DETAILED ACTION
This action is made in response to the Preliminary amendment filed on 07/26/2024. This action is made non-final.
Claims 1-16, 26-29 are pending. Claims 1 and 26 are independent claims.
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 § 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 1-3, 7, 8, 14-16, 26-28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jang et al. (US 20160313869 A1; hereinafter Jang).
As to claim 1, Jang teaches:
An information exchange method applied to an electronic device (see ¶ 0011, 0014), the method comprising:
displaying, by the electronic device, a first interface in a first display region of a display (see Fig. 4 and ¶ 0134-0135; the smart watch may display a watch image [i.e., first interface]);
reducing, by the electronic device, the first display region and displaying recommendation information in a second display region of the display while maintaining a reduced first display region to display the first interface, the second display region being a region that does not overlap the reduced first display region (See Fig. 8-9 and ¶ 0146-0147, 0151; when a preset notification event occurs while a watch image 810 is displayed on the display unit 251, the smart watch 200 may automatically enter a moving circle mode without a separate user input. Accordingly, the smart watch 200 may reduce a watch image, display the reduced watch image in a central portion or an edge portion of a display, and display notification information in a surrounding region of the reduced watch image);
detecting, by the electronic device, a first gesture operation, wherein the first gesture operation is associated with a position of the reduced first display region on the display (see Fig. 11 and ¶ 0158-0163; upon selecting first notification information 1160 among the notification information items 1130 to 1170; this operation is associated with a position of the reduced first display region because it is on a second display region that is associated with the reduced first display region); and
opening, by the electronic device in response to the first gesture operation, an interface corresponding to the recommendation information (see Fig. 11 and ¶ 0158-0163; upon selecting first notification information 1160 among the notification information items 1130 to 1170, the smart watch 200 may move the watch image 1110 toward an edge of the display unit 251, and simultaneously or sequentially change the size of the watch image 1110 according to the amount of detailed information about the first notification information 1160. ¶ 0160; The smart watch 200 may display detailed information 1181 about the first notification information 1160 in the surrounding region 1120 of the display unit 251, which is enlarged by moving the watch image 1110 and changing the size of the watch image 1110).
The prior art includes each element claimed as evidenced above, although not necessarily in a single prior art embodiment. One of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods (e.g. programming), and that in combination, each element merely performs the same function as it does separately. One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable. In addition, Jang expressly suggests that the description is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The features, structures, methods, and other characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described herein may be combined in various ways to obtain additional and/or alternative exemplary embodiments (Jang: see ¶ 0288).
As to claim 2, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated. Jang further teach:
wherein the reducing, by the electronic device, the first display region comprises:
proportionally reducing the first interface based on a preset reduction proportion (see ¶ 0125, 0240, 0243; the controller 280 may reduce the watch image with a predetermined ratio and display the reduced watch image on the display unit 251 (S340). In this case, the controller 280 may display the reduced watch image on a central portion of the display unit 251 or at an edge of the display unit 251), wherein:
the reduced first display region is located in a center of the display; or an edge on a side of the reduced first display region is in contact with an edge on a side of the display (see Fig. 4 and ¶ 0125, 0240, 0243).
As to claim 3, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated. Jang further teach:
wherein the reducing the first display region comprises: translating, by the electronic device, the first interface toward a preset direction (see Fig. 4 and ¶ 0136-0138; the smart watch 200 may display a reduced watch image 420 in the central portion of the display unit 251 [thus, translating inward direction], the smart watch 200 may display a reduced watch image 430 in a predetermined edge region (e.g., an edge region in the 12 o'clock direction) of a display unit; the smart watch 200 may move a reduced watch image 440 in an opposite direction to a direction in which an hour hand is directed to display the reduced watch image 440 at an edge of the display unit 251. On the other hand, the smart watch 200 may move a reduced watch image (not shown) in a direction in which an hour hand is directed to display the reduced watch image at the edge of the display unit 251).
