DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of species I in the reply filed on 04/29/2025 is acknowledged. Claims 1-2,6-10,16-20 are examined below
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-2, 6-8,16,18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2)as being anticipated by US 20230358866 A1 (Zhu).
Claim 1. Zhu teaches a ranging system comprising:
a plurality of ranging apparatuses each configured to emit a laser pulse sequence (para 30 note multiple laser sources, arranged at different heights), receive a laser pulse sequence reflected by an object, and detect the object according to the laser pulse sequence emitted and the laser pulse sequence received (para 30 note pulse sequence and object, para 48 note detector);
wherein two or more ranging apparatuses of the plurality of ranging apparatuses are configured to emit laser pulse sequence with different time sequences and/or to emit different laser pulse sequences (para 30 note encoding the measurement signals with distinguishable temporal profiles such that a return signal can be correctly associated with a measurement multi-pulse sequence to avoid cross-talk. Also see fig. 2 para 53-61).
Claim 2. Zhu teaches the ranging system of claim 1, wherein the two or more ranging apparatuses are configured to emit laser pulse sequence with different repetition frequencies to cause at least some of pulse emission times of the two or more ranging apparatuses to be staggered (see fig. 2 para 53-61).
Claim 6. Zhu teaches the ranging system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of ranging apparatuses is configured to emit laser pulse sequence with a random repetition frequency (para 46).
Claim 7. Zhu teaches the ranging system of claim 1, wherein a time interval exists between an emission time of a laser pulse sequence of a first ranging apparatus of the plurality of ranging apparatuses and a detection window of a second ranging apparatus of the plurality of ranging apparatuses (para 63).
Claim 8. Zhu teaches the ranging system of claim 7, wherein the time interval exists between the emission time of the laser pulse sequence of the first ranging apparatus and an emission time of a laser pulse sequence of the second ranging apparatus (para 63 two multi-pulse sequences may be emitted simultaneously or have temporal overlap.).
Claim 16. Zhu teaches the ranging system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of ranging apparatuses includes:
an emitter configured to emit the laser pulse sequence (para 77 note emitter/detector pair);
a scanner configured to change a transmission direction of the laser pulse sequence to different directions (para 79 note lasers and reflector);
and a detection module configured to receive and convert at least part of return light of the laser pulse sequence reflected by the object into an electrical signal and determine a distance between the object and the ranging apparatus according to the electrical signal (para 77 note detector and para 42 ).
Claim 18. Zhu teaches the ranging system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of ranging apparatuses further includes: a filter configured to filter return light of the laser pulse sequence reflected by the object to filter out at least part of light with a non-operational wavelength range (para 37 note filter).
Claim 19. Zhu teaches a ranging system comprising: a ranging apparatus configured to emit a laser pulse sequence, receive a laser pulse sequence reflected by an object, and detect the object according to the laser pulse sequence emitted and the laser pulse sequence received (para 42 note target);
wherein the ranging apparatus is configured to emit the laser pulse sequence with a random repetition frequency and/or emit the laser pulse sequence after modulation (para 46).
Claim 20. Zhu teaches a mobile platform comprising: a first ranging system including: a plurality of ranging apparatuses each configured to emit a laser pulse sequence, receive a laser pulse sequence reflected by an object, and detect the object according to the laser pulse sequence emitted and the laser pulse sequence received (para 42 note target);
wherein two or more ranging apparatuses of the plurality of ranging apparatuses are configured to emit laser pulse sequence with different time sequences and/or to emit different laser pulse sequences; or a second ranging system including: a ranging apparatus configured to emit a laser pulse sequence, receive a laser pulse sequence reflected by an object, and detect the object according to the laser pulse sequence emitted and the laser pulse sequence received; wherein the ranging apparatus is configured to emit the laser pulse sequence with a random repetition frequency and/or emit the laser pulse sequence after modulation (para 30 note encoding the measurement signals with distinguishable temporal profiles such that a return signal can be correctly associated with a measurement multi-pulse sequence to avoid cross-talk. Also see fig. 2 para 53-61).
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20230358866 A1 (Zhu).
Claim 9. Zhu teaches the ranging system of claim 8.
Zhu teaches that the time interval can be varied between pulses (para 29). Zhu fails to explicitly teach that the time interval ranges from 1/10 to 1/2 of pulse repetition interval time of the plurality of ranging apparatuses. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the system such that the time interval ranges from 1/10 to 1/2 of pulse repetition interval time of the plurality of ranging apparatuses , since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art,
discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re
Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20230358866 A1 (Zhu) in view of US 20200025896 A1 (Gunnam).
Claim 10. Zhu teaches the ranging system of claim 7. Zhu fails to explicitly teach but Gunnam teaches wherein a detection window of the first ranging apparatus is completely staggered from the detection window of the second ranging apparatus (para 69).
It would have been obvious to have combined the references of Zhu and Gunnam and modify the system such that a detection window of the first ranging apparatus is completely staggered from the detection window of the second ranging apparatus for the purpose of avoiding cross talk (para 69).
Claim(s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20230358866 A1 (Zhu) in view of US 20080278715 A1 (SWENSON).
Claim 17. Zhu teaches the ranging system of claim 16. Zhu fails to explicitly teach but SWENSON teaches wherein the scanner includes:
a first optical element and a driver connected to the first optical element and configured to drive the first optical element to rotate around a rotation axis to cause the first optical element to change a direction of the laser pulse sequence emitted by the emitter (claim 17); and/or a second optical element arranged oppositely to the first optical element and configured to rotate around the rotation axis (claim 17).
It would have been obvious to have combined the references of Zhu and SWENSON and modify the system such that the scanner includes first and second optical element and a driver to rotate them for the purpose of having better field of view.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SANJIDA NASER whose telephone number is (571)272-5233. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 EST.
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/SANJIDA NASER/Examiner, Art Unit 3645
/LUKE D RATCLIFFE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3645