DETAILED ACTION
Notice of 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
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
Status of Claims
Claims 1-10, 14-21, and 23-28 are pending.
Claims 1-2 and 27-28 have been amended.
Claims 11-13 and 22 were previously canceled.
Response to Amendment
Rejections Under 35 U.S.C. §103: Claims 1 and 27 have been amended to change the scope of the claimed invention. Specifically, amended claim 1 recites “a plurality of data recording devices” and “a plurality of predefined criteria” which changes the scope of the claimed invention. Applicant notes in remarks filed 08/25/2025 that it was agreed in an interview held on 08/19/2025 that “modifying claim to require multiple sensors and multiple trigger conditions would overcome the current rejection of record, but no formal agreements were made regarding patentability.” However, examiner maintains that after further consideration, the amendments to the independent claims do not overcome the cited prior art. Examiner noted in the interview summary filed 08/22/2025 for interview held on 08/19/2025 that there may be specific combinations of sensors and conditions in applicant’s specification that overcome the cited prior art, but specific combinations have not been recited in the claim limitations. The claims simply require that there are a plurality of sensors and a plurality of criteria. Examiner points to paragraphs [0041], [0048], and [0088] in applicant’s specification as paragraphs that mention different predefined criteria, including position in space, vertical acceleration, horizontal acceleration, speed, and deviation from a flight plan.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 27-28 are objected to because of the following informalities: the “a” in “the a plurality of predefined criteria comprises” should be removed.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-2, 4-6, 8-10, 14, 18-21, 23, and 26-28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koepke (US 20170251096 A1) in view of Kidd et al. (US 20130208111 A1) and Wang et al. (US 20160249012 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Koepke teach A device (see at least FIG. 6A: separable device 600) for offloading data recorded in a host vehicle (see at least FIG. 1C: airliner), comprising:
an interface module (see at least FIG. 6A: ARINC-717 bus 607; FIG. 6A, [0154]: connection between microphone 649 and device 600) configured to interface (see at least FIG. 6A, [0154]: “this allows device 600 to be integrated into an existing circuit between a flight data acquisition unit 626”) the device to a plurality of data recording devices (see at least FIG. 6A: flight data acquisition unit 626; [0152]: “Flight data acquisition unit 626 captures data from avionics bus 606”; [0071]: “The device may additionally … be directly connected to other sensors and components, such as a … cockpit voice recorder”) in the host vehicle, the interface module comprises at least one of a wired connection, a wireless connection (see at least FIG. 6A, [0153]: “device 600 may be connected to data bus 606 using, for example, inductive coupling connectors.”), and an optical connection;
a memory module (see at least FIG. 6A: data recorder 645) configured to independently store data (see at least [0155]: “The data from the cockpit microphone 649 and the flight data acquisition unit 626 are being fed into, and recorded by, data recorder 645.”; [0152]: “Various systems and sensors may be connected to avionics data bus 606, including … GPS receiver”) from the plurality of data recording devices; and
a wireless transmitter (see at least FIG. 6A: beaconing mechanism 661) configured to transmit (see at least [0013]: “the radio beacon is configured to transmit … after the predetermined event”) the stored data (see at least [0012]: “data associated with the telecommunication emergency device”; [0082]: “the device may broadcast the GPS location at the time separation has occurred”) when a plurality of predefined criteria in the stored data and/or recording devices are met (see at least [0013]: “a sensor configured to detect … acceleration or altitude of the telecommunication emergency device to facilitate determining whether the predetermined event is imminent or occurring”; [0002]: “a predetermined event … such as … a catastrophic, emergency, or other trigger event”; [0146]: “the device may receive … altitude, … acceleration … information about a vehicle carrying the device.”),
wherein a plurality of predefined criteria comprises an acceleration parameter of the host flying vehicle parsed (see at least [0051]: “by connecting the device to an existing vehicle bus, data to determine separation triggers can be provided without requiring redundant measurements.”; [0149]: “parsing out various information”) from an ARINC 717 (see at least FIG. 6A, [0152]: “ARINC-717 bus 607”; [0152]: “device 600 may be connected to bus 607, thus accessing the same data stream”) flight data stream *Examiner’s interpretation: paragraphs [0002] and [0013] of Koepke establishes that acceleration can be used to determine if a trigger event is occurring, and paragraph [0051] establishes that data used to determine triggers can be provided by a vehicle bus, and [0152] establishes that the device 600 can receive data from the ARINC-717 bus data stream.* .
