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 Interpretation
During patent examination, pending claims must be “given their broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the specification.” MPEP 2111; See also, MPEP 2173.02. Limitations appearing in the specification but not recited in the claim are not read into the claim. In re Prater, 415 F.2d 1393, 1404-05, 162 USPQ 541, 550-551 (CCPA 1969). See also, In re Zletz, 893 F.2d 319, 321-22, 13 USPQ2d 1320, 1322 (Fed. Cir. 1989) (“During patent examination the pending claims must be interpreted as broadly as their terms reasonably allow”). The reason is simply that during patent prosecution when claims can be amended, ambiguities should be recognized, scope and breadth of language explored, and clarification imposed. An essential purpose of patent examination is to fashion claims that are precise, clear, correct, and unambiguous. Only in this way can uncertainties of claim scope be removed, as much as possible, during the administrative process.
The Examiner respectfully requests of the Applicant in preparing responses, to consider fully the entirety of the reference(s) as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention. It is noted, REFERENCES ARE RELEVANT AS PRIOR ART FOR ALL THEY CONTAIN.
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)(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.
Claim(s) 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Forsberg A. et al. “The Music Notepad”, January 1, 1998 (1998-01-01), UIST ’98, 11th Annual Symposium On User Interface Software and Technology Proceedings of the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, San Francisco, CA, Nov. 1-4, 1998 (hereinafter Forsberg) presented by Applicants’ IDS.
With regard to claim 1, Forsberg discloses:
1. A video-audio system, comprising:
a display device, configured to display a user interface, wherein a handwriting pattern is input to the user interface (see, Fig. 1, and Fig. 2, and detailed description, including, p. 204, left col. at least para. 1-3, and entire right col.);
a processing device, communicatively coupled to the display device, configured to generate an information of sheet music, wherein the information of sheet music corresponds to the handwriting pattern (see, Fig. 2, and Fig. 3, and detailed description, including, p. 204-205, entire right col. and entire p. 205); and
an audio device, communicatively coupled to the processing device and the display device, wherein the user interface has a playing and controlling area, the playing and controlling area has a play audio button, when the play audio button is operated, the audio device is configured to play sound corresponding to the information of sheet music (see, Fig. 3, and p. 205, and Fig. 5, p. 206, right col. Instrument Assignment, 4th par.).
With regard to claim 2, Forsberg discloses:
2. The video-audio system of claim 1, wherein the display device is configured to execute a first application, to capture an input image comprising the handwriting pattern, and the processing device, in response to receiving the input image provided by the display device, is configured to identify the input image, to generate the information of sheet music, wherein the information of sheet music comprises note information which the handwriting pattern corresponds to, and the processing device is configured to transmit the information of sheet music to the display device (see, as above, claim 1, and Instrument Assignment, and Visualization).
With regard to claim 3, Forsberg discloses:
3. The video-audio system of claim 2, further comprising a server, the server being communicatively coupled to the display device, wherein the processing device is disposed in the server (see, Fig. 7, and detailed description, including, p. 207, Ui system components, left col. last para., tokens are examined by command recognizers).
With regard to claim 4, Forsberg discloses:
4. The video-audio system of claim 2, wherein the user interface comprises a recognizing area, the recognizing area is configured to display a staff pattern, the processing device is configured to record a relative positional relationship between the handwriting pattern and the staff pattern through the first application, the input image comprises the handwriting pattern and the staff pattern (see, Fig. 3-4, and detailed description, p. 205-206, gestures and associated operations).
With regard to claim 5, Forsberg discloses:
5. The video-audio system of claim 4, wherein the processing device is configured to identify the relative positional relationship between the staff pattern and the handwriting pattern in the input image by executing an artificial intelligence algorithm program, to determine the note information (see, as above claim 4, and Fig. 3-4, and detailed description, including, p.205-206, Beams, Clefs, and key signatures).
With regard to claim 6, Forsberg discloses:
6. The video-audio system of claim 5, wherein the processing device is configured to further identify the information of sheet music and convert the information of sheet music into an audio file by executing a sheet music recognition and conversion program, wherein the audio file comprises at least one of frequency information and intensity information of a plurality of audio waves (see, Fig. 3, and p. 205-206, Instrument Assignment).
With regard to claim 7, Forsberg discloses:
7. The video-audio system of claim 1, wherein the playing and controlling area in the user interface comprises a list for selecting an instrument for selecting a timbre of the selected instrument (see, Fig. 3, and Fig. 6, and pa. 204-207, UI system components).
With regard to claim 8, Forsberg discloses:
8. The video-audio system of claim 7, wherein the audio device is configured to further play the sound corresponding to the information of sheet music according to the timbre of the selected instrument (see, Fig. 3, and Fig. 6, and pa. 204-207, UI system components).
With regard to claim 9, claim 9 (a method claim) recites substantially similar limitations to claim 1 (a system claim) and is therefore rejected using the same art and rationale set forth above.
With regard to claim 10, claim 10 (a method claim) recites substantially similar limitations to claim 2 (a system claim) and is therefore rejected using the same art and rationale set forth above.
With regard to claim 11, claim 11 (a method claim) recites substantially similar limitations to claim 4 (a system claim) and is therefore rejected using the same art and rationale set forth above.
With regard to claim 12, claim 12 (a method claim) recites substantially similar limitations to claim 5 (a system claim) and is therefore rejected using the same art and rationale set forth above.
With regard to claim 13, claim 13 (a method claim) recites substantially similar limitations to claim 6 (a system claim) and is therefore rejected using the same art and rationale set forth above.
With regard to claim 14, claim 14 (a method claim) recites substantially similar limitations to claim 7 (a system claim) and is therefore rejected using the same art and rationale set forth above.
With regard to claim 15, claim 15 (a method claim) recites substantially similar limitations to claim 8 (a system claim) and is therefore rejected using the same art and rationale set forth above.
A sampling of the prior art made of record and not relied upon and considered
pertinent to Applicants’ disclosure includes: U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2026/0044668 A1 to Lu et el. That discusses: Some embodiments described in this disclosure are directed to facilitating manipulation of handwritten content displayed in a user interface, including deleting a portion of the handwritten content and subsequently reflowing undeleted portions of the handwritten content in the user interface. Some embodiments described in this disclosure are directed to facilitating conversion of handwritten input into handwriting based on a model handwriting. Some embodiments described in this disclosure are directed to pasting stored text on a user interface as handwritten text or font-based text based on the type of input.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM D. TITCOMB whose telephone number is (571)270-5190. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30 AM - 6:30 PM (M-F).
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WILLIAM D. TITCOMB
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2178
/WILLIAM D TITCOMB/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2178 7-22-2026
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