DETAILED ACTION
1. 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
2. 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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Desserrey et al (Pub. No. US 2023/0199147 A1; hereinafter Desserrey) in view of Li et al (Pub. No. US 2024/0070955 A1; hereinafter Li)
Consider claims 1, 17, and 19, Desserrey clearly shows and discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, an electronic device, and a method for facilitating a video call session, performed by a first terminal (the method 400 commences at operation 410, at a first client device executing a video calling application, the avatar call platform activates an avatar communication process. When an avatar communication process is activated and a call session between the first client device and a second client device is in progress, the video calling application continuously receives local call data from the associated video and/or audio sensors local to the first client device and transmits it over a network to the second client device, all processing logic of method 400 resides at the client device 102 of FIG. 1) (paragraphs: 0052-0053, 0053, 0058, fig. 4, label 410, fig. 5), the method comprising: displaying a first video call session interface on a first client participating in a video call session, a first virtual object corresponding to the first client in the first video call session interface (the avatar call platform may detect that a user requested to disallow live video to be captured by their client device during a call and, in response, display a user interface (UI) that includes a user-selectable element that can be activated to engage the avatar call platform. the avatar call platform displays a UI that includes a user-selectable element that can be activated to engage the avatar call platform while the camera is still on; the avatar call platform may use an AR component for detecting a face object in the video and generate the avatar animation data based on characteristics of the face object in the video.) (paragraphs: 0019, 0055, fig. 4, label 420); recognizing a first movement of a first user in a first image, the first image being an image collected by the first terminal when the first terminal faces the first user (images and video captured with a front facing camera of an associated client device, the avatar call platform generates avatar animation data based on the local call data. The avatar animation data can be used to produce an animated figure that conveys the facial expression and/or the movement of the lips matching what the caller is saying, for example. The local call data used for generating of the avatar animation data may be, in some examples, video feed obtained by means of the digital image sensor of the camera of the client device) (paragraphs: 0016, 0036, 0037, 0045, 0055-0056 and fig. 4, labels 420-430); and controlling the first virtual object in the first video call session interface to perform the first movement (The local call data used for generating of the avatar animation data may be, in some examples, video feed obtained by means of the digital image sensor of the camera of the client device; Image transformations include real-time modifications, which modify an image (e.g., a video frame) as it is captured using a digital image sensor of a client device 102. The modified image is displayed on a screen of the client device 102 with the modifications) (paragraphs: 0046, 0055-0056 and fig. 4, labels 420-440A); however, Desserrey does not disclose another example for recognizing a first movement of a first user in a first image.
In the same field of endeavor, Li clearly specifically discloses another example for recognizing a first movement of a first user in a first image (abstract, paragraphs: 0004, 0014, 0019, 0020, and fig. 3).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to incorporate the teaching of Li into teaching of Desserrey for the purpose of providing more example for movement of a first user in a first image.
Consider claim 2, Desserrey and Li clearly show the method, wherein a client participating in the video call session further comprises a second client on a second terminal; and after the recognizing a first movement of a first user in a first image, the second terminal controls a first virtual object in a second video call session interface displayed in the second client to perform the first movement (Desserrey: paragraphs: 0018).
Consider claims 3, 18, and 20, Desserrey and Li clearly show the method, wherein a client participating in the video call session further comprises a second client on a second terminal; and after the recognizing a first movement of a first user in a first image, the second terminal controls a first virtual object in a second video call session interface displayed in the second client to perform the first movement, and controls a second virtual object that is in the second video call session interface and that corresponds to the second client to respond to the first movement (Desserrey: paragraphs: 0018).
Consider claim 4, Desserrey and Li clearly show the method, wherein after the recognizing a first movement of a first user in a first image, the method further comprises: playing back, in the first video call session interface, animation corresponding to the first movement (Desserrey: paragraphs: 0039).
Consider claim 5, Desserrey and Li clearly show the method, wherein a client participating in the video call session further comprises a second client on a second terminal; and a second virtual object corresponding to the second client being also comprised in the first video call session interface; and after the displaying a first video call session interface on a first client participating in a video call session, the method further comprises: receiving second video call session data of the second client, the second video call session data comprising a second key point video frame corresponding to a second user, the second key point video frame being obtained by performing key point extraction on the second user in a second image, the second image being an image collected by the second terminal when the second terminal faces the second user during the video call session, and the second key point video frame being configured for indicating a second movement of the second user in the second image; and controlling, based on the second key point video frame, the second virtual object in the first video call session interface to perform the second movement (Desserrey: paragraphs: 0018, 0039 and fig. 5 and claims 2-3, 12-13; Li: paragraphs: 0080-0082 and fig. 6).
Consider claim 6, Desserrey and Li clearly show the method, further comprising: playing back animation corresponding to the second movement in the first video call session interface if the second movement is a movement in a preset movement set (Desserrey: fig. 4 and Li: fig. 13).
