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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Status of the Application
This Office Action is in response to Applicant’s Application filed on 10/03/2024.
Claims 1-11 are pending for this examination.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d).
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs) submitted on 10/03/2024; and 10/03/2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. § 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 1-9 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Macho Cierna et al. (US 2017/0351414), herein referred to as Macho Cierna ‘414.
Referring to claim 1, Macho Cierna ‘414 teaches a physical button operation method (see Abstract; see Paragraph 0039, where one input mechanism includes at least one of a physical button on the electronic device, see Fig. 4, physical buttons 410, 415, and 420) adapted to a handheld electronic device (see Fig. 2, mobile device 200) comprising a physical button (see Fig. 4, physical buttons 410, 415, and 420, and function buttons 425 and 427 that exist on mobile device 200), the physical button operation method (see Paragraph 0047, wherein button response module 320 responds to activation of particular physical or virtual button by opening the associated brief on the device screen) comprising:
switching the physical button from an initial control mode to an application control mode when an application is executed (see Paragraph 0053, wherein mobile device 200 can have 3 operational states, of which there is an active state in which the home screen interface is being presented, i.e. the initial control mode, and an active state in which one or more application user interfaces are being presented on display, i.e. an application control mode when an application is running, where Macho Cierna ‘414 specifically indicates mobile device 200 is originally in an active home screen state and the detection of a trigger, such as voice input or button press can trigger processor to open BGU 120 to perform search / open new overlay to replace the home screen GUI in response to starting / opening an application, i.e. switching operation modes from initial mobile device control mode to an application specific control mode);
intercepting a press event of the physical button when the physical button operates in the application control mode (see Paragraph 0050, where both the physical buttons and virtual buttons may be directly associated with one or more functions of the GUI and/or functions of an OS, application, or hardware of mobile device 200, i.e. the physical and virtual buttons can be linked such that a physical button press will function the same as if the virtual button of the GUI is pressed);
mapping the intercepted press event to a touch operation event (see Paragraph 0047, wherein execution environment 300 includes hardware and/or virtual button response module 320 that includes a mapping 325 of specific physical buttons and virtual buttons, wherein pressing / selecting a brief topic button is an input event; also see Paragraph 0050, wherein the physical buttons are selectable buttons for user selection and operate as pressure or touch sensitive buttons, such as first function button FNC1 and second function button FNC2, where both the physical buttons and virtual buttons may be directly associated with one or more functions of the GUI and/or functions of an OS, application, or hardware of mobile device 200); and
controlling the application according to the touch operation event (see Paragraph 0040, wherein following the trigger event, i.e. a button press, the processor retrieves and presents a comprehensive visual answer utilizing the screen).
As to claim 2, Macho Cierna ‘414 teaches the physical button operation method according to claim 1, further comprising: executing an original function according to the press event of the physical button when the physical button operates in the initial control mode (see Paragraph 0050, wherein physical buttons include power button 410, volume control buttons 415, wherein these are buttons that execute an initial / original function in the mobile device 200 when pressed in the initial mode, i.e. home screen state).
As to claim 3, Macho Cierna ‘414 teaches the physical button operation method according to claim 2, wherein the original function comprises a volume adjustment function, and the physical button comprises a volume adjustment button (see Fig. 4, volume control buttons 415, see Paragraph 0050).
As to claim 4, Macho Cierna ‘414 teaches the physical button operation method according to claim 2, wherein the step of switching the physical button from the initial control mode to the application control mode when the application is executed comprises: detecting the application executed in a foreground; determining whether the application is comprised in an application list when the application is executed in the foreground; and switching the physical button from the initial control mode to the application control mode when the application is comprised in the application list (see Paragraph 0052, wherein application icon 432 can be selected to activate / open a corresponding application or service, i.e. detecting and application is running / starting to run because a user selected it, and then present the application content GUI 610; Examiner points out that application listed in app icons 432, see Fig. 4, would mean that they are “listed” and available on the mobile device 200 to selection; see Paragraph 0053, wherein mobile device 200 can have 3 operational states, where when an application is selected to run, that means it switches from an active state in a home screen interface / initial state into an active state in which one or more application user interfaces are being presented on display, i.e. an application control mode when an application is running).
As to claim 5, Macho Cierna ‘414 teaches the physical button operation method according to claim 4, further comprising: keeping the physical button in the initial control mode when the application is not comprised in the application list (Examiner points out that if an application is not listed as an app icon 432 in the mobile device 200, then it would not be an available application on the mobile device and thus the button usage mode would not swap out of the initial control mode and there is no application running).
As to claim 6, Macho Cierna ‘414 teaches the physical button operation method according to claim 1, wherein the step of mapping the intercepted press event to the touch operation event comprises: mapping the intercepted press event to a first touch operation event in the touch operation event according to a first operation mapping table of a first selected application when the application is the first selected application; and mapping the intercepted press event to a second touch operation event in the touch operation event according to a second operation mapping table of a second selected application when the application is the second selected application (see Fig. 3, wherein hardware/virtual button response 320 includes a table mapping different buttons to different briefs to bring up, i.e. a first button event would be mapped to a first brief and a second button event would be mapped to a second brief, etc.).
