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 § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-6, 8, 12-13, 17-18, 26, and 34-39 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to a judicial exception without significantly more.
Claim 1
Step 1: Claim 1 is directed to a method, which is a process, thereby meeting step 1.
Claim 1. A method comprising: . . ..
Step 2A, Prong One: Claim 1 recites a “mental process” abstract idea that can be performed in the human mind or by using a pen and paper:
in response to a determination that at least the first trigger condition has been met, . . .
Step 2A, Prong Two: The following additional element does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it does not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea.
(a) obtaining scene description data for a 3D scene, wherein the scene description data includes: scene element information describing each of a plurality of scene elements in the scene, at least one of the scene elements being a virtual light source; trigger information describing at least a first trigger condition; action information describing at least a first action, the first action indicating a modification to at least one property of the virtual light source; and behavior information, wherein the behavior information associates at least the first trigger condition with at least the first action;
(b) performing at least the first action on at least the virtual light source.
Regarding (a), the additional element is insignificant extra-solution activity, specifically, mere data gathering. MPEP 2106.05(g)(3), “Mere Data Gathering” examples iii, iv and MPEP 2106.05(g)(3), “Selecting a particular data source or type of data to be manipulated:” examples ii, iii.
Regarding (b), the additional element amounts to merely indicating a field of use or technological environment by broadly mentioning The element is substantially similar to the following examples MPEP 2106.05(h) v, vi. For example, example vi states, “because limiting application of the abstract idea to power-grid monitoring is simply an attempt to limit the use of the abstract idea to a particular technological environment.”
Particularly note, the obtained “scene description data” is not required to be used for “performing at least the first action” under BRI, and the “scene description data” is not part of the technical details to implement actions on the virtual light source; “a modification to at least one property of the virtual light source” does not necessarily effect appearance change to “the virtual light source” under BRI, e.g., changing the name/label of the virtual light source. Similar to the additional element in Flook regarding the catalytic chemical conversion of hydrocarbons was not sufficient to make the claim eligible, because it was merely an incidental or token addition to the claim that did not alter or affect how the decision to take action is made.
Step 2B: Additional elements are determined not to amount to an inventive concept after having considered them both individually and in combination; and the additional elements do not amount to significantly more than the judicial exception itself.
(a) obtaining scene description data for a 3D scene, wherein the scene description data includes: scene element information describing each of a plurality of scene elements in the scene, at least one of the scene elements being a virtual light source; trigger information describing at least a first trigger condition; action information describing at least a first action, the first action indicating a modification to at least one property of the virtual light source; and behavior information, wherein the behavior information associates at least the first trigger condition with at least the first action;
(b) performing at least the first action on at least the virtual light source.
Regarding (a), the additional element is insignificant extra-solution activity, specifically, mere data gathering. MPEP 2106.05(g)(3), “Mere Data Gathering” examples iii, iv and MPEP 2106.05(g)(3), “Selecting a particular data source or type of data to be manipulated:” examples ii, iii. “Receiving or transmitting data over a network” MPEP 2106.05(d).II.
Regarding (b), the additional element amounts to merely indicating a field of use or technological environment by broadly mentioning The element is substantially similar to the following examples MPEP 2106.05(h) v, vi. For example, example vi states, “because limiting application of the abstract idea to power-grid monitoring is simply an attempt to limit the use of the abstract idea to a particular technological environment.”
Claim 2
Step 1: Claim 2 depends on Claim 1 and is directed to a method that is a process, thereby meeting step 1.
Step 2A, Prong One: Claim 2 recites the following limitations belong to mathematical concept:
wherein the first action comprises multiplying an intensity of the virtual light source by a specified value.
Step 2A, Prong Two; Step 2B: there are no additional amendments not addressed by Claim 2’s analyses.
Claim 3
Step 1: Claim 3 depends on Claim 1 and is directed to a method that is a process, thereby meeting step 1.
Step 2A, Prong One: Claim 3 recites the following limitations belong to mathematical concept or mental process:
wherein the first action comprises setting a value indicating whether or not shadows are cast by the virtual light source.