However, Koepke does not explicitly teach one or more image recording devices positioned at one or more different sites around the host vehicle to record image data;
and the one or more image recording devices;
wherein the interface module is configured to adjust a frame rate of the one or more image recording devices based on the acceleration parameter.
Kidd teach interface module (see at least FIG. 1: control unit 6) configured to interface the device (see at least FIG. 1: data storage unit 9) to one or more image recording devices (see at least FIG. 1: camera unit 4) positioned at one or more different sites around the host vehicle to record image data (see at least FIG. 3, [0032]: “the camera unit 4 obtains an image or a series of images of the instrument display panels 20”);
a memory module configured to independently store data from the one or more image recording devices (see at least [0038]: “the images … obtained are stored in the data storage unit 9”);
wherein the interface module is configured to adjust a frame rate (see at least FIG. 4, step 34: “instruct camera to obtain high … rate images of instrument panel”; [0034]: “if the control unit 6 determines at step 32 that a pre-set threshold has been exceeded and current conditions are "out of normal", … then at step 34 the control unit dynamically changes the … image capture rate) of the camera unit 4 so that it obtains … a series of images at a higher … rate.”) of the one or more image recording devices based on the (see at least [0029]: “The control unit 6 is configured to obtain flight condition data from one or more sensors 8 located within the case 2 of the flight recorder 1. These sensors 8 provide details of flight conditions, for example the … speed, … and may therefore take the form of … acceleration … sensors, although it will be appreciated that any flight condition and associated sensor may be incorporated into the device.”) parameter (see at least FIG. 4: step 34 proceeds if conditions are met at step 32, “Does current flight condition data exceed any pre-set limits?”; [0035]: “determines if the current flight condition data exceeds any pre-set thresholds that would cause the conditions to be considered “out of normal”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Koepke to incorporate the teachings of Kidd to connect a camera to the flight data recorder and change image frame rate during an abnormal event. Only increasing frame rate when an abnormal event occurs allows the system to record at lower frame rate at other times, “to reduce the amount of data stored,” as recognized by Kidd in paragraph [0038].
Wang teach wherein the interface module is configured to adjust a frame rate of the one or more image recording devices based on the acceleration (see at least [0008]: “the frame rate of video recording of the terminal is adjusted according to a speed or acceleration of the terminal”) parameter.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Koepke to incorporate the teachings of Wang to adjust frame rate due to changing device acceleration data. Doing so would “reduce the power consumption of the video recording function”, as recognized by Wang in paragraph [0016].
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 1.
Koepke further teach further comprising an ejection module (see at least FIG. 6A: separation module 660) configured to separate (see at least FIG. 5 step 530: “activate deployment mechanism”) one or more ejectable parts (see at least FIG. 6A: separable device 600) of the device from the host vehicle when the a plurality of predefined criteria (see at least [0013]: “detect … acceleration or altitude”) in the stored data are met (see at least FIG. 5 step 525: “separation trigger detected”).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 1.
Koepke further teach further comprising a self-righting means (see at least [0130]: “if the device lands in a body of water, the stabilizers can act as fins to help keep the device afloat”) configured to return the device to a neutral configuration in water.
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 1.
Koepke further teach further comprising a deployable means (see at least [0097]: “the device may utilize one or more fins, ailerons, wings, winglets or other type of surfaces affecting its aerodynamic behavior to dissipate some of its velocity while descending”) to slow descent of the device to a landing site.
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 5.
