DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to the remarks filed 07/28/2026. Claims 1 – 18 are pending and have
been examined.
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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1 – 18 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Response to Amendment
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Reuschel et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2017/0199750, hereinafter “Reuschel”) in view of Nelson et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2016/0330404, hereinafter “Nelson”).
Regarding Claim 1, Reuschel teaches
A collaborative content system (see Reuschel Paragraph [0003], systems for digital collaboration), comprising:
a local device (see Reuschel Paragraph [0034], client device),
a remote collaborative application backend system (see Reuschel Paragraph [0025], central collaboration server) configured to:
receive a request for a whiteboard application session from a user via the local device (see Reuschel Paragraph [0034], In some implementations, the client may identify the user collaborate request input. For example, the client may utilize a user input identification component such as the User Gesture Identification (“UGI”) component 1000 described below in FIG. 10. Upon identifying the user collaborate request input, the client may generate and provide a user whiteboard request, e.g., 212, to a server, e.g., collaboration server 203),
deliver the whiteboard application session to the local device (see Reuschel Paragraph [0043], the server may store the whiteboard session object to a database, e.g., 317. In some implementations, the server may generate client viewport data (e.g., bitmap, SVG file, video stream, RSS feed, etc.) using the tile objects data and client viewport specifications, e.g. 318. The server may provide the generated client viewport data and client viewport specifications, e.g., 319, to the client. In some implementations, the client may render, e.g. 320, the visualization represented in the client viewport data for display to the user and/or continuously generate new scalable vector illustrations, render them in real time, and provide the rendered output to the visual display unit, e.g. 321, in order to produce continuous motion of the objects displayed on the visual display unit connected to the client),
Reuschel does not expressively teach
a local interactive system,
automatically deliver the whiteboard application session to the local interactive system for real-time collaborative editing by the user.
However, Nelson teaches
a local interactive system (see Nelson Figure 3E, interactive whiteboard display for a video conference that is displayed on the client device screen for interaction, Paragraph [0033], Display 120 may be implemented by any type of display that displays images and information to a user and may also be able to receive user input and embodiments are not limited to any particular implementation of display 120, and Paragraph [0029], Network 112 is depicted in FIG. 1 as a single network for purposes of explanation only and network 112 may include any number and type of wired or wireless networks, such as local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), the Internet, etc.),
automatically deliver the whiteboard application session to the local interactive system for real-time collaborative editing by the user (see Nelson Paragraph [0056], In step 246, application manager 128 invokes whiteboard sharing via collaboration library 136 which allows the interactive whiteboard session window 302 to be shared with Participant #2 via client device 104. In step 248, application manager 128 causes the whiteboard sharing controls 314 to be displayed or enabled in interactive whiteboard session window 302. The whiteboard sharing controls 314 allow the users to select which user is currently presenting, to give control to another user, and/or to stop presenting. This allows users to dynamically share content as it is updated in the interactive whiteboard session content area 304, and Figure 3D, “share whiteboard” option to request to share whiteboard application in video conference).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of
the claimed invention to combine the teaching of a collaborative system where a local device requests a whiteboard session from a remote collaborative backend, which receives the request and delivers the whiteboard session to the local device (as taught in Reuschel), with a local interactive system that automatically delivers a whiteboard session to a user for real-time collaborative editing (as taught in Nelson), the motivation being to provide the capability to integrate and manage, in a user-friendly manner, interactive electronic whiteboard sessions and videoconferencing sessions between the interactive whiteboard appliance and one or more client devices (see Nelson, Abstract).
Claims 2 – 6, 11, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Reuschel et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2017/0199750, hereinafter “Reuschel”) in view of Nelson et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2016/0330404, hereinafter “Nelson”) and Cupala et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2022/0261760, hereinafter “Cupala”).
Regarding Claim 2, Reuschel in view of Nelson teaches
The collaborative content system of claim 1, wherein the local device comprises a video conferencing application (see Nelson Paragraph [0045], video conferencing session window),
Reuschel in view of Nelson does not expressively teach
and wherein the request for the whiteboard application session from the user is provided to the collaborative application backend system via the video conferencing application.
