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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the read product” in last line should be changed to “the read product information”. Appropriate correction is required.
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 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sato et al. (US 2009/0295749).
Regarding claim 1, Sato teaches a showcase (Fig. 1: commodity showcase 102) capable of storing a product (Fig. 1: commodities 103), the showcase comprising:
a display screen (Fig. 1: display 111; [0020]: “The display 111 includes a long rectangular display panel 112 of a liquid crystal display system”) disposed such that the product is visible (Fig. 1: commodities 103 are visible);
a touch position detection device (Fig. 1: touch panel 113; [0020]: “A touch panel 113 that plays a role as an input unit is stacked and arranged on the display surface 111z of the display panel 112”) configured to detect a touch position (Figs. 2C-2D; Fig. 5: ACT1201, ACT205; Fig. 6: ACT201; [0023]: “The changing mode is a mode in a state in which the display panel 112 changes display content according to touch and designation on the touch panel 113”; [0024]: “FIG. 2C is a diagram of a display example of a popup menu 122 displayed, when the display area 117 in the changing mode is touched and designated, on the display area 117”; [0025]: “FIG. 2D is a diagram of a display example of special display performed on the display area 117 when the sold-out information display button 124 is touched and designated”) on the display screen; and
a controller (Fig. 3: microcomputer 151; [0018]: “The display counter 104 houses a microcomputer 151 (see FIG. 3) serving as an information processing unit in the inside thereof”; [0026]: “FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an electric configuration of the commodity information display apparatus 101. The commodity information display apparatus 101 includes the microcomputer 151 serving as an information processing unit”) configured to register a product associated with the touch position, in accordance with the touch position (Figs. 2C-2D: a specific product’s sold-out status is registered with a designated touch position of the product; Fig. 7B: more options of a specific product’s special information could be selected by a touch to be registered with a designated touch position for the product).
Regarding claim 2, Sato further teaches the showcase according to claim 1, wherein,
the association between the touch position and the product is performed based on a touch position specification region on the display screen (Figs. 2C-2D; Fig. 5; [0024]-[0025]; [0030]-[0033]; [0036]; [0042]-[0044]), and
the touch position specification region is a region set by dividing the display screen into a plurality of areas in accordance with the product (Fig. 1: each display area 117 is a touch position specification region).
Regarding claim 6, Sato further teaches the showcase according to claim 1, wherein,
the controller is configured to acquire an image of a plurality of products in a state of being disposed in the showcase (Fig. 1: image formed of commodity information 118), to specify the plurality of products from the image, to specify a plurality of touch position specification regions (Fig. 1: display areas 117 each corresponding to a product) related to the plurality of products from the image, and to associate the specified plurality of products with the specified plurality of touch position specification regions (Fig. 1).
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 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato et al. (US 2009/0295749) in view of KR 101682576 B1.
Regarding claim 5, Sato further teaches the showcase according to claim 1, wherein,
the association between the touch position and the product is performed based on a touch position specification region on the display screen (Figs. 2C-2D; Fig. 5; [0024]-[0025]; [0030]-[0033]; [0036]; [0042]-[0044])
The differentiating limitation indicates that the product related information is obtained from an external device. The technique is not new, however.
In KR 101682576 B1, it is disclosed in 6th paragraph of page 5 an input device 70 in a form of a smart form for providing product related information/image read by a transceiver on the showcase 1, the information/image is displayed on a designated area of the display panel 20 of the showcase 1.
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious for one ordinary skill in the art to modify the technique of Sato with the technique disclosed in 101682576 B1 enabling an external device, e.g., a smart phone, to provide product related information/image readable by the controller of the showcase for updating/managing what is displayed on the display screen of the showcase to achieve flexibility and convenience of maintaining and managing the product information display on the showcase.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4 are 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 2026/0186648 is related technique disclosed by the same Applicant, but is not eligible as prior art.
EP 2784768 A1 by Lee et al. is related technique for operating a showcase system having a transparent display panel, which receives recognizes a predetermined product,; receives a touch input for a predetermined area of a transparent display panel, and connects information on the predetermined area and information on the predetermined product to store the connected information.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to XUEMEI ZHENG whose telephone number is (571)272-1434. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 9:30 pm-6:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Benjamin Lee can be reached at 571-272-2963. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/XUEMEI ZHENG/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2629
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