Koepke further teach wherein the deployable means includes one or more of parachutes (see at least [0098]: “the device may … include a parachute”) and parafoils.
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 1.
Koepke further teach further comprising an underwater locating beacon (ULB) (see at least [0131]: “The device 200 may have other beaconing mechanisms, such as an underwater locator beacon”).
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 1.
Koepke further teach further comprising a location module configured to determine a location (see at least [0013]: “the GPS module locks in the location of the telecommunication emergency device upon occurrence of the predetermined event”) of the device.
Regarding claim 10, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 9.
Koepke further teach wherein the location module determines the location from one of more of global positioning systems (see at least [0013]: “Global Positioning System (GPS)”) and inertial navigation systems.
Regarding claim 14, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 1.
Koepke further teach wherein the one or more predefined criteria occurs prior to (see at least [0013]: “a sensor configured to detect … acceleration … of the telecommunication emergency device to facilitate determining whether the predetermined event is imminent”) an occurrence of a catastrophic failure event (see at least [0002]: “a predetermined event … such as … a catastrophic … event”) involving the host vehicle.
Regarding claim 18, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 1.
Koepke further teach further comprising an independent power supply (see at least [0090]: “the device may be powered by … a rechargeable battery”) configured to provide power to the device for an extended period.
Regarding claim 19, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 18.
Koepke further teach wherein the independent power supply includes one or more of batteries (see at least [0090]: “the device may be powered by … a rechargeable battery”) and solar cells (see at least [0094]: “solar cells”).
Regarding claim 20, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 19.
Koepke further teach wherein the independent power supply includes solar cells that charge (see at least [0094]: “The solar cells may be used to charge … a battery”) the batteries.
Regarding claim 21, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 1.
Koepke further teach wherein the interface module is configured to interface the device to the data recording devices in the host vehicle via one or more of optical connections, wired connections or wireless connections (see at least FIG. 6A, [0153]: “device 600 may be connected to data bus 606 using, for example, inductive coupling connectors.”).
Regarding claim 23, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 1.
Kidd further teach wherein the interface module is configured to adjust at least one of a number of vertical pixels, number of horizontal pixels, resolution (see at least FIG. 4, step 34: “instruct camera to obtain high resolution/rate images of instrument panel”) and image data encoding method of the image recording device based on the one or more predefined criteria (see at least FIG. 4: step 34 proceeds if conditions are met at step 32, “Does current flight condition data exceed any pre-set limits?”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Koepke to incorporate the teachings of Kidd to increase image resolution during an abnormal event. Only increasing resolution when an abnormal event occurs allows the system to record lower resolution data at other times, “to reduce the amount of data stored,” as recognized by Kidd in paragraph [0038].
Regarding claim 26, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 2.
Koepke further teach wherein the ejectable parts of the device are enclosed in a housing (see at least [0043]: “To maximize survivability … the device may be enclosed in a housing”) configured to protect (see at least [0043]: “The housing may feature an internal cavity inside that accepts the … memory.”) the data stored in the memory module.