As to claim 7, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated. Jang further teach: wherein when the reduced first display region is located on a first side of the display direction (see Fig. 4 and ¶ 0136-0138; the smart watch 200 may display a reduced watch image 430 in a predetermined edge region (e.g., an edge region in the 12 o'clock direction) of a display unit; the smart watch 200 may move a reduced watch image 440 in an opposite direction to a direction in which an hour hand is directed to display the reduced watch image 440 at an edge of the display unit 251. On the other hand, the smart watch 200 may move a reduced watch image (not shown) in a direction in which an hour hand is directed to display the reduced watch image at the edge of the display unit 251).
As to claim 8, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated. Jang further teach: wherein when the reduced first display region is located on a second side of the display (see Fig. 4 and ¶ 0136-0138; the smart watch 200 may display a reduced watch image 430 in a predetermined edge region (e.g., an edge region in the 12 o'clock direction) of a display unit; the smart watch 200 may move a reduced watch image 440 in an opposite direction to a direction in which an hour hand is directed to display the reduced watch image 440 at an edge of the display unit 251. On the other hand, the smart watch 200 may move a reduced watch image (not shown) in a direction in which an hour hand is directed to display the reduced watch image at the edge of the display unit 251).
As to claim 14, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated. Jang further teach:
detecting a switching operation of a user; and switching, by the electronic device, the recommendation information displayed in the second display region to recommendation information corresponding to another piece of recommended software (see Fig. 11 and ¶ 0158-0163; upon selecting first notification information 1160 among the notification information items 1130 to 1170, the smart watch 200 may move the watch image 1110 toward an edge of the display unit 251, and simultaneously or sequentially change the size of the watch image 1110 according to the amount of detailed information about the selected notification information . ¶ 0160; The smart watch 200 may display detailed information 1181 about the selected notification information in the surrounding region 1120 of the display unit 251, which is enlarged by moving the watch image 1110 and changing the size of the watch image 1110).
As to claim 15, the rejection of claim 14 is incorporated. Jang further teach: wherein the switching operation comprises one or more of touching the display, pressing a physical button of the electronic device, and rotating a rotatable component of the electronic device (see Fig. 11 and ¶ 0155, 0158-0163; select a notification information using touch input).
As to claim 16, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated. Jang further teach: detecting a second gesture operation of the user; restoring, by the electronic device, a size of the reduced first display region; and closing the second display region (see ¶ 0162, 0208; restore to original size).
As to claims 26-28, claims 26-28 are directed to a watch comprising at least one processor; and a memory storing instructions and coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the watch to perform the method steps as claimed in claims 1-3, respectively; therefore, are rejected under similar rationale (Jang: see Figs. 1-2 and ¶ 0109-0120).
Claims 4-6, 29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jang in view of Song et al. (WO 2020/259651 A1; hereinafter Song).
As to claim 4, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated. Jang does not appear to teach wherein the reducing, by the electronic device, the first display region comprises: flipping, by the electronic device, the first interface.
However, Song is relied upon for teaching the deficient limitation. Specifically, Song teaches reducing, by the electronic device, the first display region comprises: flipping, by the electronic device, the first interface (Song: see Fig. 9a and page 54, lines 32-44, page 71, lines 18-44; when the electronic device receives the first sliding operation, if the electronic device determines that the first sliding operation satisfies the first preset condition, the display window is shrunk, flipped, rotated, jittered, and flickered according to the first sliding operation).
Both references are directed to a user interface interaction. One of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, could have combined the teaching of Jang and the teaching of Song to provide the effect of reducing a user interface using flipping mechanism. One of ordinary skill in the art would have made the combination for the motivation suggested by Song to enhance the continuity of interfaces switching and to improve the interaction efficiency between users and electronic devices; and makes the switching of the user interfaces more intelligent (Song: page 54, lines 32-44).
As to claim 5, the rejection of claim 4 is incorporated. Jang and Song further teach obtaining, by the electronic device, a preset flip axis, and flipping the first interface based on the flip axis, wherein the flip axis is located in the first display region (Song: see Fig. 9a and page 71, lines 18-44; flipping direction around the left edge/vertical axis as illustrated in Fig. 9a or upper edge/horizontal axis as shown in Fig. 9b). Thus, combining Jang and Song would meet the claimed limitations for the same reasons as set forth in claim 4.
