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 11/27/2025. Claims 1-20 are presented for examination. Claims 1 and 11 are independent claims.
Information Disclosure Statement
2. The information disclosure statements (IDSs) submitted on 11/27/2025 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)(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.
4. Claims 1-2, 4, 10-12, 14 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(a2) as being anticipated by Singh et al. (20260215094).
Considering claim 1, Singh discloses a management method of a three-dimensional object implemented through a processor (e.g., Singh teaches a computer-implemented method and interface for providing visualization for a change in a volume of a virtual object. See abstract), the management method comprising:
obtaining object data (e.g., volume elements) of the three-dimensional object (e.g., virtual object), wherein the object data defines position information (e.g., edges or vertex locations of a mesh face) of the three-dimensional object in a three-dimensional space (e.g., obtain volume elements that can correspond to faces of the virtual object. Each of volume elements 204a, 204b, and 204c are determined from a corresponding face (104a, 104b, and 104c) and an origin point 206…. Each face 104a-104c may be considered a face of a tetrahedron that includes edges defined by each of the vertices of the mesh faces and origin point 112 when mesh 102 is provided by a closed triangle mesh See paras. 40-45. Further, Singh discloses: A user 430 may interact with UI 420 that is displaying an object (e.g., object 100 of FIG. 1) provided by mesh object dataset 402 to define a bounding object that is to be used to determine a volume at least a portion of the object or a local volume that is associated with the faces of the object. This bounding object may therefore correspond to a reference point, a closed three-dimensional shape (e.g., a cube, a sphere, an affine transformation of a cube or sphere and/or any other three-dimensional shape), a reference mesh that may also be an open mesh or a closed mesh, and/or any other bounding object. See para. 62. See also para. 68);
converting the object data into geometric relational data (e.g., bounding object, mesh object, and volume data), wherein the geometric relational data is converted based on the position information of a plurality of first reference points (e.g., local face mesh vertices) on the three-dimensional object, and the first reference points define a shape of the three-dimensional object (e.g., Singh discloses: A user 430 may interact with UI 420 that is displaying an object (e.g., object 100 of FIG. 1) provided by mesh object dataset 402 to define a bounding object that is to be used to determine a volume at least a portion of the object or a local volume that is associated with the faces of the object. This bounding object may therefore correspond to a reference point, a closed three-dimensional shape (e.g., a cube, a sphere, an affine transformation of a cube or sphere and/or any other three-dimensional shape), a reference mesh that may also be an open mesh or a closed mesh, and/or any other bounding object. …. In some implementations, bounding object data 422 may include face selections of one or more faces of the mesh object in the mesh object dataset 402 that may be bound by the bounding object of bounding object data 422. Volume processing unit 406 may utilize the methods and processes described herein to take bounding object data 422 and incorporate the bounding object of bounding object data 422 in mesh object dataset 402, compute a local volume for each face of the mesh object that is bound by the bounding object, and/or compute a global volume of the plurality of faces of the mesh object by aggregating the local volumes together for each face. Volume processing unit 406 may compute volume using the vertices of the mesh object with corresponding vertices of faces of the bounding object or the reference point (e.g., an origin point of the bounding object), as described herein. Volume processing unit 406 includes a processor 410 that executes program code 412 to depict a bounding object and compute the local and/or global volume of faces of a mesh object designated in bounding object input data 422 using mesh object data 414 from mesh object data 407. Volume processing unit 406 may further store bounding object, mesh object, and volume data 408 to dataset 402 so that the corresponding bounding object and mesh object may be rendered by renderer 418 for a visualization using the bounding object and the mesh object and also visualization of the volume of the mesh object or local volume of some or all of the faces of the mesh object. For example, volume processing unit 406 may initiate the process by taking bounding object input data 422 with mesh object data 414 from the mesh object data 407 and incorporating bounding object data 416 relative to the mesh object data 414. Volume processing unit 406 may also compute volume data 417 for the faces of the mesh object selected by user 440 and indicated in bounding object input data 422. Based on mesh object data 414, bounding object data 416, and volume data 417, volume processing unit 406 may then output bounding object, mesh object, and volume data 408, which may include mesh object and bounding object parameters 404 stored by dataset 402 as well as other required data to reproduce the bounding object and the mesh object. The resulting mesh object, bounding object, and volume values may be rendered by renderer 418 and/or output to user 430 to inspect the results. See paras. 62-64, wherein the plurality of reference points corresponds with the respective local volume of the faces of the mesh object or each of the edges or vertices of the face mesh object relative to the reference point of the object); and
determining a similarity value (e.g., a conveyed quantity or an attribute of the depicting element that matches a volume change threshold) between the geometric relational data of the three-dimensional object and reference relational data (e.g., a reference mesh object), wherein the reference relational data is converted based on position information of a plurality of second reference points (e.g., assigned volumes between faces of the deformed mesh and/or reference mesh of the object being edited relative to the origin point) on a reference object (e.g., Singh discloses: A user interface element might depict volumetric changes to an object being edited. The object being edited can be represented in memory by a mesh and edits result in changes to the mesh. The object can have a volume, defined by its mesh, and editing the object can change its volume. The user interface can include a display of a “depicting element.” The depicting element can be a cube or any other element that can visually convey a quantity. The quantity conveyed by the depicting element corresponds to volumetric changes to an object being edited. As the object is being edited, the depicting element changes accordingly. The volumetric changes are determined by comparing the reference mesh to the deformed mesh. The absolute volume of the mesh being deformed itself can also be defined locally and visualized with the same color maps, depicting elements etc. Where the quantity is volume, the changes to the depicting element are a change of volume of the depicting element. The volume of the depicting element at any given time could be equal to the volume gained or lost in the object being edited or proportional to the gain/loss. An attribute of the depicting element, such as its color, might change to correspond to different volume change thresholds. See paras. 46-47. See also paras. 49-50, 89-94, 97-99 and 125-133 and 152-166),