Note, under BRI, setting a value about shadow does not mean rendering with impacted by the shadow.
Step 2A, Prong Two; Step 2B: there are no additional amendments not addressed by Claim 3’s analyses.
Claim 4
Step 1: Claim 4 depends on Claim 1 and is directed to a method that is a process, thereby meeting step 1.
Step 2A, Prong One: Claim 4 recites the following limitations belong to a mental process with assistance of paper and pen:
wherein the first action comprises changing a color of the virtual light source.
Note, a person could paint changes to lighting in a painting.
Step 2A, Prong Two; Step 2B: there are no additional amendments not addressed by Claim 4’s analyses.
Claim 5
Step 1: Claim 5 depends on Claim 1 and is directed to a method that is a process, thereby meeting step 1.
Step 2A, Prong One: Claim 5 recites the following limitations belong to mathematical concept or mental process:
wherein the first action comprises setting a distance cutoff for the virtual light source.
Note, under BRI, setting a value about distance cutoff does not mean rendering with impacted by the value.
Step 2A, Prong Two; Step 2B: there are no additional amendments not addressed by Claim 5’s analyses.
Claim 6
Step 1: Claim 6 depends on Claim 1 and is directed to a method that is a process, thereby meeting step 1.
Step 2A, Prong One: Claim 6 recites the following limitations belong to mathematical concept or mental process:
the first action comprises defining an inner cone angle where intensity falloff begins for the virtual spot light source.
Note, under BRI, defining a value does not mean rendering with impacted from the value.
Step 2A, Prong Two; Step 2B: Claim 6 recites following additional elements:
wherein the virtual light source is a virtual spot light source
The additional element amounts to merely indicating a field of use or technological environment by broadly mentioning The element is substantially similar to the following examples MPEP 2106.05(h) v, vi.
Claim 8
Step 1: Claim 8 depends on Claim 1 and is directed to a method that is a process, thereby meeting step 1.
Step 2A, Prong One: Claim 8 recites the following limitations belong to mathematical concept or mental process:
the first action comprises changing a width or a height of the virtual area light source..
Note, under BRI, changing a value does not mean rendering with impacted from the value. “Changing a width or a height” is interpreted as “changing a width or a height property,” because Claim 1 recites “the first action indicating a modification to at least one property of the virtual light source.”
Step 2A, Prong Two; Step 2B: Claim 6 recites following additional elements:
wherein the virtual light source is a virtual area light source
The additional element amounts to merely indicating a field of use or technological environment by broadly mentioning The element is substantially similar to the following examples MPEP 2106.05(h) v, vi.
Claim 12
Step 1: Claim 12 depends on Claim 1 and is directed to a method that is a process, thereby meeting step 1.
Step 2A, Prong One: Claim 12 recites the following limitations belong to a mental process:
the first action comprises defining images to be used by the virtual cubemap light source.
Step 2A, Prong Two; Step 2B: Claim 6 recites following additional elements:
wherein the virtual light source is a virtual cubemap light source
The additional element amounts to merely indicating a field of use or technological environment by broadly mentioning The element is substantially similar to the following examples MPEP 2106.05(h) v, vi.
Claim 13
Step 1: Claim 13 depends on Claim 1 and is directed to a method that is a process, thereby meeting step 1.
Step 2A, Prong One: Claim 13 does not recite additional limitations related to a judicial exception.
Step 2A, Prong Two; Step 2B: Claim 13 recites following additional elements:
wherein the first trigger condition is a visibility condition that is satisfied when a specified scene element is visible to a specified camera node.
Regarding the additional element, with further describes the scene description data that have been obtained according to Claim 1, obtaining the data is insignificant extra-solution activity, specifically, mere data gathering. MPEP 2106.05(g)(3), “Mere Data Gathering” examples iii, iv and MPEP 2106.05(g)(3), “Selecting a particular data source or type of data to be manipulated:” examples ii, iii. “Receiving or transmitting data over a network” MPEP 2106.05(d).II.
Claim 17
Step 1: Claim 17 depends on Claim 1 and is directed to a method that is a process, thereby meeting step 1.
