CTNF 18/282,428 CTNF 90261 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia 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 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (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. 07-15 AIA Claim (s) 1, 17, 18 and claims bellow are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102( a)(1 ) as being anticipated by D1 Mulholland, “SANE: Overview and Status of BETA Analysis”, Hall-C Winter Meeting '10 Jan 22nd 2010, www.jlab.org/Hall-C/talks/01_22_10/mulholland.pdf , pages 1-25 (also evidenced by D2 Baghdasaryan , “SANE”, Hall-C Workshop, 08/19/2011, www.jlab.org/Hall-C/talks/08_19_11/baghdasaryan.pdf , pages 1-17) . Regarding claim 1 D1 teaches [Claim 1] A ranging device comprising:a pixel array in which pixels are arranged in a matrix; a record unit(implicit Data acquisition unit ) that records a number of detected photons(page 11 Bigcal calorimeter collects light form the matrix elements which are lead glass with photodetector) for each division unit obtained by dividing a sample point including a plurality of the pixels (page 11 cluster 1)into predetermined division units; and a correction unit that corrects(page 13 naive reconstruction or neural network) a representative position of spatial coordinates(X, Y coordinated are corrected using Native reconstruction or Naïve reconstruction) of distance information of the sample point on a basis of the number of detected photons ( E(xi) is energy /amplitude of the each detection element)for each of a plurality of the division units.(also see page 10 of D2 is my own algorithm which uses maximum energy block position and energies from surrounding 5x5 blocks to obtain correction to the position ) [Claim 2] The ranging device according to claim 1, wherein the division unit is a column or a row of the pixel array.(page 11 , 12 cluster pixels can be in row or column) [Claim 3] The ranging device according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit corrects the representative position(X of native reconstruction taken instead of ) to a position of the division unit having a largest number of detected photons(XmaxE in page 13) among the plurality of the division units that forms the sample point.(center position of the cluster is corrected by either naïve method or neural network) [Claim 4] The ranging device according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit corrects the representative position to a weighted mean position weighted by the number of detected photons of the plurality of the division units that forms the sample point.(Naïve representation uses weighted sum) [Claim 5] The ranging device according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit approximates the number of detected photons of the plurality of the division units(Eclust) that forms the sample point with a predetermined approximation function(sum of detected elements), and corrects the representative position to a position at which the number of detected photons is larges(XmaxE is corrected to weighted average )t in the approximation function. [Claim 6] The ranging device according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit corrects the representative position to a position at which the number of detected photons is largest using a mean shift procedure on the number of detected photons of the plurality of the division units that forms the sample point.(page 13 weighted average is mean shift procedure) [Claim 7] The ranging device according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit corrects the representative position to a position obtained by adding a predetermined offset amount to a position determined on a basis of the number of detected photons of the division unit.(See D2 which shows neural network approach which receives instead of the corrected values the correction value dX and dY, and as the neural network approach was performed by myself for SANE the experiment the page 13 of D1 is just extremely broadly described version of what was done by me and shown in D2) [Claim 8] The ranging device according to The ranging device according to further comprising: a distance operation unit that performs an arithmetic operation of distance information of the sample point on a basis of a time of flight of pulse light detected at the sample point, wherein the correction unit also corrects the distance information of the sample point.(page 16 cut on TOF to reduce background ) [Claim 9] The ranging device according to claim 8, wherein the correction unit corrects the distance information of the sample point using a distance calculated on a basis of a light receiving position of the pulse light in a plurality of pixels that forms the sample point.(page 11-13, cluster uses individual pixel energy to calculate the correction to the position ) [Claim 13] The ranging device according to claim 1 further comprising: a distance operation unit that performs an arithmetic operation of the distance information of the sample point on a basis of a time of flight of pulse light detected at the sample point, wherein the correction unit further corrects the representative position of the spatial coordinates of the distance information of the sample point on a basis of the distance information of the sample point.(page 13 naïve reconstruction equation) [Claim 15] The ranging device according to The ranging device according to wherein a correction direction of the spatial coordinates corrected on a basis of the number of detected photons of the division unit is orthogonal to a correction direction of the spatial coordinates corrected on a basis of the distance information of the sample point.(the correction is in X and Y plane of the detector ) [Claim 16] The ranging device according to The ranging device according to further comprising:a plurality of TDCs that generates a digital count value corresponding to the time of flight of the pulse light on a basis of a pixel signal output from the pixels, wherein a TDC is shared by a plurality of pixels in a direction parallel to a baseline direction that connects an illumination device that emits the pulse light and the ranging device.(inherent for BIGCAL see as evidence Jones “BigCal and gain monitoring system”, hallcweb.jlab.org/experiments/sane/sane/review/bigcal_sane_rr.pdf, Jul 2 , 2007 (as evidence see hallcweb.jlab.org/experiments/sane/sane/review/ ) page 2 Groups of 8 Signals go to multiplexing units which pass individual amplified (5x) signal and produce sum. Sum output used for TDC and trigger) Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 . Although regarding claim 14 D1 does not teach [Claim 14] The ranging device according to claim 13, wherein the correction unit corrects a position in a direction parallel to a baseline direction that connects an illumination device that emits the pulse light and the ranging device of the pixel array. This is just a matter or relative positioning of the emitter and receiver. If emitter is places in such that a baseline direction that connects an illumination device that emits the pulse light and the ranging device of the pixel array is parallel to the phase array that limitation will be satisfied . Allowable Subject Matter 12-151-08 AIA 07-43 12-51-08 Claim 10-12 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. Closest available prior art teaches using other external detectors but does not teach “point using a luminance value of an image imaged by an external sensor in place of the number of detected photons of each of the plurality of the division units”. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HOVHANNES BAGHDASARYAN whose telephone number is (571)272-7845. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 7am - 5 pm. 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, Yuqing Xiao can be reached at (571) 270-3603. 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If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /HOVHANNES BAGHDASARYAN/Examiner, Art Unit 3645 Application/Control Number: 18/282,428 Page 2 Art Unit: 3645 Application/Control Number: 18/282,428 Page 3 Art Unit: 3645 Application/Control Number: 18/282,428 Page 4 Art Unit: 3645 Application/Control Number: 18/282,428 Page 5 Art Unit: 3645 Application/Control Number: 18/282,428 Page 6 Art Unit: 3645 Application/Control Number: 18/282,428 Page 7 Art Unit: 3645
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