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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1-2, 4, 6-7, 11-12 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Julin (US2008/0198178).
Regarding claim 1, the claim contains the same limitations as disclosed in claim 11. Therefore, claim 1 is analyzed and rejected as claim 11.
Regarding claim 2, the claim contains the same limitations as disclosed in claim 12. Therefore, claim 2 is analyzed and rejected as claim 12.
Regarding claim 4, the claim contains the same limitations as disclosed in claim 14. Therefore, claim 4 is analyzed and rejected as claim 14.
Regarding claim 6, Julin discloses a system for partially magnifying an image, comprising:
a camera device configured to obtain an initial image (Fig. 1-3: See original image 300 received from camera 120 in step 210; [0045]); and
a computer device electrically connected to the camera device (Fig. 1: See connection between computer 180 and digital camera 120; [0044]), the computer device configured to select a target area in the initial image and to adjust an optical zoom of the camera device ([0046-0049]: See user defines center point 310 and perimeter 320), so that the target area is completely presented in a magnified image obtained by the camera device based on the optical zoom (Fig. 4 and 6: See magnified or zoomed image 400/600), and the computer device configured to determine a corresponding position of at least one feature point in the target area in the magnified image ([0055]: Julin teaches: “When the first user input defining the center point 310 and the second user input defining the perimeter 320 have been received and the zoom factor has been calculated, the data is sent to the controller 150 in the camera 120. Controller 180 adjusts the camera view to tilt/pan/zoom, either through physically adjusting the camera 120 or through digital image processing“;[0049-0055]: See also coordinates calculation of x1,y1 of upper left conner 740 and x2,y2 of lower left conner 750) and captures the image corresponding to the target area from the magnified image (zoom image 400/600 corresponding to the area of interest within perimeter 320/520 in the original image 300/500 is captured and display as shown in Fig. 3-4 and 5-6; [0056; 0058-0059]).
Regarding claim 7, Julin discloses the system for partially magnifying the image of claim 6, further comprising:2 an input device electrically connected to the computer device, wherein the computer device performing a box selection on the target area according to a selection command input by the input device, or the computer device detects the target area based on an object recognition (Fig. 3 and 5: See perimeter boxes 300/500; Abstract; [0007-0014; 0032-0039]).
Regarding claim 11, Julin discloses non-transitory computer readable medium to store a plurality of instructions for commanding a computer to execute a method for partially magnifying an image, and the method for partially magnifying the image comprising:
selecting a target area in a first image (Fig. 2: Steps 220-230), wherein the target area comprises at least one feature point ([0055]: Julin teaches: “When the first user input defining the center point 310 and the second user input defining the perimeter 320 have been received and the zoom factor has been calculated, the data is sent to the controller 150 in the camera 120“;[0049-0055]: See also coordinates calculation of x1,y1 of upper left conner 740 and x2,y2 of lower left conner 750; The claim is broadly written. Therefore, one of the center point, perimeter of area of interest, calculated zoom ratio, x1, y1, x2, y2 coordinates is interpreted as “at least one feature point”);
adjusting a specified optical zoom according to a position of the target area in the first image ([0055]: Julin teaches: “the controller 180 adjusts the camera view to tilt/pan/zoom, either through physically adjusting the camera 120 or through digital image processing”), so that the target area is completely displayed in a second image (See zoomed image 400 or 600 in Fig. 4 and 6);
determining a corresponding position of the at least one feature point in the second image; and capturing the image corresponding to the target area from the second image based on the corresponding position of the at least one feature point in the second image ([0057]: Julin further teaches a zooming out operation by defining perimeter 230 around an area of interest. Wherein the area of interest include all or the original image or a portion of original image. Therefore, Julin still read on the claim invention in a scenarios wherein one of additional zoom out operations is performed by defining perimeter 230 to include 2 van from Fig. 4, original image 300 of Fig. 3 or a zoom factor of greater than 100%).
Regarding claim 12, Julin discloses the non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the step of selecting the target area comprises: performing a box selection on the target area or detecting the target area based on an object recognition (Fig. 3 and 5: See perimeter boxes 300/500; Abstract; [0007-0014; 0032-0039]).
