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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed October 27, 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues Staab is silent regarding “an identification image region position” and “an analysis image region position” in the “identification image region position”. However, while Staab does not disclose the aforementioned recitations, Staab does disclose equivalents to said recitations, when taking Staab disclosure as a whole. Staab discloses that thermal imaging sensor (30) is aimed at roller structure/”subregion” (24) to capture visual and thermal images of rollers (12, 12’) of each roller structure, also including an underside of the belt (column 3, lines 50-58). Each roller structure (24) image taken by imaging sensor (30) as unmanned vehicle travels along conveyor (10) in operation, represents “an identification image region position” as broadly claimed. The “identification image region position” in Staab representing each roller structure position (24). The hotspot (36) in an image disclosed in Staab, shown in fig 3, represents “an analysis image region position” in the “identification image region position” where a functional state of the support roller is determined based on analysis of the images hotspots and sensor structure data related to temperature and position, as broadly claimed. For the foregoing reasons the claims stand rejected.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-13 and 16-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Staab et al.
(claims 1, 16) Staab et al. discloses method and system for the machine-based determination of the functional state of support rollers 12, 12’ of a belt conveyor system (10) during operation of the belt conveyor system, the method including during operation of the belt conveyor system sensing image data of at least one subregion of the belt conveyor system, via a thermal imaging sensor (28) on at least one unmanned vehicle (22) wherein the image data includes thermal image data (column 4, lines 4-7); identifying in the image data an identification image region position, a subregion/roller structure (24) of the belt conveyor system including a support roller (12, 12’), defining for the identification image region an analysis image region and determining, in the analysis image region position the functional state of the support roller 24, 12,12’ (column 4, lines 10-20); (claims 2, 10, 17) moving the unmanned vehicle (22) along the subregion/roller structure (24) of the belt conveyor system and identifying the identification image region position, i.e. the location of a respective roller structure (24) to be viewed by the sensor (28), defining the analysis image region position includes spatially corresponding the analysis image region position to the identification image region position via thermal image sensor (28); determining temperature data of the relevant support roller and assigning temperature data to a functional state of the support roller (column 8, lines 34-53); (claim 3) the image data includes photographic image data (figure 3); (claims 4, 8) identifying the identification image region position includes identifying support rollers identifying the analysis image region to associate with the identification image region position (column 4, lines 10-20); (claims 5, 11) improving recognition quality of the identification image region position via a learning procedure carried out by a neural network (column 8, lines 34-53); (claim 6) selecting thermal image data for analysis in the analysis image region position (column 3, lines 53-61); (claim 7) selecting the thermal image data includes selecting thermal image data having circular or non-circular contours and/or in which the thermal data corresponds to temperatures of an equal temperature level (figure 3); (claim 9) assigning image data to a belt position via a radio based position determination by comparing the image data against reference image data (column 4, lines 10-20); (claim 12, 18) recording the functional state, image data and temperature data for the support roller in a functional state data collection (column 4, lines 17-20 and column 8, lines 34-53); (claim 13) detecting when a support roller is functionally impaired, determining a time for replacement and outputting the time for replacement to a communication device (column 8, lines 44-53).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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 mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GENE O CRAWFORD whose telephone number is (571)272-6911. The examiner can normally be reached M-Thurs 6a-5p; Fri 6a-2p.
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/GENE O CRAWFORD/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3651