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 is in response to applicant’s amendment/response filed on08/06/2026, which has
been entered and made of record. Claim 1, 10, 12, 16-20 are amended. Claims 21 and 22 are added. Claims 1-22 are pending in the application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant arguments regarding claim rejections under 103 are considered, but are moot in view of new ground of rejections.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-6, 8-11, 17, 20-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. (“Personal Photograph Enhancement Using Internet Photo Collections”) in view of Mccoy et al. (US 2024/0257369 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Zhang teaches:
obtain, … information relating to a field of view of a user, (Section 7.1, right: “After depth values for the scene are estimated, a virtual camera pose is computed such that the resulting stereo pair provides users with a natural and comfortable 3D viewing experience.”)
obtain a two-dimensional (2D) image, (FIG. 3, an original photo image. Section 1, bottom: “With the set of techniques we have adopted and developed in this paper, we envision a system where a user can upload his/her trip photographs, taken with a regular camera, into a photo-editing system.”)
identify a first portion of the 2D image to be applied as a background image of a three-dimensional (3D) virtual space, (Section 6. Image foreground and background segmentation: teaches the specifics of separate the background for an input photograph. Section 7.1, left: “options for personal stereoscopic content creation are still limited, and general-case automatic 2D to 3D conversion is an unsolved and highly under constrained problem. In this section, we propose a frame work for generating a convincing stereoscopic pair from a single 2D personal photograph using prior information derived from large scale IPCs.”)
identify a second portion of the 2D image corresponding to an object of interest, (Section 6. Image foreground and background segmentation: teaches the specifics of separate foreground for an input photograph.)
generate an expanded image corresponding to the first portion of the 2D image, (Section 7.2: “7.2 Field-of-View Expansion A common problem in photographs is the limited field of view. This is particularly pronounced in self-portraits, such as the one shown in Fig. 1. Here, we discuss our approach to expand the original image’s FOV using the background model from an IPC. Compared to the stereoscopic synthesis, the expanded image can contain a significant amount of missing data. Therefore, a different synthesis method is presented. Geometric registration. The first step for FOV expansion is to warp similar images from the IPC to the query image’s camera pose. The expanded region is then filled in mainly by the content from warped images, as well as texture synthesized using repetitive content.”)
determine…a second depth corresponding to a distance from the user at which the second portion of the 2D image is to be disposed in the 3D virtual space,(Section 7.1, left:
“
PNG
media_image1.png
80
438
media_image1.png
Greyscale
”
The depth value shows the distance from point of view.)
generate a 3D virtual image by disposing the expanded image at a first depth in the 3D virtual space and disposing the second portion of the 2D image at the second depth in the 3D virtual space, wherein the second depth is less distant from the user than the first depth, (Section 7.1 left: shows the foreground objects and backgrounds depth values are assigned; foreground pixels have less depth than the background pixels. “
PNG
media_image2.png
330
438
media_image2.png
Greyscale
”
Section 7.1 right:
“
PNG
media_image3.png
78
438
media_image3.png
Greyscale
”) and
display a portion of the 3D virtual image based on the information relating to the field of view of the user. (FIG. 4)
However, Zhang does not explicitly, but Mccoy teaches:
An electronic device comprising: a display;(FIG. 3) a sensor; ([0041], camera) memory storing one or more computer programs; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the display, the sensor, and the memory; and wherein the one or more computer programs include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, (FIG. 3, [0014], “The device includes an interface and memory storing executable instructions and a controller, coupled to the interface and memory.”) cause the electronic device to:
via the sensor ([0041], camera)
determine an attribute of the object of interest included in the second portion, determine, based at least in part on the attribute of the object of interest, a second depth corresponding to a distance from the user…([0088], “According to embodiments, object 610 and 615 may be detected by a device and depth parameters may be determined. The depth parameters may be determined based on the object position and characteristics of the object and/or other display elements,”)
Zhang teaches a photograph to 3D image conversion method, where the depths of foreground objects require users to indicate. Mccoy teaches deciding objects’ depth information based on the objects attribute information and also teaches using a device system.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have combined the teachings of Zhang with the specific teachings of Mccoy to decide objects’ depth information based on the objects attribute information and provide users a device to build a 3D image from input images. The benefit would be to provide an automatic way of handling 3D image generation.
