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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Claims 1-6, and 13-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shuster (US 8522330 B2), hereinafter Shuster.
Regarding claim 1, Shuster teaches a virtual space control method comprising: obtaining first item information on a first item to be displayed in a first virtual space (Fig. 4, Col. 20 line 29 – Col. 21 line 3, obtaining characteristics of an avatar, which is defined as including the possessions of an avatar, and is interpreted as a first item, and wherein obtaining attributes of characteristics is interpreted as obtaining item information on a first item; Col. 18 lines 13-44, wherein the avatar can cross between one virtual world to another virtual world, which suggests the avatar having a first item being displayed in a first virtual space); and generating, based on the first item information, second item information on a second item to be displayed in a second virtual space different from the first virtual space (Col. 20 lines 53-67, wherein determining appropriate conversions of an avatar’s characteristics is based on the attributes of its characteristics, which includes the avatar’s possessions, which is interpreted as generating, based on a first item, second item information of a second item, wherein an avatar’s characteristics is interpreted as including a first item, and the converted characteristics is interpreted as including a second item; Fig. 3, Col. 18 lines 13-26, Col. 20 lines 4-7, wherein the avatar and its converted characteristics are graphically updated in a location 2, which is defined as a second virtual world separate from the first virtual world).
The claimed subject matter would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention given the teachings of Shuster. Shuster clearly discusses a virtual control method wherein user data, such as user avatars and the avatar’s associated characteristics and properties, can be transferred between two separate virtual spaces, where each virtual space having different limitations and rules on what user avatars can be shown. Shuster further discusses a method to convert the characteristics and possessions of a user avatar when moving from a first virtual space to a second virtual space, in order to convert them into a form that fits the requirements of the second virtual space. It would be obvious that this method of converting the characteristics and possessions of an avatar in a first virtual space and generating a new set of characteristics and possessions more suitable for a second virtual space would be more applicable to not just a user avatar and its associated characteristics, but to any modifiable object within a virtual space. Shuster discusses that due to virtual spaces being exceptionally varied and tending to not be solely owned by a single entity, this method of converting a virtual avatar based on it travelling to different spaces is very helpful in allowing easier and more immersive user communication between virtual worlds, while maintaining transferred data between virtual spaces. Because of this, the claimed subject matter would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art given the teachings of Shuster.
Regarding claim 2, Shuster discloses the method of claim 1. Additionally, Shuster teaches the virtual space control method according to claim 1, wherein the first item information includes first model information indicating a first model to be used in displaying the first item (Fig. 4, Col. 20 lines 58-63, wherein attributes of an avatar’s characteristics, which includes avatar possessions and is interpreted as including a first item, includes features and description attributes that describe the characteristic’s appearance, which is interpreted as model information), and first attribute information indicating an attribute of the first item (Fig. 4, Col. 21 line 6-11, wherein a class attribute is interpreted as attribute information), the second item information includes second model information indicating a second model to be used in displaying the second item (Fig. 4, Col. 20 lines 58-63, wherein attributes of an avatar’s characteristics, which includes avatar possessions after being converted and is interpreted as including a second item, includes features and description attributes that describe the characteristic’s appearance, which is interpreted as model information), and second attribute information indicating an attribute of the second, and the attribute of the second item is same as the attribute of the first item (Fig. 4, Col. 21 line 6-17, wherein a class attribute is interpreted as attribute information, and wherein the class attribute of an item may be the same between an item of a first world and an item of a second item).
Regarding claim 3, Shuster discloses the method of claim 2. Additionally, Shuster teaches the virtual space control method according to claim 2, wherein the second model is selected from among one or more model candidates that are usable in the second virtual space (Fig. 4, Col. 22 lines 5-16, wherein the new characteristic of the avatar, which is defined as including the avatar’s possessions and appearance, when the avatar moves to a second virtual space, is determined based on comparing potential characteristics, and may also be user selected, which suggests that the second model of the avatar characteristic is selected from one or more usable model candidates in the second virtual space).