Step 2A, Prong One: Claim 17 does not recite additional limitations related to a judicial exception.
Step 2A, Prong Two; Step 2B: Claim 17 recites following additional elements:
wherein the first trigger condition is a collider condition that is satisfied in response to detection of a collision between specified scene elements.
Regarding the additional element, with further describes the scene description data that have been obtained according to Claim 1, obtaining the data is insignificant extra-solution activity, specifically, mere data gathering. MPEP 2106.05(g)(3), “Mere Data Gathering” examples iii, iv and MPEP 2106.05(g)(3), “Selecting a particular data source or type of data to be manipulated:” examples ii, iii. “Receiving or transmitting data over a network” MPEP 2106.05(d).II.
Claim 18
Step 1: Claim 18 depends on Claim 1 and is directed to a method that is a process, thereby meeting step 1.
Step 2A, Prong One: Claim 18 does not recite additional limitations related to a judicial exception.
Step 2A, Prong Two; Step 2B: Claim 18 recites following additional elements:
wherein the behavior information associates the first action with a plurality of trigger conditions, and wherein the behavior information further includes information indicating whether the first associated action is to be performed (i) in response to a determination that all of the plurality of trigger conditions have been met, or (ii) in response to a determination that any one of the plurality of trigger conditions has been met.
Regarding the additional element, with further describes the scene description data that have been obtained according to Claim 1, obtaining the data is insignificant extra-solution activity, specifically, mere data gathering. MPEP 2106.05(g)(3), “Mere Data Gathering” examples iii, iv and MPEP 2106.05(g)(3), “Selecting a particular data source or type of data to be manipulated:” examples ii, iii. “Receiving or transmitting data over a network” MPEP 2106.05(d).II.
Claim 26
Step 1: Claim 26 depends on Claim 1 and is directed to a method that is a process, thereby meeting step 1.
Step 2A, Prong One: Claim 26 does not recite additional limitations related to a judicial exception.
Step 2A, Prong Two; Step 2B: Claim 26 recites following additional elements:
wherein each action described in the action information includes action type information, and wherein the action type information for at least the first action comprises information indicating a dedicated light action.
Regarding the additional element, with further describes the scene description data that have been obtained according to Claim 1, obtaining the data is insignificant extra-solution activity, specifically, mere data gathering. MPEP 2106.05(g)(3), “Mere Data Gathering” examples iii, iv and MPEP 2106.05(g)(3), “Selecting a particular data source or type of data to be manipulated:” examples ii, iii. “Receiving or transmitting data over a network” MPEP 2106.05(d).II.
Claims 34-39 are substantially similar to Claims 1-4, 6, and 12, and rejection analyses for Claims 1-4, 6, and 12 are applied to Claims 34-39. In addition, Claim 34 recites “An apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to perform at least: . . ..”
Regarding the apparatus, under BRI, could be interpreted as a computer or computer components. The computer is recited at a high level of generality, performing a generic computer function. This generic processor limitation is no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component. MPEP 2106.05(f). When a map is used in the context of a computer, the map becomes an electronic map.
Claims 9 and 27 were not rejected, because the additional elements integrate the judicial exception into a practical application.
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.
Claims 1, 4, 13, 26-27, 34, and 37 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Du et al. (WO 2021262243 A1) in view of Ergo et al. (US 20090113389 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Du teaches A method comprising:
obtaining scene description data (including live depth map (Du Abstract), description of a light source (Du Abstract), description of physical objects (Du Abstract, ¶ 39), and/or 3D-world-space-coordinate description (Du ¶ 41)) for a 3D scene (scene based on 3D world space coordinates (Du ¶ 41)), wherein the scene description data includes: scene element information describing each of a plurality of scene elements in the scene (e.g., furniture, windows, and/or doors (Du Abstract, ¶ 39)), at least one of the scene elements being a virtual light source (light source (Du Abstract)) (
“A system and method for relighting of an augmented reality scene are provided. Image data and depth data corresponding to a physical environment may be captured by an image sensor of a computing device, for display in an AR scene generated by the computing device. The system may use the image data and depth data to generate a live depth map of the physical environment. A virtual light source may be placed in the AR scene of the physical environment in response to a user input. The system may relight the AR scene in response to the placement of the virtual light source based on the image data and the depth map.” Du Abstract.
