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 § 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(s) [14] is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Deangelis (US. 2008/0129825) in view of Ogura (US. 2020/0021745).
Reclaim [14], DeAngelis discloses an imaging linking system in which an imaging device images a target subject that sends position information (see fig. 23 for example, and ¶0190, is a schematic diagram illustrating one exemplary stadium 2301 hosting a sporting event on field 2308 for which video and still image production is provided by a system 2300, [the imaging device being the camera 2310s as depicted in fig. 23, the output image has positional information as implied in the text of ¶0191 ]), the imaging linking system (2300 fig. 23) comprising: a first processor configured to: specify an imaging possible device capable of performing imaging (see ¶0192, External interaction device 2330 then interacts with camera control device 2304 and/or production control device 2314 to schedule an appropriate camera 2310 for imaging the requested camera within the scheduled time window, [the claimed first processor is equated to the prior art camera control device by the virtue of scheduling an optimum camera for capturing]); and transmit an imaging instruction for the target subject to the imaging possible device based on the position information of the target subject (see ¶0192, camera control device 2304 and/or production control device 2314 to schedule an appropriate camera 2310 for imaging the requested camera within the scheduled time window [the claimed imaging possible device is equated to the prior art camera 2310 with optimum location to a target subject as depicted in fig. 232]); and a second processor configured to: receive the imaging instruction (see ¶0191, Within system 2300, camera control device 2304 and production control device 2314 cooperate to control cameras 2310 and generate feed 2305 based upon tracking information received from object tracking device 2302. In the example of FIG. 23 [ the prior art production control device is equated to the claimed second processor by the virtue of processing instruction with camera control device as disclosed in the text of ¶0191]), wherein the first processor is configured to: acquire information related to a moving distance of the target subject based on the position information of the target subject and transmit, to the imaging possible device to which the imaging instruction is transmitted (see¶ 0191 a player 2306 on fields 2308 has a location device 2312 that provides location information to object tracking device 2302. Camera control device 2304 and production control device 2314 determine that cameras 2310(1) and 2310(3) are most appropriate to capture imagery of player 2306. Other players and objects (e.g., a ball) may be similarly tracked by system 2300, but are not shown for clarity of illustration [ based in formation from the tracking device the camera control device chose the optimum camera]),
DeAngelis doesn’t seem to explicitly disclose an imaging instruction cancellation notification for invalidating the imaging instruction, based on the information related to the moving distance.
Nonetheless in the same field of endeavor Ogura discloses an imaging system as DeAngelis (see fig. 1). Ogura further discloses an imaging instruction cancellation notification for invalidating the imaging instruction, based on the information related to the moving distance (see fig. 8 steps 118-19 and ¶ 0060 The controller 180 compares the current subject distance (Dnew) found in this manner with the most-recent subject distance (Dold) to determine a distance difference therebetween (S19). If the distance difference is greater than a predetermined value (YES at S19), the controller 180 returns to step S12 to again perform the focusing action; [when the processor return to refocus without capturing based on the distance information, is equated the claimed cancellation notification for invalidating the imaging instruction since both the claimed invention and the prior art scenario images are not captured when the target is out of a given range]).
Hence it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have been motivated to modify DeAngelis before the effective filling date of the claimed invention by the teachings of Ogura since this would allow to execute lens control, based on the calculated subject distance and thereby enhance usability.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims [1-13, and 15-19] are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Reclaim [1] none of the prior arts on the record either singularly or in combination teaches or reasonably suggests : An imaging linking system in which an imaging device images a target subject that sends position information, the imaging linking system comprising: wherein the imaging device transmits angle-of-view information to the first processor, and the first processor is configured to: determine whether or not the target subject is included in an angle of view based on the position information of the target subject and the angle-of-view information of the imaging possible device; transmit, to the imaging possible device determined that the target subject is included in the angle of view, a non-explicit imaging instruction in which the imaging instruction is not notified to an imaging person; and transmit, to the imaging possible device determined that the target subject is not included in the angle of view, an explicit imaging instruction in which the imaging instruction is notified to the imaging person; in conjunction with the other limitation of the claim.
