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 .
Response to Amendment
Claims 1-17 are still pending
Claims 1, 7, 12 and 15 have been amended
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 6-11, filed 7/21/2026, with respect to the rejection of claims 1-17 under U.S.C. 112(b), 101, 102 and 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of newly found prior art.
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 1 is 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 1 recites the limitation "the first acceleration signals" in line 8-9. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. It is unclear if it is referring to the respective first acceleration signal in line 4 or another first acceleration signal. If it is referring to the respective first acceleration signal in line 4, then it is recommended to amend the claim to recite “the respective first acceleration signals”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the second acceleration signals" in line 10. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. It is unclear if it is referring to the respective second acceleration signal in line 5 or another second acceleration signal. If it is referring to the respective first acceleration signal in line 5, then it is recommended to amend the claim to recite “the respective second acceleration signals”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 2-6 are also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph for being dependent on claim 1.
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) 1, 2, 3 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brennan; Edward M. et al. (US Patent # US 8296053 B1; hereinafter Brennan; newly cited) in view of YOSHIDA; Kenichi et al. (US application # US 20150355050 A1; hereinafter Yoshida; newly cited) further in view of Mollineaux; Mark G. et al. (US application # US 20140316708 A1; hereinafter Mollineaux; previously cited).
Regarding claim 1, Brennan teaches
accelerometers positioned at different locations on the structure (col.3 ln 53-55 “a larger system may include accelerometers 8 placed at desired locations on the individual combat system elements”; fig.1 shows accelerometers mounted at different locations), each including a first accelerometer to produce a respective first acceleration signal responsive to a motion of the structure along a first axis and a respective second acceleration signal responsive to the motion of the structure along a second axis (col.1 ln 67-col.2 ln 1-2 “first and second accelerometers associated with first and second combat system elements, respectively for generating first and second acceleration signals”); and
calculate a phase offset between the first accelerometer acceleration signals of the multi-axis accelerometers (Col.5 ln 28-66 implicitly teaches calculating phase offset between signals through filtering modules; filtering modules implicitly determine phase offsets) and to calculate a displacement between the multi-axis accelerometers along the second axis using the second acceleration signals of the multi-axis accelerometers and the phase offset (col.5 ln 50- col.6 ln 1-2 teaches using phase offset to calculate displacement);
wherein the phase offset represents a timing offset between the multi-axis accelerometers at the different locations and is used to synchronize the second acceleration signals of the multi- axis accelerometers when calculating the displacement (col.4 ln 22-24 teaches timing offset through relative motion and synchronization through correction in the errors).
Brennan fail to teach multi-axis accelerometers; at least one processor to; wherein the structure exhibits a lower lowest natural frequency along the second axis than along the first axis;
Yoshida does teach wherein the structure exhibits a lower lowest natural frequency along the second axis than along the first axis (par.32 teaches lowest natural frequency through the natural frequency decreasing; all physical structures naturally exhibit fundamental frequencies, which correspond to their lowest natural vibration mode; thus, a lower lowest natural vibration along an axis compared to another is implicitly taught); and
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Brennan to include the teachings of Yoshida; which would provide a building safety verification system and a building safety verification method that estimate a degree of damage of a building after an earthquake occurs as disclosed by Yoshida (par.11-15).
Brennan in view of Yoshida fails to teach multi-axis accelerometers and at least one processor to.
Mollineaux does teach multi-axis accelerometers (par. 22 “signals from multiple tri-axis sensors, e.g., a tri-axis microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometer and a tri-axis MEMS gyrometer, to produce a temporal sequence of 3D sensor data, e.g., 3D accelerometer data and 3D gyrometer data”) and at least one processor to (fig.3 shows digital processor 308).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Brennan in view of Yoshida to include the teachings of Mollineaux; which would provide an improved sensing technique which uses sensors that may be implemented using low cost (MEMS sensors, for example) with user-friendly interface. Additionally, Wireless communication allows for convenient, cheap installation. The sensing technique provides more accurate measurements (acceleration), and new types of measurements for SHM (direct-displacement, and direct-displacement related DSFs). It is efficient and configurable for different applications as disclosed by Mollineaux (par.14-16).