“For example, the lighting, and relighting, of a physical environment such as the room 1000 shown in FIG. 2, may rely on an understanding of a positioning of the boundaries defined by, for example, the walls. This may also rely on an understanding of characteristics of the physical elements, for example, the furniture, decorative items, windows, doors and the like within the room 1000. In some implementations, these characteristics may include, for example, a positioning, a shape, a contour etc. of the physical elements. In some implementations, these characteristics may include a reflectivity of the physical elements in the room 1000, a mapping of distances from the camera assembly 330 of the computing device 300 to the physical elements in the room 1000, and the like.” Du ¶ 39.
“The system may use the 3D world space coordinate associated with the placement of the virtual light source 410, together with the understanding of the physical elements in the physical environment 1000 (also gained from the depth map) to march light from the virtual light source 410 to each pixel of the image constituting the AR scene 400.” Du ¶ 41.);
an augmented scene is generated based on
trigger information (user input received by a computing device that triggers changes to virtual object in scene, which is illustrated through Figs. 7A-D, 8A-D) describing at least a first trigger condition (e.g., user input to move, place, and/or turn on/off of virtual lighting Fig. 7B 314E) (
“A system and method, in accordance with implementations described herein, may provide realistic lighting effects in response to the placement and/or to the adjustment of a virtual light source in an AR scene. That is, shading/shadows, color, intensity, and other such factors related to the illumination of an AR scene may be adjusted as positioning, color, intensity, and other such characteristics of the light emitted by a virtual light source are adjusted.” Du ¶ 38.
“. . . A lighting, and/or a relighting, of each pixel of the AR scene 400 may be performed based on the depth and reflectivity/color information, to allow for realistic lighting of the AR scene 400 based on the placement position of the virtual light source 410, and relighting of the AR scene 400 in substantially real time in response to changes in characteristics such as, for example, viewing perspective, light intensity, light color and other such characteristics.” Du ¶ 44.);
action information describing at least a first action, the first action (changes to an virtual object in scene, which is illustrated through Figs. 7A-D, 8A-D) indicating a modification to at least one property (on-off status as shown by Fig. 7C-D, position, type, characteristics) of the virtual light source (
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, where the type, position, and/or characteristics of the light source is edited. See. Du ¶¶ 38, 44.); and
behavior information (user’s interaction with the interface, including dragging and placing 314E as shown in Fig. 7, is associated with actions of the virtual object(s)), wherein the behavior information associates at least the first trigger condition (user’s interaction with the interface) with at least the first action (user action to edit/add a virtual light source) (
[BRI on the record] With respect to “behavior information,” the Examiner is reading the limitation to mean: information that associates trigger information and action information, wherein in response to satisfying trigger condition described in the trigger information, action described in the action information is triggered. The interpretation is made in light of the specification, which states:
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[Mapping Analysis]
Figs. 7A-D; Figs. 8A-F show that changes to virtual object in scene, which is illustrated through Figs. 7A-D, 8A-D in response to user interactions with the scene.); and
in response to a determination that at least the first trigger condition has been met, performing at least the first action on at least the virtual light source (Figs. 7A-D; Figs. 8A-F show that changes to virtual object in scene, which is illustrated through Figs. 7A-D, 8A-D in response to user interactions with the scene.).
Du does not explicitly teach that the scene description data including the trigger information, the action information, and the behavior information. Arguments could be made that Du implicitly teaches the claimed feature, because “scene description data” is broad, which does not specify format or how the description data are used. Du teaches the use of trigger information, action information, and the behavior information. Du has implicitly obtained the scene description data in any format(s) at any time point(s) before the scene description data are used in the rendering of the scene.
Ergo teaches scene description data including the trigger information, the action information, and the behavior information (“FIG. 3 shows a preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein interactivity between user(s) and scenario is provided. The scenario document stored in the virtual scenario description repository 12 now includes so-called ‘triggers’ in addition to the scene description. Triggers are condition/action pairs where the action is performed only if the condition is met. An example of a trigger, as expressed under an XML-language form in repository 12 is given below: . . ..” Ergo ¶ 53.