However, Cupala teaches
and wherein the request for the whiteboard application session from the user is provided to the collaborative application backend system via the video conferencing application (see Cupala Paragraph [0088], FIG. 4E depicts user interface 410 of the collaborative platform associated with second user 402 displaying a third time capture 420C (e.g., 00:38:02) during virtual meeting 408 in which user is selecting to begin a whiteboard session, Paragraph [0089], As with FIG. 4C, the first page of document 418A is shared in the main pane 422 of user interface 410. In this case, selection 448 provides a drop-down menu 452 for presenting (e.g., sharing) content in the virtual meeting 408. The drop-down menu 452 displays various options for presenting, as well as additional applications for selection, such as whiteboard application 450. Drop-down menu 452 also provides documents 418A-B for selection and sharing, Paragraph [0035], User interactions with collaboration object 132 may be received and synchronized across the collaborative UX 130 and collaborative UX 142 in near real-time, Paragraph [0037], The plurality of user devices 102A-B may be communicatively coupled to one or more servers 136A-B and/or a data host 106 associated with one or more storage components 120 via a communication network 108, Paragraph [0038], Communication network 108 may enable communication between the first application 104A-B, servers 136A-B, and data host 106, as well as communication between different ones of the first application 104A-B and second application 138).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of a collaborative system that allows a user to concurrently manage a video conference and an interactive whiteboard session for real-time collaboration with client devices (as taught in Reuschel in view of Nelson), with a video conferencing application providing a user’s request for a whiteboard application session to a collaborative application backend system (as taught in Cupala), the motivation being to improve a collaborative communication environment by enabling real-time editing of a shared whiteboard within an established meeting without having to start a new communication session in a different application (see Cupala Abstract).
Regarding Claim 3, Reuschel in view of Nelson and Cupala teaches
The collaborative content system of claim 2, wherein the whiteboard application session is delivered to the user via the video conferencing application (see Cupala Paragraph [0090], FIG. 4F depicts user interface 410 of the collaborative platform associated with second user 402 displaying a fourth time capture 420D (e.g., 00:42:07) during virtual meeting 408, and Paragraph [0091], As illustrated, whiteboard application 450 has been selected from drop-down menu 452 and a whiteboard session 454 has been launched in main pane 422 of user interface 410. As illustrated, results of brainstorming 456 were captured in the whiteboard session 454 during meeting 408 between second user 402 and attendees 412A-D (see FIG. 4B)).
Regarding Claim 4, Reuschel in view of Nelson and Cupala teaches
The collaborative content system of claim 2, wherein the whiteboard application session is one of Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Zoom (see Cupala Paragraph [0006], additional applications or application functionality may be made available for collaboration, such as a chat board, recording capability, whiteboard application, graphics, mind maps, etc., Paragraph [0042], The second application 138 may comprise, for example, a collaborative platform (e.g., Microsoft Teams™, Zoom™ conferencing platform, WebEx™ conferencing platform, Slack™, Google Hangouts™, etc.), a productivity application (e.g., OneNote™), and the like, Paragraph [0036], The system 100 may include a plurality of user devices 102A-B configured to run or otherwise execute first application 104A-B and/or second application 138. The user devices 102A-B may include, but are not limited to laptops, tablets, desktop computers, wearable devices, smartphones, and the like. The first application 104A-B and second application 138 (“hosting applications”) may include applications having messaging functionality, such as email applications, chat applications, calendaring applications, collaborative platforms (e.g., including virtual meeting functionality), instant messengers, and the like, and/or may include other types of applications, such as notebook applications. Non-limiting examples of first application 104 and/or second application 138 include Microsoft Outlook™, Gmail™, Microsoft Teams™, Google Hangouts™, Facebook Messenger™, Microsoft Office™ suite, Microsoft 365™, Google Drive™, and the like).
Regarding Claim 5, Reuschel in view of Nelson and Cupala teaches
The collaborative content system of claim 2, wherein the whiteboard application session is requested using the video conferencing application (see Cupala Paragraph [0088], FIG. 4E depicts user interface 410 of the collaborative platform associated with second user 402 displaying a third time capture 420C (e.g., 00:38:02) during virtual meeting 408 in which user is selecting to begin a whiteboard session, Paragraph [0089], As with FIG. 4C, the first page of document 418A is shared in the main pane 422 of user interface 410. In this case, selection 448 provides a drop-down menu 452 for presenting (e.g., sharing) content in the virtual meeting 408. The drop-down menu 452 displays various options for presenting, as well as additional applications for selection, such as whiteboard application 450. Drop-down menu 452 also provides documents 418A-B for selection and sharing).
