Obviousness

Obviousness Analysis of US Patent 10664070 under 35 U.S.C. § 103

This analysis identifies combinations of prior art references that would render the claims of US patent 10664070 obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) at the time of the invention (priority date of June 8, 2002). The core inventive concept of US10664070 relates to an input system using a stylus emitting electromagnetic radiation and a sensor array to determine the three-dimensional (3D) position of the stylus, which then controls the data displayed on a device, particularly for navigation functions like zooming.

Claim 1 Breakdown

Claim 1, an independent claim, describes an interactive device comprising:

1. A stylus for emitting a beam of electromagnetic radiation.
2. A display screen in a housing, displaying selectable icons and forming a touch-sensitive display plane.
3. A sensor array in the housing, forming a sensitive layer proximate to the display screen, configured to detect at least a portion of the emitted beam.
4. A processing unit configured to:
   • Receive an output signal from the sensor array.
   • Determine the output signal corresponds to a distribution pattern of electromagnetic radiation.
   • Determine a 3D position of the stylus relative to the device based on the distribution pattern.
   • Determine the 3D position corresponds to a selectable icon.
   • Determine a portion of the output signal corresponds to a selection function.
   • Execute a function related to the selectable icon based on the selection function.

Combination of Prior Art References

A combination of US20020097222A1 to Nishino (hereinafter "Nishino") and US5231381A to U.S. Philips Corp. (hereinafter "Philips") renders Claim 1 of US10664070 obvious.

Primary Reference: US20020097222A1 to Nishino

Nishino, with a priority date of January 25, 2001, predates the priority date of US10664070 (June 8, 2002) and therefore qualifies as prior art. Nishino discloses a computer system with an optical pointing device (stylus) that addresses most elements of Claim 1:

• A stylus for emitting a beam of electromagnetic radiation: Nishino describes an "optical pointing device" having a "light emitting element for emitting light". This device functions as a stylus emitting a beam of electromagnetic radiation.
• A display screen ... and a sensor array ... configured to detect at least a portion of the beam of electromagnetic radiation incident on the display screen: Nishino teaches a "display screen" where "a number of light sensors are provided to detect the light from the light emitting element". This corresponds to a sensor array forming a sensitive layer proximate to the display screen.
• A processing unit configured to: receive an output signal from the sensor array; determine the output signal from the sensor array corresponds to a distribution pattern of electromagnetic radiation; and determine a three-dimensional position of the stylus relative to the interactive device based on the distribution pattern: Nishino's "controller obtains two dimensional coordinates of a pointing position and three dimensional coordinates (the distance) of the light emitting element based on detection results from the light receiving element and the light sensors". The "detection results" from an array of light sensors inherently represent a "distribution pattern" of the incident electromagnetic radiation. Determining the 3D position (including distance, or Z-coordinate) from these detection results directly teaches determining the 3D position based on this distribution pattern.
• Determine the three-dimensional position of the stylus corresponds to a first selectable icon ... determine at least a portion of the output signal corresponds to a selection function ... and execute, based on the selection function, a function related to the first selectable icon: Nishino's system is a "computer system with optical pointing device" that detects a "pointing position" on a display screen and provides this information to a "controller". A POSITA would readily understand that such a system is designed for interacting with a graphical user interface (GUI), where a pointing device's position corresponds to selectable icons, and inputs (such as a 'click' or a specific movement) trigger selection functions to execute related actions.

Secondary Reference: US5231381A to U.S. Philips Corp.

Philips, with a priority date of October 2, 1989, also qualifies as prior art. Philips discloses a "data processing system with a touch screen and a digitizing tablet, both integrated in an input device".

• Display screen ... forming a touch-sensitive display plane: Philips explicitly teaches a "touch screen" as part of a data processing system.

Motivation to Combine Nishino and Philips

A POSITA, seeking to develop a versatile and user-friendly input system for electronic devices, would have been motivated to combine the teachings of Nishino and Philips. While Nishino provides a sophisticated 3D optical pointing system, the inclusion of a "touch-sensitive display plane" as recited in Claim 1 is a common feature in electronic devices, especially those requiring flexible input methods. It would have been obvious to a POSITA to integrate a touch-sensitive display (as taught by Philips) with Nishino's optical 3D pointing system for several reasons:

1. Redundancy and Flexibility: Providing both 3D non-contact optical input and traditional touch input would offer users greater flexibility and redundancy, catering to different interaction preferences or scenarios.
2. Conventional Interaction: Touch screens were a widely adopted technology for interacting with GUIs on electronic devices. Integrating a touch-sensitive display would allow for conventional "direct manipulation" alongside the novel 3D interaction.
3. Enhanced User Experience: A POSITA would recognize that having a touch-sensitive surface, in addition to the 3D optical tracking, could simplify certain interactions or provide a fallback for situations where non-contact input might be less precise or convenient.

Therefore, combining the touch-sensitive display of Philips with the optical 3D pointing system of Nishino would have been a straightforward and desirable design choice for a POSITA seeking to create a comprehensive input system.

Obviousness of Dependent Claims

Claims 7 and 11, which are dependent on Claim 1, further specify the method of determining the 3D position based on the distribution pattern:

• Claim 7: "wherein the processing unit is further configured to: determine the distribution pattern indicates an elliptical eccentricity; and determine an angle of the stylus relative to the display screen based on the elliptical eccentricity."
• Claim 11: "wherein the processing unit is further configured to: determine at least one of an area of the distribution pattern or an intensity of the portion of the beam of electromagnetic radiation incident on the display screen; and wherein, when the processor determines the three-dimensional position of the stylus, the processor further determines the three-dimensional position of the stylus relative to the interactive device based on at least one of the area of the distribution pattern or the intensity of the beam of electromagnetic radiation."

While Nishino broadly teaches determining Z-distance from optical detection results, it does not explicitly detail the use of "elliptical eccentricity," "area," or "intensity" of a conical beam for this purpose. However, these specific techniques would have been obvious implementations for a POSITA given the fundamental principles of optics:

• Optical Principles for 3D Determination: The geometrical relationship between the shape (e.g., elliptical eccentricity) of a light spot, its area, and its intensity on a sensing surface, when originating from a light source (like a conical beam from a stylus) at a certain distance and angle, is a well-known principle in optics and metrology. For instance, it is known that the eccentricity of a conic section formed by a beam striking a plane is a function of the angle of incidence. Similarly, the area and intensity of a conical beam's footprint on a surface are directly related to the distance from the source.
• Motivation for Implementation: A POSITA, seeking to implement the Z-distance determination taught by Nishino, would be motivated to employ these well-understood optical principles to precisely calculate the stylus's distance and angle relative to the display. Designing the stylus to emit a conical beam and configuring the processing unit to analyze the area, intensity, and shape (eccentricity) of the incident light pattern would be routine engineering choices to achieve accurate 3D position sensing. This would be considered an obvious optimization based on existing optical knowledge to fulfill the general teaching of 3D position determination.

Therefore, the specific methods for 3D position determination recited in Claims 7 and 11, when read in conjunction with Nishino and Philips, and supplemented by a POSITA's general knowledge of optics, would also be rendered obvious.