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 .
Response to amendment
This office action is in response to an amendment filed on April 17, 2026 in response to PTO office action dated December 18, 2025. The amendment has been entered and considered.
Claims 1, 2, 7, 14, 15 and 17 have been amended. Claims 1-20 are pending in this office action.
Applicant’s submission with respect to the objection of the specification has been fully considered. However, the submission was not sufficient to overcome the objection. As a result, the objection has been maintained.
Applicant’s arguments and amendment with respect to the rejection of claims under 35 U.S.C. § 101 have been fully considered. As a result, the objection has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the rejection of claims under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) have been fully considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection.
This action is FINAL.
Abstract Objection
Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure.
The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. The abstract should describe the disclosure sufficiently to assist readers in deciding whether there is a need for consulting the full patent text for details.
The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided.
Claims rejection 35 U.S.C. 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 of this title, 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.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kadarundalagi et al. (US 20190354345 A1) in view of Sohn et al. (KR 102656195 B1) further in view of Duleba et al. (US 20150006526 A1) further in view of Salowitz (US 20170329780 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kadarundalagi discloses a method performed by one or more processors of a mobile device (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0030], Various types of electronic devices may include, but are not limited to, desktop computers, mobile computers (e.g., laptops, ultrabooks), mobile phones; see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0032], Voice-controlled electronic device 10 may include one or more processors 202, storage/memory), comprising:
receiving a search request for information related to a particular category of
meteorological or terrain information that is stored in a category-specific geographic database (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0015], An individual asking a question, or making a request, to a voice-controlled electronic device may be provided with one or more pieces of supplemental information based on the individual's account settings, preferences, or history, as well as the command that the individual made);
determining a current location of the search request (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0016], extracting the command from the audio data, the cloud-based information system may also extract one or more factors, such as a time/date that the audio data was received by the cloud-based information system, a time/date that the command was spoken by the individual, and/or a location of the voice-controlled electronic device that the individual spoke the command to);
performing a spatial search of the category-specific geographic database to
determine one or more category-specific locations within a specified distance of the current location (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0017], After the audio data representing the command is received by the cloud-based information system, data may be retrieved to generate a response to the command. In some embodiments, the data used to generate the response may be retrieved from a category that is related to a context of the command. For example, the cloud-based information system may include a number of databases that each correspond to a different category. Based on the context of the command, a category relating to that context may be selected and data may be retrieved from that category to generate a response. Continuing the aforementioned example, the selected category may be the “weather” category, and therefore weather information may be retrieved from the weather category);
retrieve category-specific geographic information corresponding to the one or
more category-specific locations having the particular category of meteorological or …information (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0017], Based on the context of the command, a category relating to that context may be selected and data may be retrieved from that category to generate a response. Continuing the aforementioned example, the selected category may be the “weather” category, and therefore weather information may be retrieved from the weather category);
for each of the one or more category-specific locations:
performing a search of a geographical name database to identify a
geographical name associated with the category-specific location (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0049], if the spoken command is “What is the weather like today?”, response generation module 320 may receive the weather information for the date the command was made (e.g., “today”) from storage/memory 304 of weather category server 102, and may generate a response based on the received weather information. Continuing the example, the weather information may indicate that it is currently raining in the location that the command was made (e.g., Seattle, Wash.), and this information may be formulated into a response by response generation module 320 in textual format, and then sent to text-to-speech module 314 to be converted into an audio file); and
Sohn expressly discloses receiving a search request for information related to a particular category of terrain information (see Sohn page 5, paragraph 11, Geographic information that the processor acquires in response to a point selected by the user includes coordinate information including latitude, longitude, and altitude information of the point (e.g., GPS coordinate information), and digital altitude indicating the height of the ground or terrain features of the given point. Model (DEM) information, high-resolution images showing the actual appearance of the point, infrared images, satellite images, GIS data from the Geographic Information System (GIS), water-related features such as rivers, lakes, wetlands, and sources, and water flow direction and amount, etc. It may include at least one of water resource and water system information , geographical name information, or administrative district name information).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Sohn into the method of Kadarundalagi to have receiving a search request for information related to a particular category of terrain information. Here, combining Sohn with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by providing improved a management system centered on mountain ranges or mountain range sections for various information located on mountainous areas, (see Sohn page 2).
Duleba expressly discloses calculating a distance between the category-specific location and a location associated with the geographical name (see Duleba paragraph [0013], The geographic entity having the highest relevancy is stored as a location of interest (e.g., a specified number of geographic entities with the highest relevancy scores) in a category-specific location profile for the user, and multiple locations of interest may be stored based on the highest relevancy scores; see Duleba paragraph [0022], usage criteria for locations of interest (also referred to as "inferred locations) are evaluated to determine whether the inferred location or the user's current location should be used (decision block 208). In some embodiments, the usage criteria include the distance between a location of interest and the current location… the usage criteria are met if the location of interest is within 10 kilometers or greater, 20 kilometers or greater, 30 kilometers or greater, 40 kilometers or greater, and so on. In some embodiments, the usage criteria are category specific based on the category of the query or other submission used in location-specific processing; see Duleba paragraph [0024] After the user query is received, a category-specific location profile may be obtained and used depending on the evaluation of the usage criteria described above. In such embodiments, as mentioned above, the usage criteria may be category specific. For example, usage criteria for a category of "restaurants" may have a smaller distance threshold between the location of interest and the user's current location than usage criteria for a category of "travel.").