Regarding Claim 6, Reuschel in view of Nelson and Cupala teaches
The collaborative content system of claim 5, wherein the whiteboard application session is a digital white board (see Nelson Paragraph [0005], An interactive whiteboard appliance includes a display, a communications interface, one or more processors, one or more memories, an operating system executing on the interactive whiteboard appliance and having an application programming interface that provides access to functionality supported by the operating system, an interactive whiteboard application configured to display an interactive whiteboard window on the display of the interactive whiteboard appliance, a collaboration client configured to support one or more videoconferencing sessions with one or more collaboration clients executing on one or more client devices that are external to the interactive whiteboard appliance including displaying a videoconferencing window on the display of the interactive whiteboard appliance and an application manager and Paragraph [0048], FIG. 3A depicts an example interactive whiteboard display 300 after interactive whiteboard appliance 102 has been powered up. Interactive whiteboard display 300 may be, for example, display 120 of FIG. 1 and includes an interactive whiteboard session window 302 and an interactive whiteboard session content area 304 that displays content items 306. A set of interactive whiteboard controls 308 allows a user to perform various functions with respect to interactive whiteboard session window 302, such as rotate, zoom and start annotation).
Regarding Claim 11, Reuschel teaches
A collaborative content system (see Reuschel Paragraph [0003], systems for digital collaboration), comprising:
the collaborative application backend system (see Reuschel Paragraph [0025], central collaboration server):
Reuschel does not expressively teach
a local device running a video conferencing application,
a local interactive system running an instance of a video conferencing application,
a video conferencing backend system configured to:
provide a video conferencing session to video conferencing application,
receive a request for a whiteboard application session from a video conferencing application,
provide the request for the whiteboard application session to collaborative application backend system, and
generate the whiteboard application session,
provide the whiteboard application session to the video conferencing backend system, and
provide the whiteboard application session to the whiteboard application for real-time collaborative editing by the user.
However, Cupala teaches
a local device running a video conferencing application (see Cupala Figure 4E, depicting a user interface displaying a video conference application on a client device),
a video conferencing backend system (see Cupala Paragraph [0037], The plurality of user devices 102A-B may be communicatively coupled to one or more servers 136A-B and/or a data host 106 associated with one or more storage components 120 via a communication network 108, Paragraph [0038], Communication network 108 may enable communication between the first application 104A-B, servers 136A-B, and data host 106, as well as communication between different ones of the first application 104A-B and second application 138) configured to:
receive a request for a whiteboard application session from a video conferencing application (see Cupala Paragraph [0088], FIG. 4E depicts user interface 410 of the collaborative platform associated with second user 402 displaying a third time capture 420C (e.g., 00:38:02) during virtual meeting 408 in which user is selecting to begin a whiteboard session, Paragraph [0089], As with FIG. 4C, the first page of document 418A is shared in the main pane 422 of user interface 410. In this case, selection 448 provides a drop-down menu 452 for presenting (e.g., sharing) content in the virtual meeting 408. The drop-down menu 452 displays various options for presenting, as well as additional applications for selection, such as whiteboard application 450. Drop-down menu 452 also provides documents 418A-B for selection and sharing, Paragraph [0035], User interactions with collaboration object 132 may be received and synchronized across the collaborative UX 130 and collaborative UX 142 in near real-time, Paragraph [0037], The plurality of user devices 102A-B may be communicatively coupled to one or more servers 136A-B and/or a data host 106 associated with one or more storage components 120 via a communication network 108, Paragraph [0038], Communication network 108 may enable communication between the first application 104A-B, servers 136A-B, and data host 106, as well as communication between different ones of the first application 104A-B and second application 138),
provide the request for the whiteboard application session to collaborative application backend system (see Cupala Paragraph [0088], FIG. 4E depicts user interface 410 of the collaborative platform associated with second user 402 displaying a third time capture 420C (e.g., 00:38:02) during virtual meeting 408 in which user is selecting to begin a whiteboard session, Paragraph [0089], As with FIG. 4C, the first page of document 418A is shared in the main pane 422 of user interface 410. In this case, selection 448 provides a drop-down menu 452 for presenting (e.g., sharing) content in the virtual meeting 408. The drop-down menu 452 displays various options for presenting, as well as additional applications for selection, such as whiteboard application 450. Drop-down menu 452 also provides documents 418A-B for selection and sharing, Paragraph [0035], User interactions with collaboration object 132 may be received and synchronized across the collaborative UX 130 and collaborative UX 142 in near real-time, Paragraph [0037], The plurality of user devices 102A-B may be communicatively coupled to one or more servers 136A-B and/or a data host 106 associated with one or more storage components 120 via a communication network 108, Paragraph [0038], Communication network 108 may enable communication between the first application 104A-B, servers 136A-B, and data host 106, as well as communication between different ones of the first application 104A-B and second application 138), and
