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
Applicant’s amendments to the claims, filed 12/02/2025, are accepted and appreciated by the
Examiner.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks pages 9-11, filed 12/02/2025, with respect to the rejection of claims 1 and 25 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) have been fully considered and are persuasive in light of the amendments. Fernihough (US 20210080601 A1) does not explicitly teach, any of the configurations of the structural frame or of the sensing elements listed in the claims. Therefore, the 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) rejection of claims 1 and 25 have been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Fernihough (US 20210080601 A1) and Zhou (CN 108007980 A).
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks pages 12-13, filed 12/02/2025, with respect to the rejection of claim 18 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) have been fully considered and are persuasive in light of the amendments. Fernihough does not explicitly teach “wherein the first sensing element is disposed on an interior surface of the first shell such that its positive side is in contact with the first shell, and the second sensing element is disposed on an interior surface of the second shell such that its negative side is in contact with the second shell.” Fernihough teaches that both shells of the sensing unit share the same polarity. It is advantageous for both shells to have opposite polarity as seen in the instant application so that each units’ parasitic capacitances are equal and thus reduce noise in the system as seen in Para. [0051] of the specification. Therefore, the rejection of claim 18 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks pages 13-14, filed 12/02/2025, with respect to the rejection of claim 20 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) have been fully considered and are persuasive in light of the amendments. Fernihough does not explicitly teach “wherein the first side of each of the first and second sensing elements is in contact with a respective one of the first and second ends of the hollow cylinder on an exterior surface thereof.” Therefore, the rejection of claim 20 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) has been withdrawn.
Claim Objections
Claims 5 and 7 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claims 5 and 7 include the limitation “wherein each of the first and the second sensing elements is generally planar” which is grammatically incorrect in lines 2 and 4 respectively. For grammatical clarity the limitation should read “wherein each of the first and the second sensing elements are generally planar.” Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 4, 9-15, 17, 22-25, and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fernihough (US 20210080601 A1) as modified by Zhou (CN 108007980 A).
With respect to claim 1,
Fernihough teaches,
A marine sensor system, comprising: an enclosure defining an interior volume, wherein the enclosure is configured to be immersed in water; (Para. [0003] teaches “Marine surveying systems are used to acquire seismic and other data from Earth formations below the bottom of a body of water, such as a lake or the ocean. Marine surveying systems typically include a survey vessel which may have onboard navigation, seismic energy source control, and data recording equipment. The survey vessel is typically configured to tow one or more streamers through the water.” See figures 8-10 and figure 13.)
at least one sensor disposed within the interior volume, and having a positive output node, a negative output node, and a structural frame to which first and second sensing elements are mounted, each of the sensing elements having a positive side and a negative side; (Para. [0062] teaches “the positive poled electrode 11 of the piezoelectric wafer is mounted to the inner surface of the end wall 16 such that the negative poled electrode 12 faces inwardly of the shell member 84. A wire connects this negative poled electrode 12 to the wire terminal 24. FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the shell member 84 of the second form 1000 showing the piezoelectric wafer bonded in the end portion 16 of the shell such that the negative poled electrode 12 faces inwardly of the shell member 14. Finally, FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the hydrophone unit of the second form 1000 which is formed by two of the hydrophone half-elements (84 and 84 ′) joined together. The conductive body of the unit, formed by the shell members (84 and 84 ′), provides a positive poled (+ve) electrode that connects to the positive polarity side 12 of the two piezoelectric wafers 10 inside the body. The wire terminals (24 and 24 ′) are wired together to provide a negative poled (−ve) electrode that connects to the negative polarity side 11 of the two piezoelectric wafers 10 inside the body.”)
and wherein a first parasitic capacitance between the positive output node and the enclosure is substantially equal to a second parasitic capacitance between the negative output node and the enclosure. (Para. [0064] teaches “Advantageously, in the array 1100 of FIG. 11, the surface area of the +ve electrodes is substantially the same as the surface area of the −ve electrodes. As such, the mutual parasitic capacitance that exists between the positive and negative electrodes of this arrangement and a nearby conductor is substantially the same. Hence, the effective common mode capacitances are symmetrical so that cross-feed noise from nearby conductors in this arrangement is reduced.”)
