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 .
Prior Art Rejections
There are currently no prior art rejections against claims 1-20.
The closest prior art or record includes “Embedding the Features of the Users’ Physical Environments to Improve the Feeling of Presence in Collaborative Environments” by Thierry Duval, Huyen Nguyen, Cédric Fleury, Alain Chauffaut, Georges Dumont, and Valérie Gouranton (hereinafter Duval); Fulks et al., US 2013/0093787 A1 (hereinafter Fulks); Kobayashi et al., US 2005/0123171 A1 (hereinafter Kobayashi); and Sako et al., US 2014/0160129 A1 (hereinafter Sako).
Duval discloses a collaborative virtual environment where two distant users are going to share a comanipulation of a virtual table through a 3-point manipulation technique (Duval [p. 3]). One user uses a big immersive system and that his head and his two hands will be tracked so that he will be able to use his two hands to drive 3D cursors (see Figure 3 (a)), while the other user will use a desktop system and a 2D input device (such as a 2D mouse) for driving a 3D ray and that his head will be tracked so that his point of view will change when he will move in front of his screen (see Figure 3 (b)) (Duval [p. 3]). Duval fails to disclose, at least, wherein the user guide generating section determines whether to display the user guide in response to a user operation.
Fulks teaches a display manager for rendering one or more items in a user interface (Fulks [Abstract]). The display manager then causes, at least in part, a determination of one or more rendering locations for one or more representations of the one or more items based, at least in part, on location information associated with the one or more items (Fulks [Abstract]). In one embodiment, Fulks teaches generating a perspective display by converting a point of interest (POI) location information into polar coordinates to facilitate mapping onto a surface for representing the POIs (Fulks [0164]-[0165] and [Fig. 15]). For example if the surface is a cylinder, sphere, or other like object, polar coordinates can more easily specify positions of the mapped representations (Fulks [0164]-[0165] and [Fig. 15]). Fulks fails to teach, at least, wherein the user guide generating section determines whether to display the user guide in response to a user operation.
Kobayashi teaches a synthesized image which is obtained by synthesizing a virtual world image with a real world image observed from a viewpoint position and direction of a user, data representing a position and orientation of a user is acquired, a virtual image is generated based on the data representing the position and orientation of the user, and the virtual image is synthesized with a real image corresponding to the position and orientation of the user (Kobayashi [Abstract]). Based on a measurable area of the position and orientation of the user, area data is set (Kobayashi [Abstract]). In FIG. 5, in the area indicated as a sensor's measurement area 20 (area represented by a hatched trapezoid), a sensor 10 is able to measure the viewpoint position and/or orientation of a user of this apparatus, which is the measuring target (Kobayashi [0036]). If the viewpoint position does not exist inside the safe area 40, warning sound is outputted (Kobayashi [0072]). Kobayashi fails to teach, at least, wherein the user guide generating section determines whether to display the user guide in response to a user operation.
Sako teaches a novel and improved information processing apparatus and recording medium that can perform display control on an image from a third person viewpoint in the real world, from which a user is overlooked (Sako [0006]). Sako discloses a system including a head mounted display and a camera (Sako [0036]). Sako further describes wherein a display driving unit includes a pixel driving circuit for displaying image data supplied from a displayed image processing unit (Sako [0079]). Driving signals based on video signals are applied to pixels disposed on the display units in a matrix at predetermined horizontal/vertical driving timing, and each pixel is displayed (Sako [0079]). Sako fails to teach, at least, wherein the user guide generating section determines whether to display the user guide in response to a user operation.
Thus, the claimed invention is neither anticipated by nor obvious over the closest prior art.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA /25, or PTO/AIA /26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/process/file/efs/guidance/eTD-info-I.jsp.
Claims 1-20 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-17 of U.S. Patent No. 10,974,148 B2; claims 1-22 of U.S. Patent No. 11,484,792 B2; claims 1-25 of U.S. Patent No. 11,865,448 B2; and claims 1-20 of U.S. Patent No. 12,239,910 B2. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the vary only minorly in wording.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WERNER G GARNER whose telephone number is (571)270-7147. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-15:30 EST.
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/WERNER G GARNER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3715
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