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 .
Application Status
This office action is responsive to the amendments to Application No.:18/966,344, filed on 12/03/2024.
Claims 1 and 3-14 are pending and presented for examination.
This action has been made FINAL.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 14 is 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: The closest prior art made of record failed to disclose the following:
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Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 08/07/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The Applicant alleged the following: “It will be appreciated that the independent claims, Claims 1, 11, and 12, have been amended to recite different additional details of the “information on a difference,” namely, those claims have been amended to recite that the information on the difference includes a line-of-sight deviation angle between (i) a direction from a position of the first person toward the position of the imaging device and (ii) a direction from the position of the first person toward the position at which the second person image is displayed (and those claims further recite causing a display to display a combined image obtained by combining the second-person image with the field-of-view image after the shifting), and Applicant respectfully submits that the foregoing features are neither disclosed nor suggested by the applied documents, even in the proposed combinations, assuming, arguendo, that the documents could be combined, and that there has been no showing of any indication of motivation in the applied documents, or any other rationale, that would lead one having ordinary skill in the art to arrive at the above-discussed claimed features as recited, inter alia, in Claims 1, 11, and 12. MPEP 2143, 2143.01.” The examiner is not persuaded. The examiner maintains MASHITANI discloses the claim limitations of independent claim 1. MASHITANI discloses (1) perform first acquisition processing of acquiring a field-of-view image representing a range corresponding to a field of view of a first person in a real space in which the first person is present in Paragraphs 0069; 0135; 0150; 0153. Moreover, MASHITANI goes on to disclose (2) perform second acquisition processing of acquiring a second-person image that is an image obtained by capturing a second person who is at a remote location and who communicates with the first person in Figure 2, Item 152; Figure 5A/5B; Paragraphs 0065; 0071. MPEP § 2106 states Office personnel are to give claims their broadest reasonable interpretation in light of the supporting disclosure. In re Morris, 127 F.3d 1048, 1054-55, 44 USPQ2d 1023, 1027-28 (Fed Cir. 1997). Accordingly, the examiner maintains the rejection.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 4, 6-7 and 9-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by MASHITANI, US20230247184.
Claim 1:
MASHITANI discloses an information processing apparatus (See MASHITANI Abstract) comprising:
a processor (See MASHITANI Paragraph 0055);
and a memory storing a program which, when executed by the processor, causes the information processing apparatus to (See MASHITANI Paragraph 0139),
(1) perform first acquisition processing of acquiring a field-of-view image representing a range corresponding to a field of view of a first person in a real space in which the first person is present (See MASHITANI Paragraphs 0069; 0135; 0150; 0153),
(2) perform second acquisition processing (See MASHITANI Figure 2, Item 152, Paragraph 0065) of acquiring a second-person image that is an image obtained by capturing a second person who is at a remote location (See MASHITANI Figure 5A/5B; Paragraph 0071) and who communicates with the first person (See MASHITANI Paragraph 00711),
(3) perform third acquisition processing (See MASHITANI Figure 2, Item 153, Paragraph 0065) of acquiring information on a difference between (a) a position of an imaging device that transmits, to the remote location (See MASHITANI Figure 5A/5B; Paragraph 0071), an image obtained by capturing the first person (See MASHITANI Paragraphs 00712; 0077-0078; 01423) and (b) a position at which the second-person image is displayed in the real space (See MASHITANI Paragraph 00714), wherein the information on the difference includes a line-of-sight deviation angle (See MASHITANI Paragraphs 0069; 0135; 0150; 0153) between (i) a direction from a position of the first person toward the position of the imaging device (See MASHITANI Paragraphs 0069; 0135; 0150; 0153) and (ii) a direction from the position of the first person toward the position at which the second person image is displayed (See MASHITANI Paragraphs 0069; 0135; 0150; 0153),
(4) and perform control processing (See MASHITANI Figure 2, Item 10, Paragraph 0052) of (a) shifting a position at which the field-of-view image is to be displayed in accordance with the information on the difference (See MASHITANI Paragraphs 0069; 0071; 0135; 0150; 0153) and (b) causing a display to display (See MASHITANI Figure 2, Item 40, Paragraph 0096) a combined image obtained by combining the second-person image (See MASHITANI Paragraph 00715) with the field-of-view image after the shifting (See MASHITANI Paragraphs 0069; 0135; 0150; 0153),
Claim 4:
MASHITANI discloses wherein in the third acquisition processing (See MASHITANI Figure 2, Item 153, Paragraph 0065), a shooting distance of the imaging device is used as the distance from the position of the first person to the position of the imaging device (See MASHITANI Paragraphs 00716; 0077-0078; 01427).