Fernihough does not explicitly teach,
wherein a configuration of the structural frame and of the sensing elements is selected from the group consisting of: a body formed by two opposing electrically conductive shells that are electrically coupled to one another and to the positive side of the first sensing element and to the negative side of the second sensing element, with both of the sensing elements disposed on interior surfaces of the body; an electrically conductive hollow cylinder, closed on both ends, with the first sensing element and the second sensing element disposed on exterior surfaces of the hollow cylinder such that same polarity sides of the first sensing element and of the second sensing element are electrically coupled to the hollow cylinder; and an electrically insulative ring with the sensing elements adhered on opposite ends thereof such that the negative side of the first sensing element faces the positive side of the second sensing element.
Zhou teaches,
an electrically insulative ring with the sensing elements adhered on opposite ends thereof such that the negative side of the first sensing element faces the positive side of the second sensing element; (Para. [0016] teaches “the insulating support is typically a ring made of insulating material, which isolates the positive electrode plate from the outer shell and the negative electrode plate from the outer shell; other means of implementing the insulating support are to cover the outer surfaces of the positive and negative electrode plates with an insulating layer, such as powder coating, anodizing, or adding an insulating sleeve.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Fernihough with an electrically insulative ring with the sensing elements adhered on opposite ends thereof such that the negative side of the first sensing element faces the positive side of the second sensing element such as that of Zhou.
One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to modify Fernihough, because the configuration of Zhou further decreases the risk of stray parasitic capacitance brought on by additional electrical connections as seen in Para. [0009] of Zhou.
With respect to claim 2,
Fernihough further teaches,
The system of claim 1: further comprising a differential amplifier having a first signal input and a second signal input; and wherein the positive output node of the sensor is coupled to the first signal input of the differential amplifier, and the negative output node of the sensor is coupled to the second signal input of the differential amplifier. (Para. [0037] teaches “Now consider coupling the differential common-mode sensor-array model depicted in FIG. 1F to a voltage-mode differential preamplifier 110. The resultant circuit is shown in FIG. 2A. In other words, FIG. 2A may be considered as showing an idealized version of an array providing a sensor output to the input of a differential preamplifier 110. Note that the specific preamplifier circuit structure illustrated in FIG. 2A shows one example circuit structure for the preamplifier input; other circuit structures of similar functionality may be used in accordance with embodiments of the invention.” See figure 13. Para. [0057] teaches “Fig. 7 is a diagram of a linear array 700 of conventional hydrophone units 600 of the type described by Berglund. As shown, the linear array 700 is formed by connecting the +ve electrodes (i.e. the wire terminals 24 and 24 ′) of the hydrophone elements 600 in series to a positive polarity (+) input of the differential preamplifier 110, and connecting the −ve electrodes (i.e. the conductive bodies 14 and 14 ′) of the hydrophone elements 600 in series to a negative polarity (−) input of the differential preamplifier 110.” Para. [0063] teaches “The signal from the series of +ve electrodes is provided via a connection to a positive polarity (+) input of the differential preamplifier 110, and the signal from the series of −ve electrodes is provided via a connection to a negative polarity (−) input of the differential preamplifier 110. Note that, while FIG. 11 illustratively shows two hydrophone units of each form, the number of hydrophone (or other sensor types) of each form may be any number from one or more but is preferably an even number (2, 4, 6, etc.) in order to work well.”
With respect to claim 4,
Fernihough further teaches,
The system of claim 1, wherein: a surface area of the positive output node of the sensor is equal to a surface area of the negative output node of the sensor. (Para. [0064] teaches “the surface area of the +ve electrodes is substantially the same as the surface area of the −ve electrodes” Also see fig. 3)
With respect to claim 9,
Fernihough further teaches,
The system of claim 1, wherein each of the first and the second sensing elements generally planar sensing elements, each comprising a positive side and a negative side; Para. [0052] teaches “FIG. 3 provides a side view of a piezoelectric wafer used in a hydrophone half-element of the conventional hydrophone unit of Berglund. The piezoelectric wafer has a portion 10, which may be made of a ceramic crystal, such as lead zirconate titanate, or a thermoplastic, such as polyvinylidene fluoride, for example, and may have metallized surfaces 11 and 12 on both sides. The metallized surfaces 11 and 12 may be deposits of silver and serve as poled electrodes. In particular, due to the orientation of the piezoelectric wafer 10, the top surface 11 is the positive electrode, and the bottom surface 12 is the negative electrode.”
wherein the first and second sensing elements are wired in parallel such that their positive sides are electrically coupled to one another and their negative sides are electrically coupled to one another; and wherein the positive sides are electrically coupled to the positive output node and the negative sides are electrically coupled to the negative output node. (Para. [0055] teaches “The conductive body of the unit, farmed by the shell members (14 and 14 ′), provides a negative poled (−ve) electrode that connects to the negative polarity side 11 of the two piezoelectric wafers 10 inside the body. The wire terminals (24 and 24 ′) are wired together to provide a positive poled (+ve) electrode that connects to the positive polarity side 12 of the two piezoelectric wafers 10 inside the body.”)
