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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on March 09, 2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments and amendments received March 09, 2026 have been fully considered. With regard to 35 U.S.C. § 103, Applicant argues that the cited prior art does not disclose [see applicant argument pages 7-10]. This language corresponds to the newly amended language of claims 1-20, specifically to independent claims.
As such, these have been considered but they are directed to newly amended language, which is addressed below. See the rejection below for how the art on record reads on the newly amended language as well as the examiner's interpretation of the cited art in view of the presented claim set. Furthermore, in response to applicant argument, see the additional citation art of Woo as outlined below. At least paragraph 0434 of teaches:
[0434] A first image 2700, a second image 2710 and a third image 2720 illustrated in FIG. 27, which are images representing an identical object 2730 (e.g., a building), represent filtered images by filtering operation as described with regard to FIGS. 24-26. The first image 2700, the second image 2710 and the third image 2720 may include the object 2730 viewed from different angle, different distance at different time. The first image 2700 includes a first obstacle 2701 (e.g., a pedestrian in front of the object) in addition to the object 2730, the second image 2710 includes the object 2730 and the second obstacle 2711 (e.g., a parked car in front of the building), and the third image 2720 includes the object 2730 and a third obstacle 2721. In some embodiments, the XR device for providing XR content may reconstruct the first image 2700, the second image 2710 and the third image 2720, and restore an image representing a part or all of the object 2730 which was not fully viewed due to obstacles in the images (e.g., the first image 2700, the second image 2710, the third image 2730, etc.), and generate a final road view image 2740.
In addition to the rejection or the cited arts, an examiner suggestion to applicant to consider for further amendment to the claims; a prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure, see Fedyk et al. US 2025/0254269 at least Figs. 3-5.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kang et al. US 2022/0415244 further in view of Woo et al. US 2019/0384977.
In regarding to claim 1 Kang teaches:
1. A three-dimensional imaging method, comprising: obtaining a first original image and a second original image,
Kang, 0151-0152 and Figs. 11a-A-11B
wherein the first original image is captured at a first angle, and the second original image is captured at a second angle which is different from the first angle;
Kang, 0151-0152 and Figs. 11a-A-11B
generating, via an artificial intelligence frame-filling model, a plurality of intermediate generated images;
Kang, 0103, 0137
detecting a viewing angle of a user relative to the display unit;
Kang, 0151-0152 and Figs. 11a-A-11B
and presenting one of the first original image, the intermediate generated images and the second original image on the display unit according to the viewing angle,
Kang, 0103 and Fig.2
however, Kang fails to explicitly teach, but Woo teaches:
wherein in the step of generating the intermediate generated images, a first intermediate generated image is obtained according to the first original image and the second original image, a second intermediate generated image is obtained according to the first original image and the first intermediate generated image, and a third intermediate generated image is obtained according to the first intermediate generated image and the second original image.
Woo, 0428-0429, 0433-0434 and Figs. 25-27
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Woo with the system of Kang in order wherein the first original image, the intermediate generated images and the second original image show identical object and identical view, as such, XR device for providing XR content is not able to generate accurate road view image because a part of the object may be blocked partly by the obstacle. In some embodiments, the XR device for providing XR content can filter plural images representing the same object viewed from different angles and reconstruct the filtered images, and then generate road view image with the obstacle removed..--0433
In regarding to claim 2 Kang and Woo teaches:
2. The three-dimensional imaging method according to claim 1, furthermore, Kang teaches: wherein in the step of obtaining the first original image and the second original image, the first original image and the second original image are a left eye image and a right eye image taken by a 3D camera.
Kang, 0144, 0151-0152 and Figs. 11a-A-11B
In regarding to claim 3 Kang and Woo teaches:
3. The three-dimensional imaging method according to claim 1, furthermore, Kang teaches: wherein in the step of generating the intermediate generated images, the artificial intelligence frame-filling model generates one output image based on two input images.
Kang, 0103, 0137 and Fig. 2
In regarding to claim 4 Kang and Woo teaches:
4. The three-dimensional imaging method according to claim 3, furthermore, Kang teaches: wherein in the step of generating the intermediate generated images, the artificial intelligence frame-filling model is repeatedly executed to obtain the intermediate generated images.
Kang, 0103, 0137 and Fig. 2
In regarding to claim 5 Kang and Woo teaches:
5. The three-dimensional imaging method according to claim 1, furthermore, Kang teaches: wherein in the step of generating the intermediate generated images, the artificial intelligence frame-filling model is executed according to a foreground object.
Kang, 0144, 0151-0152 and Figs. 11a-A-11B
In regarding to claim 6 Kang and Woo teaches:
6. The three-dimensional imaging method according to claim 1, furthermore, Kang teaches: wherein in the step of detecting the viewing angle of the user relative to the display unit, a face is tracked on a shooting frame in front of the display unit to obtain the viewing angle.
Kang, 0057, 0151-0152 and Figs. 11a-A-11B
In regarding to claim 7 Kang and Woo teaches:
7. The three-dimensional imaging method according to claim 1, furthermore, Kang teaches: wherein the step of detecting the viewing angle of the user relative to the display unit is executed after the step of generating the intermediate generated images.
Kang, 0057, 0151-0152 and Figs. 11a-A-11B
Claims 8-13 list all similar elements of claims 1-6, but in device form rather than method form. Therefore, the supporting rationale of the rejection to claims 8-13 applies equally as well to claims 1-6.
Claims 14-18 list all similar elements of claims 1-5, but in device form rather than method form. Therefore, the supporting rationale of the rejection to claims 14-18 applies equally as well to claims 1-5.
In regarding to claim 19 Kang and Woo teaches:
19. The display device according to claim 14, furthermore, Kang teaches: wherein the artificial intelligence frame-filling model crops out a foreground object, and then generates the intermediate generated images according to the foreground object.
Kang, 0144, 0151-0152 and Figs. 11a-A-11B
In regarding to claim 20 Kang and Woo teaches:
20. The display device according to claim 14, furthermore, Kang teaches: wherein the imaging unit sequentially presents the first original image, the intermediate generated images and the second original image, and then presents the second original image, the intermediate generated images, and the first original image in reverse order.
Kang, 0103, 0137 and Fig. 2
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL T TEKLE whose telephone number is (571)270-1117. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00-4:30 ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, William Vaughn can be reached at 571-272-3922. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANIEL T TEKLE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2481
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