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
This Office Action is in response to the application 18/908,618 filed on May 27, 2018.
As per the Preliminary Amendment filed on April 24, 2025, Claim 14 is amended.Claims 1-14 have been examined and are pending. This action is made Non-Final.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 08/01/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 as being directed to non-statutory subject matter.
Regarding claim 14; claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claim is directed to non-statutory subject matter. Claims 17-20 are directed to “[a]computer readable storage medium;” The specification does not explicitly exclude communication/propagate medium from the claimed ‘computer readable storage medium.” At most, in paragraphs [0007], [0013] and [0052], the specification provides some examples regarding different kind of computer readable medium; the specification does not explicitly exclude communication medium from the claimed computer readable storage medium. Under a recent precedential opinion, the scope of the recited “computer readable storage medium” encompasses transitory media such as signals or carrier waves, where, as here the Specification does not limit the computer readable storage medium to non-transitory forms. See Ex parte Mewherter, 107 USPQ2d 1857, 1862 (PTAB 2013) (precedential) (holding recited machine-readable storage medium ineligible under § 35 U.S.C. 101 since it encompassed transitory media). The Examiner respectfully suggests that the claim be amended to either “A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium” or “a computer-readable storage device,” or the like to make the claim statutory under 35 USC 101; (emphasis added).
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 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Karunamuni et al., (“Karunamuni,” US 20180335939)
Regarding claim 1, Karunamuni discloses a method, comprising:
at an electronic device with one or more touch-sensitive input regions (pars. 0057, 0061; Fig. 1A; portable multifunction device 100 includes a touch screen):
displaying, via a display of the electronic device, a respective user interface (pars. 0167; Figs. 4A, 5A-5H27);
while displaying the respective user interface, detecting, via the one or more touch-sensitive input regions (par. 0360; Fig. 6; a device detects a first contact on the sensitive surface), a first input that is directed to a respective edge region associated with the one or more touch-sensitive input regions (par. 0360; the device detects the first contact at an initial touch-down location that is within a predefined region of the device that is proximate to the edge of the display (e.g., an edge region that includes a predefined portion); and
in response to detecting the first input directed to the respective edge region associated with the one or more touch-sensitive input regions, displaying a first user interface element overlaying the respective user interface (pars. 0036; Fig. 6A; wherein at least steps 606-608; for example, Fig. 5A2, 5A16), including:
in accordance with a determination that the first input is directed to a first portion of a first edge region associated with the one or more touch-sensitive input regions and that the first input meets first criteria (pars. 0251, 0361-0363; Figs. 5B23-5B25, 6A-6B), displaying a first user interface element at a first location relative to the respective user interface (pars. 0361-0363; Figs. 6A-6B and 5A-5H27); and
in accordance with a determination that the first input is directed to a second portion of a second edge region associated with the one or more touch-sensitive input regions and that the first input meets the first criteria, displaying the first user interface element at a second location relative to the respective user interface (pars. 0361-0363; Figs. 6A-6C and 5H1-5H27 illustrated the user interfaces for displaying a dock and navigating between user interface), wherein the second portion of the second edge region is distinct from the first portion of the first edge region, and wherein the second location relative to the respective user interface is different from the first location relative to the respective user interface (pars. 0008, 0013, 0061, 0318-0320; Figs. 5F10-5F22, 6A).
Regarding claim 2, Karunamuni discloses the method of claim 1, wherein displaying the first user interface element overlaying the respective user interface (Fig. 5H1-5H4) includes:
in accordance with a determination that the respective user interface corresponds to a first application, displaying a first plurality of user interface objects (pars. 0008-0010, 0359, 0361-0363; 0371; Figs. 5A1-5A21, 6A); and
in accordance with a determination that the respective user interface corresponds to a second application different from the first application, displaying a second plurality of user interface objects that is different from the first plurality of user interface objects (pars. 0008-0011, 0330, 0359, 0361, 0361, 0688-0689; Figs. 5A1-5A21, 5G1-5G17, 6A).
Regarding claim 3, Karunamuni discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the first user interface element includes a plurality of application icons corresponding a plurality of applications, wherein a respective application icon of the plurality of application icons, when activated, causes the electronic device to display a user interface of an application that corresponds to the respective application icon (pars. 0190, 0216-0218, and 0265; Figs. 5A9-5A18).
Regarding claim 4, Karunamuni discloses the method of claim 3, including: while displaying the first user interface element including the plurality of application icons, detecting a second input directed to a first application icon among the plurality of application icons (pars. 0216-0220, 0361; Figs. 5A2-5A21 6A);
in response to detecting the second input: in accordance with a determination that the second input meets second criteria different from the first criteria, replacing display of the respective user interface in a first portion of a display with display of a user interface of an application corresponding to the first application icon (pars. 0674-0675; Figs. 5H12-5H17, 6A, 16A-16D); and in accordance with a determination that the second input meets third criteria different from the first criteria and the second criteria, displaying the user interface of the application corresponding to the first application icon in a second portion of the display, wherein the second portion of the display forms part, less than all, of the first portion of the display (pars. 0215-0222, 0229-0232; Fig. 2A1-5A14, 5A60-5A71).
