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 .
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, 5-10, 14-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Olsen et al. (US 2010/0217719 A1) in view of Petermann (US 2004/0168601 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Olsen teaches:
A computer-implemented method executing on data processing hardware that causes the data processing hardware to perform operations comprising: executing a design software application configured to display on a screen in communication with the data processing hardware a design view for creating and/or editing design projects to be cut by an electronic cutting machine associated with a user, ([0141], “In some implementations, the user connects the electronic cutting machine 610 (e.g., CRICUT.RTM.) to a computer 710 for the purposes of cutting on the electronic cutting machine 610 using the design software application. If the controller device 200 is not present, the user may need to physically connect each desired cartridge 510 to the electronic cutting machine 610 before cutting any content from the cartridge 510. When prompted by the design software application, the user may connect the cartridges 510 one at a time to the electronic cutting machine 610 for authorization. For example, if design software application wants to cut a design that uses images from three different cartridges 510, the user will have to insert those cartridges 510 one at a time.” FIG. 28…) the design view comprising a virtual mat view (FIG. 28…) that displays:
a virtual material … for cutting on the electronic cutting machine; ([0215], “The operations include selecting 2714 a project from the application. The project may be a saved (e.g., stored) project or a new project. In the example shown, the user selects a new project. The operations include selecting 2716 a mat size, e.g., 6.times.12 or 12.times.12, and presenting 2718 a main design screen where a virtual cutting mat is shown. The user may add a glyph (e.g., an image representing the cutout from the digital content) to the virtual mat. ”) and
a content object on a portion of the virtual material, the content object comprising a plurality of cut paths; ([0215], “The user may add a glyph (e.g., an image representing the cutout from the digital content) to the virtual mat.” FIG. 28A shows content objects having cut paths. [0228], “FIG. 28A provides a schematic view of a virtual design mat or virtual mat 2800 having designs 2805 comprising one or more images or glyphs 2810 to be cut on an electronic cutting machine 610. The designs may include a circle glyph 2810a and a square glyph 2810b. The controller device 200 knows the position of the glyphs 2810a, 2810b on the virtual mat 2800 that relate to a physical cutting mat.”)
receiving a first user input indication indicating selection to disable one of the plurality of cut paths from being cut by the electronic cutting machine; ([0207], “Referring to FIGS. 25A-25C, welding is a process of connecting the outside perimeters of two or more images 2510, 2520 to form a new image 2540. FIG. 25A is an example of first and second glyphs or images 2510, 2520 that the user desires to be welded (e.g., merged together in appearance). In the example shown, the first glyph 2510 is a circle, and the second glyph 2520 is a square. FIG. 25B illustrates an example of the two glyphs 2510, 2520 overlaid for welding or merging. The user may move the first and second glyphs 2510, 2520 into positions where there is at least one overlapping region 2530. The overlapping region 2530 is not desired to be cut because it would create three separate pieces, rather than a single piece (the resultant of the welding operation). Thus, the user may choose how to weld or merge the first glyph 6510 and the second glyph 6520 together. FIG. 25C is an example of the completed welded or merged glyphs 2510, 2520 as a single resultant glyph 2540. The two separate glyphs 2510, 2520, are replaced by the single resultant glyph 2540 having a single cut path thereabout. The cutting path removes the overlapping area 2530 (see FIG. 25B) that would have created an awkward third piece if no welding or merging was performed.”)
receiving a cut command to cut the content object displayed on the portion of the virtual material; ([0168], “Operations of the cartridge ownership verification method include deciding 1710 to cut a glyph on an electronic cutting machine 610.”[0207] “FIG. 25C is an example of the completed welded or merged glyphs 2510, 2520 as a single resultant glyph 2540. The two separate glyphs 2510, 2520, are replaced by the single resultant glyph 2540 having a single cut path thereabout. The cutting path removes the overlapping area 2530 (see FIG. 25B) that would have created an awkward third piece if no welding or merging was performed.””) and
based on the received cut command and the disabled one of the plurality of cut paths, instructing, by the design software application, the electronic cutting machine to cut the content object from the actual material by only cutting non-disabled cut paths of the plurality of cut paths without cutting the disabled one of the plurality of cut paths.([0207], “The cutting path removes the overlapping area 2530 (see FIG. 25B) that would have created an awkward third piece if no welding or merging was performed.”)
However, Olsen does not explicitly teach, but Petermann teaches:
a virtual material representing an actual material ([0027], “Since the printing data shown in FIG. 1 is available in digital form 7 from the prepress, it is possible to process this data in computer 17 and thus display the printed printing material on display screen 11. …, and thus to display the actual state of printing material 14 on display screen 11.”)
