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 .
Application Status
This office action is responsive to Application No.:19/034,464 filed on 01/22/2025.
Claims 1-20 are pending and presented for examination.
This action has been made NON-FINAL.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 06/10/2026 is being considered by the examiner. A signed IDS is hereby attached.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “determine a predicted pose of the device based on the pose of the device.” However, the claims are completely silent on exactly how this determination is made. Therefore, this claim is rendered as indefinite.
Claim 1 recites “determine a probability associated with the predicted pose.” However, the claims are completely silent on exactly how this determination is made. Therefore, this claim is rendered as indefinite.
Claim 2 recites “determine a second predicted pose of the device based on the pose of the device.” However, the claims are completely silent on exactly how this determination is made. Therefore, this claim is rendered as indefinite.
Claim 2 recites “determine a second probability associated with the second predicted pose.” However, the claims are completely silent on exactly how this determination is made. Therefore, this claim is rendered as indefinite.
Claim 2 recites “determine whether to transmit the second image data to the device based on the second probability.” However, the claims are completely silent on exactly how this determination is made. Therefore, this claim is rendered as indefinite.
Claim 7 recites “determine a display condition associated with the image data based on a latency of the communication statistics.” However, the claims are completely silent on exactly how this determination is made. Therefore, this claim is rendered as indefinite.
Claim 10 recites “determine a rendering quality based on the probability associated with the predicted pose, wherein the image data is rendered at the rendering quality.” However, the claims are completely silent on exactly how this determination is made. Therefore, this claim is rendered as indefinite.
Claim 11 recites “determine a relative pose between the first device and the second device.” However, the claims are completely silent on exactly how this determination is made. Therefore, this claim is rendered as indefinite.
Claims 14-20 are similarly rejected on the same basis as claims 1-7.
The dependent claims are rejected for depending upon rejected base claims 1, 13 and 14.
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.
Claim(s) 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KIM, US Patent Application Publication No.: 20230133574 in view of Wetmore, US Patent Application Publication No.: 20250095302.
Claim 1:
KIM discloses an apparatus for generating one or more images (See KIM Abstract; Figure 1; Figure 4; Paragraphs 0005-0012; 0014; 0017; 0035-00471). KIM failed to disclose “determine a probability associated with the predicted pose” and “based on the probability, render image data including virtual content from a viewpoint relative to the predicted pose.” However, Wetmore discloses this feature in paragraphs 0964-0965; 1121. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified KIM’s system of generating of images by combining the teachings of Wetmore’s teachings of pose probability, in order to enable improved reliability and sensitivity of pose detection, more effectively (See Wetmore Paragraph 1115).
As modified:
The combination of KIM and Wetmore discloses the following:
at least one memory (See KIM Figure 2, Item 150; Paragraph 0042);
and at least one processor (See KIM Figure 2, Item 140; Paragraph 0042) coupled to the at least one memory (See KIM Figure 2, Item 150; Paragraph 0042) and configured to:
obtain device-pose data describing a pose of a device (See KIM Paragraphs 0005-00122);
determine a predicted pose of the device based on the pose of the device (See KIM Paragraphs 0005-00123; Paragraphs 00050-00514);
determine a probability associated with the predicted pose (See Wetmore Paragraph 11215);
based on the probability (See Wetmore Paragraph 11216), render image data including virtual content from a viewpoint relative to the predicted pose (See KIM Paragraphs 0005-00127; Paragraphs 00050-00518);
and cause at least one transmitter to transmit the image data to the device (See KIM Paragraphs 0085-0086).
Claim 2:
The combination of KIM and Wetmore discloses wherein the predicted pose (See KIM Paragraphs 0005-0012; Paragraphs 00050-0051) comprises a first predicted pose (See KIM Paragraphs 0005-0012; Paragraphs 00050-0051), wherein the probability comprises a first probability (See Wetmore Paragraph 1121), wherein the image data comprises first image data (See KIM Figure 1; Figure 4; Paragraphs 0005-0012; 0014; 0017; 0035-0047), wherein the at least one processor (See KIM Figure 2, Item 140; Paragraph 0042) is configured to: determine a second predicted pose of the device based on the pose of the device (See KIM Paragraphs 0005-0012; Paragraphs 00050-0051); determine a second probability associated with the second predicted pose (See Wetmore Paragraph 1121); render second image data based on the virtual content (See KIM Figure 1; Figure 4; Paragraphs 0005-0012; 0014; 0017; 0035-0047) and the second predicted pose (See KIM Paragraphs 0005-0012; Paragraphs 00050-0051); and determine whether to transmit (See KIM Paragraphs 0085-0086) the second image data to the device (See KIM Figure 1; Figure 4; Paragraphs 0005-0012; 0014; 0017; 0035-0047) based on the second probability (See Wetmore Paragraph 1121).
