DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or 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 .
Status of claims
While the same reference is used to reject the claims below the embodiment and citations have changed. The current rejection is a Non-final.
Claim Interpretation
112 6th interpretation has been withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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) 1-5 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a) as being anticipated by Takagawa (20200033452).
Referring to claim 1, Takagawa shows a sensor device comprising:
a movable reflection unit (see figure 2 Ref 15) that reflects electromagnetic waves toward a predetermined scanning range (see figure 2 Ref R);
a receiving unit (see figure 2 Ref 16) that receives the electromagnetic waves reflected or scattered by a structure (see figure 2 Ref 101 also see figure 1 Ref 101) positioned within the scanning range (see figures 1, 2, 13A and 13B); and
a control unit (see figure 2 Ref 18) that controls an amplitude of oscillation of the movable reflection unit (see paragraph 14), based on a receiving result from the receiving unit for the electromagnetic waves reflected or scattered by the structure (see the correction of the amplitude of oscillation as shown between 16B where the amplitude of oscillation is too low to impinge on the reflecting member Ref 401 and the corrected oscillation amplitude as shown in 16A also see paragraph 79-80 note the discussion of the phase of oscillation however notice the increase in amplitude of the oscillation between figures 16B to 16A).
Referring to claim 2, Takagawa shows the movable reflection unit reflects the electromagnetic waves emitted from an emitting unit toward the scanning range, and the control unit further controls an interval of an emitting timing of the electromagnetic waves from the emitting unit (see paragraph 58 note the pulse driven at regular intervals).
Referring to claim 3, Takagawa shows wherein the control unit controls the amplitude of the oscillation of the movable reflection unit, based on a comparison result between a relationship between a first receiving value of the electromagnetic waves reflected or scattered by a first part of the structure by the receiving unit and a second receiving value of the electromagnetic waves reflected or scattered by a second part of the structure by the receiving unit and a relationship between a first reference receiving value of the electromagnetic waves reflected or scattered by the first part of the structure when the movable reflection unit operates in a reference state by the receiving unit and a second reference receiving value of the electromagnetic waves reflected or scattered by the second part of the structure when the movable reflection unit operates in the reference state by the receiving unit (see the embodiment with two reflectors as shown in figure 16A and 16B Ref Pa and Pb also see the returns as shown in figure 17 note the reflections based on the reflection members 201A and 201B and the reflection based on objects).
Referring to claim 4, Takagawa shows the control unit controls the amplitude of the oscillation of the movable reflection unit, based on whether both the first receiving value and the second receiving value are larger or smaller than the first reference receiving value or the second reference receiving value (see the correction as shown in figure 17 also see paragraph 81-84 between the uncorrected bottom light signal and the corrected top received light signal).
Referring to claim 5, Takagawa shows the structure is provided such that the first reference receiving value and the second reference receiving value are different from each other, and the control unit controls the amplitude of the oscillation of the movable reflection unit, based on a comparison result between at least one of a ratio and a difference between the first receiving value and the second receiving value and at least one of a ratio and a difference between the first reference receiving value and the second reference receiving value (see the embodiment shown in figure 16A and 16B also see figure 17 that compares the reflected light output as shown in the figure below).
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Referring to claim 7, Takagawa shows the structure intersects at least a portion of a turnaround of a scan line of the movable reflection unit (see figure 17A note Ref 201A, 201B, and 401 locations at the turnaround point of the laser).
Referring to claim 11, Takagawa shows the electromagnetic waves are pulses (see paragraph 63).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takagawa (20200033452) in view of Hung (20100033691).
Referring to claim 6, Takagawa shows a single structure embodiment however fails to show the first part and the second part of the structure are positioned on opposite sides of each other across a turnaround of a scan line of the movable reflection unit.
Hung shows a similar device that includes the first part and the second part of the structure are positioned on opposite sides of each other across a turnaround of a scan line of the movable reflection unit (see figure 5B note Ref 121, 104, and 105). It would have been obvious to include the first part and second part of the structure on opposite sides of the turnaround of the scan line because this allows for a more compact window while maintaining the correction in the scanning amplitude.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-10 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LUKE D RATCLIFFE whose telephone number is (571)272-3110. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00AM-5:00PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Isam Alsomiri can be reached at 571-272-6970. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LUKE D RATCLIFFE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3645
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