Fernihough does not explicitly teach,
wherein the sensor comprises the electrically insulative ring;
Zhou teaches,
wherein the sensor comprises the electrically insulative ring; (Para. [0016] teaches “the insulating support is typically a ring made of insulating material, which isolates the positive electrode plate from the outer shell and the negative electrode plate from the outer shell; other means of implementing the insulating support are to cover the outer surfaces of the positive and negative electrode plates with an insulating layer, such as powder coating, anodizing, or adding an insulating sleeve.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Fernihough wherein the sensor comprises the electrically insulative ring such as that of Zhou.
One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to modify Fernihough, because the configuration of Zhou further decreases the risk of stray parasitic capacitance brought on by additional electrical connections as seen in Para. [0009] of Zhou.
With respect to claim 10,
Fernihough further teaches,
The system of claim 9, wherein: each of the first and second sensing elements comprises a piezoelectric element. (Para. [0062] teaches “The conductive body of the unit, formed by the shell members (84 and 84 ′), provides a positive poled (+ve) electrode that connects to the positive polarity side 12 of the two piezoelectric wafers 10 inside the body.”)
With respect to claim 11,
Fernihough further teaches,
The system of claim 9, wherein: each of the first and second sensing elements comprises a piezoelectric ceramic/metal plate bender disk. (Para. [0052] teaches “The piezoelectric wafer has a portion 10, which may be made of a ceramic crystal, such as lead zirconate titanate, or a thermoplastic, such as polyvinylidene fluoride.”)
With respect to claim 12,
Fernihough further teaches,
The system of claim 9, wherein: the enclosure defines an enclosure center of symmetry; the sensor defines a sensor center of symmetry; and the sensor center of symmetry is aligned with the enclosure center of symmetry. (See figures 8-10)
With respect to claim 13,
Fernihough further teaches,
The system of claim 1, wherein: the positive output node of the sensor and the negative output node of the sensor are substantially equidistant from the enclosure. (See figures 8-10)
With respect to claim 14,
Fernihough further teaches,
The system of claim 1, wherein: the enclosure comprises an outer jacket of a seismic streamer or ocean bottom cable. (Para. [0003] teaches “Marine surveying systems typically include a survey vessel which may have onboard navigation, seismic energy source control, and data recording equipment. The survey vessel is typically configured to tow one or more streamers through the water. The one or more streamers are in the most general sense long cables that have geophysical sensors disposed at spaced apart positions along the length of the cables. A typical streamer may extend behind the seismic vessel for several kilometers.” Para. [0026] teaches “Marine towed streamers often employ linear arrays of small piezoelectric sensors. Examples of such sensors include hydrophones and accelerometers.”)
With respect to claim 15,
Fernihough further teaches,
The system of claim 14, wherein: the sensor is disposed substantially on a central axis of the seismic streamer or ocean bottom cable. (Para. [0026] teaches “Examples of spacing for the sensors within the array include uniform spacing, random spacing, and tapered spacing. The relative sensitivities and impedances of the sensors may be similar, random, or purposefully different to create a sensitivity taper for the purpose of modifying the array's spatial response. The formation of the array may facilitate spatial filtering of undesirable energy that propagates along the length of the streamer as it is towed through a turbulent body of water.”)
With respect to claim 17,
Fernihough further teaches,
The system of claim 1, wherein: the sensor comprises a hydrophone. (Para. [0020] teaches “depicts two hydrophone half-elements which are joined together to create a sealed hydrophone element of the second form which is suitable for use in a marine environment”)
With respect to claim 22,
Fernihough teaches,
and first and second generally planar sensing elements, each comprising a positive side and a negative side; (Para. [0052] teaches “FIG. 3 provides a side view of a piezoelectric wafer used in a hydrophone half-element of the conventional hydrophone unit of Berglund. The piezoelectric wafer has a portion 10, which may be made of a ceramic crystal, such as lead zirconate titanate, or a thermoplastic, such as polyvinylidene fluoride, for example, and may have metallized surfaces 11 and 12 on both sides. The metallized surfaces 11 and 12 may be deposits of silver and serve as poled electrodes. In particular, due to the orientation of the piezoelectric wafer 10, the top surface 11 is the positive electrode, and the bottom surface 12 is the negative electrode.”)
wherein the first and second sensing elements are wired in parallel such that their positive sides are electrically coupled to one another and their negative sides are electrically coupled to one another; and wherein the positive sides are electrically coupled to the positive output node and the negative sides are electrically coupled to the negative output node of the sensor. (Para. [0055] teaches “The conductive body of the unit, farmed by the shell members (14 and 14 ′), provides a negative poled (−ve) electrode that connects to the negative polarity side 11 of the two piezoelectric wafers 10 inside the body. The wire terminals (24 and 24 ′) are wired together to provide a positive poled (+ve) electrode that connects to the positive polarity side 12 of the two piezoelectric wafers 10 inside the body.”)