Claim 3:
The combination of KIM and Wetmore discloses wherein the image data (See KIM Figure 1; Figure 4; Paragraphs 0005-0012; 0014; 0017; 0035-0047) represents a portion of the virtual content (See Wetmore Paragraph 1147) based on the predicted pose of the device relative to a position associated with the virtual content (See Wetmore Paragraphs 1121; 1147).
Claim 4:
The combination of KIM and Wetmore discloses wherein the portion of the virtual content comprises a subset of a plurality of virtual objects of the virtual content or wherein the portion of the virtual content a section of a virtual object of the virtual content (See Wetmore Paragraph 1147).
Claim 5:
The combination of KIM and Wetmore discloses wherein the at least one processor (See KIM Figure 2, Item 140; Paragraph 0042) is configured to: obtain at least one of communication statistics or rendering-capability data (See Wetmore Paragraph 1295), wherein the communication statistics (See Wetmore Paragraphs 0964-0966; 1373) describe an ability of a server to communicate with the device (See Wetmore Paragraph 1544), and wherein the rendering-capability data describes an ability of the device to render image data (See Wetmore Paragraph 1295); and render the image data based on at least one of the communication statistics (See Wetmore Paragraphs 0964-0966; 1373) or the rendering-capability data (See Wetmore Paragraph 1295).
Claim 6:
The combination of KIM and Wetmore discloses wherein the at least one processor (See KIM Figure 2, Item 140; Paragraph 0042) is configured to: obtain communication statistics, wherein the communication statistics (See Wetmore Paragraphs 0964-0966; 1373) describe an ability of a server to communicate with the device (See Wetmore Paragraph 1544); wherein the image data is rendered based on a latency of the communication statistics (See Wetmore Paragraphs 0964-0966; 1373).
Claim 7:
The combination of KIM and Wetmore discloses wherein the at least one processor (See KIM Figure 2, Item 140; Paragraph 0042) is configured to: obtain communication statistics (See Wetmore Paragraphs 0964-0966; 1373), wherein the communication statistics (See Wetmore Paragraphs 0964-0966; 1373) describe an ability of a server to communicate with the device (See Wetmore Paragraph 1544); determine a display condition associated with the image data based on a latency of the communication statistics (See Wetmore Paragraphs 0964-0966; 1373); and cause then at least one transmitter to transmit the display condition to the device (See KIM Paragraphs 0085-0086).
Claim 8:
The combination of KIM and Wetmore discloses wherein the display condition comprises a time to display the image data (See KIM Paragraph 0047).
Claim 9:
The combination of KIM and Wetmore discloses wherein the display condition comprises a pose from which to display the image data (See KIM Paragraphs 0005-0012).
Claim 10:
The combination of KIM and Wetmore discloses wherein the at least one processor (See KIM Figure 2, Item 140; Paragraph 0042) is configured to determine a rendering quality based on the probability (See Wetmore Paragraph 1121) associated with the predicted pose (See KIM Paragraphs 0005-0012; Paragraphs 00050-0051), wherein the image data is rendered at the rendering quality (See Wetmore Paragraph 1121).
Claim 11:
The combination of KIM and Wetmore discloses wherein the device comprises a first device, wherein the device-pose data comprises first device-pose data (See KIM Paragraphs 0005-0012), and wherein the image data comprises first image data (See KIM Figure 1; Figure 4; Paragraphs 0005-0012; 0014; 0017; 0035-0047), wherein the at least one processor (See KIM Figure 2, Item 140; Paragraph 0042) is configured to: obtain second device-pose data (See KIM Paragraphs 0005-0012), wherein the second device-pose data describes a pose of a second device (See KIM Paragraphs 0005-0012); determine a relative pose between the first device and the second device; render second image data based on the relative pose (See KIM Paragraph 0051; 0059; 0063); and cause the at least one transmitter to transmit the second image data to the first device (See KIM Paragraphs 0085-0086).
Claim 12:
The combination of KIM and Wetmore discloses wherein the pose is determined based on at least one of inertial data of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) of the device (See KIM Paragraph 00409) or images captured by the device (See KIM Paragraph 004010).
Claim 13:
KIM discloses an apparatus for generating one or more images (See KIM Abstract; Figure 1; Figure 4; Paragraphs 0005-0012; 0014; 0017; 0035-004711). KIM failed to disclose “a probability associated with the predicted pose.” However, Wetmore discloses this feature in paragraphs 0964-0965; 1121. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified KIM’s system of generating images by combining the teachings of Wetmore’s teachings of pose probability, in order to enable improved reliability and sensitivity of pose detection, more effectively (See Wetmore Paragraph 1115).