Claims [2-13] are allowed due to their direct or indirect dependency on claim [1].
Reclaim [15] none of the prior arts on the record either singularly or in combination teaches or reasonably suggests : An imaging linking system in which an imaging device images a target subject that sends position information, the imaging linking system comprising: device that has received the first imaging instruction, based on information of the distance wherein the target subject is configured of a first target subject and a second target subject, the imaging instruction is configured of a first imaging instruction for the first target subject and a second imaging instruction for the second target subject, and the first processor is configured to: acquire a distance between the first target subject and the second target subject based on the position information of the first target subject and the position information of the second target subject; and transmit the second imaging instruction to the imaging possible; in conjunction with the other limitation of the claim.
Reclaim [16] none of the prior arts on the record either singularly or in combination teaches or reasonably suggests : An imaging linking system in which an imaging device images a target subject that sends position information, the imaging linking system comprising: wherein the imaging device transmits, to the first processor, operation information indicating that the imaging device is during imaging, and the first processor is configured to: transmit, to the imaging possible device that is during the imaging, a non-explicit imaging instruction in which the imaging instruction is not notified to an imaging person and transmit, to the imaging possible device that is not during the imaging, an explicit imaging instruction in which the imaging instruction is notified to the imaging person; in conjunction with the other limitation of the claim.
Reclaim [17] none of the prior arts on the record either singularly or in combination teaches or reasonably suggests: A server device that configures an imaging linking system in which an imaging device images a target subject possessing a tracker in a linked manner, the server device comprising: determines whether or not the target subject is included in an angle of view based on the position information of the target subject and the angle-of-view information of the imaging possible device; transmits, to the imaging possible device, a non-explicit imaging instruction in which the imaging instruction is not notified to an imaging person, in a case where it is determined that the target subject is included in the angle of view; and transmits, to the imaging possible device, an explicit imaging instruction in which the imaging instruction is notified to the imaging person, in a case where it is determined that the target subject is not included in the angle of view; in conjunction with the other limitation of the claim.
Reclaim [18] none of the prior arts on the record either singularly or in combination teaches or reasonably suggests: An imaging linking method in which an imaging device images a target subject sending position information, the imaging linking method comprising: a step of determining whether or not the target subject is included in an angle of view based on the position information of the target subject and the angle-of-view information of the imaging possible device; and a step of transmitting, to the imaging possible device, a non-explicit imaging instruction in which the imaging instruction is not notified to an imaging person in a case where it is determined that the target subject is included in the angle of view, and an explicit imaging instruction in which the imaging instruction is notified to the imaging person, in a case where it is determined that the target subject is not included in the angle of view; in conjunction with the other limitation of the claim.
Claim [19] is allowed due to its dependency on claim [18].
The following are the closet prior arts
Fan (US. Pat. No 10,554,872) discloses A mobile communication device, such as a smart phone or a dedicated location transmitting device, can be in communication with the network for selecting particular cameras among a group of cameras that capture the images. In col. 1, lines 56-60.
Deangelis (US. 2008/0129825) discloses: System 2300 may also capture images within stadium 2301 at the request of spectators or other interested parties. In one example, an external interaction device 2330 receives requests to image a location within stadium 2301 from one of a plurality of request kiosks 2352 located throughout stadium 2301. Kiosks 2352 communicate with external interaction device 2330 to request one or more still images and/or moving images to be taken of a particular location. For example, a spectator 2307 utilizes one of kiosks 2352 to request a still image be taken of the spectator's seat location. The spectator may proffer a ticket stub for kiosk 2352 to scan, for example, to input the seat location. In ¶0192
OGURA (US. 2020/002174) discloses: if the subject distance difference is equal to or less than the predetermined value (NO at S19), the controller 180 determines whether a movement of the subject in the optical direction has occurred (S20). It is determined for example that a movement of the subject in the optical direction has occurred if the movement distance (Δd) is equal to or greater than a determination value. In ¶0061.
Conclusion
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/AHMED A BERHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2639