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Duleba into the method of Kadarundalagi to have calculating a distance between the category-specific location and a location associated with the geographical name. Here, combining Duleba with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to location query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by providing system and method that for associating an IP address of a user's computer that may identify the current location of the user, and other locations that the user may be interested in, such as vacation locations, business locations, or other locations accessible from the user's current location (see Duleba paragraph [0004]).
Salowitz expressly discloses generating a visual indicator that indicates the distance between the category-specific location and a location associated with the identified geographical name displaying the visual indicator and the geographical name with the corresponding category-specific geographic information (see Salowitz paragraph [0043], the map view includes visual indicators for the items returned as results and positioned at locations for the items on the map. Various visual indicators are contemplated such as pin elements, dots, stars, circles, icons, thumbnail images, arrows, or other graphical elements. Different indicators and styles may be employed to differentiate between different types or categories of items. In the depicted example, star indicators 320 are employed to represent items obtained from user-specific collections and circles are used to represent other POIs (e.g., POIs from sources other than the collections). In this way, a user can quickly recognize items along the route included in the user's collections. In implementations, the visual indicators are selectable to initiate actions related to associated items. By way of example, hovering a cursor near a visual indicator or clicking on the indicator may cause additional information regarding the item to appear via the UI. The additional information may include details of the location, distance away, timing indications, ratings, links, images, indications regarding who shared the item, information regarding a collection from which the item was obtained, a control operable to select the item, and so forth).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Salowitz into the method of Kadarundalagi to have generating a visual indicator that indicates the distance between the category-specific location and a location associated with the identified geographical name. Here, combining Salowitz with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to location query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by Incorporating the user-specific collections in searches along a route enables a more personalized and customized experience since the search results are generated using user-specific items included in the collections (see Salowitz paragraph [0002]).
Regarding claim 2, Salowitz expressly discloses displaying the visual indicator and the geographical name comprises selecting a first usual indicator to display when the distance falls within a first distance threshold and selecting a second visual indicator to display when the distance falls within a second distance threshold (see Salowitz paragraph [0043], the map view includes visual indicators for the items returned as results and positioned at locations for the items on the map. Various visual indicators are contemplated such as pin elements, dots, stars, circles, icons, thumbnail images, arrows, or other graphical elements. Different indicators and styles may be employed to differentiate between different types or categories of items. In the depicted example, star indicators 320 are employed to represent items obtained from user-specific collections and circles are used to represent other POIs (e.g., POIs from sources other than the collections). In this way, a user can quickly recognize items along the route included in the user's collections. In implementations, the visual indicators are selectable to initiate actions related to associated items. By way of example, hovering a cursor near a visual indicator or clicking on the indicator may cause additional information regarding the item to appear via the UI. The additional information may include details of the location, distance away, timing indications, ratings, links, images, indications regarding who shared the item, information regarding a collection from which the item was obtained, a control operable to select the item, and so forth).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Salowitz into the method of Kadarundalagi to have generating a visual indicator that indicates the distance between the category-specific location and a location associated with the identified geographical name. Here, combining Salowitz with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to location query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by Incorporating the user-specific collections in searches along a route enables a more personalized and customized experience since the search results are generated using user-specific items included in the collections (see Salowitz paragraph [0002]).
Regarding claim 3, discloses, see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0049]…the weather information may indicate that it is currently raining in the location that the command was made (e.g., Seattle, Wash.), and this information may be formulated into a response by response generation module 320 in textual format, and then sent to text-to-speech module 314 to be converted into an audio file.
Sohn expressly discloses wherein the particular category is tide, snow, or Wildfire (see Sohn page 14, paragraph 19, By applying the present invention, forest administration can be advanced through ultra-precision forest fire control using the mountain range address system, and the process of ignition-spread extinguishment of forest fires in mountainous terrain can be accurately explained and tracked).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Sohn into the method of Kadarundalagi to have wherein the particular category is tide, snow, or Wildfire. Here, combining Sohn with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by providing improved a management system centered on mountain ranges or mountain range sections for various information located on mountainous areas, (see Sohn page 2).
Regarding claim 4, Kadarundalagi discloses the particular category of meteorological (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0017], Based on the context of the command, a category relating to that context may be selected and data may be retrieved from that category to generate a response. Continuing the aforementioned example, the selected category may be the “weather” category, and therefore weather information may be retrieved from the weather category).
