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 .
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Claim Objections
Claim 4 objected to because of the following informalities: the phrase "an input by the user of a purpose of use of the vehicle" in claim 4 line 3 isn't clear. A change to "an input by the user for a purpose of use for the vehicle" is suggested. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kaino et al. (US Patent No.: US 11367257 B2) in view of Young, JR et al, (Patent No. US 20230360134 A1).
Regarding claim 1 Kaino teaches A method executed by a terminal device including an input unit, an output unit, a communication unit, and a control unit, wherein the control unit performs a process including (Kaino, US 11367257 B2, Fig. 6 “(54) FIG. 6, the terminal apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment includes an input section 210, an output section 220, a communication section 230, a storage section 240, and a control section 250. (1) Input section 210”)
transmitting, via the communication unit, second information indicating an object to be placed in a vehicle cabin of the vehicle by the user (Kaino, US 11367257 B2, Fig. 15 “(105) As illustrated in FIG. 15, the user performs allocation of a definite shaped model by performing drag-and-drop of a definite shaped model selected in a definite shaped model selection window 322, onto a real object included in a live-view image”)
acquiring, via the communication unit, an image generated based on the first information and the second information and representing the object placed in the vehicle in the environment condition, (Kaino, US 11367257 B2, Fig. 15 “(105) As illustrated in FIG. 15, the user performs allocation of a definite shaped model by performing drag-and-drop of a definite shaped model selected in a definite shaped model selection window 322, onto a real object included in a live-view image”)
and outputting the image via the output unit. (Kaino, US 11367257 B2, Fig. 15 “(56) The output section 220 performs an output of information. For example, the output section 220 outputs information using an image, a sound, vibration, and/or the like. The output section 220 outputs information on the basis of control performed by the control section 250. (3) Communication section 230”)
However, Kaino is silent about receiving, via the input unit, an input by a user of a vehicle that the user is considering to purchase and an environment condition for an environment in which the vehicle is to be placed transmitting, via the communication unit, first information indicating the vehicle and the environment condition
Young, JR teaches receiving, via the input unit, an input by a user of a vehicle that the user is considering to purchase (Young, JR, US 20230360134 A1, “[0034] For example, the user may be a consumer who wants to purchase a car. The user may go to a showroom to view cars of different models. Instead of having all kinds of cars displayed in the showroom, the showroom may have one or more vehicle husks 205. The user may select the model of the car that the user wants to view, and the user device 210 may display, via an AR interface, AR content items of the selected vehicle model.”) and an environment condition for an environment in which the vehicle is to be placed (Young, JR, US 20230360134 A1, “[0050] The system may also display user-selectable options for different environmental conditions (e.g., sunny day, rainy day, etc.) under which the user wants to view the vehicle. AR content items corresponding to the options may depict the environmental condition (e.g., a beach, a blue sky, a grey sky, etc.) or may change the appearance of the vehicle under such environmental conditions (e.g., more light if the user selects a sunny day, less light if the user selects a rainy day). Displaying AR vehicles under different environmental conditions may provide the user a better experience to understand the appearance of the car.”) transmitting, via the communication unit, first information indicating the vehicle and the environment condition (Young, JR, US 20230360134 A1, “[0050] The system may also display user-selectable options for different environmental conditions (e.g., sunny day, rainy day, etc.) under which the user wants to view the vehicle. AR content items corresponding to the options may depict the environmental condition (e.g., a beach, a blue sky, a grey sky, etc.) or may change the appearance of the vehicle under such environmental conditions (e.g., more light if the user selects a sunny day, less light if the user selects a rainy day). Displaying AR vehicles under different environmental conditions may provide the user a better experience to understand the appearance of the car.”)
Therefore it would have been obvious for an ordinary skilled person in the art before the effective filing date of claimed invention to have modified Kaino by receiving, via the input unit, an input by a user of a vehicle that the user is considering to purchase and an environment condition for an environment in which the vehicle is to be placed, transmitting, via the communication unit, first information indicating the vehicle and the environment condition as taught by Young, Jr and use that with Kaino’s information processing apparatus.