Fernihough does not explicitly teach,
an electrically insulative ring comprising first and second ends; wherein the first and second sensing elements are adhered to opposite ends of the ring such that the negative side of the first sensing element faces the positive side of the second sensing element;
Zhou teaches,
an electrically insulative ring comprising first and second ends; wherein the first and second sensing elements are adhered to opposite ends of the ring such that the negative side of the first sensing element faces the positive side of the second sensing element; (Para. [0016] teaches “the insulating support is typically a ring made of insulating material, which isolates the positive electrode plate from the outer shell and the negative electrode plate from the outer shell; other means of implementing the insulating support are to cover the outer surfaces of the positive and negative electrode plates with an insulating layer, such as powder coating, anodizing, or adding an insulating sleeve.” Para. [0024] teaches “The positive electrode plate 1 and the negative electrode plate 2 are arranged symmetrically.” (i.e. facing each other. Figure 2 shows insulative ring with ends.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Fernihough with an electrically insulative ring comprising first and second ends; wherein the first and second sensing elements are adhered to opposite ends of the ring such that the negative side of the first sensing element faces the positive side of the second sensing element such as that of Zhou.
One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to modify Fernihough, because the configuration of Zhou further decreases the risk of stray parasitic capacitance brought on by additional electrical connections as seen in Para. [0009] of Zhou.
With respect to claim 23,
Fernihough further teaches,
The sensor of claim 22, wherein: each of the first and second sensing elements comprises a piezoelectric element. (Para. [0062] teaches “The conductive body of the unit, formed by the shell members (84 and 84 ′), provides a positive poled (+ve) electrode that connects to the positive polarity side 12 of the two piezoelectric wafers 10 inside the body.”)
With respect to claim 24,
Fernihough further teaches,
The sensor of claim 22, wherein: each of the first and second sensing elements comprises a piezoelectric ceramic/metal plate bender disk. (Para. [0052] teaches “The piezoelectric wafer has a portion 10, which may be made of a ceramic crystal, such as lead zirconate titanate, or a thermoplastic, such as polyvinylidene fluoride.”)
With respect to claim 25,
Fernihough teaches,
providing at least one sensor element that comprises a positive output node and a negative output node; (Para. [0062] teaches “the positive poled electrode 11 of the piezoelectric wafer is mounted to the inner surface of the end wall 16 such that the negative poled electrode 12 faces inwardly of the shell member 84. A wire connects this negative poled electrode 12 to the wire terminal 24. FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the shell member 84 of the second form 1000 showing the piezoelectric wafer bonded in the end portion 16 of the shell such that the negative poled electrode 12 faces inwardly of the shell member 14. Finally, FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the hydrophone unit of the second form 1000 which is formed by two of the hydrophone half-elements (84 and 84 ′) joined together. The conductive body of the unit, formed by the shell members (84 and 84 ′), provides a positive poled (+ve) electrode that connects to the positive polarity side 12 of the two piezoelectric wafers 10 inside the body. The wire terminals (24 and 24 ′) are wired together to provide a negative poled (−ve) electrode that connects to the negative polarity side 11 of the two piezoelectric wafers 10 inside the body.”)
providing an enclosure suitable for submersion in a body of water; (Para. [0003] teaches “Marine surveying systems are used to acquire seismic and other data from Earth formations below the bottom of a body of water, such as a lake or the ocean. Marine surveying systems typically include a survey vessel which may have onboard navigation, seismic energy source control, and data recording equipment. The survey vessel is typically configured to tow one or more streamers through the water.” See figures 8-10 and figure 13. Para. [0020] teaches “depicts two hydrophone half-elements which are joined together to create a sealed hydrophone element of the second form which is suitable for use in a marine environment”)
disposing the sensor element within the enclosure in a manner such that a first parasitic capacitance between the positive output node and the enclosure is equal to a second parasitic capacitance between the negative output node and the enclosure. (Para. [0064] teaches “Advantageously, in the array 1100 of FIG. 11, the surface area of the +ve electrodes is substantially the same as the surface area of the −ve electrodes. As such, the mutual parasitic capacitance that exists between the positive and negative electrodes of this arrangement and a nearby conductor is substantially the same. Hence, the effective common mode capacitances are symmetrical so that cross-feed noise from nearby conductors in this arrangement is reduced.”)