Regarding claim 2, Brennan in view of Yoshida further in view of Mollineaux teaches, the system of claim 1, Mollineaux further teaches wherein the first axis is orthogonal to the second axis (par.21 teaches X, Y and Z axes, which are all orthogonal to each other in a cartesian coordinate system).
Regarding claim 3, Brennan in view of Yoshida further in view of Mollineaux teaches, the system of claim 1, Mollineaux further teaches wherein the structure comprises a building (par.24 and fig.2 teaches building 202), the first axis extends through the building in a vertical dimension (par. 21 teaches X, Y and Z axes, where the X axis extends through the building in a vertical dimension), and the second axis extends through the building in a horizontal dimension (par. 21 teaches X, Y and Z axes, where the Y axis extends through the building in a horizontal dimension).
Regarding claim 6, Brennan in view of Yoshida further in view of Mollineaux teaches, the system of claim 1, Mollineaux further teaches the at least one processor to calculate (par.25 and fig.1 show digital processor 308), using the phase offset, a displacement of one of the multi-axis accelerometers relative to another of the multi-axis accelerometers (par.22 “The processing uses sensor fusion filtering that combines 3D data from the different sensors to correct for sensor errors so that the estimate of 3D rotation and the estimate of 3D displacement are both expressed in a global reference frame.”; par.28-29 “The use of a Bayesian filter allows the use of probabilistic correspondences between displacement and orientation angle. Whenever an external measurement 420 is made, the resulting corrections 422 are used at each subsequent time step in the integrations that produce the estimated orientation 406, estimated velocity 414, and estimated displacement 418.”).
Claim(s) 4 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brenna in view of Yoshida further in view of Mollineaux further in view of KWON NAM YEOL et al. (Korean Patent Publication #KR 101803503 B1; hereinafter Kwon; previously cited; translation provided by the examiner).
Regarding claim 4, Brennan in view of Yoshida further in view of Mollineaux teaches, the system of claim 1, but fails to teach each multi-axis accelerometer further including a third accelerometer to produce a third acceleration signal responsive to the motion of the structure along a third axis.
Kwon does teach each multi-axis accelerometer further including a third accelerometer to produce a third acceleration signal (par.45 “plurality of response measuring devices (120) are installed at a plurality of locations of the structure, each including an acceleration sensor (121) and a response GPS module (125), and can transmit a plurality of RTK displacement information measured through the response GPS module (125) using acceleration information acquired through the acceleration sensor (121) and GPS reference information.”) responsive to the motion of the structure along a third axis (par.46 “acceleration information can be obtained by measuring the X-axis component, Y-axis component, and Z-axis component of the structure through the acceleration sensor (121)”).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Brennan in view of Yoshida further in view of Mollineaux to include the teachings of Kwon; which would provide a response measuring device that can provide a precision measuring system of a structure that measures the three-axis relative displacement of the satellite signal based on the GPS reference information and provides displacement time information corresponding to each relative displacement data as disclosed by Kwon (par.15).
Regarding claim 5, Brennan in view of Yoshida further in view of Mollineaux further in view of Kwon teaches, the system of claim 4, Mollineaux further teaches wherein the third axis is orthogonal to the first axis and the second axis (par.21 teaches X, Y and Z axes, which are all orthogonal to each other in a cartesian coordinate system).
Claim(s) 7-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KWON NAM YEOL et al. (Korean Patent Publication #KR 101803503 B1; hereinafter Kwon; previously cited; translation provided by the examiner); in view of Brennan.