Sohn expressly discloses wherein the particular category of terrain information is tide-related information (see Sohn page 5, paragraph 11, Geographic information that the processor acquires in response to a point selected by the user includes coordinate information including latitude, longitude, and altitude information of the point (e.g., GPS coordinate information), and digital altitude indicating the height of the ground or terrain features of the given point. Model (DEM) information, high-resolution images showing the actual appearance of the point, infrared images, satellite images, GIS data from the Geographic Information System (GIS), water-related features such as rivers, lakes, wetlands, and sources, and water flow direction and amount, etc. It may include at least one of water resource and water system information , geographical name information, or administrative district name information).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Sohn into the method of Kadarundalagi to have wherein the particular category of terrain information is tide-related information. Here, combining Sohn with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by providing improved a management system centered on mountain ranges or mountain range sections for various information located on mountainous areas, (see Sohn page 2).
Regarding claim 5, Shon expressly discloses wherein the category-specific geographic information comprises latitude and longitude coordinates (see Sohn page 12, paragraph 4, Geographic information that the processor acquires in response to a point selected by the user includes coordinate information including latitude, longitude, and altitude information of the point (e.g., GPS coordinate information).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Sohn into the method of Kadarundalagi to have the category-specific geographic information comprises latitude and longitude coordinate. Here, combining Sohn with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by providing improved a management system centered on mountain ranges or mountain range sections for various information located on mountainous areas, (see Sohn page 2)
Regarding claim 6, Salowitz expressly discloses receiving a selection of a geographical name for one of the corresponding category-specific locations; adding the selected geographical name to a list of category-specific locations (see Salowitz paragraph [0043], the map view includes visual indicators for the items returned as results and positioned at locations for the items on the map. Various visual indicators are contemplated such as pin elements, dots, stars, circles, icons, thumbnail images, arrows, or other graphical elements. Different indicators and styles may be employed to differentiate between different types or categories of items. In the depicted example, star indicators 320 are employed to represent items obtained from user-specific collections and circles are used to represent other POIs (e.g., POIs from sources other than the collections). In this way, a user can quickly recognize items along the route included in the user's collections. In implementations, the visual indicators are selectable to initiate actions related to associated items. By way of example, hovering a cursor near a visual indicator or clicking on the indicator may cause additional information regarding the item to appear via the UI. The additional information may include details of the location, distance away, timing indications, ratings, links, images, indications regarding who shared the item, information regarding a collection from which the item was obtained, a control operable to select the item, and so forth).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Salowitz into the method of Kadarundalagi to have generating a visual indicator that indicates the distance between the category-specific location and a location associated with the identified geographical name. Here, combining Salowitz with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to location query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by Incorporating the user-specific collections in searches along a route enables a more personalized and customized experience since the search results are generated using user-specific items included in the collections (see Salowitz paragraph [0002]).
Regarding claim 7, Kadarundalagi discloses method comprising:
receiving a search request for information related to a particular category of
meteorological or terrain information that is stored in a category-specific geographic database (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0015], An individual asking a question, or making a request, to a voice-controlled electronic device may be provided with one or more pieces of supplemental information based on the individual's account settings, preferences, or history, as well as the command that the individual made);
determining a first location based on the search request (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0016], extracting the command from the audio data, the cloud-based information system may also extract one or more factors, such as a time/date that the audio data was received by the cloud-based information system, a time/date that the command was spoken by the individual, and/or a location of the voice-controlled electronic device that the individual spoke the command to);
performing a category search of a geographical name database to identify one or more naming locations that are associated with the particular category of meteorological (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0017], After the audio data representing the command is received by the cloud-based information system, data may be retrieved to generate a response to the command. In some embodiments, the data used to generate the response may be retrieved from a category that is related to a context of the command. For example, the cloud-based information system may include a number of databases that each correspond to a different category. Based on the context of the command, a category relating to that context may be selected and data may be retrieved from that category to generate a response. Continuing the aforementioned example, the selected category may be the “weather” category, and therefore weather information may be retrieved from the weather category)
or
…information and that are within a first specified distance of the first location (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0049], if the spoken command is “What is the weather like today?”, response generation module 320 may receive the weather information for the date the command was made (e.g., “today”) from storage/memory 304 of weather category server 102, and may generate a response based on the received weather information. Continuing the example, the weather information may indicate that it is currently raining in the location that the command was made (e.g., Seattle, Wash.), and this information may be formulated into a response by response generation module 320 in textual format, and then sent to text-to-speech module 314 to be converted into an audio file);
for each of the one or more naming locations:
performing a spatial search of the category-specific geographic database to
determine one or more category-specific locations within a second specified distance of
the naming location (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0017], After the audio data representing the command is received by the cloud-based information system, data may be retrieved to generate a response to the command. In some embodiments, the data used to generate the response may be retrieved from a category that is related to a context of the command. For example, the cloud-based information system may include a number of databases that each correspond to a different category. Based on the context of the command, a category relating to that context may be selected and data may be retrieved from that category to generate a response. Continuing the aforementioned example, the selected category may be the “weather” category, and therefore weather information may be retrieved from the weather category);
retrieving category-specific geographic information corresponding to each
naming location (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0017], After the audio data representing the command is received by the cloud-based information system, data may be retrieved to generate a response to the command. In some embodiments, the data used to generate the response may be retrieved from a category that is related to a context of the command); and
displaying the naming location with the corresponding category-specific
geographic information (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0049], if the spoken command is “What is the weather like today?”, response generation module 320 may receive the weather information for the date the command was made (e.g., “today”) from storage/memory 304 of weather category server 102, and may generate a response based on the received weather information).