wherein the sensor element comprises a structural frame to which first and second sensing elements are mounted, each of the sensing elements having a positive side and a negative side; (Para. [0062] teaches “the positive poled electrode 11 of the piezoelectric wafer is mounted to the inner surface of the end wall 16 such that the negative poled electrode 12 faces inwardly of the shell member 84. A wire connects this negative poled electrode 12 to the wire terminal 24. FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the shell member 84 of the second form 1000 showing the piezoelectric wafer bonded in the end portion 16 of the shell such that the negative poled electrode 12 faces inwardly of the shell member 14. Finally, FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the hydrophone unit of the second form 1000 which is formed by two of the hydrophone half-elements (84 and 84 ′) joined together. The conductive body of the unit, formed by the shell members (84 and 84 ′), provides a positive poled (+ve) electrode that connects to the positive polarity side 12 of the two piezoelectric wafers 10 inside the body. The wire terminals (24 and 24 ′) are wired together to provide a negative poled (−ve) electrode that connects to the negative polarity side 11 of the two piezoelectric wafers 10 inside the body.”)
Fernihough does not explicitly teach,
wherein a configuration of the structural frame and of the sensing elements is selected from the group consisting of: a body formed by two opposing electrically conductive shells that are electrically coupled to one another and to the positive side of the first sensing element and to the negative side of the second sensing element, with both of the sensing elements disposed on interior surfaces of the body; an electrically conductive hollow cylinder, closed on both ends, with the first sensing element and the second sensing element disposed on exterior surfaces of the hollow cylinder such that same polarity sides of the first sensing element and of the second sensing element are electrically coupled to the hollow cylinder; and an electrically insulative ring with the sensing elements adhered on opposite ends thereof such that the negative side of the first sensing element faces the positive side of the second sensing element.
Zhou teaches,
an electrically insulative ring with the sensing elements adhered on opposite ends thereof such that the negative side of the first sensing element faces the positive side of the second sensing element; (Para. [0016] teaches “the insulating support is typically a ring made of insulating material, which isolates the positive electrode plate from the outer shell and the negative electrode plate from the outer shell; other means of implementing the insulating support are to cover the outer surfaces of the positive and negative electrode plates with an insulating layer, such as powder coating, anodizing, or adding an insulating sleeve.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Fernihough with an electrically insulative ring with the sensing elements adhered on opposite ends thereof such that the negative side of the first sensing element faces the positive side of the second sensing element such as that of Zhou.
One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to modify Fernihough, because the configuration of Zhou further decreases the risk of stray parasitic capacitance brought on by additional electrical connections as seen in Para. [0009] of Zhou.
Claims 3 and 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fernihough (US 20210080601 A1) and Zhou (CN 108007980 A) as applied to claims 2 and 25 above and further in view of Woodall (US 6029113 A).
With respect to claim 3,
Fernihough does not explicitly teach,
The system of claim 2, wherein: the coupling of the output nodes of the sensor to the signal inputs of the differential amplifier comprises at least one twisted pair of conductors.
Woodall teaches,
wherein: the coupling of the output nodes of the sensor to the signal inputs of the differential amplifier comprises at least one twisted pair of conductors. (Col. 3 Ln(s). [39-53] teaches “Still referring to FIG. 3, the amplifier 12 is a differential summing amplifier which nulls common mode noise 56, 58 which has been electrically coupled into hydrophone 10 and sums the acoustic signals produced by the water pressure changes 62 and which is transformed into two signals of opposite polarities. The two hydrophone hemispheres 16, 18 each produce a differential voltage output as input to amplifier 12. Identical common mode noise potentials 56, 58 are capacitively coupled into the respective hemispheres 16, 18 and are applied to the differential input of amplifier 12 where one potential is substrated from the other by nulling the common mode noise 54 from the acoustic signal 62 to provide a differential hydrophone output 70. A twisted pair cable 44 exhibits a natural balance to the common mode noise potential 60.” Col. 3 Ln(s). [22-29] teaches “Connnectors 26, 28 are twisted together, as are connectors 36, 38, one set 40 of twisted conductors 26, 28 being discrete from the other set 42 of twisted conductors 36, 38. The two sets 40, 42 of twisted conductors typically are bundled in a cable 44 which is passed through a hull penetrating seal 46 in the hull 14 and is covered in part by a shield 48, shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Fernihough and Zhou wherein: the coupling of the output nodes of the sensor to the signal inputs of the differential amplifier comprises at least one twisted pair of conductors such as that of Woodall.