Regarding claim 7, Kwon teaches, a method (abstract teaches method) of measuring acceleration along a first dimension (par.15 teaches the response measuring
device can provide a precision measuring system of a structure that obtains acceleration information by measuring the X-axis component) through a structure (par.15 teaches a structure), the acceleration responsive to a motion of the structure (par.15 teaches the response measuring device can provide a precision measuring system of a structure that obtains acceleration information), the method comprising:
sensing, at a first part of the structure and responsive to the motion of the structure, a first vibration conducted through the structure (par.45 “plurality of response measuring devices (120) are installed at a plurality of locations of the structure, each including an acceleration sensor (121) and a response GPS module (125), and can transmit a plurality of RTK displacement information measured through the response GPS module (125) using acceleration information acquired through the acceleration sensor (121) and GPS reference information.”) along the first dimension (par.46 “acceleration information can be obtained by measuring the X-axis component, Y-axis component, and Z-axis component of the structure through the acceleration sensor (121)”) and a second vibration (par.45 “plurality of response measuring devices (120) are installed at a plurality of locations of the structure, each including an acceleration sensor (121) and a response GPS module (125), and can transmit a plurality of RTK displacement information measured through the response GPS module (125) using acceleration information acquired through the acceleration sensor (121) and GPS reference information.”) conducted through the structure along a second dimension (par.46 “acceleration information can be obtained by measuring the X-axis component, Y-axis component, and Z-axis component of the structure through the acceleration sensor (121)”);
sensing, at a second part of the structure and responsive to the motion of the structure, a third vibration conducted through the structure (par.45 “plurality of response measuring devices (120) are installed at a plurality of locations of the structure, each including an acceleration sensor (121) and a response GPS module (125), and can transmit a plurality of RTK displacement information measured through the response GPS module (125) using acceleration information acquired through the acceleration sensor (121) and GPS reference information.”) along the first dimension (par.46 “acceleration information can be obtained by measuring the X-axis component, Y-axis component, and Z-axis component of the structure through the acceleration sensor (121)”) and a fourth vibration conducted through the structure along the second dimension (par.45 “plurality of response measuring devices (120) are installed at a plurality of locations of the structure, each including an acceleration sensor (121) and a response GPS module (125), and can transmit a plurality of RTK displacement information measured through the response GPS module (125) using acceleration information acquired through the acceleration sensor (121) and GPS reference information.”);
calculating the acceleration (par.30 “calculating the three-degree-of freedom
acceleration and the three-degree-of-freedom angular displacement of the acceleration) along the first dimension through the structure from the phase offset and the first and third vibrations (par.31 “calculating the structure response information calculates the first displacement including the acceleration internal bias through the first-stage Kalman filter.”) conducted through the structure along the first dimension (par.107 teaches calculating bias, which is inherent to do between vibrations along any of the dimensions).
Kwon fails to explicitly teach calculating an offset (par.65 “the first displacement including the internal bias of the acceleration can be calculated through the first-stage Kalman filter, and after calculating the displacement error from the first displacement calculated through the second-stage Kalman filter, the structural response information can be calculated by removing the displacement error from the first displacement.”) between the second and fourth vibrations conducted through the structure along the second dimension (par.107 teaches calculating bias, which is inherent to do between vibrations along any of the dimensions); wherein the phase offset represents a timing offset between the first part and the second part of the structure, and calculating the acceleration along the first dimension comprises using the phase offset to synchronize the first and third vibrations conducted through the structure along the first dimension.
Brennan does teach calculating a phase offset (Col.5 ln 28-66 implicitly teaches calculating phase offset between signals through filtering modules; filtering modules implicitly determine phase offsets) between the second and fourth vibrations conducted through the structure along the second dimension (col.6 ln 19-34);
wherein the phase offset represents a timing offset between the first part and the second part of the structure (col.4 ln 22-24 implicitly teaches timing offset through relative motion), and calculating the acceleration along the first dimension comprises using the phase offset to synchronize the first and third vibrations conducted through the structure along the first dimension (col.3 ln 66 – col.4 ln 1-14 teaches synchronization through correction in the errors within/between the signals).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kwon to include the teachings of Brennan; which would provide a method that allows relative rotational displacement between elements A and B to be determined using only the respective accelerometers and the ship's existing INS's, resulting in enhanced reliability as well as reduced acquisition and maintenance costs as disclosed by Brennan (col.4 ln 15 -26).
Regarding claim 8, Kwon in view of Brennan teaches the method of claim 7, Kwon further teaches wherein the first dimension is orthogonal to the second dimension (par.46 teaches X, Y and Z axes, which are all orthogonal to each other).
Regarding claim 9, Kwon in view of Brennan teaches the method of claim 8, Kwon further teaches wherein the first dimension extends horizontally (par.46 teaches X, Y and Z axes, where the X axis extends through the building in a vertical dimension), and the second dimension extends vertically (par.46 teaches X, Y and Z axes, where the Y axis extends through the building in a horizontal dimension).