Consider claim 7, Desserrey and Li clearly show the method, wherein the recognizing a first movement of a first user in a first image comprises: performing key point extraction on the first user in the first image to obtain a first key point video frame corresponding to the first user; and determining the first movement based on the first key point video frame (Li: paragraphs: 0080-0082 and fig. 6).
Consider claim 8, Desserrey and Li clearly show the method, wherein a client participating in the video call session further comprises a second client on a second terminal; a second virtual object corresponding to the second client and a first mode control are also comprised in the first video call session interface; and the method further comprises: displaying, in the first video call session interface, the first virtual object and the second virtual object in a first display mode in response to a trigger operation on the first mode control; in the first display mode, the first virtual object and the second virtual object being in same virtual space (Li: paragraphs: 0083-0088 and fig. 6 and fig. 7- fig. 11).
Consider claim 9, Desserrey and Li clearly show the method, wherein a client participating in the video call session further comprises a second client on a second terminal; a second virtual object corresponding to the second client and a second mode control are also comprised in the first video call session interface; and the method further comprises: displaying, in the first video call session interface, the first virtual object and the second virtual object in a second display mode in response to a trigger operation on the second mode control; in the second display mode, the first virtual object and the second virtual object being displayed in parallel, and virtual space in which the first virtual object is located and virtual space in which the second virtual object is located being independent of each other (Li: paragraphs: 0083-0088 and fig. 6 and fig. 7- fig. 11).
Consider claim 10, Desserrey and Li clearly show the method, wherein a client participating in the video call session further comprises a second client on a second terminal; a second virtual object corresponding to the second client and a third mode control are also comprised in the first video call session interface; and the method further comprises: displaying, in the first video call session interface, the first virtual object and the second virtual object in a third display mode in response to a trigger operation on the third mode control; in the third display mode, the first virtual object and the second virtual object being located in different display windows in the first video call session interface, and a window size of a display window in which the first virtual object is located being different from a window size of a display window in which the second virtual object is located (Li: fig. 7- fig. 11).
Consider claim 11, Desserrey and Li clearly show the method, wherein a client participating in the video call session further comprises a second client on a second terminal; a second virtual object corresponding to the second client and a mode switching control are also comprised in the first video call session interface; and the method further comprises: switching a display mode of the first virtual object and the second virtual object in the first video call session interface in response to a trigger operation on the mode switching control (Desserrey: paragraphs: 0018, 0025, 0047).
Consider claim 12, Desserrey and Li clearly show the method, wherein a client participating in the video call session further comprises a second client on a second terminal; before the displaying a first video call session interface on a first client participating in a video call session, the method further comprises: displaying an initial session interface in response to a session initiation operation initiated to the second client, an entry control in the initial session interface; and the displaying a first video call session interface on a first client participating in a video call session comprises: displaying the first video call session interface in response to a trigger operation on the entry control (Desserrey: paragraphs: 0018, 0025, 0039, 0047).
Consider claim 13, Desserrey and Li clearly show the method, wherein the second key point video frame carries a first time stamp; the controlling, based on the second key point video frame, the second virtual object in the first video call session interface to perform the second movement comprises: performing screen rendering based on the second key point video frame and model data of the second virtual object to obtain a virtual object screen, the second virtual object in the virtual object screen presenting the second movement; playing back, in the first video call session interface, the virtual object screen at a first playback rate if a time offset is less than a first threshold, the first playback rate being greater than a default playback rate of the virtual object screen, and the time offset being equal to a difference between the first time stamp and a second time stamp carried by a voice frame from the second client; delaying playback of the virtual object screen in the first video call session interface if the time offset is greater than a second threshold, the second threshold being greater than the first threshold; and playing back the virtual object screen at the default playback rate if the time offset is not less than the first threshold and is not greater than the second threshold (Li: paragraphs: 0080-0082 and fig. 6).
Consider claim 14, Desserrey and Li clearly show the method, further comprising: discarding the second key point video frame if time offsets corresponding to a consecutive preset quantity of historical key point video frames before the second key point video frame are all less than the first threshold (Li: paragraphs: 0080-0082 and fig. 6).
Consider claim 15, Desserrey and Li clearly show the method, wherein after the performing key point extraction on the first user in the first image to obtain a first key point video frame corresponding to the first user, the method further comprises: encoding the first key point video frame to obtain first video call session data corresponding to the first client; and sending the first video call session data to the second client (Li: paragraphs: 0080-0082 and fig. 6).
Consider claim 16, Desserrey and Li clearly show the method, further comprising: determining a network status of the first terminal; and performing, according to an anti-packet loss strategy corresponding to the network status, data transmission protection on video call session data and voice data transmitted between the first terminal and the second terminal in which the second client is located (Li: paragraphs: 0060 and 0077).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Amal Zenati whose telephone number is 571- 270- 1947. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:00 -5:00 M-F.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ahmad Matar can be reached on 571- 272- 7488. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571- 273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
/AMAL S ZENATI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2693
Prosecution Insights