Regarding claim 27, Koepke teach A method for offloading data recorded in a host vehicle (see at least FIG. 1C: airliner), comprising:
A device for offloading data recorded in a host vehicle, comprising:
connecting (see at least FIG. 6A, [0154]: “this allows device 600 to be integrated into an existing circuit between a flight data acquisition unit 626”) an interface module (see at least FIG. 6A: ARINC-717 bus 607; FIG. 6A, [0154]: connection between microphone 649 and device 600) of a device (see at least FIG. 6A: separable device 600) to a plurality of data recording devices (see at least FIG. 6A: flight data acquisition unit 626; [0152]: “Flight data acquisition unit 626 captures data from avionics bus 606”; [0071]: “The device may additionally … be directly connected to other sensors and components, such as a … cockpit voice recorder”) in the host vehicle, the interface module comprises at least one of a wired connection, a wireless connection (see at least FIG. 6A, [0153]: “device 600 may be connected to data bus 606 using, for example, inductive coupling connectors.”), and an optical connection;
independently storing data (see at least [0155]: “The data from the cockpit microphone 649 and the flight data acquisition unit 626 are being fed into, and recorded by, data recorder 645.”; [0152]: “Various systems and sensors may be connected to avionics data bus 606, including … GPS receiver”) from the recording devices in a memory module (see at least FIG. 6A: data recorder 645) of the device; and
wirelessly transmitting (see at least [0013]: “the radio beacon is configured to transmit … after the predetermined event”; FIG. 6A: beaconing mechanism 661) the stored data (see at least [0012]: “data associated with the telecommunication emergency device”; [0082]: “the device may broadcast the GPS location at the time separation has occurred”) when a plurality of predefined criteria in the stored data and/or recording devices are met (see at least [0013]: “a sensor configured to detect … acceleration or altitude of the telecommunication emergency device to facilitate determining whether the predetermined event is imminent or occurring”; [0002]: “a predetermined event … such as … a catastrophic, emergency, or other trigger event”; [0146]: “the device may receive … altitude, … acceleration … information about a vehicle carrying the device.”),
wherein the predefined criteria comprises an acceleration parameter of the host flying vehicle parsed (see at least [0051]: “by connecting the device to an existing vehicle bus, data to determine separation triggers can be provided without requiring redundant measurements.”; [0149]: “parsing out various information”) from an ARINC 717 (see at least FIG. 6A, [0152]: “ARINC-717 bus 607”; [0152]: “device 600 may be connected to bus 607, thus accessing the same data stream”) flight data stream *Examiner’s interpretation: paragraphs [0002] and [0013] of Koepke establishes that acceleration can be used to determine if a trigger event is occurring, and paragraph [0051] establishes that data used to determine triggers can be provided by a vehicle bus, and [0152] establishes that the device 600 can receive data from the ARINC-717 bus data stream.* .
However, Koepke does not explicitly teach one or more image recording devices positioned at one or more different sites around the host vehicle to record image data;
and the one or more image recording devices;
wherein the interface module is configured to adjust a frame rate of the one or more image recording devices based on the acceleration parameter.
Kidd teach connecting an interface module (see at least FIG. 1: control unit 6) of a device (see at least FIG. 1: data storage unit 9) to one or more image recording devices (see at least FIG. 1: camera unit 4) positioned at one or more different sites around the host vehicle to record image data (see at least FIG. 3, [0032]: “the camera unit 4 obtains an image or a series of images of the instrument display panels 20”);
independently storing data in a memory module from the one or more image recording devices (see at least [0038]: “the images … obtained are stored in the data storage unit 9”);
wherein the interface module is configured to adjust a frame rate (see at least FIG. 4, step 34: “instruct camera to obtain high … rate images of instrument panel”; [0034]: “if the control unit 6 determines at step 32 that a pre-set threshold has been exceeded and current conditions are "out of normal", … then at step 34 the control unit dynamically changes the … image capture rate) of the camera unit 4 so that it obtains … a series of images at a higher … rate.”) of the one or more image recording devices based on the (see at least [0029]: “The control unit 6 is configured to obtain flight condition data from one or more sensors 8 located within the case 2 of the flight recorder 1. These sensors 8 provide details of flight conditions, for example the … speed, … and may therefore take the form of … acceleration … sensors, although it will be appreciated that any flight condition and associated sensor may be incorporated into the device.”) parameter (see at least FIG. 4: step 34 proceeds if conditions are met at step 32, “Does current flight condition data exceed any pre-set limits?”; [0035]: “determines if the current flight condition data exceeds any pre-set thresholds that would cause the conditions to be considered “out of normal”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Koepke to incorporate the teachings of Kidd to connect a camera to the flight data recorder and change image frame rate during an abnormal event. Only increasing frame rate when an abnormal event occurs allows the system to record at lower frame rate at other times, “to reduce the amount of data stored,” as recognized by Kidd in paragraph [0038].
