Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/915,637

CALCULATION DEVICE, CALCULATION SYSTEM, SOLUTION DISPLAYING METHOD AND STORAGE MEDIUM

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Oct 15, 2024
Priority
Oct 23, 2023 — JP 2023-181515
Examiner
PHAM, LINH K
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
81%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 6m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 81% — above average
81%
Career Allowance Rate
526 granted / 651 resolved
+20.8% vs TC avg
Strong +29% interview lift
Without
With
+28.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 6m
Avg Prosecution
19 currently pending
Career history
669
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
10.6%
-29.4% vs TC avg
§103
49.9%
+9.9% vs TC avg
§102
25.9%
-14.1% vs TC avg
§112
7.7%
-32.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 651 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 18/915,637 filed on October 15, 2024. Claims 1-10 have been examined and are pending. Priority Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. JP 2023-181515, filed on October 23, 2023]. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 10/15/2024 and 03/31/2025 are 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 § 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 of this title, 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 1-5 and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ozawa, Makoto (“Ozawa,” US 2012/00960660), in view of Yoshizawa, US 2010/231597. Regarding claim 1, Ozawa discloses a calculation device (Figs. 1-2) comprising a processor which executes processing of: controlling a display to display a solution of a specified mathematical equation in a first display style among a plurality of predetermined display styles (pars. 0056-0061; Figs. 5B-5C show a first mode display; and also see pars. 0076-0078; Figs 4, 6A-6C, 9A-9C); controlling the display to display, when the solution of the mathematical equation is displayable in a different display style that differs from the first display style among the plurality of display styles, a conversion [[icon indicating that]] the solution of the mathematical equation is convertible to be displayed in the different display style (pars. 0056-0061; Figs. 5C-5D show the calculation result is conversed; and also see pars. 0053-0054; Figs 4, 6A-9C); and controlling the display to display information regarding the different display style (Figs 4, Figs 5B-9C; “ENG symbol display mode”) or to display the solution of the mathematical equation in the different display style when a predetermined operation is performed on the conversion icon. Ozawa discloses all limitation above, but does not explicitly disclose icon indicating. However, Yoshizawa discloses a calculator device, includes icon indicating (Yoshizawa: pars. 0063-0071; Figs. 7A-7C include a selective input candidate). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine teachings of Yoshizawa with the system/method of Ozawa. One would have been motivated to allow user easily convertible type of solution mathematically. Regarding claim 2, Ozawa and Yoshizawa disclose the calculation device according to claim 1. Yoshizawa further discloses, wherein the processor controls a position where the conversion icon is displayed, on basis of a display position of the solution of the mathematical equation on the display (Yoshizawa: pars. 0066; Fig. 6; Steps 22-23). The motivation is the same that of claim 1 above. Regarding claim 3, Ozawa and Yoshizawa disclose the calculation device according to claim 1. Ozawa further discloses the calculation device, wherein the processor controls to display, when a plurality of display styles to which the first display style is convertible exits, a selection list from which a display style to which the first display style is converted is selectable from among the plurality of display styles, as the information regarding the different display style (Ozawa: pars. 0076-0077; Fig. 9A-9B; the calculation result is converted into the fraction and the calculation result "4/3" is displayed, after the user slide manipulation toward the top at the position of the calculation result). Regarding claim 4, Ozawa and Yoshizawa disclose the calculation device according to claim 1. Ozawa further discloses the calculation device, wherein the processor controls to display the information regarding the different display style and the solution of the mathematical equation represented in the different display style (Ozawa: pars. 0075-0078; Figs. 9A-9B show the calculation result is converted into the fraction/decimal fraction). Regarding claim 5, Ozawa and Yoshizawa disclose the calculation device according to claim 1. Ozawa and Yoshizawa further disclose the calculation device, wherein the processor controls to display the conversion icon (Yoshizawa: Fig. 6; at step S21-22) when the solution of the mathematical equation represented in the different display style is different from the solution of the mathematical equation represented in the first display style (Ozawa: pars. 0075-0078; Figs. 9A-9B show the calculation result is converted into the fraction/decimal fraction). The motivation is the same that of claim 1 above. Regarding claim 9, claim 9 is directed to method associated with the calculation device claimed in claim 1; Claim 9 is similar in scope to claim 1, and is therefore rejected under similar rationale. Regarding claim 10, claim 10 is directed to non-transitory computer-readable storage medium associated with the calculation device claimed in claim 1; Claim 10 is similar in scope to claim 1, and is therefore rejected under similar rationale. Claims 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ozawa, Makoto (“Ozawa,” US 2012/00960660), in view of Yoshizawa, US 2010/231597, and further in view of Sudoh et al., (“Sudoh” US 22004/0059999). Regarding claim 6, Ozawa and Yoshizawa disclose the calculation device according to claim 1. Ozawa further discloses the calculation device, wherein the plurality of predetermined display styles includes two or more of a standard setting style that represents the solution by use of an integer, a mathematical constant, and a mathematical symbol, a display style that represents the solution by use of a decimal, a display style that represents the solution by use of a mixed fraction, a display style that represents the solution by use of a recurring decimal (Ozawa: par. 0025-0026; Fig. 1, input key group 2). Ozawa and Yoshizawa discloses all limitation above, but does not explicitly disclose a display style that represents the solution by use of a rectangular coordinate system, and a display style that represents the solution by use of a polar coordinate system. However, Sudoh discloses a method setting and displaying x- and/or y-logarithmic scales, wherein a display style that represents the solution by use of a rectangular coordinate system, and a display style that represents the solution by use of a polar coordinate system (Sudoh: pars. 0113-0115; Fig. 7A-7B). