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 .
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed 09/11/2025 has been entered. Claims 34-36 are new. Therefore, as a result, claims 1-36 are now pending in this application.
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 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 of this title, 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.
Claims 1-33 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Graham et al. (US 9626589 B1 hereinafter Graham) in view of Molgaard (US 8102429 B2)
As to independent claim 1, Graham teaches an electronic device, comprising: [device col. 4 ln. 38-48]
a camera; [camera col. 4 ln. 38-48]
one or more sensors; [sensors col. 8 ln. 6-15]
a display; [display Col. 21 ln. 57-65 "display of the client device"]
one or more processors; and [processor Col. 36 Ln. 29-32]
memory storing one or more programs configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for: [system memory with programs and processor Col. 36 Ln. 29-32]
displaying, via the display: [display Col. 21 ln. 57-65 "display of the client device"]
a camera viewfinder for capturing media; and [Fig. 10A illustrates a user interface show cameral preview frames (viewfinder) Col. 21 ln. 57-65 "camera preview frames 902 for changing image frames (F.sub.1 to F.sub.4) based on the user moving the client device 115 and receiving preview images on the display of the client device"]
an alignment guide in the camera viewfinder, wherein the alignment guide includes a first visual indicator and a second visual indicator; [Fig. 10A illustrates a guide for aligning camera including two indicators 1001 and 1003 Col. 21. ln. 58-67 "graphical representation illustrates a user interface 1000 that includes a ball 1001 (shaded circle) and a pair of target outlines 1003 and 1003 of concentric circles over a current preview image 1005"]
while displaying the alignment guide and while an orientation of a plane of focus of the camera is a first orientation, detecting, based on data from the sensor, a change in orientation of the plane of focus of the camera from the first orientation to a second orientation; and [determines tilt (orientation) of device with camera using gyroscope while displaying a guides Fig. 12B Col. 11 ln. 1-10 " the user guidance module 207 determines whether the client device 115 is tilting in one of the three axes of orientation based on the gyroscope sensor information"]
in response to detecting the change in orientation of the plane of focus of the camera from the first orientation to the second orientation: [determines tilt (orientation) of device with camera using gyroscope while displaying a guide Col. 11 ln. 1-10 " the user guidance module 207 determines whether the client device 115 is tilting in one of the three axes of orientation based on the gyroscope sensor information"]
in accordance with a determination that a relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and a predetermined orientation is within a first visual indicator alignment threshold and that the relative difference is a first relative difference, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in an aligned arrangement; [Graham Fig. 10D illustrates 1001 and 1003 aligned and in an overlap threshold Col. 22 ln. 30-40 "as it is getting closer and closer to the inner target outline 1003, indicates a progress associated with attaining the overlap between the current preview image 1005 and a previously captured image that corresponds to the image overlap threshold. In FIG. 10D, the graphical representation illustrates the user interface 1090 updated to display the ball 1001 centered within the inner target outline 1003 in a solid, non-transparent color"; distance measure Col. 21 ln. 21-46]
in accordance with a determination that the relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and the predetermined orientation is outside of the first visual indicator alignment threshold, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator out of the aligned arrangement. [Fig. 10 A illustrates indicators out of aligned (ball 1001 outside crosshair 1003) Col. 21-22 ln. 66-6 "The ball 1001 serves as the visually distinct indicator for overlap and initially appears transparent and at the right edge of the display on the user interface 1000 because of an overlap starting to occur as the client device 115 is being moved from left-to-right of the shelf."]
Graham does not specifically teach in accordance with a determination that the relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and the predetermined orientation is within the first visual indicator alignment threshold and that the relative difference is a second relative difference different from the first relative difference, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in the aligned arrangement;
However, Molgaard teaches in accordance with a determination that the relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and the predetermined orientation is within the first visual indicator alignment threshold and that the relative difference is a second relative difference different from the first relative difference, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in the aligned arrangement;
[Fig. 13 illustrates a continuously updated indicator with distances each for roll and pitch (different relative difference) compared to stored orientation (threshold) that becomes aligned in the center (overlap as one indication) col. 11 ln. 30-49 "updated difference between the present orientation information and the stored orientation information, so that, when the user changes the orientation of the camera, the output changes in a manner so that the user understands whether he/she changes the orientation of the camera towards or away from the stored orientation"]
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the alignment interface disclosed by Graham by incorporating the in accordance with a determination that the relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and the predetermined orientation is within the first visual indicator alignment threshold and that the relative difference is a second relative difference different from the first relative difference, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in the aligned arrangement; disclosed by Molgaard because both techniques address the same field of camera interfaces and by incorporating Molgaard into Graham help users reduce blur and align cameras better [Molgaard Col. 4 ln. 5-18
As to dependent claim 2, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated Graham and Molgaard further teach wherein the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in the aligned arrangement are displayed proximate to a center of the camera viewfinder. [Graham Fig. 10D illustrates indicators centered Col. 20 ln. 58-63 "the preview image at the center of the display of the client device 115 to illustrate the condition has been met for optimal overlap."]
