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) submitted on 10/17/2024 was filed after the mailing date of the non-final rejection on 06/29/2026. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 2, 6, 7, 9-11, 13, 16, 20, & 24-25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Luo (CN 107395989 A, hereinafter, "Luo").
Regarding Claim 1, Luo teaches a multi-device photographing control method, applied to a first virtual reality (VR) head-mounted display device (Luo, Fig. 3, Step 102, "…the master mobile terminal…"), wherein the first VR head-mounted display device is configured to establish a communication connection with at least one second VR head-mounted device (Luo, Fig. 3, Step 102, "…the master mobile terminal and a plurality of slave mobile terminal establishes wireless communication connection."), and the method comprises: determining a photographing moment of the first VR head-mounted display device (Luo, Fig. 3, Step 104, "…the master mobile terminal to control each of the slave mobile terminal respectively through the imaging device with built-in shooting from the image at the same time, and obtaining the plurality of the slave images, wherein one of said slave mobile terminal corresponding to captured from one of the image."); determining exposure indication information according to the photographing moment of the first VR head-mounted display device (Luo, Fig. 8, pg. 11, para. 3, ln. 1-4, "ISP processor 840 determines the statistical data can be transmitted to the control logic unit 850. For example, the statistical data may comprise automatic exposure, automatic white balance, automatic focusing, flicker detection, black level compensation, lens 812 shading correction statistical information such as image sensor 814."); and sending the exposure indication information to the at least one second VR head-mounted display device, wherein the exposure indication information is used for determining a photographing moment of the at least one second VR head-mounted display device (Luo, Fig. 8, pg. 11, para. 4, ln. 3-6, "…control each of the slave mobile terminal respectively through the built-in imaging device shooting from the image at the same time, and obtaining the plurality of the slave images, wherein one of said slave mobile terminal corresponding to captured from one of the image.").
Regarding Claim 2, Luo teaches the limitations of dependent Claim 1 as noted above. Luo teaches the exposure indication information comprises: the photographing moment or a delayed photographing time of the at least one second VR head-mounted display device (Luo, Fig. 3, Step 104, "…the master mobile terminal to control each of the slave mobile terminal respectively through the imaging device with built-in shooting from the image at the same time, and obtaining the plurality of the slave images, wherein one of said slave mobile terminal corresponding to captured from one of the image.").
Regarding Claim 6, Luo teaches the limitations of dependent Claim 2 as noted above. Luo teaches the exposure indication information comprises: device identifiers of various second VR head-mounted display devices among the at least one second VR head-mounted display device (Luo, pg. 12, para. 9, ln. 1-2, "…the main mobile terminal receives the acquisition request sent from the mobile terminal of the panoramic image, the unique identifier in the request of obtaining the panoramic image carried from the mobile terminal."), and a photographing moment or a delayed photographing time corresponding to each of the device identifiers (Luo, pg. 12, para, 2, ln. 1-3, "The master mobile terminal to each of the slave mobile terminal obtained from the requested image, so that each of the slave mobile terminal according to the request at the same time respectively shooting from the image by a built-in imaging device…").
Regarding Claim 7, Luo teaches the limitations of dependent Claim 1 as noted above. Luo teaches the exposure indication information is the photographing moment of the first VR head-mounted display device (Luo, Fig. 3, Step 104, "…the master mobile terminal to control each of the slave mobile terminal respectively through the imaging device with built-in shooting from the image at the same time, and obtaining the plurality of the slave images, wherein one of said slave mobile terminal corresponding to captured from one of the image.").
Regarding Claim 9, Luo teaches the limitations of dependent Claim 1 as noted above. Luo teaches sending the exposure indication information to the at least one second VR head-mounted display device comprises: sending the exposure indication information to the at least one second VR head-mounted display device by broadcasting (Luo, Fig. 3, step 102, "…the main mobile terminal can use Bluetooth [Bluetooth] communication technology for short-distance communication technology and a plurality of slave mobile terminal establishes wireless communication connection."); or sending the exposure indication information to the at least one second VR head-mounted display device respectively (Luo, Fig. 8, pg. 11, para. 4, ln. 3-6, "…control each of the slave mobile terminal respectively through the built-in imaging device shooting from the image at the same time, and obtaining the plurality of the slave images, wherein one of said slave mobile terminal corresponding to captured from one of the image.").
