DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to communication filed 09/08/2025.
Claims 1-25 have been considered.
- Claims 1-4, 6-8, 10-12, and 16-25 are pending.
- Claims 1, 6, 10, and 25 have been amended.
- No claims have been newly added.
- Claims 5, 9, and 13-15 had been previously canceled (before first examination).
- No additional claims have been canceled.
- Claims 1-4, 6-8, 10-12, and 16-25 have been rejected as described below.
- This action is MADE FINAL.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.
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.
Claim(s) 25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 25 recites the limitation "The method of claim 24, wherein the map correlates the first moisture content data and the second moisture content data to the first zone.", in page 7, last 2 lines of applicant’s claim set filed 09/08/2025. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim as first moisture content data and second moisture content data are not mentioned anywhere in claim 24 or claim 10 which it depends from. Instead, claim 10 mentions a first set of moisture content data and a second set of moisture content data multiple times within the body of the claim, and thus it is not clear which of these two sets of moisture content data the “first moisture content data” and the “second moisture content data” are from. More importantly, the map in the second to last limitation of claim 10 includes the first set of moisture sensors and also that a first zone is associated with the first set of moisture sensors in the 3rd to last limitation.
Since claim 25 further expands on the map limitation, in order to promote compact prosecution, for the purpose of applying prior art, examiner will read this as: "The method of claim 24, wherein the map correlates a first moisture content data and a second moisture content data to the first zone.", and examiner will interpret this as the map including plurality of moisture content data from any one zone (such as the first zone/area) as that is associated with the first set of moisture sensors, which also aligns with the correspondence in map described in applicant specification 0031 and Fig. 3.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cook (US 20140236868 A1) in view of Emory (US 20170332566 A1) in further view of Maher (Simulation of an Event-Driven Wireless Sensor Network Protocol for Environmental Monitoring. Article. [online]. 2014) in further view of Abaffy (US 20150192557 A1) in further view of Williams (US 20160057949 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Cook teaches:
An irrigation system for monitoring moisture content in a soil comprising: (see title, abstract & Fig. 3 along with relevant description in [0102] & [0122-24] teach an operating environment used for automatically regulating irrigation, where soil moisture probes as sensors provide information about the soil moisture level of multiple irrigation sites.)
… a first set of moisture sensors that measure a first set of moisture content data; (Fig. 3 - sensor 1 (380), sensor 2 (382) etc.; See also [0122-24] teach one or more sensors at an irrigation site, which may comprise soil moisture probes that provide information about the soil moisture level at the site. Other examples of moisture sensors are also provided such as rain sensors in [0127], flow meter or hydrometers in [0130-31] etc.)
and a second set of moisture sensors that measure a second set of moisture content data; (Fig. 3 - sensor 3 (384), sensor 4 (386) etc.; As above, see also [0122] teaches sensors transmit information about the irrigation site 202 to the server 100, for example, as in [0124], soil moisture probes that provide information about the soil moisture level at the site 202.)
a controller in communication with the second set of moisture sensors; (see Fig. 3 - computer device 1 (110) is an exemplary controller. See [0133] teaches one or more computer devices 110 and 120 that can access the interface 404 to monitor and control irrigation at an irrigation site 202. [0134] has examples such as PCs, laptops, cell phones; 0116-0117 with Fig. 7, 0145, & 0164 teach the connection and sensor data communication between site 1 that has the above sensors and the computer device 1 (and server 100) via network 132)
a relay system configured to provide moisture content from the first set of moisture sensors and the second set of moisture sensors to the controller, … (Besides above, see [0116] teaches a wired network 132 for communications among elements associated with the system. Here, moisture sensors are also elements associated with the system, thus communication via the network (storing data in the server) here is considered to be a relay system. Note, that is equivalent to applicant’s specification, [0025], which discusses “relay” in terms of relaying information via some wired or wireless network.)
… wherein: when a moisture level in the first set of moisture content data drops to a pre- determined low moisture level, the first set of moisture sensors reports the moisture level to the controller …; (0164 teaches, “Sensors provide information to the server or controllers including water flow rate; … and localized environmental data including rainfall accumulation and rate over time duration, root zone soil moisture, …”; 0167 teaches, “the control method utilizes stored prescribed optimum soil moisture range for specific plantings within each irrigation zones from cloud-based computer server data base.”; 0179 teaches, “If the new root zone soil moisture value is below the prescribed optimum range, then the cloud-based computer server will make a decision at step 3230 to apply supplemental irrigation and will include the irrigation zones for scheduling at the next irrigation scheduling opportunity.”)