Regarding claim 2, Zhang in view of Mccoy teaches:
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
display the portion of the 3D virtual image with a size determined based on at least one of a size of the field of view or a direction of the field of view, corresponding to the information relating to the field of view. (Zhang Section 7.2: “7.2 Field-of-View Expansion A common problem in photographs is the limited field of view. This is particularly pronounced in self-portraits, such as the one shown in Fig. 1. Here, we discuss our approach to expand the original image’s FOV using the background model from an IPC. Compared to the stereoscopic synthesis, the expanded image can contain a significant amount of missing data. Therefore, a different synthesis method is presented. Geometric registration. The first step for FOV expansion is to warp similar images from the IPC to the query image’s camera pose. The expanded region is then filled in mainly by the content from warped images, as well as texture synthesized using repetitive content.”)
Regarding claim 3, Zhang in view of Mccoy teaches:
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
generate the expanded image such that a generated image portion of the expanded image includes: an area extending from a first boundary of the 2D image in a first direction; and an area extending from a second boundary different from the first boundary in a second direction different from the first direction. (See Zhang FIG. 7, ” when zooming an image, the image size is expanded horizontally and vertically.)
Regarding claim 5, Zhang in view of Mccoy teaches:
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to: as part of generating the expanded image, generate an area corresponding to a first range belonging to a main movable range of the field of view by performing out-painting based on the 2D image, and generate an area corresponding to a second range, which is different from the first range, by performing in-painting, based on an image generated in the area corresponding to the first range, at least based on the information relating to the field of view. (Zhang Section 7.2 Field-of-View Expansion teaches the process of expand the image according to the FOV, which includes filling holes (inpainting) and filling the expanded areas (out-painting)).
Regarding claim 6, Zhang in view of Mccoy teaches:
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to: as part of generating the expanded image, generate an image portion to be symmetrical with respect to at least one of a boundary line or an imaginary line at one or more points, of the image portion of the expanded image, which is generated based on the 2D image. (Zhang FIG. 7, the fifth photo shows expanding image along the near central vertical line.)
Regarding claim 8, Zhang in view of Mccoy teaches:
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to: receive the 2D image through an external electronic device related to a user account of the electronic device. (Zhang FIG. 3, an original photo image. Section 1, bottom: “With the set of techniques we have adopted and developed in this paper, we envision a system where a user can upload his/her trip photographs, taken with a regular camera, into a photo-editing system.”)
Regarding claim 9, Zhang in view of Mccoy teaches:
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a head-mountable display (HMD) device. ([0023], “Embodiments may also be used for presentation of 2D content by wearable devices and/or devices configured for wearable use, such as a head mounted display (HMD) or three-dimensional (3D) display.”)
Regarding claim 10, Zhang in view of Mccoy teaches:
The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: communication circuitry; wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to: obtain, through the communication circuitry, the 2D image from a first external electronic device. (Mccoy[0077], “Device 305 may be configured to receive input from one or more peripheral devices, such as input devices 335.sub.1-n. Input devices 335.sub.1-n may be controllers or input devices in general configured to provide controls for device 305 and game control.” The combination of claim 1 is incorporated here.)
Regarding claim 11, Zhang in view of Mccoy teaches:
The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to: transmit, through the communication circuitry, the 2D image obtained from the first external electronic device to a second external electronic device, and receive, through the communication circuitry, the expanded image from the second external electronic device in response to transmission. (Mccoy[0077], “Device 305 may be configured to receive input from one or more peripheral devices, such as input devices 335.sub.1-n. Input devices 335.sub.1-n may be controllers or input devices in general configured to provide controls for device 305 and game control.” The combination of claim 1 is incorporated here.)
Claims 17 and 20 recites similar limitations of claim 1, in a form of method and medium respectively, thus are rejected accordingly.