One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to modify the combination of Fernihough and Zhou, because Para. [0026] of Fernihough teaches “The arrays may be formed by connecting sensors in parallel, such as with unscreened twisted pairs of wires, although series or series/parallel wiring combinations are also possible.” And para. [0047] teaches “For example, the electrical conductor may be one conductor of an adjacent unscreened twisted pair of conductors that runs parallel to the array of hydrophones.” Furthermore, Col. 3 Ln(s). [51-53] of Woodall teaches “A twisted pair cable 44 exhibits a natural balance to the common mode noise potential 60.” Therefore, one would be motivated to use twisted pair cables to balance common mode noise.
With respect to claim 26,
Fernihough does not explicitly teach,
The method of claim 25, further comprising: coupling the positive and negative output nodes of the sensor element to respective inputs of a differential amplifier via at least one twisted pair of conductors.
Woodall teaches,
further comprising: coupling the positive and negative output nodes of the sensor element to respective inputs of a differential amplifier via at least one twisted pair of conductors. (Col. 3 Ln(s). [39-53] teaches “Still referring to FIG. 3, the amplifier 12 is a differential summing amplifier which nulls common mode noise 56, 58 which has been electrically coupled into hydrophone 10 and sums the acoustic signals produced by the water pressure changes 62 and which is transformed into two signals of opposite polarities. The two hydrophone hemispheres 16, 18 each produce a differential voltage output as input to amplifier 12. Identical common mode noise potentials 56, 58 are capacitively coupled into the respective hemispheres 16, 18 and are applied to the differential input of amplifier 12 where one potential is substrated from the other by nulling the common mode noise 54 from the acoustic signal 62 to provide a differential hydrophone output 70. A twisted pair cable 44 exhibits a natural balance to the common mode noise potential 60.” Col. 3 Ln(s). [22-29] teaches “Connnectors 26, 28 are twisted together, as are connectors 36, 38, one set 40 of twisted conductors 26, 28 being discrete from the other set 42 of twisted conductors 36, 38. The two sets 40, 42 of twisted conductors typically are bundled in a cable 44 which is passed through a hull penetrating seal 46 in the hull 14 and is covered in part by a shield 48, shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Fernihough and Zhou further comprising: coupling the positive and negative output nodes of the sensor element to respective inputs of a differential amplifier via at least one twisted pair of conductors such as that of Woodall.
One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to modify the combination of Fernihough and Zhou, because Para. [0026] of Fernihough teaches “The arrays may be formed by connecting sensors in parallel, such as with unscreened twisted pairs of wires, although series or series/parallel wiring combinations are also possible.” And para. [0047] teaches “For example, the electrical conductor may be one conductor of an adjacent unscreened twisted pair of conductors that runs parallel to the array of hydrophones.” Furthermore, Col. 3 Ln(s). [51-53] of Woodall teaches “A twisted pair cable 44 exhibits a natural balance to the common mode noise potential 60.” Therefore, one would be motivated to use twisted pair cables to balance common mode noise.
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fernihough (US 20210080601 A1) and Zhou (CN 108007980 A) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Eick (US 20160018546 A1).
With respect to claim 16,
Fernihough does not explicitly teach,
The system of claim 1, wherein: the enclosure comprises a marine seismic ocean bottom node housing.
Eick teaches,
wherein: the enclosure comprises a marine seismic ocean bottom node housing. (Para. [0024] teaches “For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of seismic sensor units 24 are arrayed as individual nodes in a grid pattern on the sea or ocean floor. The distance between each seismic sensor unit 24 is not limited, and the array pattern may be any desired pattern. In the example of FIG. 2, the seismic sensor units 24 are arrayed as a square grid, with approximately 10 km between adjacent units. The array may include only floor seismic sensor units 24, only variable depth seismic sensor assemblies 25, or a combination of units 24 and assemblies 25.” Para. [0023] teaches “each seismic sensor unit 24 includes a seismic sensor assembly 26 and each variable depth sensor assembly includes sensor units 27 held up with a float 29.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Fernihough and Zhou, wherein: the enclosure comprises a marine seismic ocean bottom node housing such as that of Eick.