Claim 6:
MASHITANI discloses wherein in the third acquisition processing (See MASHITANI Figure 2, Item 153, Paragraph 0065), the information on the difference is acquired in accordance with an instruction from the first person (See MASHITANI Paragraphs 00718; 0077-0078; 01429).
Claim 7:
MASHITANI discloses the display (See MASHITANI Figure 2, Item 40; Paragraph 0096).
Claim 9:
MASHITANI discloses wherein in the control processing (See MASHITANI Figure 2, Item 10, Paragraph 0052), the display is caused to display the second-person image in a size based on a positional relationship between the first person and the position at which the second-person image is displayed (See MASHITANI Paragraphs 007110; 0077-0078; 014211).
Claim 10:
MASHITANI discloses wherein the program, when executed by the processor, further causes the information processing apparatus to execute change processing of changing transparency of the second-person image (See MASHITANI Paragraph 0163).
Claim 11:
Claim 11 is rejected on the same basis as claim 1.
Claim 12:
Claim 12 is rejected on the same basis as claim 1.
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.
Claim(s) 3 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MASHITANI, US20230247184 in view of Otsuka, 12,474,769.
Claim 3:
MASHITANI failed to disclose dividing. However, Otsuka discloses this feature in Column 8, Lines 20-35. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified MASHITANI by the teachings of Otsuka to enable improved image processing thereby providing a better image positioning, more effectively (See Otsuka Abstract; Column 2, Lines 1-10). In addition, both of the references teach features that are directed to analogous art and they are directed to the same field of endeavor, such as, image processing. This close relation between both of the references highly suggests an expectation of success.
As modified:
The combination of MASHITANI and Otsuka discloses wherein in the third acquisition processing (See MASHITANI Figure 2, Item 153, Paragraph 0065), the information on the difference is acquired on a basis of dividing (See Otsuka Column 8, Lines 20-35) (1) a distance from the position of the first person to the position at which the second person image is displayed by (2) a distance from the position of the first person to the position of the imaging device (See MASHITANI Paragraphs 007112; 0077-0078; 014213).
Claim 13:
The combination of MASHITANI and Otsuka discloses wherein a value obtained by the dividing (See Otsuka Column 8, Lines 20-35) is used to determine the line-of-sight deviation angle (See MASHITANI Paragraphs 0081-0085).
Claim(s) 5 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MASHITANI, US20230247184 in view of Dillavou, 20130308827.
Claim 5:
MASHITANI failed to disclose a depth map, however, Dillavou discloses this feature in paragraphs 0092-0093. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified MASHITANI by the teachings of Dillavou to enable improved image processing thereby providing a better realism of the virtual reality experience, more effectively (See Dillavou Abstract; Paragraph 0040-0041). In addition, both of the references teach features that are directed to analogous art and they are directed to the same field of endeavor, such as, image processing. This close relation between both of the references highly suggests an expectation of success.
As modified:
The combination of MASHITANI and Dillavou discloses the following:
wherein in the third acquisition processing, the distance from the position of the first person to the position at which the second-person image is displayed is acquired from a depth map (See Dillavou Paragraphs 0092-0093) corresponding to the field-of-view image (See MASHITANI Paragraphs 0069; 0135; 0150; 0153).