generate the whiteboard application session (see Cupala Paragraph [0091], whiteboard application 450 has been selected from drop-down menu 452 and a whiteboard session 454 has been launched in main pane 422 of user interface 410),
provide the whiteboard application session to the video conferencing backend system (see Cupala Paragraph [0091], whiteboard application 450 has been selected from drop-down menu 452 and a whiteboard session 454 has been launched in main pane 422 of user interface 410, Paragraph [0035], User interactions with collaboration object 132 may be received and synchronized across the collaborative UX 130 and collaborative UX 142 in near real-time, Paragraph [0037], The plurality of user devices 102A-B may be communicatively coupled to one or more servers 136A-B and/or a data host 106 associated with one or more storage components 120 via a communication network 108, Paragraph [0038], Communication network 108 may enable communication between the first application 104A-B, servers 136A-B, and data host 106, as well as communication between different ones of the first application 104A-B and second application 138),
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of a collaborative system using a remote collaborative backend (as taught in Reuschel), with a local video conferencing application that sends a whiteboard session request to a backend, that then receives the generated whiteboard session and provides it to the video conferencing application (as taught in Cupala), the motivation being to improve a collaborative communication environment by enabling real-time editing of a shared whiteboard within an established meeting without having to start a new communication session in a different application (see Cupala Abstract).
Reuschel in view of Cupala does not expressively teach
a local interactive system running an instance of a video conferencing application,
provide a video conferencing session to video conferencing application,
provide the whiteboard application session to the whiteboard application for real-time collaborative editing by the user.
However, Nelson teaches
a local interactive system running an instance of a video conferencing application (see Nelson Figure 3E, interactive whiteboard display for a video conference that is displayed on the client device screen for interaction, Paragraph [0033], Display 120 may be implemented by any type of display that displays images and information to a user and may also be able to receive user input and embodiments are not limited to any particular implementation of display 120, and Paragraph [0029], Network 112 is depicted in FIG. 1 as a single network for purposes of explanation only and network 112 may include any number and type of wired or wireless networks, such as local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), the Internet, etc.),
provide a video conferencing session to video conferencing application (see Nelson Figure 3B, showing collaboration menu on interactive whiteboard display in which user may select to start videoconferencing session, Paragraph [0051], In step 222, in response to user selection of the “Start Videoconferencing Session” item from the collaboration menu 312, application manager 128 invokes the collaboration client 126, Paragraph [0052], FIG. 3C depicts interactive whiteboard display 300 after a user has selected the “Start Videoconferencing Session” option from collaboration menu 312. In response to this selection, application manager 128 causes a videoconferencing window 320 to be displayed in interactive whiteboard session content area 304, Paragraph [0053], FIG. 3D depicts interactive whiteboard display 300 after a videoconferencing session has been established between the interactive whiteboard appliance 102 (“Participant #1”) and Participant #2, for example, a user of client device 104),
provide the whiteboard application session to the whiteboard application for real-time collaborative editing by the user (see Nelson Paragraph [0056], In step 246, application manager 128 invokes whiteboard sharing via collaboration library 136 which allows the interactive whiteboard session window 302 to be shared with Participant #2 via client device 104. In step 248, application manager 128 causes the whiteboard sharing controls 314 to be displayed or enabled in interactive whiteboard session window 302. The whiteboard sharing controls 314 allow the users to select which user is currently presenting, to give control to another user, and/or to stop presenting. This allows users to dynamically share content as it is updated in the interactive whiteboard session content area 304, and Figure 3D, “share whiteboard” option to request to share whiteboard application in video conference).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of a collaborative system using a remote collaborative backend (as taught in Reuschel), with a local video conferencing application that sends a whiteboard session request to a backend, that then receives the generated whiteboard session and provides it to the video conferencing application (as taught in Cupala), the motivation being to improve a collaborative communication environment by enabling real-time editing of a shared whiteboard within an established meeting without having to start a new communication session in a different application (see Cupala Abstract).
