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 Arguments
Claims 1-4, 7-10, 14-17, 19, 21-23 are pending. Claims 1-3, 7-10, 14-16, 19, 21-23 are amended. Claims 5-6, 11-13, 18, 20, and 24-26 are cancelled.
Regarding the rejection of Claims 1-4, 7-10, 14-17, 19, 21-23 under 35 U.S.C. 103, as best understood by the examiner Applicant’s arguments are persuasive and the rejection is withdrawn.
New rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) are applied to the claims.
Claim Objections
Claim 8, 10, 15, 19, and 23 are objected to because of the following informalities: “the support member is attached directly opposing exterior sidewalls of the buoyancy tank” should be -the support member is attached directly to opposing exterior sidewalls of the buoyancy tank-
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-4, 7-10, 14-17, 19, 21-23 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.
Claims 1, 9, 14, and 22 recite “a (the) respective generalized direction” relative to a vertical reference axis. It is unclear what direction qualifies as a “respective generalized” direction. It the direction parallel to the vertical reference axis? Perpendicular? At some defined range of angles from the axis? Therefore claims 1, 9, 14, 22 and further dependent claims 2-4, 7-8, 10, 15-17, 19, 21, and 23 are indefinite.
The term “approximately” in claims 7, 9, and 22 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “approximately” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. Therefore claims 7, 9, and 22 and further dependent claims 8, 10, and 23 are indefinite.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-4, 7-10, 14-17, 19, 21-23 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. As applicant noted in the arguments of 11/11/2025, the prior art alone or in combination fails to teach use of finite element structural analysis for determining sensor placement of fiber optic strain gauges for offshore buoyancy tanks.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CATHERINE T RASTOVSKI whose telephone number is (571)270-0349. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:00am-4:00pm.
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/Catherine T. Rastovski/Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2857