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine teachings of Sudoh and Yoshizawa with the system/method of Sudoh. One would have been motivated to allow switching between them because each system is better suited to certain types of problems and visualizations. Regarding claim 7, Ozawa, Yoshizawa, and Sudoh disclose the calculation device according to claim 6. Ozawa further discloses the calculation device, wherein the first display style is selected from the standard setting style and the display style that represents the solution by use of a decimal, and is switchable by a user of the calculation device (Ozawa: pars. 0042, 0079-0078 ; Figs. 4, 9B-9C; steps S22, S23, and S26-S27; “the calculation result is converted into the fraction and the calculation result "4/3" is displayed as illustrated in FIG. 9B.” And “the calculation result is converted into the decimal fraction and the calculation result "1.333 . . . " is displayed as illustrated in FIG. 9C ). Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ozawa, Makoto (“Ozawa,” US 2012/00960660), in view of Yoshizawa, US 2010/231597, and further in view of Yoshizawa et al., (“Uoshizawa’512” US 2016/0086512). Regarding claim 8, Ozawa discloses a calculation system comprising: a calculation device which displays a solution of a specified mathematical equation (Ozawa: 0076-0078; Figs 4, 6A-6C, 9A-9C), and a server which calculates the solution of the specified mathematical equation, wherein [[the server]] includes a processor which executes processing of (i) calculating the solution of the mathematical equation in a first display style among a plurality of predetermined display styles (Ozawa: pars. 0056-0061; Figs. 5B-5C show a first mode display; and also see pars. 0076-0078; Figs 4, 6A-6C, 9A-9C), (ii) generating information indicating a display style in which the solution of the mathematical equation is displayable among the plurality of predetermined display styles (Ozawa: pars. 0076-0077; Fig. 9A-9B; the calculation result is converted into the fraction and the calculation result "4/3" is displayed, after the user slide manipulation toward the top at the position of the calculation result), and (iii) transmitting the solution of the mathematical equation and the information indicating the display style in which the solution of the mathematical equation is displayable, from a communication section to the calculation device (Ozawa: pars. 0056-0061; Figs. 5C-5D show the calculation result is conversed; and also see pars. 0053-0054; Figs 4, 6A-9C ), and wherein the calculation device includes a processor which executes processing of (i) controlling a display to display the solution of the mathematical equation in the first display style (Ozawa: pars. 0056-0061; Figs. 5C-5D show the calculation result is conversed; and also see pars. 0053-0054; Figs 4, 6A-9C), (ii) controlling the display to display, when the solution of the mathematical equation is displayable in a different display style that differs from the first display style among the plurality of display styles (Ozawa: pars. 0056-0061; Figs. 5C-5D show the calculation result is conversed; and also see pars. 0053-0054; Figs 4, 6A-9C), a conversion [[icon indicating]] that the solution of the mathematical equation is convertible to be displayed in the different display style (Ozawa: Figs 4, Figs 5B-9C; “ENG symbol display mode”), and (iii) controlling the display to display information regarding the different display style (Ozawa: Figs 4, Figs 5B-9C; “ENG symbol display mode”) or to display the solution of the mathematical equation in the different display style when a predetermined operation is performed on the conversion icon. Ozawa discloses all limitation above, but does not explicitly disclose icon indicating. However, Yoshizawa discloses a calculator device, includes icon indicating (Yoshizawa: pars. 0063-0071; Figs. 7A-7C include a selective input candidate). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine teachings of Yoshizawa with the system/method of Ozawa. One would have been motivated to allow user easily convertible type of solution mathematically. Ozawa and Yoshizawa do not explicitly disclose a calculation system comprising a server. However, Yoshizawa’512 disclose a method for aggregating calculation target data comprising a server (Yoshizawa’512: pars. 0048-0057; Figs. 3-4; a calculation server 20). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine teachings of Yoshizawa’512 with the system/method of Ozawa and Yoshizawa. One would have been motivated to centralize, scale, and reliably perform computational tasks for multiple users or applications. 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). 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, 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. 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. /LINH K PHAM/ Primary Examiner Art Unit 2174
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 15, 2024
Application Filed
Sep 23, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
81%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+28.9%)
3y 6m (~1y 6m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 651 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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