It would have been further obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of a collaborative system with a local video conferencing application that sends a whiteboard session request to a backend, and receives the generated whiteboard session, and provides it to the video conferencing application (as taught in Reuschel in view of Cupala), with a local interactive system running a video conferencing session that automatically delivers a whiteboard session to a user for real-time collaborative editing (as taught in Nelson), the motivation being to provide the capability to integrate and manage, in a user-friendly manner, interactive electronic whiteboard sessions and videoconferencing sessions between the interactive whiteboard appliance and one or more client devices (see Nelson, Abstract).
Regarding Claim 12, it is rejected similarly as Claim 11. The method can be found in Cupala (Paragraph [0004], method).
Claims 7 - 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Reuschel et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2017/0199750, hereinafter “Reuschel”) in view of Nelson et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2016/0330404, hereinafter “Nelson”), Cupala et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2022/0261760, hereinafter “Cupala”) and Bhagavatha et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2023/0140747, hereinafter “Bhagavatha”).
Regarding Claim 7, Reuschel in view of Nelson and Cupala teaches all the limitations of claim 6, but does not expressively teach
The collaborative content system of claim 6, wherein the local device and local interactive system are both arranged in room (200).
However, Bhagavatha teaches
The collaborative content system of claim 6, wherein the local device and local interactive system are both arranged in room (200) (see Bhagavatha Paragraph [0052], The conferencing software 314 enables audio, video, and/or other forms of conferences between multiple participants, such as to facilitate a conference between those participants. In some cases, the participants may all be physically present within a single location, for example, a conference room, in which the conferencing software 314 may facilitate a conference between only those participants and using one or more clients within the conference room and Paragraph [0059], The digital collaboration software 404 may be implemented as a software service of a software platform, for example, the software platform 300 shown in FIG. 3. Alternatively, the digital collaboration software 404 may be implemented as a web service accessible through web browsers running at the user devices 406. In some implementations, the digital collaboration software 404 and the digital collaboration space may respectively be digital whiteboard software and a digital whiteboard. In some implementations, the digital collaboration software 404 and the digital collaboration space may respectively be workplace productivity software and a workplace productivity space such as a document, spreadsheet, or slideshow presentation).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of a video conferencing application that provides a user’s request for a whiteboard session to a collaborative application backend, which enables concurrent management of a video conference and whiteboard session for real-time collaboration with client devices (as taught in Reuschel in view of Nelson and Cupala), with a local device and a local interactive system both arranged in a room (as taught in Bhagavatha), the motivation being to improve a collaborative communication environment by allowing the ability of in-person teamwork so that participants that are located in-office can all participate in an interactive system together, and encourage natural interaction (see Bhagavatha Paragraph [0052]).
Regarding Claim 8, Reuschel in view of Nelson, Cupala and Bhagavatha teaches
The collaborative content system of claim 7, wherein the local device is a video conferencing display (see Nelson Paragraph [0044], Client devices 104, 106 may be any type of client devices and examples of client devices 104, 106 include, without limitation, a workstation, a personal computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computing device, a personal digital assistant or a smart phone. Client device 104, 106 include collaboration clients 140, 150, respectively, that support videoconferencing sessions conducted between interactive whiteboard appliance 102 and client devices 104, 106. One non-limiting example implementation of collaboration client 146, 150 is a Microsoft Lync Client).
Regarding Claim 9, Reuschel in view of Nelson, Cupala and Bhagavatha teaches
The collaborative content system of claim 8, wherein the local interactive system comprises an interactive touchscreen configured to enable the user to interact with the whiteboard application session (see Nelson Paragraph [0033], Display 120 may be implemented by any type of display that displays images and information to a user and may also be able to receive user input and embodiments are not limited to any particular implementation of display 120. As one non-limiting example, display 120 may be a touchscreen display 120 that both displays information to users and allows user to select graphical user interface objects. Interactive whiteboard appliance 102 may have any number of displays 120, of similar or varying types, located anywhere on interactive whiteboard appliance 102).