Regarding claim 4, Shuster discloses the method of claim 1. Additionally, Shuster teaches the virtual space control method according to claim 1 comprising: storing the second item information in association with user information indicating a user that holds the first item in the first virtual space (Fig. 6, Col. 24 lines 53-60, Col. 25 lines 4-31, wherein a virtual world stores world-specific changes to avatar characteristics, which is interpreted as storing second item information on a first item from a first virtual space converted to a second item from a second virtual space, and wherein storing avatar information suggests storing information indicating a user associated with their given avatar); and reading the second item information, when the user participates in the second virtual space in a state in which the user is holding the first item (Fig. 6, Col. 25 lines 13-31, wherein using stored virtual world information, which includes converted second items for a second virtual world, to modify an avatar’s state to reflect world-specific changes to characteristics and their attributes when the avatar enters that virtual world with those given characteristics is interpreted as reading second item information when the user changes states to the second virtual space when the user’s avatar is holding the first item).
Regarding claim 5, Shuster discloses the method of claim 1. Additionally, Shuster teaches the virtual space control method according to claim 1, wherein the first virtual space is provided by a first virtual space system, and the second virtual space is provided by a second virtual space system different from the first virtual space system (Fig. 3, Col. 18 lines 13-26, wherein the two virtual worlds may be two different service providers on different computing hardware, which is interpreted as a first and second virtual space being provided by two different virtual space systems).
Regarding claim 6, Shuster discloses the method of claim 1. Additionally, Shuster teaches the virtual space control method according to claim 1, wherein the second virtual space is different from the first virtual space in at least one of a display format (Fig. 19, Col. 40 line 55 – Col. 41 line 37, wherein the virtual worlds may consist of a user interacting between two-dimensional content and three-dimensional content, which suggests that the content of one virtual space may be 2D, which is a different format than another virtual space that may be in 3D), an encoding scheme, or a data format.
Regarding claim 13, Shuster discloses the method of claim 1. Additionally, Shuster teaches the virtual space control method according to claim 1, wherein the virtual space control method is performed by at least one of: a server that transmits, to a terminal, virtual space information for displaying the first virtual space or the second virtual space, and the terminal that receives the virtual space information from the server (Fig. 1, Col. 12 lines 53-67, wherein the virtual worlds are connected via various servers, and client computer that is connected to the servers, which is interpreted as a server that can transmit virtual space information onto a terminal).
Regarding claim 14, Shuster teaches a virtual space control method comprising: determining whether transferring of an item from a first virtual space to a second virtual space different from the first virtual space is permitted (Fig. 8, line 27-39, wherein the transferring of an avatar and its characteristics, which includes the avatar’s possessions and items, from a virtual world into a second virtual world may be denied permission, which is interpreted as determining whether transferring an item from a first virtual space to a second virtual space is permitted).
Regarding claim 15, Shuster teaches the method of claim 14. Additionally, Shuster teaches the virtual space control method according to claim 14, wherein the virtual space control method is performed by at least one of: a server that transmits, to a terminal, virtual space information for displaying the first virtual space or the second virtual space, and the terminal that receives the virtual space information from the server (Fig. 1, Col. 12 lines 53-67, wherein the virtual worlds are connected via various servers, and client computer that is connected to the servers, which is interpreted as a server that can transmit virtual space information onto a terminal).
Regarding claim 16, Shuster teaches a virtual space control method comprising: determining whether converting of an item from a first item to be displayed in a first virtual space to a second item to be displayed in a second virtual space different from the first virtual space is necessary (Fig. 4, Col. 20 line 58 – Col. 21 line 5, wherein when an avatar transfers from a first virtual world to a second virtual world, some of its characteristics, which include possessions of the avatar, may not be relevant and need to be reviewed and converted from an initial first characteristic to a second characteristic for the second virtual world, and the characteristics to check is determined by whitelists and blacklists, which is interpreted as determining whether converting an item from a first virtual space into a second item in a second virtual space is necessary).
Regarding claim 17, Shuster teaches the method of claim 16. Additionally, Shuster teaches the virtual space control method according to claim 16, wherein the virtual space control method is performed by at least one of: a server that transmits, to a terminal, virtual space information for displaying the first virtual space or the second virtual space, and the terminal that receives the virtual space information from the server (Fig. 1, Col. 12 lines 53-67, wherein the virtual worlds are connected via various servers, and client computer that is connected to the servers, which is interpreted as a server that can transmit virtual space information onto a terminal).