Regarding claim 14, Julin discloses the non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the method for partially magnifying the image further comprises: digitally magnifying the image of the target area ([0055]: “The controller 180 adjusts the camera view to tilt/pan/zoom, either through physically adjusting the camera 120 or through digital image processing”).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 3 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Julin (US2008/0198178). In view of Wang (US20240282002).
Regarding claim 3, Julin fails to disclose the method for partially magnifying the image of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the corresponding position of the at least one feature point in the second image comprises: detecting the at least one feature point in the second image; matching the at least one feature point in the first image with the at least one feature point in the second image; and calculating a corresponding coordinate in the second image in correspondence with the at least one feature point in the first image.
In an analogous of art, Wang discloses a method for determining one or more target matching feature point pairs each including a target feature point in the target image and a reference feature point in the reference high definition image that match each other, and determining a positioning result corresponding to the image acquisition device according to position information of the reference feature point and position information of the target feature point in each of the one or more target matching feature point pairs (abstract). Wang further teaches a target first-level outlier removal operation having an optimal removal effect in the plurality of first-level outlier removal operations is determined, and the target matching feature point pairs are determined according to a removal result of the target first-level outlier removal operation ([0057]). In light of the teaching from Wang, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the object selection indicator of Dask. The modification thus provides a highlight, an outline, a glowing effect, a selection box or frame, color change, a holographic tag, dynamic spotlight, screen overlay, vibration feedback, or other user interface (Wang: Abstract; [0057]).
Regarding claim 13, Julin fails to disclose the non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 further in combination with: ”wherein the step of determining the corresponding position of the at least one feature point in the second image comprises: detecting the at least one feature point in the second image; matching the at least one feature point in the first image with the at least one feature point in the second image; and calculating a corresponding coordinate in the second image in correspondence with the at least one feature point in the first image”.
In an analogous of art, Wang (US20240282002) discloses a method for determining one or more target matching feature point pairs each including a target feature point in the target image and a reference feature point in the reference high definition image that match each other, and determining a positioning result corresponding to the image acquisition device according to position information of the reference feature point and position information of the target feature point in each of the one or more target matching feature point pairs (abstract). Wang further teaches a target first-level outlier removal operation having an optimal removal effect in the plurality of first-level outlier removal operations is determined, and the target matching feature point pairs are determined according to a removal result of the target first-level outlier removal operation ([0057]). In light of the teaching from Wang, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the object selection indicator of Dask. The modification thus provides a highlight, an outline, a glowing effect, a selection box or frame, color change, a holographic tag, dynamic spotlight, screen overlay, vibration feedback, or other user interface (Wang: Abstract; [0057]).
Claims 5, 10 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Julin (US2008/0198178) in view of Dask (US2025/0200875).
Regarding claim 5, the claim contains the same limitations as disclosed in claim 15. Therefore, claim 5 is analyzed and rejected as claim 15.
Regarding claim 10, Julin discloses the system for partially magnifying the image of claim 6, wherein the computer device performs an image processing on the image of the target area ([0055]: “The controller 180 adjusts the camera view to tilt/pan/zoom, through digital image processing”).
However, Julin fails to disclose: “the image processing comprises at least one of a super resolution and an auto spotlight”.
In an analogous of art, Dask a camera system wherein an object selection indicator that may include, but is not limited to, a highlight, an outline, a glowing effect, a selection box or frame, color change, a holographic tag, dynamic spotlight, pulsing animation, opacity change, icon or symbol, spatial audio cue, contextual highlight, screen overlay, vibration feedback, or other user interface ([0080]). In light of the teaching from Dask, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the object selection indicator of Dask. The modification thus provides a highlight, an outline, a glowing effect, a selection box or frame, color change, a holographic tag, dynamic spotlight, screen overlay, vibration feedback, or other user interface (Dask: [0080]).
Regarding claim 15, Julin fails to disclose the non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the method for partially magnifying the image further comprises: performing an image processing on the image of the target area ([0055]: “The controller 180 adjusts the camera view to tilt/pan/zoom through digital image processing”).
However, Julin fails to disclose: “wherein the image processing comprises a super resolution and an auto spotlight”.