The claimed “behavior” corresponds to disclosed “trigger.”
The claimed “trigger” corresponds to disclosed “condition.”
The claimed “action” corresponds to disclosed “action.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Ergo’s description data with primary reference Du. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to improve processing efficiency and implementation flexibility. Ergo explains, “The virtual scenario is described in a specific language, for instance an XML language (eXtendible Markup Language). The parser/loader 13 may then first read an XML schema defining the set of tags, with their structure and arguments. The parser/loader 12 then reads the actual scenario, expressed in said XML language. In the parsing operation, the syntactic validity of the scenario is verified. In the loading operation, in-memory structures are created, reflecting the scenario. These memory structures are optimized for fast access and real-time processing. By using the step of reading a scenario written in a specific language, any new kind of interactive multimedia application can be built using the same device, without changing anything in the engine 11 or memory 10.” Ergo ¶ 52.
Regarding Claim 4, Du further teaches The method of claim 1, wherein the first action comprises changing a color of the virtual light source (
“A system and method, in accordance with implementations described herein, may provide realistic lighting effects in response to the placement and/or to the adjustment of a virtual light source in an AR scene. That is, shading/shadows, color, intensity, and other such factors related to the illumination of an AR scene may be adjusted as positioning, color, intensity, and other such characteristics of the light emitted by a virtual light source are adjusted.” Du ¶ 38.).
Regarding Claim 13, Du further teaches The method of claim 1, wherein the first trigger condition is a visibility condition that is satisfied when a specified scene element is visible to a specified camera node (“Fusing virtual elements (for example, virtual objects, or AR objects) with the physical world to develop (e.g., generate, define) an AR scene may rely not just on a semantic, instance-level understanding of the elements of the AR scene (i.e., both the virtual/ AR elements and the physical elements) but also of the lighting, and the relighting of the AR scene as the elements move, a camera view of the AR scene changes perspective (for example, due to movement of the computing device) and the like. . . . A system and method, in accordance with implementations described herein, may account for occlusions, changes in position of the virtual light source, changes perspective of the (virtual and physical) elements in the AR scene, and other such factors, in the lighting and the relighting of the AR scene.” Ergo ¶ 32. Here, the camera view is specified and occlusion is accounted for, and occlusion is about visibility of a graphical element. Figs. 7C-7D shows that part of the coffee table becomes invisibility after a lamp is placed on the coffee table.).
Regarding Claim 26, Du in view of Ergo teaches The method of claim 1, wherein each action described in the action information includes action type information, and wherein the action type information for at least the first action comprises information indicating a dedicated light action (
“FIG. 3 shows a preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein interactivity between user(s) and scenario is provided. The scenario document stored in the virtual scenario description repository 12 now includes so-called ‘triggers’ in addition to the scene description. Triggers are condition/action pairs where the action is performed only if the condition is met. An example of a trigger, as expressed under an XML-language form in repository 12 is given below: . . ..” Ergo ¶ 53.
The claimed “behavior” corresponds to disclosed “trigger.”
The claimed “trigger” corresponds to disclosed “condition.”
The claimed “action” corresponds to disclosed “action.”
Du Figs. 7C-7D and 8A-F show that the Ergo’s described actions could be Du’s dedicated light action after the combination of Du and Ergo).
Regarding Claim 27, Du further teaches The method of claim 1, further comprising
rendering the 3D scene, wherein the determination that the first trigger condition has been met is made during rendering of the 3D scene (
“A system and method, in accordance with implementations described herein, may provide realistic lighting effects in response to the placement and/or to the adjustment of a virtual light source in an AR scene. That is, shading/shadows, color, intensity, and other such factors related to the illumination of an AR scene may be adjusted as positioning, color, intensity, and other such characteristics of the light emitted by a virtual light source are adjusted.” Du ¶ 38.