Sohn expressly discloses identify one or more naming locations that are associated with the particular category of terrain information (see Sohn page 5, paragraph 11, Geographic information that the processor acquires in response to a point selected by the user includes coordinate information including latitude, longitude, and altitude information of the point (e.g., GPS coordinate information), and digital altitude indicating the height of the ground or terrain features of the given point. Model (DEM) information, high-resolution images showing the actual appearance of the point, infrared images, satellite images, GIS data from the Geographic Information System (GIS), water-related features such as rivers, lakes, wetlands, and sources, and water flow direction and amount, etc. It may include at least one of water resource and water system information , geographical name information, or administrative district name information).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Sohn into the method of Kadarundalagi to have identify one or more naming locations that are associated with the particular category of terrain information. Here, combining Sohn with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by providing improved a management system centered on mountain ranges or mountain range sections for various information located on mountainous areas, (see Sohn page 2).
Duleba expressly discloses calculating a distance between the category-specific location and a location associated with the geographical name (see Duleba paragraph [0013], The geographic entity having the highest relevancy is stored as a location of interest (e.g., a specified number of geographic entities with the highest relevancy scores) in a category-specific location profile for the user, and multiple locations of interest may be stored based on the highest relevancy scores; see Duleba paragraph [0022], usage criteria for locations of interest (also referred to as "inferred locations) are evaluated to determine whether the inferred location or the user's current location should be used (decision block 208). In some embodiments, the usage criteria include the distance between a location of interest and the current location… the usage criteria are met if the location of interest is within 10 kilometers or greater, 20 kilometers or greater, 30 kilometers or greater, 40 kilometers or greater, and so on. In some embodiments, the usage criteria are category specific based on the category of the query or other submission used in location-specific processing; see Duleba paragraph [0024] After the user query is received, a category-specific location profile may be obtained and used depending on the evaluation of the usage criteria described above. In such embodiments, as mentioned above, the usage criteria may be category specific. For example, usage criteria for a category of "restaurants" may have a smaller distance threshold between the location of interest and the user's current location than usage criteria for a category of "travel.");
generating a visual indicator that indicates the distance between the category-specific location and a location associated with the identified geographical name (see Duleba paragraph [0025], The user 304 may use the user device 302 to retrieve information, view interactive maps, and perform computer-implemented searches, such as by entering search queries that are received and processed by the server 308… see Duleba paragraph [0026], The server 308 may receive and process queries received from the user device 302. For example, in some embodiments the server 308 may include a maps server for processing map queries and providing computer-implemented maps and results to map queries).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Duleba into the method of Kadarundalagi to have calculating a distance between the category-specific location and a location associated with the geographical name. Here, combining Duleba with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to location query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by providing system and method that for associating an IP address of a user's computer that may identify the current location of the user, and other locations that the user may be interested in, such as vacation locations, business locations, or other locations accessible from the user's current location. (see Duleba paragraph [0004]).
Regarding claim 8, Kadarundalagi discloses wherein the first location is a current location of the search request (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0016], extracting the command from the audio data, the cloud-based information system may also extract one or more factors, such as a time/date that the audio data was received by the cloud-based information system, a time/date that the command was spoken by the individual, and/or a location of the voice-controlled electronic device that the individual spoke the command to).
Regarding claim 9, Kadarundalagi discloses wherein the first location is a naming location associated with the received search request other than a current location of the search request (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0016], extracting the command from the audio data, the cloud-based information system may also extract one or more factors, such as a time/date that the audio data was received by the cloud-based information system, a time/date that the command was spoken by the individual, and/or a location of the voice-controlled electronic device that the individual spoke the command to).
Regarding claim 10, Sohn expressly discloses wherein the category search comprises searching naming locations belonging to the particular category in the geographical name database (see Sohn page 5, paragraph 11, Geographic information that the processor acquires in response to a point selected by the user includes coordinate information including latitude, longitude, and altitude information of the point (e.g., GPS coordinate information), and digital altitude indicating the height of the ground or terrain features of the given point. Model (DEM) information, high-resolution images showing the actual appearance of the point, infrared images, satellite images, GIS data from the Geographic Information System (GIS), water-related features such as rivers, lakes, wetlands, and sources, and water flow direction and amount, etc. It may include at least one of water resource and water system information , geographical name information, or administrative district name information).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Sohn into the method of Kadarundalagi to have receiving a search request for information related to a particular category of terrain information. Here, combining Sohn with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by providing improved a management system centered on mountain ranges or mountain range sections for various information located on mountainous areas, (see Sohn page 2).
.