and detecting that the moisture level drops to the pre-determined low moisture level causes a trigger at the controller to automatically water a first zone …. (0179 teaches, “If the new root zone soil moisture value is below the prescribed optimum range, then the cloud-based computer server will make a decision at step 3230 to apply supplemental irrigation and will include the irrigation zones for scheduling at the next irrigation scheduling opportunity.” 0181 teaches, “At step 3260, the server creates an irrigation schedule for each irrigation zone optimizing the irrigation system”)
and a mapping system arranged to: generate a map of the location that includes … the first set of moisture sensors …; and provide a user interface displaying the map with … data. (See Fig. 7 teaches monitoring the water flow during irrigation on a user-friendly dashboard interface; [0225] teaches displaying flow meter data using a displayable format on dashboard interface; see also, Fig. 22-23 and [0320-37] teach live maps displaying real-time data from various elements including valves, controllers, Hydro zones, rain buckets, flowmeters etc. providing visual clues as to their status real-time; additionally, see Fig. 3 - computer device 1 (110), computer device 2 (120); see also [0133-34] teach these computer devices can access the interface 404 to monitor and control irrigation at an irrigation site. Note, this aligns with the map generation and display described in applicant specification, 0038.)
Although Cook implicitly teaches below (See Cook, [0262] teaches spotting sensors in strategic locations around each site and [0116] teaches a wired network 132 for communications among elements associated with the system. Here, moisture sensors are also elements associated with the system, thus communication via the network here is considered to be a relay system. Note, that is equivalent to applicant’s specification, [0025], which discusses “relay” in terms of relaying information via some wired or wireless network.),
Cook does not explicitly disclose:
a moisture grid including [the set of sensors] …
[a relay system …], wherein the controller receives both of the first set of moisture contents data and the second set of moisture content data from the second set of moisture sensors,
[… the first set of moisture sensors reports the moisture level to the controller] via the second set of moisture sensors;
[… automatically water a first zone] associated with the first set of moisture sensors;
[a map … includes] a satellite image of the location and [the first set of moisture sensors] overlaid on the satellite image;
[… displaying the map with] the first set of moisture content data and the second set of moisture content data.
Emory explicitly teaches:
a moisture grid including [the set of sensors] … ([0087] teaches multiple sensors spread out in a grid to provide an understanding of moisture levels around a plant or among many plants; [0070] & [0083] also teach the sensor/valve to be installed in certain depth of soil.)
Accordingly, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined the teachings of Cook and Emory as both are directed to control/operation by utilizing moisture sensors. As Cook already teaches a wired network for communications among elements associated with the system where the system has moisture sensors placed in strategic locations (Besides above citations, see Cook, [0262]) and controllers communicating with sensors for irrigation control, further modifying Cook’s system/method by incorporating known system/method by utilizing an option such as grid arrangement including multiple sensors as taught by Emory would have provided the system/method capability to accommodate any of various installation methods such as the well-known alternative option of arranging multiple sensors spread out in a grid in order to understand the moisture levels around a plant or among many plants in various irrigation contexts, as evident by Emory, [0086-87].
However, Cook and Emory do not explicitly disclose:
[a relay system …], wherein the controller receives both of the first set of moisture contents data and the second set of moisture content data from the second set of moisture sensors,
[… the first set of moisture sensors reports the moisture level to the controller] via the second set of moisture sensors;
[… automatically water a first zone] associated with the first set of moisture sensors;
[a map … includes] a satellite image of the location and [the first set of moisture sensors] overlaid on the satellite image;
[… displaying the map with] the first set of moisture content data and the second set of moisture content data.
Maher explicitly teaches:
[a relay system …], wherein the controller receives both of the first set of moisture contents data and the second set of moisture content data from the second set of moisture sensors. (P34, right col, Fig. 1 and para1 teaches STATUS messages being sent to neighboring nodes in a sensor network, for example, when a node 1st detects the rain, it will send a STATUS message which is picked up by other nodes. Also, right col, para3-4 teach “STATUS messages will cause routes to the central server to be re-evaluated. Let’s consider the case depicted in Fig 1. If node A that is not affected by rain was using а route to the central server via node B, …” (In this example, node A, i.e., the first set of sensors is sending data to central server, via node B, i.e., the second set of sensors). See also P35, left col, para1 teaches a frame is detected by both nodes, A and B, both nodes will send each other their absolute measurements as well as relative changes in the soil moisture content, emphasize added.)
[… the first set of moisture sensors reports the moisture level to the controller] via the second set of moisture sensors; (The example above from P34, right col, Fig. 1 and para1 teaches node A, i.e., the first set of sensors is sending data to central server, via node B, i.e., the second set of sensors. See also P35, left col, para1 teaches a frame is detected by both nodes, A and B, both nodes will send each other their absolute measurements as well as relative changes in the soil moisture content, emphasize added.)