One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to modify the combination of Fernihough and Zhou, because according to Para. [0047] of Eick “The embodiments described herein allow for direct measurement of far field signatures without requiring complex deployment and data collection systems normally towed from the source vessel.”
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-8 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.
With respect to claim 5,
Fernihough teaches,
An array of sensors for towed marine streamers where the array contains a plurality of transducers. (Abstract) They further teach a sensing element that is generally planar. (Fig. 3) As well as, the sensor body being made of two hemispheres, a positive output node, and a negative output node. (Para. [0068] and fig.(s) 3-6) However, they do not explicitly teach “wherein the first sensing element is disposed on an interior surface of the first shell such that its positive side is in contact with the first shell, and the second sensing element is disposed on an interior surface of the second shell such that its negative side is in contact with the second shell.” Instead, they show that the same polarity side of both sensing elements are in contact with both hemispheres. (Fig(s). 5 and 9).
Berglund (US 3970878 A) teaches,
A pressure-sensitive improved acceleration-cancelling hydrophone assembly and transducer unit. (Abstract) Where each transducer unit includes two hemispheres and two sensing elements. (Fig(s) 1-7) They further teach that the sensing elements each have positive and negative poled electrodes. However, the sensing elements are always mounted so the positive and negative poled electrodes always face in the same direction. (Col. 6 lines 18-23) Therefore, Berglund also does not explicitly teach, “wherein the first sensing element is disposed on an interior surface of the first shell such that its positive side is in contact with the first shell, and the second sensing element is disposed on an interior surface of the second shell such that its negative side is in contact with the second shell.”
Sims (US 4228532 A) teaches,
An electroacoustic transducer having high acoustic-to-electric energy conversion per unit volume where the transducer has the form a body having a cylindrical central section and hemispherical end sections. (Abstract) They further teach that the hemispherical end caps have opposite charges. However, they do not explicitly teach, two sensing elements that are generally planar.
As seen above none of the known prior art explicitly teaches and it would be non-obvious to combine the known prior art to teach,
“wherein the first sensing element is disposed on an interior surface of the first shell such that its positive side is in contact with the first shell, and the second sensing element is disposed on an interior surface of the second shell such that its negative side is in contact with the second shell.”
Therefore, claim 5 contains allowable subject matter. Claim 6 contains allowable subject matter due to its dependence upon claim 5.
With respect to claim 7,
Fernihough teaches,
An array of sensors for towed marine streamers where the array contains a plurality of transducers. (Abstract) They further teach a sensing element that is generally planar. (Fig. 3) As well as, the sensor body which is approximately a cylinder, a positive output node, and a negative output node. (Para. [0068] and fig.(s) 3-6) However, they do not explicitly teach “with the first sensing element and the second sensing element disposed on exterior surfaces of the hollow cylinder.” Instead, they show that the sensing elements remain inside the cylinder. (Fig(s). 5 and 9)
Berglund (US 3970878 A) teaches,
A pressure-sensitive improved acceleration-cancelling hydrophone assembly and transducer unit. (Abstract) Where each transducer unit is shaped like a cylinder and has two sensing elements. (Fig(s) 1-7) They further teach that the sensing elements each have positive and negative poled electrodes. However, the sensing elements are always mounted so the positive and negative poled electrodes always face in the same direction inside the cylinder. (Col. 6 lines 18-23) Therefore, Berglund also does not explicitly teach, “with the first sensing element and the second sensing element disposed on exterior surfaces of the hollow cylinder.”
Zhou teaches,
A capacitance sensing probe, comprising a positive pole plate, a negative pole plate. (Abstract) They further teach that the probe is in the shape of a cylinder. (Fig. 1) However, they do not explicitly teach that the cylinder is enclosed or that the pole plates are disposed on the outside of the cylinder.
Sims (US 4228532 A) teaches,
An electroacoustic transducer having high acoustic-to-electric energy conversion per unit volume where the transducer has the form a body having a cylindrical central section and hemispherical end sections. (Abstract) They further teach that the hemispherical end caps have opposite charges and that the cylindrical section is broken up into two oppositely charged sections. However, they do not explicitly teach, two sensing elements that are disposed on exterior surfaces of the cylinder.
As seen above none of the known prior art explicitly teaches and it would be non-obvious to combine the known prior art to teach,
“with the first sensing element and the second sensing element disposed on exterior surfaces of the hollow cylinder.”
Therefore, claim 7 contains allowable subject matter. Claim 8 contains allowable subject matter due to its dependence upon claim 7.