Regarding claim 21, Zhang in view of Mccoy teaches:
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the 3D virtual space includes a plurality of areas that are respectively within different non-overlapping ranges of distances from the user and are each less distant from the user than the first depth, and wherein disposing the second portion of the 2D image at the second depth comprises disposing the second portion in one area, of the plurality of areas, corresponding to the second depth. (Zhang page 267: “
PNG
media_image4.png
238
450
media_image4.png
Greyscale
”
the perceived depth is related to the distance of the viewer to the
screen. The foreground objects have less depth than the background.)
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang in view of Mccoy and further in view of Harris et al. (US 2013/0120362 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Zhang in view of Mccoy teaches:
The electronic device of claim 1,
However, Zhang in view of Mccoy does not, but Harris teaches:
wherein a background area of the 3D virtual space is configured in a shape of a curved surface whose distance from a point set in the 3D virtual space is the first depth, and wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to, correct the expanded image to correspond to the shape of the curved surface. ([0024], “The system can further comprise: head tracking apparatus enabled to acquire a position of the viewing apparatus; and a processor enabled to adjust the stereoscopic images for viewing based on one or more of the position and the orientation of the viewing apparatus. The stereoscopic images can be projected onto a curved surface for viewing and the processor can be further enabled to adjust the stereoscopic images based on a geometry of the curved surface. The system can further comprise a memory for storing data indicative of the geometry. The processor can be further enabled to adjust the stereoscopic images based on the geometry of the curved surface by: determining images for display, the images comprising the stereoscopic images when they are to be provided on a flat screen; determining a distortion of the flat screen based on the data indicative of the geometry of the curved surface and the position of the viewing apparatus; and adjusting the images based on the distortion such that the stereoscopic images will appear undistorted when projected onto the curved surface. Adjusting the stereoscopic images can be repeated each time a change in position of the viewing apparatus is determined.” [0083] teaches depth information for 3D image.)
Zhang in view of Mccoy teaches generating and displaying 3D image. Harris teaches enable a 3D image be displayed on a curved surface.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have combined the teachings of Zhang in view of Mccoy with the specific teachings of Mccoy to enable image be displayed on a curved surface.
Claim(s) 7, 12-13, 16, 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang in view of Mccoy and further in view of Lee et al. (US 2009/0148045 A1).
Regarding claim 7, Zhang in view of Mccoy teaches:
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
However, Zhang in view of Mccoy does not, but Lee teaches:
as part of generating the expanded image, generate an image portion by fading-in based on at least one of a boundary line or an imaginary line at one or more points, of the image portion of the expanded image, which is generated based on the 2D image. ([0080], “The zooming feature may be used to shrink and expand the advertisements, images, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, an advertisement may slowly decrease in size and minimize to a corner. In such a case, if the advertisement is selected or a selector hovers over the attachment, the advertisement may increase in size. For example, with reference to FIGS. 5A-5C, an exemplary display of a zooming feature is illustrated. A contextual advertisement 502 comprising a boat is initially presented in an enlarged form within an image 504, as shown in FIG. 5A. The advertisement 502 may slowly be reduced in size and become positioned in a corner of the image 504 of FIG. 5B. Assuming a user selects the advertisement 502 or hovers over the advertisement 502, the advertisement 502 is increased in size such that it is displayed as it was originally displayed, as shown in FIG. 5C. The alpha blending feature effect may be used to fade one item into focus while fading another item out of focus.”)
Zhang in view of Mccoy teaches generating and displaying 3D image. Lee teaches enable a displayed image to show different visual effects.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have combined the teachings of Zhang in view of Mccoy with the specific teachings of Lee to provide users better visual effects.
