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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and TrademarkOffice
`Address; COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`
`16/429,625
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`06/03/2019
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`JUNICHI MORITA
`
`731456.524C1
`
`1975
`
`Seed IP Law Group LLP/Panasonic (PIPCA)
`701 5th Avenue, Suite 5400
`Seattle, WA 98104
`
`HAMMOND,DEDET KHALIEAH
`
`2844
`
`02/05/2020
`
`ELECTRONIC
`
`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
`
`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e-mail address(es):
`USPTOeAction @ SeedIP.com
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`pairlinkdktg @seedip.com
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
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`

`

`
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`1-9 is/are pending in the application.
`)
`Claim(s)
`5a) Of the above claim(s) ___ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`CL) Claim(s)
`is/are allowed.
`Claim(s) 1-2 and 7-9 is/are rejected.
`Claim(s) 3-6 is/are objectedto.
`C) Claim(s)
`are subjectto restriction and/or election requirement
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you maybeeligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`http:/Awww.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.
`
`) ) ) )
`
`Application Papers
`10)() The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)M The drawing(s) filed on 6/3/2019 is/are: a)M accepted or b)(] 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).
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`12)[¥) Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d)or (f).
`Certified copies:
`c)() None ofthe:
`b)( Some**
`a)) All
`1.4) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.1) Certified copies of the priority documents have beenreceived in Application No.
`3.2.) Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
`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.
`
`Attachment(s)
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`1)
`
`Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
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`Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`2)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
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`3) (J Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`(Qj Other:
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`4)
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`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
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`Office Action Summary
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`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20200201
`
`Application No.
`Applicant(s)
`16/429,625
`MORITAetal.
`
`Office Action Summary Art Unit|AIA (FITF) StatusExaminer
`DEDEI K HAMMOND
`2844
`Yes
`
`
`
`-- The MAILING DATEofthis communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available underthe provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply betimely filed after SIX (6) MONTHSfrom 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) MONTHSfrom 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, evenif timely filed, may reduce any earned patent term
`adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
`
`Status
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`1) Responsive to communication(s) filed on 6/3/2019.
`LC} A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiled on
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`2a)(J This action is FINAL. 2b))This action is non-final.
`3) An election was madeby the applicant in responseto a restriction requirement set forth during the interview
`on
`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
`4\(Z Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quayle, 1935 C.D. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/429,625
`Art Unit: 2844
`
`Page 2
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`Notice of Pre-AlA or AIA Status
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`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first
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`inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
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`Information Disclosure Statement
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`The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03 June 2019 is in compliance with the
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`provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statementis being considered by the
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`examiner.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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`In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102
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`and 103 (or as subject to pre-AlA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory
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`basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground ofrejection if the prior art relied upon, and
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`the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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`The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections
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`set forth in this Office action:
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`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 ordinaryskill in the art to which the
`claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention
`was made.
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`This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the
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`examiner presumesthat the subject matter of the various claims was commonly ownedas of the
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`effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised
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`of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that
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`was not commonly ownedas of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/429,625
`Art Unit: 2844
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`Page 3
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`to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art
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`against the later invention.
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`Claim 1-2 and 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over De Prycker et
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`al. (Pub. No.: US); hereinafter referred to as “De Prycker”, in view of Regler et al. (Pub. No.: US
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`2014/0184386); hereinafter referred to as “Regler”.
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`Regarding Claim 1, De Prycker teaches, in Figures 2-4 and 6, a communication control device
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`comprising: a performance position determiner (604) that determines positions of the slave devices
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`([0042]); and a performance controller (604) that transmits, to each of the slave devices,a first control
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`command that controls the light emission state of the light emitter in order to display the information at
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`a plurality of positions between the first zone and the second zone ([0044]).
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`De Prycker does not explicitly teach zones. Regler, in the same field of endeavor, teaches a
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`communication control device comprising (see Figures 1-3) determining zones (A-E) in which
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`information is displayed by light emitters (36) included in a plurality of slave devices (10) ([0042]). Prior
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`to the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the
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`communication control device as taught by De Prycker to include determining zones for the information
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`to be displayed bythe light emitters as taught by Regler, to allow the control device to target banks of
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`slave devices on a selective sectional basis (Regler, [0042]).