Claims 18-21 are allowed. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
With respect to claim 18,
Fernihough (US 20210080601 A1) teaches,
An array of sensors for towed marine streamers where the array contains a plurality of transducers. (Abstract) They further teach a sensing element that is generally planar. (Fig. 3) As well as, the sensor body being made of two hemispheres, a positive output node, and a negative output node. (Para. [0068] and fig.(s) 3-6) However, they do not explicitly teach “wherein the first sensing element is disposed on an interior surface of the first shell such that its positive side is in contact with the first shell, and the second sensing element is disposed on an interior surface of the second shell such that its negative side is in contact with the second shell.” Instead, they show that the same polarity side of both sensing elements are in contact with both hemispheres. (Fig(s). 5 and 20)
Berglund (US 3970878 A) teaches,
A pressure-sensitive improved acceleration-cancelling hydrophone assembly and transducer unit. (Abstract) Where each transducer unit includes two hemispheres and two sensing elements. (Fig(s) 1-7) They further teach that the sensing elements each have positive and negative poled electrodes. However, the sensing elements are always mounted so the positive and negative poled electrodes always face in the same direction. (Col. 6 lines 18-23) Therefore, Berglund also does not explicitly teach, “wherein the first sensing element is disposed on an interior surface of the first shell such that its positive side is in contact with the first shell, and the second sensing element is disposed on an interior surface of the second shell such that its negative side is in contact with the second shell.”
Sims (US 4228532 A) teaches,
An electroacoustic transducer having high acoustic-to-electric energy conversion per unit volume where the transducer has the form a body having a cylindrical central section and hemispherical end sections. (Abstract) They further teach that the hemispherical end caps have opposite charges. However, they do not explicitly teach, two sensing elements that are generally planar.
As seen above none of the known prior art explicitly teaches and it would be non-obvious to combine the known prior art to teach,
“wherein the first sensing element is disposed on an interior surface of the first shell such that its positive side is in contact with the first shell, and the second sensing element is disposed on an interior surface of the second shell such that its negative side is in contact with the second shell.”
Therefore, claim 18 contains allowable subject matter. Claim 19 contains allowable subject matter due to its dependence upon claim 18.
With respect to claim 20,
Fernihough (US 20210080601 A1) teaches,
An array of sensors for towed marine streamers where the array contains a plurality of transducers. (Abstract) They further teach a sensing element that is generally planar. (Fig. 3) As well as, the sensor body which is approximately a cylinder, a positive output node, and a negative output node. (Para. [0068] and fig.(s) 3-6) However, they do not explicitly teach “wherein the first side of each of the first and second sensing elements is in contact with a respective one of the first and second ends of the hollow cylinder on an exterior surface thereof;” Instead, they show that the sensing elements remain inside the cylinder. (Fig(s). 5 and 9)
Berglund (US 3970878 A) teaches,
A pressure-sensitive improved acceleration-cancelling hydrophone assembly and transducer unit. (Abstract) Where each transducer unit is shaped like a cylinder and has two sensing elements. (Fig(s) 1-7) They further teach that the sensing elements each have positive and negative poled electrodes. However, the sensing elements are always mounted so the positive and negative poled electrodes always face in the same direction inside the cylinder. (Col. 6 lines 18-23) Therefore, Berglund also does not explicitly teach, “wherein the first side of each of the first and second sensing elements is in contact with a respective one of the first and second ends of the hollow cylinder on an exterior surface thereof;”
Zhou (CN 108007980 A) teaches,
A capacitance sensing probe, comprising a positive pole plate, a negative pole plate. (Abstract) They further teach that the probe is in the shape of a cylinder. (Fig. 1) However, they do not explicitly teach that the cylinder is enclosed or that the pole plates are disposed on the outside of the cylinder.
Sims (US 4228532 A) teaches,
An electroacoustic transducer having high acoustic-to-electric energy conversion per unit volume where the transducer has the form a body having a cylindrical central section and hemispherical end sections. (Abstract) They further teach that the hemispherical end caps have opposite charges and that the cylindrical section is broken up into two oppositely charged sections. However, they do not explicitly teach, two sensing elements that are disposed on exterior surfaces of the cylinder.
As seen above none of the known prior art explicitly teaches and it would be non-obvious to combine the known prior art to teach,
“wherein the first side of each of the first and second sensing elements is in contact with a respective one of the first and second ends of the hollow cylinder on an exterior surface thereof.”
Therefore, claim 20 contains allowable subject matter. Claim 21 contains allowable subject matter due to its dependence upon claim 20.
Conclusion
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).
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/JOSHUA L FORRISTALL/Examiner, Art Unit 2857
/ANDREW SCHECHTER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2857