Regarding claim 10, Kwon in view of Brennan teaches the method of claim 7, Kwon further teaches the method further to measure acceleration in a third dimension orthogonal claieach other), the method further comprising calculating the acceleration in the third dimension from the phase offset and vibrations conducted through the structure along the third dimension accelerometers (par.65 “the first displacement including the internal bias of the acceleration can be calculated through the first-stage Kalman filter, and after calculating the displacement error from the first displacement calculated through the second-stage Kalman filter, the structural response information can be calculated by removing the displacement error from the first displacement.”).
Regarding claim 11, Kwon in view of Brennan teaches the method of claim 7, Kwon further teaches wherein the structure comprises a building (par.34 teaches high-rise buildings).
Claim(s) 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kwon; in view of Brennan further in view of Yoshida.
Regarding claim 12, Kwon teaches a method of measuring acceleration along a first dimension through a structure, the acceleration responsive to a motion of the structure, the method comprising:
sensing, at a first part of the structure and responsive to the motion (par.45 “A plurality of response measuring devices (120) are installed at a plurality of locations of the structure), a first vibration (par.46 “In these multiple response measuring devices (120), acceleration information can be obtained”) conducted through the structure along the first dimension and a second vibration (par.46 “In these multiple response measuring devices (120), acceleration information can be obtained”) conducted through the structure along a second dimension (par.46 “In these multiple response measuring devices (120), acceleration information can be obtained by measuring the X-axis component, Y-axis component, and Z-axis component of the structure through the acceleration sensor (121)”) of the structure at the first location (par.45 “A plurality of response measuring devices (120) are installed at a plurality of locations of the structure, each including an acceleration sensor (121) and a response GPS module (125), and can transmit a plurality of RTK displacement information measured through the response GPS module (125) using acceleration information acquired through the acceleration sensor (121) and GPS reference information.);
sensing, at a second part of the structure and responsive to the motion (par.45 “A plurality of response measuring devices (120) are installed at a plurality of locations of the structure), a third vibration (par.46 “In these multiple response measuring devices (120), acceleration information can be obtained”) conducted through the structure along the first dimension and a fourth vibration (par.46 “In these multiple response measuring devices (120), acceleration information can be obtained”) conducted through the structure along the second dimension (par.45 “A plurality of response measuring devices (120) are installed at a plurality of locations of the structure, each including an acceleration sensor (121) and a response GPS module (125), and can transmit a plurality of RTK displacement information measured through the response GPS module (125) using acceleration information acquired through the acceleration sensor (121) and GPS reference information.); and
calculating the acceleration along the first dimension through the structure (par.30 “calculates structure response information”; since the acceleration sensors are placed at numerous locations along the building’s dimensions, the calculation of acceleration from the accelerometers must be correlated with their respective dimensions) from the phase offset and the first and third vibrations conducted through the structure along the first dimension (par.46 “In these multiple response measuring devices (120), acceleration information can be obtained” 1st and 3rd accelerometer signals could be from any of the multiple acceleration sensors);
Kwon fails to teach
calculating a phase offset between the second and fourth vibrations conducted through the structure along the second dimension; wherein the phase offset represents a timing offset between the first part and the second part of the structure, and calculating the acceleration along the first dimension comprises using the phase offset to synchronize the first and third vibrations conducted through the structure along the first dimension; and wherein the structure exhibits a first lowest natural frequency in the first dimension and a second lowest natural frequency greater than the first natural frequency in the second dimension.
Brennan does teach calculating a phase offset between the second and fourth vibrations (Col.5 ln 28-66 implicitly teaches calculating phase offset between signals through filtering modules; filtering modules implicitly determine phase offsets) conducted through the structure along the second dimension (col.6 ln 19-34);
wherein the phase offset represents a timing offset between the first part and the second part of the structure (col.4 ln 22-24 implicitly teaches timing offset through relative motion), and calculating the acceleration along the first dimension comprises using the phase offset to synchronize the first and third vibrations conducted through the structure along the first dimension (col.3 ln 66 – col.4 ln 1-14 teaches synchronization through correction in the errors within/between the signals);
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kwon to include the teachings of Brennan; which would provide a method that allows relative rotational displacement between elements A and B to be determined using only the respective accelerometers and the ship's existing INS's, resulting in enhanced reliability as well as reduced acquisition and maintenance costs as disclosed by Brennan (col.4 ln 15 -26).
