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 01/15/2025 and 10/08/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are 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.
Claims 1, 6, 7, 12 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nakashin.
Nakashin (US Pub. No. 2018/0061262 A1) discloses:
Regarding claim 1, an electronic device (i.e. display system; Figure 1, element 1) comprising: at least one sensor (Figure 3, element 51); a projector (Figure 3, element 100) configured to project an image; memory (Figure 3, element 41) storing at least one instruction; and at least one processor (Figure 3, element 40), wherein the at least one processor (Figure 3, element 40) is configured to execute the at one instruction to: obtain information about a projection surface (Figure 3, element SC) using the at least one sensor (Figure 3, element 51), identify a first area of interest (i.e. display data; element 611) in an image to be projected on the projection surface (Figure 3, element SC), obtain a projection image by cropping a portion of the image to include at least a portion of the first area of interest (i.e. display data; element 611), based on the information about the projection surface (Figure 3, element SC) and information about the first area of interest (i.e. display data; element 611), and control (Figure 3, element 30) the projector (Figure 3, element 100) to project the projection image on the projection surface (Figure 3, element SC).
Regarding claim 6, the information about the projection surface (i.e. display object) comprises information about a ratio of a vertical length of the projection surface (i.e. longitudinal direction; page 10, paragraph 0150, line 8) to a horizontal length of the projection surface (i.e. transverse direction; page 10, paragraph 0150, lines 7-8).
Regarding claim 7, at least one processor (Figure 3, element 40) is further configured to execute the at one instruction to: obtain information about a surrounding environment of the electronic device (i.e. display system; Figure 1, element 1) using the at least one sensor (Figure 3, element 51), identify one or more projection surface (Figure 3, element SC) candidates based on the information about the surrounding environment of the electronic device (i.e. display system; Figure 1, element 1), obtain a user input for selecting the projection surface (Figure 6, element S11) from the one or more projection surface candidates (Figure 6, element S13), and obtain information about the selected projection surface (Figure 6, element S14).
Regarding claim 12, a method for controlling an electronic device (i.e. display system; Figure 1, element 1), the method comprising: obtaining information about a projection surface (Figure 3, element SC) using at least one sensor (Figure 3, element 51) of the electronic device (i.e. display system; Figure 1, element 1); identifying a first area of interest (i.e. display data; element 611) in an image to be projected on the projection surface (Figure 3, element SC); obtaining a projection image by cropping a portion of the image to include at least a portion of the first area of interest (i.e. display data; element 611), based on the information about the projection surface (Figure 3, element SC) and information about the first area of interest (i.e. display data; element 611); and projecting the projection image on the projection surface (Figure 3, element SC).
Regarding claim 15, a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium (Figure 2, element 220) comprising a program for executing a method for controlling an electronic device (Figure 2, element 1), wherein the method comprises: obtaining information about a projection surface (Figure 3, element SC) using at least one sensor (Figure 3, element 51), identifying a first area of interest (i.e. display data; element 611) in an image to be projected on the projection surface (Figure 3, element SC), obtaining a projection image by cropping a portion of the image to include at least a portion of the first area of interest (i.e. display data; element 611), based on the information about the projection surface (Figure 3, element SC) and information about the first area of interest (i.e. display data; element 611), and projecting the projection image on the projection surface (Figure 3, element SC).
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 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakashin in view of Zhou et al.
Nakashin (US Pub. No. 2018/0061262 A1) teaches the salient features of the present invention as explained above except at least one processor is further configured to execute the at one instruction to crop a portion of the projection image for the first area of interest to be included in the projection image.
Zhou et al. (US Patent No. 11,023,730 B1) discloses at least one processor (element 16) is further configured to execute the at one instruction to crop a portion of the projection image for the first area of interest to be included in the projection image (column 27, line 66 through column 28, line 2).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have at least one processor is further configured to execute the at one instruction to crop a portion of the projection image for the first area of interest to be included in the projection image as shown by Zhou et al. in combination with Nakashin’s invention for the purpose of cropping the images around the region of interest (Zhou et al., column 27, line 66).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3, 5, 8-11 and 13-14 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:
Regarding claim 2, Nakashin (US Pub. No. 2018/0061262 A1) discloses an electronic device (i.e. display system; Figure 1, element 1) comprising: at least one sensor (Figure 3, element 51); a projector (Figure 3, element 100) configured to project an image; memory (Figure 3, element 41) storing at least one instruction; and at least one processor (Figure 3, element 40), wherein the at least one processor (Figure 3, element 40) is configured to execute the at one instruction to: obtain information about a projection surface (Figure 3, element SC) using the at least one sensor (Figure 3, element 51). However, Nakashin and the prior art of record neither shows nor suggests an electronic device comprising at least one processor to execute the at one instruction to: identify a second area of interest in the first area of interest based on a ratio of a vertical length of the projection surface to a horizontal length of the projection surface, and crop a portion of the projection image to include the second area of interest.
Regarding claim 5, Nakashin (US Pub. No. 2018/0061262 A1) discloses an electronic device (i.e. display system; Figure 1, element 1) comprising: at least one sensor (Figure 3, element 51); a projector (Figure 3, element 100) configured to project an image; memory (Figure 3, element 41) storing at least one instruction; and at least one processor (Figure 3, element 40), wherein the at least one processor (Figure 3, element 40) is configured to execute the at one instruction to: obtain information about a projection surface (Figure 3, element SC) using the at least one sensor (Figure 3, element 51). However, Nakashin and the prior art of record neither shows nor suggests an electronic device wherein the information about the projection surface comprises a first ratio of a vertical length of the projection surface to a horizontal length of the projection surface, and the at least one processor is further configured to execute the at one instruction to crop a portion of the projection image for a second ratio of a vertical length of the first area of interest to a horizontal length of the projection image to be the first ratio or more.