Accordingly, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined the teachings of Cook and Emory with that of Maher as all are directed to control/operation by utilizing moisture sensors. As Cook and Emory already teach a wired network for communications among elements associated with the system where the system has moisture sensors placed in strategic locations (Besides above citations, see Cook, [0262]) and controllers communicating with sensors via wired/wireless network and servers (storing data) for irrigation control with sensors in a grid format, further modifying Cook and Emory’s combined system/method by incorporating known system/method by utilizing the well-known technique of having two sensor nodes sending soil moisture content data (absolute measurements and relative changes) to each other and one of the sensor nodes (such as the first node A) being able to send data to the central server via another sensor node (such as the second sensor node B) as an exemplary route/path to the server decided based on status analysis as taught by Maher as doing so would have provided the system/method capability to decide on taking the best routes, for example, data would have been routed away from the most rain-affected areas to the least rain-affected areas, as evident by Maher, P35, left col, para1. Such a combination would thus have been predictable and expected.
While Cook further teaches watering specific zones(s) based on sensor level measurements ([0182] teaches at step 3300, the server communicates the individual irrigation zone schedules and water source master valves scheduled to related controllers, where server uses a range-based control algorithm, where the control method calculates soil moisture and decides if supplemental irrigation is required to maintain soil moisture within an identified optimum range, as described in [0166-68]. See also [0238] as an example - The commands are processed through the server 100 to the controllers 316 and 318. [0360] Shortly after processing this command, the dashboard 418 receives and displays the notification that hydrozone 3 opened up.),
Cook’s above-mentioned watering of a zone is not explicitly taught to be associated with the first set of sensors.
In other words, Cook, Emory, and Maher does not explicitly disclose:
[… automatically water a first zone] associated with the first set of moisture sensors;
[a map … includes] a satellite image of the location and [the first set of moisture sensors] overlaid on the satellite image;
[… displaying the map with] the first set of moisture content data and the second set of moisture content data.
Abaffy explicitly teaches:
[… automatically water a first zone] associated with the first set of moisture sensors; (See 0081-84 teach upon detection of a deficit of moisture content in a particular region of the vineyard, the irrigation system may be controlled by the system 200 to irrigate the relevant region of the vineyard. Note, 0081 teaches, “…wherein the representation of the moisture content measurements is represented in accordance with the location of each sensor.” 0084 teaches an example representation, “the display may simply represent a binary thresholds representation of the water content measurement. For example, areas that have greater than the optimal water content may be represented in a transparent blue overlay overlaid the map representation whereas areas having less than optimal water content have no overlay.”.)
[… displaying the map with] the first set of moisture content data and the second set of moisture content data. (0121 teaches using the display computing device 210 the vigneron is presented with a list of each sensor 105 and is able to view the soil moisture content data measured by each sensor 105. 0123 teaches the data stored (recorded using the display device computing device 210) on the data server 220 is correlated with the geographic location of the sensors 105. In this manner, soil moisture content data visualisations may be achieved in accordance with selected geographic regions.)
Accordingly, as Cook already teaches watering specific zones(s) based on sensor level measurements, it would be obvious to have added structural arrangements for exemplary control communication to be from the augmented reality display device to the interface (computing device) utilizing the sensor measurements associated with zones from the data server, where soil moisture content data visualisations may be achieved in accordance with selected geographic regions, and motivation to combine this structural arrangement from Abaffy would be to provide further flexibility to user to be able to control specific zones as needed, via additional interfaces, and also by enabling an irrigation system having discreetly controllable irrigation outputs so as to be able to irrigate specific portals of the vineyard, as in Abaffy, Fig. 2, 0109, 0081-83, 0123, etc.
However, Cook, Emory, Maher, and Abaffy do not explicitly teach:
… [a map … includes] a satellite image of the location and [the first set of moisture sensors] overlaid on the satellite image;
Williams explicitly teaches:
… [a map … includes] a satellite image of the location and [the first set of moisture sensors] overlaid on the satellite image; (See [0040-41] teach Fig. 3B depicts a screen capture of an example survey entry interface 300b. Map 304 may be a satellite image and may include outlines of a number of different parcels (e.g. parcel 310) included in the area around parcel 306. … Further, information 308 may include data regarding any existing irrigation systems located within parcel 306 (e.g., systems 170-180, smart converters/ICUs 106-107, and sensors 108) if such systems exist and if that data is available. For example, parcel 306 as depicted in interface 300b may include the locations of devices associated with such systems and information (e.g. type, status, etc.) associated with each device) Further still, information 308 may include data gathered by local systems (e.g. sensors 108) which may provide hyper-local environmental data. Also see Fig. 3B, 5, [0072] & [0076] teach sprinklers, sensors etc. at a physical location as part of site survey data that are displayed on the site map on satellite image.)