As to dependent claim 3, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated Graham and Molgaard further teach wherein the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in the aligned arrangement appear as one graphical object. [Graham Fig. 10D illustrates 1001 and 1003 appearing as one dot and aligned Col. 12 ln. 30-40 "user interface 1090 updated to display the ball 1001 centered within the inner target outline 1003 in a solid, non-transparent color"]
As to dependent claim 4, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated Graham and Molgaard further teach while the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator are displayed in the aligned arrangement, detecting, via the one or more sensors, a change in orientation of the plane of focus of the camera from a third orientation to a fourth orientation, wherein the third orientation has a relative difference to the predetermined orientation that is within the first visual indicator alignment threshold; and in response to detecting the change in orientation of the plane of focus of the camera from the third orientation to the fourth orientation: in accordance with a determination that the relative difference between the fourth orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and the predetermined orientation is within a second visual indicator alignment threshold different from the first visual indicator alignment threshold, maintaining display of the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in the aligned arrangement; and in accordance with a determination that the relative difference between the fourth orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and the predetermined orientation is outside the second visual indicator alignment threshold, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator out of the aligned arrangement. [Graham uses gyroscopic sensor data to monitor tilt in the camera's orientation and adjusts visual feedback accordingly to guide the user towards achieving or maintaining an optimal alignment for image capture, thereby addressing both the scenarios of maintaining alignment within a new threshold or indicating misalignment when the orientation exceeds acceptable limits. Col. 22 ln. 38-43]
As to dependent claim 5, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated Graham and Molgaard further teach wherein displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in the aligned arrangement includes displaying a respective animation at a location of the aligned arrangement. [Graham animates alignment/overlap Col. 22 ln. 38-43 "The satisfaction of the overlap threshold could be shown in various other ways by showing the ball 1001 in a visually distinct manner from its prior state such as, flashing, flashing in a different color, a change in shape (e.g., triangle, pentagon, etc.), a change in fill, etc."]
As to dependent claim 6, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated Graham and Molgaard further teach wherein a distance between the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator is dynamically based on a relative difference between a respective orientation of the plane of focus and the predetermined orientation. [Graham dynamic Col. 19-20 ln. 63-30 "dynamic feature comparison between the current preview image and the previously captured image for providing guidance and/or feedback to the user via a user interface on the client device"]
As to dependent claim 7, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated Graham and Molgaard further teach wherein displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator out of the aligned arrangement includes changing a displayed position of the first visual indicator based on a relative difference between the first orientation and the second orientation. [Graham Fig. 10A-B illustrate indicators out of alignment and changing positions Col. 19-20 ln. 63-30 "dynamic feature comparison between the current preview image and the previously captured image for providing guidance and/or feedback to the user via a user interface on the client device"]
As to dependent claim 8, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated Graham and Molgaard further teach wherein displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator out of the aligned arrangement includes maintaining a displayed position of the second visual indicator while the orientation of the plane of focus of the camera changes from the first orientation to the second orientation. [Graham Fig. 10A-B illustrate indicator 1001 and 1003 out of alignment and changing one of the positions Col. 19-20 ln. 63-30 "dynamic feature comparison between the current preview image and the previously captured image for providing guidance and/or feedback to the user via a user interface on the client device"]