Regarding claim 12, Zhang in view of Mccoy teaches:
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
However, Zhang in view of Mccoy does not, but Lee teaches:
add a moving graphic effect to the object of interest at least partially based on the attribute of the object of interest. ([0079]-[0080], “The presentation delivering component 344 may also identify the advertisement features utilized to deliver an image-based contextual advertisement. Features may include visual effects, e.g., blurring; image processing effects, e.g., transparency; scripting, e.g., zooming and alpha blending; resolution effect; and any other effect that may be applied to the image-based contextual advertisement. The blurring feature effect may be used to blur the image to make it less visible. The transparency feature effect may be used to transparently alter advertisements, images, and the like. With reference to FIGS. 4A-4B, an exemplary display of a transparency feature effect is illustrated. An image 402 comprises a boat. In FIG. 4A, a contextual advertisement 404 is transparently presented. Assuming a user selects the advertisement or hovers over the advertisement 404, the advertisement 404 may increase intensity and may present an associated link 406, as shown in FIG. 4B. The zooming feature may be used to shrink and expand the advertisements, images, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, an advertisement may slowly decrease in size and minimize to a corner. In such a case, if the advertisement is selected or a selector hovers over the attachment, the advertisement may increase in size. For example, with reference to FIGS. 5A-5C, an exemplary display of a zooming feature is illustrated. A contextual advertisement 502 comprising a boat is initially presented in an enlarged form within an image 504, as shown in FIG. 5A. The advertisement 502 may slowly be reduced in size and become positioned in a corner of the image 504 of FIG. 5B. Assuming a user selects the advertisement 502 or hovers over the advertisement 502, the advertisement 502 is increased in size such that it is displayed as it was originally displayed, as shown in FIG. 5C. The alpha blending feature effect may be used to fade one item into focus while fading another item out of focus.”)
Zhang in view of Mccoy teaches generating and displaying 3D image. Lee teaches enable a displayed image to show different visual effects based on image features.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have combined the teachings of Zhang in view of Mccoy with the specific teachings of Lee to provide users better visual effects.
Regarding claim 13, Zhang in view of Mccoy and Lee teaches:
The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to: obtain environmental information, and determine an attribute of the graphic effect at least based on the environmental information. (Lee, [0078]-[0079], “”The presentation delivering component 344 is configured to identify features to utilize to deliver an image-based contextual advertisement. The presentation delivering component 344 may, for example, identify whether to place the advertisement near the image, to overlay the advertisement on top of the image, or to stitch the advertisement into the image and, thereby, alter the image. Such an identification may, in one embodiment, be set forth in a storage device or metadata associated with the image or advertisement. The presentation delivering component 344 may also identify the advertisement features utilized to deliver an image-based contextual advertisement. Features may include visual effects, e.g., blurring; image processing effects, e.g., transparency; scripting, e.g., zooming and alpha blending; resolution effect; and any other effect that may be applied to the image-based contextual advertisement. The blurring feature effect may be used to blur the image to make it less visible.” The combination rationale of claim 12 is incorporated here.)
Regarding claim 16, Zhang in view of Mccoy teaches:
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
However, Zhang in view of Mccoy does not, but Lee teaches:
selectively dispose, at least partially based on the attribute of the object of interest, the second portion at one of a first point which is set to enable interaction with the user or a second point which is set not to interact with the user. ([0079]-[0080], “The presentation delivering component 344 may also identify the advertisement features utilized to deliver an image-based contextual advertisement. Features may include visual effects, e.g., blurring; image processing effects, e.g., transparency; scripting, e.g., zooming and alpha blending; resolution effect; and any other effect that may be applied to the image-based contextual advertisement. The blurring feature effect may be used to blur the image to make it less visible. The transparency feature effect may be used to transparently alter advertisements, images, and the like. With reference to FIGS. 4A-4B, an exemplary display of a transparency feature effect is illustrated. An image 402 comprises a boat. In FIG. 4A, a contextual advertisement 404 is transparently presented. Assuming a user selects the advertisement or hovers over the advertisement 404, the advertisement 404 may increase intensity and may present an associated link 406, as shown in FIG. 4B. The zooming feature may be used to shrink and expand the advertisements, images, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, an advertisement may slowly decrease in size and minimize to a corner. In such a case, if the advertisement is selected or a selector hovers over the attachment, the advertisement may increase in size. For example, with reference to FIGS. 5A-5C, an exemplary display of a zooming feature is illustrated. A contextual advertisement 502 comprising a boat is initially presented in an enlarged form within an image 504, as shown in FIG. 5A. The advertisement 502 may slowly be reduced in size and become positioned in a corner of the image 504 of FIG. 5B. Assuming a user selects the advertisement 502 or hovers over the advertisement 502, the advertisement 502 is increased in size such that it is displayed as it was originally displayed, as shown in FIG. 5C. The alpha blending feature effect may be used to fade one item into focus while fading another item out of focus.”)