Regarding claim 18, Shuster teaches a virtual space control method comprising: determining whether an item is convertible from a first item to be displayed in a first virtual space to a second item to be displayed in a second virtual space different from the first virtual space (Fig. 4, Col. 21 line 43 – Col. 22 line 4, wherein it can be determined whether characteristics of an object cannot be mapped from a first virtual world to a second virtual world, wherein mapping is defined as converting a first item from a first virtual world to a second item appropriate for a second virtual world when transferring that item between the two virtual worlds, which is interpreted as determining whether a first item is convertible from a first virtual space to a second item in a second virtual space).
Regarding claim 19, Shuster teaches the method of claim 18. Additionally, Shuster teaches the virtual space control method according to claim 18, wherein the virtual space control method is performed by at least one of: a server that transmits, to a terminal, virtual space information for displaying the first virtual space or the second virtual space, and the terminal that receives the virtual space information from the server (Fig. 1, Col. 12 lines 53-67, wherein the virtual worlds are connected via various servers, and client computer that is connected to the servers, which is interpreted as a server that can transmit virtual space information onto a terminal).
Regarding claim 20, Shuster teaches a virtual space control device comprising: one or more processors; and one or more memories that are accessible from the one or more processors (Fig. 24, Col. 47 line 20 – Col. 48 line 4, wherein computing system may contain processors and memory), wherein in operation, the one or more processors: obtain first item information on a first item to be displayed in a first virtual space (Fig. 4, Col. 20 line 29 – Col. 21 line 3, obtaining characteristics of an avatar, which is defined as including the possessions of an avatar, and is interpreted as a first item, and wherein obtaining attributes of characteristics is interpreted as obtaining item information on a first item; Col. 18 lines 13-44, wherein the avatar can cross between one virtual world to another virtual world, which suggests the avatar having a first item being displayed in a first virtual space); and generate, based on the first item information, second item information on a second item to be displayed in a second virtual space different from the first virtual space (Col. 20 lines 53-67, wherein determining appropriate conversions of an avatar’s characteristics is based on the attributes of its characteristics, which includes the avatar’s possessions, which is interpreted as generating, based on a first item, second item information of a second item, wherein an avatar’s characteristics is interpreted as including a first item, and the converted characteristics is interpreted as including a second item; Fig. 3, Col. 18 lines 13-26, Col. 20 lines 4-7, wherein the avatar and its converted characteristics are graphically updated in a location 2, which is defined as a second virtual world separate from the first virtual world).
Regarding claim 21, Shuster teaches a virtual space control system comprising: one or more processors; and one or more memories that are accessible from the one or more processors (Fig. 24, Col. 47 line 20 – Col. 48 line 4, wherein computing system may contain processors and memory), wherein in operation, the one or more processors: obtain first item information on a first item to be displayed in a first virtual space (Fig. 4, Col. 20 line 29 – Col. 21 line 3, obtaining characteristics of an avatar, which is defined as including the possessions of an avatar, and is interpreted as a first item, and wherein obtaining attributes of characteristics is interpreted as obtaining item information on a first item; Col. 18 lines 13-44, wherein the avatar can cross between one virtual world to another virtual world, which suggests the avatar having a first item being displayed in a first virtual space); and generate, based on the first item information, second item information on a second item to be displayed in a second virtual space different from the first virtual space (Col. 20 lines 53-67, wherein determining appropriate conversions of an avatar’s characteristics is based on the attributes of its characteristics, which includes the avatar’s possessions, which is interpreted as generating, based on a first item, second item information of a second item, wherein an avatar’s characteristics is interpreted as including a first item, and the converted characteristics is interpreted as including a second item; Fig. 3, Col. 18 lines 13-26, Col. 20 lines 4-7, wherein the avatar and its converted characteristics are graphically updated in a location 2, which is defined as a second virtual world separate from the first virtual world).
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claims 7-12 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.
Conclusion
6. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Bhosale (US 20110164059 A1), hereinafter Bhosale, discloses objects being modified from one virtual environment to a second virtual environment. However, it only discloses rescaling the size of the object as it moves between virtual environments, and does not disclose generating or converting the first object into a new second object.
Thiel (US 20230136597 A1), hereinafter Thiel, discloses taking 3D objects from a first virtual environment, and converting them into 2D representations for another virtual environment.
7. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JORDAN W YICK whose telephone number is (571)272-4063. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5.
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/JORDAN WAN YICK/Examiner, Art Unit 2612
/Said Broome/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2612
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