Regarding Claim 10, Reuschel in view of Nelson, Cupala and Bhagavatha teaches
The collaborative content system of claim 9, wherein the user is a plurality of people (see Nelson Paragraph [0037], Application manager 128 also, in conjunction with UI component 130, provides graphical user interface controls on display 120 that allow users to initiate and manage interactive electronic whiteboard sessions and videoconferencing sessions, including switching between interactive electronic whiteboard sessions and videoconferencing sessions, Paragraph [0053], FIG. 3D depicts interactive whiteboard display 300 after a videoconferencing session has been established between the interactive whiteboard appliance 102 (“Participant #1”) and Participant #2, for example, a user of client device 104. At this point in time, users of the interactive whiteboard appliance 102 and Participant #2 may engage in a videoconferencing session via videoconferencing window 320 and a corresponding videoconferencing window provided via collaboration client 146 on client device 104).
Claims 13 – 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cupala et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2022/0261760, hereinafter “Cupala”) in view of Rao et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2019/0266185, hereinafter “Rao”).
Regarding Claim 13, Cupala teaches
A method for providing a whiteboard application session to a video conferencing session (see Cupala Paragraph [0004], The methods and systems described herein provide for generating a collaboration object to persistently capture content and collaboration related to meetings, Paragraph [0006], In aspects, whether a meeting was pre-scheduled or impromptu, the collaboration object may be made available across multiple applications, including a collaborative meeting platform, a calendar/messaging application, a planner application, a notebook application, and the like. During either pre-scheduled or impromptu meetings, additional applications or application functionality may be made available for collaboration, such as a chat board, recording capability, whiteboard application, graphics, mind maps, etc.), the method comprising:
a video conferencing application connecting to a video conferencing session, the video conferencing session displayed on local display in a first location via a logical user (see Cupala Figure 4D, depicting a user interface in which the user may select to join a meeting, and Figure 4E in which the user has joined the virtual meeting on the client device);
a whiteboard application session being initiated via the video conferencing application (see Cupala Paragraph [0090], FIG. 4F depicts user interface 410 of the collaborative platform associated with second user 402 displaying a fourth time capture 420D (e.g., 00:42:07) during virtual meeting 408, and Paragraph [0091], As illustrated, whiteboard application 450 has been selected from drop-down menu 452 and a whiteboard session 454 has been launched in main pane 422 of user interface 410. As illustrated, results of brainstorming 456 were captured in the whiteboard session 454 during meeting 408 between second user 402 and attendees 412A-D (see FIG. 4B));
Cupala does not expressively teach
a meeting bot configured to recognise logical user and to open whiteboard application session on a local interactive system, also at the first location.
However, Rao teaches
a meeting bot configured to recognise logical user and to open whiteboard application session on a local interactive system, also at the first location (see Rao Paragraph [0024], The user application 112 can include a dialog process 116 displayed in an active window of the application environment 114, for example, a chatbot or another virtual agent, to provide an interactive content selection experience to a user on the user device 108. Dialog process 116 can be executed on the user device 108, or can be provided to the user device 108 by the server 104 through the network 102. The dialog process 116 can utilize the content recommendation platform 122 (and the one or more content recommendation models 106) to select a content item 110 for presentation in the application environment 114 on the user device 108).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of a method in which a video conferencing application connects to a session, displays it on a local device, and initiates a whiteboard session within that conference (as taught in Cupala), with a virtual agent that may select a content item for presentation (as taught in Rao), the motivation being to provide an implementation of automatically selecting and presenting a relevant content item, instead of relying on a user to manually initiate it (see Rao Paragraph [0024]).
Regarding Claim 14, Cupala in view of Rao teaches
The method of claim 13, wherein the video conferencing application requests the whiteboard application session from a video conferencing backend system (see Cupala Paragraph [0088], FIG. 4E depicts user interface 410 of the collaborative platform associated with second user 402 displaying a third time capture 420C (e.g., 00:38:02) during virtual meeting 408 in which user is selecting to begin a whiteboard session, Paragraph [0089], As with FIG. 4C, the first page of document 418A is shared in the main pane 422 of user interface 410. In this case, selection 448 provides a drop-down menu 452 for presenting (e.g., sharing) content in the virtual meeting 408. The drop-down menu 452 displays various options for presenting, as well as additional applications for selection, such as whiteboard application 450. Drop-down menu 452 also provides documents 418A-B for selection and sharing, Paragraph [0035], User interactions with collaboration object 132 may be received and synchronized across the collaborative UX 130 and collaborative UX 142 in near real-time, Paragraph [0037], The plurality of user devices 102A-B may be communicatively coupled to one or more servers 136A-B and/or a data host 106 associated with one or more storage components 120 via a communication network 108, Paragraph [0038], Communication network 108 may enable communication between the first application 104A-B, servers 136A-B, and data host 106, as well as communication between different ones of the first application 104A-B and second application 138).
