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
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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.
Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(A)(1) as being anticipated by Friesthler et al., U.S. Patent Publication Number 2022/0147225 A1.
Regarding claim 1, Friesthler discloses a virtual space management apparatus comprising: a detector configured to detect a topic for each of a plurality of communities (paragraph 0057, after the topics are identified, the UI modification module may transmit the identified topics for display in the virtual environment (e.g., the office floor plan)), each of which is formed through conversation of two or more avatars present in a virtual space (paragraph 0066, detects whether a verbal conversation has taken place; paragraph 0038, defined topics and data representing a verbal conversation between two or more users in the virtual environment; FIG. 3, Room 1, Room 2, Room 3, Room 4, Room 5; paragraph 0056, room 2; avatars A, B, C are having a conversation; may identify “Microsoft” and “Sentiment Analysis” as topics; also FIG. 11); a specifier configured to specify a destination community from among the plurality of communities, based on a degree of similarity between an interest of a yet-to- be-engaged avatar and the topic for each of the plurality of communities, wherein the yet-to-be-engaged avatar is an avatar that has not participated in any of the plurality of communities (paragraph 0039, specify and provide his/her preference in topics to the computer server; may receive data representing the verbal conversation, and identify topics from the data; paragraph 0058, detect any matches between the identified topics and defined topics provided by the users; paragraph 0040, may determine a relevancy value of each identified topic; FIG. 3; avatar D not yet engaged; FIG. 11, avatars Marina, Jeff and J-Dawg on the outskirts of the communities; paragraph 0073, determines a relevancy value of a topic); and a transferer configured to instantaneously transfer the yet-to-be-engaged avatar to an area where the yet-to-be-engaged avatar can converse with the two or more avatars belonging to the destination community (paragraph 0057, other users participating in the virtual environment (such as the user represented by avatar D in room 4) about the topics being discussed in room 2; enter (virtually) into room 2 and join the conversation).
Regarding claim 2, Friesthler discloses wherein: the detector is configured to detect the topic based on content of the conversation among the two or more avatars belonging to each of the plurality of communities (paragraph 0056, four avatars A, B, C, D, representing users of computing device; conversation takin place between the user represented by the avatars A, B, C), and the specifier is configured to specify the interest of the yet-to-be-engaged avatar based on an action history of the yet-to-be-engaged avatar, attributes of a user corresponding to the yet-to-be-engaged avatar, or both (paragraph 0061, topic relevancy identifier may receive user input (directly, via a database, etc.) from users using and/or having access to the virtual environment, one or more data feeds providing information; paragraph 0086, a user of the computing device may select, identify, etc. one or more topics of interest; paragraph 0087, names and a location with the virtual environment and information about eh conversation such as a timestamp).
Regarding claim 3, Friesthler discloses wherein the specifier is configured to: present to the yet-to-be-engaged avatar a situation of a candidate community to which the yet-to-be-engaged avatar is to be instantaneously transferred, from among the plurality of communities, and specify the candidate community as the destination community based on a permission from the yet-to-be-engaged avatar to participate in the candidate community (paragraph 0058, notify the user of the identified topic; notification may include, for example, the interested topics; a location of the conversation within the virtual environment; and/or a clickable link to the location within the virtual environment; this may encourage users to join the conversation).
Regarding claim 4, Friesthler discloses wherein the transferer is configured to instantaneously transfer the yet-to-be-engaged avatar to the destination community in response to a predetermined action by the yet-to-be-engaged avatar (paragraph 0058, a clickable link to the location within the virtual environment).
Regarding claim 5, Friesthler discloses wherein the transferer is configured to: measure time elapsed since the yet-to-be-engaged avatar started to participate in the destination community, and instantaneously transfer the yet-to-be-engaged avatar from a first location within the area to a second location outside the area, in response to the elapsed time reaching a reference time length (Friesthler paragraph 0062, topic degradation identifier determine whether the relevancy values of the identified topics have degraded; may naturally degrade over time; paragraph 0075, transmitted signal may be used to render a first display configuration on the one or more computing devices; UI modification module may be used to render a second display configuration (different than the first display configuration), which Examiner interprets as inclusive of a first location inside an area to a second location outside an area, in that Friesthler discloses in FIG. 3 and 11, a first location for non-active avatars; paragraph 0077, determine the relevancy of a particular topic one or more additional times after the initial determination; change in the relevancy value may alter the display configuration on the computing devices).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Newell et al., U.S. Patent Number 11,803,579 B2
Newell discloses col. 3, lines 40-4, microphone is operable to acquire a stream of audio (sound) information that is detectable in the proximity of the ongoing social event; col. 5, lines 29-31, audible conversation queue may be presented; using one or more speakers of the augmented reality device and/or a virtual reality display device; col. 5, line 41 animated avatar may be presented; col. 6, lines 24-27, conversation environment with a first person, a second person and a third person conducting a conversation pertaining to some particular topic; col. 23, lines 3-7, preferences of one of the other conversation participants may be used to select from the candidate instances of different conversation support information when multiple anticipated conversation topics may be identified.
Shirai et al., U.S. Patent Publication Number 2023/0254449 A1
Shirai discloses paragraph 0158, a conversation related input is acquired from the user regarding one talk room, the talk data may include the information of the conversation-related input in the talk data; paragraph 0159, may specify a talk theme in the corresponding talk room for each currently formed talk room; paragraph 0160, theme specifying unit may initially specify a talk theme; paragraph 0178; paragraph 0196, when an avatar is presumed to be wandering around without finding a desired talk room is detect, the user extraction unit may extract the avatar as an avatar to be guided; paragraph 0177, the guidance processing unit may determine (extracts) a talk room where a conversation is held on the guidance target talk theme; paragraph 0198, a guidance target talk theme may be determined based on information regarding the user (FIG. 14A); paragraph 0202, when the guidance target talk theme is determined for one user to be guided, the guidance processing unit may perform guidance processing so that the avatar associated with the one user to be guided can easily reach the talk room associated with the guidance target talk theme.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Motilewa Good-Johnson whose telephone number is (571)272-7658. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 6am-2:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jason Chan can be reached at 571-272-3022. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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MOTILEWA . GOOD JOHNSON
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2616
/MOTILEWA GOOD-JOHNSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2619