Regarding claim 2 Kaino modified by Young, JR teaches The method according to claim 1, wherein the image is a three-dimensional image (Kaino, US 11367257 B2, “(73) The definite shaped model is a three-dimensional model having a predefined shape. Specifically, the definite shaped model includes relative coordinates of a plurality of vertices, and information indicating a surface including the plurality of vertices.”) in which first three-dimensional data representing the vehicle cabin of the vehicle in the environment condition (Young, JR, US 20230360134 A1, “[0050] The system may also display user-selectable options for different environmental conditions (e.g., sunny day, rainy day, etc.) under which the user wants to view the vehicle. AR content items corresponding to the options may depict the environmental condition (e.g., a beach, a blue sky, a grey sky, etc.) or may change the appearance of the vehicle under such environmental conditions (e.g., more light if the user selects a sunny day, less light if the user selects a rainy day). Displaying AR vehicles under different environmental conditions may provide the user a better experience to understand the appearance of the car.”) and second three-dimensional data representing the object are combined. (Kaino, US 11367257 B2, Fig. 15 “(105) As illustrated in FIG. 15, the user performs allocation of a definite shaped model by performing drag-and-drop of a definite shaped model selected in a definite shaped model selection window 322, onto a real object included in a live-view image”).
Regarding claim 3, Kaino fails to teach wherein the environment condition further includes a degree of brightness caused by a lighting fixture in the vehicle cabin of the vehicle. Young JR teaches The method according to claim 1, wherein the environment condition further includes a degree of brightness caused by a lighting fixture in the vehicle cabin of the vehicle. (Young, JR, US 20230360134 A1, “[0050] The system may also display user-selectable options for different environmental conditions (e.g., sunny day, rainy day, etc.) under which the user wants to view the vehicle. AR content items corresponding to the options may depict the environmental condition (e.g., a beach, a blue sky, a grey sky, etc.) or may change the appearance of the vehicle under such environmental conditions (e.g., more light if the user selects a sunny day, less light if the user selects a rainy day).”)
Regarding claim 5 Kaino teaches The method according to claim 1, wherein: the terminal device further includes a capturing unit (Kaino, US 11367257 B2, “(79) After the registration processing of a definite shaped model, the user performs observation (e.g. acquisition of a captured image and depth information) while directing the terminal apparatus 200 toward an unobserved region of a real space.”)
the control unit further performs a process including acquiring an image capturing the object and captured by the user using the capturing unit (Kaino, US 11367257 B2, “(79) After the registration processing of a definite shaped model, the user performs observation (e.g. acquisition of a captured image and depth information) while directing the terminal apparatus 200 toward an unobserved region of a real space.”)
and the second information includes the captured image. Kaino, US 11367257 B2, “(81) The input information includes, for example, a captured image and/or depth information observed by the terminal apparatus 200.”)
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kaino et al. (US Patent No.: US 11367257 B2) in view of Young, JR et al, (Patent No. US 20230360134 A1) and Koren et al, (Patent No. US 20070156540 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Kaino and Young JR fail to teach wherein the control unit further performs a process including receiving, via the input unit, an input by the user of a purpose of use of the vehicle, outputting, via the output unit, at least one article corresponding to the purpose of use, receiving, via the input unit, an input of one or more articles selected by the user, and transmitting, via the communication unit, the second information indicating the articles selected by the user as the object. Koren teaches The method according to claim 1, wherein the control unit further performs a process including receiving, via the input unit, an input by the user of a purpose of use of the vehicle, outputting, via the output unit, at least one article corresponding to the purpose of use, receiving, via the input unit, an input of one or more articles selected by the user, and transmitting, via the communication unit, the second information indicating the articles selected by the user as the object. (Koren, US 20070156540 A1, “[0019] The method comprises the steps of providing a retail motor vehicle buyer having at least one anthropometric characteristic, measuring the buyer's anthropometric characteristic, providing a Graphic User Interface of the type capable of displaying a scaled graphical representation of physical objects, storing a plurality of modular component choices in an electronic database library, selecting one component from the plurality of component choices in the library, positioning the selected component in the interior space in one discrete placement location, displaying on the Graphic User Interface a dimensionally scaled graphical representation of the selected component in the discrete placement location in the interior space”)
Conclusion
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/C.A.L./Examiner, Art Unit 2612
/Said Broome/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2612
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