As to dependent claim 9, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated Graham and Molgaard further teach the one or more programs further including instructions for: while the orientation of the plane of focus of the camera is at a fifth orientation and while the first visual indicator is displayed with a first value of a visual characteristic, detecting a change in orientation of the plane of focus of the camera from the fifth orientation to a sixth orientation; and in response to detecting the change in orientation of the plane of focus of the camera from the fifth orientation to the sixth orientation, displaying the first visual indicator with a second value of the visual characteristic different than the first value. [Graham changing, such as color alterations for tilt feedback, which implies changing visual characteristics like transparency, color, or shape in response to orientation changes. This demonstrates an adaptive visual feedback mechanism to assist users in adjusting the orientation towards optimal tilt conditions for image capture, aligning with the described functionality of altering visual indicator characteristics upon detecting orientation changes Col. 19-20 ln. 63-30]
As to dependent claim 10, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated Graham and Molgaard further teach wherein the predetermined orientation is a horizontal orientation. [Graham x-axis (horizontal) Col. 23-24 ln. 25-15 " visually distinct indicator for tilt can be an angle offset indicator to show the angle of rotation about the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis of orientation on the user interface of the client device"]
As to dependent claim 11, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated Graham and Molgaard further teach wherein the predetermined orientation is a vertical orientation. [Graham y-axis (vertical) Col. 23-24 ln. 25-15 " visually distinct indicator for tilt can be an angle offset indicator to show the angle of rotation about the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis of orientation on the user interface of the client device"]
As to independent claim 12, Graham teaches a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of an electronic device with a camera, one or more sensors, and a display, the one or more programs including instructions for: [system memory with programs and processor Col. 36 Ln. 29-32]
displaying, via the display: [display Col. 21 ln. 57-65 "display of the client device"]
a camera viewfinder for capturing media; and [Fig. 10A illustrates a user interface show cameral preview frames (viewfinder) Col. 21 ln. 57-65 "camera preview frames 902 for changing image frames (F.sub.1 to F.sub.4) based on the user moving the client device 115 and receiving preview images on the display of the client device"]
an alignment guide in the camera viewfinder, wherein the alignment guide includes a first visual indicator and a second visual indicator; [Fig. 10A illustrates a guide for aligning camera including two indicators 1001 and 1003 Col. 21. ln. 58-67 "graphical representation illustrates a user interface 1000 that includes a ball 1001 (shaded circle) and a pair of target outlines 1003 and 1003 of concentric circles over a current preview image 1005"]
while displaying the alignment guide and while an orientation of a plane of focus of the camera is a first orientation, detecting, based on data from the sensor, a change in orientation of the plane of focus of the camera from the first orientation to a second orientation; and [determines tilt (orientation) of device with camera using gyroscope while displaying a guides Fig. 12B Col. 11 ln. 1-10 " the user guidance module 207 determines whether the client device 115 is tilting in one of the three axes of orientation based on the gyroscope sensor information"]
in response to detecting the change in orientation of the plane of focus of the camera from the first orientation to the second orientation: [determines tilt (orientation) of device with camera using gyroscope while displaying a guide Col. 11 ln. 1-10 " the user guidance module 207 determines whether the client device 115 is tilting in one of the three axes of orientation based on the gyroscope sensor information"]
in accordance with a determination that a relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and a predetermined orientation is within a first visual indicator alignment threshold and that the relative difference is a first relative difference, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in an aligned arrangement; [Graham Fig. 10D illustrates 1001 and 1003 aligned and in an overlap threshold Col. 22 ln. 30-40 "as it is getting closer and closer to the inner target outline 1003, indicates a progress associated with attaining the overlap between the current preview image 1005 and a previously captured image that corresponds to the image overlap threshold. In FIG. 10D, the graphical representation illustrates the user interface 1090 updated to display the ball 1001 centered within the inner target outline 1003 in a solid, non-transparent color"; distance measure Col. 21 ln. 21-46]
in accordance with a determination that the relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and the predetermined orientation is outside of the first visual indicator alignment threshold, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator out of the aligned arrangement. [Fig. 10 A illustrates indicators out of aligned (ball 1001 outside crosshair 1003) Col. 21-22 ln. 66-6 "The ball 1001 serves as the visually distinct indicator for overlap and initially appears transparent and at the right edge of the display on the user interface 1000 because of an overlap starting to occur as the client device 115 is being moved from left-to-right of the shelf."]