Claim 8:
The combination of MASHITANI and Dillavou discloses wherein the information processing apparatus is a head-mounted display (HMD) (See Dillavou Paragraphs 0041; 0045).
Pertinent Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US Patent Application Publication No.: 20140310595 discloses virtual personal assistance includes technologies to, among other things, correlate an external representation of an object with a real world view of the object, display virtual elements on the external representation of the object and/or display virtual elements on the real world view of the object, to provide virtual personal assistance in a multi-step activity or another activity that involves the observation or handling of an object and a reference document.
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.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHEREE N BROWN whose telephone number is (571)272-4229. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 5:30-2:00 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, SAID BROOME can be reached at (571) 272-2931. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SHEREE N BROWN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2612 September 18, 2026
1 MASHITANI Paragraph 0071 recites “For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, in a case where third image Im3A including second object Ob22 (for example, a building) desired to be displayed as the background at a fixed position in real space A1 and second object Ob23 (for example, a person) desired to be moved from left to right in real space A1 is projected by projector 30, control system 10 first generates first image Im1 (see FIG. 5A) such that first object Ob12 corresponding to second object Ob22 is present at a fixed position and first object Ob13 corresponding to second object Ob23 is present at a left departure point in virtual space A2.”
2 MASHITANI Paragraph 0071 recites “For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, in a case where third image Im3A including second object Ob22 (for example, a building) desired to be displayed as the background at a fixed position in real space A1 and second object Ob23 (for example, a person) desired to be moved from left to right in real space A1 is projected by projector 30, control system 10 first generates first image Im1 (see FIG. 5A) such that first object Ob12 corresponding to second object Ob22 is present at a fixed position and first object Ob13 corresponding to second object Ob23 is present at a left departure point in virtual space A2.”
3 MASHITANI Paragraph 0142 recites “During the operation in the installation information acquisition mode, installation information acquisition system 15 causes projector 30 to project the index image onto real space A1. Installation information acquisition system 15 acquires the installation information of projector 30 based on the angle information when the index image is adjusted to the positions of second adjustment points AP2 and the positional information of first adjustment points AP1 (that is, second adjustment points AP2). The adjustment mode is an operation mode for performing image adjustment of decreasing a difference between the size of rendering region Ra1 of second image Im2 in virtual space A2 (the size converted into the scale of real space A1) and the image size of third image Im3 in real space A1.”
4 MASHITANI Paragraph 0071 recites “For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, in a case where third image Im3A including second object Ob22 (for example, a building) desired to be displayed as the background at a fixed position in real space A1 and second object Ob23 (for example, a person) desired to be moved from left to right in real space A1 is projected by projector 30, control system 10 first generates first image Im1 (see FIG. 5A) such that first object Ob12 corresponding to second object Ob22 is present at a fixed position and first object Ob13 corresponding to second object Ob23 is present at a left departure point in virtual space A2.”
5 MASHITANI Paragraph 0071 recites “For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, in a case where third image Im3A including second object Ob22 (for example, a building) desired to be displayed as the background at a fixed position in real space A1 and second object Ob23 (for example, a person) desired to be moved from left to right in real space A1 is projected by projector 30, control system 10 first generates first image Im1 (see FIG. 5A) such that first object Ob12 corresponding to second object Ob22 is present at a fixed position and first object Ob13 corresponding to second object Ob23 is present at a left departure point in virtual space A2.”
6 MASHITANI Paragraph 0071 recites “For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, in a case where third image Im3A including second object Ob22 (for example, a building) desired to be displayed as the background at a fixed position in real space A1 and second object Ob23 (for example, a person) desired to be moved from left to right in real space A1 is projected by projector 30, control system 10 first generates first image Im1 (see FIG. 5A) such that first object Ob12 corresponding to second object Ob22 is present at a fixed position and first object Ob13 corresponding to second object Ob23 is present at a left departure point in virtual space A2.”