As to claim 7, Macho Cierna ‘414 teaches the physical button operation method according to claim 1, wherein the handheld electronic device further comprises another physical button, the physical button operation method further comprising: determining whether to receive another press event of the another physical button when the physical button operates in the application control mode; and switching the physical button from the application control mode back to the initial control mode when receiving the another press event of the another physical button (see Fig. 4, home button 420; Examiner points out that it is well known in the art of mobile devices that the home button immediately returns the GUI back to a home screen state, while minimizing or pushing all active application into the background, and thereby any button configuration mapping would also be swapped back to the initial control mode upon hitting the home button to return to the home screen state).
As to claim 8, Macho Cierna ‘414 teaches the physical button operation method according to claim 7, wherein after the step of switching the physical button from the application control mode back to the initial control mode when receiving the another press event of the another physical button, the physical button operation method further comprises: executing an original function according to the press event of the physical button or the another press event of the another physical button (see Fig. 4, home button 420; Examiner points out that it is well known in the art of mobile devices that the home button immediately returns the GUI back to a home screen state, where in the home screen state the physical button functions would return to the initial control mode and button press functions).
As to claim 9, Macho Cierna ‘414 teaches the physical button operation method according to claim 8, wherein the physical button is one of a volume up button and a volume down button, the another physical button is other one of the volume up button and the volume down button, and the original function is a volume adjustment function (see Fig. 4, volume control buttons 415, see Paragraph 0050).
Referring to claim 11, Macho Cierna ‘414 teaches a handheld electronic device (see Fig. 2, mobile device 200), comprising:
a physical button (see Fig. 4, physical buttons 410, 415, and 420, and function buttons 425 and 427 that exist on mobile device 200);
a storage device (see Fig. 2, memory 208, and storage 210), recording a plurality of modules (see Fig. 2, wherein brief generation utility (BGU) 120 is stored on memory 208, and briefs 150, 152 are stored in storage 210);
a processor (see Fig. 2, processor IC 202 with data processor 204 and DSP 206), coupled to the physical button and the storage device (see Fig. 2, wherein processor IC 202 is directly connected to keypad 223, touch screen and/or touch pad 222, memory 208, and storage 210), executing the modules (see Fig. 2, wherein BGU 120 enables generation and management of at least one information brief (IB) content screen, and at least one input mechanism that receives IB request input and triggers the mobile device to open IB content, see Paragraph 0038) and configured to:
switch the physical button from an initial control mode to an application control mode when an application is executed (see Paragraph 0053, wherein mobile device 200 can have 3 operational states, of which there is an active state in which the home screen interface is being presented, i.e. the initial control mode, and an active state in which one or more application user interfaces are being presented on display, i.e. an application control mode when an application is running, where Macho Cierna ‘414 specifically indicates mobile device 200 is originally in an active home screen state and the detection of a trigger, such as voice input or button press can trigger processor to open BGU 120 to perform search / open new overlay to replace the home screen GUI in response to starting / opening an application, i.e. switching operation modes from initial mobile device control mode to an application specific control mode);
intercept a press event of the physical button when the physical button operates in the application control mode (see Paragraph 0050, where both the physical buttons and virtual buttons may be directly associated with one or more functions of the GUI and/or functions of an OS, application, or hardware of mobile device 200, i.e. the physical and virtual buttons can be linked such that a physical button press will function the same as if the virtual button of the GUI is pressed);
map the intercepted press event to a touch operation event (see Paragraph 0047, wherein execution environment 300 includes hardware and/or virtual button response module 320 that includes a mapping 325 of specific physical buttons and virtual buttons, wherein pressing / selecting a brief topic button is an input event; also see Paragraph 0050, wherein the physical buttons are selectable buttons for user selection and operate as pressure or touch sensitive buttons, such as first function button FNC1 and second function button FNC2, where both the physical buttons and virtual buttons may be directly associated with one or more functions of the GUI and/or functions of an OS, application, or hardware of mobile device 200); and
control the application according to the touch operation event (see Paragraph 0040, wherein following the trigger event, i.e. a button press, the processor retrieves and presents a comprehensive visual answer utilizing the screen).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 10 is 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.
As to claim 10, Examiner finds that prior art does not specifically teach the physical button operation method, wherein after the step of switching the physical button from the application control mode back to the initial control mode when receiving the another press event of the another physical button, the physical button operation method further comprises: switching the physical button from the initial control mode to the application control mode after continuing to operate in the initial control mode for a preset time period. More specifically, this is being interpreted as the switching from the application control mode back to initial control mode as a temporary switch based on the preset time period where it automatically returns from initial control mode to application control mode after the preset time period.
Relevant Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Makuch et al. (US 9,937,415) teaches a virtual controller system for a touchscreen device where physical buttons or keys and virtual keys are present for usage in controlling applications where input mapping can be mapped by a user to remap event data such that a physical button corresponds to a virtual button.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL SUN whose telephone number is (571)270-1724. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-4pm EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jyoti Mehta can be reached on 571-270-3995. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/MICHAEL SUN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2183