the second reference points define a shape of the reference object, and the similarity value represents a degree of similarity in shape between the three-dimensional object and the reference object (e.g., Singh discloses: A user might have a user interface in which to deform a mesh, which might define a closed shape or an open shape. The user might specify a bounding object, such as a cube, a sphere, an affine transformation of a cube or sphere, or some other closed 3D shape. The faces of the mesh (the reference mesh, and/or the deformed mesh) can then be assigned local volumes based on local volumes between the faces and faces of the bounding object and/or an origin point. See paras. 48-50. Singh further discloses volume processing unit 806 may determine a degree of volume change for each local volume change using volume data 816. Volume processing unit 806 may also determine a volume degree range of a plurality of volume degree ranges that each degree of volume change for each local volume change satisfies. Volume change depiction element 1006 may include one or more volume change depiction sub-elements 1006a, 1006b, and/or 1006c for each of the plurality of volume degree ranges that represent a net volume change associated with the faces associated with that particular volume degree range. In various implementations, displayable volume change depiction element 1006 is a 3D object and one or more volume change depiction sub-elements 1006a, 1006b, and/or 1006c that are included in the 3D object are nested versions of the 3D object. See paras. 89-90 and 93-94 and 137-139 and 152-166).
As per claim 2, Singh discloses the first reference points comprise points on a plurality of faces and an origin point (see paras. 36-43) and converting the object data into the geometric relational data comprises: determining a plurality of first vectors from the origin point to the faces respectively and converting the first vectors into the geometric relational data (see paras. 42-43 and 125-137).
As per claim 4, Singh discloses the geometric relational data comprises a diagonal matrix (see para. 137) and converting the first vectors into the geometric relational data comprises: decomposing the first vectors into the diagonal matrix through singular value decomposition (see paras. 135-137).
As per claim 10, Singh discloses the geometric relational data comprises first type data or second type data (e.g., open mesh or closed mesh and/or inside or outside space and/or open shape or closed shape), and determining the similarity value between the geometric relational data of the three-dimensional object and the reference relational data comprises: setting the similarity value of the first type data that is identical to the reference relational data to an upper limit value (e.g., positive volume), wherein the upper limit value is an upper limit of the similarity value for single type data (see paras. 40-46 and 48-59 and 89-94 and 107); or setting the similarity value according to an angle between a vector corresponding to the second type data and a vector corresponding to the reference relational data (see paras. 57-63 and 125-133).
The invention of claim 11 recites features that correspond in scope with the limitations recited claim 1. As the limitations of claim 1 were found to be anticipated over the teachings of Singh, it is readily apparent that the applied prior art performs the underlying elements. As such, the limitations of claim 11 are, therefore, subject to rejections under the same rationale as claim 1. In addition, Singh discloses an object management apparatus (400, fig. 4), comprising: an input device (420) obtaining object data of a three-dimensional object (via, e.g., item 422); a storage device (406) storing a program code (412); and a processor (410) coupled to the input device and the storage device. See fig. 4.
Claim 12 is rejected under the same rationale as claim 2.
Claim 14 is rejected under the same rationale as claim 4.
Claim 20 is rejected under the same rationale as claim 10.
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claims 3, 5-9, 13, and 15-19 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, because the prior art of record fail to teach the method and apparatus according to claims 2 and 11, wherein the geometric relational data comprises a hash value, and converting the first vectors into the geometric relational data comprises: converting the first vectors into the hash value (as recited in claims 3 and 13); and the management method of the three-dimensional object according to claim 2, wherein the first reference points comprise a plurality of vertices and an origin point, and converting the object data into the geometric relational data comprises: determining a plurality of second vectors from the origin point to the vertices respectively; and converting the second vectors into the geometric relational data (as recited in claims 6 and 16).
Conclusion
6. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Murphy et al. (US 20240103678) discloses Artificial Intelligence systems quantify requirements for construction of a building by receiving two-dimensional representations (e.g., physical or electronic documents) and mimicking the perception, learning, problem-solving, and decision-making formerly performed by human workers. AI analysis may be repeated for multiple two-dimensional representations, each two-dimensional reference including a change to a design of a building to be constructed. The AI processes denote and track changes made in the sequence of two-dimensional references, and extrapolate changes to materials and labor that relate to the changes in design of the building to be constructed.
7. 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).
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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
09/09/2026
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