“. . . A lighting, and/or a relighting, of each pixel of the AR scene 400 may be performed based on the depth and reflectivity/color information, to allow for realistic lighting of the AR scene 400 based on the placement position of the virtual light source 410, and relighting of the AR scene 400 in substantially real time in response to changes in characteristics such as, for example, viewing perspective, light intensity, light color and other such characteristics.” Du ¶ 44.
Here, the trigger condition, specific user interactions/inputs, are met before the corresponding changes scenes based on user interactions/inputs are rendered.).
Claims 34 and 37 are substantially similar to Claims 1 and 4. The rejections analyses based on Du in view of Ergo for Claims 1 and 4 are also applied to Claims 34 and 37. In addition, Claim 34 recites, “An apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to perform at least: . . .” (Du ¶¶ 25, 28).
Claims 2-3, 5, and 35-36 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Du in view of Ergo as applied to Claim 1 or 34, in further view of LEE et al. (US 20160012642 A1)
Regarding Claim 2, Du in view of Ergo teaches The method of claim 1, wherein the first action comprises changing an intensity of the virtual light source by a specified value (“. . . A lighting, and/or a relighting, of each pixel of the AR scene 400 may be performed based on the depth and reflectivity/color information, to allow for realistic lighting of the AR scene 400 based on the placement position of the virtual light source 410, and relighting of the AR scene 400 in substantially real time in response to changes in characteristics such as, for example, viewing perspective, light intensity, light color and other such characteristics.” Du ¶ 44.).
Du in view of Ergo does not explicitly teach, but Lee teaches multiplying an intensity of the virtual light source by a specified value (“For example, when the display device is a smartphone, a brightness level of the virtual light source by a touch interface of the smartphone may be adjusted to be between 0 and 1. The user may turn off a level of the illumination effect by the object by adjusting the level of influence of the virtual light source on the virtual area to be 0 based on necessity.” Lee ¶ 99. ).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Lee’s control of a virtual light source with Du in view of Ergo. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to allow a user to conveniently set/customize the lighting in a virtual scene. “In this example, a method of representing the visual effect 120 by the object 110 having a bright characteristic in a virtual environment 100 may be provided without using a complex physical operation in a mobile device, such as a smartphone and a tablet PC, for example, by employing a light representation method provided from a software standard. The light representation method provided from the software standard will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.” Lee ¶ 55.
Regarding Claim 3, Du further teaches The method of claim 1, wherein the first action comprises adjusting shadows that are cast by the virtual light source (“A system and method, in accordance with implementations described herein, may provide realistic lighting effects in response to the placement and/or to the adjustment of a virtual light source in an AR scene. That is, shading/shadows, color, intensity, and other such factors related to the illumination of an AR scene may be adjusted as positioning, color, intensity, and other such characteristics of the light emitted by a virtual light source are adjusted.” Du ¶ 38.).
Du in view of Ergo does not explicitly disclose; however, Lee teaches setting a value indicating whether or not shadows are cast by the virtual light source (“For example, when the display device is a smartphone, a brightness level of the virtual light source by a touch interface of the smartphone may be adjusted to be between 0 and 1. The user may turn off a level of the illumination effect by the object by adjusting the level of influence of the virtual light source on the virtual area to be 0 based on necessity.” Lee ¶ 99. When the influence of a virtual light source is 0, no shadow will be cast by the virtual light source.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Lee’s control of a virtual light source with Du in view of Ergo. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to allow a user to conveniently set/customize the lighting in a virtual scene.
Regarding Claim 5, Du in view of Ergo teaches The method of claim 1, wherein the first action comprises (Du discloses, “In some implementations, one or more rays of light may be propagated outward, from the virtual light source 410 into the AR scene 400, with intensity of the light varying as the distance from the virtual light source 410 varies (for example, the intensity of the light decreasing as the distance from the virtual light source 410 increases) (blocks 580D and 580E). The process may be repeated for each pixel until it is determined that all pixels have been analyzed (block 590).” Du ¶ 47.).
