DETAILED ACTION
The Information Disclosure Statements filed on June 13, 2023 and July 25, 2023 have both been reviewed and considered by the Examiner.
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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-3 and 18-33 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nunome (JP 2010-230527 A).
Nunome discloses a fastener monitoring device, and method of operating, for fasteners of a railway track. The system is mounted on a railway maintenance vehicle and utilizes a processing circuitry to determine looseness of fasteners as the vehicle traverses the track. Figure 2 is a block diagram of the measurement circuit. The circuitry includes the use of a line sensor 1 and a spot laser projector 2. Each of the laser projectors 2 include a sensor axis of the line sensor 1 in order to observe all the reflected light spots with one line sensor 1 arranged at a position directly above the rail tread 41. The looseness of the fastening bolt is determined by measuring the height of the bolt top surface 42. The height of the bolt top surface 42 is obtained by detecting the light spot formed by reflecting the laser beam from the spot laser projector 1 that has captured the target bolt top surface on the top surface with the line sensor 1. The height is then processed by the determination unit to determine if the height is indicative of a loose bolt or fastener component. The number of loose or over height fasteners are counted to determine the number in a given section of the track.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Robert J McCarry Jr. whose telephone number is (571)272-6683. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:00-3:00.
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/Robert J McCarry Jr/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3615
RJM
December 3, 2025
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