Regarding Claim 15, Cupala in view of Rao teaches
The method of claim 14, wherein the video conferencing backend system requests the whiteboard application session from a collaborative application backend system (see Cupala Paragraph [0088], FIG. 4E depicts user interface 410 of the collaborative platform associated with second user 402 displaying a third time capture 420C (e.g., 00:38:02) during virtual meeting 408 in which user is selecting to begin a whiteboard session, Paragraph [0089], As with FIG. 4C, the first page of document 418A is shared in the main pane 422 of user interface 410. In this case, selection 448 provides a drop-down menu 452 for presenting (e.g., sharing) content in the virtual meeting 408. The drop-down menu 452 displays various options for presenting, as well as additional applications for selection, such as whiteboard application 450. Drop-down menu 452 also provides documents 418A-B for selection and sharing, Paragraph [0035], User interactions with collaboration object 132 may be received and synchronized across the collaborative UX 130 and collaborative UX 142 in near real-time, Paragraph [0037], The plurality of user devices 102A-B may be communicatively coupled to one or more servers 136A-B and/or a data host 106 associated with one or more storage components 120 via a communication network 108, Paragraph [0038], Communication network 108 may enable communication between the first application 104A-B, servers 136A-B, and data host 106, as well as communication between different ones of the first application 104A-B and second application 138).
Regarding Claim 16, Cupala in view of Rao teaches
The method of claim 15, wherein the collaborative application backend system provides the whiteboard application session to the video conferencing backend system (see Cupala Paragraph [0088], FIG. 4E depicts user interface 410 of the collaborative platform associated with second user 402 displaying a third time capture 420C (e.g., 00:38:02) during virtual meeting 408 in which user is selecting to begin a whiteboard session, Paragraph [0089], As with FIG. 4C, the first page of document 418A is shared in the main pane 422 of user interface 410. In this case, selection 448 provides a drop-down menu 452 for presenting (e.g., sharing) content in the virtual meeting 408. The drop-down menu 452 displays various options for presenting, as well as additional applications for selection, such as whiteboard application 450. Drop-down menu 452 also provides documents 418A-B for selection and sharing, Paragraph [0035], User interactions with collaboration object 132 may be received and synchronized across the collaborative UX 130 and collaborative UX 142 in near real-time, Paragraph [0037], The plurality of user devices 102A-B may be communicatively coupled to one or more servers 136A-B and/or a data host 106 associated with one or more storage components 120 via a communication network 108, Paragraph [0038], Communication network 108 may enable communication between the first application 104A-B, servers 136A-B, and data host 106, as well as communication between different ones of the first application 104A-B and second application 138).
Regarding Claim 17, Cupala in view of Rao teaches
The method of claim 16, wherein the video conferencing backend system provides the whiteboard application session to the video conferencing session (see Cupala Paragraph [0088], FIG. 4E depicts user interface 410 of the collaborative platform associated with second user 402 displaying a third time capture 420C (e.g., 00:38:02) during virtual meeting 408 in which user is selecting to begin a whiteboard session, Paragraph [0089], As with FIG. 4C, the first page of document 418A is shared in the main pane 422 of user interface 410. In this case, selection 448 provides a drop-down menu 452 for presenting (e.g., sharing) content in the virtual meeting 408. The drop-down menu 452 displays various options for presenting, as well as additional applications for selection, such as whiteboard application 450. Drop-down menu 452 also provides documents 418A-B for selection and sharing, Paragraph [0035], User interactions with collaboration object 132 may be received and synchronized across the collaborative UX 130 and collaborative UX 142 in near real-time, Paragraph [0037], The plurality of user devices 102A-B may be communicatively coupled to one or more servers 136A-B and/or a data host 106 associated with one or more storage components 120 via a communication network 108, Paragraph [0038], Communication network 108 may enable communication between the first application 104A-B, servers 136A-B, and data host 106, as well as communication between different ones of the first application 104A-B and second application 138).
