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 10-11, 19 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.
Claim 10 recites a non-transitory computer-executable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, which when called and executed by a processor, cause the processor to implement the display method for the skill indicator according to claim 1. The claim 10 is indefinite because the claim claims both a product (a non-transitory computer-executable storage) and a method of using the product (by dependency of claim 1). A single claim which claims both an apparatus and the method steps of using the apparatus is indefinite under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph. See In re Katz Interactive Call Processing Patent Litigation. The claim is indefinite because it is unclear whether infringement occurs when on creates the non-transitory computer-executable storage medium or whether infringement occurs when a user operates a terminal device with the non-transitory computer-executable storage medium to display the skill indicator.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the differences" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. In addition, claim 11 recites, “each direction” in line 4. The claim is indefinite because it is not clear what the plurality of differences and directions are.
Claim 19 include similar limitations and is rejected for the same reason as discussed above.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph:
Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends.
Claim 10 recites a non-transitory computer-executable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, which when called and executed by a processor, cause the processor to implement the display method for the skill indicator according to claim 1.
Claim 10 is rejected under 112d because a non-transitory computer-executable storage medium have computer-executable instructions to perform the computer implemented step but does not perform the method claim.
Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements.
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 1-3, 7, 9-10, 13-14, 18, 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Liu (CN 114082173A) (based on provided machine translation).
Claim 1. Liu discloses a display method for a skill indicator, performed by a terminal device (102 in Fig. 1, paragraph 18), comprising:
determining, in response to a triggering operation on a target skill , a release position and an effect range of the target skill (pages 5-11), wherein the release position is a scene unit in a virtual scene displayed in a graphical user interface (Figs. 2a-2c, 4a-11), the virtual scene comprises a plurality of scene units (page 6, .e. at least two virtual objects, two hostile camp of virtual object; page 6, paragraph 6), the plurality of scene units are arranged continuously (Figs. 2a-2c, 4a-11), and the scene unit is in a shape of a hexagon, and wherein the release position is located in the effect range (pages 2-3; page 8, paragraph 8 – page 9, paragraph 7; page 12-13; i.e. Figs. 8-11), and the effect range comprises some of the plurality of scene units (page 7, paragraphs 2-4);
determining direction information of the skill indicator of the target skill based on relative positions of multiple specified scene units in the effect range (pages 2-3; page 8, paragraph 8 – page 9, paragraph 7; page 12-13; i.e. Figs. 8-11); and
generating and displaying the skill indicator along a direction indicated by the direction information, based on an indicator parameter preset for the target skill, by taking the release position as a reference (pages 2-3; page 8, paragraph 8 – page 9, paragraph 7; page 12-13; i.e. Figs. 8-11).
Claim 2. Liu discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein determining, in response to the triggering operation on the target skill, the release position and the effect range of the target skill, comprises:
determining, in response to a drag operation exerted on a skill control for the target skill, the release position of the target skill based on a drag position of the skill control; determining, in a hexagonal coordinate system of the virtual scene, coordinate information of each scene unit in the effect range of the target skill, based on an effect range parameter preset for the target skill and the release position; and determining the coordinate information of each scene unit in the effect range of the target skill as the effect range of the target skill (pages 2-3; page 8, paragraph 8 – page 9, paragraph 7; page 12-13; i.e. Figs. 8-11; i.e. Figs. 2a-2c, 7-11)
Claim 3. Liu discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein determining the direction information of the skill indicator of the target skill based on the relative positions of the multiple specified scene units in the effect range, comprises: obtaining a target scene unit that is farthest from the release position in the effect range; and determining the direction information of the skill indicator of the target skill based on relationships between a line connecting the target scene unit and the release position (pages 2-3; page 8, paragraph 8 – page 9, paragraph 7; page 12-13; i.e. Figs. 8-11; i.e. Figs. 2a-2c, 7-11) and edges as well as corners of the hexagon (Hexagon form grid without gap and does not overlap and therefore incorporate edges and corners; page 2, paragraph 10 – page 3, paragraph 1)
Claim 7. Liu discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein generating and displaying the skill indicator along the direction indicated by the direction information, based on the indicator parameter preset for the target skill, by taking the release position as the reference, comprises: determining a size parameter of the skill indicator based on a shape and an effect distance of the effect range of the target skill; and generating and displaying the skill indicator along the direction indicated by the direction information, by taking the release position as the reference, wherein a display size of the skill indicator matches with the size parameter (page 7, paragraph 3; pages 12-13; Figs. 8-11)
Claim 12. Liu discloses the method according to claim 7, wherein the effect distance comprises one scene unit, two scene units, three scene units or four scene units (scene unit may comprise one or multiple units within the multiple hexagons; page 6, paragraph 6 – page 7, paragraph 1 and as illustrated in Figs. 2b-2c, 7-11).
Claims 9-10, 13-14, 18, 20. See rejections above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-6, 15-17 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.
Conclusion
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/JASSON H YOO/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3715
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