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 .
Claims 1-20 are presented for examination.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 5 is/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.
Independent claims 1 recite an operation without invoking a knuckle recognition algorithm; and claim 5 recite skip invoking a knuckle recognition algorithm and invoking knuckle recognition algorithm. However, claim limitation nor applicant specification fails to show how knuckle recognition is performed to distinguish it from finger touch input recognition. For example, Paragraph 0040 recites “when the pressure value of the touch operation is less than or equal to the preset pressure threshold, this touch operation is considered as an operation that may be a knuckle operation. When the pressure value is greater than the preset pressure threshold, it is directly considered that this touch operation is not a knuckle operation. Therefore, a touch operation that cannot be a knuckle operation is further filtered based on the pressure value corresponding to the screen touch operation,”. However, said pressure value of the touch operation can be performed via finger touch or any other touch method other than knuckle operation that can impart pressure value of the touch operation that is less than or equal to or greater than the preset pressure threshold. Therefore, current claimed application fails to clearly recite/disclose how claimed knuckle operation is distinguished from other touch operation in order to determine touch operation is a knuckle operation using knuckle recognition algorithm. Thus due to dependance of dependent claims 2-4 and 6-20 to above rejected independent claims 1 and 5; all claims 1-20 also rejected same.
The office suggests clarification of knuckle operation using knuckle recognition algorithm. Applicant need to show how or what prosses is used to determine knuckle operation, and what makes knuckle operation different from other touch/finger input operation exerting pressure value that can be distinguished using (knuckle) recognition algorithm. Since touch input operation on touch surface does exsert pressure value that can be sensed; examiner suggest clarification as to the difference between pressure level or a knuckle operation and finger or nail or etc. operation.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sohn et al (PG Pub NO 2014/0267100) in view of Karunamuni et al (PG Pub NO 2020/0142548).
As in claim 1, Sohn et al discloses a touch operation processing method applied to an
electronic device (Fig 2, 5-6), wherein the method comprises:
receiving a first operation of a user (Fig 6 step S101);
presenting a first interface of a first application in response to the first operation, wherein the first interface comprises a first region and a second region, and wherein the first region is a distribution region (Fig 6, 8, 13, 15A, 16 and Par 0141, 0150-0151) discloses [0141] The controller 180 may execute a function corresponding to the sensed touch pattern (S 103). Further discloses when the user applies an input (i.e. first operation) on touch screen the controller displays content(s) divided into different regions (i.e. first region and a second region; (see fig 8b, 15a, 16)) wherein one region (Fig 8 item P2), Fig 13b item P5 & Fig 16 item c1) is a distribution region corresponding to an input method in the first interface
receiving a second operation of the user in the first region; and presenting input information of the user in the first region in response to the second operation without invoking a knuckle recognition algorithm to perform recognition processing on the second operation. (Fig 15 and Par 0181-0182) discloses [0181] Referring to FIG. 15(a), when the user bends a finger and touches the touchscreen 151 with the knuckle F16 of the finger, the controller 180 may display a pop-up window P6 related to image insertion on the touchscreen 151. [0182] Referring to FIG. 15(b), upon reception of the touch input applied using the fingertip F17, the controller 180 may recognize the touch input as an input signal for selecting a menu of the pop-up window P6. For example, when the user touches `image` with the fingertip F17, the controller 180 may enter a gallery application for image insertion to select an image to be inserted. FIG. 15(c) illustrates a predetermined inserted image i2.
But fails to disclose the first region is a distribution region of a keyboard. However, Karunamuni et al (Fig 5A6, 5A7 and Par 0242) discloses receiving first operation (Fig 5A6 item 5024) and presenting first interface of a first application (Fig 5A7 item 5008/5014) wherein the first interface comprises a first region (5020) and a second region (5016) and wherein the first region is a distribution region of a keyboard (Fig 5A7 item 5020). Therefore, it would have been obvious to an ordinary skill person in the art at the time of the filing to modify Sohn et al with the teaching of Karunamuni et al wherein the first region is a distribution region of an input area capable of displaying different input methods such as keyboard in order to provide the user different input operation methods that is dependent on selected operation.