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`Regarding Claim 2, De Prycker teaches the communication control device according to Claim 1,
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`wherein the information is in the form ofa still image ([0057]).
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`De Prycker does not explicitly teach zones. Regler, in the same field of endeavor, teaches a
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`communication control device comprising (see Figures 1-3) determining zones (A-E) in which
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`information is displayed by light emitters (36) included in a plurality of slave devices (10) ([0042]). Prior
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`to the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the
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`communication control device as taught by De Prycker to include determining zonesfor the information
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/429,625
`Art Unit: 2844
`
`Page 4
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`to be displayed bythe light emitters as taught by Regler, to allow the control device to target banks of
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`slave devices on a selective sectional basis (Regler, [0042]).
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`Regarding Claim 7, De Prycker teaches the communication control device according to claim 1,
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`wherein the performance controller transmits control commands ([0044]). De Prycker does not explicitly
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`teach the control commands being sent at predetermined regular intervals. Regler, in the same field of
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`endeavor, teaches a communication control device comprising (see Figures 1-3) transmitting control
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`command at predetermined regular intervals ([0050]). Prior to the effective filing date, it would have
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`been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the communication control device as taught by
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`De Prycker to include transmitting control command at predetermined regular intervals as taught by
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`Regler, to synchronize the emitted light with an audio source (Regler, [0050]).
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`Regarding Claim 8, De Prycker, in view of Regler, does not explicitly teach the communication
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`control device according to Claim 1, wherein the first zone is an initial zone in which the information is
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`displayedfirst, and the second zone is a final zone in which the information is displayed last. However,
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`prior to the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify
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`the communication control device as taught by De Prycker (as modified by Regler) to specify the first
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`zone as the initial zone and the second zone as the last zone that the information is displayed, since the
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`initial and last zones would be a mere matter of design choice.
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`Regarding Claim 9, De Prycker teaches, in Figures , a communication control system comprising:
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`a communication control device (604); at least one master device connected to the communication
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`control device; and a plurality of slave devices (200) wirelessly connected to the at least one master
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`device, each of the slave devices including a light emitter (202), wherein the communication control
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`device includes a performance position determiner that determines position of the slave devices
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`([0042]) and further includes a performance controller (604) that transmits, to each of the slave devices,
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`a first control commandthat controls the light emission state of the light emitter in order to display the
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/429,625
`Art Unit: 2844
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`Page 5
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`information at a plurality of positions ([0044]), and wherein each of the slave devices controls the light
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`emission state of the light emitter on a basis of the first control command received via the at least one
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`master device ([0014]).
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`De Prycker does not explicitly teach zones. Regler, in the same field of endeavor, teaches a
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`communication control device comprising (see Figures 1-3) determining zones (A-E) in which
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`information is displayed by light emitters (36) included in a plurality of slave devices (10) (see Figures 2-
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`3, [0042]). Prior to the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to one of ordinaryskill in the art
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`to modify the communication control device as taught by De Prycker to include determining zonesfor
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`the information to be displayed by the light emitters as taught by Regler, to allow the control device to
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`target banks of slave devices on a selective sectional basis (Regler, [0042]).
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`Allowable Subject Matter
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`Claims 3-6 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be
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`allowable if rewritten in independent form includingall of the limitations of the base claim and any
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`intervening claims.
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`Conclusion
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner
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`should be directed to DEDEI K. HAMMOND whosetelephone numberis (571)270-7938. The examiner
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`can normally be reached on M to F, 8am - 4pm.
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`Examiner interviewsare available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a
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`USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use
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`the USPTO Automated Interview Request(AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/429,625
`Art Unit: 2844
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`Page 6
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor,
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`Alexander Taningco can be reached on 28048. The fax phone numberfor the organization wherethis
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`application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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`Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application
`
`Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained
`
`from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available
`
`through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see https://ppair-
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`my.uspto.gov/pair/PrivatePair. Should you have questions on accessto the Private PAIR system, contact
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`the Electronic 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 system, call 800-786-
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`9199 (IN USA OR CANADA)or 571-272-1000.
`
`/DEDEI K HAMMOND/
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2844
`
`