Regarding claim 11, Sohn expressly discloses wherein the particular category is tide (see Sohn page 5, paragraph 11, Geographic information that the processor acquires in response to a point selected by the user includes coordinate information including latitude, longitude, and altitude information of the point (e.g., GPS coordinate information), and digital altitude indicating the height of the ground or terrain features of the given point. Model (DEM) information, high-resolution images showing the actual appearance of the point, infrared images, satellite images, GIS data from the Geographic Information System (GIS), water-related features such as rivers, lakes, wetlands, and sources, and water flow direction and amount, etc. It may include at least one of water resource and water system information , geographical name information, or administrative district name information).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Sohn into the method of Kadarundalagi to have wherein the particular category is tide. Here, combining Sohn with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by providing improved a management system centered on mountain ranges or mountain range sections for various information located on mountainous areas, (see Sohn page 2).
Regarding claim 12, the combination of Sohn with Kadarundalagi discloses the particular category of meteorological or terrain information associated with the naming location.
Salowitz expressly discloses displaying the naming location on a map on a first part of a user interface… displaying the particular category of … information associated with the naming location on a second part of the UL (see Salowitz paragraph [0043], the map view includes visual indicators for the items returned as results and positioned at locations for the items on the map. Various visual indicators are contemplated such as pin elements, dots, stars, circles, icons, thumbnail images, arrows, or other graphical elements. Different indicators and styles may be employed to differentiate between different types or categories of items. In the depicted example, star indicators 320 are employed to represent items obtained from user-specific collections and circles are used to represent other POIs (e.g., POIs from sources other than the collections). In this way, a user can quickly recognize items along the route included in the user's collections. In implementations, the visual indicators are selectable to initiate actions related to associated items. By way of example, hovering a cursor near a visual indicator or clicking on the indicator may cause additional information regarding the item to appear via the UI. The additional information may include details of the location, distance away, timing indications, ratings, links, images, indications regarding who shared the item, information regarding a collection from which the item was obtained, a control operable to select the item, and so forth).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Salowitz into the method of Kadarundalagi to have generating a visual indicator that indicates the distance between the category-specific location and a location associated with the identified geographical name. Here, combining Salowitz with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to location query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by Incorporating the user-specific collections in searches along a route enables a more personalized and customized experience since the search results are generated using user-specific items included in the collections (see Salowitz paragraph [0002]).
Regarding claim 13, Salowitz expressly discloses r receiving a selection of a geographical name for one of the corresponding category-specific locations ( see Salowitz paragraph [0043], the map view includes visual indicators for the items returned as results and positioned at locations for the items on the map. Various visual indicators are contemplated such as pin elements, dots, stars, circles, icons, thumbnail images, arrows, or other graphical elements. Different indicators and styles may be employed to differentiate between different types or categories of items. In the depicted example, star indicators 320 are employed to represent items obtained from user-specific collections and circles are used to represent other POIs (e.g., POIs from sources other than the collections). In this way, a user can quickly recognize items along the route included in the user's collections. In implementations, the visual indicators are selectable to initiate actions related to associated items. By way of example, hovering a cursor near a visual indicator or clicking on the indicator may cause additional information regarding the item to appear via the UI. The additional information may include details of the location, distance away, timing indications, ratings, links, images, indications regarding who shared the item, information regarding a collection from which the item was obtained, a control operable to select the item, and so forth).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Salowitz into the method of Kadarundalagi to have generating a visual indicator that indicates the distance between the category-specific location and a location associated with the identified geographical name. Here, combining Salowitz with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to location query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by Incorporating the user-specific collections in searches along a route enables a more personalized and customized experience since the search results are generated using user-specific items included in the collections (see Salowitz paragraph [0002]).