Accordingly, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined the teachings of Cook, Emory, Maher, and Abaffy with that of Williams as all are directed to control/operation by utilizing moisture and various other sensors. As Cook, Emory, Maher, and Abaffy already teach a wired (or wireless) network for communications among elements associated with the system where the system has moisture sensors placed in strategic locations (Besides above citations, see Cook, [0262]) and controllers communicating with a cloud based platform for irrigation control with sensors in a grid format, where the system is able to display live maps of various elements of the system’s properties and their real-time data in a user-friendly interface, further modifying Cook, Emory, Maher, and Abaffy’s combined system/method by incorporating known system/method by utilizing the well-known technique of specifically using a satellite image to be included by the map as taught by Williams as doing so would have been a well-known alternative way to provide users convenient access on a graphical overlay over map including well-known irrigation system components such as sprinklers along with sensors at their physical locations to various hyper-local environmental data so users can take actions by being interactive and selective of the elements of the properties as needed in real-time, as evident by Williams, [0040-41], [0076] etc. Such a combination would thus have been predictable and expected.
Regarding claim 2, Cook, Emory, Maher, Abaffy, and Williams teach all the elements of claim 1.
Maher further teaches:
wherein the first set of moisture sensors communicates the first set of moisture content data to the controller solely via the second set of moisture sensors; (Absent any specific description for the phrase “… communicates … solely via the second …” in applicant’s specification, this limitation is interpreted to only require any/a sensor to be capable of communicating to a controller via another sensor, under broadest reasonable interpretation in light of applicant specification, [0025]. As addressed in claim 1, see Maher, p34, right col, para3-4 teach “STATUS messages will cause routes to the central server to be re-evaluated. Let’s consider the case depicted in Fig 1. If node A that is not affected by rain was using а route to the central server via node B, …” (In this example, node A, i.e., the first set of sensors is sending data to central server, via node B, i.e., the second set of sensors))
Cook, Maher, and Abaffy further teach:
when the moisture level in the first set of moisture content data rises to a pre-determined high moisture level, the first set of moisture sensors reports the moisture level to the controller (Cook: 0164 teaches, “Sensors provide information to the server or controllers including water flow rate; … and localized environmental data including rainfall accumulation and rate over time duration, root zone soil moisture, …”; 0167 teaches, “the control method utilizes stored prescribed optimum soil moisture range for specific plantings within each irrigation zones from cloud-based computer server data base.”; 0178 teaches, “If the new root zone soil moisture value is within or above the prescribed optimum soil moisture range, then the cloud-based computer server decision will be not to apply supplemental irrigation to the individual irrigation zone and the irrigation zones will be removed from scheduling the at next scheduling opportunity.”) via the second set of moisture sensors; (Maher: The example above from P34, right col, Fig. 1 and para1 teaches node A, i.e., the first set of sensors is sending data to central server, via node B, i.e., the second set of sensors. See also P35, left col, para1 teaches a frame is detected by both nodes, A and B, both nodes will send each other their absolute measurements as well as relative changes in the soil moisture content, emphasize added.) and rising to the pre-determined high moisture level causes an additional trigger at the controller to stop watering the first zone (Cook: 0178 teaches, “If the new root zone soil moisture value is within or above the prescribed optimum soil moisture range, then the cloud-based computer server decision will be not to apply supplemental irrigation to the individual irrigation zone and the irrigation zones will be removed from scheduling the at next scheduling opportunity.” 0181 teaches, “At step 3260, the server creates an irrigation schedule for each irrigation zone optimizing the irrigation system”) associated with the first set of moisture sensors. (Abaffy: See 0081-84 teach upon detection of a deficit of moisture content in a particular region of the vineyard, the irrigation system may be controlled by the system 200 to irrigate the relevant region of the vineyard. Note, 0081 teaches, “…wherein the representation of the moisture content measurements is represented in accordance with the location of each sensor.” 0084 teaches an example representation, “the display may simply represent a binary thresholds representation of the water content measurement. For example, areas that have greater than the optimal water content may be represented in a transparent blue overlay overlaid the map representation whereas areas having less than optimal water content have no overlay.”.)
Motivation to combine the teachings are dictated by the similar reasons as stated above.