As to claim 6, the rejection of claim 4 is incorporated. Jang and Song further teach wherein the flipping, by the electronic device, the first interface comprises: obtaining, by the electronic device, a preset flip point and flipping the first interface toward an inner side of the display by using a tangent line corresponding to the flip point as a flip axis, wherein the flip point is located at an edge of the first display region and the tangent line corresponding to the flip point is a tangent line that passes through the flip point and through the first display region (Song: see Fig. 9a and page 71, lines 18-44; flipping direction around the left edge/vertical axis as illustrated in Fig. 9a or upper edge/horizontal axis as shown in Fig. 9b). Thus, combining Jang and Song would meet the claimed limitations for the same reasons as set forth in claim 4.
As to claim 29, claim 29 is directed to a watch comprising at least one processor; and a memory storing instructions and coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the watch to perform the method steps as claimed in claims 4; therefore, is rejected under similar rationale (Jang: see Figs. 1-2 and ¶ 0109-0120).
Claims 9-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jang in view of Ive et al. (US 2019/0369861 A1; hereinafter Ive).
As to claim 9, the rejection of claim 7 is incorporated. Jang does not appear to teach, but Ive is relied upon for teaching the limitations of claim 9. Specifically, Ive teaches wherein the first gesture operation is further associated with a position of the electronic device (Ive: see ¶ 0243; left-handed configuration and right-handed configuration. ¶ 0245; device 600 is able to change its top/bottom configurations depending on which wrist of the user device 600 is on to maintain consistency of the relative sizes of the top and bottom regions of the touch screen); and
the first side of the display is a lower left part of the display, and the gesture operation includes detecting raising movement of a left wrist of a user when the electronic device is positioned adjacent to the left wrist (Ive: see Fig. 6WW and ¶ 0277; in an embodiment where the electronic device is a wrist-worn smart watch, the top region refers to the region closest to the pinky side of the wrist (e.g., the top region of the screen while a user raises her wrist to view the screen), and the bottom region refers to the thumb side of the wrist (e.g., the bottom region of the screen while a user raises her wrist to view the screen). Therefore, in some embodiments the top region and the bottom region change depending on the handedness of the electronic device (e.g., a wrist-worn smart watch). Where the watch is configured for left-handed wear (e.g., worn on the right wrist), the top region refers to the physical position or region close to the bottom region in a right-handed wearing configuration, and vice versa. The above-described manner of accessing and displaying the system user interface enables the electronic device to provide the same responses to a touch and hold input gestures regardless whether the electronic device is operating in a left-handed configuration or a right-handed configuration, which makes the user-device interface more efficient, which further reduces power usage and improves battery life of the device by enabling the user to use the device more quickly and efficiently); or
the first side of the display is an upper left part of the display, and the gesture operation includes detecting raising movement of a left wrist of a user when the electronic device is positioned adjacent to the left wrist (Ive: see Figs. 6WW-6XX and ¶ 0276-0277: the examiner notes the unselected embodiment); or
the first side of the display is a lower right part of the display, and the gesture operation includes detecting raising movement of a right wrist of a user when the electronic device is positioned adjacent to the right wrist (Ive: see Figs. 6WW-6XX and ¶ 0276-0277: the examiner notes the unselected embodiment); or
the first side of the display is an upper right part of the display, and the gesture operation includes detecting raising movement of a right wrist of a user when the electronic device is positioned adjacent to the right wrist (Ive: see Figs. 6WW-6XX and ¶ 0276-0277: the examiner notes the unselected embodiment).
Both references are directed to a smart watch user interface. One of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, could have combined the teaching of Jang and the teaching of Ive to provide the user interface that is configured differently depending on the position of the device as claimed. One of ordinary skill in the art would have made the combination for the motivation suggested by Ive to make the user-device interface more efficient, which further reduce power usage and improves battery life of the device by enabling the user to use the device more quickly and efficiently (Ive: ¶ 0277).
