DETAILED ACTION
This communication is responsive to Pre-Amendment filed 07/25/2024.
Claims 1-7 are pending in this application. In the Amendment, claims 3-5 are amended.
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 1-7 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.
Claims 1 and 7 recite the limitation "the other selection element" in line 18 and 15 respectively. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claims 2-6 are rejected for fully incorporating the deficiencies of their respective base claims. Appropriate corrections are 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.
Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Coffman et al. (“Coffman”, US 2015/0345068) in view of Gelfond et al. (“Gelfond”, US 2005/0115816).
As per claim 1, Coffman teaches an operation terminal device for a user to control a main body device, the operation terminal device comprising:
a control unit (Coffman, para.35, Fig.1, controller device 100); and
a user interface unit including a touch panel and controlled by the control unit (Coffman, para.35, Fig.1, touchscreen 150),
wherein the control unit has a display control function of displaying a setting screen of a plurality of setting screens on the touch panel and controlling the display such that the setting screen is switched to another setting screen in response to an operation of the user on the touch panel (Coffman, para.33, 66, 46-51, 74, scrollable icons/menus; Fig.11-17), and
the display control function includes a function of controlling such that, in a case where the setting screen is switched to the other setting screen, a selection element that is currently set among a plurality of selection elements provided on the other setting screen and selectable by the user is displayed for a predetermined time (Coffman, para.72, default values set as current selection; Fig.20, para.90, parameter band 900 displays currently set elements), and the other selection element is displayed in a selectable manner together with the selection element (Coffman, Fig.21, para.91-92, parameter band 900 displays currently set elements with other selection elements in response to user selection of element).
However, Coffman does not teach wherein the other selection element is displayed after the predetermined time has elapsed. Gelfond teaches a device for displaying selection options wherein further selection elements are displayed after a predetermined time has elapsed (Gelfond, para.231-234, 402-403, second set of options available after predetermined time). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include Gelfond‘s teaching with Coffman’s device in order to minimize information overload (Gelfond, para.369).
As per claim 2, the device of Coffman and Gelfond teaches the operation terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the display control function includes a function of controlling such that only the selection element is displayed on the other setting screen for the predetermined time (Coffman, para.72, default values set as current selection; Fig.20, para.90, parameter band 900 displays currently set elements), and the other selection element is displayed after the predetermined time has elapsed (Gelfond, para.231-234, 402-403, second set of options available after predetermined time).
As per claim 3, the device of Coffman and Gelfond teaches the operation terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the display control function includes a function of controlling switching from the setting screen to the other setting screen by a scroll display (Coffman, para.46-51, 74, 94, scrollable icons/menus).
As per claim 4, the device of Coffman and Gelfond teaches the operation terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the other setting screen includes a drum roll image in which the plurality of selection elements is arranged, and is a drum roll type GUI in which the drum roll image changes such that a drum roll rotates in response to a sliding operation of the user on the touch panel (Coffman, Fig.21, para.70, 73, 92-93, select values thru scrolling motion to rotate values vertically).
As per claim 5, the device of Coffman and Gelfond teaches the operation terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the display control function controls a selection element that is currently set to be displayed for the predetermined time with a presentation effect that is visually distinguished from the other selection element (Coffman, para.35, 43, 71, Figs.2, 11-12, visually-distinguished icon 256/422).
As per claim 6, the device of Coffman and Gelfond teaches the operation terminal device according to claim 5, wherein the presentation effect that is visually distinguished includes at least one of a color, a highlight, a blink, a bold, an italic, and an underline (Coffman, para.35, 43, 71, visually-distinguished icon, highlighted, enlarged; Figs.2, 11-12, icon 256/422).
Claim 7 is similar in scope to claim 2, and is therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Nakano et al. (US 2015/0345814) teaches a method of presenting operating status parameters after a period of time has elapsed.
Nakatsu (US 2013/0278961) teaches a method of setting options to control a device.
Inquiries
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SAJEDA MUHEBBULLAH whose telephone number is (571)272-4065. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Tue/Thur-Fri 10am-8pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, William L Bashore can be reached at 571-272-4088. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/S.M./
Sajeda MuhebbullahExaminer, Art Unit 2174
/WILLIAM L BASHORE/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2174
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