Regarding claim 14, Kadarundalagi discloses mobile device, comprising:
one or more processors (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0030], Various types of electronic devices may include, but are not limited to, desktop computers, mobile computers (e.g., laptops, ultrabooks), mobile phones; see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0032], Voice-controlled electronic device 10 may include one or more processors 202, storage/memory); and
a memory coupled to the one or more processors, the memory storing instructions that cause the one or more processors to perform any one or more of operations (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0030], Various types of electronic devices may include, but are not limited to, desktop computers, mobile computers (e.g., laptops, ultrabooks), mobile phones; see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0032], Voice-controlled electronic device 10 may include one or more processors 202, storage/memory) comprising:
receiving a search request for information related to a particular category of
meteorological or terrain information that is stored in a category-specific geographic database (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0015], An individual asking a question, or making a request, to a voice-controlled electronic device may be provided with one or more pieces of supplemental information based on the individual's account settings, preferences, or history, as well as the command that the individual made);
determining a current location of the search request (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0016], extracting the command from the audio data, the cloud-based information system may also extract one or more factors, such as a time/date that the audio data was received by the cloud-based information system, a time/date that the command was spoken by the individual, and/or a location of the voice-controlled electronic device that the individual spoke the command to);
performing a spatial search of the category-specific geographic database to
determine one or more category-specific locations within a specified distance of the current location (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0017], After the audio data representing the command is received by the cloud-based information system, data may be retrieved to generate a response to the command. In some embodiments, the data used to generate the response may be retrieved from a category that is related to a context of the command. For example, the cloud-based information system may include a number of databases that each correspond to a different category. Based on the context of the command, a category relating to that context may be selected and data may be retrieved from that category to generate a response. Continuing the aforementioned example, the selected category may be the “weather” category, and therefore weather information may be retrieved from the weather category);
retrieve category-specific geographic information corresponding to the one or
more category-specific locations having the particular category of meteorological or … information (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0017], Based on the context of the command, a category relating to that context may be selected and data may be retrieved from that category to generate a response. Continuing the aforementioned example, the selected category may be the “weather” category, and therefore weather information may be retrieved from the weather category);
for each of the one or more category-specific locations:
performing a search of a geographical name database to identify a
geographical name associated with the category-specific location (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0049], if the spoken command is “What is the weather like today?”, response generation module 320 may receive the weather information for the date the command was made (e.g., “today”) from storage/memory 304 of weather category server 102, and may generate a response based on the received weather information. Continuing the example, the weather information may indicate that it is currently raining in the location that the command was made (e.g., Seattle, Wash.), and this information may be formulated into a response by response generation module 320 in textual format, and then sent to text-to-speech module 314 to be converted into an audio file); and
displaying the geographical name with the corresponding category-specific
geographic information (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0049], if the spoken command is “What is the weather like today?”, response generation module 320 may receive the weather information for the date the command was made (e.g., “today”) from storage/memory 304 of weather category server 102, and may generate a response based on the received weather information).
Sohn expressly discloses receiving a search request for information related to a particular category of terrain information (see Sohn page 5, paragraph 11, Geographic information that the processor acquires in response to a point selected by the user includes coordinate information including latitude, longitude, and altitude information of the point (e.g., GPS coordinate information), and digital altitude indicating the height of the ground or terrain features of the given point. Model (DEM) information, high-resolution images showing the actual appearance of the point, infrared images, satellite images, GIS data from the Geographic Information System (GIS), water-related features such as rivers, lakes, wetlands, and sources, and water flow direction and amount, etc. It may include at least one of water resource and water system information , geographical name information, or administrative district name information).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Sohn into the method of Kadarundalagi to have receiving a search request for information related to a particular category of terrain information. Here, combining Sohn with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by providing improved a management system centered on mountain ranges or mountain range sections for various information located on mountainous areas, (see Sohn page 2).
Duleba expressly discloses calculating a distance between the category-specific location and a location associated with the geographical name (see Duleba paragraph [0013], The geographic entity having the highest relevancy is stored as a location of interest (e.g., a specified number of geographic entities with the highest relevancy scores) in a category-specific location profile for the user, and multiple locations of interest may be stored based on the highest relevancy scores; see Duleba paragraph [0022], usage criteria for locations of interest (also referred to as "inferred locations) are evaluated to determine whether the inferred location or the user's current location should be used (decision block 208). In some embodiments, the usage criteria include the distance between a location of interest and the current location… the usage criteria are met if the location of interest is within 10 kilometers or greater, 20 kilometers or greater, 30 kilometers or greater, 40 kilometers or greater, and so on. In some embodiments, the usage criteria are category specific based on the category of the query or other submission used in location-specific processing; see Duleba paragraph [0024] After the user query is received, a category-specific location profile may be obtained and used depending on the evaluation of the usage criteria described above. In such embodiments, as mentioned above, the usage criteria may be category specific. For example, usage criteria for a category of "restaurants" may have a smaller distance threshold between the location of interest and the user's current location than usage criteria for a category of "travel.");
generating a visual indicator that indicates the distance between the category-specific location and a location associated with the identified geographical name (see Duleba paragraph [0025], The user 304 may use the user device 302 to retrieve information, view interactive maps, and perform computer-implemented searches, such as by entering search queries that are received and processed by the server 308… see Duleba paragraph [0026], The server 308 may receive and process queries received from the user device 302. For example, in some embodiments the server 308 may include a maps server for processing map queries and providing computer-implemented maps and results to map queries).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Duleba into the method of Kadarundalagi to have calculating a distance between the category-specific location and a location associated with the geographical name. Here, combining Duleba with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to location query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by providing system and method that for associating an IP address of a user's computer that may identify the current location of the user, and other locations that the user may be interested in, such as vacation locations, business locations, or other locations accessible from the user's current location. (see Duleba paragraph [0004]).
