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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Drawings
The Applicant' s amended drawing dated 12/12/2025 are accepted.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over William Smith (US 6301973), hereinafter ‘Smith’ in view of Takuya Hanada (CN 104302415), hereinafter ‘Hanada”.
With regards to Claim 19, Smith discloses
A vibration measurement system configured for determining a physical parameter of a fluid in a pipe-fluid system (Figs.1 and 2; The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for non-intrusive measurements of internal pressure and/or other measurements and, more specifically, to hoop-mode and bending-mode resonance vibration of a tubular section for determining internal pressure and/or other measurements such as those produced by Coriolis mass flow meters, Col.1, Lines 14-19; a method of identifying a fluid is provided, Col.6, Lines 65-66; a steel pipe section to the system plumbing and through which flow may occur, Col.5, Lines 25-27), the vibration measurement system comprising:
an excitation device configured for inducing a vibration in a section of the pipe-fluid system; at least two vibration measurement devices configured for acquiring from the section of the pipe-fluid system first maxima in an amplitude-frequency diagram (vibration driver 110, Fig.3; two receiver sensors such as sensor 106 and 108, Fig.4; applying a signal and monitoring the signal for oscillation as indicated by an amplitude maximum. The maximum might be monitored on an oscilloscope. Therefore, a flow pipe segment, such as segment 34, may be adapted to the plumbing of a pressurized system and monitored in various ways, Col.10, Lines 19-24; mass flow is determined by the phase difference between two receiver sensors such as sensor 106 and 108 typically using a phase detector mass flow indicator such as indicated at 109, Col.11, Lines 38-42; FIG. 4 discloses the results of pressure versus frequency with the hoop mode pressure sensor implementation for the four different test gases where marks 120 are for helium, marks 122 represent nitrogen, marks 124 represent argon, and marks 126 represent readings for carbon dioxide. For the hoop mode implementation, the variation in resonant frequency was about 1000 Hz over the tested pressure range, Col.11, Lines 54-60; Fig. 8, upper point 134);
and
an evaluation device configured for executing operations for determining the physical parameter of the fluid (The present invention provides methods and apparatus for measuring pressure and other variables such as mass flow rate and density, Col.5, Lines 42-44; a method of identifying a fluid is provided. A non-intrusive sensor is provided to the pressurized sensor. The fluid pressure is determined from the resonant frequency of the non-intrusive sensor. The temperature is measured. The fluid density is determined. From the fluid pressure, fluid density, and temperature, a state equation is formed from which the fluid is identified, Col.6, Line 65-Col.7, Line 5).
However, Smith is silent with regards to first maxima and second maxima in an amplitude-frequency diagram, wherein the first maxima is a reference value and the second maxima is an indicator of the current state of the section of the pipe-fluid system.
Hanada discloses first maxima and second maxima in an amplitude-frequency diagram, wherein the first maxima is a reference value and the second maxima is an indicator of the current state of the section of the pipe-fluid system (as shown in FIG. 4, the range R of the frequency with the frequency analysis is set as normal state LI peak intensity P of the frequency spectrum of 1 Hz to 10Hz0 the range of 10 Hz to 1 Hz in shown in FIG. 4 (a) is less than 100, but in FIG. 4 (b) shows the sign state L2 is more than 250. Thus, if the reference value of the peak intensity for example is set to be 100, it is possible to easily detect the sign [0076]; Fig.4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Smith in view of Hanada to acquire from the section of the pipe-fluid system first maxima and second maxima in an amplitude-frequency diagram, wherein the first maxima is a reference value and the second maxima is an indicator of the current state of the section of the pipe-fluid system such fluid condition or fluid phenomenon (if the reference value of the peak intensity for example is set to be 100, it is possible to easily detect the sign, Hanada [0076].
With regards to Claim 20, Smith discloses wherein the section of the pipe-fluid system is defined and extends between a pair of stiff delimiters (metal pipe section is provided, Col.5, Lines 47-48; Hoop mode device 10 includes a straight section of pipe 34 that is adaptable to or built into a pressurized system as indicated by end elements 36. End elements 36 are intended to represent suitable connectors to the desired system, Col.8, Lines 43-45).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-18 are allowed.
The following is an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance:
In regards to Claims 1 and 10, the claims are allowed because the closest prior art, Smith, Smeekes, and Birchak, either singularly or in combination, fail to anticipate or render obvious selecting, by utilizing a vibration mode analysis, a first hoop mode maximum out of the set of first maxima, the first hoop mode maximum being a reference value; inducing, by the excitation device, a second vibration of the section; acquiring, by the at least two vibration measurement devices, a set of second maxima in the amplitude-frequency diagram, with a second frequency within the computed Eigen-frequency range; selecting, by utilizing vibration mode analysis, a second hoop mode maximum out of the set of second maxima, the second hoop mode maximum being an indicator of the current state of the section of the pipe-fluid system; deriving the physical parameter of the fluid from a difference between the first hoop mode maximum and the second hoop mode maximum, in combination with all other limitations in the claim as claimed and defined by applicant.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Y. Kim (US 20140203773) discloses that an eigen vibration frequency of an object, is referred to as resonance, and the frequency is referred to as a resonant frequency.
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).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER SATANOVSKY whose telephone number is (571)270-5819. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 9 am-5 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Catherine Rastovski can be reached on (571) 270-0349. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ALEXANDER SATANOVSKY/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2863