DETAILED ACTION
Claim Objections
Claim 4 objected to because of the following informalities: 1 in “1 effect object” appears to be a typo. It should be removed.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 4, 13, 16 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 10103 as being unpatentable over Sachdeva et al (US 20230058036 A1), and further in view of Paul et al (US 20200357184 A1).
RE claim 1, Sachdeva teaches An image generation method (Abstract, [0010]), comprising:
determining a reference trunk direction of an effect object according to a predetermined initial point (Figs 1-2,5, [0012], [0014], [0020], [0086]-[0087]) in response to an image generation condition being satisfied (Figs 4,5, [0010], [0023]);
determining at least one piece of extension information according to the initial point, the reference trunk direction and a predetermined target parameter, wherein the extension information comprises an extension position and a corresponding target extension direction (Figs 1-2,5, [0014], [0020], [0081]-[0083]); and
generating an effect image of the effect object based on the at least one piece of extension information (Figs 6-7, [0010], [0012], [0023]).
Sachdeva is silent RE and a target offset.
However Paul teaches in FIGS. 7AB-7AC, [0353], [0356] to define a range of movement and/or displacement area of an object upon activation of an animation event with visual indication by allowing the user to determine the extent of animation of the virtual object and manipulate the virtual object in accordance with the information about the extent of the animation. This is at least implicitly included in the displacement area determination process or can equally be applied to effectively render the gradual transformation of the simulated effect based on a target offset and the direction.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include in Sachdeva a system and method a target offset, as suggested by Paul, in order to effectively define the displacement area for the animation to effectively render the gradual transformation of the simulated effect and thereby increasing/ensuring system effectiveness and user experience.
RE claim 4, Sachdeva as modified by Paul teaches wherein the image generation condition comprises at least one of: triggering a control for generating the effect image corresponding to the 1 effect object; a multimedia data stream comprising predetermined picture content and/or a predetermined audio clip; and a current environmental parameter matching a predetermined environmental parameter for adding the effect image (Sachdeva [0010], [0018], [0023]).
Claims 13 and 16 recite limitations similar in scope with limitations of claims 1 and 4 and therefore rejected under the same rationale. In addition Sachdeva teaches An electronic device, comprising: one or more processors; and a storage apparatus for storing one or more programs (Fig 1, [0050]).
Claim 20 recites limitations similar in scope with limitations of claim 1 and therefore rejected under the same rationale. In addition Sachdeva teaches A non-transitory storage medium containing computer-executable instructions ([0050]).
Claim 2-3, 5-12, 14-15, 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sachdeva as modified by Paul, and further in view of Hermanson et al (US 20210178591 A1).
RE claim 2, Sachdeva as modified by Paul teaches further comprising: determining a target parameter for generating the effect image; and determining the target parameter for generating the effect image comprises: position information of at least one element in an initialization parameter, and a target function (Sachdeva Figs 1-2,5, [0014], [0020], [0081]-[0083]. In addition Paul [0353], [0356] wherein object transformation from the initial state in each step is determined by predetermined functions eg., Sachdeva [0006].).
Sachdeva as modified by Paul is silent RE: determining the target parameter according to a predetermined interval between adjacent video frames.
However Hermanson teaches in [0043] in order to set the frequency of branching.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include in Sachdeva as modified by Paul a system and method of determining the target parameter according to a predetermined interval between adjacent video frames., as suggested by Hermanson, in order to i in order to set the frequency of branching and thereby increasing system effectiveness and user experience.
RE claim 3, Sachdeva as modified by Paul and Hermanson teaches wherein the target parameter comprises at least one pseudo-random number (Hermanson [0024]).
RE claim 5, Sachdeva as modified by Paul teaches wherein determining the at least one piece of extension information according to the initial point, the reference trunk direction and the predetermined target parameter comprises: determining an initial position of the initial point within the target parameter; determining, among the target parameter, a parameter to be selected of at least one vicinity position adjacent to the initial position; and determining a target extension direction and an extension position contained in the extension information based on a vicinity position corresponding to the at least one target number, the reference trunk direction and the initial point (Sachdeva Figs 1-2,5, [0014], [0020], [0081]-[0083]. In addition Paul [0353], [0356]).
Sachdeva as modified by Paul is silent RE: determining at least one target number according to the parameter to be selected and a predetermined parameter threshold; and determining the target extension direction and the extension position contained in the extension information based on a vicinity position corresponding to the at least one target number.
However Hermanson teaches in Figs 2-7, [0008], [0011], [0024] etc in order to model a tree growth generating branches from a previous branch based on the number.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include in Sachdeva as modified by Paul a system and method of determining at least one target number according to the parameter to be selected and a predetermined parameter threshold; and determining the target extension direction and the extension position contained in the extension information based on a vicinity position corresponding to the at least one target number, as suggested by Hermanson, in order to simulate a tree growth model for the simulation and thereby increasing system effectiveness and user experience.
