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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/25/2024, 06/19/2026are 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 § 102
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Takaoka et al. (US 20030120369 A1) hereinafter referred to as Takaoka cited in IDS filed on 11/25/2024.Claim 1. A control apparatus (Takaoka Fig.1 #1 Vehicle manufacturer server) comprising:
a communication interface configured to communicate with a terminal apparatus of a user ([0001] [0010] [0019] a vehicle information providing apparatus that provides on-line information associated with a vehicle to a user's information terminal via a communication line. The presence of a communication interface is inherent as server is communicating with terminal 5 through internet 3. Each device/apparatus involved has a communication interface); and a controller configured to:
acquire progress data indicating progress of production of a vehicle ordered by the user ([0010] acquiring information associated with progress status of a plurality of vehicles before shipping);
set a growth level of a character (photographed image) according to the progress indicated by the acquired progress data ([0281] An image of the objective custom vehicle or customizable vehicle is photographed at a predetermined timing and in a predetermined photographing state as that vehicle passes the predetermined photographing range of each photographing device 14 upon assembly in turn in respective production processes of the assembly line, and the photographed image is stored in the progress management DB 32 in association with the record of status information associated with that custom vehicle); and
transmit an image of the character that is to change depending on the growth level to the terminal apparatus via the communication interface (Fig.43, [0283] In this way, photographed images of respective stages from the beginning of assembly to finishing can be provided to the purchaser of the ordered specific vehicle, although they are provided not in real time, and the purchaser can enjoy the processes themselves until shipping).Claim 2. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to set the growth level after each predetermined period, even during a period in which there is no change in the progress (Fig.22 and Fig.43, different photograph of different stages are provided for a specific period. In Fig.43, production line progress photographed images are displayed at different stages portraying progress. Another window as shown in Fig.22 is provided where even outside production line where no change in the product is observed rather an image of a distribution center or a ship is provided. Here no change is interpreted as manufacturing change not occurring).Claim 3. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the production of the vehicle includes painting, and the controller is configured to: acquire color data indicating a body color of the vehicle ([0157] [0163] body color select window (B-5 and B-12)); and change, upon completion of the painting, a color of the character in the image to a color corresponding to the body color indicated by the acquired color data ([0259][0260]).Claim 4. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the production of the vehicle includes option installation, and the controller is configured to: further acquire vehicle option data indicating a vehicle option ordered by the user (Fig.9-14 the user select different option for his vehicle that he/she is customizing)); and transmit, upon completion of the option installation, an image of the character wearing an item corresponding to the vehicle option indicated by the acquired vehicle option data as the image of the character (See Fig.43 Assembly (here installation)).Claim 5 recites a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program configured to cause a computer to execute operations ([0035]). Claim 5 essentially recites the same limitations as claim 1. Therefore, the rejection of claim 1 is applied to claim 5.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure is as follows:
US 20180082361 A1 apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to facilitating the vehicle pick up of orders at shopping facilities. In some embodiments, there is provided a system including: an electronic interface configured to receive an order corresponding to a customer; a control circuit configured to: determine the location of the customer; determine shopping facilities near the customer's location; determine time intervals when the order will be available for pick up at each of the shopping facilities; transmit a visual representation indicating the time intervals of availability at the shopping facilities; and a shopping facility where the order is made available for pick up by the customer during one of the time intervals.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARTIN MUSHAMBO whose telephone number is (571)270-3390. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday (8:00AM-5:00PM).
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 (571) 272-2330. 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.
/MARTIN MUSHAMBO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2615 8/1/2026
Prosecution Insights