Regarding claim 4, Cook, Emory, Maher, Abaffy, and Williams teach all the elements of claim 1.
Abaffy explicitly teaches:
wherein the trigger to automatically water the first zone at the controller is set off when the controller determines that the moisture level in the first set of moisture content data drops to the pre-determined low moisture level. (As above, see 0081-84 teach upon detection of a deficit of moisture content in a particular region of the vineyard, the irrigation system may be controlled by the system 200 to irrigate the relevant region of the vineyard. Note, 0081 teaches, “…wherein the representation of the moisture content measurements is represented in accordance with the location of each sensor.” 0084 teaches an example representation, “the display may simply represent a binary thresholds representation of the water content measurement. For example, areas that have greater than the optimal water content may be represented in a transparent blue overlay overlaid the map representation whereas areas having less than optimal water content have no overlay.”.)
Motivation to combine the teachings are dictated by the similar reasons as stated above.
Regarding claim 20, Cook, Emory, Maher, Abaffy, and Williams teach all the elements of claim 1.
Abaffy further explicitly teaches:
wherein the controller transmits the first set of moisture content data and the second set of moisture content data to a cloud-based platform that displays the first set of moisture content data and the second set of moisture content data within a graphical user interface (Fig. 2 & 0109 teach the data server 220 may act as an interface between the integers of the system 200 such as acting as an interface between the sensors 105 (or even the interface computing device 205) and the augmented reality display device 210. For example, the soil moisture content data as measured by the sensors 205 may be sent to the data server 220 for storage & then the augmented reality display device 210 retrieves the soil moisture content data for display. Note, 0118-19 further teaches regarding the data transmission being between interface computing device 205 and display computing device 210, more specifically.) that includes an image of a location associated with the moisture grid. (Fig. 3 & 0121-22 teach the exemplary augmented reality display device may be adapted to display the sensor data in accordance with a location of the sensors. 0097-100 & 0123 teach displaying of the sensors’ data correlated with the geographic location of the sensors.)
Accordingly, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined the teachings of Cook, Emory, Maher, and Abaffy with that of the further teachings of Abaffy as all are directed to control/operation by utilizing moisture and various other sensors. As Cook, Emory, Maher, and Abaffy already teach a wired (or wireless) network for communications among elements associated with the system where the system has moisture sensors placed in strategic locations (Besides above citations, see Cook, [0262]), and sensors and controller(s) communicating with a cloud based platform for irrigation control with sensors in a grid format, where the system is able to display live maps of various elements of the system’s properties and their real-time data in a user-friendly interface, further modifying Cook, Emory, Maher, and Abaffy’s combined system/method by incorporating known system/method by utilizing the well-known technique of specifically using data transmission among various interfaces utilizing the cloud and displaying the associated sensor data with location(s) as taught by Abaffy as doing so would have been a well-known way to provide users convenient access on a display providing soil moisture content measurements in a comprehendible manner and as such, operators, given the detailed nature (such as location) of data, would have been well-equipped to ascertain the irrigation state of an irrigation area, as evident by Abaffy, [0012]. Such a combination would thus have been predictable and expected.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cook (US 20140236868 A1) in view of Emory (US 20170332566 A1) in further view of Maher (Simulation of an Event-Driven Wireless Sensor Network Protocol for Environmental Monitoring. Article. [online]. 2014) in further view of Abaffy (US 20150192557 A1) in further view of Williams (US 20160057949 A1) in further view of Twitchell (US 20070043807 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Cook, Emory, Maher, Abaffy, and Williams teach all the elements of claim 2.
Cook and Maher further teach:
the second set of moisture sensors communicates with the controller via a wired connection; (Cook: As above, 0116-0117 with Fig. 7, 0145, & 0164 teach the connection and sensor data communication between site 1 that has the above sensors and the computer device 1 (and server 100) via network 132. See [0116] teaches a wired network 132 for communications among elements associated with the system.)
and the first set of moisture sensors communicates with the second set of moisture sensors via a wireless connection. (Maher: As above, P34, right col, Fig. 1 and para1 teaches STATUS messages being sent to neighboring nodes in a sensor network, for example, when a node 1st detects the rain, it will send a STATUS message which is picked up by other nodes. See also p33, left col, last para to right col, 1st para teaches: The nodes of wireless sensor networks (WSN) are capable of sensing, gathering, processing and communicating data.)
Motivation to combine the teachings are dictated by the similar reasons as stated above. Additionally, it would have been obvious to incorporate wireless sensor networks (WSN) as part of a growing technology that has been designed to support a wide range of applications in wireless environments, for example, WSNs are used in industrial settings to enable the automation of processes, as evident in Maher, c33, left col, last para.