Regarding claim 15, Salowitz expressly discloses generating a visual indicator that indicates the distance between the category-specific location and a location associated with the identified geographical name displaying the visual indicator and the geographical name with the corresponding category-specific geographic information (see Salowitz paragraph [0043], the map view includes visual indicators for the items returned as results and positioned at locations for the items on the map. Various visual indicators are contemplated such as pin elements, dots, stars, circles, icons, thumbnail images, arrows, or other graphical elements. Different indicators and styles may be employed to differentiate between different types or categories of items. In the depicted example, star indicators 320 are employed to represent items obtained from user-specific collections and circles are used to represent other POIs (e.g., POIs from sources other than the collections). In this way, a user can quickly recognize items along the route included in the user's collections. In implementations, the visual indicators are selectable to initiate actions related to associated items. By way of example, hovering a cursor near a visual indicator or clicking on the indicator may cause additional information regarding the item to appear via the UI. The additional information may include details of the location, distance away, timing indications, ratings, links, images, indications regarding who shared the item, information regarding a collection from which the item was obtained, a control operable to select the item, and so forth).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Salowitz into the method of Kadarundalagi to have generating a visual indicator that indicates the distance between the category-specific location and a location associated with the identified geographical name. Here, combining Salowitz with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to location query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by Incorporating the user-specific collections in searches along a route enables a more personalized and customized experience since the search results are generated using user-specific items included in the collections (see Salowitz paragraph [0002]).
Regarding claim 16, Sohn expressly discloses, wherein the particular category of
… terrain information is tide-related information (see Sohn page 5, paragraph 11, Geographic information that the processor acquires in response to a point selected by the user includes coordinate information including latitude, longitude, and altitude information of the point (e.g., GPS coordinate information), and digital altitude indicating the height of the ground or terrain features of the given point. Model (DEM) information, high-resolution images showing the actual appearance of the point, infrared images, satellite images, GIS data from the Geographic Information System (GIS), water-related features such as rivers, lakes, wetlands, and sources, and water flow direction and amount, etc. It may include at least one of water resource and water system information , geographical name information, or administrative district name information).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Sohn into the method of Kadarundalagi to have receiving a search request for information related to a particular category of terrain information. Here, combining Sohn with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by providing improved a management system centered on mountain ranges or mountain range sections for various information located on mountainous areas, (see Sohn page 2).
Regarding claim 17 Kadarundalagi discloses a mobile device, comprising:
one or more processors; and
a memory coupled to the one or more processors, the memory storing instructions that cause the one or more processors to perform any one or more of operations (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0030], Various types of electronic devices may include, but are not limited to, desktop computers, mobile computers (e.g., laptops, ultrabooks), mobile phones; see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0032], Voice-controlled electronic device 10 may include one or more processors 202, storage/memory) comprising:
receiving a search request for information related to a particular category of
meteorological … information that is stored in a category-specific geographic database (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0015], An individual asking a question, or making a request, to a voice-controlled electronic device may be provided with one or more pieces of supplemental information based on the individual's account settings, preferences, or history, as well as the command that the individual made);
determining a first location based on the search request (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0016], extracting the command from the audio data, the cloud-based information system may also extract one or more factors, such as a time/date that the audio data was received by the cloud-based information system, a time/date that the command was spoken by the individual, and/or a location of the voice-controlled electronic device that the individual spoke the command to);
performing a category search of a geographical name database to identify one or
more naming locations that are associated with the particular category of meteorological (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0017], After the audio data representing the command is received by the cloud-based information system, data may be retrieved to generate a response to the command. In some embodiments, the data used to generate the response may be retrieved from a category that is related to a context of the command. For example, the cloud-based information system may include a number of databases that each correspond to a different category. Based on the context of the command, a category relating to that context may be selected and data may be retrieved from that category to generate a response. Continuing the aforementioned example, the selected category may be the “weather” category, and therefore weather information may be retrieved from the weather category) or
… information and that are within a first specified distance of the first location;
for each of the one or more naming locations (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0017], Based on the context of the command, a category relating to that context may be selected and data may be retrieved from that category to generate a response. Continuing the aforementioned example, the selected category may be the “weather” category, and therefore weather information may be retrieved from the weather category):
performing a spatial search of the category-specific geographic database to
determine one or more category-specific locations within a second specified distance of
the naming location (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0017], After the audio data representing the command is received by the cloud-based information system, data may be retrieved to generate a response to the command. In some embodiments, the data used to generate the response may be retrieved from a category that is related to a context of the command. For example, the cloud-based information system may include a number of databases that each correspond to a different category. Based on the context of the command, a category relating to that context may be selected and data may be retrieved from that category to generate a response. Continuing the aforementioned example, the selected category may be the “weather” category, and therefore weather information may be retrieved from the weather category);
retrieving category-specific geographic information corresponding to each
naming location (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0017], Based on the context of the command, a category relating to that context may be selected and data may be retrieved from that category to generate a response. Continuing the aforementioned example, the selected category may be the “weather” category, and therefore weather information may be retrieved from the weather category); and
displaying the naming location with the corresponding category-specific
geographic information (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0049], if the spoken command is “What is the weather like today?”, response generation module 320 may receive the weather information for the date the command was made (e.g., “today”) from storage/memory 304 of weather category server 102, and may generate a response based on the received weather information).
