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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 14 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 14, line 9 should have a semicolon at the end of the limitation instead of a comma. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-11 are directed to a method of determining a position dependent wave vector amplitude of vibrations on a surface of a structure, which is considered to be a method. Claims 12-18 are directed to an acoustic inspection device, which is considered to be an apparatus. Therefore claims 1-18 fall into one of the four statutory categories of invention.
Claims 1-8 and 10-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to a judicial exception (an abstract idea) without significantly more.
Claim 1 is directed to a method, which recites:
obtaining, using the array of microphones, measured signals from the sound waves from the surface of the structure received at the microphones;
obtaining a measurement of at least one parameter of an inverse wave field propagation model for sound propagation in the fluid medium between the surface of the structure and the array of microphones, wherein the measurement of the at least one parameter depends on the measurement position of the array of microphones;
applying the inverse wave field propagation model to the measured signals from the sound waves from the surface of the structure to obtain a position dependent estimation of sound amplitude and/or phase of the sound waves at the surface of the structure; and
computing the position dependent wave vector amplitude of vibrations on the surface of the structure as a function of position on the surface of the structure from the position dependent estimation.
With respect to Step 2A Prong 1, claim 1 recites limitations that are judicial exception of abstract idea of mathematical concepts and/or mental processes under the broadest reasonable interpretation that encompasses mental processes that can be performed mentally and/or with pen or paper. The disclosed invention teaches the measured signal to be use in mathematical processes (see pages 12-13 on the mathematical processes). The method as claimed could be carried out as purely mental processes or are equivalent to human work. Additionally, the mere nominal recitation of a generic “measured signal” does not take the claim limitations out of the mental processes grouping of abstract ideas. Thus, these limitations recite concepts that fall into the mathematical concept and/or mental process groups of abstract ideas.
With respect to Step 2A Prong 2, the judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application. Claim 1 does not recite additional structural elements to integrate the method into a practical application (i.e. the signals are merely fed for signal processing and/or computation). The signal are recited at such a high level of generality that they represent no more than merely the received data to apply the judicial exceptions. It can also be viewed as nothing more than an attempt to generally link the use of the judicial exceptions to the technological environment of a sensing device (see MPEP 2106.05(g)). Even when viewed in combination, these additional elements do not integrate the recited judicial exception into a practical application. Therefore, the claim as a whole is not considered to integrate the recited judicial exception into a practical application of the exception.
With respect to Step 2B, claim 1 further recites the additional elements of “an array of microphones” and “a structure”. However, “an array of microphones” and “a structure” are recited at such a high level of generality that they represent no more than merely provide a means to receive the measured signals to apply the judicial exceptions. These limitations therefore remain insignificant extra-solution activity even upon reconsideration. Thus, these limitations do not amount to significantly more than the above indicated abstract ideas. Even when viewed in combination, these additional elements represent merely generally linking the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field of use and extra-solution activity, which do not provide an inventive concept. Therefore, claim 1 is not eligible.
Claims 2-7 merely extend the abstract idea identified above for claim 1 and do not add any further additional elements. Therefore, claims 2-7 are considered to be directed to the abstract idea analogously to claim 1 above.
Claim 8 adds an additional element of “a plurality of filters”. However, the additional element is recited at such a high level of generality that it amounts to generally a technological environment to the use of the judicial exception. Therefore claim 4 is considered to be directed to the abstract idea analogously to claim 1 above.
Claim 11 merely extends the abstract idea identified above for claim 1 and do not add any further additional elements. Therefore, claim 11 is considered to be directed to the abstract idea analogously to claim 1 above.
Claim 12 is directed to an acoustic inspection device, comprising:
obtaining a measurement of at least one parameter of an inverse wave field propagation model;
obtaining measured signals from sound waves received at the array of microphones or the at least one microphone;
apply the inverse wave field propagation model to the measured signals to obtain a position dependent estimation of sound amplitude and/or phase at a surface of the structure; and
computing wave vector amplitude of the Lamb wave as a function of position on the surface of the structure from the position dependent estimation.
