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 § 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 (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 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 9-28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over McClive et al. (hereinafter “McClive”), US Pub. No. 2017/0252645.
Regarding claim 9, McClive teaches an operation device (fig. 1, controller 110), comprising: an analog stick (fig. 1, control stick 111, 112); a connection unit to which the analog stick is connected (fig. 1, control stick system 115, input mechanism 120, control circuitry 130); a storage unit that stores an output value determined in advance and output from the analog stick when the analog stick is at a center point (fig. 2, [0022-0023], storage of calibration data and predetermined mechanical centers data used in calibration); a determination unit that determines, when a plurality of output values from the analog stick are values within a range in which the analog stick is assumed to be at the center point ([0030-0031], qualified resting points, resting actions, determining when the stick has returned to its resting position, and collecting a plurality of resting point samples), an output value having a highest frequency among the plurality of output values (determining a mechanical center from a sequence of qualified resting points associated with control stick 111, wherein many resting points are processed to determine a mechanical center, [0030-0031]; McClive additionally teaches accumulating frequencies of data points in histograms representing populations of control stick samples, and teaches that each histogram exhibits a peak of data indicative of a potential calibration location, [0065-0066], figs. 3, 4); and an update unit that updates, on a basis of the output value determined by the determination unit, the output value stored in the storage unit (determining dynamically calibrated movement data based on the determined mechanical center and providing updated calibration information based on new sample populations, fig. 2, [0022-0023, 0030]).
Although McClive determines the calibration value using an averaging function, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to select the output value associated with the highest frequency occurrence within the disclosed frequency distribution (histogram peak) as an alternative representative calibration value because both approaches utilize the same collected sample population and frequency information to derive a representative center value (see [0030, 0065-0067]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to determine the representative center point value using the output value associated with the highest frequency occurrence within McClive’s taught frequency distributions rather than using the taught averaging function because both are known statistical techniques for deriving a representative value from a population of samples, both utilize the same collected sample data and frequency information taught by McClive, and both predictably improve calibration accuracy by reducing the effect of noise and drift while determining a center calibration value (KSR Int’l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398 (2007)).
Regarding claim 10, McClive teaches wherein, when at least one output value among the plurality of output values from the analog stick is a value outside the range, the determination unit obtains, in place of the plurality of output values, frequencies of a plurality of output values that are newly output from the analog stick ([0022-0023, 0030-0031, 0065-0067]).
Regarding claim 11, McClive teaches wherein when the output value stored in the storage unit is referred to as a first output value ([0022-0023, 0030]).
Regarding claim 12, McClive teaches wherein the output value determined by the determination unit is referred to as a second output value, and wherein the update unit changes the first output value such that the first output value approaches the second output value by an amount smaller than a difference between the first output value and the second output value ([0030, 0066-0067]).
Regarding claim 13, McClive teaches wherein, when the difference between the first output value and the second output value is larger than a predetermined threshold value, the update unit changes the first output value relatively largely ([0030, 0066-0067]).
Regarding claim 14, McClive teaches wherein, when the difference between the first output value and the second output value is equal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold value, the update unit changes the first output value relatively slightly ([0030, 0066-0067]).
Regarding claim 15, McClive teaches wherein the determination unit acquires the output value having a highest frequency when a ratio of the highest frequency is based on the highest frequency (fig. 4, [0065-0066]).
Regarding claim 16, McClive teaches wherein the determination unit acquires the output value having a third highest frequency in a distribution of the plurality of output values when exceeding a predetermined threshold value ([0066-0067]).
Regarding claim 17, McClive teaches wherein the determination unit is a processor ([0020]).
Regarding claim 18, it is a method of claim 1 and is rejected on the same grounds presented above.
Regarding claims 19-26, they have similar limitations to those of claims 10-17 and are rejected on the same grounds presented above.
Regarding claim 27, it is a non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 and is rejected on the same grounds presented above.
Regarding claim 28, it has similar limitations to those of claim 10 and is rejected on the same grounds presented above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Riccomini et al. (US Pub. No. 2004/0222965) teaches joystick calibration.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KENNETH B LEE JR whose telephone number is (571)270-3147. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 9am-5pm.
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/KENNETH B LEE JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2625
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