RE claim 6, Sachdeva as modified by Paul and Hermanson teaches wherein the target number comprises one target number, the extension information comprises trunk extension information, and determining the target extension direction and the extension position contained in the extension information based on the vicinity position corresponding to the at least one target number, the reference trunk direction and the initial point comprises: taking the vicinity position of the target number in the target parameter as the extension position in the trunk extension information; and determining a target trunk extension direction and a target trunk extension length of the effect object according to the extension position and the initial point (Hermanson Figs 2-7, [0008], [0011], [0024] etc).
RE claim 7, Sachdeva as modified by Paul and Hermanson teaches wherein the target number comprising a plurality of target numbers, the extension information comprising trunk extension information and branch extension information, and determining the target extension direction and the extension position contained in the extension information based on the vicinity position corresponding to the at least one target number, the reference trunk direction and the initial point comprises: determining relative deflection angles between connecting lines between the initial point and vicinity positions corresponding to a plurality of the target numbers and the reference trunk direction; taking a vicinity position corresponding to a minimum relative deflection angle as a trunk extension position in the trunk extension information, and determining a target trunk extension direction in the trunk extension information according to the trunk extension position and the initial point; and taking vicinity positions corresponding to other target numbers as branch extension positions in the branch extension information, and determining target branch extension directions in the branch extension information according to the branch extension positions and the initial point (Hermanson Figs 2-9, [0008], [0011], [0024], [0052] etc).
RE claim 8, Sachdeva as modified by Paul and Hermanson is silent RE wherein the method further comprises, after determining the extension position: taking a point corresponding to the extension position as the initial point, and repeatedly executing a step of determining the at least one piece of extension information according to the initial point, the reference trunk direction and the predetermined target parameter.
However Hermanson teaches in Figs 2-9, [0008], [0011], [0024] etc in order to model a tree growth generating branches from a previous branch based on the number.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include in Sachdeva as modified by Paul a system and method of wherein the method further comprises, after determining the extension position: taking a point corresponding to the extension position as the initial point, and repeatedly executing a step of determining the at least one piece of extension information according to the initial point, the reference trunk direction and the predetermined target parameter, as suggested by Hermanson, in order to simulate a tree growth model for the simulation and thereby increasing system effectiveness and user experience.
RE claim 9, Sachdeva as modified by Paul and Hermanson teaches further comprising: stopping executing a step of determining trunk extension information in the extension information when an extension position in the trunk extension information in the at least one piece of extension information reaches a predetermined extension boundary; and stopping executing a step of determining branch extension information in the extension information when a number of times of execution of extension information belonging to a same branch in the at least one piece of extension information reaches a predetermined number threshold (Hermanson Figs 2-7, [0008], [0011], [0024],[0056] etc).
RE claim 10, Sachdeva as modified by Paul is silent RE wherein generating the effect image of the effect object based on the at least one piece of extension information comprises: drawing a local pattern of the effect object based on the at least one piece of extension information; and determining the effect image of the effect object based on the local pattern.
However Hermanson teaches in [0007]-[0008], [0011], [0024] etc in order to model a tree growth repeating the local pattern.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include in Sachdeva as modified by Paul a system and method wherein generating the effect image of the effect object based on the at least one piece of extension information comprises: drawing a local pattern of the effect object based on the at least one piece of extension information; and determining the effect image of the effect object based on the local pattern, as suggested by Hermanson, in order to simulate a tree growth model for the simulation and thereby increasing system effectiveness and user experience.
RE claim 11, Sachdeva as modified by Paul and Hermanson teaches, wherein drawing the local pattern of the effect object based on the at least one piece of extension information comprises: determining a target area surrounding the initial point and an extension position contained in the extension information based on the initial point, the extension position and a predetermined radius; and filling the target area according to a predetermined width to generate the local pattern of the effect object (Hermanson Figs 2-7, [0008], [0011], [0024], [0055] etc).
RE claim 12, Sachdeva as modified by Paul and Hermanson teaches wherein determining the effect image of the effect object based on the local pattern comprises: cutting the local pattern according to a polygon to obtain a pattern to be concatenated; stretching and updating the pattern to be concatenated when the polygon is a non-regular polygon; and obtaining the effect image of the effect object by concatenating the pattern to be concatenated (Hermanson Figs 2-7, [0008], [0011], [0024], [0055] etc).
Claims 14-15, 17-19 recite limitations similar in scope with limitations of claims 2-3 and 5-7 and therefore rejected under the same rationale.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SULTANA MARCIA ZALALEE whose telephone number is (571)270-1411. The examiner can normally be reached Monday- Friday 8:00am-4:30pm.
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/Sultana M Zalalee/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2614
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