Kwon in view of Brennan fails to teach wherein the structure exhibits a first lowest natural frequency in the first dimension and a second lowest natural frequency greater than the first natural frequency in the second dimension.
Yoshida does teach wherein the structure exhibits a first lowest natural frequency in the first dimension and a second lowest natural frequency greater than the first natural frequency in the second dimension (par.32 teaches lowest natural frequency through the natural frequency decreasing; all physical structures naturally exhibit fundamental frequencies, which correspond to their lowest natural vibration mode; thus, a lower lowest natural vibration along an axis compared to another is implicitly taught).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kwon in view of Brennan to include the teachings of Yoshida; which would provide a building safety verification system and a building safety verification method that estimate a degree of damage of a building after an earthquake occurs as disclosed by Yoshida (par.11-15).
Regarding claim 13, Kwon in view of Brennan further in view of Yoshida teaches the method of claim 12, Yoshida further teaches wherein the second lowest natural frequency is more than thrice the first lowest natural frequency (fig.2 shows 2nd lowest natural frequency is more than thrice the first lowest natural frequency).
Claim(s) 15-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kwon; in view of Brennan
Regarding claim 15, Kwon teaches a system for measuring dynamics of (abstract) a structure (abstract) having a vertical dimension and a horizontal dimension (abstract discloses structures such as high-rise buildings, bridges, dams, and harbors, which have vertical and horizontal dimensions), but fails to teach the system comprising:
a first accelerometer at a first location of the structure (par.45 “A plurality of response measuring devices (120) are installed at a plurality of locations of the structure) to detect a vertical acceleration and a horizontal acceleration (par.46 “In these multiple response measuring devices (120), acceleration information can be obtained by measuring the X-axis component, Y-axis component, and Z-axis component of the structure through the acceleration sensor (121)”) of the structure at the first location (par.45 “A plurality of response measuring devices (120) are installed at a plurality of locations of the structure, each including an acceleration sensor (121) and a response GPS module (125), and can transmit a plurality of RTK displacement information measured through the response GPS module (125) using acceleration information acquired through the acceleration sensor (121) and GPS reference information.);
a second accelerometer at a second location of the structure (par.45 “A plurality of response measuring devices (120) are installed at a plurality of locations of the structure) to detect a vertical acceleration and a horizontal acceleration of the structure at the second location (par.45 “A plurality of response measuring devices (120) are installed at a plurality of locations of the structure, each including an acceleration sensor (121) and a response GPS module (125), and can transmit a plurality of RTK displacement information measured through the response GPS module (125) using acceleration information acquired through the acceleration sensor (121) and GPS reference information.);
at least one processor (par.61 “processor 124”) to calculate:
a horizontal displacement (par.63 “displacement information (e.g., dynamic displacement data corresponding to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, displacement time data, etc.) can be transmitted to the data processor (124).”) between the first location and the second location (par.93 “Each of these precise displacement data is structural response information corresponding to the respective installation location.” This implies there are multiple installation location) using the phase offset (par.63 “the displacement created by integrating the acceleration has an error that accumulates”) and the detected horizontal acceleration of the structure at the first location and the detected horizontal acceleration of the structure at the second location (par.101 “in a plurality of response measuring devices (120) installed at each of a plurality of locations of the structure, the X-axis component, Y-axis component, and Z-axis component of the structure at the installation location can be sensed through an acceleration sensor (121) and the sensing signal can be transmitted”).
Kwon fails to teach
a phase offset between the detected vertical acceleration of the structure at the first location and the detected vertical acceleration of the structure at the second location; and wherein the phase offset represents a timing offset between the first accelerometer and the second accelerometer, and the at least one processor uses the phase offset to synchronize the detected horizontal accelerations at the first and second locations when calculating the horizontal displacement.
Brennan does teach a phase offset between the detected vertical acceleration of the structure at the first location and the detected vertical acceleration (Col.5 ln 28-66 implicitly teaches calculating phase offset between signals through filtering modules; filtering modules implicitly determine phase offsets) of the structure at the second location (col.6 ln 19-34); and wherein the phase offset represents a timing offset between the first accelerometer and the second accelerometer (col.4 ln 22-24 implicitly teaches timing offset through relative motion), and the at least one processor uses the phase offset to synchronize the detected horizontal accelerations at the first and second locations when calculating the horizontal displacement (col.3 ln 66 – col.4 ln 1-14 teaches synchronization through correction in the errors within/between the signals).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kwon to include the teachings of Brennan; which would provide a method that allows relative rotational displacement between elements A and B to be determined using only the respective accelerometers and the ship's existing INS's, resulting in enhanced reliability as well as reduced acquisition and maintenance costs as disclosed by Brennan (col.4 ln 15 -26).
