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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) was on August 19, 2024 (8/19/2024). The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement was considered by the examiner.
The information disclosure statement (IDS) was on August 12, 2025 (8/12/2025). The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement was considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 7 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 7 states “The report assisting device according to claim 1, further comprising a positioning function activator, when the report is detected, a function in the communication terminal to determine a location where the communication terminal is positioned in a case where the function is not activated…” but does not state that the positioning function activator actually performs the activation of “a function in the communication terminal.” It should be amended to “The report assisting device according to claim 1, further comprising a positioning function activator, when the report is detected, activates a function in the communication terminal…” or similar.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim 9 is 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.
Claim 9 recites the limitation "…the report causing a communication using telephone conversations between the communication terminal and a report destination to be initiated…" in "A communication terminal comprising: a detector configured to detect a report from a communication terminal, the report causing a communication using telephone conversations between the communication terminal and a report destination to be initiated; an acquisition circuit configured to acquire position information of the communication terminal in a case where the report is detected; and a display controller configured to control the communication terminal to display the acquired position information".
Claim 9 discloses “A communication terminal comprising: a detector configured to detect a report from a communication terminal, the report causing a communication using telephone conversations between the communication terminal and a report destination to be initiated…”
It is unclear whether the “report from a communication terminal” is from the same communication terminal of Claim 9 or a separate communication terminal. Furthermore, it is unclear whether the telephone conversations “between the communication terminal and a report destination” is between the communication terminal of claim 9, or a separate communication terminal. It is also unclear if the acquired position information of the communication terminal is that of the claimed communication terminal or the separate communication terminal as well as which communication terminal is being controlled to display the acquired position information.
In the interest of compact prosecution, the communication terminal of Claim 9 is being interpreted as being similar to the report assisting device of Claim 1, because as seen in the specification, the report assisting device can be implemented into the communication terminal which is stated in Par. [0019] of the Specification “The report assisting device 100 is provided in the communication terminal 10, for example.”
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-5 and 8-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Saeki et al. (JP 2002/135459).
Regarding Claim 1, Saeki teaches a report assisting device comprising: (Pg. 3, “FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the emergency call on-vehicle device according to the first embodiment of the present invention”),
a detector configured to detect a report from a communication terminal, the report causing a communication using telephone conversations between the communication terminal and a report destination to be initiated; (Pg. 3 “In FIG. 2, an emergency call communication processing means 9 is a means for controlling communication with an emergency call center when an emergency call button is pressed” and Pg. 4 “As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the emergency notification on-vehicle device is configured to display the address of the vehicle position on the navigation device at the time of a telephone call for the emergency notification”),
an acquisition circuit configured to acquire position information of the communication terminal in a case where the report is detected; (Pg. 3 “As shown in FIG. 2, when the emergency call button 7 is pushed, the emergency call communication processing means 9 Control to communicate with the emergency call center. The report location address search processing means 10 obtains an address from the latitude and longitude information”)
and a display controller configured to control the communication terminal to display the acquired position information (Pg. 3 “The display processing unit 12 is a unit that converts information to be displayed into a video signal”).
Regarding Claim 2, Saeki teaches the invention of Claim 1, further teaching the acquisition circuit includes a positioning information acquisition circuit configured to acquire positioning information that is information obtained by determining a location where the communication terminal is positioned; (Pg. 3 “The report location address search processing means 10 obtains an address from the latitude and longitude information” and “When the emergency call button 7 is pressed, communication with the emergency call center is started. The in-vehicle device ID, trigger information, and position information are transmitted to the emergency call center”)
and an address specifying circuit configured to specify an address where the communication terminal is positioned based on the positioning information, (Pg. 3 “The report location address search processing means 10 obtains an address from the latitude and longitude information”)
and the display controller displays, on the communication terminal, the specified address as the position information (Pg. 3 “The report location address search processing means 10 obtains an address from the latitude and longitude information… The display processing means 12 converts the information to be displayed into a video signal” and “The address of the report location is searched, and the report location address is displayed on the display”).
Regarding Claim 3, Saeki teaches the invention of Claim 1, further teaching a generation generator configured to generate speech information indicating the position information (Pg. 2 “The voice reproduction processing means 13 performs voice synthesis” and Pg. 3 “Further, the address of the reporting position is output from the speaker by voice synthesis”).
Regarding Claim 4, Saeki teaches the invention of Claim 3, further teaching a speech output circuit configured to output the generated speech information in the communication terminal (Pg. 2 “The voice reproduction processing means 13 performs voice synthesis” and Pg. 3-4 “Then, the data communication is switched to the voice communication. The address of the report location is searched, and the report location address is displayed on the display as shown in FIG. Further, the address of the reporting position is output from the speaker by voice synthesis”).