Wang teach wherein the interface module is configured to adjust a frame rate of the one or more image recording devices based on the acceleration (see at least [0008]: “the frame rate of video recording of the terminal is adjusted according to a speed or acceleration of the terminal”) parameter.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Koepke to incorporate the teachings of Wang to adjust frame rate due to changing device acceleration data. Doing so would “reduce the power consumption of the video recording function”, as recognized by Wang in paragraph [0016].
Regarding claim 28, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 27.
Koepke further teach further comprising ejecting (see at least FIG. 5 step 530: “activate deployment mechanism”) one or more ejectable parts (see at least FIG. 6A: separable device 600) of the device from the host vehicle when the a plurality of predefined criteria (see at least [0013]: “detect … acceleration or altitude”) in the stored data are met (see at least FIG. 5 step 525: “separation trigger detected”).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koepke (US 20170251096 A1) in view of Kidd et al. (US 20130208111 A1), Wang et al. (US 20160249012 A1), and Ye et al. (US 20170029128 A1).
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 1.
Koepke further teach further comprising a floatation device (see at least [0130]: “if the device lands in a body of water, the stabilizers can act as fins to help keep the device afloat”) configured to be activated in water.
However, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang does not explicitly teach inflatable.
Ye teach further comprising an inflatable floatation device configured to be activated in water (see at least FIG. 10H: airbag 28, emergency flight data recorder (EFDR) system; [0016]: “If the EFDR lands on water, it can float by the inflated airbag subsystem”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Koepke to incorporate the teachings of Ye to include an inflatable airbag device that is deployed in the event of water accidents. The use of inflatable airbags would “decelerate and buffer the whole system, improving the anti-overturn ability and floating stability,” as recognized by Ye in paragraph [0195].
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koepke (US 20170251096 A1) in view of Kidd et al. (US 20130208111 A1), Wang et al. (US 20160249012 A1), and Alshdaifat et al. (WO 2016203322 A2).
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 5.
Koepke further teach wherein the deployable means includes a wing assembly (see at least [0097]: “the device may utilize … wings”).
However, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang does not explicitly teach a propulsion system including one or more rotors disposed on the wing assembly to generate lift.
Alshdaifat teach a propulsion system including one or more rotors (see at least FIG. 2-B: propellers) disposed on the wing assembly (see at least FIG. 2-B: propeller drone 31) to generate lift.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Koepke to incorporate the teachings of Alshdaifat to use propellers to power a device separable from a plane. Doing so would help in search and rescue by allowing the separable device to track the vehicle and provide the location of a crash site, as recognized by Alshdaifat on pg. 3 lines 8-13.
Claims 15 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koepke (US 20170251096 A1) in view of Kidd et al. (US 20130208111 A1), Wang et al. (US 20160249012 A1), and Olofsson et al. (US 6134230 A).
Regarding claim 15, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 1.
Koepke further teaches transmits according to one or more of an 802.11 (see at least [0189]: “Transmission of information may be performed … using any appropriate system, device, or protocol, including those related to or utilizing … 802.11”), GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, W-CDMA, LTE, CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, EVDO, CDMA2000, UMB and WIMAX protocols.
However, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang does not teach wherein the wireless transmitter.
Olofsson teaches wherein the wireless transmitter transmits according to one or more of an 802.11, GSM (see at least Column 1 line 17: “Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) standard”), GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, W- CDMA, LTE, CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, EVDO, CDMA2000, UMB and WIMAX protocols.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Koepke to incorporate the teachings of Olofsson to transmit according to a GSM protocol. Doing so would ensure that the data is being transmitted using a protocol standardized by the European Telecommunication Standard Institute, as recognized by Olofsson in Column 1 lines 11-28. Using a communication protocol standardized by a major international regulator will increase the odds that other devices will recognize the signal.
Regarding claim 16, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, Wang, and Olofsson teach The device of claim 15.
