Prior art — US Patent 10403051

Analysis of Prior Art Cited in US Patent 10,403,051

This analysis details the prior art references cited during the prosecution of US Patent 10,403,051. Each reference is examined for its potential to anticipate the independent claims (1 and 14) of the '051 patent under 35 U.S.C. § 102. The core inventive concept of the '051 patent is the use of a derived "interference" (constructive or destructive) among real and virtual scene elements to determine the presence and characteristics of AR objects.

1. US Patent Application Publication 2010/0257252 A1 (Dougherty et al.)

Full Citation: US 2010/0257252 A1, "Augmented Reality Cloud Computing," filed by Dougherty et al. on April 1, 2009.
Brief Description: Dougherty discloses a system where an AR device captures data about its surroundings and sends it to a cloud computing platform. The platform analyzes the data to determine a context and provides relevant "overlay information" back to the device. This system uses context (e.g., location, time, user identity) to filter and select AR content.
Anticipation Analysis:
- Relation to Claims: Dougherty teaches many elements of claims 1 and 14, including a hosting platform receiving scene data from a mobile device, recognizing objects, and determining a context to provide relevant AR objects. The '051 patent itself cites Dougherty as a relevant context-based system (Column 13, lines 52-58).
- Missing Element: Dougherty does not explicitly teach or suggest the concept of "interference" among scene elements, where attributes of different objects combine constructively or destructively to modulate the presence or appearance of an AR object. Dougherty's system is primarily a filtering and selection mechanism based on a determined context, rather than a dynamic interplay of element properties. Therefore, it does not fully anticipate the claims.

2. US Patent Application Publication 2009/0167787 A1 (Bathiche et al.)

Full Citation: US 2009/0167787 A1, "Augment Reality and Filtering," filed by Bathiche et al. on December 28, 2007.
Brief Description: Bathiche describes a system where virtual data is overlaid on a real-world view. Crucially, it discusses that the virtual data can be "filtered, ranked, modified, or ignored" based on a context. The system aims to provide a more relevant and less cluttered user experience by managing which AR content is displayed.
Anticipation Analysis:
- Relation to Claims: Similar to Dougherty, Bathiche teaches the core ideas of a context-aware AR system that receives data, understands the environment, and presents filtered virtual information. This aligns with the initial steps of claims 1 and 14.
- Missing Element: The '051 patent's background section explicitly distinguishes its invention from Bathiche, stating that prior art "fails to appreciate that objects within an environment or scene can interfere with each other" (Column 4, lines 43-46). While Bathiche's filtering and ranking could be seen as a primitive form of suppressing or enhancing content, it is not described as a result of "interference" derived from the combined properties of multiple scene elements. The metaphor of constructive/destructive interference as a calculation method is absent. Thus, Bathiche does not anticipate the claims.

3. US Patent Application Publication 2006/0047704 A1 (Gopalakrishnan)

Full Citation: US 2006/0047704 A1, "Method and System for Providing Information Service Relevant to Visual Imagery," filed by Gopalakrishnan on August 30, 2005.
Brief Description: This publication details a system that captures visual imagery, identifies objects within it, and provides information services related to those objects based on a derived context. It focuses on using object recognition to link real-world items to relevant digital information or services.
Anticipation Analysis:
- Relation to Claims: Gopalakrishnan teaches the foundational steps of receiving an image (a digital representation of a scene), recognizing objects, and using context to provide relevant information. This covers several elements of claims 1 and 14.
- Missing Element: Like the other references, Gopalakrishnan's system is based on a direct link between a recognized object, its context, and the information provided. It does not disclose a system where the properties of multiple objects in the scene dynamically "interfere" to collectively determine the AR output. The central "interference" limitation of the claims is not taught.

4. US Patent 7,529,639 B2 (Raisanen et al.)

Full Citation: US 7,529,639 B2, "Location-Based Novelty Index Value and Recommendation System and Method," filed March 4, 2008.
Brief Description: Raisanen describes a system that uses location and an inferred context to generate recommendations for a user. It calculates a "novelty index" to determine if a location or item is new or interesting to a user based on their history and preferences.
Anticipation Analysis:
- Relation to Claims: This patent relates to using context to filter and present information, which is a general theme of the '051 patent. The '051 patent's background acknowledges Raisanen's use of inferred context for recommendations (Column 4, lines 39-43).
- Missing Element: Raisanen's focus is on user-centric novelty and recommendations, not on how multiple real-world and virtual elements within a scene interact with each other. The core concept of "interference" among these elements to enhance or suppress AR content is absent. Therefore, it does not anticipate the claims.

5. US Patent 7,899,915 B2 (Reisman)

Full Citation: US 7,899,915 B2, "Method and Apparatus for Browsing Using Multiple Coordinated Device Sets," filed May 8, 2003.
Brief Description: Reisman discloses a system for coordinating a user's interaction with hypermedia across multiple devices. It allows a user to seamlessly switch between different displays or interfaces while maintaining the state of their browsing session.
Anticipation Analysis:
- Relation to Claims: This reference is cited in the '051 patent to illustrate the state of the art regarding multi-device user experiences (Column 4, lines 47-53). While it involves configuring a device for interaction, its focus is on session management across devices, not on the generation of AR content.
- Missing Element: Reisman is largely irrelevant to the core novelty of the '051 patent. It does not teach object recognition in a scene, context determination from that scene, or the concept of interference-based AR object selection. It clearly does not anticipate claims 1 or 14.