Regarding Claim 5, Saeki teaches the invention of Claim 3, further teaching a speech transmitter configured to transmit the generated speech information, as a speech collected by the communication terminal, to a report destination of the report (Pg. 4 “Furthermore, during voice conversation with the center operator after data communication, the address of the reporting location and the target near the reporting location are automatically reproduced as voice, and the center operator is notified by voice. Even in an unknown state, voice notification of an address relating to a reporting location and a nearby target can be performed”).
Regarding Claim 8, Saeki teaches the invention of Claim 1, further teaching the detector detects a report causing a communication via a telephone line between the communication terminal and the report destination to be initiated (Pg. 3 “In FIG. 2, an emergency call communication processing means 9 is a means for controlling communication with an emergency call center when an emergency call button is pressed” and Pg. 4 “As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the emergency notification on-vehicle device is configured to display the address of the vehicle position on the navigation device at the time of a telephone call for the emergency notification”).
Regarding Claim 9, Saeki teaches a communication terminal comprising: (Pg. 3, “FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the emergency call on-vehicle device according to the first embodiment of the present invention”),
a detector configured to detect a report from a communication terminal, the report causing a communication using telephone conversations between the communication terminal and a report destination to be initiated; (Pg. 3 “In FIG. 2, an emergency call communication processing means 9 is a means for controlling communication with an emergency call center when an emergency call button is pressed” and Pg. 4 “As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the emergency notification on-vehicle device is configured to display the address of the vehicle position on the navigation device at the time of a telephone call for the emergency notification”),
an acquisition circuit configured to acquire position information of the communication terminal in a case where the report is detected; (Pg. 3 “The report location address search processing means 10 is a means for obtaining an address from latitude and longitude information”),
and a display controller configured to control the communication terminal to display the acquired position information (Pg. 3 “The display processing unit 12 is a unit that converts information to be displayed into a video signal”).
Regarding Claim 10, Saeki teaches a report assisting method comprising: detecting a report from a communication terminal, the report causing a communication using telephone conversations between the communication terminal and a report destination to be initiated; (Pg. 3 “In FIG. 2, an emergency call communication processing means 9 is a means for controlling communication with an emergency call center when an emergency call button is pressed” and Pg. 4 “As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the emergency notification on vehicle device is configured to display the address of the vehicle position on the navigation device at the time of a telephone call for the emergency notification”),
acquiring position information of the communication terminal in a case where the report is detected; (Pg. 3 “The report location address search processing means 10 is a means for obtaining an address from latitude and longitude information”),
and controlling the communication terminal to display the acquired position information (Pg. 3 “The display processing unit 12 is a unit that converts information to be displayed into a video signal”).
Regarding Claim 11, Saeki teaches a tangible and non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a program that causes a computer to execute: (Pg. 3 “The disk 8 is a CDROM for installing the emergency call service function program. The modem and the mobile phone may come with the navigation device. The manual notification button and the disk are devices unique to the emergency notification vehicle-mounted device”),
a process of detecting a report from a communication terminal, the report causing a communication using telephone conversations between the communication terminal and a report destination to be initiated; (Pg. 3 “In FIG. 2, an emergency call communication processing means 9 is a means for controlling communication with an emergency call center when an emergency call button is pressed” and Pg. 4 “As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the emergency notification on vehicle device is configured to display the address of the vehicle position on the navigation device at the time of a telephone call for the emergency notification”),
a process of acquiring position information of the communication terminal in a case where the report is detected; (Pg. 3 “The report location address search processing means 10 is a means for obtaining an address from latitude and longitude information”),
and a process of controlling the communication terminal to display the acquired position information (Pg. 3 “The display processing unit 12 is a unit that converts information to be displayed into a video signal”).
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 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saeki et al. (JP 2002/135459) in view of Omoto et al. (US 2021/0276584).
Regarding Claim 6, Saeki teaches the invention of Claim 3, but does not teach the display controller displays, on the communication terminal, request information for requesting agreement regarding provision of the position information, and the generator generates the speech information in a case where an input of the agreement is received.