As to claim 10, the rejection of claim 8 is incorporated. Jang and Ive further teach:
wherein the first gesture operation is further associated with a position of the electronic device (Ive: see ¶ 0243; left-handed configuration and right-handed configuration. ¶ 0245; device 600 is able to change its top/bottom configurations depending on which wrist of the user device 600 is on to maintain consistency of the relative sizes of the top and bottom regions of the touch screen); and
the second side of the display is an upper right part of the display, and the gesture operation includes detecting downward movement of a left wrist of a user when the electronic device is positioned adjacent to the left wrist (Ive: see Fig. 6WW and ¶ 0277; in an embodiment where the electronic device is a wrist-worn smart watch, the top region refers to the region closest to the pinky side of the wrist (e.g., the top region of the screen while a user raises her wrist to view the screen), and the bottom region refers to the thumb side of the wrist (e.g., the bottom region of the screen while a user raises her wrist to view the screen). Therefore, in some embodiments the top region and the bottom region change depending on the handedness of the electronic device (e.g., a wrist-worn smart watch). Where the watch is configured for left-handed wear (e.g., worn on the right wrist), the top region refers to the physical position or region close to the bottom region in a right-handed wearing configuration, and vice versa. The above-described manner of accessing and displaying the system user interface enables the electronic device to provide the same responses to a touch and hold input gestures regardless whether the electronic device is operating in a left-handed configuration or a right-handed configuration, which makes the user-device interface more efficient, which further reduces power usage and improves battery life of the device by enabling the user to use the device more quickly and efficiently. Jang: see Fig. 6 and ¶ 0124; gesture input comprises a gesture input of shaking or flicking the wrist by a user); or
the second side of the display is a lower right part of the display, and the gesture operation includes detecting downward movement of a left wrist of a user when the electronic device is positioned adjacent to the left wrist (the examiner notes the unselected embodiment); or
the second side of the display is an upper left part of the display, and the gesture operation includes detecting downward movement of a right wrist of a user when the electronic device is positioned adjacent to the right wrist (the examiner notes the unselected embodiment); or
the second side of the display is a lower left part of the display, and the gesture operation includes detecting downward movement of a right wrist of a user when the electronic device is positioned adjacent to the right wrist (the examiner notes the unselected embodiment). Thus, combining Jang and Ive would meet the claimed limitations for the same reasons as set forth in claim 9.
As to claim 11, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated. Jang and Ive further teach:
wherein the first gesture operation includes detecting raising movement of a wrist of a user when the electronic device is positioned adjacent to the wrist (Jang: see Fig. 6 and ¶ 0124; gesture input comprises a gesture input of shaking or flicking the wrist by a user. Ive: see Fig. 6WW and ¶ 0276-0277; raising movement of a wrist). Thus, combining Jang and Ive would meet the claimed limitations for the same reasons as set forth in claim 9.
As to claim 12, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated. Jang and Ive further teach:
wherein the first gesture operation includes detecting downward movement of a wrist of a user when the electronic device is positioned adjacent to the wrist (Jang: see Fig. 6 and ¶ 0124; gesture input comprises a gesture input of shaking or flicking the wrist by a user. Ive: see Fig. 6WW and ¶ 0276-0277; raising movement of a wrist). Thus, combining Jang and Ive would meet the claimed limitations for the same reasons as set forth in claim 9.
As to claim 13, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated. Jang and Ive further teach:
wherein when the electronic device is worn on a left wrist of a user, the reduced first display region is located at a first position; or when the electronic device is worn on a wrist of a user, the reduced first display region is located at a second position (Ive: ¶ 0245, 0276-0277; device 600 is able to change its top/bottom configurations depending on which wrist of the user device 600 is on to maintain consistency of the relative sizes of the top and bottom regions of the touch screen. Jang: Fig. 4a-4c and ¶ 0134-0138; reduced watch image displays at different position depending on some criteria); and
the first position and the second position are symmetrical along a central axis of the electronic device (Ive: see Figs. 6WW and 6XX and ¶ 0276-0277).
Thus, combining Jang and Ive would meet the claimed limitations for the same reasons as set forth in claim 9.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record on form PTO-892 and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Applicant is required under 37 C.F.R. § 1.111(c) 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 the 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)).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TUYETLIEN T TRAN whose telephone number is (571)270-1033. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Irete (Fred) Ehichioya can be reached on 571-272-4034. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TUYETLIEN T TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2179
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