Graham does not specifically teach in accordance with a determination that the relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and the predetermined orientation is within the first visual indicator alignment threshold and that the relative difference is a second relative difference different from the first relative difference, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in the aligned arrangement;
However, Molgaard teaches in accordance with a determination that the relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and the predetermined orientation is within the first visual indicator alignment threshold and that the relative difference is a second relative difference different from the first relative difference, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in the aligned arrangement;
[Fig. 13 illustrates a continuously updated indicator with distances each for roll and pitch (different relative difference) compared to stored orientation (threshold) that becomes aligned in the center (overlap as one indication) col. 11 ln. 30-49 "updated difference between the present orientation information and the stored orientation information, so that, when the user changes the orientation of the camera, the output changes in a manner so that the user understands whether he/she changes the orientation of the camera towards or away from the stored orientation"]
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the alignment interface disclosed by Graham by incorporating the in accordance with a determination that the relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and the predetermined orientation is within the first visual indicator alignment threshold and that the relative difference is a second relative difference different from the first relative difference, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in the aligned arrangement; disclosed by Molgaard because both techniques address the same field of camera interfaces and by incorporating Molgaard into Graham help users reduce blur and align cameras better [Molgaard Col. 4 ln. 5-18]
As to independent claim 13, Graham teaches a method, comprising:
at an electronic device with a camera, one or more sensors, and a display: [device col. 4 ln. 38-48], [camera col. 4 ln. 38-48], [sensors col. 8 ln. 6-15], [display Col. 21 ln. 57-65 "display of the client device"]
displaying, via the display: [display Col. 21 ln. 57-65 "display of the client device"]
a camera viewfinder for capturing media; and [Fig. 10A illustrates a user interface show cameral preview frames (viewfinder) Col. 21 ln. 57-65 "camera preview frames 902 for changing image frames (F.sub.1 to F.sub.4) based on the user moving the client device 115 and receiving preview images on the display of the client device"]
an alignment guide in the camera viewfinder, wherein the alignment guide includes a first visual indicator and a second visual indicator; [Fig. 10A illustrates a guide for aligning camera including two indicators 1001 and 1003 Col. 21. ln. 58-67 "graphical representation illustrates a user interface 1000 that includes a ball 1001 (shaded circle) and a pair of target outlines 1003 and 1003 of concentric circles over a current preview image 1005"]
while displaying the alignment guide and while an orientation of a plane of focus of the camera is a first orientation, detecting, based on data from the sensor, a change in orientation of the plane of focus of the camera from the first orientation to a second orientation; and [determines tilt (orientation) of device with camera using gyroscope while displaying a guides Fig. 12B Col. 11 ln. 1-10 " the user guidance module 207 determines whether the client device 115 is tilting in one of the three axes of orientation based on the gyroscope sensor information"]
in response to detecting the change in orientation of the plane of focus of the camera from the first orientation to the second orientation: [determines tilt (orientation) of device with camera using gyroscope while displaying a guide Col. 11 ln. 1-10 " the user guidance module 207 determines whether the client device 115 is tilting in one of the three axes of orientation based on the gyroscope sensor information"]
in accordance with a determination that a relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and a predetermined orientation is within a first visual indicator alignment threshold and that the relative difference is a first relative difference, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in an aligned arrangement; [Graham Fig. 10D illustrates 1001 and 1003 aligned and in an overlap threshold Col. 22 ln. 30-40 "as it is getting closer and closer to the inner target outline 1003, indicates a progress associated with attaining the overlap between the current preview image 1005 and a previously captured image that corresponds to the image overlap threshold. In FIG. 10D, the graphical representation illustrates the user interface 1090 updated to display the ball 1001 centered within the inner target outline 1003 in a solid, non-transparent color"; distance measure Col. 21 ln. 21-46]
in accordance with a determination that the relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and the predetermined orientation is outside of the first visual indicator alignment threshold, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator out of the aligned arrangement. [Fig. 10 A illustrates indicators out of aligned (ball 1001 outside crosshair 1003) Col. 21-22 ln. 66-6 "The ball 1001 serves as the visually distinct indicator for overlap and initially appears transparent and at the right edge of the display on the user interface 1000 because of an overlap starting to occur as the client device 115 is being moved from left-to-right of the shelf."]
