first page change position according to a third operation event.
Independent claims 1, 8 and 16 when considered as a whole, are allowable over the prior arts of record.
The closest prior arts can be found: Parsons (US 7689933) teaches a display application for allocating a first region of a display screen for displaying a list of content items such as documents or files. A respective viewer of the display screen can select multiple content items from the list. The display application highlights selected content items. For each of multiple selected content items, the display application displays a preview of corresponding sub-content such as a respective set of thumbnail images associated with a respective content item in an allocated second region of the display screen. The second region of the display screen includes one or more visual boundaries so that a user can identify groupings of related thumbnails associated with selected content item. Kaneko (US 2012/0151332) teaches a method for generating data to be used to for bookbinding by bundling a plurality of paper sheets into a book form, comprises: a determination unit configured to determine based on a criterion defined in advance for a characteristic of the book whether to assign a thumb index for each page of the book; and a generation unit configured to generate, for a page to which the determination unit has determined to assign the thumb index, data that arranges the thumb index to be printed at a fore edge of the page of the book. Maeda (US 2011/0157636) teaches a printing apparatus for printing an image according to image data includes a display unit configured to display an image, a specifying unit configured to specify a type of a gesture according to a locus of coordinate information input by a user via an operation unit, a detecting unit configured to detect an area where the gesture is made, and a setting unit configured to perform print setting for printing image data according to the type of the gesture specified by the specifying unit and the area detected by the detecting unit. Fukuoka (US 2011/0043844) teaches system and method for controlling the same, which are capable of executing replacement processing on document data registered in a document management apparatus while enabling users to simply operate an operational element displayed on an image processing apparatus.
However, closest prior arts as discussed above, do not teach or suggest the particular combination of steps or elements as recited in the amended independent claims 1, 8 and 16. For example, the prior arts do not teach of suggest the steps of “opening a first user operation interface, wherein the first user operation interface includes a first input region, a second input region, a first preview region and a second preview region; displaying a plurality of first pages of a first electronic document on the first preview region and determining a first page change position located in the plurality of first pages according to a first operation event; displaying a plurality of second pages of a second electronic document on the second preview region and determining at least one second page of the plurality of second pages according to a second operation event; and adding the at least one second page to the first page change position according to a third operation event.”
While the cited prior arts disclose some of the claimed features as explained above, the cited prior arts fail to disclose or suggest each limitation together as Claimed. Furthermore, the Examiner cannot determine a reasonable motivation, either from the cited prior art or the existing case law, to combine the known references to render the claimed invention.
The dependent claims further add limitations to the allowable subject matter of the corresponding independent claims; thus, they are also allowable.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record on form PTO-892 and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Applicants are required to consider these references fully when responding to this action.
It is noted that any citation to specific, pages, columns, lines, or figures in the prior art references and any interpretation of the references should not be considered to be limiting in any way. A reference is relevant for all it contains and may be relied upon for all that it would have reasonably suggested to one having ordinary skill in art. In re Heck, 699 F.2d 1331, 1332-33,216 USPQ 1038, 1039 (Fed. Cir. 1983) (quoting In re Lemelson, 397 F.2d 1006,1009, 158 USPQ 275,277 (CCPA 1968)).
Inquiry
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Tam T. Tran whose telephone number is (571) 270-5029. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM.
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, William L. Bashore can be reached on 571-272-4088. 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.
/TAM T TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2174
Prosecution Insights