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`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria1 Virginia 22313- 1450
`www.uspto.gov
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`APPLICATION NO.
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` F ING DATE
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`FIRST NAMED INVENTOR
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`ATTORNEY DOCKET NO.
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`CONF {MATION NO.
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`14/113,087
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`10/21/2013
`
`Masahiro Setoyama
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`MAT—10603US
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`4446
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`EXAMINER
`RATNERPRESTIA —
`”9’20” —
`7590
`52473
`PO. BOX 980
`DULANEY, KATHLEEN YUAN
`VALLEY FORGE, PA 19482-0980
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`PAPER NUMBER
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`ART UNIT
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`2666
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`NOT *ICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`01/29/2014
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`ELECTRONIC
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`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
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`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
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`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above—indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e—mail address(es):
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`ptocorrespondence @ratnerprestia.c0m
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`PTOL—90A (Rev. 04/07)
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`

`

`
`
`Applicant(s)
`Application No.
` 14/113,087 SETOYAMA ET AL.
`
`Examiner
`Art Unit
`AIA (First Inventor to File)
`Office Action Summary
`
`KATHLEEN Y. DULANEY [SENS 2666
`
`-- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLY IS SET TO EXPIRE g MONTHS FROM THE MAILING DATE OF
`THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available under the provisions of 37 CFR1.136(a).
`after SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, even if timely filed, may reduce any
`earned patent term adjustment. See 37 CFR 1 .704(b).
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`In no event, however, may a reply be timely filed
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`Status
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`1)IZI Responsive to communication(s) filed on 10/21/2013.
`El A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
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`2b)|ZI This action is non-final.
`2a)|:l This action is FINAL.
`3)I:I An election was made by the applicant in response to a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
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`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
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`4)|:| Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
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`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quay/e, 1935 CD. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
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`Disposition of Claims*
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`5)IZI Claim(s) 1-14 is/are pending in the application.
`5a) Of the above claim(s)
`is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`is/are allowed.
`6)I:I Claim(s)
`is/are rejected.
`7)|:| Claim(s)
`8)IZI Claim(s) fl is/are objected to.
`
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`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement.
`9)I:I Claim(s)
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
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`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`
`
`
`
`hit
`:i/wwwusnto. ov/ atentS/init events/
`iindex.‘s orsend an inquiry to PPI-iieedback{®usgtc.00v.
`
`Application Papers
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`10)I:l The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)|Xl The drawing(s) filed on 10/21/2013 is/are: a)IXI accepted or b)|:l objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
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`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
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`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
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`12)IXI Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`Certified copies:
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`a)IZl All
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`b)|:l Some” c)I:l None of the:
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`1.IXI Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.|:l Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.|:| Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
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`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`** See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
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`Attachment(s)
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`
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`3) D Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`1) D Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date.
`.
`.
`2) E Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date
`.
`4) I:I Other:
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`US. Patent and Trademark Office
`PTOL—326 (Rev. 11-13)
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`Office Action Summary
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`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20140117
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/113,087
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`Page 2
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`Art Unit: 2666
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`1.
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`The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent
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`provisions.
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
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`2.
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`35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
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`Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or
`composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent
`therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
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`3.
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`The claimed invention is not directed to patent eligible subject matter. Based
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`upon consideration of all of the relevant factors with respect to the claim as a whole,
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`claims 1-6 and 14 are determined to be directed to an abstract idea. The rationale for
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`this determination is explained below: There is no recitation/ insufficient recitation of a
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`machine or transformation, and the claim is a mere statement of a general concept (the
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`use of the concept, as expressed in the method, would effectively grant a monopoly
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`over the concept, and both known and unknown uses 0 the concept are covered, and
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`can be performed through any existing or future devised machinery, or even without any
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`apparatus). A person could carry out all the steps of the method without the use of a
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`machine by registering and replacing characters manually or mentally. Please include a
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`machine/ computer in the process in the body of the claim.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 1 12
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`4.
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`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.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/113,087
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`Page 3
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`Art Unit: 2666
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`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.
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`5.
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`Claims 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA),
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`second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly
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`claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the
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`applicant regards as the invention.
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`6.
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`Claims 1 and 7 recite the limitation "the special characters" in the search
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`character generating clause. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in
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`the claim.
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`7.
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`Claims 2 and 8 recite the limitation "the added special character" in the last
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`clause. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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`1.
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`Claims 1-14 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the
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`Allowable Subject Matter
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`rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA), 2nd paragraph, and
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`under the 35 U.S.C. 101 rejection, set forth in this Office action.
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`2.
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`Claims 1 and 7 contain allowable subject matter regarding reading image
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`information and obtaining character information therefrom, replacing the claimed
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`specific character with the designated character when the character information has the
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`specific character, the replacement information being pre-registered as claimed, and
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`generating read character data using the converted character information when the
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`character information does not include the specific character, then replacing the claimed
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/113,087
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`Page 4
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`Art Unit: 2666
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`predetermined character of the read character data with one special character, further
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`replacing a continued special character group with a special character when the special
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`characters are continued, and generating search character data from the read character
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`data, comparing the search character data with the claimed pre-registered candidate
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`character data and outputting the candidate character string that coincides, as claimed.
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`Conclusion
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to KATHLEEN Y. DULANEY whose telephone number is
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`(571 )272—2902. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday to Thursdays, 9 AM
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`to 5 PM.
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
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`supervisor, Kim Vu can be reached on (571)272-3859. The fax phone number for the
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`organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571 -273-8300.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/113,087
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`Page 5
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`Art Unit: 2666
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`Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the
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`Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for
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`published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR.
`
`Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only.
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`For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should
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`you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic
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`Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a
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`USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information
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`system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
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`/KATHLEEN Y DULANEY/
`
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2666
`1/22/2014
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`