As in claim 2, Sohn et al in view of Karunamuni et al discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a third operation of the user in the second region; and invoking the knuckle recognition algorithm to recognize the third operation to obtain a recognition result of the third operation. (Sohn et al; Fig 16)
As in claim 3, Sohn et al in view of Karunamuni et al discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a fourth operation of the user; switching the first interface to a second interface in response to the fourth operation, wherein the second interface does not comprise the first region; receiving a fifth operation of the user in the second interface; and invoking the knuckle recognition algorithm to recognize the fifth operation to obtain a recognition result of the fifth operation. (Sohn et al; Fig 16) discloses via different (fourth) operation the first interface changes to an another (second) interface wherein the second interface does not comprise the first region and receives different operation of the user via knuckle.
As in claim 4, Sohn et al in view of Karunamuni et al discloses the method of claim 2, further comprising determining whether to invoke the knuckle recognition algorithm processing on a received operation, wherein determining whether to invoke the knuckle recognition algorithm to perform recognition processing on the received operation comprises: determining a value of a first identifier corresponding to the received operation, wherein the first identifier indicates whether to skip invoking the knuckle recognition algorithm; responsive to the first identifier having a first value, not invoking the knuckle recognition algorithm to perform recognition processing on the received operation; and responsive to the first identifier having a second value, invoking the knuckle recognition algorithm to perform recognition processing on the received operation. (Fig 5, Fig 6 and Par 0124-0142) discloses [0124] The touch patterns of the touch inputs received through the touchscreen 151 may include at least one of a touch with a fingertip (FIG. 5(a)), a touch with a nail (FIG. 5(b)) and a touch with a knuckle of a bent finger (FIG. 5(c)). That is, the user may touch the touchscreen 151 with different portions of a finger to execute different functions respectively corresponding to points respectively touched by the different portions of the finger.[0125] The controller 180 may sense a touch pattern of a touch input through the sensing unit 140 and execute a function corresponding to the sensed touch pattern. The function corresponding to the touch pattern may be previously stored in the memory. Otherwise, the function corresponding to the touch pattern may be set by the user. [0128] Touch inputs received through the touchscreen 151 may be applied with different portions of a finger of the user. For example, the user may touch the touchscreen 151 with a fingertip (FIG. 5(a)), a nail (FIG. 5(b)) or a knuckle (FIG. 5(c)). [0132] Furthermore, the sensing unit 140 can discriminate the touch patterns based on contact areas between the touch patterns and the touchscreen 151, pressures of the touch patterns, intensities of the touch patterns, etc. [0135] Vibration characteristics may be varied according to a portion of a finger, which comes into contact with the touchscreen… The controller 180 can discriminate a case in which the user touches the touchscreen 151 with a fingertip, nail or with a knuckle of a bent finger by different acceleration values and touch intensities in the respective cases. [0141] The controller 180 may execute a function corresponding to the sensed touch pattern (S 103). Thus, the controller can invoke or skip invoking the knuckle recognition based on responsive to a value of a identifier corresponding to the received operation.