Regarding Claim 10, Luo teaches a multi-device photographing control method, applied to a second VR head-mounted display device, wherein the second VR head-mounted display device is configured to establish a communication connection with a first VR head-mounted device (Luo, Fig. 3, Step 102, "…the master mobile terminal and a plurality of slave mobile terminal establishes wireless communication connection."), and the method comprises: receiving exposure indication information sent by the first VR head-mounted display device (Luo, Fig. 8, pg. 11, para. 3, ln. 1-4, "ISP processor 840 determines the statistical data can be transmitted to the control logic unit 850. For example, the statistical data may comprise automatic exposure, automatic white balance, automatic focusing, flicker detection, black level compensation, lens 812 shading correction statistical information such as image sensor 814."), wherein the exposure indication information is used for determining a photographing moment of the second VR head-mounted display device (Luo, Fig. 8, pg. 11, para. 4, ln. 3-6, "…control each of the slave mobile terminal respectively through the built-in imaging device shooting from the image at the same time, and obtaining the plurality of the slave images, wherein one of said slave mobile terminal corresponding to captured from one of the image.").
Regarding Claim 11, Luo teaches the limitations of dependent Claim 10 as noted above. Luo teaches the exposure indication information comprises a photographing moment or a delayed photographing time of the second VR head-mounted display device (Luo, Fig. 3, Step 104, "…the master mobile terminal to control each of the slave mobile terminal respectively through the imaging device with built-in shooting from the image at the same time, and obtaining the plurality of the slave images, wherein one of said slave mobile terminal corresponding to captured from one of the image.").
Regarding Claim 13, Luo teaches the limitations of dependent Claim 10 as noted above. Luo teaches the exposure indication information comprises: a device identifier of at least one second VR head-mounted display device, and a photographing moment or a delayed photographing time corresponding to each device identifier (Luo, Fig. 4, step 402, "step 402, the master mobile terminal receives the acquisition request sent from the mobile terminal of the panoramic image, the unique identifier in the request of obtaining the panoramic image carried from the mobile terminal."); and wherein receiving the exposure indication information sent by the first VR head-mounted display device comprises: receiving at least one device identifier broadcast by the first VR head-mounted display device, and a photographing moment or a delayed photographing time corresponding to each device identifier; determining a target device identifier corresponding to the second VR head-mounted display device (Luo, Fig. 3, Step 104, "…the master mobile terminal to control each of the slave mobile terminal respectively through the imaging device with built-in shooting from the image at the same time, and obtaining the plurality of the slave images, wherein one of said slave mobile terminal corresponding to captured from one of the image."); and determining the photographing moment or the delayed photographing time corresponding to the target device identifier as the photographing moment or the delayed photographing time of the second VR head-mounted display device (Luo, Fig. 3, Step 104, "…the master mobile terminal to control each of the slave mobile terminal respectively through the imaging device with built-in shooting from the image at the same time, and obtaining the plurality of the slave images, wherein one of said slave mobile terminal corresponding to captured from one of the image.").
Regarding Claim 16, Luo teaches a first VR head-mounted display device, comprising a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the computer program, when run by the processor, causes the processor to: determine a photographing moment of the first VR head-mounted display device (Luo, Fig. 3, Step 104, "…the master mobile terminal to control each of the slave mobile terminal respectively through the imaging device with built-in shooting from the image at the same time, and obtaining the plurality of the slave images, wherein one of said slave mobile terminal corresponding to captured from one of the image."); determine exposure indication information according to the photographing moment of the first VR head-mounted display device (Luo, Fig. 8, pg. 11, para. 3, ln. 1-4, "ISP processor 840 determines the statistical data can be transmitted to the control logic unit 850. For example, the statistical data may comprise automatic exposure, automatic white balance, automatic focusing, flicker detection, black level compensation, lens 812 shading correction statistical information such as image sensor 814."); and send the exposure indication information to the at least one second VR head-mounted display device, wherein the exposure indication information is used for determining a photographing moment of the at least one second VR head-mounted display device (Luo, Fig. 8, pg. 11, para. 4, ln. 3-6, "…control each of the slave mobile terminal respectively through the built-in imaging device shooting from the image at the same time, and obtaining the plurality of the slave images, wherein one of said slave mobile terminal corresponding to captured from one of the image.").
