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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claim(s) 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SUZUKI (US 2021/0252389 A1) in view of ABDELKARIM (US 2020/0384356 A1).
1. SUZUKI discloses a game system comprising:
a plurality of information processing apparatuses including one or more processors (Fig. 6 & 2a, 2b: Fig. 8-14), [0120]-[0121]; and
at least one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses serves as a parent apparatus, and the other information processing apparatuses serve as a child apparatus [0122], [0136],
the one or more processors of the parent apparatus are configured to execute information processing including
communicating with at least one of the child apparatuses (parent communicates wirelessly with child), [0172], [0174],
obtaining first operation data based on an input to an operation device included in or connected to the parent apparatus (Ps1: Fig. 9), (S143: Fig. 22), [0137],
executing a game process based on at least the first operation data [0128], [0152],
generating a first image and at least one second image based on the game process, outputting the first image to a display device included in or connected to the parent apparatus and transmitting the at least one second image to the at least one child apparatus, respectively, and the one or more processors of each child apparatus are configured to execute information processing including communicating with the parent apparatus, and outputting the second image received from the parent apparatus to a display device included in or connected to the child apparatus [0152], [0161], [0163], [0167].
SUZUKI does not expressly disclose an attachment configured to fix at least one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses in an arrangement. However, physical attachments, brackets, hinges, and fixtures for fixing multiple display-bearing devices in a desired horizontal, vertical, or hinged arrangement were conventional and well-known before the effective filing date as evidenced by ABDELKARIM, [0031], [0038]-[0040], [0044]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the multi-apparatus parent/child system of the positional reference by providing a physical attachment to fix the apparatuses in a stable arrangement and would have been motivated to do so to ensure consistent physical adjacency (eliminating reliance solely on free placement and slide calibration), improve mechanical stability during play, enable reliable continuous multi-display viewing, and allow foldable/portable storage.
2, 5. SUZUKI and ABDELKARIM disclose the game system according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement is such that the display devices included in the plurality of information processing apparatuses can be arranged in a horizontal direction or vertical direction, and the attachment is configured to fix adjacent ones in the horizontal direction or vertical direction, respectively of the plurality of information processing apparatuses to each other, SUZUKI (Horizontal arrangement, Fig. 15; Vertical arrangement, Fig. 18); ABDELKARIM, [0031], [0038]-[0040], [0044].
3. SUZUKI and ABDELKARIM disclose the game system according to claim 2, wherein each information processing apparatus includes a groove configured to integrally fix the operation device thereto, and the attachment is configured to be fixed to the grooves of two adjacent ones of the plurality of information processing apparatuses instead of the operation device being fixed to the two grooves, ABDELKARIM [0039]-[0040].
4. SUZUKI and ABDELKARIM disclose the game system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors of the parent apparatus are configured to execute information processing including generating, as the first image and the second images, images based on virtual cameras arranged at positions based on an arrangement of the plurality of information processing apparatuses in a virtual space, and executing the game process on a range included in each second image in the virtual space, the range being a respective period of time later than a range included in the first image, SUZUKI [0128], [0163].
6. SUZUKI and ABDELKARIM disclose the game system according to claim 5, wherein the arrangement is such that the display devices included in two of the information processing apparatuses are arranged in the vertical direction, and the attachment includes a first and a second support member each configured to support the respective one of the two information processing apparatuses, and a hinge member configured to connect the first and second support members together and bend at the connection portion, ABDELKARIM, [0031], [0038]-[0040], [0044].
7. SUZUKI and ABDELKARIM disclose the game system according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement is such that the display device included in the child apparatus is fixed to the display device connected to the parent apparatus, and the attachment is configured to fix the display device included in the child apparatus to the display device connected to the parent apparatus, ABDELKARIM, [0031], [0038]-[0040], [0044].
8. SUZUKI and ABDELKARIM disclose the game system according to claim 7, wherein the first image is based on a first virtual camera in a virtual space, and the second image is based on a second virtual camera configured to capture an enlarged image of a position included in a range of view of the first virtual camera, SUZUKI [0128], [0163].
9. SUZUKI and ABDELKARIM disclose the game system according to claim 7, wherein the first image is based on a first virtual camera in a virtual space, and the second image is based on a second virtual camera facing in a direction opposite to a direction in which the first virtual camera faces, SUZUKI [0128], [0163].
10. SUZUKI and ABDELKARIM disclose the game system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors of the child apparatus are further configured to transmit, to the parent apparatus, second operation data based on an input to an operation device included in or connected to the child apparatus, and the one or more processors of the parent apparatus are further configured to execute a game process based on the second operation data, SUZUKI [0174], [0202].
11-20. SUZUKI and ABDELKARIM disclose a game processing method performed on an information processing system, wherein the information processing system includes a plurality of information processing apparatuses, and an attachment configured to fix at least one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses in an arrangement, at least one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses serves as a parent apparatus, and the other information processing apparatuses serve as a child apparatus, the parent apparatus are configured to at least communicate with at least one of the child apparatuses, obtain first operation data based on an input to an operation device included in or connected to the parent apparatus, execute a game process based on at least the first operation data, generate a first image and at least one second image based on the game process, output the first image to a display device included in or connected to the parent apparatus, and transmit the at least one second image to the at least one child apparatus, respectively, and each child apparatus is configured to at least communicate with the parent apparatus, and output the second image received from the parent apparatus to a display device included in or connected to the child apparatus as similarly discussed above.
Relevant Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Please see attached USPTO form PTO-892.
Filing of New or Amended Claims
The examiner has the initial burden of presenting evidence or reasoning to explain why persons skilled in the art would not recognize in the original disclosure a description of the invention defined by the claims. See Wertheim, 541 F.2d at 263, 191 USPQ at 97 (“[T]he PTO has the initial burden of presenting evidence or reasons why persons skilled in the art would not recognize in the disclosure a description of the invention defined by the claims.”). However, when filing an amendment an applicant should show support in the original disclosure for new or amended claims. See MPEP § 714.02 and § 2163.06 (“Applicant should specifically point out the support for any amendments made to the disclosure.”). Please see MPEP 2163 (II) 3. (b)
Correspondence
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SENG H LIM whose telephone number is (571)270-3301. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday (9-5).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Xuan Thai can be reached at (571) 272-7147. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Seng H Lim/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3715
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