Olofsson further teaches wherein the protocol is selected based on at least one of a geographic location, a received signal strength (see at least Column 4 lines 8-11: “the present invention selects a link protocol from the set of pre-selected combinations of link protocols based on measurements of … received signal strength”), a signal to interference ratio, a received signal code power and a bit error rate.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Koepke to incorporate the teachings of Olofsson to select a transmission protocol based on signal strength. Doing so would ensure that the strongest possible signal was used to transmit the flight data, as recognized by Olofsson in column 4 lines 8-11.
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koepke (US 20170251096 A1) in view of Kidd et al. (US 20130208111 A1), Wang et al. (US 20160249012 A1), and Minoli (US 20170265139 A1).
Regarding claim 17, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 1.
Koepke further teaches further comprising a wireless receiver (see at least FIG. 4: device interface 415; [0139]: “The interface 415 may communicate with one or more external data recorders 450 via a … wireless connection.”) configured to receive wireless data.
However, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang does not explicitly teach including wireless interrogation data, wherein the wireless transmitter is further configured to transmit the stored data upon receipt of the wireless interrogation data.
Minoli teach including wireless interrogation data, wherein the wireless transmitter is further configured to transmit the stored data upon receipt of the wireless interrogation data (see at least [0041]: “External Interrogator/Transponder 118 enables the device (via the dormant-mode manager) to listen for an awakening signal from a (remote) interrogator transponder, and then to start broadcasting a ping according to various algorithms, after such awaken signal is received by the RF tag/transponder”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Koepke to incorporate the teachings of Minoli to only broadcast after receiving interrogation data. Doing so would help to save energy, as recognized by Minoli in the [Abstract].
Claim 24 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koepke (US 20170251096 A1) in view of Kidd et al. (US 20130208111 A1), Wang et al. (US 20160249012 A1), and Sang et al. (KR 20170098412 A).
Regarding claim 24, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 1.
However, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang does not explicitly teach wherein the image data is stitched into a mosaic image.
Sang teach wherein the image data is stitched into a mosaic image (see at least [0030]: “a first image captured by the first camera 110 and a second image captured by the second camera 120 are stitched together.”; [0017]: “the electronic device may include … FDR (flight data recorder)”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Koepke to incorporate the teachings of Sang to stitch multiple images together. Doing so would provide “more simple and convenient image storage and output,” as recognized by Sang in paragraph [0006].
Claim 25 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koepke (US 20170251096 A1) in view of Kidd et al. (US 20130208111 A1), Wang et al. (US 20160249012 A1), and Cho et al. (US 20140233799 A1).
Regarding claim 25, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang teach The device of claim 1.
However, the combination of Koepke, Kidd, and Wang does not teach wherein the image data is continuously monitored by at least one of computer aided visual inspection of the host vehicle surfaces or 3D object recognition and relative position estimation of the host vehicle surfaces.
Cho teach wherein the image data is continuously monitored by at least one of computer aided visual inspection of the host vehicle surfaces or 3D object recognition (see at least [0070]: “local information may be used for determining a … 3D pose of the target object if the target object is image data”; [0027]: “the electronic device may include … a Flight Data Recorder (FDR)”) and relative position estimation of the host vehicle surfaces.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Koepke to incorporate the teachings of Cho to identify a 3D pose of objects in a target image captured for use by a flight data recorder. Doing so “enables fast object recognition from image data,” as recognized by Cho in paragraph [0002].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Prior art previously presented:
Ames (US 3140847 A) teaches an ejectable flight data recorder.
Angelucci (US 8670879 B1) teaches an automatically ejecting flight data recorder.
Ufomata (US 20130020435 A1) teaches a flight data recorder attached to an ejector seat of an airplane.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GEORGE ALCORN whose telephone number is (571) 270-3763. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 9:30 am – 6:30 pm est.
Examiner Interview are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jelani Smith can be reached at (571) 270-3415. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or
571-272-1000.
/GEORGE A ALCORN III/Examiner, Art Unit 3662
/JELANI A SMITH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3662