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 .
Priority
This application discloses and claims only subject matter disclosed in international application number PCT/KR2024/005714, filed on April 26, 2024, which claims priority to a Korean patent application number 10-2023-0110432, filed on August 23, 2023, and a Korean patent application number 10-2023-0096386, filed on July 24, 2023, and names the inventor or at least one joint inventor named in the prior application. Accordingly, this application constitutes a continuation. The benefit of the filing date of the prior application July 24, 2023 is acknowledged, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 120, 37 CFR 1.78, and MPEP § 211 et seq.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on October 1, 2024 and February 28, 2025 were filed before the mailing of a first Office Action on the merits. Since the submissions comply with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97, the IDSs have been considered by the Examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 4 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding Claims 4 and 13,
The claims recite “synchronize/synchronizing the two or more user terminals such that they display different control information for the peripheral devices mounted on the vehicle based on the identified location within the vehicle. However, there is no antecedent basis for “the peripheral devices mounted on the vehicle” in either claim, thereby rendering the claims as indefinite.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3, 7-8, 10-12, and 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (US 2017/0192631 A1, hereinafter referred to as Lee).
Regarding Claims 1 and 10,
Lee teaches:
“An electronic device, comprises: a communication module; a display module; and a processor,” as recited in Claim 1 (paragraph [0048];fig. 2, elements 11, 21, 22, 23, 24). [The display apparatus 11 includes: an image processor 21, a display 22, a first communicator 23, and a controller 24 comprising a processor and/or a microprocessor ([0048]).]
“establish(ing), via the communication module, a communication connection with two or more user terminals” (paragraphs [0047], [0048];fig. 2, elements 11, 12, 13, 21, 22, 23, 24). [A plurality of users 13 can share content with one another with respect to music, a moving image, a picture or the like content reflecting their interest, through the user terminals 12, and the display apparatus 11, which can be simultaneously viewed by the plurality of users 13, who can also talk with one another while viewing a screen for sharing the content ([0047]). The first communicator 23 performs communication with the user terminal 12, and the image processor 21 performs image processing to display a user interface (UI) for sharing content and/or an image of the content; the controller 24 performs control in response to a request of each user 13 received from the user terminal 12 so that each user 13 can do the content sharing activities ([0048]).] (NOTE: The communicator is equivalent to the “communication module” and its communication with the user terminals to the “communication connection with two or more user terminals.”)
“receive/receiving, via the communication module, content information to be shared from each of the two or more user terminals” (paragraphs [0048], [0049];fig. 2, elements 11, 12, 21, 22, 23, 24; fig. 3, elements 11, 12, 13, 31, 32, 33, 34). [The display apparatus 11 includes an image processor 21, a display 22, a first communicator 23, and a controller 24; the image processor 21 performs image processing to display a user interface (UI) for sharing content and/or an image of the content and the display 22 displays the UI and/or image processed by the image processor 21; the first communicator 23 performs communication with the user terminals 12 ([0048]). The controller 34 on the user terminals perform controls for the user terminals 12, controls the display 31 to display a UI for sharing content, and controls the communicator 33 to transmit a user's input received through the user input 32 to the display apparatus 11, so that a user 13 can do the content sharing activities ([0049]).] (NOTE: The communicator 33 on the terminal is equivalent to the “communication module” and the content to be shared to the “content information to be shared from each of the two or more user terminals.”)
“generate/generating a shared user interface (UI) for displaying the content information” (paragraph [0023]). [A user terminal includes: a display that includes a touch screen for receiving a touch input of a user; a communicator configured to communicate with a display apparatus; and a controller to control the display of a first user interface (UI) for selecting content to be shared with another user through a display apparatus ([0023]).]
“cause/causing the two or more user terminals to display the shared UI” (paragraph [0047]). [A plurality of users who are in the same place can share content with one another with respect to music, a moving image, a picture or the like content reflecting their interest, tests, etc. through the user terminals, which can be respectively manipulated by a plurality of users ([0047]).]
“control(ling) the display module to display the shared UI” (paragraph [0048]; fig. 2, elements 11, 21, 22, 24). The display apparatus 11 includes an image processor 21, a display 22, and a controller 24; the image processor 21 performs image processing to display a user interface (UI) for sharing content and/or an image of the content, and the display 22 displays the UI and/or image processed by the image processor 21 ([0048]).]
Regarding Claims 2 and 11,
Lee teaches all the limitations of parent Claims 1 and 10.
Lee teaches:
“wherein the shared UI comprises: a screen displaying the content information shared from the each of the two or more user terminals” (paragraph [0018]). [A display apparatus connects and communicates with a plurality of user terminals and displays a user interface (UI), which includes a plurality of items corresponding to a content to be shared by a plurality of users ([0018]).]
