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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zahnert et al. WO 2020/132243.
In regarding to claim 1 Zahnert teaches:
1. (Original) A method, comprising: generating projection data representing a projection of a point on an object in both a world-facing camera and an eye-tracking camera, the world-facing camera and the eye-tracking camera being mounted on a frame of a smartglasses device;
[0228] Camera 2120a, camera 2120b, and camera 2140 are world cameras, as they are oriented to image the physical world as seen by a user wearing headset 2100. In some embodiments, those three cameras may be sufficient to acquire image information about the physical world and those three cameras may be the only world-facing cameras. Headset 2100 may also include additional components, such as eye-tracking cameras, as discussed above with regards to Fig. 3B.
[0252] After starting in block 2201, method 2200 may proceed to block 2210. In block 2210, the processor may identify corresponding features in images acquired from camera 2120a and camera 2120b. The corresponding features may be portions of objects in the physical world. In some embodiments, the objects may be placed by the user within central view field 2150 for calibration purposes and may have features readily identifiable in an image that may have predetermined relative positions. However, a calibration technique as described herein may be performed based on features on objects that are present in the central view field 2150 at the time of calibration, enabling calibration to be repeated during use of the headset 2100. In various embodiments, the processor may be configured to automatically select the features detected within both view field 2121a and view field 2121b. In some embodiments, the processor can be configured to determine a correspondence between the features using estimated locations of the features within view field 2121a and view field 2121b. Such an estimate may be based on the passable world model constructed for the objects containing these features or other information about the features.
Zahnert, 0108, 0227-0229, 0250-0260, 0286-0287 and Fig. 21, emphasis added
calculating a hinge angle about a hinge center between the world-facing camera and the eye-tracking camera based on the projection data,
[0229] Monocular 2110a and monocular 2110b may be mechanically coupled to a support member, such as frame 2101, using techniques such as adhesives, fasteners, or pressure fittings. Similarly, the three cameras and attendant components (e.g., the emitters, inertial measurement units, eye-tracking cameras, etc.) may be mechanically coupled to frame 2101 using techniques such as adhesives, fasteners, pressure fittings, etc. These mechanical couplings may be direct or indirect. For example, one or more camera and/or one or more of the attendant components may be directly attached to frame 2101. As an additional example, one or more cameras and/or one or more of the attendant components may be directly attached to a monocular, which may then be attached to frame 2101. The mechanism of attachment is not intended to be limiting.
Zahnert, 0108, 0227-0229, 0250-0260, 0286-0287 and Fig. 21, emphasis added
the hinge angle indicating a level of deformation of the frame of the smartglasses device;
[0257] In block 2270, the processor may compute an error for the estimated relative orientations of the cameras and the features being compared. In computing this error, the processor may be configured to estimate how the identified features should appear or where the identified features should be located within corresponding images acquired with camera 2120a and camera 2120b based on the estimated relative orientation of camera 2120a and camera 2120b and the estimated locations features being used for calibration. In some embodiments, this estimate may be compared to the appearance or apparent location of the corresponding features in the images acquired with each of the two cameras to generate the error for each of the estimated relative orientations. Such an error may be computed using linear algebraic techniques. For example, the mean square deviation between the computed and actual locations of each of the multiple features within the images may be used as a metric for the error.
Zahnert, 0250-0260, 0286-0287 and Fig. 21, emphasis added
and determining a position of visual content output by a display within a lens of the smartglasses device based on the hinge angle.
[0286] As described above, a processor of an XR system may track objects in the physical world to support rendering of virtual objects realistically with respect to physical objects. Tracking, for example, was described in connection with a movable object, such as a hand of a user of the XR system. Quickly updating the position of a movable object enables realistically rendering virtual objects, as the rendering can reflect occlusion of the physical object by the virtual object or vice versa , or interactions between the virtual object in the physical object. Tracking of a fixed object in the physical world was also described as part of head pose tracking. Determining the head pose of a user enables information in a passable world model to be translated into the frame of reference of the user’s wearable display device such that the information in the passable world model can be used in rendering objects on the wearable display device.
Zahnert, 0108, 0250-0260, 0286-0287 and Fig. 21, emphasis added
In regarding to claim 2 Zahnert teaches:
2. (Original) The method as in claim 1, wherein the projection data is generated via a feature extraction process in the world-facing camera and the eye-tracking camera.
Zahnert, 0250-0260, 0286-0287 and Fig. 21
In regarding to claim 3 Zahnert teaches:
3. (Currently Amended) The method as in claim 1, wherein generating the hinge angle includes: determining whether the hinge angle is observable.
Zahnert, 0250-0260, 0286-0287 and Fig. 21
In regarding to claim 4 Zahnert teaches:
4. (Original) The method as in claim 3, wherein the hinge angle is observable if the point is noncoplanar with a plane defined by the world-facing camera, the eye-tracking camera, and the hinge center.
Zahnert, 0250-0260, 0286-0287 and Fig. 21
In regarding to claim 5 Zahnert teaches:
5. (Currently Amended) The method as in claim 3, wherein the hinge angle is not observable if the projection of the point in the world-facing camera is situated along a line of sight of the world-facing camera.
Zahnert, 0250-0260, 0286-0287 and Fig. 21
Claims 8-12 and 15-19 list all similar elements of claims 1-5, but in a computer program and apparatus form rather than method form. Therefore, the supporting rationale of the rejection to claims 1-5 applies equally as well to claims 8-12 and 15-19.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-7, 13-14 and 20 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.
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
Nattukallingal US 2018/0329209
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL T TEKLE whose telephone number is (571)270-1117. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00-4:30 ET.
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/DANIEL T TEKLE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2481
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