Claim(s) 14, 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kwon; in view of Brennan further in view of Yoshida further in view of Deshpande; Ameet Shridhar et al. (US application # US 20170306926 A1; hereinafter Deshpande; newly cited).
Regarding claim 14, Kwon in view of Brennan further in view of Yoshida teaches the method of claim 13, but fails to teach wherein the first lowest natural frequency is less than three Hertz.
Deshpande does teach wherein the first lowest natural frequency is less than three Hertz (par.35 teaches natural frequency of 1 hertz).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kwon in view of Brennan further in view of Yoshida to include the teachings of Deshpande; which would provide a more accurate estimate of tower deflection/load and thrust estimate acting on the wind turbine. Thus, the estimates can be used in control design such that evasive action can be initiated when close to the design limit. The tower deflection/load and thrust estimates can also be used in a tower life odometer. In addition, the improved tower velocity estimate can be used for better tower damping as disclosed by Deshpande (par.21).
Regarding claim 16, Kwon in view of Brennan the system of claim 15, but fails to teach wherein the structure exhibits a first lowest natural frequency in the horizontal dimension and a second lowest natural frequency more than thrice the first lowest natural frequency in the vertical dimension.
Deshpande does teach wherein the structure exhibits a first lowest natural frequency in the horizontal dimension (par.30) and a second lowest natural frequency (par.30) more than thrice the first lowest natural frequency in the vertical dimension (par.35 teaches natural frequency of 1 hertz).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kwon in view of Brennan further in view of Yoshida to include the teachings of Deshpande; which would provide a more accurate estimate of tower deflection/load and thrust estimate acting on the wind turbine. Thus, the estimates can be used in control design such that evasive action can be initiated when close to the design limit. The tower deflection/load and thrust estimates can also be used in a tower life odometer. In addition, the improved tower velocity estimate can be used for better tower damping as disclosed by Deshpande (par.21).
Claim(s) 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kwon; in view of Brennan further in view of Mollineaux.
Regarding claim 17, Kwon in view of Brennan teaches, the system of claim 15, but fails to teach wherein at least one of the first and second accelerometers produces three acceleration signals, including a vertical acceleration signal responsive to the vertical accelerations and a horizontal acceleration signal responsive to the horizontal accelerations.
Mollineaux does teach wherein at least one of the first and second accelerometers produces three acceleration signals (par.22 “samples signals from multiple tri-axis sensors, e.g., a tri-axis microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometer and a tri-axis MEMS gyrometer”), including a vertical acceleration signal (A triaxial accelerometer measures acceleration in three perpendicular axes: typically, these are referred to as the X, Y, and Z axes, with the vertical axis often corresponding to the Z-axis. The "vertical acceleration signal" from a triaxial accelerometer refers to the acceleration measurement along the vertical axis, which could represent upward or downward motion relative to the sensor's orientation) responsive to the vertical accelerations and a horizontal acceleration signal responsive to the horizontal accelerations (In a triaxial accelerometer, the X and Y axes are typically used to measure horizontal acceleration.).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kwon in view of Brennan to include the teachings of Mollineaux; which would provide improved Structural health monitoring and would be especially valuable in structures that experience large rotations and/or displacements by providing increased accuracy and more effective damage sensitive features as disclosed by Mollineaux (par.12).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
US 20140324356 A1 PARK; Byung Cheol et al. is an apparatus for evaluating safety of building using earthquake acceleration measurement.
US 10436759 B2 Mann, III; Julian Adin et al. are Methods and apparatus to monitor a condition of a structure.
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 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 CARL F.R. TCHATCHOUANG whose telephone number is (571)272-3991. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00am -5:00am.
Examiner interviews 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, Huy Phan can be reached at 571-272-7924. 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.
/CARL F.R. TCHATCHOUANG/Examiner, Art Unit 2858
/ALVARO E FORTICH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
Prosecution Insights