As modified:
The combination of KIM and Wetmore discloses the following:
at least one memory (See KIM Figure 2, Item 150; Paragraph 0042);
and at least one processor (See KIM Figure 2, Item 140; Paragraph 0042) coupled to the at least one memory (See KIM Figure 2, Item 150; Paragraph 0042) and configured to:
obtain, at a first extended reality (XR) device (See KIM Paragraphs 0002; 0005; 0035; 003912), image data, wherein the image data is based on virtual content associated with a location (See KIM Paragraphs 0002; 0005; 0035; 003913004014), wherein the image data is rendered at a server based on a predicted pose of the first XR device (See KIM Paragraphs 0005-001215; Paragraphs 00050-0051) and based on a probability (See Wetmore Paragraph 112116) associated with the predicted pose (See KIM Paragraphs 0005-001217; Paragraphs 00050-0051);
and cause at least one transmitter to transmit the image data (See KIM Paragraphs 0085-0086) from the first XR device to a second XR device in the location (See KIM Paragraphs 0002; 0005; 0035; 003918004019).
Claims 14-20:
Claims 14-20 are similarly rejected on the same basis as claims 1-7.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US Patent Number: 11320899 relates to systems and methods that use recurrent neural networks to predict head pose (e.g., orientation, position, rotation or translation) and more particularly to augmented or virtual reality systems utilizing such recurrent neural networks for head pose prediction.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHEREE N BROWN whose telephone number is (571)272-4229. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 5:30-2:00 PM EST.
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, SAID BROOME can be reached at (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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/SHEREE N BROWN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2612 August 27, 2026
1 KIM Paragraph 0047 recites “obtaining images.”
2 KIM Paragraph 0012 recites “collect images surrounding the AR device, the images collected at a second frequency; perform one or more operations on the collected IMU values and the collected images to create intermediate 6-degrees of freedom (6D) poses of the AR device.”
3 KIM Paragraph 0012 recites “collect images surrounding the AR device, the images collected at a second frequency; perform one or more operations on the collected IMU values and the collected images to create intermediate 6-degrees of freedom (6D) poses of the AR device.”
4 KIM Paragraph 0050 recites “pose prediction of the AR device 10.”
5 Wetmore Paragraph 1121 recites “estimate y about the probability of a given pose.”
6 Wetmore Paragraph 1121 recites “estimate y about the probability of a given pose.”
7 KIM Paragraph 0012 recites “collect images surrounding the AR device, the images collected at a second frequency; perform one or more operations on the collected IMU values and the collected images to create intermediate 6-degrees of freedom (6D) poses of the AR device.”
8 KIM Paragraph 0050 recites “pose prediction of the AR device 10.”
9 KIM Paragraph 0040 recites “an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor.”
10 KIM Paragraph 0040 recites “an image capture module such as a camera.”
11 KIM Paragraph 0047 recites “obtaining images.”
12 KIM Paragraph 0039 recites “The AR device 10 may correspond to a head-mounted wearable device, as illustrated in FIG. 1, and accordingly may move together when the head of a user moves.”
13 KIM Paragraph 0039 recites “The AR device 10 may correspond to a head-mounted wearable device, as illustrated in FIG. 1, and accordingly may move together when the head of a user moves.”
14 KIM Paragraph 0040 recites “FIG. 1 illustrates that the electronic HW 100 is provided in a frame at one side of the AR device 10, the location of the electronic HW 100 in the AR device 10 is not limited thereto and the electronic HW 100 may be provided at various locations on the AR device 10 and each of hardware constituent elements may be provided in the same space or in different spaces.”
15 KIM Paragraph 0012 recites “collect images surrounding the AR device, the images collected at a second frequency; perform one or more operations on the collected IMU values and the collected images to create intermediate 6-degrees of freedom (6D) poses of the AR device.”
16 Wetmore Paragraph 1121 recites “estimate y about the probability of a given pose.”
17 KIM Paragraph 0012 recites “collect images surrounding the AR device, the images collected at a second frequency; perform one or more operations on the collected IMU values and the collected images to create intermediate 6-degrees of freedom (6D) poses of the AR device.”
18 KIM Paragraph 0039 recites “The AR device 10 may correspond to a head-mounted wearable device, as illustrated in FIG. 1, and accordingly may move together when the head of a user moves.”
19 KIM Paragraph 0040 recites “FIG. 1 illustrates that the electronic HW 100 is provided in a frame at one side of the AR device 10, the location of the electronic HW 100 in the AR device 10 is not limited thereto and the electronic HW 100 may be provided at various locations on the AR device 10 and each of hardware constituent elements may be provided in the same space or in different spaces.”