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 § 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, 3-8, 10-15, and 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by “This Is How The Tool Cupboard Works” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6W5XheuwFw herein’ known as Rust).
Re claim 1, 3, 17-19: Rust discloses an information processing system in which a plurality of users operate and cause respective corresponding player characters to perform an action in a virtual space including at least a plurality of first objects, the system comprising:
one or more processors (inherently the computer based game system includes one or more processors); and one or more memories storing a program that, when executed, causes the information processing system (inherently the computer based game system includes memory for storing the game program) to perform operations including:
changing, in the virtual space, a first state of at least one of the first objects and a second object that is associated with a first user, in relation to a position in the virtual space specified based on the first user's input (when a user creates a tool cupboard, the state of user items changes from objects not located within a protected base to items within a protected area; the first and second objects can also be building objects that are being changed from a non-protected state to a protected state within proximity to the tool cupboard. Here, the virtual character is at the location of the cupboard when it is placed in the virtual environment);
setting a first region related to the first user in the virtual space based on a position of the second object associated with the first user and arranged at the position in the virtual space based on the first user's input with reference to a position of a first player character related to the first user, the first region being a two-dimensional or three-dimensional region (a first player at a particular location, places a tool cupboard at said particular location that prevents second and third users from accessing items within the cupboard, and also provides an area of building privilege where its placed in);
changing, in the virtual space, a second state of at least one of the first objects and a second object that is associated with a second user different from the first user, in relation to a position in the virtual space specified based on the second user's input (first and second building materials of a second user including foundations, walls, patios are changed from an able to be built state to an unable to be built state when the second user enters the restricted area created by the cupboard); and
limiting changing of states of the first and second objects in the first region based on the second user's input (as stated above said building objects are prevented from being built when the second user enters the restricted area; such also applies to claims 3).
Re claim 4, 5, 6: Rust discloses with respect to the information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the limiting includes limiting removal of at least one of the first and second objects in the first region from a position in the first region at which the at least one of the first and second objects is located, based on the second user's input (the system prevents second users from attempting to upgrade building blocks, wherein upgrading building blocks is inherently the deleting of the previous block and replacing said block with a better block. This attempted upgrade is reflective of a second user’s input).
Re claim 7 and 8: Rust discloses with respect to the information processing system according to claim 1, wherein
further, a third state of at least one of the first objects and a second object that is associated with a third user that is different from the first and second users and satisfies a condition, is changed in the virtual space, in relation to a position in the virtual space specified based on the third user's input, and
the limiting includes not limiting changing of states of the first and second objects in the first region based on the third user's input (a third user can change the state of a first and second object from a normal state object to an upgraded object, such as an improved wall, wherein a third user is allowed such privilege if they are a teammate of the first player; such also applies to claim 8).
Re claims 10 and 11: Rust discloses with respect to the language of claim 10 and 11 is mostly covered by the language of claim 1. Rust further addresses the unique limitation of claim 10 and 11, wherein Rust discloses arranging at least one of a first object or a second object according to motions by the first and second user, wherein the users can move around the environment and place items within the environment. The second player is limited from doing such, as they lack the privilege to do so due to the first user’s tool cupboard.
Re claims 14 and 15. Rust discloses with respect to the information processing system according to claim 1, wherein
a parameter is set for each of the first and second objects (each object has a parameter that includes location coordinates),
the changing the first state includes changing a state of at least one of the first objects and the second object associated with the first user, in relation to at least one of the parameters, by changing the at least one of the parameters based on the first user's input (the states of the first and second objects of the objects changes to being a placed object within the region),
the changing the second state includes changing a state of at least one of the first objects and the second object associated with the second user, in relation to at least one of the parameters, by changing the at least one of the parameters based on the second user's input (when a second user attempts to place an object within the restricted user, the second user is attempting to change the location parameter of the object), and
the limiting includes limiting changing of the parameter related to the first region based on the second user's input (the parameters for the second user’s objects will not be changed, as they are restricted from placing items in the area).
Re claim 12 and 13: Rust discloses with respect to the information processing system according to claim 1, wherein a parameter is set at each coordinate point in the virtual space (a parameter for each coordinate point is either occupied or unoccupied by an object),
the changing the first state includes changing at least one of the first objects and the second object associated with the first user, in relation to a coordinate point specified based on the first user's input, by changing the parameter for the coordinate point (a user input placing an object within the environment changes the state of each object from positioned to placed, wherein such changes a coordinate to occupied from unoccupied),
the changing the second state includes changing at least one of the first objects and the second object associated with the second user, in relation to a coordinate point specified based on the second user's input, by changing the parameter for the coordinate point (the same is true for objects from a second player), and
the limiting includes limiting changing of the parameter set for a coordinate point in the first region based on the second user's input (a second user is limited from placing objects at said coordinate point due to restrictions fronted by a first user’s tool cupboard protective zone).
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) 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rust in view of Confused about importance of tool cupboard (https://www.reddit.com/r/playrust/comments/c972it/confused_about_importance_of_tool_cupboard/ herein’ known as Reddit).
Re claim 2: Rust fails to explicitly disclose with respect to the information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second objects in the first region for which changing of states thereof is limited in the limiting include at least one of the first and second objects having a state that has already been changed based on the second user's input. However, Reddit states that when a base is raided and taken over, the base of the formerly second player now belongs to the first player. This means that a base belonging to a second user wherein said base includes building units that previously changed states under a second player from non-placed objects to placed objects, will not have their states changed to privileged objects belonging to a first player when a raid is conducted and a TC is played in proximity to the captured base. It would have been obvious to modify the game of Rust with the raid feature of Reddit, as both describe the same game thus it would have been obvious to incorporate the features of the Reddit reference in the Rust reference as such would have yielded predictable results.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9 and 16 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. The claimed features are not found within the prior art and thus an obviousness rejection can not be provided.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to REGINALD A RENWICK whose telephone number is (571)270-1913. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 11am-7pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kang Hu can be reached at (571)270-1344. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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REGINALD A. RENWICK
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3714
/REGINALD A RENWICK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3715
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