With respect to Step 2A Prong 1, claim 1 recites limitations that are judicial exception of abstract idea of mathematical concepts and/or mental processes under the broadest reasonable interpretation that encompasses mental processes that can be performed mentally and/or with pen or paper, but for the recitation of generic modules. The disclosed invention teaches the sampled measurement signal to be use in mathematical processes (see pages 12-13 on the mathematical processes) and gives no indication that it is not performed on a general purpose computer. The method as claimed could be carried out as purely mental processes or are equivalent to human work. Additionally, the mere nominal recitation of a generic carrier, an array of microphones, a transducer, and a processing system do not take the claim limitations out of the mental processes grouping of abstract ideas. Thus, these limitations recite concepts that fall into the mathematical concept and/or mental process groups of abstract ideas.
With respect to Step 2A Prong 2, claim 1 further recites the additional elements of a carrier, an array of microphones, a transducer, and a processing system. The modules are recited at such a high level of generality that they represent no more than merely means to provide, receive, and process data to apply the judicial exceptions. It can also be viewed as nothing more than an attempt to generally link the use of the judicial exceptions to the technological environment of an acoustic inspection device. Even when viewed in combination, these additional elements do not integrate the recited judicial exception into a practical application. Therefore, the claim as a whole is not considered to integrate the recited judicial exception into a practical application of the exception.
With respect to Step 2B, the additional elements of a carrier, an array of microphones, a transducer, and a processing system do not provide an inventive concept. The carrier, an array of microphones, a transducer, and a processing system are recited at such a high level of generality that it represents no more than mere instructions to apply the judicial exceptions on a computer using generic measured signals. It can also be viewed as nothing more than an attempt to generally link the use of the judicial exceptions to the technological environment of an inspection device. These limitations therefore remain insignificant extra-solution activity even upon reconsideration. Thus, these limitations do not amount to significantly more than the above indicated abstract ideas. Even when viewed in combination, these additional elements represent merely generally linking the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field of use and extra-solution activity, which do not provide an inventive concept. Therefore, claim 12 is not eligible.
Claims 14-18 merely extend the abstract idea identified above for claim 12 and do not add any further additional elements. Therefore, claims 14-18 are considered to be directed to the abstract idea analogously to claim 12 above.
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.
Claims 1-4, 6-10, and 12-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by An (KR-101693710; IDS dated 09/27/2023 Doc. No. AA; see machine translation).
With regards to claims 1 and 12, An discloses a method of determining a position dependent wave vector amplitude of vibrations on a surface of a structure and an acoustic inspection device, the method comprising:
providing an array of microphones (120; FIG. 1) in a fluid medium outside the structure (200; FIG. 1) at a measurement position configured to receive sound from the surface of the structure ([0023]);
generating vibrations (via 110; [0024]; FIG. 1) in the structure, whereby sound is generated outside the structure by leakage of sound waves (“leaky wave”) from the surface of the structure ([0024]);
obtaining, using the array of microphones, measured signals from the sound waves from the surface of the structure received at the microphones ([0023-0024]);
obtaining a measurement of at least one parameter of an inverse wave field propagation model ([0070-0078]) for sound propagation in the fluid medium between the surface of the structure and the array of microphones, wherein the measurement of the at least one parameter depends on the measurement position of the array of microphones ([0026-0028, 0046-0049]);
applying the inverse wave field propagation model to the measured signals from the sound waves from the surface of the structure to obtain a position dependent estimation of sound amplitude and/or phase of the sound waves at the surface of the structure ([0032-0033]); and
computing the position dependent wave vector amplitude of vibrations on the surface of the structure as a function of position on the surface of the structure from the position dependent estimation ([0034-0037]).