Graham does not specifically teach in accordance with a determination that the relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and the predetermined orientation is within the first visual indicator alignment threshold and that the relative difference is a second relative difference different from the first relative difference, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in the aligned arrangement;
However, Molgaard teaches in accordance with a determination that the relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and the predetermined orientation is within the first visual indicator alignment threshold and that the relative difference is a second relative difference different from the first relative difference, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in the aligned arrangement;
[Fig. 13 illustrates a continuously updated indicator with distances each for roll and pitch (different relative difference) compared to stored orientation (threshold) that becomes aligned in the center (overlap as one indication) col. 11 ln. 30-49 "updated difference between the present orientation information and the stored orientation information, so that, when the user changes the orientation of the camera, the output changes in a manner so that the user understands whether he/she changes the orientation of the camera towards or away from the stored orientation"]
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the alignment interface disclosed by Graham by incorporating the in accordance with a determination that the relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and the predetermined orientation is within the first visual indicator alignment threshold and that the relative difference is a second relative difference different from the first relative difference, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in the aligned arrangement; disclosed by Molgaard because both techniques address the same field of camera interfaces and by incorporating Molgaard into Graham help users reduce blur and align cameras better [Molgaard Col. 4 ln. 5-18]
As to dependent claim 34, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated Graham and Molgaard further teach displaying the camera viewfinder includes displaying a live preview of a field of view of the camera; [Graham Live preview Col. 19 ln. 26-41]
displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in the aligned arrangement includes displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator over the live preview of the field of view of the camera; and [Graham Fig. 10D illustrates indicator (1001, 1003) aligned over an image; Live preview Col. 19 ln. 26-41]
displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator out of the aligned arrangement includes displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator over the live preview of the field of view of the camera. [Graham Fig. 10A illustrates indicator (1001, 1003) out of aligned over an image; Live preview Col. 19 ln. 26-41]
Claims 14-33 and 35-36 are rejected similarly to the corresponding claim language above as rejected in claims 2-11 above.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 09/11/2025. In the remark, applicant argues that:
(1) Neither Graham nor Molgaard, whether taken separately or in combination, teach or suggest an electronic device that includes programming instructions for all of branches "in accordance with a determination that a relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and a predetermined orientation is within a first visual indicator alignment threshold and that the relative difference is a first relative difference, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in an aligned arrangement; in accordance with a determination that the relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and the predetermined orientation is within the first visual indicator alignment threshold and that the relative difference is a second relative difference different from the first relative difference, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in the aligned arrangement; and in accordance with a determination that the relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and the predetermined orientation is outside of the first visual indicator alignment threshold, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator out of the aligned arrangement." , as claimed. Molgaard does not teach or suggest a device that displays first and second visual indicators in the same aligned arrangement for two different relative alignments. See specification Fig. 14F-H, Molgaard Fig. 13, Col 11,
As to point (1), Graham and Molgaard do teach both routes for alignment including "in accordance with a determination that a relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and a predetermined orientation is within a first visual indicator alignment threshold and that the relative difference is a first relative difference, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in an aligned arrangement;" and "in accordance with a determination that the relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and the predetermined orientation is within the first visual indicator alignment threshold and that the relative difference is a second relative difference different from the first relative difference, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in the aligned arrangement; and" as recited by claim 1. Graham teaches alignment guides for both tilt and horizontal alignment that have different routes for showing alignment. This gets depicted in the interface as aligned in many different ways 1: (Fig. 10A-B illustrate a ball 1001 light shade and darker as it becomes aligned passing thresholds), 2: (Fig. 12A arrows 1201a and 1209b are shown as aligned as compared to Fig. 12B ), 3: (Fig. 10A ball 1001 overlaps with crosshair), 4: Fig. 16C-D illustrate alignment outlines disappearing when aligned) 5: (Fig. 20A-B arrow 2017 "arrow 2017 disappears when the ball 2019 passes through the outer target ").
Molgaard teaches roll and pitch compared to a predetermined orientation. Each can be display as aligned individually as indicated by different filled squares. See Fig. 13 and Col. 11 ln. 30-49 "This output is adapted to guide a user to orient the digital camera so that the updated (i.e. present) orientation information is at least substantially equivalent to the stored orientation information". Molgaard supplies the concepts of predetermined orientations and continuously updated orientation differences (col. 10 ln. 38-41). Molgaard alignment will also stay aligned even as orientation changes (until a limit is reached or is substantial).
Note that claim 1 does not recite a particular plane/axis (tilt, horizontal. Z-axis) or threshold (significant amount degrees) or type of indicator (overlapping crosshairs etc.). According to MPEP 2111, examiner is obliged to give the terms or phrases their broadest interpretation definition awarded by one of an ordinary skill in the art unless applicant has provided some indication of the definition of the claimed terms or phrases. In response to Applicants’ arguments against the references individually, one cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references.
Hence, Graham and Molgaard do teach both routes for alignment including "in accordance with a determination that a relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and a predetermined orientation is within a first visual indicator alignment threshold and that the relative difference is a first relative difference, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in an aligned arrangement;" and "in accordance with a determination that the relative difference between the second orientation of the plane of focus of the camera and the predetermined orientation is within the first visual indicator alignment threshold and that the relative difference is a second relative difference different from the first relative difference, displaying the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator in the aligned arrangement; and" as recited by claim 1.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Applicant is required under 37 C.F.R. § 1.111(c) to consider these references fully when responding to this action.
Hakim et al. (US 20150229838 A1) teaches textual indicators related to different alignments (see Fig. 3A-B ¶39)
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/BEAU D SPRATT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2143