Regarding Claims 3 and 12,
Lee teaches all the limitations of parent Claims 1 and 11.
Lee teaches:
“wherein the content information displayed on the screen comprises information about applications present on each of the two or more user terminals to be shared within a vehicle” (paragraphs [0044], [0050]; fig. 2, elements 11, 12, 23, 34; fig. 3, elements 11, 12, 33, 31, 32, 33, 34). [The display apparatus can include an in-vehicle monitor ([0044]). Communication occurs between the first communicator 23 of the display apparatus and the communicator 33 of the user terminal 12; the controller 34 includes application programs, which can be installed or stored in advance in the display apparatus 11 or the user terminal 12 when the display apparatus 11 or the user terminal 12 is manufactured; the data of the application program can be downloaded from an external server to the display apparatus 11 or the user terminal 12 ([0050]).] (NOTE: The data of the application program downloaded to the display apparatus is equivalent to the “information about applications.” Because the display apparatus includes an in-vehicle monitor, the system exists “within a vehicle.”)
Regarding Claims 7 and 16,
Lee teaches all the limitations of parent Claims 1 and 10.
Lee teaches:
“wherein the processor is configured to: display the content data on the display module or transmit the content data to the first user terminal, in response to a display command received from the first user terminal” (paragraphs [0008], [0023]). [The system includes a display apparatus, a user terminal, and a control method in which various, convenient and interesting interfaces for sharing content are provided to a plurality of users, so that they can experience worthwhile sharing activities ([0008]). There is provided a user terminal including: a display configured to include a touch screen for receiving a touch input of a user and a controller configured to control the display to display a first user interface (UI) for selecting content to be shared with another user, and to transmit information about the content selected by the touch input using the first UI ([0023]).]
Regarding Claims 8 and 17,
Lee teaches all the limitations of parent Claims 1 and 10.
Lee teaches:
“wherein the processor is configured to: upon receiving additional content information from any one of the two or more user terminals, update the shared UI to display the additional content information; and cause the two or more user terminals to display the updated shared UI” as recited in Claim 8, and “upon receiving additional content information from any one of the two or more user terminals , updating the shared UI to display the additional content information; and synchronizing the two or more user terminals to display the updated shared UI” as recited in Claim 17 (paragraphs [0018], [0023]). [The method includes: connecting and communicating with a plurality of user terminals; displaying a user interface (UI), which includes a plurality of items corresponding to a content to be shared by a plurality of users, in response to inputs of the plurality of users received through the plurality of user terminals; and controlling the UI to display reproduction control states of the content to be distinguishable according to the plurality of users ([0018]).]
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-6, 9, 13-15, and 18 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.
Claims 4 and 13 both recite the following subject matter not found in the prior art:
identify a location of each of the two or more user terminals within the vehicle, and synchronize the two or more user terminals such that they display different control information for the peripheral devices mounted on the vehicle based on the identified location within the vehicle.
However, it should be noted that Claims 4 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C 112(b) and the subject matter is therefore not allowable.
Claims 5 and 14 both recite the following subject matter not found in the prior art:
wherein each of the two or more user terminals is configured to: generate, on a home screen, a shared page for displaying the shared UI in response to a connection to the electronic device.
Claims 6 and 15 both recite the following subject matter not found in the prior art:
upon receiving an execution command for content information included in a second user terminal among content information included in a screen of the shared UI from a first user terminal among the two or more user terminals, transmitting the execution command to the second user terminal; and
receiving content data of the content information corresponding to the execution command for the content information from the second user terminal.
Claims 9 and 18 recite the following subject matter not found in the prior art:
change a theme of the shared UI based on a location of a vehicle on a map based on a global positioning system (GPS) of the vehicle or a destination of a navigation system being executed by the electronic device mounted on the vehicle, and
cause the two or more user terminals to display the shared UI to which the changed theme is applied.
Independent Claim 19 is allowed. The claim recites the following subject matter not found in the prior art:
a processor configured to generate, on a home screen, a shared page for displaying a shared user interface (UI), and control the display module to display the shared UI synchronized from an electronic device mounted on a vehicle via the communication module.
Claim 20, which depends from Claim 19, is also allowed. The claim recites the following subject matter not found in the prior art:
wherein the processor is configured to: receive an execution command for content information included in the first screen from a user, and when the execution command is a command to display content data of content information shared from another user terminal, transmit the execution command to the electronic device mounted on the vehicle.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The additional prior art references listed on Form PTO-892 and not used in the prior art rejections are also relevant to this application.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PHYLLIS A BOOK whose telephone number is (571)272-0698. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10:00 am - 7:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, GLENTON BURGESS can be reached at 571-272-3949. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PHYLLIS A BOOK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2454
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