With regards to claims 2, 15, and 16, An discloses the method according to claim 1 and the acoustic inspection device of claim 12, wherein the surface of the structure (200) is flat, and wherein the array of microphones (120) is a flat planar array that is parallel to the surface of the structure (see flatness of 120 and 200 in FIG. 1), and
wherein obtaining the measurement of at least one parameter comprises obtaining a measurement of a distance between the surface of the structure and the array of microphones ([0033]).
With regards to claim 3, An discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the array of microphones is an at least partly synthetic array that is realized by moving at least one microphone relative to the structure along a direction transverse to the normal direction of at least part of the surface of the structure ([0029]), and
wherein obtaining the measured signals in synchrony with the generation of the vibrations ([0027]).
With regards to claim 4, An discloses the method according to claim 1, comprising using a property of sound received by at least one microphone of the array of microphones to measure a distance between the surface of the structure and the array of microphones ([0033]).
With regards to claims 6 and 17, An discloses the method according to claim 1 and the acoustic inspection device of claim 12, respectively, comprising:
using sound received by at least one microphone of the array of microphones to measure directions from which sound waves arrive at the array of microphones from the surface of the structure ([0028]),
determining an estimated shape of the surface of the structure from the directions ([0033]), and setting the at least one parameter of the inverse wave field propagation model according to the estimated shape ([0101-0102]).
With regards to claims 7 and 14, An discloses the method according to claim 1 and the acoustic inspection device of claim 12, respectively, comprising:
moving the array of microphones to successive different measurement positions relative to the structure ([0029]),
receiving sound from the surface of the structure with the array of microphones at each position of the successive different measurement positions ([0029]),
applying the inverse wave field propagation model ([0070-0078]) to measured signals of sound from the surface of the structure at each of the successive different measurement positions to obtain a position dependent estimation of sound amplitude and/or phase at the surface of the structure for each position of the different measurement positions ([0032-0033]); and
computing the wave vector amplitude of a Lamb wave as a function of position on the surface of the structure from the position dependent estimation for each position of the different measurement positions ([0034-0037]); and
integrating the wave vector amplitude obtained for each position of the different measurement positions into a map ([0103-0104]).
With regards to claim 8, An discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the structure (200) is a plate (FIG. 1) and the vibrations are part of a Lamb wave ([0024]), and wherein the method comprises:
applying a plurality of filters that pass the vibrations at a position on the surface of the structure, each filter of the plurality of filters being in a respective band of wave vector amplitudes at a respective passband frequency k ([0038-0039, 0048]);
selecting one filter, of the plurality of filters, that produces a largest filtered vibration; and
using a respective passband frequency k of a selected one of the plurality of filters as an indication of thickness of the plate at the position on the surface of the structure ([0035-0037]).
With regards to claim 9, An discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the structure (200) is a plate (FIG. 1) with anisotropic sound propagation properties and the vibrations are part of a Lamb wave, and wherein the method comprises:
computing a wave vector direction of the vibrations as a function of position on the surface of the structure from the position dependent estimation of sound amplitude and/or phase of the sound waves at the surface ([0034-0037]); and
determining estimated thickness as a function of position on the surface of the structure, from:
the position dependent wave vector amplitude and direction, and
a predetermined relation between the phase velocity of the Lamb wave and a combination of the thickness and the wave vector amplitude and direction ([0080-0083]).
With regards to claim 10, An discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the structure (200) is a plate (FIG. 1) and the vibrations are part of a Lamb wave, and wherein the method comprises:
displaying an image of a map ([0033]) of the computed position dependent wave vector amplitude or another indication of position dependent thickness of the plate ([0080-0083]).
With regards to claim 13, An discloses the acoustic inspection device of claim 12, further comprising a display device,
wherein the processing system is configured to cause the display device to display an image of a map of:
the wave vector amplitude, or
another indication of position dependent thickness of the structure ([0033]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to QUANG X.L NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1585. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, STEPHEN D. MEIER can be reached at (571) 272-2149. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/QXN/ Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/STEPHEN D MEIER/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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