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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
(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 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sekiguchi et al. (JP 2007007123), hereinafter: “Sekiguchi”. The English translation provided by Applicant as part of the 7/27/26 IDS submission to be referenced hereinafter.
In Regard to Claim 1
Sekiguchi teaches:
A game system comprising:
first and second management terminals(U02,U02) used at a store(B);
an object acquisition game machine(U04) installed at the store(P[0021]-P[0022]);
and a server(U03),
wherein the object acquisition game machine is a game machine with which a player(‘customer”; P[0026]) attempts to acquire an object(50) placed in a first area by moving the object to a second area(Fig 1; P[0026]) by manipulating an object holder(crane viewed in Fig 1; P[0026]),
wherein the first management terminal includes:
an input unit(34; P[0024]) configured to detect input of an object ID(“prize number”; P[0039]) for identifying an object to be delivered to a store(P[0039]-P[0041]) and a store ID(“B”; P[0040]) for identifying the store to which the object is to be delivered when the object purchased by a head office managing one or more stores is to be delivered to the store(P[0038]-P[0041]); and
a transmitting unit(28) configured to transmit first data associating the object ID with the store ID to the server(P[0027]),
wherein the server includes:
a receiving unit configured to receive the first data(P[0038]-P[0041]); and
an object managing unit configured to register(P[0038]-P[0041), in object location information indicating a location of each object, the store as the location of the object to be delivered in accordance with the first data(P[0038]-P[0041]),
the second management terminal includes:
an input unit(34) configured to detect input of the object ID of the object to be carried into an object acquisition game machine installed in the store and a game machine ID(“identification number of the prize game machine U04; P[0100]) of the object acquisition game machine into which the object is to be carried when the object delivered to the store is carried into the object acquisition game machine(prize number and game machine number are both recorded when the game machine is replenished; P[0100]);
and
a transmitting unit(28) configured to transmit second data associating the object ID with the game machine ID to the server(P[0027]),
wherein the receiving unit of the server receives the second data(P[0038]-P[0041]; P[0099]-P[0100]), and
the object managing unit of the server registers, in the object location information, the store and the as the location of the object carried into the object acquisition game machine in accordance with the second data(P[0038]-P[0041]; P[0059]-P[0071]; P[0099]-P[0100]).
In Regard to Claim 4
Sekiguchi teaches:
The game system according claim 1(see rejection of claim 1 above),
the input unit of the second management terminal reads a code(“unique ID”; P[0033]-P[0037]) attached to an object(41) with a predetermined reader to receive an object ID from the code(P[0033]-P[0037]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3 and 5-8 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, the prior art of record fails to fairly teach or suggest, when considered alone, or in combination, wherein the object acquisition game machine includes a transmitting unit configured to transmit the object ID and a player ID for identifying a player when the player has acquired the object, and wherein when the player has acquired the object from the object acquisition game machine, the object managing unit of the server updates the object location information by registering the player ID of the player and the object ID of the acquired object in association with each other.
Claims 5-8 would also be allowable by virtue of their dependency on Claim 2.
Regarding claim 3, the prior art of record fails to fairly teach or suggest, when considered alone, or in combination, a third management terminal used at the head office, wherein when a plurality of objects are purchased by the head office, the third management terminal transmits, to the server, delivery of the plurality of purchased objects, and wherein the object managing unit of the server registers the plurality of purchased objects as purchase completed.
It is the Examiner’s opinion that one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would not have arrived at the invention of claims 2 or 3 without the benefit of Applicant’s disclosure.
Conclusion
The following prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 20250218246 A1
Harris; Ronnie W.
US 11107325 B2
Harris; Ronnie W. et al.
The above references are cited for teach game systems with inventory tracking features that are similar to the instant invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIAN P WOLCOTT whose telephone number is (571)272-9837. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00am-4:30pm.
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, Nicholas Weiss can be reached at 571-270-1775. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BRIAN P WOLCOTT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3711
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