Regarding claim 5, Karunamuni discloses the method of claim 4, including: in response to detecting the second input: in accordance with the determination that the second input meets the third criteria, displaying the respective user interface in a third portion of the display, wherein the third portion of the display forms part, less than all, of the first portion of the display, and wherein the second portion of the display does not overlap with the third portion of the display (pars. 0764-0765, 0772, 0782; Figs. 5H3-5H4, 5H10-5H11).
Regarding claim 6, Karunamuni discloses the method of claim 1, wherein detecting the first input includes detecting a contact with the respective edge region associated with the one or more touch-sensitive input regions, and wherein the first user interface element is displayed before the contact with the respective edge region associated with the one or more touch-sensitive input regions is terminated (pars. 0212-0216, 0220-022; Figs. 5A1-5A8. 5A19-5A30).
Regarding claim 7, Karunamuni discloses the method of claim 6, including: while displaying the first user interface element, detecting liftoff of the contact from the respective edge region associated with the one or more touch-sensitive input regions (pars. 008-0010, 0197, 0264, 0269, 0286, 0288, 0305, 0311-0312, 0316; Fig. 5C13-5C16, 5C25-5C27, 5D18-5D22; 5E30-5E32, 5F1-5F8 ); and maintaining display of the first user interface element after detecting the liftoff of the contact from the respective edge region associated with the one or more touch-sensitive input regions (pars. 0344, 0346-0348, 0364-0368, 0380; 5H9-5H124).
Regarding claim 8, Karunamuni discloses the method of claim 7, including: in response to detecting the liftoff of the contact, moving the first user interface element along an edge of the respective user interface to a predetermined location along the edge of the respective user interface (pars. 0007-0010, 0197, 0316, 0428, 0361-0364; Figs. 5A21-5A23, 5F1-5F8, 6A-6D).
Regarding claim 9, Karunamuni discloses the method of claim 1, including: while displaying the first user interface element at the first location relative to the respective user interface, detecting a second input that is directed to the first edge region associated with the one or more touch-sensitive input regions (pars. 0609-0610, 0647; Figs. 5G1-5G3, 5G15-5G17, and 5H22); and
in response to detecting the second input, in accordance with a determination that the second input meets fourth criteria, ceasing to display the first user interface element (pars. 0369, 0384, 0389, 0537, 0384, 0642).
Regarding claim 10, Karunamuni discloses the method of claim 1, wherein displaying the first user interface element includes: in accordance with a determination that the first portion of the first edge region is within a first predefined sub-range of the first edge region, displaying the first user interface element at a first initial location corresponding to the first input, before displaying the first user interface element at a first predetermined location relative to the respective user interface; and in accordance with a determination that the first portion of the first edge region is outside the first predefined sub-range of the first edge region, displaying the first user interface element at a second initial location corresponding to the first input, and maintaining display of the first user interface ELEMENT at the second initial location.
Regarding claim 11, Karunamuni discloses the method of claim 10, wherein the first user interface element displayed at the first initial location has a first value for a first appearance property and the first user interface element displayed at the first predetermined location has a second value, different from the first value, for the first appearance property (pars. 0017, 0502-0504, 0532, 0537, 0576, 0622-0636).
Regarding claim 12, Karunamuni discloses the method of claim 1, further including, in response to detecting the first input directed to the respective edge region associated with the one or more touch-sensitive input regions, and while continuing to detect the first input (pars. 0008, 0013, 0061, 0318-0320; Figs. 5F10-5F22, 6A):
in accordance with a determination that the first input meets navigation-gesture criteria, wherein the navigation-gesture criteria include a requirement that the first input includes more than a threshold amount of movement relative to the respective edge region in order for the navigation-gesture criteria to be met (pars. 0011, 0341-0344, 0409, 0456-0457-0458; Figs. 5A1-5A77, 5B1-5B33, 5C1-5C45, 5D-5D42, 5E1-5E39, 5F-5F45, 5G1-5G17, 5H1-5H27, 6A-6L), entering a transitional user interface mode in which a plurality of different user interface states are available to be selected based on a comparison of a set of one or more properties of the first input to a corresponding set of one or more thresholds (pars. 0307, 0316, 0319, 0327, 0343, 0367, 0593, 0600, 0690-0694; Figs. 5E19-5E21, 5F15-5F18, 5H5-5H8, 6A-6L).
Regarding claim 13, claim 13 is directed to electronic device associated with the system claimed in claim 1; Claim 13 is similar in scope to claim 1, and is therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Regarding claim 14, claim 14 is directed to computer-readable storage medium associated with the system claimed in claim 1; Claim 14 is similar in scope to claim 1, and is therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record on form PTO-892 and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Applicant is required under 37 C.F.R. § 1.111(c) to consider these references fully when responding to this action.
It is noted that any citation to specific, pages, columns, lines, or figures in the prior art references and any interpretation of the references 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. In re Heck, 699 F.2d 1331, 1332-33,216 USPQ 1038, 1039 (Fed. Cir. 1983) (quoting In re Lemelson, 397 F.2d 1006, 1009, 158 USPQ 275,277 (CCPA 1968))
Inquiries
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LINH K PHAM whose telephone number is (571)270-3230. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM (EST).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, William L 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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/LINH K PHAM/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2174
Prosecution Insights