In an analogous of art, Dask a camera system wherein an object selection indicator that may include, but is not limited to, a highlight, an outline, a glowing effect, a selection box or frame, color change, a holographic tag, dynamic spotlight, pulsing animation, opacity change, icon or symbol, spatial audio cue, contextual highlight, screen overlay, vibration feedback, or other user interface ([0080]). In light of the teaching from Dask, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the object selection indicator of Dask. The modification thus provides a highlight, an outline, a glowing effect, a selection box or frame, color change, a holographic tag, dynamic spotlight, screen overlay, vibration feedback, or other user interface (Dask: [0080]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-9 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.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 8, the prior art of Julin discloses a camera system for capturing and displaying a physical zoomed image from a user selection of region of interest area. The prior art of Dask discloses a camera system for performing special effect, spotlight, highlight effect on a selected object. The prior art of Wang discloses an image zooming method for a tele and wide angle cameras. The prior art of Tomita (US2010/0079623) discloses a camera to perform optical zoom based on information from a detection step of detecting a characteristic region from a first image. The prior art of Yanagi (US20090303354) discloses a zoom generating data unit that generating zoom image with different magnifications. The prior art of Chang (US20250166296) discloses a method for determining whether each of the non-target regions of two consecutive frames of the original images is a moving-object region through a feature-point matching process based on the feature points in the two consecutive frames of the original images in the sequence of original images. The prior art of Wang (US20240282002) discloses a method for determining one or more target matching feature point pairs each including a target feature point in the target image and a reference feature point in the reference high definition image that match each other, and determining a positioning result corresponding to the image acquisition device according to position information of the reference feature point and position information of the target feature point in each of the one or more target matching feature point pairs. The prior art of Qian (US11043011) discloses method for determining auxiliary feature points in a corresponding image according to distribution of the basic feature points in each of the images; determining feature points of a same type in the source object and the base object. Thus, while many references teach optical/ digital zoom, special effects on selected object and feature matching operations, none of the references alone or in combination, provide a motivation to teach the system for partially magnifying the image of claim 6 further in combination with: ”wherein the computer device detects a plurality of matching feature points in the magnified image based on a plurality of feature points in the target area of the initial image, the plurality of the matching feature points in the magnified image matches the plurality of the feature points, and the computer device calculates corresponding coordinates and size of the target area in the magnified image based on coordinate changes from the feature points to the matching feature points so as to crop the image corresponding to the target area from the magnified image accordingly”.
Regarding claim 9, the prior art of Julin discloses a camera system for capturing and displaying a physical zoomed image from a user selection of region of interest area. The prior art of Dask discloses a camera system for performing special effect, spotlight, highlight effect on a selected object. The prior art of Tomita (US2010/0079623) discloses a camera to perform optical zoom based on information from a detection step of detecting a characteristic region from a first image. The prior art of Yanagi (US20090303354) discloses a zoom generating data unit that generating zoom image with different magnifications. The prior art of Wang (US2018/0070010) discloses an image zooming method for a tele and wide angle cameras. The prior art of Chang (US20250166296) discloses a method for determining whether each of the non-target regions of two consecutive frames of the original images is a moving-object region through a feature-point matching process based on the feature points in the two consecutive frames of the original images in the sequence of original images; and replacing, for each original image, the non-target regions determined as moving-object regions with a featureless region. The prior art of Wang (US20240282002) discloses a method for determining one or more target matching feature point pairs each including a target feature point in the target image and a reference feature point in the reference high definition image that match each other, and determining a positioning result corresponding to the image acquisition device according to position information of the reference feature point and position information of the target feature point in each of the one or more target matching feature point pairs. The prior art of Qian (US11043011) discloses method for determining auxiliary feature points in a corresponding image according to distribution of the basic feature points in each of the images; determining feature points of a same type in the source object and the base object. Thus, while many references teach optical/ digital zoom, special effects on selected object and feature matching operations, none of the references alone or in combination, provide a motivation to teach the system for partially magnifying the image of claim 6 further in combination with: “wherein the computer device calculates corresponding coordinates of the target area in the magnified image based on the optical zoom, and the computer device obtains positions of coordinates of a plurality of vertices from the corresponding coordinates of the target area in the magnified image so as to crop the image corresponding to the target area from the magnified image accordingly”.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUNG H LAM whose telephone number is (571)272-7367. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, TWYLER HASKINS can be reached at (571) 272-7406. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/HUNG H LAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2639 09/25/26
Prosecution Insights