As in claim 20, Sohn et al discloses an electronic device (Fig 2 item 100), comprising: one or more memories (Fig 1 item 160) storing a computer program comprising instructions [0079] The memory 160 may store a program for operations of the controller;
and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and configured to execute the instructions to configure the electronic device to perform operations (Fig 1 items 180, 160 and Par 0087) [0087] the software codes may be stored in the memory 160 and executed by the controller 180.comprising:
receiving a first operation of a user; (Fig 6 step S101)
presenting a first interface of a first application in response to the first operation, wherein the first interface comprises a first region and a second region, and wherein the first region is a distribution region of a (Fig 6, 8, 13, 15A, 16 and Par 0141, 0150-0151) discloses [0141] The controller 180 may execute a function corresponding to the sensed touch pattern (S 103). Further discloses when the user applies an input (i.e. first operation) on touch screen the controller displays content(s) divided into different regions (i.e. first region and a second region; (see fig 8b, 15a, 16)) wherein one region (Fig 8 item P2), Fig 13b item P5 & Fig 16 item c1) is a distribution region corresponding to an input method in the first interface;
receiving a second operation of the user in the first region; and presenting input information of the user in the first region in response to the second operation, without invoking a knuckle recognition algorithm to perform recognition processing on the second operation. (Fig 15 and Par 0181-0182) discloses [0181] Referring to FIG. 15(a), when the user bends a finger and touches the touchscreen 151 with the knuckle F16 of the finger, the controller 180 may display a pop-up window P6 related to image insertion on the touchscreen 151. [0182] Referring to FIG. 15(b), upon reception of the touch input applied using the fingertip F17, the controller 180 may recognize the touch input as an input signal for selecting a menu of the pop-up window P6. For example, when the user touches `image` with the fingertip F17, the controller 180 may enter a gallery application for image insertion to select an image to be inserted. FIG. 15(c) illustrates a predetermined inserted image i2.
But fails to disclose the first region is a distribution region of a keyboard. However, Karunamuni et al (Fig 5A6, 5A7 and Par 0242) discloses receiving first operation (Fig 5A6 item 5024) and presenting first interface of a first application (Fig 5A7 item 5008/5014) wherein the first interface comprises a first region (5020) and a second region (5016) and wherein the first region is a distribution region of a keyboard (Fig 5A7 item 5020). Therefore, it would have been obvious to an ordinary skill person in the art at the time of the filing to modify Sohn et al with the teaching of Karunamuni et al wherein the first region is a distribution region of an input area capable of displaying different input methods such as keyboard in order to provide the user different input operation methods that is dependent on selected operation.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sohn et al (PG Pub NO 2014/0267100).
As in claim 5, Sohn et al discloses a touch operation processing method applied to an electronic device (Fig 2, 5-6), wherein the method comprises:
receiving a first touch operation of a user; (Fig 6 item 101)
detecting the first touch operation to obtain a number of touch points corresponding to the first touch operation; (Fig 11 and Par 0163) Referring to FIG. 11(a), the user may apply a touch input by tapping the initial screen displayed on the touchscreen 151 with the nails of two fingers F10 and F11.
generating a first identifier based on the number of touch points, wherein the first identifier indicates whether to skip invoking a knuckle recognition algorithm; [0164] The controller 180 may sense the touch pattern of the touch input applied when the initial screen is displayed on the touchscreen 151 and execute a function of display a group of recently used applications when the sensed touch pattern corresponds to a touch pattern input according to the nails of two fingers (FIG. 11(b)).
responsive to the first identifier having a first value, not invoking, by the electronic device, the knuckle recognition algorithm to perform recognition processing on the first touch operation; [0164] The controller 180 may sense the touch pattern of the touch input applied when the initial screen and execute a function of display a group of recently used applications when the sensed touch pattern
and responsive to the first identifier having a second value, invoking, by the electronic device, the knuckle recognition algorithm to perform recognition processing on the first touch operation. (Fig 9) discloses number of touch input wherein the touch input having different identifier value (see Par 0125, 0135) wherein one of the input would be knuckle operation that would obviously invoke knuckle recognition to perform recognition processing on the first touch operation. Therefore, it would have been obvious to an ordinary skill person in the art at the time of the filing when device controller determines knuckle operation the system would invoke knuckle recognition to perform/excite user selection input on said device.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 6-19 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BENYAM KETEMA whose telephone number is (571)270-7224. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM (M-F).
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/BENYAM KETEMA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2626
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