7 MASHITANI Paragraph 0142 recites “During the operation in the installation information acquisition mode, installation information acquisition system 15 causes projector 30 to project the index image onto real space A1. Installation information acquisition system 15 acquires the installation information of projector 30 based on the angle information when the index image is adjusted to the positions of second adjustment points AP2 and the positional information of first adjustment points AP1 (that is, second adjustment points AP2). The adjustment mode is an operation mode for performing image adjustment of decreasing a difference between the size of rendering region Ra1 of second image Im2 in virtual space A2 (the size converted into the scale of real space A1) and the image size of third image Im3 in real space A1.”
8 MASHITANI Paragraph 0071 recites “For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, in a case where third image Im3A including second object Ob22 (for example, a building) desired to be displayed as the background at a fixed position in real space A1 and second object Ob23 (for example, a person) desired to be moved from left to right in real space A1 is projected by projector 30, control system 10 first generates first image Im1 (see FIG. 5A) such that first object Ob12 corresponding to second object Ob22 is present at a fixed position and first object Ob13 corresponding to second object Ob23 is present at a left departure point in virtual space A2.”
9 MASHITANI Paragraph 0142 recites “During the operation in the installation information acquisition mode, installation information acquisition system 15 causes projector 30 to project the index image onto real space A1. Installation information acquisition system 15 acquires the installation information of projector 30 based on the angle information when the index image is adjusted to the positions of second adjustment points AP2 and the positional information of first adjustment points AP1 (that is, second adjustment points AP2). The adjustment mode is an operation mode for performing image adjustment of decreasing a difference between the size of rendering region Ra1 of second image Im2 in virtual space A2 (the size converted into the scale of real space A1) and the image size of third image Im3 in real space A1.”
10 MASHITANI Paragraph 0071 recites “For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, in a case where third image Im3A including second object Ob22 (for example, a building) desired to be displayed as the background at a fixed position in real space A1 and second object Ob23 (for example, a person) desired to be moved from left to right in real space A1 is projected by projector 30, control system 10 first generates first image Im1 (see FIG. 5A) such that first object Ob12 corresponding to second object Ob22 is present at a fixed position and first object Ob13 corresponding to second object Ob23 is present at a left departure point in virtual space A2.”
11 MASHITANI Paragraph 0142 recites “During the operation in the installation information acquisition mode, installation information acquisition system 15 causes projector 30 to project the index image onto real space A1. Installation information acquisition system 15 acquires the installation information of projector 30 based on the angle information when the index image is adjusted to the positions of second adjustment points AP2 and the positional information of first adjustment points AP1 (that is, second adjustment points AP2). The adjustment mode is an operation mode for performing image adjustment of decreasing a difference between the size of rendering region Ra1 of second image Im2 in virtual space A2 (the size converted into the scale of real space A1) and the image size of third image Im3 in real space A1.”
12 MASHITANI Paragraph 0071 recites “For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, in a case where third image Im3A including second object Ob22 (for example, a building) desired to be displayed as the background at a fixed position in real space A1 and second object Ob23 (for example, a person) desired to be moved from left to right in real space A1 is projected by projector 30, control system 10 first generates first image Im1 (see FIG. 5A) such that first object Ob12 corresponding to second object Ob22 is present at a fixed position and first object Ob13 corresponding to second object Ob23 is present at a left departure point in virtual space A2.”
13 MASHITANI Paragraph 0142 recites “During the operation in the installation information acquisition mode, installation information acquisition system 15 causes projector 30 to project the index image onto real space A1. Installation information acquisition system 15 acquires the installation information of projector 30 based on the angle information when the index image is adjusted to the positions of second adjustment points AP2 and the positional information of first adjustment points AP1 (that is, second adjustment points AP2). The adjustment mode is an operation mode for performing image adjustment of decreasing a difference between the size of rendering region Ra1 of second image Im2 in virtual space A2 (the size converted into the scale of real space A1) and the image size of third image Im3 in real space A1.”
Prosecution Insights