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 .
This Office Action is responsive to: Application filed 12 Sep. 2024
Claims 1-8 are pending in this case. Claims 1, 6, 7 and 8 are independent claims
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kitoh (Pub. No.: US 2021/0092080 A1; Effective Filed Date: Sep. 20, 2019).
Regarding independent claim 1, Kitoh disclose an information processing apparatus comprising:
circuitry configured to:
transmit to a first terminal, an answer to a question transmitted from the first terminal
based on question and answer information (0045; Fig. 1); and
request the first terminal to display, on a screen on which the answer is to be displayed. a first button for receiving a chat with an operator in a case that the operator is feasible to answer by chat to the question transmitted from the first terminal, the question belonging to a certain category (0123; 0141; 0153-0168; 0175-0176; Figs. 17 & 19).
Regarding dependent claim 2, Kitoh disclose the information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to request the first terminal to display on the screen a second button for receiving a chat with the operator immediately after the answer is transmitted, when the operator is feasible to answer by chat to the question belonging to the certain category (0175-0176; Fig. 17).
Regarding dependent claim 3, Kitoh disclose the information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:
determine periodically whether the operator is feasible to answer by chat to the question belonging to the certain category (0136; 0194-0200; Figs 17 & 19); and
request the first terminal to display on the screen a second button for receiving a chat with the operator in the case that the operator is feasible to answer by chat to the question belonging to the certain category (0136; 0194-0200; Figs 17 & 19).
Regarding dependent claim 4, Kitoh disclose the information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:
in response to receiving a request to chat with the operator by pressing one of the first button or the second button displayed on the screen of the first terminal, identify the operator who answers by chat the question belonging to the certain category (0152-0166), and
call an operator terminal operated by the identified operator (0152-0166; 0192).
Regarding dependent claim 5, Kitoh disclose the information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to determine whether the operator is feasible to answer by chat to the question belonging to the certain category based on account information (0152-0166; 0192),
wherein the account information associates an account and the category with an editing authority of the question and answer information and includes the category of the question and answer information that the account is feasible to handle by manned chat (0152-0168).
Regarding independent claim 6, Kitoh disclose a chatbot system comprising:
the information processing apparatus according to claim 1; and
a second terminal including another circuitry configured to receive the question and
answer information, and display the question and answer information in a case the question
and answer information belongs to a category with editing authority, the editing authority
being assigned to an account logged in from the second terminal (0045; 0094-0095; 0102-0104; 0114; 0117; Fig. 1).
Regarding independent claims 7 and 8, Kitoh disclose an information management method performed by an information processing apparatus, the method comprising:
transmitting to a first terminal, an answer to a question transmitted from the first terminal based on question and answer information (0045; Fig. 1); and
requesting the first terminal to display, on a screen on which the answer is to be displayed, a first button for receiving a chat with an operator in a case that the operator is feasible to answer by chat to the question transmitted from the first terminal, the question belonging to a certain category (0123; 0141; 0153-0168; 0175-0176; Figs. 17 & 19).
NOTE
It is noted that any citations to specific, pages, columns, lines, or figures in the prior art references and any interpretation of the reference should not be considered to be limiting in any way. A reference is relevant for all it contains and may be relied upon for all that it would have reasonably suggested to one having ordinary skill in the art. See MPEP 2123.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES J DEBROW whose telephone number is (571)272-5768. The examiner can normally be reached on 09:00 - 06:00.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, William Bashore can be reached on 571-272-4088. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/James J Debrow/
Primary Patent Examiner
Art Unit 2174
571-272-5768
Prosecution Insights