However, Cook, Emory, Maher, Abaffy, and Williams do not explicitly disclose:
wherein the first set of moisture sensors are located further away from the controller than the second set of moisture sensors.
Twitchell explicitly teaches:
wherein the first set of moisture sensors are located further away from the controller than the second set of moisture sensors. (Fig. 2 & 0068 teach an exemplary path, where information related to the first sensor data received by the RSI 64 propagates along the network of pipelines 60 from RSI to RSI and, ultimately, reaches the centralized urban location 66, which itself is located along the network of pipelines 60 as shown. For example, wireless signals 74 can be relayed from RSI to RSI in a sequential order according to increasing distance from the first RSI 64.)
Accordingly, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined the teachings of Cook, Emory, and Maher with that of Twitchell as all are directed to control/operation by utilizing various sensors in a network. As Cook, Emory, Maher, Abaffy, and Williams already teach a wired network for communications among elements associated with the system where the system has moisture sensors placed in strategic locations (Besides above citations, see Cook, [0262]) and controllers communicating with sensors via wired/wireless network and servers (storing data) for irrigation control with sensors in a grid format with one of the sensor nodes (such as the first node A) being able to send data to the central server via another sensor node (such as the second sensor node B) as an exemplary route/path to the server decided based on status analysis, further modifying Cook, Emory, Maher, Abaffy, and Williams’s combined system/method by incorporating known system/method by utilizing the well-known technique of having sensors relaying signals from RSI to RSI according to increasing distance from the first RSI ultimately reaching a centralized location as taught by Twitchell as doing so would have provided the system/method various advantages, such as, the capability to route signals along only certain segments of the network to directly reach the centralized location, for example, by avoiding echoes along the way where the information is not useful and thus enabling sensor networks that efficiently and timely provide information to appropriate parties, as evident by Twitchell, 0005 & 0068. Such a combination would thus have been predictable and expected.
Claim(s) 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cook (US 20140236868 A1) in view of Emory (US 20170332566 A1) in further view of Maher (Simulation of an Event-Driven Wireless Sensor Network Protocol for Environmental Monitoring. Article. [online]. 2014) in further view of Abaffy (US 20150192557 A1) in further view of Williams (US 20160057949 A1) in further view of Kates (US 20150070192 A1).
Regarding claim 18, Cook, Emory, Maher, Abaffy, and Williams teach all the elements of claim 1.
However, Cook, Emory, Maher, Abaffy, and Williams do not explicitly disclose:
further comprising a power source for selectively powering a first moisture sensor of the first set of moisture sensor and selectively de-powering the first moisture sensor.
Kates explicitly teaches:
further comprising a power source for selectively powering a first moisture sensor of the first set of moisture sensor and selectively de-powering the first moisture sensor. (Fig. 1 – see plurality sensors 102-106 along with their repeater units; See Fig. 2 – power source connected to the controller to then power the sensor etc., described further in [0045] & [0047]. [0047] teaches: "The sensor unit 102 generally conserves power by not transmitting data that falls within a normal range. In one embodiment, the controller 202 evaluates the sensor data by comparing the data value to a threshold value (e.g., a high threshold, a low threshold, or a high-low threshold). [0042] - the computer 113 schedules different wakeup intervals to different sensor unit 102-106 based on the type of data and urgency of the data collected by the sensor unit. More specifically, see Fig. 7 & [0059] for periodic monitoring by moisture sensors, where controller is able to power up and power down the sensors.)
Accordingly, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined the teachings of Cook, Emory, Maher, Abaffy, and Williams with that of Kates as all are directed to irrigation control/operation and/or sensor communication based control/operations. One would have been motivated to do so in order to take advantage of a well-known power saving/conserving feature in the art, as evident in Kates, [0025], [0042], [0045-47], and [0059].
Regarding claim 19, Cook, Emory, Maher, Abaffy, Williams, and Kates teach all the elements of claim 18.
Kates further teaches:
wherein the controller is configured to control the power source of the first moisture sensor by providing intervals to power and de-power the first moisture sensor. (0042 teaches the computer 113 sends instructions to each sensor unit 102-106 telling the sensor how long to wait between “wakeup” intervals and that the computer 113 schedules different wakeup intervals to different sensor unit 102-106 based on the sensor unit's health, power status, location, etc. Also [0025] & [0059] teach the sensor units 102-106 include sensors to measure moisture.)