Regarding Claim 20, Luo teaches the limitations of dependent Claim 16 as noted above. Luo teaches the exposure indication information comprises: the photographing moment or a delayed photographing time of the at least one second VR head-mounted display device (Luo, Fig. 3, Step 104, "…the master mobile terminal to control each of the slave mobile terminal respectively through the imaging device with built-in shooting from the image at the same time, and obtaining the plurality of the slave images, wherein one of said slave mobile terminal corresponding to captured from one of the image.").
Regarding Claim 24, Luo teaches the limitations of dependent Claim 20 as noted above. Luo teaches the exposure indication information comprises: device identifiers of various second VR head-mounted display devices among the at least one second VR head-mounted display device (Luo, pg. 12, para. 9, ln. 1-2, "…the main mobile terminal receives the acquisition request sent from the mobile terminal of the panoramic image, the unique identifier in the request of obtaining the panoramic image carried from the mobile terminal."), and a photographing moment or a delayed photographing time corresponding to each of the device identifiers (Luo, Fig. 3, Step 104, "…the master mobile terminal to control each of the slave mobile terminal respectively through the imaging device with built-in shooting from the image at the same time, and obtaining the plurality of the slave images, wherein one of said slave mobile terminal corresponding to captured from one of the image.").
Regarding Claim 25, Luo teaches the limitations of dependent Claim 16 as noted above. Luo teaches the exposure indication information is the photographing moment of the first VR head-mounted display device (Luo, Fig. 3, Step 104, "…the master mobile terminal to control each of the slave mobile terminal respectively through the imaging device with built-in shooting from the image at the same time, and obtaining the plurality of the slave images, wherein one of said slave mobile terminal corresponding to captured from one of the image.").
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5, 8, 12, & 21-23 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.
Regarding Claim 3, the prior art of record – taken alone or in combination – fails to teach or render obvious determining the photographing moment or the delayed photographing time of the at least one second VR head-mounted display device according to the photographing moment of the first VR head-mounted display device and the photographing sequence information of the at least one second VR head-mounted display device. Su (CN 113010009 A) and Yang (CN 105959560 A) are additional prior art closely related to the subject matter, but both are silent on determining the photographing sequence information of the at least one second VR head-mounted display device.
Regarding Claim 4, the prior art of record – taken alone or in combination – fails to teach or render obvious a time interval between the photographing moments of various second VR head-mounted display devices among the at least one second VR head-mounted display device is greater than or equal to a preset exposure time, and a time difference between delayed photographing times of the various second VR head-mounted display devices is greater than or equal to the preset exposure time.
Regarding Claim 5, it would be allowed because it is dependent on Claim 3.
Regarding Claim 8, the prior art of record – taken alone or in combination – fails to teach or render obvious sending photographing sequence information to the at least one second VR head-mounted display device, wherein the photographing sequence information corresponding to the at least one second VR head-mounted display device corresponds to a connection sequence, and the connection sequence is a sequence in which the at least one second VR head-mounted display device establishes the communication connection with the first VR head-mounted display device.
Regarding Claim 12, , the prior art of record – taken alone or in combination – fails to teach or render obvious determining the photographing moment of the second VR head-mounted display device according to the photographing moment of the first VR head-mounted display device and the photographing sequence information of the second VR head-mounted display device.
Regarding Claim 21, the prior art of record – taken alone or in combination – fails to teach or render obvious determine the photographing moment or the delayed photographing time of the at least one second VR head-mounted display device according to the photographing moment of the first VR head-mounted display device and the photographing sequence information of the at least one second VR head-mounted display device.
Regarding Claim 22, the prior art of record – taken alone or in combination – fails to teach or render obvious a time interval between the photographing moments of various second VR head-mounted display devices among the at least one second VR head-mounted display device is greater than or equal to a preset exposure time, and a time difference between delayed photographing times of the various second VR head-mounted display devices is greater than or equal to the preset exposure time.
Regarding Claim 23, it would be allowable because it is dependent on Claim 21.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN DANIEL BARRY whose telephone number is (571)270-0432. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 0730-1630.
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/STEVEN DANIEL BARRY/Examiner, Art Unit 2638
/LIN YE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2638