Olsen teaches displaying virtual mat/background on the display for objects to be edited on, then print the objects using real materials. Petermann also teaches displaying virtual background on the display for objects to be edited on, also the background material represents the real materials to be used to print the objects.
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 Olsen with the specific teachings of Petermann to display the virtual mat using the real materials so that users can easily visualize the materials used to do machine cutting.
Regarding claim 5, Olsen in view of Petermann teaches:
The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the content object comprises an individual glyph.( Olsen [0215], “The user may add a glyph (e.g., an image representing the cutout from the digital content) to the virtual mat.”)
Regarding claim 6, Olsen in view of Petermann teaches:
The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the content object comprises a combined glyph formed by joining a first individual glyph and a second individual glyph together. (Olsen FIG. 25A to 25C)
Regarding claim 7, Olsen in view of Petermann teaches:
The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the design view displayed on the screen further comprises a content results portion that displays a collection of individual glyphs, the collection of individual glyphs displayed in the content results portion comprising the first individual glyph and the second individual glyph. (Olsen FIG. 25A)
Regarding claim 8, Olsen in view of Petermann teaches:
The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:
displaying the first and second individual glyphs on the virtual material, the first and second individual glyphs selected from the collection of individual glyphs displayed in the content results portion;( Olsen FIG. 25A [0207], “FIG. 25A is an example of first and second glyphs or images 2510, 2520 that the user desires to be welded (e.g., merged together in appearance). In the example shown, the first glyph 2510 is a circle, and the second glyph 2520 is a square.”)
receiving a move command to move the first individual glyph to a position on the virtual material that intersects with the second individual glyph displayed on the virtual material; (Olsen [0207], “The user may move the first and second glyphs 2510, 2520 into positions where there is at least one overlapping region 2530.”)
based on the position of the first individual glyph intersecting with the second individual glyph displayed on the virtual material, prompting, by the design software application, the user to provide a user selection to: join the first and second individual glyphs together as the combined glyph; or keep the first and second individual glyphs as separate individual glyphs; and receiving the user selection to join the first and second individual glyphs together as the combined glyph.( Olsen [0207], “The user may move the first and second glyphs 2510, 2520 into positions where there is at least one overlapping region 2530. The overlapping region 2530 is not desired to be cut because it would create three separate pieces, rather than a single piece (the resultant of the welding operation). Thus, the user may choose how to weld or merge the first glyph 6510 and the second glyph 6520 together.” Olsen allows users to choose how to weld or merge the two glyphs, which indicates the interface gives users options to do so. Different design choices can be offered. One design choice would be to give users options to either allow the merge or not allow the merge. 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 Olsen with the specific design choice to provide a user-friendly user interface.)
Regarding claim 9, Olsen in view of Petermann teaches:
The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the data processing hardware executes the design software application as a rich internet application in a cloud computing environment and a computing device associated with the user of the electronic cutting machine accesses the rich internet application through a web server.( Olsen [0170], “Prompting 1716 the user to insert the cartridge into the controller device 200 may be done with a direct connection of the cartridge 510 to the controller device 200 (see FIG. 5) or it may be done using an adapter (see FIG. 3B). Alternatively, the connection may be done remotely by connecting the cartridge 510 to the electronic cutting machine 610 and then connecting the controller device 200 to the same electronic cutting machine 610, creating a communication path without a direct connection. In another alternative scenario, the user may download the digital content, for example, using the Internet, and transferring the digital content to the controller device 200.” [0124])
Regarding claim 10, Olsen in view of Petermann teaches:
A system comprising:an electronic cutting machine associated with the user;data processing hardware in communication with the electronic cutting machine; andmemory hardware in communication with the data processing hardware and storing instructions that when executed on the data processing hardware causes the data processing hardware to perform operations (Olsen FIG. 11C) the rest of claim 10 recites similar limitations of claim 1, thus is rejected accordingly.
Claim 14-18 recite similar limitations of claim 5-9 respectively, thus are rejected accordingly.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4, 11-13 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: none of the references along or in combination teaches: “receiving a second user input indication indicating selection of the content object displayed on the portion of the virtual material;in response to receiving the second user input indication indicating selection of the content object, displaying, in the virtual mat view, a hide contours button;receiving a third user input indication indicating selection of the hide contours button, the selection of the hide contours button causing the design software application to activate a hide contours mode to allow the user to select one or more cut paths from the plurality of cut paths of the content object to be disabled,wherein receiving the first user input indication comprises receiving the first user input indication indicating selection to disable the one of the plurality of cut paths when the hide contours mode is activated.” Recited in claim 2 and similarly recites in claim 11..
Conclusion
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.
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/YANNA WU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2615
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