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cupala et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2022/0261760, hereinafter “Cupala”) in view of Rao et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2019/0266185, hereinafter “Rao”), and Pawar et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2022/0182253, hereinafter “Pawar”).
Regarding Claim 18, Cupala in view of Rao teach
The method of claim 17, further comprising:
the collaborative application backend system sending a request to video conferencing backend system (see Cupala Paragraph [0088], FIG. 4E depicts user interface 410 of the collaborative platform associated with second user 402 displaying a third time capture 420C (e.g., 00:38:02) during virtual meeting 408 in which user is selecting to begin a whiteboard session, Paragraph [0089], As with FIG. 4C, the first page of document 418A is shared in the main pane 422 of user interface 410. In this case, selection 448 provides a drop-down menu 452 for presenting (e.g., sharing) content in the virtual meeting 408. The drop-down menu 452 displays various options for presenting, as well as additional applications for selection, such as whiteboard application 450. Drop-down menu 452 also provides documents 418A-B for selection and sharing, Paragraph [0035], User interactions with collaboration object 132 may be received and synchronized across the collaborative UX 130 and collaborative UX 142 in near real-time, Paragraph [0037], The plurality of user devices 102A-B may be communicatively coupled to one or more servers 136A-B and/or a data host 106 associated with one or more storage components 120 via a communication network 108, Paragraph [0038], Communication network 108 may enable communication between the first application 104A-B, servers 136A-B, and data host 106, as well as communication between different ones of the first application 104A-B and second application 138) to add a meeting bot into the meeting (see Rao Paragraph [0024], The user application 112 can include a dialog process 116 displayed in an active window of the application environment 114, for example, a chatbot or another virtual agent, to provide an interactive content selection experience to a user on the user device 108. Dialog process 116 can be executed on the user device 108, or can be provided to the user device 108 by the server 104 through the network 102. The dialog process 116 can utilize the content recommendation platform 122 (and the one or more content recommendation models 106) to select a content item 110 for presentation in the application environment 114 on the user device 108, and Paragraph [0065] In some implementations, a dialog process interaction 202 is initiated in the virtual agent dialog window 204 by an initial query 202a by a user 212 (e.g., a request for presentation of a content item)); and
the meeting bot requesting the collaborative application backend system to open whiteboard application session on local interactive system when logical user is recognised by meeting bot (see Rao Paragraph [0024], The user application 112 can include a dialog process 116 displayed in an active window of the application environment 114, for example, a chatbot or another virtual agent, to provide an interactive content selection experience to a user on the user device 108. Dialog process 116 can be executed on the user device 108, or can be provided to the user device 108 by the server 104 through the network 102. The dialog process 116 can utilize the content recommendation platform 122 (and the one or more content recommendation models 106) to select a content item 110 for presentation in the application environment 114 on the user device 108).
Cupala in view of Rao does not expressively teach
the meeting bot receiving updates from the video conferencing backend system whenever a user joins or leaves the meeting;
However, Pawar teaches
the meeting bot receiving updates from the video conferencing backend system whenever a user joins or leaves the meeting (see Pawar Paragraph [0023], the method may also include, with the agent, preparing an attendance record of the meeting based on participant login and voice recognition; and providing the attendance record to the meeting organizer, Paragraph [0053], In other examples, the agent may prepare an attendance record 318 of which participants attended the meeting. This may be done by the agent noting which participants are logged into the meeting, if an electronic conference client is used. This may be done by looking at screen names used in the electronic conference client or looking at login credentials for the electronic conference client);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of a method in which a video conferencing application connects to a session, displays it on a local device, and a meeting bot opens a whiteboard session within that conference through a backend system (as taught in Cupala in view of Rao), with implementing a meeting bot that records when users join or leave a meeting (as taught in Pawar), the motivation being to improve a collaborative communication environment by enabling a meeting agent to organize, capture content from, and report on a meeting, so that participants do not get distracted having to do that themselves, and also to return to if they forget what was discussed or missed the discussion (see Pawar Paragraph [0020]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Refer to PTO-892, Notice of References Cited for a listing of analogous art.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CARISSA A JONES whose telephone number is (703)756-1677. The examiner can normally be reached Telework M-F 6:30 AM - 4:00 PM CT.
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/CARISSA A JONES/Examiner, Art Unit 2691
/DUC NGUYEN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2691
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