Regarding claim 8, Nakashin (US Pub. No. 2018/0061262 A1) discloses an electronic device (i.e. display system; Figure 1, element 1) comprising: at least one sensor (Figure 3, element 51); a projector (Figure 3, element 100) configured to project an image; memory (Figure 3, element 41) storing at least one instruction; and at least one processor (Figure 3, element 40), wherein the at least one processor (Figure 3, element 40) is configured to execute the at one instruction to: obtain information about a projection surface (Figure 3, element SC) using the at least one sensor (Figure 3, element 51). However, Nakashin and the prior art of record neither shows nor suggests an electronic device comprising at least one processor is further configured to execute the at one instruction to: obtain information about a surrounding environment of the electronic device using the at least one sensor, identify a pre-identified projection surface based on the information about the surrounding environment of the electronic device, and project the cropped projection image on a pre-stored projection surface.
Regarding claim 10, Nakashin (US Pub. No. 2018/0061262 A1) discloses an electronic device (i.e. display system; Figure 1, element 1) comprising: at least one sensor (Figure 3, element 51); a projector (Figure 3, element 100) configured to project an image; memory (Figure 3, element 41) storing at least one instruction; and at least one processor (Figure 3, element 40), wherein the at least one processor (Figure 3, element 40) is configured to execute the at one instruction to: obtain information about a projection surface (Figure 3, element SC) using the at least one sensor (Figure 3, element 51). However, Nakashin and the prior art of record neither shows nor suggests an electronic device comprising at least one processor is further configured to execute the at one instruction to: obtain a user input on whether to crop a portion of the image obtained from an external server in case of obtaining information about the image from the external server, obtain the projection image by cropping a portion of the image obtained from the external server, and control the projector to project the projection image on the projection surface in case of obtaining the user input for cropping a portion of the image, control the projector to project the image obtained from the external server on the projection surface in case of obtaining the user input for un-cropping a portion of the image, and obtain the projection image by cropping a portion of the image obtained from a user terminal device, and control the projector to project the projection image on the projection surface in case of obtaining the information about the projection image from the user terminal device.
Regarding claim 11, Nakashin (US Pub. No. 2018/0061262 A1) discloses an electronic device (i.e. display system; Figure 1, element 1) comprising: at least one sensor (Figure 3, element 51); a projector (Figure 3, element 100) configured to project an image; memory (Figure 3, element 41) storing at least one instruction; and at least one processor (Figure 3, element 40), wherein the at least one processor (Figure 3, element 40) is configured to execute the at one instruction to: obtain information about a projection surface (Figure 3, element SC) using the at least one sensor (Figure 3, element 51). However, Nakashin and the prior art of record neither shows nor suggests an electronic deivce comprising at least one processor is further configured to execute the at one instruction to: obtain the projection image by cropping a portion of the image, and control the projector to project the projection image on the projection surface if a first ratio of a vertical length of the image to a horizontal length of the image and a second ratio of a vertical length of the projection surface to a horizontal length of the projection surface are different from each other, and control the projector to project the image on the projection surface if the first ratio and the second ratio are the same as each other.
Regarding claim 13, Nakashin (US Pub. No. 2018/0061262 A1) discloses an electronic device (i.e. display system; Figure 1, element 1) comprising: at least one sensor (Figure 3, element 51); a projector (Figure 3, element 100) configured to project an image; memory (Figure 3, element 41) storing at least one instruction; and at least one processor (Figure 3, element 40), wherein the at least one processor (Figure 3, element 40) is configured to execute the at one instruction to: obtain information about a projection surface (Figure 3, element SC) using the at least one sensor (Figure 3, element 51). However, Nakashin and the prior art of record neither shows nor suggests a method for controlling an electronic device wherein the obtaining the projection image by cropping a portion of the image comprises: identifying a second area of interest in the first area of interest based on a ratio of a vertical length of the projection surface to a horizontal length of the projection surface, and cropping a portion of the projection image to include the second area of interest.
Regarding claims 3, 9 and 14, the claims are allowable based on their dependence from claims 2, 8 and 13 (respectively).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Choi et al. (US Pub. No. 2020/0404232 A1) discloses a projector configured to project an image. A controller is configured to select a projection area in the space based on the following first information including type information of the image to be projected and second information related to a user to view the image. The controller controls the motor assembly. The controller controls the projector to project the image to the projection area. The controller is configured to control the motor assembly to move the robot to a first position to project the image to the projection area. A screen size of the image is determined according to at least one of the following a distance between the projection area and the first position of the robot, a position of the projection area, and a number of users in the space.
Kim et al. (US Pub. No. 2016/0316184 A1) teaches an electronic device having an optical module which projects content on a projection surface. A processor determines whether the electronic device is positioned within a predetermined range of the projection surface and control the optical module to project the content onto the projection surface based on the determination.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MAGDA CRUZ whose telephone number is (571)272-2114. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM.
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, Toan Ton can be reached at 571-272-2303. 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.
/MAGDA CRUZ/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2882
08/19/2026
Prosecution Insights