In the same field of endeavor, Omote teaches the display controller displays, on the communication terminal, request information for requesting agreement regarding provision of the position information, (Par. [0027] “The operation unit 116 is an interface to be operated by the user, for example, buttons. The operation unit 116 may be integrated with the display 118 described later and configured as a touch panel. The operation unit 116 accepts an instruction from the user and outputs the accepted instruction to the processor 112. The display 118 is a monitor and displays videos, images, and messages output from the processor 112” and Par. [0027] “In this configuration, upon acceptance of an instruction from the operation unit 116, the processor 112 executes any of the applications stored in the storage 114 and displays the results on the display 118”),
and the generator generates the speech information in a case where an input of the agreement is received (Par. [0068] “When the user selects the “No” button by operating the operation unit 116, the processor 112 displays the message on the display 118. On the other hand, when the user selects the “Yes” button by operating the operation unit 116, the processor 112 outputs the message by a voice through voice conversion from a speaker”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Omote’s display with Saeki’s display controller to improve the safety of connection between two communication devices.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saeki et al. (JP 2002/135459) in view of Kojima et al. (JP 2006/333414).
Regarding Claim 7, Saeki teaches the invention of Claim 1, but does not teach, a positioning function activator, when the report is detected, a function in the communication terminal to determine a location where the communication terminal is positioned in a case where the function is not activated, wherein the acquisition circuit acquires the position information based on information obtained by determining the location where the communication terminal is positioned.
In the same field of endeavor, Kojima teaches a positioning function activator, when the report is detected, a function in the communication terminal to determine a location where the communication terminal is positioned in a case where the function is not activated, (Pg. 5-6 “Upon receiving the instruction, the change-over switch 15 requests the GPS unit 14 for position measurement. The GPS unit 14 receives GPS signals from a plurality of GPS satellites via the GPS antenna 13, detects the current position based on the received GPS signals, and outputs the detection result to the control unit 16 via the changeover switch 15”)
wherein the acquisition circuit acquires the position information based on information obtained by determining the location where the communication terminal is positioned (Pg. 5-6 “The GPS unit 14 receives GPS signals from a plurality of GPS satellites via the GPS
antenna 13, detects the current position based on the received GPS signals, and outputs the detection result to the control unit 16 via the changeover switch 15. (Step S201).
Subsequently, the control unit 16 monitors the signal output from the operation unit 18 and determines whether or not the user has instructed the end of navigation (step S202)”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Kojima’s GPS unit with Saeki’s report location address search processing means to improve position measurement.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Takahashi et al. (JP 2009/100391) discloses “Further, based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition means, state information (status information) indicating what state the user using the communication terminal apparatus is in is generated, and the state information is The communication terminal device may be able to be acquired” (Pg. 5) and “In that case, a plurality of predetermined position information corresponding to different states of the user is registered in advance, and the position information acquired by the position information acquisition means corresponds to any of the registered position information. It is possible to generate the state information by determining whether or not the above applies” (Pg. 5).
Koseki et al. (JP 2016/170571) discloses “ The TTS processing unit 13 is for converting the text character information generated by the report message generating unit into voice and performing voice report to the report destination” (Pg. 3).
Kano et al. (JP 2011/205174) discloses “The report transmission device 1 includes a display 11, a shortening button 12, an off-hook button 13, an on-hook button 14, and a numeric button row 15. The abbreviated button 12 can be dialed with a single push on a telephone number registered in advance. The telephone number of the call center is registered in the shortcut button 12 as an emergency call destination when an emergency situation occurs. In other words, the notification transmission device 1 performs automatic transmission to the call center when the user pushes the shortening button 12” (Pg. 2-3).
Huh et al. (US 2015/0031325) discloses “The surrounding situation sounds may be transferred by connecting the voice call to the situation room 90 through the mobile communication interface that is equipped in the mobile terminal. If the emergency situation alerting signal is received from the emergency situation manager 110, the controller 130 may make a voice call connection to the situation room 90 that is preset” (Par. [0030]).
Cecchet et al. (US 2020/0279466) discloses “At this point the central information system 30 will send an order to the device 1 to make a voice call to the local public emergency service (for example 112 or 911) and when the public service responds, the three-way conversation function (conference call) will be activated. At this point, the central information system 30 will send the preliminary voice message, which can also be heard by the user of the device in the field” (Par. [0067]).
Benco et al. (US 2004/0257274) discloses “The User Equipment 210 of the paging party includes a display, and the location identifier is presented to the paging party on that display. Alternatively, the location identifier 238 is processed by a text to voice converter and the answer message 242 includes a synthesized audio message providing the location information to the paging party” (Par. [0055]).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSEPH NGHIA DINH whose telephone number is (571)272-7982. The examiner can normally be reached Mon. - Fri. 7:30AM-5PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Charles Appiah can be reached at 571-272-7904. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/J.N.D./Examiner, Art Unit 2641
/CHARLES N APPIAH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2641
Prosecution Insights