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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-10 and 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a0(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Application Publication 2022/0116540 A1 to Jia.
With respect to claim 1 Jia discloses, in Fig. 1-11, a method comprising: receiving, from first and second cameras, a first image and a second image, respectively (paragraph 41), the first image captured at a first optical zoom and the second image captured at a second optical zoom different from the first optical zoom (paragraph 43), the first and second cameras having different fields of view and different points of view (paragraph 43), the first image and the second image capturing a same scene with the different fields of view and the different points of view (Fig. 4 and paragraph 43 and 80); receiving a desired digital zoom, the desired digital zoom being between the first optical zoom and the second optical zoom (paragraph 47); determining an overlap region of the first image in which the second image overlaps the first image (paragraph 79-81; where FOV need to be matched, i.e. overlaps determined); determining a fused image of the scene with the desired digital zoom, the determining based on the first image and the second image, the determining applying a higher resolution than the first image of the second image to the overlap region of the first image (paragraph 78 and 88); and providing the fused image of the scene having the desired digital zoom, the fused image of the scene having the higher resolution than the first image within at least a portion of the overlap region (paragraph 78-88).
With respect to claim 2 Jia discloses, in Fig. 1-11, the method as described in claim 1, wherein the first and second cameras are separate cameras in a shared camera array (paragraph 37), the separate cameras each having different lenses (paragraph 43).
With respect to claim 3 Jia discloses, in Fig. 1-11, the method as described in claim 1, wherein the first and second cameras are separate cameras housed within a same mobile computing device (paragraph 37), the separate cameras each having different lenses (paragraph 43).
With respect to claim 4 Jia discloses, in Fig. 1-11, the method as described in claim 3, wherein the different lenses are configured to provide the first optical zoom and the second optical zoom (paragraph 43).
With respect to claim 5 Jia discloses, in Fig. 1-11, the method as described in claim 4, wherein the first optical zoom is 1x or lower, the second optical zoom is 2x or greater, and the desired digital zoom is between the first optical zoom of 1x or lower and the second optical zoom of 2x or greater, exclusive (Fig. 5; where ultra-wide and wide satisfy this claim).
With respect to claim 6 Jia discloses, in Fig. 1-11, the method as described in claim 1, wherein the first image and the second image are captured contemporaneously (paragraph 41).
With respect to claim 7 Jia discloses, in Fig. 1-11, the method as described in claim 1, wherein receiving the desired digital zoom comprises receiving a selection of a digital zoom by a user of a mobile computing device associated with the first and second cameras (paragraph 48).
With respect to claim 8 Jia discloses, in Fig. 1-11, the method as described in claim 1, further comprising receiving the desired digital zoom prior to receiving the first image and the second image, and wherein receiving the first and second images comprises causing the first and second cameras to capture the first and second images, respectively, responsive to receiving the desired digital zoom (paragraph 47; where a zoom indication is indicated and then the zoom processing proceed which would include capturing images as the user continues zooming in or out).
With respect to claim 9 Jia discloses, in Fig. 1-11, the method as described in claim 1, wherein determining the fused image of the scene with the desired digital zoom applies a machine-learned model, the machine-learned model configured to compensate for the different fields of view of the first image and the second image (paragraph 32).
With respect to claim 10 Jia discloses, in Fig. 1-11, the method as described in claim1, wherein determining the fused image of the scene with the desired digital zoom applies a machine-learned model, the machine-learned model configured to compensate for the different points of view of the first image and the second image (paragraph 32).
With respect to claim 18 Jia discloses, in Fig. 1-11, a computing device comprising: at least two cameras, the at least two cameras having different optical zooms, different fields of view, and different points of view (paragraph 38 and 43); one or more processors (paragraph 31); and memory storing: instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to implement an image-processing manager to provide image processing utilizing the at least two cameras (paragraph 31) and the one or more processors by performing the method of any one of the preceding claims (See above).
Claim 19 is rejected for similar reason as claim 1 above as it is a corresponding program to method claim 1 and Jia discloses a processor/program based method in paragraph 30-31.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-17 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2023/0325994 to Ma and U.S. Patent Application Publication 2019/0230291 A1 to Shabtay et al which disclose a system with two cameras of different zooms and fields of view where images from both as fused.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL M PASIEWICZ whose telephone number is (571)272-5516. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9 AM - 5:30 PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, George Eng can be reached at (571)272-7495. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANIEL M PASIEWICZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2699
March 31, 2026
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