Motivation to combine the teachings are dictated by the same reasons stated above. In addition, this combination would have enabled a well-known way of conserving battery power, as evident in Kates, 0008.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cook (US 20140236868 A1) in view of Emory (US 20170332566 A1) in further view of Maher (Simulation of an Event-Driven Wireless Sensor Network Protocol for Environmental Monitoring. Article. [online]. 2014) in further view of Abaffy (US 20150192557 A1) in further view of Williams (US 20160057949 A1).
Regarding claim 6, Cook teaches:
An irrigation system for optimizing irrigation in a soil comprising: (see Title, abstract & Fig. 3 along with relevant description in [0102] & [0122-24] teach an operating environment used for automatically regulating irrigation, where soil moisture probes as sensors provide information about the soil moisture level of multiple irrigation sites.)
… comprising: a first watering zone associated with a first set of moisture sensors that measure a first set of moisture content data; (Fig. 3 - sensor 1 (380), sensor 2 (382) etc. in Hydrozone 1; See also [0122-24] teach one or more sensors at an irrigation site, which may comprise soil moisture probes that provide information about the soil moisture level at the site. Other examples of moisture sensors are also provided such as rain sensors in [0127], flow meter or hydrometers in [0130-31] etc.) a second watering zone associated with a second set of moisture sensors that measure a second set of moisture content data; (Fig. 3 - sensor 3 (384), sensor 4 (386) etc. in Hydrozone 2; As above, see also [0122] teaches sensors transmit information about the irrigation site 202 to the server 100, for example, as in [0124], soil moisture probes that provide information about the soil moisture level at the site 202.)
and a controller in control of watering the first watering zone and the second watering zone, (see Fig. 3 - computer device 1 (110) is an exemplary controller. See [0133] teaches one or more computer devices 110 and 120 that can access the interface 404 to monitor and control irrigation at an irrigation site 202 with the multiple zones. [0134] has examples such as PCs, laptops, cell phones; 0116-0117 with Fig. 7, 0145, & 0164 teach the connection and sensor data communication between site 1 that has the above sensors and the computer device 1 (and server 100) via network 132.) wherein: the controller receives both the first set of moisture content data and the second set of moisture content data … via a relay system, (Besides above, see [0116] teaches a wired network 132 for communications among elements associated with the system. Here, moisture sensors are also elements associated with the system, thus communication via the network (storing data in the server) here is considered to be a relay system. Note, that is equivalent to applicant’s specification, [0025], which discusses “relay” in terms of relaying information via some wired or wireless network. See 0160 & 0164 for further details.) wherein when a moisture level in the first set of moisture content data drops to a pre-determined low moisture level, the first set of moisture sensors reports the moisture level to the controller …; (0164 teaches, “Sensors provide information to the server or controllers including water flow rate; … and localized environmental data including rainfall accumulation and rate over time duration, root zone soil moisture, …”; 0167 teaches, “the control method utilizes stored prescribed optimum soil moisture range for specific plantings within each irrigation zones from cloud-based computer server data base.”; 0179 teaches, “If the new root zone soil moisture value is below the prescribed optimum range, then the cloud-based computer server will make a decision at step 3230 to apply supplemental irrigation and will include the irrigation zones for scheduling at the next irrigation scheduling opportunity.”)
… including transmitting the moisture level of the first set of moisture content data, … (0124 - Soil moisture probes that provide information about the soil moisture level at the site 202. See the transmission to network 132 to computer device(s) and Gateway and servers.)
… and the controller, …, triggers an automatic watering of the first watering zone based on … determining that the moisture level of the first set of moisture content data drops below a pre-determined low moisture level for the first watering zone. (0179 teaches, “If the new root zone soil moisture value is below the prescribed optimum range, then the cloud-based computer server will make a decision at step 3230 to apply supplemental irrigation and will include the irrigation zones for scheduling at the next irrigation scheduling opportunity.” 0181 teaches, “At step 3260, the server creates an irrigation schedule for each irrigation zone optimizing the irrigation system”)
and a mapping system arranged to: generate a map of the location that includes … the first set of moisture sensors …; and provide a user interface displaying the map with … data. (See Fig. 7 teaches monitoring the water flow during irrigation on a user-friendly dashboard interface; [0225] teaches displaying flow meter data using a displayable format on dashboard interface; see also, Fig. 22-23 and [0320-37] teach live maps displaying real-time data from various elements including valves, controllers, Hydro zones, rain buckets, flowmeters etc. providing visual clues as to their status real-time; additionally, see Fig. 3 - computer device 1 (110), computer device 2 (120); see also [0133-34] teach these computer devices can access the interface 404 to monitor and control irrigation at an irrigation site. Note, this aligns with the map generation and display described in applicant specification, 0038.)