Zhang in view of Mccoy teaches generating and displaying 3D image. Lee teaches enable a displayed image to show different visual effects based on image features.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have combined the teachings of Zhang in view of Mccoy with the specific teachings of Lee to provide users better visual effects and allow users to better control the objects on the image.
Claims 18-19 recites similar limitations of claim 16, 12 respectively, thus are rejected accordingly.
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang in view of Mccoy and Lee and further in view of Mei et al. (US 2012/0098861 A1).
Regarding claim 14, Zhang in view of Mccoy and Lee teaches:
The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
However, Zhang in view of Mccoy and Lee does not, but Mei teaches:
identify contact information related to the object of interest, and provide the contact information in response to receiving a user input to the object of interest. ([0074], “when a selected part of the displayed image corresponds to a face region, according to the detection result of the detection unit 603, the display unit 601 displays contact information that is matched to the face region of the image. For example, the display unit 601 can display the contact information by superimposing the contact information on the face region included in the displayed image. Alternatively, the contact information may be displayed in a new screen window.”)
Zhang in view of Mccoy and Lee teaches generating and displaying 3D image. Mei teaches enable a displayed image to show more information that users are interested in.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have combined the teachings of Zhang in view of Mccoy and Lee with the specific teachings of Mei to provide more information to users.
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang in view of Mccoy and Lee and Mei and further in view of Kim et al. (US 2015/0011193 A1).
Regarding claim 15, Zhang in view of Mccoy and Lee and Mei teaches:
The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
However, Zhang in view of Mccoy and Lee and Mei does not, but Kim teaches:
receive an event related to the contact information, and add or change the graphic effect related to the object of interest based on the event. ([0045], “It is assumed that in the screen 410, a schedule display period is set to one day and three schedules are stored in Jun. 27, 2013. In a state in which the three schedules are displayed, the controller 140 may display a schedule arranged by a time and a priority, and a contact list in which the contact information is re-arranged according to the schedule. When the contact information is arranged by a time, the controller 140 may arrange the contact information in the contact list in a stored schedule time order when registering a schedule. When the contact information is arranged by a priority, the controller 140 may determine schedule information stored in the contact information by the priority and display the schedule information by the priority in the contact list. When there is a fixed schedule such as a birthday or an event in the contact information, the controller 140 arranges and displays the schedule such as the birthday or the event to come to the top level in the contact list. Further, the controller 140 controls the priority to be changed and displayed by a user. When displaying the schedule and the contact list in which the contact information is re-arranged according to the schedule, the controller 140 may display the schedule and the contact list by highlighting with a color or an effect. For example, a darkening effect may be displayed as shown in "Today's birthday member" in the screen 410. Further, the controller 140 may control a kind of color or effect to be variously changed.”)
Zhang in view of Mccoy and Lee and Mei teaches displaying image with more information. Kim teaches enable a displayed image to show more visual effects.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have combined the teachings of Zhang in view of Mccoy and Lee and Mei with the specific teachings of Kim to provide better user interface.
Claim(s) 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang in view of Mccoy and further in view of Komatsu (US 2015/0139534 A1).
Regarding claim 22, Zhang in view of Mccoy teaches:
The electronic device of claim 1, and the instructions further cause the electronic device to determine the second depth based at least in part on …and a position of the object of interest within the 2D image. (Mccoy, [0088], “According to embodiments, object 610 and 615 may be detected by a device and depth parameters may be determined. The depth parameters may be determined based on the object position and characteristics of the object and/or other display elements,”)
However, Zhang in view of Mccoy does not, but Komatsu teaches:
wherein the attribute of the object of interest includes a category of the object of interest, determine the second depth based at least in part on the category ([0071], “For the threshold here, the depth size of the object, which is calculated based on the type”)
Zhang in view of Mccoy teaches deciding depth information based on object position and characteristics. Komatsu teaches one of the characteristics is object type and deciding depth information based on object type.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have combined the teachings of Zhang in view of Mccoy and Komatsu to accurately decide objects’ types information.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YANNA WU whose telephone number is (571)270-0725. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 8:00-5:30 ET.
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, Alicia Harrington can be reached at 5712722330. 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.
/YANNA WU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2615