DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/27/2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY BINOCULAR VISUAL FUNCTION TRAINING SYSTEM PROVIDING DIFFERENT TRANSPARENCY OF OBJECT FOR RIGHT EYE AND LEFT EYE
Claim Objections
Claims 1-6 are objected to because of the following informalities:
As per claims 1-2 and 5-6, the limitation “the first and second display devices” should be “the first display device and the second display [[devices]] device”.
As per claim 3, the limitation “the first or second display device” should be “the first display device or the second display device”.
As per claim 4, the limitation “the first and second cameras” should be “the first and the second cameras”, “the first and second images” should be “the first and the second images”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention of claim 6 is directed to non-statutory subject matter, a program per se.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 3 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 3 recites the limitation "the user’s eye", “the transparency of the object“, “the eye”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim.
Claim 4 recites the limitation " the user' s field of vision", “the transparency of a region of the object“, “the first or second image”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim.
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 and 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Worley (US 9766462).
As per claim 1, Worley discloses a visual function training system (Abstract; Fig. 1, #100) comprising:
a first display device (Fig. 3, #102) configured to display an image to one eye of a user (col. 3, line 64-col. 4, line 26);
a second display device (#102) configured to display an image to an opposite eye of the user (col. 4, line 37-52; col. 5, line 16-31); and
a display control unit configured to control an object to be operated by the user, which is displayed on the first and second display devices, to have different transparencies on the first and second display devices (col. 4, line 7-26; col. 5, line 16-31; col. 6, line 26-39).
As per claim 2, Worley discloses the visual function training system according to claim 1, wherein:
the object is a virtual object (col. 4, line 14-25); and
the display control unit displays the object on the first and second display devices so that the object is displayed in three dimensions to the user and with different transparencies on the first and second display devices (col. 4, line 8-25; col. 5, line 16-34; col. 6, line 9-36).
As per claim 5, Worley discloses a computer executing a step of controlling an object to be operated by a user (col. 6, line 26-39), which is displayed on a first display device (Fig. 3, #102) that displays an image to one eye of the user and on a second display device (#102) that displays an image to an opposite eye of the user, to have different transparencies on the first and second display devices (col. 3, line 64-col. 4, line 26; col. 4, line 37-52; col. 5, line 16-31).
As per claim 6, Worley discloses a program for causing a computer to execute a step of controlling an object to be operated by a user (col. 6, line 26-39; col. 13, line 48-60), which is displayed on a first display device (Fig. 3, #102) that displays an image to one eye of the user and on a second display device (#102) that displays an image to an opposite eye of the user, to have different transparencies on the first and second display devices (col. 3, line 64-col. 4, line 26; col. 4, line 37-52; col. 5, line 16-31).
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.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Worley in view of Hwang (US 20140333521).
As per claim 3, Worley discloses the visual function training system according to claim 1.
However, Worley does not teach a configuration information storage unit that stores information indicating which of the user's eyes has higher visual acuity;
wherein the display control unit controls to increase the transparency of the object displayed on the first or second display device that displays the image to the eye indicated by the information stored in the configuration information storage unit.
Hwang teaches a configuration information storage unit that stores information indicating which of the user's eyes has higher visual acuity ([0043]-[0044]; [0070]);
wherein the display control unit controls to increase the transparency of the object displayed on the first or second display device that displays the image to the eye indicated by the information stored in the configuration information storage unit ([0047] [0049]-[0051]; [0070]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the visual function training system of Worley configured according to Hwang so as to change a display property of the information area based at least in part of the activity of the at least one pupil (Hwang: [0004]).
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Worley in view of Thompson (US 20120086624).
As per claim 4, Worley discloses the visual function training system according to claim 1.
However, Worley does not teach first and second cameras that capture the user's field of vision; and
an image acquisition unit that acquires first and second images captured by the first and second cameras;
wherein the display control unit detects the object from the first and second images and increases the transparency of a region of the object in the first or second image.
Thompson teaches first and second cameras that capture the user' s field of vision ([0028]; [0030]); and
an image acquisition unit that acquires first and second images captured by the first and second cameras ([0028]-[0031]);
wherein the display control unit detects the object from the first and second images and increases the transparency of a region of the object in the first or second image ([0022]-[0025]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have included the cameras disclosed by Thompson to the visual function training system of Worley so as to provide one or more digital cameras disposed on the heads up display to record images of the background.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Nelson Lam whose telephone number is (571)272-8044. The examiner can normally be reached 1pm-9pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ke Xiao can be reached at 571 272-7776. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Nelson Lam/Examiner, Art Unit 2627