Although Cook implicitly teaches below (See Cook, [0262] teaches spotting sensors in strategic locations around each site and [0116] teaches a wired network 132 for communications among elements associated with the system. Here, moisture sensors are also elements associated with the system, thus communication via the network here is considered to be a relay system. Note, that is equivalent to applicant’s specification, [0025], which discusses “relay” in terms of relaying information via some wired or wireless network. See also [0164] teaches sensors provide information to the server or controllers including localized environmental data such as root zone soil moisture etc.),
Cook does not explicitly disclose a moisture sensor grid …
… [wherein the controller receives both the first set of moisture content data and the second set of moisture content data] from the second set of moisture sensors [via a relay system],
the controller is configured to transmit the first set of moisture content data and the second set of moisture content data to a cloud-based platform, … and [the controller], in response to receiving a communication from the cloud-based platform, [triggers an automatic watering … based on] the cloud-based platform [determining …];
[a map … includes] a satellite image of the location and [the first set of moisture sensors] overlaid on the satellite image;
[… displaying the map with] the first set of moisture content data and the second set of moisture content data.
Emory explicitly teaches:
a moisture sensor grid … ([0087] teaches multiple sensors spread out in a grid to provide an understanding of moisture levels around a plant or among many plants; [0070] & [0083] also teach the sensor/valve to be installed in certain depth of soil.)
Accordingly, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined the teachings of Cook and Emory as both are directed to control/operation by utilizing moisture sensors. As Cook already teaches a wired network for communications among elements associated with the system where the system has moisture sensors placed in strategic locations (Besides above citations, see Cook, [0262]) and controllers communicating with a cloud based platform for irrigation control, further modifying Cook’s system/method by incorporating known system/method by utilizing an option such as grid arrangement including multiple sensors as taught by Emory would have provided the system/method capability to accommodate any of various installation methods such as the well-known alternative option of arranging multiple sensors spread out in a grid in order to understand the moisture levels around a plant or among many plants in various irrigation contexts, as evident by Emory, [0086-87]. Also this combination would have been advantageous because the on demand nature would have helped provide the proper amount of water to the vegetation without under and/or overwatering and would have allowed plants to be irrigated based on the actual soil moisture needs and conditions local to the plants, and not by taking into account moisture measurements taken at locations remote from the plants being watered, as evident in Emory, [0030].
However, Cook and Emory do not explicitly disclose:
… [wherein the controller receives both the first set of moisture content data and the second set of moisture content data] from the second set of moisture sensors [via a relay system],
the controller is configured to transmit the first set of moisture content data and the second set of moisture content data to a cloud-based platform, … and [the controller], in response to receiving a communication from the cloud-based platform, [triggers an automatic watering … based on] the cloud-based platform [determining …];
[a map … includes] a satellite image of the location and [the first set of moisture sensors] overlaid on the satellite image;
[… displaying the map with] the first set of moisture content data and the second set of moisture content data.
Maher explicitly teaches:
… [wherein the controller receives both the first set of moisture content data and the second set of moisture content data] from the second set of moisture sensors [via a relay system],
(P34, right col, Fig. 1 and para1 teaches STATUS messages being sent to neighboring nodes in a sensor network, for example, when a node 1st detects the rain, it will send a STATUS message which is picked up by other nodes. Also, right col, para3-4 teach “STATUS messages will cause routes to the central server to be re-evaluated. Let’s consider the case depicted in Fig 1. If node A that is not affected by rain was using а route to the central server via node B, …” (In this example, node A, i.e., the first set of sensors is sending data to central server, via node B, i.e., the second set of sensors). See also P35, left col, para1 teaches a frame is detected by both nodes, A and B, both nodes will send each other their absolute measurements as well as relative changes in the soil moisture content, emphasize added.)
Accordingly, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined the teachings of Cook and Emory with that of Maher as all are directed to control/operation by utilizing moisture sensors. As Cook and Emory already teach a wired network for communications among elements associated with the system where the system has moisture sensors placed in strategic locations (Besides above citations, see Cook, [0262]) and controllers communicating with sensors via wired/wireless network and servers (storing data) for irrigation control with sensors in a grid format, further modifying Cook and Emory’s combined system/method by incorporating known system/method by utilizing the well-known technique of having two sensor nodes sending soil moisture content data (absolute measurements and relative changes) to each other and one of the sensor nodes (such as the first node A) being able to send data to the central server via another sensor node (such as the second sensor node B) as an exemplary route/path to the server decided based on status analysis as taught by Maher as doing so would have provided the system/method capability to decide on taking the best routes, for example, data would have been routed away from the most rain-affected areas to the