Du in view of Ergo does not explicitly disclose; however, Lee teaches setting the distance cutoff (“In the following examples, all information of the virtual light source 621 may be set by the content provider and/or the user. For example, the radius 625 with the intensity attenuation of 1/4 and the cut-off radius 626 may be arbitrarily set by the content provider and/or the user, and may be used to calculate a level of the illumination effect, for example, a light amount within the virtual area 620.” Lee ¶ 75.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Lee’s control of a virtual light source with Du in view of Ergo. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to allow a user to conveniently set/customize the lighting in a virtual scene.
Claims 35-36 are substantially similar to Claims 2-3. The rejections analyses based on Du in view of Ergo and Lee for Claims 2-3 are also applied to Claims 35-36.
Claims 6, 8, and 38 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Du in view of Ergo as applied to Claim 1 or 34, in further view of Becker et al. (US 20220414975 A1).
Regarding Claim 6, Du in view of Ergo teaches The method of claim 1.
Du in view of Ergo does not explicitly disclose; however, Becker teaches wherein the virtual light source is a virtual spot light source (“In the example of FIG. 4A, virtual spot light source 446 has been selected and placed at the location shown, and a spot light source manipulator has been displayed over the virtual spot light source.” Becker ¶ 58.), and
the first action comprises defining an inner cone angle where intensity falloff begins for the virtual spot light source
“In the example of FIG. 4A, radial fade boundary 434 and final aperture boundary 436 appear in the same plane, which can represent the axial projection distance of virtual spot light source 446. Radial fade boundary 434 indicates the start of the fading of the light intensity emanating from virtual spot light source 446 in the radial direction outward from axis 450, and final aperture boundary 436 indicates the farthest reach or projection of the virtual spot light source in the radial direction outward from the axis. For example, the light intensity of virtual spot light source 446 can remain constant from axis 450 outward to radial fade boundary 434, and thereafter the light intensity can drop off linearly or nonlinearly in a radial direction from the radial fade boundary outward to final aperture boundary 436 according to a selected fade equation until it reaches the final aperture boundary. At final aperture boundary 436, the light intensity can be zero, or in some instances nonzero. Beyond final aperture boundary 436 (either axially or radially) there may be no light intensity produced by virtual spot light source 446.” Burley ¶ 54.
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The figures show that 434 is associated with an inner cone angle define.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Becker’s area light source manipulator with Du in view of Ergo. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to allow a user to customize virtual objects, e.g., virtual light source. The user would have felt empowered and would have been more satisfied.
Regarding Claim 8, Du in view of Ergo The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual light source is a virtual area light source ( Du:
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).
Du in view of Ergo does not explicitly disclose; however, Becker teaches the first action comprises changing a width or a height of the virtual area light source (
“In some examples, the area light source manipulator can be maintained at a default size even when the 3D environment, virtual area light source 674, and any virtual objects in the environment are zoomed in or out. Maintaining the area light source manipulator at a default size can enable the area light source manipulator to maintain its ease of use, even when virtual area light source 674 and virtual objects are very small. However, in other examples, the area light source manipulator can grow or shrink as the 3D environment and virtual area light source 674 are zoomed out or in.” Becker ¶ 76.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Becker’s area light source manipulator with Du in view of Ergo. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to allow a user to customize virtual objects, e.g., virtual light source. The user would have felt empowered and would have been more satisfied.
Claim 38 is substantially similar to Claim 6. The rejections analyses based on Du in view of Ergo and Becker for Claim 6 are also applied to Claim 38.
Claims 9, 12, and 39 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Du in view of Ergo as applied to Claim 1 or 34, in further view of KAWASAKI et al. (WO 2005124691 A1).
Regarding Claim 9, Du in view of Ergo teaches The method of claim 1.
Du in view of Ergo does not explicitly disclose; however, Kawasaki teaches wherein the virtual light source is a virtual cubemap light source and the first action comprises applying a specified rotation to the virtual cubemap light source (
“This can be easily achieved by making the direction of the light source correspond to the spherical surface. Therefore, by calculating Lb (c, k) for each light source direction in advance and storing this in a cube map or the like, the rotation calculation by the CPU can be performed in the vertex seeder. This is called the ‘pre-computed lighting representation’.” Kawasaki p. 18.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine KAWASAKI’s cubemap with Du in view of Ergo. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to enhance process speed by pre-computation.