Sohn expressly discloses receiving a search request for information related to a particular category of terrain information (see Sohn page 5, paragraph 11, Geographic information that the processor acquires in response to a point selected by the user includes coordinate information including latitude, longitude, and altitude information of the point (e.g., GPS coordinate information), and digital altitude indicating the height of the ground or terrain features of the given point. Model (DEM) information, high-resolution images showing the actual appearance of the point, infrared images, satellite images, GIS data from the Geographic Information System (GIS), water-related features such as rivers, lakes, wetlands, and sources, and water flow direction and amount, etc. It may include at least one of water resource and water system information , geographical name information, or administrative district name information).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Sohn into the method of Kadarundalagi to have receiving a search request for information related to a particular category of terrain information. Here, combining Sohn with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by providing improved a management system centered on mountain ranges or mountain range sections for various information located on mountainous areas, (see Sohn page 2).
Duleba expressly discloses calculating a distance between the category-specific location and a location associated with the geographical name (see Duleba paragraph [0013], The geographic entity having the highest relevancy is stored as a location of interest (e.g., a specified number of geographic entities with the highest relevancy scores) in a category-specific location profile for the user, and multiple locations of interest may be stored based on the highest relevancy scores; see Duleba paragraph [0022], usage criteria for locations of interest (also referred to as "inferred locations) are evaluated to determine whether the inferred location or the user's current location should be used (decision block 208). In some embodiments, the usage criteria include the distance between a location of interest and the current location… the usage criteria are met if the location of interest is within 10 kilometers or greater, 20 kilometers or greater, 30 kilometers or greater, 40 kilometers or greater, and so on. In some embodiments, the usage criteria are category specific based on the category of the query or other submission used in location-specific processing; see Duleba paragraph [0024] After the user query is received, a category-specific location profile may be obtained and used depending on the evaluation of the usage criteria described above. In such embodiments, as mentioned above, the usage criteria may be category specific. For example, usage criteria for a category of "restaurants" may have a smaller distance threshold between the location of interest and the user's current location than usage criteria for a category of "travel.");
generating a visual indicator that indicates the distance between the category-specific location and a location associated with the identified geographical name (see Duleba paragraph [0025], The user 304 may use the user device 302 to retrieve information, view interactive maps, and perform computer-implemented searches, such as by entering search queries that are received and processed by the server 308… see Duleba paragraph [0026], The server 308 may receive and process queries received from the user device 302. For example, in some embodiments the server 308 may include a maps server for processing map queries and providing computer-implemented maps and results to map queries).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Duleba into the method of Kadarundalagi to have calculating a distance between the category-specific location and a location associated with the geographical name. Here, combining Duleba with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to location query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by providing system and method that for associating an IP address of a user's computer that may identify the current location of the user, and other locations that the user may be interested in, such as vacation locations, business locations, or other locations accessible from the user's current location. (see Duleba paragraph [0004]).
Regarding claim 18, Kadarundalagi discloses wherein the first location is a current location of the search request (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0016], extracting the command from the audio data, the cloud-based information system may also extract one or more factors, such as a time/date that the audio data was received by the cloud-based information system, a time/date that the command was spoken by the individual, and/or a location of the voice-controlled electronic device that the individual spoke the command to).
Regarding claim 19, Kadarundalagi discloses wherein the first location is a naming location associated with the received search request other than a current location of the search request (see Kadarundalagi paragraph [0016], extracting the command from the audio data, the cloud-based information system may also extract one or more factors, such as a time/date that the audio data was received by the cloud-based information system, a time/date that the command was spoken by the individual, and/or a location of the voice-controlled electronic device that the individual spoke the command to).
Regarding claim 20, Sohn expressly discloses, wherein the category search comprises searching naming locations belonging to the particular category in the geographical name database (see Sohn page 5, paragraph 11, Geographic information that the processor acquires in response to a point selected by the user includes coordinate information including latitude, longitude, and altitude information of the point (e.g., GPS coordinate information), and digital altitude indicating the height of the ground or terrain features of the given point. Model (DEM) information, high-resolution images showing the actual appearance of the point, infrared images, satellite images, GIS data from the Geographic Information System (GIS), water-related features such as rivers, lakes, wetlands, and sources, and water flow direction and amount, etc. It may include at least one of water resource and water system information , geographical name information, or administrative district name information).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Sohn into the method of Kadarundalagi to have receiving a search request for information related to a particular category of terrain information. Here, combining Sohn with Kadarundalagi, which are both related to query processing, improves Kadarundalagi by providing improved a management system centered on mountain ranges or mountain range sections for various information located on mountainous areas, (see Sohn page 2).
Remarks
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Hamby (US 20150088860 A1) discloses that to determine a location or set of locations responsive to the search from the user, the map searching system 100 executes a search using search tokens generated from the search query. The search tokens are used to select records matching at least one search token from a set of location category indices. The selected records are scored using scoring weights associated with the relevant location category index. The location category indices are stored in a location data store 112 and are typically updated by the operator of the map searching system 100 on a regular basis. Each location category index stores records of locations according to fields associated with each location category index. Each location in a location category index is associated with a specific location, such as a latitude and longitude, or may be associated with a boundary designating the location, such as for a city or country..
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DINKU W GEBRESENBET whose telephone number is (571)270-1636. The examiner can normally be reached between 8:00AM-5:00PM.
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/DINKU W GEBRESENBET/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2164
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