DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . It is responsive to the submission dated 01/15/2025. Claims 1-6 are presented for examination, of which, claims 1 and 5 are independent claims.
Information Disclosure Statement
2. The information disclosure statements (IDSs) submitted on 01/15/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and are being considered by the Examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. 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.
4. Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by
Iwama et al. (JP2024053201A).
Considering claim 1, Iwama discloses an information processing device (e.g., Iwama discloses: The present invention relates to … an information processing device; see “TECHNICAL FIELD” section of Iwama), comprising:
a control unit that acquires history information of a user, generates persona information that classifies the user based on the history information that is acquired (e.g., Iwama discloses: A computer executes a process including: setting one or more personae for classifying a person into a predetermined type, to a user; switching the persona set to the user, in accordance with a condition, which is triggered when a predetermined condition is satisfied; see “SOLUTION” section and paras. 16-17 of Iwama) and causes a terminal device of the user to display the persona information in addition to information related to the persona information (e.g., Iwama discloses: The information processor 100 determines a service to be provided to the user, for example, based on the switched persona. More concretely, for example, when the service is a moving image distribution service, a moving image to be recommended to the user is determined on the basis of a switched persona as shown in Fig. 3 and is presented to the user through a user terminal 200. See para. 18).
As per claim 2, Iwama discloses the control unit generates the persona information as image information (e.g., Iwama discloses: The information processing device (100) may, for example, machine-learn whether or not the presented moving image has been viewed by the user for each persona. See para. 18).
As per claim 3, Iwama discloses the control unit acquires and analyzes the history information at predetermined time intervals and generates the persona information at the predetermined time intervals (e.g., Iwama discloses: a method for switching personas by a switching part 132, the switching part 132 uses trigger data 123 for storing personas switching conditions and personas to be switched in association with each other as shown in Fig.9, and switches personas to be corresponding personas when the switching conditions are satisfied as a trigger. The persona can be switched when a valid period such as three hours is set for the switched persona. See para. 51).
As per claim 4, Iwama discloses the control unit updates the persona information based on input information from the user (e.g., Iwama discloses: The persona set by the setting part 131 to the user is controlled so that only the user can refer to the persona. See para. 48).
As per claim 5, Iwama discloses a terminal device (e.g., a system in which an information processing device (100) and user terminals (200-1 to n) (collectively referred to as "user terminals (200)); see para. 15) comprising: a control unit (200, fig. 4 or control part 230 of fig. 5) that acquires persona information, obtained by classifying a user based on history information of the user, from an information processing device (e.g., information processor 100), and displays the persona information in addition to information related to the persona information that is acquired. See paras. 15-20, 45-52 and paras. 66-89 of Iwama.
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Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. 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.
6. Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iwama in view of Iwama et al. (US 20210108939).
As per claim 6, Iwama discloses most claimed features of the invention but fails to teach a Mobility as a Service (MaaS) providing method that uses an information processing device based on persona information of a user, which is disclosed by Ahmed. See abstract and paras. 34-56 of Ahmed.
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Iwama with Ahmed; in order to create an on-demand service system that makes it easy for a single MaaS operator to satisfy all the mobility requirements of all subscribers. See para. 2 of Ahmed.
7. Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by
Lee et al. (US 20240106769).
Considering claim 1, Lee discloses an information processing device (e.g., message service providing apparatus; see para. 1), comprising:
a control unit (210, fig. 2) that acquires history information of a user, generates persona information (e.g., expression items) that classifies the user based on the history information that is acquired (e.g., Lee discloses: the service providing apparatus may construct an expression item learning model by performing a learning process corresponding to previously stored existing expression items and recommend expression items suitable for the user profile, the expression message and the user environment or a combination of these on the basis of the learning model. See paras. 70-73) and causes a terminal device of the user to display the persona information in addition to information related to the persona information (e.g., Lee discloses the service providing apparatus 200 may create an expression item list and provide the list through a message interface outputted from the user terminal 100. See para. 74).
As per claim 2, Lee discloses the control unit generates the persona information as image information. See para. 73.
As per claim 3, Lee discloses the control unit acquires and analyzes the history information at predetermined time intervals and generates the persona information at the predetermined time intervals. See paras. 227-228 of Lee.
As per claim 4, Iwama discloses the control unit updates the persona information based on input information from the user. See paras. 66 and 69.
The subject-matter of independent claim 5 corresponds in terms of a device to that of independent method claim 1, and the rationale raised above to reject the later also apply, mutatis mutandis, to the former. In addition, Lee discloses a terminal device (100, fig. 1) comprising: a control unit (210, fig. 2) that acquires persona information from an information processing device (200).
Conclusion
8. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Patent application (JP 2023109176 A) discloses an information providing system provides information indicating whether or not the activity is suitable for the user.
9. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WESNER SAJOUS whose telephone number is (571) 272-7791. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 10:00 TO 7:30 (ET).
Examiner interviews are available via telephone 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 or email the Examiner directly at wesner.sajous@uspto.gov.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Said Broome can be reached on 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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/WESNER SAJOUS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2612
WS
06/27/2026
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