Regarding Claim 12, Du in view of Ergo and KAWASAKI teaches The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual light source is a virtual cubemap light source and the first action comprises defining images to be used by the virtual cubemap light source (
“This can be easily achieved by making the direction of the light source correspond to the spherical surface. Therefore, by calculating Lb (c, k) for each light source direction in advance and storing this in a cube map or the like, the rotation calculation by the CPU can be performed in the vertex seeder. This is called the ‘pre-computed lighting representation’.” Kawasaki p. . The light source is virtual because it is represented “pre-computed lighting representation.” The images to be used correspond to the images based on various light source directions.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine KAWASAKI’s cubemap with Du in view of Ergo. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to enhance process speed by pre-computation.
Claim 39 is substantially similar to Claim 12. The rejections analyses based on Du in view of Ergo and KAWASAKI for Claim 12 are also applied to Claim 39.
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Du in view of Ergo as applied to Claim 1, in further view of Alnatsheh (US 20180113594 A1)
Regarding Claim 17, Du in view of Ergo teaches The method of claim 1.
Du in view of Ergo does not explicitly disclose; however, Alnatsheh teaches wherein the first trigger condition is a collider condition that is satisfied in response to detection of a collision between specified scene elements (“the one or more colliders are virtual objects or spaces that, once collided with in the enhanced virtual reality space, trigger the sending of the request for event information associated with the one or more beacons in the physical venue upon the sensing that the virtual user has virtually collided with one of the one or more colliders.” Alnatsheh Claim 4. “In aspects the triggering event triggers an event (e.g., marketing event) within the enhanced virtual reality space when the user virtually collides with a collider within the enhanced virtual reality space.” Alnatsheh ¶ 45.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Alnatsheh’s collider with Du in view of Ergo. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to enhance interactivity between a user and a mediated reality environment. “In aspects the triggering event triggers an event (e.g., marketing event) within the enhanced virtual reality space when the user virtually collides with a collider within the enhanced virtual reality space.” Alnatsheh ¶ 45.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Du in view of Ergo as applied to Claim 1, in further view of Smith et al. (US 20220086111 A1).
Regarding Claim 18, Du in view of Ergo teaches The method of claim 1.
Du in view of Ergo does not explicitly disclose; however, Smith teaches wherein the behavior information associates the first action (“the contextual trigger”) with a plurality of trigger conditions (“all conditions for the contextual trigger”), and wherein the behavior information further includes information indicating whether the first associated action is to be performed (i) in response to a determination that all of the plurality of trigger conditions have been met, or (ii) in response to a determination that any one of the plurality of trigger conditions has been met (“. . . all conditions for the contextual trigger must be satisfied in order for the AR message to be triggered.” Smith ¶ 157. ).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Smith’s triggering an action when all conditions are satisfied with Du in view of Ergo. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make sure the action is triggered correctly and perform as a user expects.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Harrison et al. (US 20190340306 A1).
“This distance-based light source intensity may be captured in the ray trace data and/or may be generated during modeling, rendering, and the like. In an example of distance-based light source intensity modeling and/or rendering, light source intensity fall-off over distance from the light source for each ray-trace in the set of ray-traces may be presented in the resulting rendered display of the three-dimensional space.” Harrison ¶ 351.
The disclosure is closely related to the features in Claim 5; however, it is not as strong as the reference used in art rejection.
Burley et al. (US 20090027391 A1)
“For each virtual light source, the user specifies various properties corresponding to properties of real-world light, such as shape and size of the source (e.g., bar, bulb, point-source), brightness, color and/or color temperature, directionality (e.g., collimated, omnidirectional), intensity profile and falloff with distance, edge effects (e.g., a "barn door" effect that sharply cuts off the intensity), and so on; particular properties can vary depending on the rendering application.” Burley ¶ 23.
The disclosure is closely related to the features in Claim 5; however, it is not as strong as the reference used in art rejection.
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/ZHENGXI LIU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2611
